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!
Mark’s Picks:
Table Titans Club ($13.99): For those of you unfamiliar, Table Titans is a webcomic by Scott Kurtz about a group of friends playing Dungeons & Dragons. While not strictly adult, it is written with an adult audience in mind. However, “Table Titans Club” is not that. This story jumps back to the school days of the characters, showing how the Titans first assembled. Though it’s aiming for a younger audience, it really walks that line of appealing to both a younger and older audience nicely. If you are a parent with middle grade kids, it’s the kind of book you can enjoy with them. And if you don’t, it’s just great to see the Titans again.
Our Bones Dust #4 ($3.99): The final issue. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed how enormous each issue of Ben Stenbeck’s series has felt, and in this last one, with the two leads woven together, we get to understand them better than ever. I don’t want to say more. You need to experience this ending for yourself.
Petrol Head #5 ($3.99): The first arc of Rob Williams and Pye Parr’s “Petrol Head” wraps up here, but it’ll be back for a second arc. I really admire how this comic is one big chase and at the end of this arc, it feels like there’s still more to go than they’ve already travelled―you can really feel the “Mad Max: Fury Road” part of its DNA here, especially because that film was one big chase, but it never became tiresome, it always found ways to explore its characters through the action. And that’s certainly the case here too. After five issues of non-stop chase, I’m absolutely ready for more when the series returns for its next arc.
The One Hand #2 ($3.99): I was pretty much sold on this series as soon as I read an interview with Ram V. explaining the concept, but seeing it in execution last month was something else. The way Ram V. and Laurence Campbell work together as storytellers, this is shaping up to be something special. Do not miss it.
Helen of Wyndhorn #1 ($4.99): Every now and then, a comic is announced that is exactly the kind of comic you’ve always wanted to see from its artist, and “Helen of Wyndhorn” is exactly the kind of comic I’ve wanted to see from Bilquis Evely. She does period clothing and hair so well, I love her old-fashioned buildings and libraries, and her forests are nothing short of sublime. I feel like Tom King must feel the same way and wrote a comic to showcase what a stellar artist she is. I was reading on a 12″ tablet, but I found myself constantly zooming in to better appreciate the finer details of Evely’s work. This is a book with page after page of jaw-dropping beauty. If I could, I’d buy a deluxe collection of this book right now. This is a magnificent first issue.
Total: $30.95. I’m way over this week, but I couldn’t miss any of these. I’m also picking up “House of Slaughter” #21, which kicks off ‘The Butcher’s War’ arc, and Jeff Lemire’s “Fishflies” #5.
Johnny’s Picks:
The One Hand #2 ($3.99): There is a good deal of noir comics history skittering through the veins of this title, from the red/white/black cover design so prevalent throughout Brian Michael Bendis’ Jinxworld books, to the eerie and transfixing cipher employed by the serial killer looking like some offshoot of Hickman’s Krakoan alphabet or his iconography in “Black Monday Murders,” and a tortured retiring detective protagonist plagued by the flat circularity of time feeling very much like a character who would be at home in a Warren Ellis book. Lofty comparisons aside, this Ram V and Laurence Campbell (with some superbly effective coloring by the always fantastic Lee Loughridge) is singular in it’s superb execution, a rain-slicked and ruddy neo-noir that entices the reader to keep reading with flawless pacing and some really thoughtful story-structuring. The first issue was such a fun ride, so I’m locked in tight for this one.
Continued belowWesley Dodds: The Sandman #6 ($3.99): What can I say? This series had me hook, line, and sinker. Just great comic-booking, folks. Robert Venditti and Riley Rossmo work so dang well together, I sure hope this isn’t their last work together, and I’d prefer a string of Wesley Dodd miniseries in the future, if you please.
Helen of Wyndhorn #1 ($4.99): Count me as a card-carrying member of the list of people who will follow Bilquis Evely wherever her muse takes her. What a talent – not only is her art so busy and imaginative, but every character she draws oozes personality and charm. Watching Evely’s star rise from her days on “The Dreaming” has been joyous, and I’m stoked to see her dip back into the fantasy realm with this series. Tom King knows how to pick co-conspirators, that’s for sure.
Fishflies #5 ($6.99): Issue 4 was such a fantastic read, full of all of the great character work that we adore from Lemire. I find it hard to be able to critique someone like Lemire, at this point, who has such a command of the page, just consistently on his A-game, and “Fishflies” is no exception.
Total: $19.96 – ayyyyyyy just under the limit!
Kate’s Picks:
I Heart Skull Crusher #1 ($4.99): No Arsenal for two weeks thanks to international break and other footy tournaments makes Kate something something, so I’ll use my comics to get my sports fix. The sport that is the focus of this book looks a lot like baseball, so it’s perfect for these last days of MLB Spring Training.
Table Titans Club ($13.99): I just started playing Baldur’s Gate this weekend so I’m a bit keen to explore more of the D&D world – but more than that, there’s a story about community and friendship within this that is universal. You can swap out D&D for soccer, or for Taylor Swift, or practically anything else and you can relate to finding that fandom and the friendships that come with it.
Helen of Wyndhorn #1 ($4.99): Give me fuel, give me fire, give me gothic stories with equally gothic and gorgeous art. And doesn’t the main cover give you old school Nancy Drew book cover vibes?
Total: $23.97 – I’ll forego my extra Starbucks this week for these great books.
