This week’s Top Comics to Buy for March 27 features some of the most high profile direct market comics, from Batman: Dark Age #1 to Ultimate Spider-Man #3. But in addition to those heavy hitters, there’s also some great idiosyncratic comics on the list. You can find all the usual recommendations below split into the normal sections…enjoy!
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Top Comics to Buy for March 27, 2024
Batman: Dark Age #1
Writer: Mark Russell
Artist: Michael Allred
Colorist: Laura Allred
Letterer: Dave Sharpe
Publisher: DC Comics
Meet Bruce Wayne, Gotham’s favorite delinquent son. In an origin story like no other, witness the boy become a dark knight shaped by a city in turmoil as it marches towards its prophesied doom. Set against the backdrop of actual historical events, Gotham comes alive, filled with the iconic characters who’ve loved and hated Batman over the years like you’ve never seen them before.
Why It’s Cool: This book combines two of my must-buy creators with writer Mark Russell and artist Michael Allred. It’s also a different kind of superhero story, mingling the IP we know with real world historic events to play them off each other and create something new. This book spins out of Superman: Space Age — another series from the same team.
Price: $5.99
Cemetery Kids Don’t Die #2
Writer: Zac Thompson
Artist: Daniel Irizarri
Colorist: Brittany Peer
Letterer: AndWorld Design
Publisher: Oni Press
Creators Zac Thompson (Hunt for the Skinwalker) and Daniel Irizarri (XINO) navigate an uncanny reality where the monsters are anything but science fiction . . . After Pik’s tragic encounter with the King of Sleep, Birdie is adamant that her brother-while appearing to be in a coma-is actually trapped within the game Nightmare Cemetery. With Wilson and Enid by her side, they enter the Piped District where the game play increases in complexity and horror as it taps into their deepest fears.
Why It’s Cool: This is a character-driven video game fantasy-horror series that raises question about the way reality is perceived in an increasingly digital world. It’s smart, and the artwork is absolutely amazing, intricate and immersive and just perfect. Don’t miss this one.
Price: $4.99
Morning Star #1
Writers: DB Andry and Tim Daniel
Artist: Marco Finnegan
Colorist: Jason Wordie
Letterer: Justin Birch
Publisher: Mad Cave Studios
1956. Kootenai National Forest, Montana. When smokejumper Nathan Garrett perishes in a raging wildfire, his surviving family’s hopes and happiness turn to ashes. Now, one year following Nathan’s death, wife, and mother of two, Jolene Garrett, takes her crumbling family to the Morning Star lookout seeking solace through closure–to scatter her husband’s remains. But something far beyond the reach of their wildest imaginings awaits the Garrett family in the Montana wilderness–something more powerful than their anguish and torment. Something that transcends space and time. No telephones. No electricity. No transportation. No escape.
Why It’s Cool: This is a complex, slow-burn of a comic that features a heart-rending concept and great characters. The artwork is wonderful, and perfectly in synch with the narrative and the themes of the book. What elevates it to truly special, however, might just be Jason Wordie’s colors, which give this story rich texture and an amazing tone. It’s gorgeous, and this book seems destined to be a breakout title for Mad Cave Studios.
Price: $4.99
The Nasty #8
Writer: John Lees
Artist: Adam Cahoon
Colorist: Kurt Michael Russell
Letterer: Jim Campbell
It’s opening night! Hordes of horror hounds descend on Rutherglen, hungry for cinematic gore. Rising to challenge them are Cynthia Crudgill and her moral crusaders, making a last-ditch effort to shut down the festival. As conflict brews, will Thumper and his friends finally get the chance to share their homemade horror? And what good horror is complete without the monster coming back for one last scare?
Why It’s Cool: For the horror movie aficionado, this book has just been a start to finish treat, a real love letter to a very specific (and wonderful) type of entertainment. It’s also felt like a very personal book from this creative team, and while I’m sad to see it end, I’ve enjoyed it quite a bit, making this finale a shoe-in for this week’s Top Comics to Buy for March 27.
Price: $4.99
Ultimate Spider-Man #3
Writer: Jonathan Hickman
Artist: Marco Checchetto
Colorist: Matthew Wilson
Letterer: Cory Petit
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Spider-Man sizes up the new hero Green Goblin! As they team up to fight a new super villain, secrets about the corporations running North America are revealed…And you’ll never guess who discovers Spider-Man’s secret identity!
Why It’s Cool: If you’re going to get a new take on Spider-Man, at some point you’re also going to get the Green Goblin, and that’s what the creative team serves up here in a third issue that continues the most interesting Spidey book in many years.
Price: $4.99
Others Receiving Votes
Black Hammer – The End #6- Duke #4
- End After End #9
- The Flash #7
- Green Arrow #10
- Life Is Strange: Forget-Me-Not #2
- Masterpiece #4
- Oddly Pedestrian Life of Christopher Chaos #8
- Somna – A Bedtime Story #3
- The Six Fingers #2
New #1s and One-Shots
BRZRKR – Poetry of Madness – Pen & Ink #1- Feral #1
- Ghostbusters – Back In Town #1
- Goon – Them That Don’t Stay Dead #1
- Jackpot and Black Cat #1
- Local Man – Bad Girls #1
- Primer #1
- Sam & Twitch Case Files #1
- Star Wars – The High Republic Adventures – Phase III Crash Landing #1
- Under York #1
- X-Men ’97 #1
Trade Collections and Graphic Novels
Anna TP- Astro City Metrobook Vol. 5 TP
- Batman/Superman – World’s Finest Vol. 1 – The Devil Nezha TP
- Brynmore TP
- BRZRKR Bloodlines Vol. 1 TP
- Daredevil by Ed Brubaker and Michael Lark Omnibus Vol. 2 HC
- Descender Compendium TP
- Essential Rogue Trooper Genetic Infantryman TP
- Godfell Complete Series TP
- I Am Batman Vol. 2 – Welcome to New York TP
- JLApe – The Complete Collection TP
- Madness TP
- Ultimate Invasion TP
FOC WATCH
Canto – A Place Like Home #1
Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
Release Date: June 5, 2024
This relatively-simple-yet-satisfying fantasy series that started life at IDW Publishing is now moving over to Dark Horse Comics, getting ready to conclude its Shrouded Man quest saga with this volume. Simply put, these comics are always a delight. The creative team features writer David M. Booher, artist Drew Zucker, colorist Vittoria Astone, and letterer AndWorld Design.
Read past editions of the Top Comics to Buy!
