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!
Christopher’s Pick:
The Witcher: A Grain of Truth ($17.99): I love The Witcher, the books, games, TV series (lalala, can’t hear purists complaining about season two), but never really got into the comics. It’s probably because they exclusively tied into the games’ take, when I wanted to see a whole new take; well, we’ve got one based on the original short stories, which rather awkwardly adapts a story that wasn’t covered in the first season of the show, but was turned into season two’s premiere. Still, that should make it different enough to check it out.
Total: $17.99
Johnny’s Picks:
The Comics Journal #308 ($16.99) – This issue focuses on political activism in the realm of comics. Among the entries, Gary Groth conducts an extensive interview with “Y: The Last Man” artist-turned-editorial cartoonist Pia Guerra. Another interview is with cartoonists from the 1960’s Civil Rights movement, and their strategies to engage the public via comic pamphlets and the creation of one of the most iconic political logos of the 20th century. Fantagraphics absolutely loads each issue of the Journal with plenty of in-depth material to enrich and enlighten readers about comics in a broader context, and I’m very grateful for each volume.
Saga #59 ($2.99) – Perhaps an unsurprising pick, but a dependable one. Not only is the book consistently terrific, but that $2.99 price point is super helpful on the wallet.
Total: $19.98.
Mark’s Picks:
Hellboy and the B.P.R.D.: Night of the Cyclops ($3.99): With Olivier Vatine drawing and co-writing, this absolutely had to be in my list. Plus, it’s a Hellboy book, and you know how I love those.
The British Paranormal Society: Time Out of Mind #2 ($3.99): Yep, it’s a double Mignola week.
Monstress #40 ($3.99): I’m reading this series in the collections, but the previous arc, ‘The Vow’ (#31–35), was the best the series has ever been, so I can confidently recommend this one. In fact, since each new arc of “Monstress” has been better than the last, I have every reason to believe this arc is the best the series has ever been. Marjorie Liu and Sana Takaeda make damn good comics.
Total: $11.97. I’ll also be picking up “Fullmetal Alchemist – Volume 17” (Fullmetal Edition). It’s the penultimate volume, so I should probably start working my way through the whole series. With luck, I’ll finish 17 just as Volume 18 comes out.
Brian’s Picks:
Teen Titans Academy #15 ($3.99): This series introduced so many characters, concepts, and storylines that will, likely, be ignored or forgotten, due to the sheer number of new things Tim Sheridan brought to the table. It is a shame that this isn’t getting the full “Azrael” (aka 100 issues), because the first 15 issues certainly laid enough ideas out for the series to last that long.
Star Wars: The High Republic: The Edge of Balance, Vol. 2 ($14.99): The Star Wars manga series that ties into the High Republic is one of the rare Star Wars comics that feels like it is something. Too few of the comics set in a galaxy far, far away feel like anything more than placeholders or time markers. This one has an energy that transcends that unfortunate reality.
Total: $18.98
Kate’s Picks:
The British Paranormal Society: Time Out of Mind #2 ($3.99): This is proving to be the right kind of book for Hellboy Universe novices in the introduction it provides, but has enough to keep longtime fans intrigued and looking for the subtext within.
Continued belowIce Cream Man #30 ($3.99): The solicit promises “experimental storytelling” for this issue, which is really just the series as a whole, but the way it twists and bends conventional storytelling and horror tropes keeps me coming back for more.
Image 30th Anniversary Anthology #2 ($5.99): Speaking of “Ice Cream Man,” if you don’t want to commit to a full issue, the creative team has a new short story from that universe in this anthology.
Total: $13.97
