Buying comics can be an expensive hobby. A lot of fans simply can’t afford everything they’re interested in, due to rising prices and the over-saturation of the market with superhero titles.
That’s why we’re here. Every week, the Multiversity staff is asked “What would you buy this week if you couldn’t go over $20?” and shares their reasons why, in order to help others who might have similar tastes make their own decisions in buying comics on a budget. Be sure to leave your own picks in the comments!
Vince’s Picks:
Lumberjanes #4 ($3.99) – What a charming book. I just think this one is so full of heart and love and passion all the way through.
Shutter #4 ($3.50) – Joe Keatinge and Leila Del Duca are kicking tail with this one. The Richard Scarry homages in the last issue completely threw me for a loop. I no longer know what to expect at all, and I like that.
Spider-Man 2099 #1 ($3.99) – Aside from the very probable overuse of the Marvel 2099 future-curse word “shock”, I couldn’t be more excited to read a new “Spider-Man 2099” book from his original creator. Sorry, James Johnston, maybe “Punisher 2099” is coming down the road?
100th Anniversary Special Spider-Man ($3.99) – Speaking of future Spider-Men, we get another entry into the “Marvel 100th Anniversary” titles. I’m all in on these, so look for them to be recommendations each time.
Usagi Yojimbo Color Special: The Artist ($3.99) – Stan Sakai is probably the artist whose comic art I treasure more than any other, save Bill Watterson on the comic strip side of the medium. I will pick up and support anything he does – even if it’s reprinted material. It’s going to feel good to pick up a Usagi Yojimbo book while I’m at the shop again.
Total: $19.46
Mark’s Picks:
Mike Mignola’s Hellboy Artist’s Edition ($125) – I’m completely breaking the rules here. This is waaaaaaay over $20, and yet how could I not choose this book? Any one that knows me knows I love the hell out of art books. That and I also kinda like Mike Mignola’s stuff. That’s probably why I’m a part of the Mignolaversity team. That and “Hellboy in Hell” is incredible. Seeing the raw pages of the first five issues is going to be… brain-explodingly good.
And there’s also The Corpse in there too, which is a comic that is on pretty much everyone’s list of favourite “Hellboy” stories.
So, sorry I broke the rules, but you won’t be sorry to pick this up. (Even if it is 525% over budget)
Total: $125.00
Brian’s Picks:
Grayson #1 ($2.99) – Tim Seeley comics get an instant buy. Mikel Janin comics get an instant buy. The premise doesn’t instantly hook me for a variety of reasons, but I trust these creators. Let’s do this!
Justice League United #3 ($3.99) – While “Justice League” has been breaking some fun new ground, this is the classic Justice League comic you’ve been craving since the New 52 began.
Rocket Girl Vol. 1: Times Squared ($9.99) – Somehow, Image releases enough amazing comics that books that should life changing, must buys at the expense of the mortgage, get lost in the shuffle. That was “Rocket Girl” for me until recently. How the hell was I allowed to miss the first few issues? If you’re as dumb as me, pick up this trade and make it all better.
100th Anniversary Special Spider-Man #1 ($3.99) – This event has me super excited – it’s like DC One Million, but minus 999,959 years!
Total: $20.96 – steal a buck from next week to make this work.
Matt Dodge’s Picks:
Daredevil #5 ($3.99) – Mark Waid and Chris Samnee are crafting a generation defining story arc for Matt Murdock, every issue is a must read.
Grayson #1 ($2.99) – Dick Grayson has also been an underappreciated character and a personal favorite of mine. This new series represents the biggest status quo change for the character since Grant Morrison made him the new Batman (seriously, go read that series). They’re trying something, and just for that, it deserves a chance.
Continued belowJustice League United #3 ($3.99) – Jeff Lemire brings some weird and wackiness back to Justice League comics. The fact that heavy hitters like Superman and Wonder Woman are absent gives the creative team more freedom to subvert some of the standard hero archetypes. The first three issues have been fun and very entertaining, and there’s no reason this trend shouldn’t continue.
100th Anniversary Special Spider-Man #1 ($3.99) – It is a bit of a gimmick? Sure it is, but at least it sounds like an interesting gimmick.
Spread #1 ($3.50) – I know nothing about this, but it never hurts to check out a new #1 from Image.
Total: $18.46
Drew’s Picks:
The Brief Guide to Superheroes ($13.95) – Is it cheating to put a book about comics on this list instead of actual comics? Maybe. But I’m buying it from the comic shop, so I’m listing it any way. Lately I’ve been as interested in the non-fiction history of comics as I am in the fictional stories being covered. This one probably won’t be groundbreaking or contain much “new” information, but I do expect it to be a good resource.
X #15 ($2.99) – This book has been non-stop action since it started, and I’m always excited to open the next issue. I’ve pruned pretty much all the other superhero stories from my pull, but this one remains because it’s the absolute epitome of a fun, adventurous action plot, and I’ll be reading it until it stops.
