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!
Justin Beeson’s Picks:
Crowded #2 ($3.99) – The story in this book centering around app-based hits and bodyguards sounds super gimicky on paper, but the execution is great so far. I am completely invested in the characters after just one issue.
Infinity Wars #3 ($4.99) – I’m mainly reading this just for Mike Deodato’s art at this point. The story has been a mess, but it’s an extremely well drawn, pretty mess.
Low Road West #1 ($3.99) – The release of this book caught me be surprise, and I know nothing about it. But after the amazing “Aquaman” annual last year, I’ll give anything by Phillip Kennedy Johnson a try.
Runaways #13 ($3.99) – This current series is much more on the YA side than actual superheroing but I am into it. Rowell and Anka are doing wonders with these characters.
Sleepless #7 ($3.99) – This is my favorite current fantasy series so I’m really excited that it’s back. The last arc had a heartbreaking ending so I can’t wait to see how it picks back up.
Total: $20.95. Sometimes you just need to spend that extra dollar (and it’s usually Marvel’s fault).
Kevin’s Picks:
Runaways #13 ($3.99) – This is hands down my favorite Marvel series at the moment and it has gotten me to go back and start reading the original “Runways” series to try and learn everything, which I daresay might be the highest honor one can give a book. To be inspired to try to learn everything, read all the old stuff, watch the Hulu series which I’ve started doing, I wanna know it all. Plus, things just got interesting (and a helluva lot more queer).
Catwoman #3 ($3.99) – Speaking of queer comic characters, “Catwoman” is definitely at the top of my DC pile every month now. I have said it before , and I will say it again, Joelle Jones is a masterful artist at the top of her game on this book. Laura Allred’s colors make everything perfect as well. Read this book.
Moth & Whisper #1 ($3.99) – Launching this week from Aftershock, you guessed it, books with more LGBTQ content. A noir, old school flavor, street level series with a genderfluid star and a kick ass pitch? Count me in.
Iceman #1 ($3.99) – Well I’m on a roll. Sina Grace’s “Iceman” is back, this time with the awesome Nathan Stockman on art, and I have completed my quadfecta (is that a word?) of queer titles for the week. This was one of our favorite books on Make Mine Multiversity last year, so you can bet this return has me stoked!
Superman #3 ($3.99) – I guess a comic about by a straight guy, about a straight guy, for good measure I guess? But also, Bendis “Superman” be good.
Total: $19.95
Matt Lune’s Picks:
Cemetery Beach #1 ($3.99) – This book honestly had me at ‘Warren Ellis,’ but the solicit sounds great too. A professional pathfinder breaks out of a torture cell and plots his escape across an off-world colony filled with “lunatics.”
Archie 1941 #1 ($3.99) – The great thing about Archie Comics at the moment is that they’re unafraid to try new things. For a company that was built around a book that spent decades dealing almost exclusively in nostalgia, the amount of fresh new concepts coming out now is fantastic. “Archie 1941” looks to take a fresh spin on that nostalgic past by placing the characters firmly the year that the company first started publishing.
Fantastic Four #2 ($3.99) – Dan Slott and Sara Pichelli’s run on the FF continues here, and the solicit promises that we’ll finally see what the Richards family have been up to, and if the preview pages are anything to go by, a lot of time has passed for the family…
Continued belowScales & Scoundrels #12 ($3.99) – There’s only so many times that I can tell you how much I love “Scales & Scoundrels,” but I’ll tell you one more time: it’s amazing, and you should be reading this book.
Moth & Whisper #1 ($3.99) – A crime caper that deals with gender identities sounds like the book I didn’t know I needed until now, but damn this looks great.
Total: $19.95
Nick’s Picks:
Archie 1941 #1 ($3.99) – More Waid Archie! It’s like you were never gone. Looking forward to seeing his take on the characters in this new context.
Mech Cadet Yu #12 ($3.99) – Goodbye, buddy.
The Seeds #2 ($3.99) – The first issue’s abstract storytelling and fascinating grey-tone art intrigued me far more than most first issues. Let’s see how things progress.
Nancy Drew #4 ($3.99) – I’m always down for more of Kelly Thompson’s girl detectives.
Ms. Marvel #34 ($3.99) – Over 50 issues in and still every bit as engaging, heartwarming, and funny as ever.
Total: $19.95.
Kate’s Picks:
Sleepless #7 ($3.99) – The artwork in this series is just so beautiful and delicate, very reminiscent of art in the medieval era with its flat look and muted colors. The series will take a time jump to a year, which opens up new avenues for the characters as well.
House of Whispers #1 ($3.99) – Of all the “Sandman Universe” books, this is the one I am looking forward to the most, thanks to the New Orleans setting.
Archie 1941 #1 ($3.99) – The carefree kids of Riverdale facing the spectre of war has me intrigued. It does have the potential to go dark places (though I don’t think as dark as Riverdale), but thanks to that show, a book like this is possible.
Baby-Sitters Club: Kristy’s Big Day ($10.99) – Adding this purely for the nostalgia factor, as my sister and I loved the Baby-Sitters Club books. (Dirty little secret: she still has them and occasionally reads them!) I love that these books are being illustrated for a new generation – – sure, some of the cultural touchpoints are dated (Walkmans, anyone?) but there are timeless themes that kids from 2018 and their parents who read them when they first came out in 1988.
Total: $22.96. This is one of those tough weeks with so much good stuff coming out!
Mark’s Picks:
“The Sixth Gun – Volume Five” ($59.99)— I love these hardcovers. Oni Press does a fantastic job with them, and they always find a way to make each one special. This latest volume collects Cullen Bunn and Brian Hurtt’s “The Sixth Gun” #42–47, and “The Sixth Gun: Days of the Dead” miniseries drawn by Mike Norton, plus in the special features there’s an adventure for The Sixth Gun RPG, “Mimihqueh: The Temple of the Dead,” which ties into a location introduced in “The Sixth Gun” #42. As far as I know, this adventure is unique to this volume, so that’s pretty cool. The sketchbook section also features ancillary art created specifically for the RPG.
If you’re a “Shadow Roads” reader, then “Days of the Dead” is definitely a story you want to read, as it delves into Abigail Redmayne’s backstory.
Total: $59.99 – Actually, no, it’s more than that. I’ve got to mention Andrew MacLean’s “Head Lopper” #9—the book comes along once every quarter and it deserves a shout out here.
