This week’s Top Comics to Buy for December 10 features two of my favorite cartoonists in comics right now bringing their idiosyncratic styles to single issue comics, with those being Jesse Lonergan in a new Hellboy Universe book and Stipan Morian in a new original series from Mad Cave. That alone makes it a good week, but we also get a very strong start to a new run on Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and an Ultimate Spider-Man run determined to go out with a shattering finale.
In short, I dug the comics this week. You can find my top five recommendations below, along with the usual sets of other release lists … enjoy!
Top Comics to Buy for December 10, 2025
Absolute Batman #15
Writer: Scott Snyder
Artist: Jock
Colorist: Frank Martin
Letterer: Clayton Cowles
Publisher: DC Comics
Alfred reveals to Bruce the story of the man he’s been chasing for years. Enter: Joker! Scott Snyder and Jock reunite for an epic tale in the Absolute Universe!
Why It’s Cool: Scott Snyder and Jock are a supremely reliable team for a Batman and/or Joker comic, and in this comic, they deliver their vision for what the Absolute Universe version of the character looks like. You probably already know if you’re picking this book up or not, but if you’ve been digging the whole Absolute Batman experience, this take on the Joker is very much in keeping with all that’s come before. I’ll have more to say about it in tomorrow’s DC Round-Up column.
Price: $4.99
Miss Truesdale and the Rise of Man #1
Writer: Mike Mignola
Artist: Jesse Lonergan
Letterer: Clem Robins
Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
The gladiator Anum Yassa wanders the forest to learn about her lives — past, present, and future. But she isn’t a hero to all, as one darker entity will hunt her until she can be stopped — and the fate of man stopped with her.
Why It’s Cool: This new Miss Truesdale mini-series returns the full creative team from 2023’s excellent Miss Truesdale and the Fall of Hyperborea miniseries. That means Jesse Lonergan is back teaming with Mike Mignola. And the story of this new book — like the book that preceded it — is heavily steeped in deep Hellboy Universe lore, but don’t let that stop you if you’re not. This first issue is also a comic that gives you everything you need to enjoy it as a standalone as well. And with Lonergan’s panel-bending, top-tier cartooning, you’re definitely going to want to do just that.
Price: $4.99
Our Soot Stained Heart #1
Writers: Joni Hägg, Stipan Morian
Artist: Stipan Morian
Colorist: Ropemann
Letterer: Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou
Publisher: Mad Cave Studio
The Coalition is a city of wonder in the deep north, but it is ruled by the cruel Governor Glass and his factory lords. Coal is the lifeline of the city, and for honest workers like young Peggy Stones, life can be hard because of the nefarious quota. To get extra coal at the end of the year, you must be bad, every day! Peggy’s life is thrown into chaos when she is imprisoned and sent into exile, which begins a harrowing journey to the ends of the world to find answers that could change the world!
Why It’s Cool: I already reviewed this book ahead of FOC, suggesting that folks get it in their pre-orders for it, but in short, you don’t want to miss the artwork in this comic, which leans into Stipan Morian’s strengths, giving him a series of epic genre set pieces to illustrate. I also found the world of Our Soot Stained Heart to feel immersive, reeling me into the book’s story. With a double-sized first issue priced at just $6, it’s tough to pass this one up.
Price: $5.99
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #13
Writer: Gene Luen Yang
Artist: Freddie E. Williams II
Colorist: Andrew Dalhouse
Letterer: Shawn Lee
Following the stunning events of TMNT #12, the Turtles face a different New York… one where they are viewed as heroes! The celebration will be short-lived as new threats vie for control. The mutant yak Papa Beng is determined to widen the power base for his gang. Yet little does he know that he and other TMNT villains are being stalked by a powerful new assassin… Ujigami!
Why It’s Cool: It was tough last issue to say goodbye to a creative team that had given us an excellent 12-issue arc on this book, but the sting of that really fades this week with the arrival of the first issue from the new team. The headline here is that Gene Luen Yang is writing Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and he’s joining with artist Freddie E. Williams II to do it. The first issue is a fun one, too, quickly establishing a new, reunited tone for the group, while putting new challenges into motion. I really dug it.
Price: $4.99
Ultimate Spider-Man #23
Writer: Jonathan Hickman
Artists: Marco Checchetto and David Messina
Colorist: Matthew Wilson
Letterer: Cory Petit
You think we’re going to tell you what happens in the penultimate issue of ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN? That would be spoilers galore! Just know it’s building to a finale you won’t want to miss!
Why It’s Cool: This is the second-to-last issue of the Jonathan Hickman, Marco Checchetto run of Ultimate Spider-Man, which has for the most part featured a 30-day time skip between issues as well as a focus on Peter Parker’s family. It’s also definitely had the usual high-concept Jonathan Hickman sci-fi superhero conspiracies unfolding as its backdrop, but it’s really worked hard to get us to care about Peter, Mary Jane, and their children. Now as it heads toward its planned ending, it’s putting basically everyone it’s made us care about in great danger — and sending the whole thing off with a giant brawl. As a result, what we get in Ultimate Spider-Man #23 is a supremely well-paced, white knuckler. It also helps that this is a universe outside the main continuity, where no one has plot armor.
Price: $5.99
Other Comics I Enjoyed
Action Comics #1093- Aquaman #12
- Assorted Crisis Events #7
- Batman and Robin #28
- Captain Henry and the Graveyard of Time #2
- Crownsville #2
- Death to Pachuco #3
- Free Planet #7
- Marvel Knights Punisher #3
- Minor Arcana #12
- Transformers #27
- Ultimate Black Panther #23
New #1s and One-Shots
- Darkness #1
- DC K.O. Wonder Woman vs. Lobo #1 (one-shot)
- Defenders of the Earth – Dark Destiny #1
- The End 2099 #1
- Shiver Suspenstories 2 #1 (one-shot)
Graphic Novels and Trade Collections
2000AD Annual 2026 HC- Absolute Green Lantern Vol 1 Without Fear HC/TP
- Adventure Man Vol 2 A Fairy Tale of New York TP
- Amazing Spider-Man Vol 1 Get Back Up TP
- Aquaman Vol 1 The Dark Tide TP
- Arcana Royale TP
- Blue Palo Verde TP
- Cosmic Cadets Book 2 Accused TP
- DC Finest Wonder Woman – Introducing Wonder Woman TP
- Doom Patrol by Keith Giffen and Matthew Clark HC
- Falling In Love On The Path To Hell Vol 2 TP
- Fantastic Four by Mark Waid & Mike Wieringo Authoritative Action TP
- Iron Man Vol 2 The Insurgent Iron Man TP
- Jim Henson’s Labyrinth The Goblin City Complete HC
- Joe Hill’s The Cape Omnibus TP
- King Conan The Original Comics Omnibus Vol 2 HC
- Marvel Team-Up Omnibus Vol 1 HC
- Nemesis The Warlock Definitive Edition Vol 4 TP
- Ogrest Vol 2 TP
- Rea Irvins The Smythes HC
Secret Six TP- Spectacular Spider-Man Lo This Monster Treasury Edition TP
- Star Wars Young Jedi Adventures – The Training Sessions HC
- Tales From EroTech An Indie Anthology With Sex Robots Vol 1 TP
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Ultimate Collection Vol 7 TP
- Thistlebone Vol 3 The Dule Tree HC
- Treasury of British Comics Annual 2026 HC
- Wrack and Rune TP
- X-Men by Gerry Duggan Omnibus HC
- Yojimbot Vol 2 Nights of Rust TP
- You’ll Do Bad Things TP
Read past editions of the Top Comics to Buy!
And check out the Beat’s most recent comics reviews!
