This week’s list of Top Comics to Buy for August 5 features two of the most recognizable superheroes in comics, albeit in very different stories. We’ve got the Batman flagship comic paired with the boundary-pushing Absolute Superman alternate world comic. And if that were enough, this week also sees a fantastic new chapter from one of my favorite, (relatively) long-running indie comics, Minor Arcana.
You can find my full list of recommendations below, but first! If you enjoy my weekly picks, please consider checking out my new comic, Death of Comics Bookcase – Reign of the Comics Bookcases, which live in Kickstarter prelaunch now … enjoy!
Top Comics to Buy for August 5
Absolute Superman #22
Writer: Jason Aaron
Artist: Juan Ferreyra
Letterer: Becca Carey
Publisher: DC Comics
Superman will stop at nothing to see the universe’s most vicious madman brought to justice. But before he can get his hands on Brainiac, Superman will have to go through Metallo, a man with Kryptonite in his veins. Get Brainiac begins here, kicking off the march to a game-changing blockbuster issue #25!
Why It’s Cool: Look, I’ll be honest — it took a while for Absolute Superman to get its hooks in me, but now that it has, it’s one of my favorite entries in the Absolute Universe, presenting a great familiar-yet-new take on these characters. Also, this issue sees the return of guest artist Juan Ferreyra, whose work I love.
Price: $4.99
Batman #12
Writer: Matt Fraction
Artist: Jorge Jimenez
Colorist: Tomeu Morey
Letterer: Clayton Cowles
Publisher: DC Comics
As the Caped Crusader races to uncover who set this deadly plan in motion, the late Alfred Pennyworth provides a gift from beyond the grave with the arrival of a brilliant new ally to the Bat-Family at a time when it needs one most.
Why It’s Cool: I’ve been a vocal fan of this mainline Batman run from its start, and one of the (many) things I’ve enjoyed about it is that it feels bent on introducing new things to the familiar Batman mythos. Well, as the cover to this issue implies, we’re getting a new character in the form of Verity Pennyworth, who is already a really fun addition to the modern Bat-cast. Here’s hoping she’s here to stay.
Price: $4.99
Dead Teenagers #5
Writer: Jude Ellison S. Doyle
Artist: Caitlin Yarsky
Publisher: Oni Press
The ’90s never ended, and now GLAAD Media Award–nominated writer Jude Ellison S. Doyle (Maw, The Neighbors) and Eisner Award–nominated artist Caitlin Yarksy (EC’s Cruel Universe) are doling out the consequences for the final survivors of the twisted time loop that connects five friends across two centuries . . . Claire and JT rush to help Brandy confront their mortal enemy . . . at New York’s Coney Island amusement park, of course! Decade-old secrets come to light as the teens stumble into a glitchy trip through time more nauseating than a post-Cyclone funnel cake snack, as they struggle to end this sick and twisted game once and for all. But their enemy is seemingly operating in God Mode, with unlimited lives and damage points . . . and Brandy is so not used to having to do things sober. Will the teens finally break out of the time loop, or will they be forced to actually adult for the rest of their lives?!
Why It’s Cool: This issue brings to an end an emotional, surprising, and genre-bending high school comic that tackles issues of identity, abuse, and how our formative years can spiderweb out into the rest of our lives. I really enjoyed this series, start to finish.
Price: $4.99
Fort Psycho #1
Writer: Matt Kindt
Artist: Brian Hurtt
Colorist: Bill Crabtree
Letterer: Becca Carey
Publisher: Oni Press
Ten years ago, the nation of Singapore sank into the Pacific Ocean. The underground terrorist network known as the Seven Seals took credit for the largest act of terror in human history. In the aftermath, the United Nations created a strike team of highly trained covert operatives with one mission: locate, identify, and eliminate the Seven Seals’ secretive leader. The team’s clandestine affairs were to always remain in the shadows — until their final, explosive confrontation resulted in a large-scale tragedy too bloody to cover up and too tragic to ignore. Disgraced and disavowed by the governments that trained them, the world’s most dangerous secret agents have been convicted for their crimes and sentenced to serve time side by side in the one place capable of holding them: their old island headquarters, Fort Cyclone — now known in the media by the derogatory nickname “Fort Psycho.” And that’s where the official story is about to go terribly, terribly wrong…
Why It’s Cool: I love a good global, political, espionage light-super-powered commando comic, and this certainly fits that bill, feeling as it does evocative of WildStorm at its peak. Making it all the better is that the team of artist Brian Hurtt and colorist Bill Crabtree (with letters by the great Becca Carey) are absolutely perfect togehter.
