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:
Headless Horseman 2023 ($7.99): This is the first issue of what is intended to be an annual Halloween anthology. I like this kind of book as a place for creators to play, and as a theme, Halloween is a good playground. I’ve missed Dark Horse having a regular anthology since “Dark Horse Presents” ceased publication, but I also can’t help but think maybe the downside of that title was how scattershot it could be; practically any kind of story could show up in its pages. But in “Headless Horseman,” at minimum we know the stories are gonna be spooky. Maybe that’ll make for a more cohesive anthology.
Asadora! – Volume 7 ($14.99): Naoki Urasawa’s “Asadora!” won me over pretty much immediately. Asa Asada may only be a little kid in that story, but the way it unfolds, it becomes clear we’ve at the beginning of a story about a truly legendary person. And it really helps that Urasawa’s art handles both the epic moments and the much more domestic character moments with equal skill. Plus, I just genuinely love the relationship between Asa and Kasuga. Kasuga glimpsed how brave and determined Asa was at only twelve, and he won’t let anyone clip her wings.
Total: $22.98. And it is another week where there’s so many other books I want to call out. I have a few of my usuals, “Time Before Time” #28 and “The Bone Orchard Mythos: Tenement” #5, plus a bunch of graphic novels. First up, an adaptation of Richard Adams’s “Watership Down” adapted by James Sturm and Joe Sutphin. I saw a preview of this ages ago and immediately pre-ordered―Sutphin’s art is gorgeous, and strikes just the right tonal balance. Next, “Project Monarch” from Michael Avon Oeming and Victor Santos, a book that’s looks to me like a lot of pulpy fun paired with an abundance of Santos’s visual style. Finally, a book that wasn’t on my radar, “Artificial: A Love Story” by Amy Kurzweil. It’s a book about Kurzweil exploring her family’s past through the lens of an A.I. chatbot trained on her grandfather’s writing. I expect it will be an excellent companion read with Kurweil’s “Flying Couch,” which explored her grandmother and the Holocaust.
Johnny’s Picks:
Hexagon Bridge #2 ($3.99): I was really blown away by artist Richard Blake’s visuals of the first issue, a dreamscape that felt like very “Inception”-esque, desolate, with sparse landscapes, but with much more sinister atmosphere. I’m looking for a bit more plot to answer some of the many questions posed after reading issue one, but so far, so good!
Wild’s End #5 ($4.99): This miniseries has just been fantastic! Writer Dan Abnett really has a wonderful grip on the characters, while artist INJ Culbard perfectly drops readers into this time/setting. I can’t read every comic out there, but for my money, no other book is filling me with creepy alien dread like this one! A perfect Halloween tale!
Junior Baker the Righteous Faker #2 ($4.99): Joe Casey’s wild ideas are matched punch for punch by Ryan Quakenbush’s truly breathtaking art in a story that so far is difficult to follow, but nothing unsurprising for a Joe Casey joint. Ambitious and mind-bending, this sequel series may not be for everyone, but is right up my alley.
Total: $13.97 – if your wallet has some extra money to burn, Ten Speed Press releases this week (for $35) an absolutely stunning graphic novel adaptation of the classic novel “Watership Down” from cartoonists James Sturm and Joe Sutphin. A literary classic that, under the helm of these two established professionals, promises to be no less exemplary in its new form!
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Kate’s Picks:
Subgenre #1 ($7.99): If you enjoy multiverses and the film Don’t Worry Darling, this Matt Kindt tale of multiple questionable realities might be just for you.
Headless Horseman 2023 ($7.99): Two weeks to Halloween and we have a new anthology from Dark Horse Comics of spooky stories for the season. It’s not clear what stories we can expect, but I hope we see a mix of retelling of classics (including the title) and original tales.
Con and On #4 ($3.99): Because NYCC was just last weekend and you’re still in your con feels.
Total: $19.97 – “Artificial: A Love Story” is also on my radar. I work in computer science publishing and A.I. is a hot topic (as it is everywhere these days) so I’m fascinated to see how it can be adapted in different ways, as scary and controversial as the technology’s potential can be.
