Top Comics to Buy for February 8, 2023

The Top Comics to Buy for February 8, 2023, features the launch of two new series that feel like must-reads: Monarch and Harrower. Both have touches of teen drama and horror, but they turn them into something entirely their own. I can’t recommend them enough. Past that, we have a couple of heavy hitters from the Big 2, as well as one the breakout hit indies for 2023. 

You can find them all below with our usual lists…enjoy!

Top Comics to Buy for February 8, 2023

Gotham City: Year One #5
Writer: Tom King
Pencils: Phil Hester
Inks: Eric Gapstur
Colorist: Jordie Bellaire
Letterer: Clayton Cowles
Publisher: DC Comics
Beaten, bruised, and betrayed, Slam Bradley should have never gotten involved with the Waynes. With a tragic turn of events and a city on the edge of burning, can this hard-boiled private detective close an impossible case?
Why It’s Cool: This series has been excellent from the first issue on, a must-read noir that doubles as sort of historical fiction for the most infamous city in the DC Universe. It’s hard to overstate how great this comic has been, an easy addition to the Top Comics to Buy for February 8.
Price: $4.99

Harrower
Writer: Justin Jordan
Artist: Brahm Revel
Letterer: Pat Brosseau
Publisher: BOOM! Studios
There’s nothing to fear in the quaint town of Harrow, New York-except, that is, for the Harrower.
The children wish this boogeyman was just an urban legend, but this purveyor of puritanical vengeance against the unrighteous is very real, and there’s no escape, because the Harrower seems unkillable, and spans generations, always returning…
What secrets will Alice Young, a teenage girl obsessed with the Harrower, uncover, and will she be able to escape the pull of her morbid fixation?
Why It’s Cool: This book is a deconstruction of teen slashers that also has a lot to like for fans of teen slashers. It’s an interesting take on the ideas of those stories, one that in it’s extremely well-done opening issue seeds far more questions than it does give answers. 
Price: $3.99

Miracleman: The Silver Age
Writer: Neil Gaiman
Artist: Mark Buckingham
Colorist: Jordie Bellaire
Letterer: Todd Klein
Publisher: Marvel Comics
What are the Black Warpsmiths? Young Miracleman’s journey continues, and he finds companions on his quest to learn more about the world and about himself. They may not be the companions that Miracleman would have chosen, but will they be who Young Miracleman needs? Gaiman and Buckingham continue to reinvent not only this world, but all of comics while they’re at it.
Why It’s Cool: This series feels a bit under-hyped, but it is (obviously) an extension of the Miracleman comics. And it is also excellent, with Gaiman writing and Buckinghman/Bellaire putting out truly excellent work. It’s amazing how long these characters have continued to yield prestige comics that feel fresh and complex. We’re lucky to have this book.
Price: $4.99

Monarch #1
Writer: Rodney Barnes
Artist: Alex Lins
Color: Luis NCT
Color Assist: Mar Silvestre Galotto
Letterer: Marshall Dillon
Art Director: Jason Shawn Alexander
Publisher: Image Comics
Growing up in the city of Compton is tough enough as it is, but as Travon has learned all too well, growing up as an orphan in the city of Compton with gang members hunting you down every day is even tougher. But all of that is about to change, because today is the day that aliens make first contact with Earth-and it only spells doom for life as we know it!
Death, devastation, and mayhem-can a single teenage boy rise to the challenge and protect his surrogate family and friends…or will he die trying?
Why It’s Cool: As engrossing as it is poignant, Monarch #1 is a complex debut issue that uses a blend of horror and science fiction to raise questions about youth violence, bullying, opportunities, friendship, and much more. I found this book to be truly moving, and it gets my highest recommendation. Don’t miss this one.
Price: $3.99

Spy Superb #2
Script, Art, Letters: Matt Kindt
Colors: Sharlene Kindt
Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
Jay is the perfect spy. A spy so perfect he doesn’t even realize he is a spy and that he’s on a mission. Until he finds himself in the middle of a bunch of dead agents and on the run. Taking everything he’s ever learned from watching spy movies he sets off on a mission to rescue a beautiful woman-who may also be a spy out to get him-and obtain the secret contents of her phone.
Why It’s Cool: Part two of three, this week’s new chapter of Spy Superb delivers another issue that readers won’t want to end even though it’s oversized. The concept remains as clever as the execution in part two with the introduction of a new character and the way our oblivious protagonist continues to blowhard his way through life. This is the type of book that will remind you why you follow monthly comics, and you should absolutely be reading it as it comes out.
Price: $7.99

Others Receiving Votes

• All Against All #3
• Avengers – War Across Time #2
• Batman & The Joker Deadly Duo #4
• Batman #132
• Black Panther #14
• Blood-Stained Teeth #9
• Captain America: Symbol of Truth #10
• Daredevil #8
• Gold Goblin #4
• Gospel #4
• Koshchei The Deathless In Hell #3
• Monkey Prince #11
• Poison Ivy #9
• Secret Invasion #4
• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles – Armageddon Game – The Alliance #4

New #1s and One-Shots

• Bishop War College #1
• Lazarus Planet: Next Evolution #1 (one-shot)
• Madballs vs. Garbage Pale Kids – Time Again, Slime Again #1
• Red Goblin #1
• Space Job #1
• Static: Shadows of Dakota #1
• Storm and the Brotherhood of Mutants #1
• Stranger Things: Tales From Hawkins #1
• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Best of Krang #1 (one-shot)

Trade Collections and Graphic Novels

• Air Vol. 2 TP Dark Horse Edition
• Ashes TP
• Avengers by Jason Aaron Vol. 11 History’s Mightiest Heroes TP
• British Paranormal Society: Time Out of Mind HC
• DC Universe by Dwayne McDuffie HC
• Delver Vol. 2 TP
• Dune: The Waters of Kanly HC
• Extraordinary Book One Orsay’s Hands HC
• House of El Book 3 The Treacherous Hope HC
• Love Everlasting Vol. 1 TP
• My Life Among Humans HC
• The Secret History of Black Punk – Record Zero GN
• Swamp Thing Vol. 3 The Parliament of Gears TP

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Read past editions of the Top Comics to Buy!