The Top Comics to Buy for August 24, 2022, feature a handful of my absolute favorite non-Big 2 series. This week, we get the penultimate issue of Vault Comics’ The Blue Flame, which continues to bring this poignant series into better focus. We also get the most character-drive and beautiful issue yet of The Lonesome Hunters, and we get more The Department of Truth, with a new issues that reminds us what’s really going on here…maybe. It all adds up to a solid set of books.
And you can find the usual full list of titles below…enjoy!
Top Comics to Buy for August 24, 2022
Batman Fortress #4
Writer: Gary Whitta
Artist: Darick Robertson
Colorist: Diego Rodriguez
Letterer: Simon Bowland
Publisher: DC Comics
With the fate of Earth on the line, desperate times call for desperate measures…and the team-up of Batman and Lex Luthor is the definition of desperate! With the world hanging in the balance, can this bizarre dynamic duo locate the Fortress of Solitude before the alien invaders do?
Why It’s Cool: I wrote about this comic in greater depth for this week’s DC Round-Up feature, but to reiterate, this one snuck up on me. I didn’t know what to make of it when it debuted, but after four issues, it’s a total romp through the DC Universe, one that’s taking place within a very well-structured mystery. There are a lot of Batman comics being published by DC these days (to put it mildly), and this one stands out.
Price:$3.99
The Blue Flame #9
Writer: Christopher Cantwell
Artist: Adam Gorham
Colorist: Kurt Michael Russell
Letterer: Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou
Publisher: Vault Comics
Just barely but once again standing on his own two feet, Sam is cleaning up his act, looking for work and a place to live.
But he can’t stop thinking about the shooter, the 19-year-old who murdered his four friends and twenty others. Neither can the Blue Flame, who decides to try something different in court after his failure to find any divine cosmic help for humanity’s defense. As Sam digs deeper into the past of his would-be killer, the Blue Flame discovers a way to call the deceased shooter as an unexpected witness.
Why It’s Cool: This was the first book I picked for the Top Comics to Buy for August 24 list, and it’s the penultimate issue of the series. Like many of the other chapters of this story, this one recontextualizes much of what we thought we knew about the story. It’s all just so well done, and one of my favorite Vault Comics of all time, which is really saying something because I’m a big fan of the publisher.
Price: $3.99
Captain America: Symbol of Truth #4
Writer: Tochi Onyebuchi
Artists: R.B. Silva and Zé Carlos
Colorist: Jesus Aburtov
Letterer: Joe Caramagna
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Sam Wilson uncovers a plot that poses an imminent threat to both the U.S. and Wakanda – but Wakanda doesn’t want to play ball with Captain America. Faced with an impossible decision, Sam tries to do what’s best for both countries. But will his gamble pay off or cost him dearly? And what interest do the elusive White Wolf and his ally Crossbones have in the outcome?
Why It’s Cool: Through its first four issues, this book is just doing such a nice job of balancing suspenseful superhero storytelling with interesting ideas that speak to the symbolisms writers always have to address with Captain America. Deadpool in an earlier issue aside, it’s also doing a fantastic job introducing and utilizing guest appearances.
Price: $3.99
The Department of Truth #20
Writer: James Tynion IV
Artist: Martin Simmonds
Letterer: Aditya Bidikar
Publisher: Image Comics
Cole Turner has come face to face with many horrors since enlisting with the Department of Truth. But as he learns more and more about the long-simmering war between the DoT and the Ministry of Lies, he must grapple with the greatest horror of all: that he may have pledged allegiance to the wrong side.
Why It’s Cool: Every issue of The Department of Truth is engaging, but what I especially appreciated about this one is that it harkens back to the core concept of this book, reminding us of all that’s going on, what’s at stake, who are power players are, etc. In this day and age of writing mostly for one volume trades, this type of issue feels like a bit of a lost art, which made me appreciate it all the more.
Price: $3.99
The Lonesome Hunters #3
Script, Art, Letters: Tyler Crook
Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
Howard and Lupe return home for answers and to confront the monster magpies that made them flee only to find themselves on a dangerous path to confront an ancient creature.
Why It’s Cool: I have absolutely loved this series from the start, but with this third issue (which I believe is number three of four total), Crook delivers the most poignant chapter yet. This is also the most character-driven of the installments we’ve gotten, and — while I don’t want to give anything away, of course — the cartooning in it features tremendous range, from horror to a moment of beautiful piece. I just can’t recommend this one enough.
Price: $3.99
Others Receiving Votes
Action Comics #1046- Amazing Spider-Man #8
- A.X.E. Judgement Day #3
- Carnage #5
- Defenders Beyond #2
- Detective Comics #1063
- G.I.L.T. #5
- I Hate This Place #4
- Love and Rockets Vol. 4 #12
- Pearl III #4
- Public Domain #3
- Rogues’ Gallery #2
- The Shaolin Cowboy: Cruel To Be Kin #4
- The Swamp Thing #16
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Armageddon Game Opening Moves #2
Action Comics #1046New #1s and One-Shots
Damage Control #1- Dejah Thoris: Fairy Tales #1 (one-shot)
- End After End #1
- Magic: Ajani Goldmane #1
- Minor Threats #1
- Olympus Rebirth #1 (one-shot)
- Star Wars: Hyperspace Stories #1
- Tales of the Human Target #1 (one-shot)
- Wynd: The Throne in the Sky #1
Damage Control #1Trade Collections and Graphic Novels of Note
Animal Man Omnibus HC (2022 Edition)- Aztec Ace: Complete Collection HC
- Bobby Digital and the Pit of Snakes TP
- Bylines in Blood TP
- Devil’s Reign TP
- Eternals (2021) Vol. 2 Hail Thanos TP
- Fourth World by Jack Kirby Box Set
- I Am Batman Vol. 1 HC
- Joe Golem: Occult Detective HC
- Metropolis HC
- Regarding the Matter of Oswald’s Body TP
- Ride On TP
- Silver Surfer Rebirth TP
- Step By Bloody Step: A Wordless Fantasy TP
Animal Man Omnibus HC (2022 Edition)
