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.
Follow the cut to see everyone’s picks for the week.
Batman #1 ($2.99) – I don’t mean to brag or whatever, but I’ve read this issue. You’re going to want to buy it.
X-Men Schism #4 ($3.99) – I’m not entirely sure what Jason Aaron is planning to do with this, as you’d think that the Schism thing would’ve happened by now. His current Wolverine run also doesn’t seem to connect at all. BUT! I trust Aaron. Implicitly. I’m sure he knows what he’s doing.
Red Wing #3 ($3.50) – Jonathan Hickman’s return to creator owned storytelling is beyond fantastic, and this time-hopping epic is too good to pass up.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #2 ($3.99) – They’re the world’s most fearsome fighting team. They’re heroes in a half-shell, and they’re green. When the evil Shredder attacks these Turtle boys don’t cut ’em no slack! Turtle power!
Ultimate X-Men #1 ($3.99) – At the end of the Ultimate Universe, the X-Men got pretty screwed up. Jeph Loeb didn’t exactly help things with Ultimate X. I assume that Nick Spencer has got this down, though, so I’m not going to give up yet.
Final Verdict: $18.46
It’s pushing the limits a bit, but get Near Death #1 for an extra $2.99. You can spare it, and it’s good. Trust me. Just trust me.
Walt’s Picks
Batman #1 ($2.99) – Scott Snyder’s Detective run was, for lack of a better word, awesome. It will be interesting to see him write Bruce instead of Dick, but it’s clear that he has a grasp on something better than any of the characters: he has a solid hand on Gotham. I wasn’t too excited about Greg Capullo’s involvement, but after seeing some of the preview pages, I’m prepared to take back every negative thing I said. This is going to be one of the top books of the relaunch, people.
Zorro Rides Again #3 ($3.99) – I can’t use my standard line of “Zorro is Batman but better” since I just hyped up a Batman book, but still: you want this book. Matt Wagner. Zorro. That’s all you need to know. Hell, just one of those should be enough.
Red Wing #3 ($3.50) – Another book that I shouldn’t really need to tell you to buy. It looks freaking’ gorgeous, and Hickman has proven to us with the previous issue that he actually has something interesting to say about time travel, instead of just regaling us with crazy space-time dogfights. Not that I doubted him, of course, but I would have settled for a “simple” meaning behind everything. As simple as a plot like this can get, of course. Then again, he wouldn’t be the Hickman we know and love if he “settled” for anything, eh?
Daredevil #4 ($3.99) – So this has been losing steam since its truly outstanding first issue, but it’s still a fun comic with my favorite Marvel character, solid writing, and truly beautiful art. Sure, it’s different from what I’m used to when it comes to the character, but that’s hardly a bad thing.
Invincible Iron Man #508 ($3.99) – Screw the haters. I like what Fraction is doing. I may or may not have said the same thing last time, but whether or not I did/didn’t, my assertion still stands. Fraction’s Tony is a multifaceted, truly complex character, and even if this book’s plot ever completely stalls, I will stick around for that excellent character work. You should, too.
Continued belowTotal: $18.46
Josh’s Picks
Batman #1 ($2.99) – Easily my second most anticipated DCnU book by a large margin. Scott Snyder has gotten me to care and legitimately invest in not only Batman for the first time ever, but made me see Gotham itself in a new, terrifying light as a result of his phenomenal run on Detective Comics and the Batman: Gates of Gotham mini-series. I see no reason to believe that he won’t continue every single trend that has made him such a darling on this site with the new book.
Witch Doctor #3 ($2.99) – The surprise underdog hit of the year, after two issues this book gives most non-independent books a run for their money in terms of sheer ingenuity and strength of concept. Also, it’s hilarious.
Ultimate Comics X-Men #1 ($3.99) – Ultimate X-Men was the first comic I ever seriously collected and was, in many ways, the seed for everything that came after it in terms of my relationship to comics. And now, there is a second Ultimate X-Men #1, written by a visionary writer that plans to bring a whole new onslaught of fresh storytelling to these characters. In other words, I am intrigued.
Wonder Woman #1 ($2.99) – I’ve never really managed to get into this character and I’ve always considered that fact a problem. I happen to be lukewarm on the writing skills of Brian Azzarello, but Cliff Chiang is one of my favorite artists running right now, so I figure now is as good a time as any to try this book out again.
Spider Island: Cloak & Dagger #2 ($2.99) – The first issue of this mini-series blew me away with its honest approach to young super heroics and utterly gorgeous art. I suspect this issue will do no different.
X-Men: Schism #4 ($3.99) – I’m still not 100% sure where Jason Aaron is going with this one, but the current percentage of books he has written that I have not liked is approximately zero, so I’m willing to see how this one plays out in full before I make any judgement calls.
Total: $19.94
Ryan’s Picks
Batman #1 ($2.99) – Scott Snyder wrote my favourite Batman run ever (admittedly I haven’t read a ton) with his recent Detective Comics arc so I’m incredibly excited for this. I wish Jock and Francavilla were still involved but the previews I’ve seen of Capullo on this book look fantastic too.
Wonder Woman #1 ($2.99) – I’ve tried reading Wonder Woman a few times and I’ve never really been hooked. I’m hoping that’s going to change with Azzarello and Chiang. Everything I’ve heard about this book has me incredibly excited. 1) Wonder Woman dealing with greek mythology monsters and villains 2) It’s more of a horror book than a superhero book. Those are both major improvements in my mind. Can’t wait for this.
