It’s time for another look at which digital comics Comixology has on sale right now. What are the good reads and what are the good buys? We’ll be taking a look mostly at the Comixology sales that are ending by Thursday and what an eclectic set of digital comics it is.
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If you like Justice League comics, this could be your week. Plus a U.S. Agent sale that’s more of an Avengers West Coast sale in disguise, Star Wars and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
The largest sale this week is really two sales that overlap: The DC Justice Sale – Graphic Novels and The DC Justice Sale – Single Issues. What’s that mean? DC has the majority of their Justice League family of comics on sale, including some Justice Society material (but not the original All-Star Comics). One sale lists the digital graphic novels, the other the single issues. Single issues appear to be all or almost all $0.99 cents, so you can tell which version is cheaper by how many issues are in it. Plus, not all issues are in collected editions. Since this is a LOT of material thrown together (1,531 single issues), let’s hit some of the major series included in it and look at what’s available that way.
The original Justice League of America (’60-87). Most of this series is available as single issues only. The most bang for your buck would be the Silver Age collections – ~12 issues for $5.99. The Crisis on Multiple Earths volumes are the JLA/JSA team ups, which were always a favorite of many. (Vol. 6 has the extremely influential JLA/JSA/New Gods storyline that inserts Darkseid into the JLA’s sphere). But what I’m personally planning on doing is assembling my own Steve Englehart Justice League virtual collection. Englehart and Dick Dillin collaborated on #139-146 and #149-150 – all double-sized issues. It’s a good and influential run, including the integration of The Manhunters into the Green Lantern mythos. It’s not clear why this run has never been collected, but the sale is a good chance to collect it yourself. If you’d like some Golden Age reprints on the side #110-116 are 100 page giants (functionally, more like 80 pages of comics) that’s a lot of comics for the money, though you do need to enjoy the older material.
After the original series ended with Crisis, the ’87-’96 series began. This one was Justice League, then Justice League International and finally Justice League of America again. You know… the Bwa Ha Ha League of Giffen/DeMatteis/Maguire. It wasn’t 100% slapstick, but it was more often than not. The Omnibus is a better value, but doesn’t break evenly with the issues in the “normal” collected editions. The later collected editions also contain some of the companion series Justice League Europe which has no collected editions of its own and is barely in digital. That’s a gaping hole in DC’s back catalog, since it was a fairly prominent title at the time.
JLA is the Grant Morrison (sometime with Mark Waid) / Howard Porter run and it’s well-lauded. The Mark Waid/Bryan Hitch collected edition that follows Morrison is also well worth your time.
The ’06 – ’11 Justice League of America is probably best known for the Dwayne McDuffie/Ed Benes. It’s not the best McDuffie work – and it’s now very public how much trouble he was having with editorial during this run – but stymied McDuffie is still better than a lot of writers on the market. The Injustice League, Sanctuary (with Alan Burnett), and The Second Coming are the three volumes you’re looking for here.
You’re probably familiar enough with the Justice League flagship titles from the New 52 through now. Yes, even the current Justice League is on sale, all the Scott Snyder run into the beginning of Venditti’s run.
Some of the notable non-main Justice League titles – Alan Davis did two brilliant Elseworlds mini-series about a world without a Superman called The Nail and Another Nail. Save some money and get the single issues for these.
Tom Taylor does a much, much better job than you’d think possible with the video game adaption of Injustice: Gods Among Us with Mike S. Miller and and Bruno Redondo on the art. When the Joker kills Lois Lane, Superman snaps and forms an authoritarian world government. Batman is leading the resistance.
The Beat usually has a few fans of Christopher Priest lurking about – starting at issue 16, Priest has a run (initially with Mark Wait) on Justice League Task Force.
There’s plenty more to browse, particularly with the single issues and you have until Monday (11/9) to do so.
Meanwhile, back on the East Coast, Marvel has their US Agent Sale, ahead of the new Priest/Jeanty U.S. Agent series. There are three ways you can’t go wrong here: the classic Gruenwald/Morgan Dwyer Captain America run where a pre-US Agent John Walker takes up Cap’s uniform, which has it’s own Epic Collection. Then you’ve got Avengers West Coast Vol. 1 and Vol. 2, primarily by Steve Englehart and Al Milgrom. All of those are 60% off or higher and 500+ pages. The Avengers West Coast volumes are lower priced than The Captain and some of your better values of the week. This sale runs through Thursday (11/5).
Also running through Thursday (11/5) is the IDW Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Sale. You’ve got the original Eastman & Laird run. You’ve got the current series (well over 100 issues and counting). And among the many varieties of TMNT comics on sale, you also have Batman.
Marvel also has their Star Wars – Bounty Hunters and Jedi Sale. A lot, but not all, of this is “Legends” material from the old Dark Horse run. Alas, no Agent of Empire, but you end up with a nice assortment of creators like Tim Truman, John Ostrander, John Wagner, Cam Kennedy and even that Tom Taylor guy writing Boba Fett. Also the official prequel to the most recent trilogy, Shattered Empire by Greg Rucka and Marco Checchetto. This Sale lasts until Thursday, 11/12.
Still going on:
The Marvel Venom/Carnage Sale through Thursday, 11/5
TThe Dynamite Horror Sale through Thursday (11/5)
