After a two week holiday hiatus, I’m back now with my recommendations for the top comics to buy for January 8. This marks the start of my seventh (!!) year doing this column, first via my defunct comics website (now a monthly newsletter) and since 2022 on The Beat.
If you’re reading this, you probably already know the concept — I read ~20 new releases every week, recommend my top five favs, list other books I enjoyed, and give you lists for the new #1s and graphic novels/trades available in stores. It’s a fun exercise for me, and, I hope, a valuable service for you, my fellow weekly comics sickos. Anyway, looking forward to another year of reading and recommending comics in this space…cheers!
Top Comics to Buy for January 8
Batman: Dark Patterns #2
Writer:Dan Watters
Artist:Hayden Sherman
Colorist:Tríona Farrell
Letterer:Frank Cvetkovic
Publisher: DC Comics
BATMAN ON THE HUNT FOR THE MYSTERIOUS WOUND MAN! Case 01: We Are Wounded – Part II As the mysterious Wound Man’s body count rises higher and higher, the Dark Knight Detective must descend into the festering depths of Gotham’s past to uncover the secret truth at the heart of Wound Man’s crimes.
Why It’s Cool: One of the things I really like about DC’s current line is the diversity in it. This week alone, you’ve got a new riskier take on a classic character with Absolute Batman #4…and then at the same time, you have a book like this that takes the classic detective side of the character and finds new, moody territory to explore with it. I really enjoyed the first issue of Batman: Dark Patterns, but I found this one — which has more of a focus on the truly-disquieting Wound Man — to be just phenomenally well done. It’s just two issues, but we’ve got early signs that this might be a new Batman classic.
Price: $4.99
The Blood Brothers Mother #3
Writer: Brian Azzarello
Artist: Eduardo Risso
Letterer: Jared K. Fletcher
Publisher: DSTLRY
The Blood brothers finally come face-to-face with the outlaws who stole their mother. But the boys soon discover the hard truth that vengeance can make a soul harder than an unforgiving landscape, and sometimes the greatest evil stares back at you from the mirror. In the tradition of The Searchers, The Outlaw Josey Wales and Blood Meridian comes a brutal new western series that can’t be missed.
Why It’s Cool: This book is a straight-up excellent Western comic, proof positive that the right creators can still make this genre work. All three issues of this title have been great, and part 3 really escalates the drama with some big character developments. It’s maybe a bit under the radar, but this is a fantastic book.
Price: $8.99
The Lucky Devils #1
Writer: Charles Soule
Artist: Ryan Browne
Colors: Ryan Browne and Kevin Knipstein
Letterer: Christopher Crank
Publisher: Image Comics
GoodOmens meets Curse Words in this new series from the duo behind smash-hit Eight Billion Genies!The Lucky Devils is a tale of two rebellious demons who decide to start a revolution in Hell-and the two ordinary, 20-something humans they’re going to manipulate to do it. A cheeky, satirical look at Good and Evil, The Lucky Devils explores Faustian bargains and temptation in a rip-roaring, hilarious new way.
Why It’s Cool: First things first, this is the new project from the same creative team behind Eight Billion Genies, one of my personal favorite direct market comics in recent years. And it keeps the success streak going. It’s a very different book (one we’ll explore more in-depth in tomorrow’s Wednesday Comics Review column), although it shares a global interest in the import of personal ethics. It’s also loaded with great art and clever choices.
Price: $3.99
The Sickness #6
Writers: Lonnie Nadler and Jenna Cha
Artist: Jenna Cha
Letterer: Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou
Publisher: Uncivilized Comics
1945: Daniel faces the maddening consequences of setting his house ablaze after an ill-conceived attempt to defy The Man. 1955: George finally has a first-hand brush with a patient suffering from The Sickness. However, past demons come to a head with wishes for the future, and he must decide which will guide his hands. 1965: Mary struggles to cope with the daily monotony of being a housewife, feeling like an outcast even in the comfort of her own home. Something is rotten in Redondo Beach…
Why It’s Cool: Equal parts smart and disturbing, this comic really puts you in the frame of mind of its two lead characters, both of whom are grappling with a mysterious illness in different ways. At the same time, it’s also a meditation on 1940s and 1950s America, the momentous events of those decades, and what they say about the nation. This new issue continues the excellent story in progress.
Price: $6.00
Snotgirl #17
Writer: Bryan Lee O’Malley
Artist: Leslie Hung
Colorist: Rachael Cohen
Letterer: Iasmin Omar Ata
Publisher: Image Comics
While Lottie navigates the ins and outs of her new relationship, we turn our attention to Caroline’s mysterious brother Virgil. Just who the heck is this guy? What does he know? Who knows what he knows? And why? And how? And what? And huh? Only in Snotgirl!
Why It’s Cool: After the long hiatus, the new era of Snotgirl continues with an issue that is almost contained to a supporting cast member. I really enjoy when this book deviates to look at some of the people around the titular Snotgirl, and this issue is no exception. I just remain thrilled this singular and stylish comic is back.
Price: $3.99
Other Comics I Enjoyed
Absolute Batman #4- Action Comics #1082
- Geiger #10
- Kaya #24
- Kill All Immortals #5
- Living Hell #2
- The Serpent in the Garden: Ed Grey and the Last Battle for England #2
- Transformers #16
- Ultimate Black Panther #12
- Where Monsters Lie: Cull-De-Sac #3
New #1s and One-Shots
- Altered States: Purgatori Grindhouse #1 (one-shot)
- Aquaman #1
- Cruel Kingdom #1
- Daredevil – Unleash Hell Red Band #1
- Death of Copra #1
- Green Hornet / Miss Fury #1
- Jim Henson Presents #1
- Magik #1
- Marvel & Disney – What If Mickey and Friends Became the Fantastic Four #1 (one-shot)
- New Champions #1
- Those Not Afraid #1
- What If Galactus Transformed Gambit #1 (one-shot)
- Zootopia #1
Graphic Novels and Trade Collections
- Birds of Prey Vol. 2 TP
- Captain America – The Sage of Sam Wilson TP
- Cyanide & Happiness – A Guide to Parenting By Three Guys With No Kids (20th Anniversary Edition) TP
- Death Vigil Vol. 1 TP
- Deep State Complete Collection TP
- DC Finest – Aquaman King of Atlantis TP
- Guardians of the Galaxy – Modern Era Epic Collection Vol. 2 War of Kings TP
- The New Avengers Omnibus Vol. 1 HC
- Radiant Black Vol. 6 – The Catalyst War Infinite Earths TP
Rick and Morty – Kingdom Balls TP- Sanction TP
- Stormwatch: The Road to the Authority Compendium TP
- Symbiote Spider-Man 2099 TP
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Untold Destiny of the Foot Clan TP
- Windsor McCay Complete Little Nemo HC
- X-Men Decimation Omnibus HC
Read past editions of the Top Comics to Buy!
Check out more comics and graphic novel reviews via The Beat!
