This week’s Top Comics to Buy for November 9 is sort of the platonic ideal for a new week of direct market comics. There’s a new start for a classic superhero property, the bombastic latest issue of another superhero event story, a pair of very interesting new indie series, and a standalone issue that just knocked my socks off. You can read more about each of these picks below, in the usual weekly sections…enjoy!
Top Comics to Buy for November 9, 2022
Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths #6
Writer: Joshua Williamson
Artist: Daniel Sampere
Layouts: Daniel Sampere and Rafa Sandoval
Colorist: Alejandro Sanchez
Letterer: Troy Peteri
Publisher: DC Comics
War erupts as more heroes are taken at the hands of Pariah! The fate of the Multiverse depends on the young heroes of the DCU as they clash with Deathstroke and the Dark Army! Can the resurrected Justice League race home to Earth-Zero in time to join the fight…even if it could mean that not everyone gets to return?! And what dark powerhouse rises on the battlefield? Do not miss this incredible breakneck battle royale!
Why It’s Cool: The biggest and most bombastic issue yet of what has been a fantastically big and bombastic DC Comics event. I’ve had a blast with this issue — as well as the run-up to it — but this was my favorite issue of the event to date. I won’t spoil any of them, but this issue has a couple of truly excellent moments in it, from a touching father-son callback to maybe the most well-known DC story ever, to the death of a (personal favorite) DC hero.
Price: $4.99
Fantastic Four #1
Writer: Ryan North
Artist: Iban Coello
Colorist: Jesus Aburtov
Letterer: Joe Caramagna
Publisher: Marvel Comics
“WHATEVER HAPPENED TO THE FANTASTIC FOUR?”
It’s the start of a new era for the Fantastic Four…and they’re already in a ton of trouble.
Something has gone terribly wrong in New York, and the Thing and Alicia are traveling across America to escape it! But when they stop in a small town for the night and wake up the morning before they arrived, they find themselves caught in a time loop that’s been going on since before they were born…
That’s been going on since before they were born…
That’s been going on since before they were born…
Why It’s Cool: I am way behind on all things Fantastic Four (I fell off the last run around the Doom wedding), but I was able to pick-up this new #1 for Marvels’ First Family and absolutely love it. It’s almost a self-contained story (with just a few small nods to ongoing continuity), yet it also seeds a really compelling path forward for the start of a new run. Also, this Alex Ross cover? It is…fantastic.
Price: $4.99
Gospel #1
Story & Art: Will Morris
Color Assistant: Holley McKend
Editor: Sebastian Girner
Publisher: Image Comics
When opportunity refuses to knock for restless hero Matilde, the devil comes knocking instead. Thrust into action by the hellish arrival, Matilde and storyteller Pitt will quest for answers – answers that threaten to tear them apart and trigger the toughest question of all: “Who am I?”
Inspired by the work of Hayao Miyazaki and set in the chaos of King Henry VIII’s reign, GOSPEL is a thrilling fantasy adventure that questions the truth behind the stories we tell.
Why It’s Cool: Look, this comic was billed to me as “historical fantasy,” a genre designation that at least makes me raise an eyebrow, if not get outright ready to love a book. And Gospel #1 lives up to my expectations. I especially appreciated the clever framing of the open sequence, which allowed the proceedings to open up with some fun fantasy action before getting to the substance of what this story is really interested in. Anyway, this is a great read and easy choice for the Top Comics to Buy for November 9.
Price: $3.99
Love Everlasting #4
Writer: Tom King
Artist: Elsa Charretier
Colorist: Matt Hollingsworth
Letterer: Clayton Cowles
Publisher: Image Comics
“NOTHING LEFT BUT LOVE”
France, 1915. War wages. Joan sings at a club near the front, watching soldiers march to the trenches. Some return, most don’t. One of them falls in love. To save him from hs inevitable fate, Joan discovers how the trap of love can be turned into an opportunity for power.
Why It’s Cool: This has been an interesting and curious series to date, always telling strong individual stories while often at the end of the book looping through a metafictional interest that has yet to be revealed in its entirety. Then we come to issue #4, which is mostly all a self-contained historical fiction romance, set against the backdrop of World War I with shades of Casablanca. It’s just a wonderful story, start to finish, and one of my favorite individual issues of any monthly comic all year. Even if you haven’t read this series at all, you can pick up this comic and enjoy all it has to offer, and I’d definitely recommend doing so.
Price: $3.99
Travelling To Mars #1
Writer: Mark Russell
Artist: Roberto Meli
Colorist: Chiara Di Francia
Letterer: Mattia Gentili
Publisher: Ablaze Publishing
Traveling to Mars tells the story of former pet store manager Roy Livingston, the first human to ever set foot on Mars. Roy was chosen for this unlikely mission for one simple reason: he is terminally ill and therefore has no expectation of returning. Roy is joined on his mission to Mars by Leopold and Albert, two Mars rovers equipped with artificial intelligence, who look upon the dying pet store manager as a sort of god. Against the backdrop of not only his waning days but those of human civilization as well, Roy has ample time to think about where things went wrong for both of them and what it means to be a dying god.
A riveting story of planetary exploration and of finding meaning in your final days.
Why It’s Cool: Out of all of Mark Russell’s comics, this one feels the most personal, taking a closer approach to character than most of the writer’s other books. The themes are still very much related to the critiquing of civilization, but the first person narration and the protagonist plight is really what drives this book. The art is also a perfect match, resulting in one of my favorite books of the week.
Price: $3.99
Others Receiving Votes
3Keys #2- A Dark Interlude #5
- Amazing Spider-Man #13
- Batman Urban Legends #21
- Batman Vs. Robin #3
- Blood Syndicate Season One #6
- Dark Ride #2
- Do A Powerbomb #6
- I Am Batman #15
- Moon Knight #17
- Multiversity Teen Justice #6
- The Nice House on the Lake #11
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #134
- Venom #13
3Keys #2New #1s and One-Shots
A.X.E. