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:
Somna #3 ($8.99): It should be no surprise this is on my list. Not only have Tula Lotay and Becky Cloonan created a great comic here, but I really like this format with its larger page size and around 50 story pages in each issue. I’ve been reading digitally though, so I haven’t been able to properly experience it yet, so you can bet I’ll be picking up the hardcover collection when it comes out in July.
Monstress #50 ($3.99): It’s so rare for a series to hit fifty issues now, which is a shame, because I love long-form world building and storytelling. I’m amazed that Marjorie Liu and Sana Takeda have kept up with a new volume coming out each year (even through the pandemic), especially considering they’ve also had a new volume of “The Night Eaters” coming out each year too. I can’t wrap my head around the volume of work from Takeda, especially given how fantastic her pages in “Monstress” are.
Black Hammer: The End #6 ($3.99): This wraps up Phase Two of the World of Black Hammer, bringing to a close threads that’ve been running since the beginning. As for the future, Jeff Lemire has said, “[The End] will sort of clean the slate for a really fresh start next year where I want to strip the universe back down to just one book that will take a totally new approach and feature many new characters.”
Total: $16.97. A couple of endings and milestones in this week’s picks. I’m also picking up “The Six Fingers” #2 and “Life Is Strange: Forget Me Not” #2.
Kate’s Picks:
Primer #1 ($3.99): This is not something I would expect from DC, but I like the Punky Brewster vibes, so I’m in. At least for the first issue.
Feral #1 ($3.99): More 80s vibes taking over my pull list, this from the creators of “Stray Dogs,” the Image title that reminded us of a certain age of those non-Disney cartoons of the 1980s like All Dogs Go To Heaven (particularly the art). That previous success sets the bar high for the book, and there’s only way to see if they succeed.
Spider-Punk Arms Race #2 ($3.99): Hobie Brown was my favorite of Across the Spider-Verse and I’m kicking myself for missing his new series debut, but at least we’re only at issue #2 so I don’t have a long way when playing catch-up.
Life is Strange Forget-Me-Not #2 ($4.99): And another series that slipped off of my radar. I’m rather cross about that since these comics were always tops of my pull list, but again – it’s only issue #2 so I can catch up easily.
Total: $16.96
Johnny’s Picks:
G.O.D.S. #6 ($4.99): If anyone would like to explain this series to me, I’m all ears. That being said – Hickman seems to be emulating Grant Morrison some, where the themes really reveal themselves in the re-read. In the case of G.O.D.S. – I’m very much looking forward to revisiting the title as a whole.
X-Men ’97 #1 ($4.99): It is unfortunate that opening the front cover to this comic doesn’t play the X-Men cartoon theme song, a tune for folks of a certain generation that hits like a bolt of Storm’s lightning. I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised by the Disney reboot, and if this book can exude even a fraction of the animated show’s style and attitude, I’ll be satisfied.
Batman: Dark Age #1 ($5.99): Mark Russell really knows how to match Allred’s iconoclastic style with substance that is both nostalgic and fresh, their work together on “Superman: Space Age” nabbing the team (along with colorist Laura Allred) an Eisner nomination for a look at an alternative/Elseworlds Superman moved through U.S. history. Resonant and poignant, I have no doubt their treatment of Batman in this follow-up project will also be a wonderful read.
The Goon: Them That Don’t Stay Dead ($4.99): I’m not sure what the last Goon story I read was, but on the eve of the character’s 25th anniversary, creator Eric Powell returns to the character that put him on the map, and I want to make sure I’m there for it. I’ve always been utterly charmed by Powell’s Rockwellian illustrative work, but the man also knows comedy, his characters dwelling in a discordant land of gothic horror mixed with Looney Tunes humor, and the result is a book unlike anything else on the stands. Happy 25th Goon!
Total: $20.96 – ayyyyyyy just a tad over, but with Somna #3, Black Hammer: The End #6, and Ultimate Spider-Man #3 also all out this week, I’ve definitely broken the bank. Ah, well, maybe next week my wallet will get some respite.
