This week’s Top Comics to Buy for May 9 is a varied list, featuring a little horror, a little bit of franchise advancement, and more. It’s always nice when we get a week like this, where you can take home a stack of comics and have a very different experience with each as you work through it. You can find my five favorites below, along with the usual lists … enjoy!
Top Comics to Buy for May 9, 2024
Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees #6
Writer/Artist: Patrick Horvath
Letterer: Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou
Publisher: IDW Publishing
At the end of this issue, someone will die; There’s no way to avoid it, so we simply won’t try; A horrific plan drives the fate of our bear; And unspeakable actions will give quite a scare; Join us now, as we finally lift the veil-As this, my friends, is the end of our tale!
Why It’s Cool: Everyone’s favorite super dark small town serial killer — but with adorable Richard Scarry-style animals — comes to an end this week, and that end is suitably grim and bloody. I don’t know if we’ve learned anything from this story, but it sure was gruesomely entertaining.
Price: $3.99
The Boy Wonder #1
Writer/Artist: Juni Ba
Colorist: Chris O’Halloran
Letterer: Aditya Bidikar
Publisher: DC Comics – Black Label
The young prince Damian Wayne was raised to be the heir to the fearsome League of Assassins–to follow in the footsteps of his deadly mother, Talia, and the Demon’s Head himself, his grandfather Ra’s al Ghul. But everything changed when his father, the Batman, reclaimed him and brought him back to Gotham City. As Robin, young Damian suddenly discovered he was merely one of a number of princes, preceded in the role by his brothers Nightwing, Red Hood, and Red Robin…and Damian doesn’t care to be merely anything. But when his father is forced to leave the city on urgent business, and a rash of abductions is accompanied by whispers of a demon stalking Gotham’s dark alleys, Damian will find himself battling alongside his adoptive brothers–and in the process, learning what the mantle of Robin really means!
Why It’s Cool: Because it’s basically a perfect comic? Cartoonist Juni Ba’s signature stylish and kinetic storytelling is just so good, and the writing on this one is a thoughtful exploration of not only Damian Wayne (our protagonist), but of the State of Robin (and all who’ve held that title) in general. This book is just fantastic.
Price: $5.99
Energon Universe Special 2024 #1
Writers: Daniel Warren Johnson, Robert Kirkman, and Joshua Williamson
Artists: Ryan Ottley, Lorenzo De Felici, and Jason Howard
Colorists: Annalisa Leoni, Matheus Lopes, and Mike Spicer
Letterer: Rus Wooton
Publisher: Image Comics – Skybound
A special new printing of ENERGON UNIVERSE FCBD 2024 SPECIAL featuring three all new stories from the Energon Universe, with stunning revelations for the worlds of TRANSFORMERS, G.I. JOE, and VOID RIVALS from the biggest names in comics.
Why It’s Cool: The Energon Universe is one of the most exciting things happening in monthly comics, and this special is sort of a checking in on everything that’s happened in the first year of it. These comics are just fantastic, high-production stories, a good reminder that long-running IP can be exciting when all bets are off and anything can happen to the characters.
Price: $3.99
Morning Star #2
Writers: David ‘DB Andry & Tim Daniel
Artist: Marco Finnegan
Colorist: Jason Wordie
Letterer: Justin Birch
Publisher: Mad Cave Studios
Young Charlie Garrett has vanished into the Kootenai Forest. Together with her teen daughter Marabeth, Jolene Garrett launches a frantic search through the surrounding Montana wilderness to find her missing boy. There’s only one thing more powerful than grief and that’s a mother’s will to protect her children, a will fueled by the loss of her husband and fortified by the gleaming blade of her ax.
Why It’s Cool: This is a gorgeous comic with complex ideas and characters, one that seems to through the first two issues have barely scratched the emotional surface of everything in play here. I’ve written this several times already, but Jason Wordie’s color work in particular gives this comic a singular and interesting feel. Oh, and the ending is intriguing as all get out.
Price: $4.99
Night People #3
Based on the Novel By: Barry Gifford
Writer: Chris Condon
Artist: Artyom Topilin
Colorist: Ronda Pattison
Letterer: Shawn Lee
Publisher: Oni Press
Easy Earl Blakey was having an uneventful evening at Alfonzo’s Mexicali Club until a heated argument at a neighboring table erupted into a hail of bullets. Now Earl, who can barely remember what happened next, is wanted for shooting a New Orleans cop-and the only thing he can think to do is drive.
Why It’s Cool: Welp, it’s official…with its third issue Night People has taken its place among my personal favorite comics of 2024 so far (up there with Dark Spaces: Dungeon and Judge Dredd: A Better World). This might be the best issue of this book yet, a contained and interesting story with well-realized characters and twists that feel both shocking (heh) and inevitable. You really need to be reading this book.
Price: $4.99
Others Receiving Votes
Batman #147- Birds of Prey #9
- Deadweights #2
- Devil That Wears My Face #6
- Kneel Before Zod #5
- The One Hand #4
- Poison Ivy #22
- Sacrificers #8
- Transformers #8
- Usagi Yojimbo – The Crow #2
New #1s and One-Shots
Ain’t No Grave #1- The Armory Wars – Good Apollo I’m Burning Star IV, Vol. 2 – No World for Tomorrow #1
- Blood Hunters #1
- Crocodile Black #1
- Dracula Blood Hunt #1
- Giant Size X-Men (2024) #1 (one-shot)
- Mugshots #1
- Strange Academy Blood Hunt #1
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles – Black White & Green #1 (one-shot)
- The Witcher – Corvo Bianco #1
Graphic Novels and Trade Collections
Chef’s Kiss Deluxe Edition HC- Deer Editor TP
- Dwellings HC
- Essential Judge Anderson – Satan TP
- Jellyfish GN
- Lore Olympus Vol. 6 TP
- Miracleman by Gaiman & Buckingham – The Silver Age TP
- Pretty Deadly – The Shrike Vault Edition HC
- The Schlub TP
- Sirens of the City TP
- Steelworks TP
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Saturday Morning Adventures Vol. 2 TP
- Terrorwar Vol. 1 TP
- Transformers Vol. 1 – Robots in Disguise TP
- WifWulf TP
- World of Black Hammer Omnibus Vol. 3 TP
Read past editions of the Top Comics to Buy!
