Hellboy, the Silver Surfer, and a DC Comics event headline this week’s list of Top Comics to Buy for February 1. In addition, the list also features an hilarious new series about murder (I know how that sounds but trust me), as well as a new issue of Scarlet Witch, which follows up loosely on the now-classic Vision maxiseries from 2015. It is a lighter week, but a solid one nonetheless. 

Check out all the usual lists below…

Top Comics to Buy for February 1, 2023

Lazarus Planet: Legends Reborn #1
Writers: Alex Segura, Alex Paknadel, Greg Pak, and Dennis Culver
Artists: Clayton Henry, Christopher Mitten, Minkyu Jung, and Jesús Merino
Colorists: Marcelo Maiolo, Romulo Fajardo Jr., and Sunny Gho
Letterers: Pat Brosseau, Troy Peteri, Wes Abbott, and Dave Sharpe
Publisher: DC Comics
Ancient and dangerous power has been awakened following the eruption of the Lazarus Volcano, and this surge of fantastical power will affect the DC Universe forevermore! In Lazarus Planet: Legends Reborn, we’ll explore corners of the planet newly awakened and primed to restore some heroes and villains long forgotten! With the help of Nightwing, can new hero City Boy hope to commune with Gotham in time to save it? Who are the mysterious trio claiming to be resurrected siblings of Raven? How far would the Question go to chase a lead across a transformed Gotham City? And will the flame of Firestorm burn out yet another horrific host? Not if Harley Quinn has anything to say about it!
Why It’s Cool: We tackled this one during our DC Roundtable, but every story in this one is killer. It also spotlights characters from DC’s very deep bench, which is always fun. Moreover, the Lazarus Planet event has been a blast, a nice start to the year for DC.
Price: $4.99

Scarlet Witch #2
Writer: Steve Orlando
Artist: Sara Pichelli
Inking Assistant: Elisabetta D’Amico
Colorist: Matthew Wilson
Letterer: Cory Petit
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Wanda Maximoff is no stranger to grief, so when Viv Vision stumbles through Wanda’s door, exhausted and terrified of the nightmares playing her mother’s death on repeat, Wanda dives into Viv’s dreams to find the cause of the android’s suffering. And it turns out Viv isn’t alone in her mind? Scarlet Witch faces off against DREAMQUEEN in a reality-bending battle for Viv’s freedom!
Why It’s Cool: Sara Pichelli art, for one. For another, this book has felt like a bit of a loose follow-up to the new-classic Vision maxiseries from 2015, picking up some of the dangling story threads and doing it interesting ways.
Price: $4.99

Silver Surfer: Ghost Light #1
Writer: John Jennings
Artist: Valentine De Landro
Colorist: Matt Milla
Letterer: Joe Sabino
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Toni Brooks and her family have moved into the quiet town of Sweetwater. But nothing is quite what it seems in their new home. What mystery did Toni and her family unravel that would call upon the Sentinel of the Spaceways – the Silver Surfer?! And just who, or what, is GHOST LIGHT?
Why It’s Cool: For one, Valentine De Landro art. For another, this first issue delivers a compelling family drama against the backdrop of a deep and cosmic family secret. Also, most of the best Surfer stories tangle him up with folks from Earth, giving readers a relatable lens, and this story seems poised to just that.
Price: $4.99

Where Monsters Lie #1
Writer: Kyle Starks
Artist: Piotr Kowalski
Colors: Vladimir Popov
Letters: Joshua Reed
Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
Haven’t you always wondered what slasher monsters-the masked home invasion family, the mindless unkillable monster, the serial killer trapped in a doll-what they do for those couple of years in-between their murder sprees? They’re at Wilmhurst-a gated community in the middle of nowhere where they relax-or try to-until they get the call to go out and kill again.
Connor Hayes survived his first slasher in summer camp. A handful of years later he barely escaped a psychopath who built torture puzzles for his victims. Since then he’s been training and planning for running into these creatures again. He’s a respected special agent, and now he knows where the monsters lie and he’s planning for war.
Why It’s Cool: In this hilarious comic about murder, a clever high concept meets even cleverer execution (I’ll pause so you can groan). This book imagines what horror movie foils do in their off time, and it does it with Kyle Starks signature scripting wit. This one was an easy addition to the Top Comics to Buy for February 1.
Price: $3.99

Young Hellboy: Assault on Castle Death #4
Writers: Mike Mignola and Thomas Sniegoski
Artist: Craig Rosseau
Colorist: Chris O’Halloran
Letterer: Clem Robins
Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
Still in the grips of a fever-induced hallucination, Hellboy (aka the Scarlet Crab), his dog Mac, and a friend straight out of pulp legend find themselves in the strange laboratory of Castle Death. While Hellboy is lost in his fantasy, the Brotherhood’s assassin finally closes in! 
Why It’s Cool: Lil’ Hellboy has a fever, and he hallucinates an adventure with Lobster Johnson (!). During this adventure, Lobster Johnson nicknames him the Scarlet Crab (!!). Also, maybe that hallucination wasn’t so hallucinatory (!!!). It’s all a great deal of fun.
Price: $3.99

Others Receiving Votes

  • Ancient Enemies #2
  • Avengers #65
  • Briar #3
  • Captain America: Sentinel of Liberty #9
  • Immortal Red Sonja #10 (finale)
  • Miles Morales: Spider-Man #3
  • Moon Knight #20
  • Nita Hawes’ Nightmare Blog #12
  • Venom #16

New #1s and One-Shots

  • Almighty #1
  • Batman: Legends of Gotham #1 (one-shot)
  • Black Tape #1
  • Bloodline: Daughter of Blade #1
  • Blood Tree #1
  • Breath of Shadows #1
  • Dark Web Finale #1 (one-shot)
  • DC Power: A Celebration #1 (one-shot)
  • DC’s Harley Quinn Romances #1 (one-shot)
  • Demon Wars: Down In Flames (one-shot)
  • Flash: One-Minute War Special #1 (one-shot)
  • Star Wars: Sana Starros #1
  • Tales From Nottingham #1

Trade Collections and Graphic Novels

  • Top Comics to Buy for February 1Avatar The Last Airbender Chibi Vol. 1 – Aangs Unfreezing Day HC
  • Blade Runner Origins Vol. 3 Burning TP
  • Bonding Vol. 1 TP
  • Esther’s Notebooks GN
  • Karl The Viking Vol. 2 Voyage of the Sea Raiders TP
  • Milestone Compendium 2 TP
  • Murder Inc. Vol. 2 TP – Versus America
  • Present HC

Read past editions of the Top Comics to Buy!