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!
Johnny’s Picks:
The Boy Wonder #1 ($5.99): Happy Wednesday folks! Still coming down off of the spiritual high that is Free Comic Book Day?? I know I am – but, like a hunger that cannot be sated, new comics are always a Wednesday away – and this week brings us a few killer books, like this gem from DC Comics’ Black Label. Juni Ba is a tremendous talent, and Damien Wayne is one of the many incredible Robins, and I can’t wait to see what Ba has in store for us. It’s books like this that makes me with the insta-classic “SOLO” series still existed, where iconoclastic creators had a whole book to tool around with different DC characters, and experiment with them in ways you don’t often see in the main titles. Anywho, this book deserves your eyeballs, and your money!
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Black, White, & Green #1 ($5.99): Borrowing liberally from DC Comics’ “Batman: Black & White” and “Superman: Red & Blue,” this IDW anthology series brings in creators from all over the industry to try their hand at the Turtles, and leaning into their gritty black and white indie comics roots, with an additional touch of green on the pages to add some beautiful punch to the pages. I love the lineup of talent they have on this series, including that James Stokoe variant cover for issue 1 here. The Turtles will always have my heart, and I love dipping back into the titles when creators are allowed a bit more leeway with the art direction and storytelling, as it appears is the case here.
Love and Rockets #15 ($6.99):”Love and Rockets” will *never* die! And the industry is better for it.
Santos Sisters #6 ($5.00): The tagline for this issue reads “Brilliant and Disposable” and I can’t think of a better compliment for a comic. Greg and Fake Petre have an underrated gem on their hands here. Putting the fun back in funnybooks!
Total: $23.97 – yeesh, Comics Industry – I thought we said “Comics Should be CHEAP”!?!? So it goes…
Christopher’s Pick:
Transformers Vol. 1: Robots in Disguise ($16.99): How perfect is it that the trade paperback for the first six issues of Daniel Warren Johnson’s G1 reboot is arriving on the 40th anniversary of the original Marvel comic? I’ve understand Johnson’s approach has given the original Ark storyline an intense update, with an utterly maniacal version of Starscream, so I look forward to checking it out, even though I dearly miss the whole post-war world IDW had created (but then I guess we have EarthSpark for that.)
Total: $16.99
Kate’s Pick:
Singularity: A Graphic Novel ($17.99): During the early days of COVID, I belonged to an online sci-fi book group through one of the bookstores in Brooklyn, and I miss our days of reading good sci-fi and having some deep conversations (as good sci-fi should provoke one to do). I’ve been craving some high concept sci-fi literature, the kind that inspires and was probably inspired by Westworld, and this might just fit the bill. The added bonus is Bear McCreary, composer of one of my favorite TV shows (and a feature of many a Summer TV Binge past), Outlander. And yes, I am picking up the concept album inspired by this graphic novel too.
Total: $17.99
Mark’s Pick:
The Sixth Gun Omnibus – Volume 1 ($39.99): Actually, I’m not picking this up since I already have this series collected in oversized hardcovers, but if you haven’t already checked out Cullen Bunn and Brian Hurtt’s “The Sixth Gun,” then you really should. It’s a fantasy epic written on the canvas of a western and one of my all-time favorite comics (and one that totally sticks the landing in its finale). This volume collects the first three arcs, ‘Cold Dead Fingers,’ ‘Crossroads,’ and ‘Bound,’ as well as the spinoff series ‘Sons of the Gun.’ There’s two more volumes collecting the rest of the series, then a volume collecting “Shadow Roads,” which acts as a bridge from the original series to the new series kicking off in 2025.
“The Sixth Gun” is tied to some of my fondest memories working on Multiversity Comics. For several years, I wrote target=”_blank”>the Haunted Trails column about the series, doing interviews that dig in deep. I’m especially proud of my six-part retrospective interview on the end of the series.
Total: $39.99. It’s worth blowing the budget for, trust me.
