This week’s Top Comics to Buy for April 12, 2023 was an incredibly tough list to pare down. This is just a very deep week for new comics releases. Issues like Dark Ride #5, Barbaric – Hell to Pay #3, Danger Street #5 are fantastic, and would have easily made the top 5 in any other week. But here we are. You can find the usual set of lists and recommendations below…enjoy!
Top Comics to Buy for April 12, 2023
Eight Billion Genies #8
Writer: Charles Soule
Artist: Ryan Browne
Colors: Ryan Browne & Kevin Knipstein
Letterer: Chris Crank
Publisher: Image Comics
The monumental ode to worldwide wish fulfillment completes its story with an exploration of THE FIRST EIGHT CENTURIES after the moment eight billion genies appeared on earth. We’ll see how the last remaining wishes get used and discover the fates of the characters we met at the Lampwick Tavern all that time ago.
What’s our wish? That you’ll see us through, all the way to the end.
Why It’s Cool: One of my personal favorite miniseries in a good while comes to an end this week with a finale that does not disappoint. This book is so good, start to finish. I’m amazed at how far the high concept in this one was pushed, and how it led to big ideas with small, quiet emotional moments. If you’ve liked the book so far, you’ll likely be satisfied by the ending, too.
Price: $3.99
Phantom Road #2
Writer: Jeff Lemire
Artist: Gabriel H. Walta
Colorist: Jordie Bellaire
Letterer: Steve Wands
Publisher: Image Comics
Dom is a long-haul truck driver who finds himself on a strange highway trip after he pulls an unusual artifact from the wreckage of a car crash along with his new companion, Birdie. Figuring out where they are is the first mystery…figuring out how to get out painlessly is the second.
Why It’s Cool: This week’s new Phantom Road follows up a phenomenal debut issue with another understated and eerie horror comic that takes us through a mysterious land of the dead. This book is rich with minimalistic dialogue and David Lynch vibes — two things I absolutely love in my comics.
Price: $3.99
Sandman Universe: Nightmare Country – The Glass House #1
Writer: James Tynion IV
Artist: Lisandro Estherren
Colorist: Patricio Delpeche
Letterer: Simon Bowland
Publisher: DC Comics – Black Label
The Corinthian has been turned loose on our realm once more, and this time he sets his sights on the very root of rapacious American capitalism–Silicon Valley. His relentless pursuit of the Smiling Man will carve a bloody path from the C-suite of Prophet Capital to the bowels of a demonic nightclub, and no one will be safe from his reach. Not Ken, living large in the Bay Area since parting ways with Barbie all those years ago. Not Max, a nervous hedge fund manager on the rise who’s never quite fit anywhere. Not anyone. Multiple Eisner Award-winning writer James Tynion IV reunites with superstar horror artist Lisandro Estherren to bring you the nightmare-fueled follow-up you’ve been craving, a tale that will plumb the bottomless depths of our yearning for more at the heart of the American dream.
Why It’s Cool: With some fun references back to the original Sandman comics with a really satisfying single issue high concept, this creative team returns with a new miniseries, Sandman Universe: Nightmare Country – The Glass House #1. This is the type of comic that I read and immediately thought, ‘Well, that was excellent.’ It’s an easy addition to the Top Comics to Buy for April 12, and a book that I highly recommend.
Price: $3.99
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles/Usagi Yojimbo – WhereWhen #1
Story, Art, Lettering: Stan Sakai
Colors: Hi-Fi Design
Publisher: IDW Publishing
The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles pursue the evil cyborg genius Dr. WhereWhen through a time portal…and emerge in feudal Japan! There, they encounter Usagi Yojimbo, 20 years into the samurai’s future but decades after the arrival of Dr. WhereWhen… who has already carved himself a fiefdom using mechanized clockwork samurai robots… with the intention of conquering both the past and current timelines!
Why It’s Cool: As I said above, this is as tough a week as I can remember for narrowing down my top comics picks, but this book was the easiest lock. It’s Stan Sakai doing a crossover of his Usagi Yojimbo world with TMNT. It’s the type of crossover that makes so much sense, and the execution does it justice. Buy this comic without hesitation — it’s so good.
Price: $4.99
Travelling to Mars #5
Writer: Mark Russell
Artist: Roberto “Dakar” Meli
Colorist: Chiara Di Francia
Letterer: Mattia Gentili
Publisher: Ablaze
On his one-way trip to Mars, Roy reminisces on the greatest big mouth bass who ever lived and discovers that he is not alone in space.
Why It’s Cool: What do I have to do at this point to get you all to read this comic? It’s so good. If you’ve ever enjoyed writer Mark Russell’s scripting — from The Flintstones to Billionaire Island — this book is maybe the best he’s written yet, feeling both intensely personal and also capable of raising grand and interesting questions about society and existence. Russell is working really well with the creative team too, leading to a comic that gets my fullest recommendation for every new issue.
Price: $3.99
Others Receiving Votes
All Against All #5- Barbaric: Hell to Pay #3
- Briar #4
- Clear #2
- Danger Street #5
- Dark Ride #5
- Fantastic Four #6
- The Gimmick #2
- Monarch #3
- Nightfall Double Feature #3
- Nocterra #13
- Red Zone #2
- Silver Surfer: Ghost Light #3
- Star Trek – Defiant #2
- Superman Lost #2
New #1s and One-Shots
007 – For King and Country #1- Captain America: Cold War Alpha #1 (one-shot)
- Exorcists Never Die #1
- Giant Kokju #1
- Great British Bump Off #1
- Guardians of the Galaxy #1
- Marvel Voices Spider-Verse #1 (one-shot)
- Seasons Have Teeth #1
- Star Wars: Return of the Jedi Ewoks #1 (one-shot)
Trade Collections and Graphic Novels
- American Born Chinese – Disney Plus Tie-In Edition
- Belit & Valeria Vol. 1 – Swords vs. Sorcery TP
- Break Out TP
- Fortune and Glory TP Dark Horse Edition
- In Limbo – A Graphic Memoir HC
- Nita Hawes Nightmare Blog Vol. 2 Murder By Another Name TP
- Promethee 1313 TP
- Shang-Chi And The Ten Rings TP
- Shock Shop TP
- Stuff of Nightmares TP
- The Top 10 Compendium TP
- World of Black Hammer Library Edition Vol. 5 HC
Read past editions of the Top Comics to Buy!
