Putting this week’s list of Top Comics to Buy for January 29 was a challenge. Not because there were so many good books (there were plenty of good books, but that’s a lot of weeks), but rather because distribution upheaval has made it increasingly difficult to tell what’s coming out in a given week. Books like The Seasons and Ice Cream Man #43 appear on my top recommendations list, but some of the usual resources I use to verify what’s out didn’t have them listed for the week. It’s…frustrating.
But, I think we’re getting to a point where the community is starting to understand what’s happening and why, and that comprehension makes it just a bit easier to do ultimately easy things like remember these books for next week. After all, The Seasons and Ice Cream Man will still be just as worthy of a pick-up in seven days. You can find my other recommendations below, along with the usual set of release lists … enjoy!
Oh! And if you want to take a chance on a new trade this week, highly-recommend The Pedestrian Vol. 1, which was one of The Beat’s Best Comics of 2024!
Top Comics to Buy for January 29, 2024
Babs #5
Writer: Garth Ennis
Artist: Jacen Burrows
Colorist: Andy Troy
Letterer: Rob Steen
Publisher: AHOY Comics
More sword-and-social-satire action from the acclaimed Ennis/Burrows team! In the depths of Tiberius Toledo’s diamond mine, Babs and her allies toil in captivity, until an escape plan forms-involving the libidinous Head Guard and a shocking sacrifice of virtue!
Why It’s Cool: Babs has been a fantastic fantasy satire comic from its start, and it really hasn’t lost a step. This week’s penultimate issue is a nice progression of some plot points that were there from the start, mixed with micro stories (a noble knight who has to do…things…is especially funny).
Price: $3.99
Ice Cream Man #43
Writers: W. Maxwell Prince, Grant Morrison, Matt Fraction, Kelly Sue Deconnick, Geoff Johns, Deniz Camp, Zoe Thorogood, Patton Oswalt, Jeff Lemire, and Frank Barbiere
Artist: Martin Morazzo, with a page by Zoe Thorogood
Colorist: Chris O’Halloran
Letterer: Good Old Neon
Publisher: Image Comics
It’s a star-studded, make-your-jaw-drop-to-the-floor issue of Ice Cream Man! The challenge: make a comics horror story that’s only one page long. And boy, did we find some amazing folks ready to take that one on! Issue 43 will feature one-page horror yarns (all drawn by Morazzo and O’Halloran) from Grant Morrison, Patton Oswalt, Geoff Johns, Kelly Sue Deconnick, Jeff Lemire, Matt Fraction, Zoe Thorogood, and and more! There will also, of course, be plenty of weird one-pagers from W. Maxwell Prince and Team ICM-we wouldn’t want to miss out on all the fun!
Why It’s Cool: I’ve long been drawn to Ice Cream Man for the series perfect mix of comics experimentation and existential dread. This week, we get a fantastic creator jam issue where some of the most interesting writers in comics — old and new — contribute one-page horror to the book. And it’s great.
Price: $3.99
The Seasons #1
Writer: Rick Remender
Artist: Paul Azaceta
Colorist: Matheus Lopes
Letterer: Rus Wooton
Publisher: Image Comics – Giant Generator
Come one, come all, to the amazing new big top show! Your Ringleaders, Rick Remender and Paul Azaceta, invite you to this fantastical double-length premiere issue of their new ongoing series! A decade after the Seasons sisters’ beloved parents disappeared, a wicked carnival arrives in town. Within its big tent is a dazzling show led by an eldritch ringleader who offers comers-all a window into their heart’s every desire-provided they each leave a piece of themselves behind… Attendees arrive to enjoy the breathtaking entertainment obscured behind its canvas folds-and they leave distracted by the glint of these cursed mirrors.
