This week’s Top Comics to Buy for December 17 is a solid one, containing all original comics concepts, with no corporate superheroes or other licensed IP anywhere to be found, at least in my five favorites. A couple of these are finales to interesting books, while others are books in the middle of strong runs.
You can find my five top recommendations below, along with the usual set of other release lists … enjoy!
Top Comics to Buy for December 17
Adventures of Lumen N #4
Writer: James Robinson
Penciler: Phil Hester
Inker: Marc Deering
Colorist: Bill Crabtree
Letterer: Jim Campbell
Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
Lumen’s new existence in a world of retro science fiction begins when her home is attacked by steampunk assassins. She is then shocked to learn her family lineage upon meeting her grandfather, the legendary Captain Nemo; central protagonist of Jules Verne’s classic novel 20,000 League Under the Sea. However, Lumen must quickly accept this and learn to work alongside Nemo if they hope to save the world from a cadre of evil masterminds, bent on seizing control the world.
Why It’s Cool: This has lowkey been one of my favorite indie comics series of the year, and it just kept getting stronger as it headed into its issue #4 finale. Well, the finale is here and it’s the best issue yet. What a great way to end what feels like just a first story arc. I’d love to see this book come back for more adventures soon.
Price: $4.99
Ancestral Recall #5
Writer: Jordan Clark
Artist: Atagun İlhan
Colors: Pippa Bowland
Lettering: Rob Steen
Publisher: Ahoy Comics
Riveting final issue! Melvin wakes up in the future, where he must call on the power of Black history to rescue his wife and thwart the plans of the Modern Living Corporation.
Why It’s Cool: Ancestral Recall is out second finale this week, and it’s also our second finale that absolutely sticks the landing. This series has been one of the most interesting comics concepts in some time, and the execution of the story has also been fantastic. If you somehow missed this one, be sure to get it on your radar and pick it up in trade. It’s got Black history, artists versus corporations, and a very sweet love story at its core. It’s great.
Price: $4.99
Endeavor #2
Writer: Stephanie Phillips
Artist: Marc Laming, with Tony Shasteen
Colorist: Lee Loughridge
Letterer: Tom Napolitano
Publisher: DSTLRY
The seven stranded children are now truly alone aboard the drifting Endeavour, with no adults left to guide them and a storm closing in. As hunger and fear take hold, alliances start to form as each child struggles to maintain control over an increasingly lawless world. In the face of isolation and the vast unknown, the line between friend and foe blurs, and the desperate search for survival begins to tear them apart.
Why It’s Cool: This is a gorgeous horror comic at sea, with a story that’s evocative of Lord of the Flies. Like Endeavor #1 before it, I found Endeavor #2 to be an immersive, character-driven at-sea horror survival story. And like all DSTLRY comics, it’s a great extra-large size and the length of two comics in one book. Highly recommend getting aboard (heh) this one.
Price: $8.99
Exquisite Corpses #8
Writer: Pornsak Pichetshote with James Tynion IV
Artist: Adam Gorham with Michael Walsh
Colorist: Jordie Bellaire
Letterer: Becca Carey
Publisher: Image Comics – Tiny Onion
As the dust settles and the bodies are counted, a brutal new playing field is revealed. A killer shows their true face… and a survivor takes their first life. Eisner-nominated writer Pornsak Pichetshote (The Good Asian) and accomplished artist Adam Gorham (Hellhunters) rejoin James Tynion IV and Michael Walsh to ratchet up the tension on the most talked-about horror epic of the year!
Why It’s Cool: If you haven’t been following it, Exquisite Corpses is an all-star creative jam session comic that has brought together some of the most interesting writers and artists in the industry to join James Tynion IV and Michael Walsh. It’s a fight tournament book about detached wealthy puppetmasters watching society into chaos. I’ve been really impressed with how interesting the story is, as well as how coherent it feels with so many different creators involved. You should without question be reading this book.
Price: $4.99
High Strangeness #3 1987
Story By: Christopher Cantwell and Daniel Noah
Written By: Christopher Cantwell
Artist: Valeria Burzo
Colorist: Francesco Segala
Color Flatting: Sabrina Del Grosso
Letterer: Becca Carey
Publisher: Oni Press
On her 30th birthday, Cindy Freeman successfully tests her newly invented microcontroller Lifeboat—a device that can be plugged into any damaged system and repair its operating functions. After a freak accident on their way to celebratory drinks, she and her father walk away from a massive car crash surprisingly unscathed… but as Cindy navigates the days that follow, including the theft of Lifeboat, the sudden and suspicious lack of interest from the company that had been bent on acquiring it, and the uncanny deterioration of her father and the world around them, she becomes convinced they’re trapped inside some reality-bending danger… and mere pawns in a life-and-death game of corporate espionage.
Why It’s Cool: When I finished this comic, I knew I need sometime to process what I just read. I also knew right then I would be putting it on this Top Comics to Buy for December 17. Complex, layered, and ambitious, High Strangeness #3 is one of the most thought-provoking single issue comics I’ve read all year. Scratch that, that I’ve read in many many years. It’s really an impressive piece of work, one that intermingles the ineffable mysterious feeling of existing with technology and our own perceptions of reality. Phew.
Price: $7.99
Other Comics I Enjoyed This Week
Absolute Flash #10- Die Loaded #2
- Everything Dead & Dying #4
- G.I. Joe #16
- Kaya #32
- Nightwing #133
- The Power Fantasy #14
- Space Ghost #6
- Superman Unlimited #8
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles – Casey Jones #3
- Wonder Woman #28
New #1s and One-Shots
- Barbaric – The Long Death #1
- Black Panther Intergalactic #1
- DC K.O. – Harley Quinn vs Zatanna #1 (one-shot)
- Marvel Rivals Ignite – In Color #1 (one-shot)
- New Space Age #1
- Thundercats HO!(Liday) Special 2025 #1 (one-shot)
- Wrestle Heist #1
Graphic Novels and Trade Collections
- Andrzej Sapkowski’s The Witcher HC
- Assassin’s Apprentice Vol 3 TP
- Avengers Epic Collection Vol 27 Timeslide TP
Batman & Robin Year One HC/TP- Batman / Santa Claus – Silent Knight Returns TP
- Black Heart Billy 25th Anniversary HC
- DC vs Vampires World War V Vol 2 HC
- Deadpool and X-Force Omnibus HC
- Eerie Archives Vol 12 TP
- Ghostbox Vol 1 TP
- G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero Vol 4 TP
- Hawkeye Epic Collection Vol 3 Marked For Death TP
- Human Target by Tom King & Greg Smallwood – The Deluxe Edition HC
- MFKZ Vol 3 Revelations HC
- Midstate Vol 1 TP
- Mine Is A Long Lonesome Grave TP
- The Moon Is Following Us Vol 2 TP
Psylocke Vol 2 Nightmares of the Past TP- Red Before Black TP
- Red & Blue Monster Hunters TP
- Slaine: The Definitive Edition Vol 2 TP
- Spider-Man Black Suit & Blood TP
- Superman Vol 5 Love and Mercy TP
- Uncanny X-Men By Gail Simone Vol 3 Murder Me Mutina TP
- X-Men by Jed MacKay Vol 3 The Hellfire Vigil TP
Read past editions of the Top Comics to Buy!
And check out the Beat’s most recent comics reviews!