Price: $5.99
Minor Arcana #17
Writer: Jeff Lemire
Artists: Jeff Lemire and Letizia Cadonici
Colorist: Patricio Delpeche
Letterer: Steve Wands
Publisher: BOOM! Studios
Missy joins Theresa on a journey through the liminal space in hopes of finding answers about Brad. But traveling through the unknown proves to be tricky, as memories of Theresa and Missy’s tumultuous past resurface. Can Theresa reckon with their complicated history while trying to help Missy in the present? What shocking revelations will the Liminal Space provide?
Why It’s Cool: This issue continues the really emotional arc about the relationship between Missy and Theresa, but moreover, it occurred to me while reading that Minor Arcana has become the rare indie comic pushing toward 20+ issues without (to my mind) any signs yet of ending.
Price: $4.99
10 Other Comics I Enjoyed This Week
100 Bullets – The US of Anger #2- Endeavour #3
- Frankenstein – Speed of Darkness #4
- Iron Man #8
- JSA #22
- M.A.S.K. #3
- Neighborhood Watch #4
- Ripcord #5
- Royals #5
- The Smart Division #1
New #1s and One-Shots
Accessories #1- Chachu #1
- Death Vigil #1
- Fantastic Four – 65 Years of the World’s Greatest Comics Covers #1 (one-shot)
- Fort Psycho #1
- Jughead Piemageddon #1 (one-shot)
- Marvel Tokon First Strike #1 (one-shot)
- Mary Jane – Face It Tiger #1 (one-shot)
- Masters of the Universe – Genesis #1
- Money Shot – The F*ck Offs #1
- Omega Book #1
- Origins of the Hood Marvel Rivals #1 (one-shot)
- Power Rangers Green #1
- Queen In Black – Venom Unchained #1
- The Smart Division #1
- Tank Girl Summer Love Sensation Super Summer Special 35th Anniversary #1 (one-shot)
- Vampirella vs Red Sonja Red City #1 (one-shot)
- What If Captain America Was Revived in 2099 #1 (one-shot)
- X-Men Apocalypse Omega #1 (one-shot)
Graphic Novels and Trade Collections
13 Demons Dead TP- Airwalker Original Graphic Novel TP
- Albion HC Rebellion Edition
- Aquaman Vol 2 Justice League Blue TP
- Barbaric Vol 5 The Long Death TP
- Batman Arkham Clayface TP
- Batman by Tom King Omnibus Vol 2 HC
- Batman Static Beyond TP
- Bimbo Agitprop TP
- Birds of Prey by Gail Simone Omnibus Vol 2 HC
- Catwoman Vol 3 Court of Fools TP
- Conan The Adventurer The Original Comics Omnibus HC
- Cooking With Monsters Vol 3 Best Served Cold TP
- DC Finest – Justice League of America Crisis on Earth X TP
- DC K.O. All Fight TP
- DC K.O. Battle Royale TP
- DC K.O. HC/TP
- Defenders of the Earth Dark Destiny TP
- Dungeons & Dragons – Animated Adventures Library Edition HC
- Essentials Vol 2 Premiere Edition HC
- Flash Gordon VOl 3 Savior of the Universe TP
- Florida Hippopotamus Cocaine Massacre TP
- Full Scoop Collection TP
- Gotham City Year One Deluxe Edition HC
- Gunslinger Spawn Vol 7 TP
- Hans Vogel Is Dead Vol 2 TP
- Heulga The Stories of Dolores Huerta & Sal Castro TP
- Islands in the Sky – A People’s History of Hurricane Helene TP
- Jim Starlin’s Dreadstar Omnibus Vol 2 TP Dark Horse Edition
John Carpenter’s Cathedral TP- Kamandi by Jack Kirby Omnibus HC
- Little Nightmares Descent to Nowhere TP
- Lobster Johnson Omnibus Vol 2 TP
- Lumberjanes Book 6 HC
- Nectar Vol 1 TP
- Nova Centurion TP
- Power Girl New Beginnings and Old Friends Omnibus HC
- Rocketfellers Vol 2 TP
- Rom Epic Collection The Original Marvel Years Vol 5 TP
- Suicide Squad by John Ostrander Omnibus Vol 2 HC
- Teen Titans Go On Strike TP
- Teen Titans Together TP
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Shredder Vol 1 TP
- Traveling to Mars HC
- Undiscovered Country Vol 6 Victory TP
- Ultimate Black Panther by Bryan Hill Vol 4 Destiny and Destruction TP
- Ultimate Spider-Man Omnibus Vol 2 HC
- Ultimate X-Men Omnibus Vol 4 HC
Read past editions of the Top Comics to Buy!
And check out the Beat’s most recent comics reviews!
