This rarely happens, but this week’s Top Comics to Buy for December 14 has a highlights section that is all new #1s. Now, there is some variety in those #1s, with a couple of one-shot as well as a remaster of an older series, but they are #1s nonetheless. Hey, maybe this wave of great new beginnings portends a strong start for the comics coming in 2023? Fingers crossed! Anyway, the full list of picks for the week can be found below…enjoy!
Top Comics to Buy for December 14, 2022
Art Brut #1
Writer: W. Maxwell Prince
Artist: Martin Morazzo
Colorist: Mat Lopes
Backup Colors: Chris O’Halloran
Letterer: Good Old Neon
Publisher: Image Comics
Presenting here the first major work from the creative minds behind ICE CREAM MAN-re-lettered, remastered, and under its original intended name!
The world of fine art is falling apart, and only ART BRUT knows how to fix it. Alongside the Bureau of Artistic Integrity, Arthur Brut the Mad Dreampainter (and his trusty sidekick, Manny the Mannequin) must dive back into the very paintings that made him insane…or reality itself might just crumble to pieces. A colorful, gonzo romp through art and art history, ART BRUT is equal parts police procedural, hyper-fantasy, and psychological thriller-a veritable Pollock-splatter of comics genres tossed onto one giant pulpy canvas!
Each issue features new covers, new design, and a new Silver Age-style backup story featuring the art hero that no one’s ever heard of-until now!
Originally published under the title The Electric Sublime, this special edition presents the NPR-lauded, critically acclaimed material in its intended form.
Why It’s Cool: This is a really interesting book, one that was originally produced a few years back (as The Electric Sublime) and is now reappearing after the creative team that made it — Prince and Morazzo — have had major success with another book, Ice Cream Man (which was also excellent this week). This story stands on its own very well, and it is also interesting as a glimpse to the work the creators were doing together before they had much larger success.
Price: $3.99
Batman/Spawn #1 (one-shot)
Writer: Todd McFarlane
Pencils: Greg Capullo
Inks: Todd McFarlane
Colors: Dave McCaig
Letters: Tom Napolitano
Publisher: DC Comics
Two dark heroes, cursed by tragedy, find their paths again crossing…but not by choice! What sinister foe is at work, pitting the Dark Knight against the Hellspawn? From the shadows of Gotham City to New York City, this epic event is the blockbuster you’ve been waiting almost two decades for!
Why It’s Cool: As I wrote in this week’s DC Round-Up, this is one of the most hyped titles of the year and for good cause — Batman and Spawn are two of the biggest sales heavyweights in all of monthly superhero comics. This story combines them with a recent breakout villain, while looking absolutely fantastic.
Price: $6.99
Danger Street #1
Writer: Tom King
Artist: Jorge Fornés
Colorist: Dave Stewart
Letterer: Clayton Cowles
Publisher: DC Comics – Black Label
Joining the Justice League is a goal for any superhero, but what happens when a quest for membership takes a sinister turn? Join Starman, Metamorpho, and Warlord as they look to prove themselves worthy by summoning and defeating Darkseid in battle. Soon they’ll learn that calling upon a New God never ends well, and their world is headed for a crisis as a result! The journey to save the day will be a treacherous one filled with princesses, knights, and all kinds of monsters. Each person the heroes encounter plays a crucial role in this sprawling yet gripping narrative that is a little bit silly, a whole lot dark, and completely cool. Expect the unexpected with a supporting cast featuring Manhunter, Lady Copy, the Green Team, and the Creeper! Inspired by the heroes and villains of 1st Issue Special, Tom King and Jorge Fornes (Rorschach) return for an unforgettable maxiseries that reimagines these characters and their stories. A multi-character, multilayered crime drama starring some of DC’s most obscure creations. No one will see it coming, but everyone will want to see where it goes!
Why It’s Cool: I wrote about this book in-depth for the DC Round-Up, but to summarize, this book rules because it took a little-known DC Comics anthology series from the ’70s and spun it into a must-read prestige comic book. Truly, this series is fantastic, from the art to the scripting to the lettering. It was a no-brainer addition to the Top Comics to Buy for December 14.