Why It’s Cool: I really didn’t know what to expect from this book. From the title to the cover art to the way it was marketed, it doesn’t fit neatly into any of the usual comics boxes. But that all works in the book’s favor. What it is is a sort of fantasy story, although not quite. It’s a slapstick-y comedy too, although there’s some darker at work. And it’s a horror comic to some extent, although the tone is a light one. What it definitely is, however, is entertaining. I’ll be writing about it more in tomorrow’s Wednesday Comics Reviews column, but for now — I recommend this book.
Price: $3.99
Sink #14
Writer: John Lees
Artist: Alex Cormack
Letterer: Shawn Lee
Publisher: Comix Tribe
A killer has been stalking the streets of Glasgow. Busman Boab drives an old double-decker bus kitted out with a variety of deadly booby traps, serving an enigmatic greater purpose by carrying doomed passengers to their final destination. Mr. Dig, Sinkhill’s fox-masked vigilante defender, and Charlotte, the scarred survivor of a vicious encounter with the terrifying blue van clowns, have teamed up to bring Boab’s reign of terror to an end. But Boab has some tricks up his sleeve, and a few formidable friends…
Why It’s Cool: Sink is one of my favorite books of the last 10 years, and it’s now bringing its excellent third arc to the direct market, after a series of very successful crowdfunding campaigns. This issue specifically circles back all the way to the start of the series, exploring one of the (many) horrifying ideas that introduced us to this world. And I loved it. I mean, jeez, this book is just so good.
Price: $4.99
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #6
Writer: Jason Aaron
Artist: Juan Ferreyra
Letterer: Shawn Lee
Publisher: IDW Publishing
The Turtles are back together, on the run, and at one another’s throats. Navigating a New York City that used to be their home but is now a hostile territory, the four brothers try to get things back to normal, but Donatello is deeply scarred following his captivity. Will the four brothers be able to rally? Or will they find themselves at the mercy of the Foot Clan?
Why It’s Cool: The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles comics are having a moment, led by the relaunched main title written by Jason Aaron. For the first arc, Aaron’s scripts were illustrated by a series of superstar artist. Now, the book is being taken over by Juan Ferreyra, long one of my favorite regular superhero artists — and unsurprisingly, this start to the second arc looks great.
Price: $4.99
Other Comics I Enjoyed
Black Cloak #11- Blood Squad Seven #6
- Calavera PI #3
- Dark Empty Void #3
- Dust to Dust #2
- Green Lantern #19
- Red Before Black #4
- String #3
- Ultimate X-Men #11
- You Never Heard of Me #2
New #1s and One-Shots
- Blood Train #1 (one-shot)
- Book of Cutter #1 (one-shot)
- DC Power – Rise of the Power Company #1 (one-shot)
- DC’s Lex and the City #1 (one-shot)
- Kill Train #1
- Power Lords Vol. 2 #1
- Ripperland #1
- Silverhawks Vol. 2 #1
- Star Wars – The High Republic Adventures Phase III Annual #1 (one-shot)
- Star Wars – A New Legacy #1 (one-shot)
- Storm – Lifedream #1 (one-shot)
- Superman – Lex Luthor Special #1 (one-shot)
- What If Galactus Transformed Spider-Gwen #1 (one-shot)
Graphic Novels and Trade Collections
- Absolute Mister Miracle by Tom King and Mitch Gerads HC
- DC Power 2024 HC
- Flash Gordon Vol. 1 – Escape From Planet Death TP
- Galaxy of Madness Vol. 1 TP
- Hellverine Resurrection TP
- Into The Unbeing Vol. 1 TP
- The Magic Order Library Edition Vol. 1 HC
Marvel – The End Omnibus HC- The Pedestrian Vol. 1 TP (One of The Beat’s Best Comics of 2024)
- Resident Alien Vol. 8 – Book of Life TP
- Spider-Man by Joe Kelly Omnibus HC
- Star Wars – Jango Fett Trail of Lost Hope TP
- Static – Shadows of Dakota TP
- This Beautiful Ridiculous City HC
Read past editions of the Top Comics to Buy!
And check out the Beat’s newest comics reviews!
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