Total: $16.94
David Henderson’s Picks:
Shutter #4 ($3.50) – I have yet to be able to put into words the kind of visceral joy that “Shutter” has given me so far except to say that, as someone with hopes of writing comic books, “Shutter” is the kind of comic I’d want to write. The world building from Keatinge and Del Duca is second to none, filled with fantastical characters with histories only alluded to on the page, but that are instantly fascinating. I just really, really love this book.
Spread #1 ($3.50) – Speaking of things I love, Justin Jordan threw John Carpenter’s The Thing and “Lone Wolf & Cub” in a blender. Hell. Yeah.
The Empty Man #2 ($3.99) – This is a book I found really interesting as it took a genre of horror (that being the viral horror of something like The Crazies, parts of 28 Days Later and even Contagion) that I’ve seen a lot of in comics and ran with it. There was a lot in that first issue that I hope builds into a really strong horror series, but mostly I just want to see more work from Vanesa Del Rey.
Captain Marvel #5 ($3.99) – You know me, I gotta rock that Cap Marvel. Now that the book has caught up with itself and shown the full context of the opening scene of #1, I think the Star Wars meets Firefly aspect of the book that tries to bring Carol’s connection to off-world happenings to the forefront is something that Kelly Sue DeConnick writes really well. Her skill at dialogue has really shone in this setting as has David Lopez, who gets to roam free with his imagination, creating weird and wonderful corners of the Marvel Universe. I still don’t know why anyone wouldn’t be buying this.
Avengers #32 ($3.50) – I gotta admit something: I have no idea what’s happening in this book anymore. Ever since #29, with the whole Time Gem thing and the jumping into the future and randomly dissolving into skeletons and I just lost it. But somehow, thanks to the combined might of Jonathan Hickman and Leinil Yu, I still want to see how this plays out. Is it because I want to see all the Avengers collectively beat up Tony Stark for an issue straight? Well, it’s certainly not because I don’t want to see that.
Total: $18.97
David Harper’s Picks:
Rocket Girl Vol. 1 ($9.99) – Amy Reeder and Brandon Montclare’s Rocket Girl is a book that’s early on in its run, but it is something that all too few books are today: fun. In the grim and gritty world we often face in comics, the adventures of DaYoung in this book are a joyous blast in a future we don’t know and the past that we do. I couldn’t recommend it enough, and the whole first arc at $9.99? That’s a great deal.
Continued belowShutter #4 ($3.50) – Another recent Image hit that’s rapidly moving up my personal charts, Joe Keatinge and Leila del Duca’s series has been a revelation of pure imagination and powerful storytelling. This book is a must read.
The Walking Dead #129 ($2.99) – While it’s not as sexy as other books on their line at this point, Image’s The Walking Dead has been revitalized by the new direction Robert Kirkman and Charlie Adlard have given it. It has been a welcome change for me as a reader, and it has become a book I anticipate the release of again for the first time in quite some time.
Total: $16.48 – it’s a weird week, but with a little left over for an impulse buy at the shop
James’ Picks:
Spider-Man 2099 #1 ($3.99) – Peter David and Marvel 2099 are two of my favorite abstract concepts and seeing them reunite has got me genuinely excited. With the intriguing set-up (Miguel O’Hara is trapped in the present day to prevent Alchemax from taking over the world in 2099) and you’d be making a shocking big mistake not checking this out.
Thor and Loki: The Tenth Realm #1 ($3.99) – Despite the lengthy title, weird numbering, and its status as a tie in, “Original Sin: Thor and Loki: The Tenth Realm: The Search For Curly’s Gold” #5.1 is uniting two of the best creative teams for either Thor or Loki for a story that’ll rock their worlds. Or realms, more likely.
Grayson #1 ($2.99) – The house ad made a “You don’t know Dick” joke so I’ll gladly slam down three clams out of nothing but respect. Also Tim Seely and Mikel Janin are two sincere reasons to check out this title.
Spread #1 ($3.50) – One day we’ll tie down Justin Jordan and Kyle Strahm and cure them of whatever is making them produce such brutal and disgusting books like “Spread”. Until then, we’ll just have to pay them money for their fantastic books so they don’t come after us.
Total: $14.47 (so close to being 1337)
Zach’s Picks:
Grayson #1 ($2.99) I was sold on this series the moment I learned of its existence. Dick Grayson as a secret agent is such a silly great concept, it’s the book I never knew I wanted. Oh, and of course, YOU DON’T KNOW DICK.
Justice League United #3 ($3.99) This series, on the other hand, I’m still not completely sold on. It’s got the creative team, it’s got the awesome cast, but it hasn’t quite stuck yet. Still, I have to rep a book that features Ultra the Multi-Alien…as a baby!
Thor and Loki: The Tenth Realm #1 ($3.99) Rounding out my list of books that shouldn’t exist but do and that’s ok, this Original Sin tie-in combines two great Thor-family books into one greater Thor book. Oh, and Angela, because comics.
Total: $10.97 – Sure there’s some other good stuff out this week, but nothing matches my excitement for these three.