Price: $4.99
Leonide the Vampyr: A Christmas for Crows #1 (one-shot)
Writer: Mike Mignola
Artist: Rachele Aragno and Mike Mignola
Colorist: Dave Stewart
Letterer: Clem Robins
Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
When good and honest mountain folk come upon a small coffin among a carriage wreck, they find themselves among darker company than they bargained for. In this haunting Christmas carol, Hellboy creator Mike Mignola and artist extraordinaire Rachele Aragno weave a chilling holiday tale as the vampyr Leonide once again casts her spell over unsuspecting audiences.
Why It’s Cool: This one-shot brings back Leonide the Vampyr for a creepy Christmas tale that ranks among the best of the seasonal one-shots that I’ve read so far this year. Also, it’s got a back-up story illustrated by Mignola himself, with that alone making this a book that is not to be missed.
Price: $3.99
A Vicious Circle #1
Writer: Mattson Tomlin
Artist: Lee Bermejo
Letterer: Becca Carey
Publisher: BOOM! Studios
Iconic artist Lee Bermejo (Batman: Damned, Joker) partners with director and screenwriter Mattson Tomlin (Batman: The Imposter)!
Shawn Thacker is a trained assassin from the future who seeks revenge on the only other man with his affliction-each life they take forces them both to travel between vastly different past and future eras.
Spanning from 22nd century Tokyo to 1950s New Orleans to the Cretaceous Era and beyond, the two mortal rivals are locked in a battle of wills that spans millions of years, all to alter the course of history.
With each time period, Lee Bermejo adjusts his artistic style to pay homage to luminary comics artists and historical master painters, all presented in a prestige, oversized format!
Why It’s Cool: Do you like comics but think they should have more of basically everything? Well friend, do I have a book for you. This one has more plot, more genres, more amazing art, more amazing art styles, more pages, more size to those pages, and I don’t know what else. If I had to sum this book up in a word, it would be grandiose. Don’t miss this one.
Price: $9.99
Others Receiving Votes
Amazing Spider-Man #15- Batgirls #13
- Batman Incorporated #3
- Billionaire Island: Cult of Dogs #2
- Bone Orchard Mythos: Ten Thousand Black Feathers #4
- Dark Ride #3
- Grim #6
- I Am Batman #16
- Ice Cream Man #33
- Jonna and the Unpossible Monsters #12
- Love Everlasting #5
- Nature’s Labyrinth #2
- Savage Avengers #8
- Superman: Son of Kal-El #18
- Wynd: The Throne in the Sky #5
Amazing Spider-Man #15New #1s and One-Shots
- Assassin’s Apprentice #1
- Blade Runner 2039 #1
- Dark Crisis: Big Bang #1
- Dark Web: X-Men #1
- Happy Horror Days #1 (one-shot)
- Harley Quinn: Uncovered #1 (one-shot)
- Invincible Iron Man #1
- Monica Rambeau: Photo #1
- Night Club #1
- Origins of Marvel Comics: Marvel Tales #1 (one-shot)
- Red Sonja: Hell Sonja #1
Assassin’s Apprentice #1Trade Collections and Graphic Novels
Accidental Czar: The Life and Lies of Vladimir Putin GN- Captain Marvel (2019) Vol. 8: The Trials TP
- Critical Role Mighty Nein Origins Fjord Stone HC
- D&D Dungeon Club Vol. 1 Roll Call HC
- Einstein HC
- Friday Book 2: On A Cold Winter’s Night TP
- Grim Vol. 1 TP Discover Now Edition
- Jane Foster and the Mighty Thor TP
- Justice League Vs. The Legion of Superheroes TP
- The Killer: Affairs of State HC
- Manor Black Vol 2 Fire In The Blood TP
- Our Encounters With Evil & Other Stories Library Edition HC
- Savage Avengers (2022) Vol. 1: Time Is The Sharpest Edge TP
- Starman Compendium 2 TP
- Star Trek Discovery: Adventures in the 32nd Century TP
- Who’s Who Omnibus Vol. 2 HC
- X-Men ’92: House of XCII TP
Accidental Czar: The Life and Lies of Vladimir Putin GNRead past editions of the Top Comics to Buy!