Red Hood and the Outlaws #1 ($2.99) – I had no intention of getting this until two things happens, first, Scott Lobdell did a great job with Superboy so I’m hopeful he’s going to bring his a-game to this book too. Then, second, a couple of days ago I saw some preview pages of Rocafort art and holy crap is it gorgeous. I think this might be a sleeper hit.
Near Death #1 ($2.99) – I loved Jay Faerber’s Noble Causes and Dynamo 5 and have been waiting for something new from him for ages now. Near Death is a pretty significant departure from his big soap-opera style superhero books, it’s a one and done crime book. It’s about an assassin who very briefly goes to hell before being resuscitated. When he comes back to life he wants to save as many lives as he’s killed. Faerber has a knack of finding new, great, unknown artists (previously he found Yildiray Cinar and Mahmud Asrar, both rising stars at DC now) and he seems to have done it again in Near Death with Simone Guglielmini. Probably my most anticipated book this week.
Continued belowWitch Doctor #3 ($2.99) – The first non-Kirkman Skybound book is one of my favourite discoveries of the summer. Witch Doctor is sick, twisted and a ton of fun. It reminds me a bit of a great hidden gem from Wildstorm called Mysterius the Unfathomable. I’m glad we’re going to be getting more Witch Doctor after this mini is done. It’s also coming out same-day digitally which is always a bonus in my book
Generation Hope #11 ($2.99) – GH #10 was infinitely better than the gong show that was X-Men Schism #3 and I’m guessing #11 will blow Schism #4 out of the water as well. Kieron Gillen has built a great story here and Seeley did a fantastic job on art last month. This is the penultimate issue for Gillen and probably for me as well. I’ve loved it so far and I’m really looking forward to seeing how Gillen’s with these Five Lights ends.
Total: $17.94
Brian’s Picks
Batman #1 ($2.99)/Nightwing #1 ($2.99) – My favorite comic run of the last year has been Scott Snyder’s on Detective Comics with Dick Grayson under the cowl. Sadly, Snyder isn’t writing Grayson anymore, but I will recommend that people follow each path this week. Greg Capullo’s art looks great so far for Batman, and writer Kyle Higgins co-wrote Dick in Gates of Gotham, so hopefully he continues the same path with the character that Snyder began in Detective.
B.P.R.D. Hell on Earth: Russia #1 ($3.50) – Mike Mignola has created one of the most fully realized worlds in comics, and the B.P.R.D. is maybe my favorite aspect of the Hellboy universe. As the solicitation says, there will be “an exploding fungus monster at the Kremlin.” How can you NOT buy that?
Red Wing #3 ($3.50) – Much to the chagrin of my Multiversity cohorts, this mini will be the first complete Hickman work I’ve really sunk my teeth into; and I’m loving every panel of it. Plus, I’m a huge time travel geek, so, yeah. This is right up my alley.
Daredevil #4 ($2.99) – Daredevil, pre-Shadowland, had probably the best consecutive run of creative teams of any Big 2 comic in a very long time. This run is, so far, living up to all expectations.
DC Universe Presents #1 ($2.99) – I think anthology books are good for comics, and i think Deadman is a great character to launch this anthology. Get in on the ground floor before the CW Smallvilles him up!
Total: $18.96
David’s Picks
Blue Beetle #1 ($2.99) – BLUE BEETLE! BLUE BEETLE! BLUE BEETLE! BLUE BEETLE!
Okay, let’s start that again. The previous solo series that Jaime Reyes had (as written by Keith Giffen to start but the bulk of it written by the wildly underrated John Rogers, with art from Cully Hamner and the then unknown and now superstar artist Rafael Albuquerque) was one of my all-time favorite standard continuity DC superhero series. It was everything you want from a Spider-Man series, but instead in the form of a new, exciting, minority character (while being respectful of all of those ideas). I generally don’t buy books for characters, but I will absolutely buy this book for this character. While Tony Bedard isn’t my favorite writer by any means, he seems to get Jaime and what makes him work, and artist Ig Guara is a superstar in the making. Seriously, that guy is going to kill.
In short, if I had a choice between buying this book for $20, or $20 worth of other books, I’d buy this.
Batman #1 ($2.99) – Scott Snyder obviously is a guy who gets Batman, and this book will be his first run on a Batman ongoing with Bruce as the lead. No matter who the lead is, Snyder is an absolute superstar (if only in quality of his books, not name), and Greg Capullo’s work looks top notch as well (especially with FCO Plascencia coloring the book). To be honest, I don’t know the first thing about this first issue, but it is Batman as written by Snyder. That is a must buy.
Continued belowThe Red Wing #3 ($3.50) – Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy! The Red Wing! Our favorite time travel/father & son/war story around! Hickman brings the amazing plotting and ideas, Pitarra makes the ideas reality. This book is straight up amazing, and a new issue is reason to celebrate.
Ultimate Comics X-Men #1 ($3.99) – I’m buying this because I’m trying all of these Ultimates books and because it is Nick Spencer (even though I don’t particularly like Paco Medina’s art). It’s on a one-and-done trial. If I don’t like an issue, it’s out! Here’s hoping it makes it because Ultimate X-Men should be good (but it would be better at $2.99).
X-Men Schism #4 ($3.99) – I’m digging the living crap out of Schism. Loving the little Hellfire Club. Loving the development of the rift between Cyke and Wolvie. Loved the ending of the last issue. Can’t wait to see what happens next. Jason Aaron is fannnntastic at comics.
Total: $17.46
