This week’s Top Comics to Buy for July 20 2022 brings us a set of new books that are absolutely stacked. I’ve been doing this list for about four years now (first on my own site and then now here), and I truly can’t recall having more trouble pairing my list down to just five highlighted titles. What that means is that a good 2/3s of the Others Receiving Votes section this week are also excellent (it broke my heart to not highlight Black Adam #2, btw). So, head to your shop if you’re so inclined, grab a big stack of floppies, and enjoy!
As always, my full set of recommendations can be found below…
Top Comics to Buy for July 20 2022
A.X.E. Judgement Day #1
Writer: Kieron Gillen
Artist: Valerio Schiti
Colorist: Marte Gracia
Letterer: Clayton Cowles
Publisher: Marvel Comics
The X-Men claim they’re the planets’ new gods. The Eternals know that position is already filled. The Avengers are about to realize exactly how many secrets their so-called friends have kept from them. Years of tension lead to a volcanic eruption as two worlds burn. Who has leaked the X-Men’s secrets to their latest foes? Why is Tony Stark abducting an old friend? And who stands in judgment over the whole world? Judgment Day from Kieron Gillen and Valerio Schiti is the apocalyptic emotional event to define the summer.
Why It’s Cool: I am on record in this column (or maybe it was elsewhere on this site) as loving big silly superhero summer events. I’m all in on Dark Crisis, and I’ve been excited for this week to arrive too, bringing with it the start of A.X.E. Judgement Day, which promises a big wild showdown between all the major food groups superhero factions of the Marvel Universe: mutants, Avengers, Eternals. On top of that, it’s got Kieron Gillen writing with excellent Valerio Schiti art, colored by Marte Gracia.
Price: $5.99
Dark Crisis: Young Justice #2
Writer: Meghan Fitzmartin
Artist: Laura Braga
Colorist: Luis Guerrero
Letterer: Pat Brosseau
Publisher: DC Comics
TALE OF TWO WONDER GIRLS! Impulse, Superboy, and Tim Drake were just saved by Cassie Sandsmark, Wonder Girl in the strange fantasy word they’re trapped in. And she’s here to help them navigate their retro surroundings. But…Cassie Sandsmark is back on our Earth searching for her friends alongside Red Tornado and the superhero formerly known as Arrowette. Which Cassie is lying and who’s about to get burned?!
Why It’s Cool: I found this book to be sort of curious when it was announced. It’s one of the only Dark Crisis tie-ins, aside from some issues of The Flash and a series of one-shots about what the world would be like without the Justice League. Which, great, don’t overdo it with the event tie-ins, but, I wondered, why Young Justice? Well, now that I’m actually reading this series, I believe the answer is that this creative team had a pitch that was just too good to pass up. It’s essentially deconstructing the late ’99s/early ’00s Young Justice run, which has, um, aged poorly, to be kind. You can read more about this series in the DC Round-Up this week, but I think it’s kind of genius.
Price: $3.99
Dark Spaces: Wildfire #1
Writer: Scott Snyder
Artist: Hayden Sherman
Colorist: Ronda Pattison
Letterer: AndWorld Design
Publisher: IDW Publishing
Six weeks into the slow burn of the historic Arroyo Fire, a crew of women from an inmate firefighting program are risking everything on the frontlines when their newest recruit – a white-collar convict with a deep network of shady dealers – discovers they’re mere miles from her crooked former associate’s mansion. When she proposes a plan to abandon their duties and hunt for riches under cover of smoke and ash, the team must decide if they’re ready to jeopardize their one sure path back to normalcy for a shot at a score that would change their lives… But is this a flicker of fortune or a deadly trap? Scott Snyder and breakout artist Hayden Sherman craft an unforgettable heist for a new age in DarkSpaces: Wildfire.
Why It’s Cool: Hayden Sherman has been an impressive artist for some time now, working mostly in science fiction comics with original books like Vault Comics underrated Wasted Space, as well as other titles, from Chicken Devil to Thumbs. One of the most impressive things to me about Sherman’s work has been how it continues to evolve, getting better and more imaginative with its aesthetics and angles. It’s no small measure then for me to say that this is the best-looking Sherman comic so far, a truly stunning comic where their linework gels perfectly with colorist Ronda Pattison. Add to that a sharp heist story penned by Scott Snyder, and you get a book that emerges as one of the best amid this very packed week for new releases.
Price: $3.99
The Lonesome Hunters #2
Writer/Artist/Letterer: Tyler Crook
Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
After fleeing their tenement during a monster magpie attack, Lupe finds herself a pupil to an aged monster hunter and on the run from ancient evils determined to take them down and retrieve the relic they protect.
Why It’s Cool: I loved the first issue of this series, demonstrating as it does why Tyler Crook comics have been a must-read for some time now. It was a great hook, involving a quisi-retired monster hunter whose past (of course) comes back to pull him into one more adventure. In this second issue (of four total) we get to see more of what that looks like, with the best reveal here being the identity and design of the what I presume to be this series big bad. Anyway, so yes, another great issue, cementing this series as one of the most exciting creator-driven minis of the year so far.
Price: $3.99
Rogues’ Gallery #1
Story: Hanna Rose May and Declan Shalvey
Writer: Hanna Rose May
Artist: Justin Mason
Colorist: Triona Farrell
Letterer: Hassan Otsman-Elhaou
Publisher: Image Comics
Writer HANNAH ROSE MAY makes her comic debut with rising-star artist JUSTIN MASON for an all-new series with DECLAN SHALVEY.
The Purge meets Scream in a home invasion thriller that follows disenfranchised TV superhero actress Maisie Wade as she is terrorized by an unhinged group of intruders cosplaying her day job’s archvillains. If Maisie is going to survive the night, she’ll need to be the hero she has come to despise.
Why It’s Cool: I didn’t actually know a thing about this one going into reading it, not even the premise, and you know what? It not only held my attention throughout, but it left me both wondering what happens next and impressed that no one has ever done this premise before. It’s a good start to an interesting series that might have some intriguing questions to raise about superhero IP and toxic fandoms. I’m in to at least see where this all goes, plus the art was great.
Price:$3.99
Others Receiving Votes
- Batman/Superman – World’s Finest #5
- Black Adam #2
- Blood Syndicate Season One #3
- Do A Power Bomb #2
- Duo #3
- The Flash #784
- Ice Cream Man #31
- Iron Man #21
- Justice League Vs. Legion of Super-Heroes #4
- Miles Morales Spider-Man #40
- Naomi Season 2 #5
- The Silver Coin #12
- Shaolin Cowboy: Cruel to Be Kin #3
- Skybound X #25
- Usagi Yojimbo #29
New #1s and One-Shots
- Alien Annual #1
- Artemis Wanted #1
- Blink #1
- Brother of All Men #1
- DC Vs. Vampires: All-Out War #1
- Defenders Beyond #1
- G.I. Joe – Real American Hero: Best of Snake Eyes #1 (One-Shot)
- Hellboy and the B.P.R.D. – Time Is A River #1 (One-Shot)
- Madballs Vs. Garbage Pail Kids #1
- Prophet Remastered Edition #1
- Shang-Chi and the Ten Rings #1
- Whiteout 25th Anniversary Edition #1
- Young Hellboy – Assault on Castle Death #1
Trade Collections and New Graphic Novels of Note
- 52 Omnibus HC 2022 Edition
- After The Rain GN
- Barely Human TP
- Batman: Secret Files TP
- Checkmate TP
- Home Sick Pilots Vol. 3 Three Chords and the End of the World TP
- Joseph Smith and the Mormons HC
- Marvel Masterworks Spectacular Spider-Man Vol. 5 HC
- Megg and Mogg In Amsterdam And Other Stories HC
- Nocterra Vol. 2 Pedal to the Metal TP
- Something Is Killing the Children Book 1 Deluxe Edition
- Superman ’78 HC
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles IDW Collection Vol. 14 HC
- X Lives and Deaths of Wolverine HC
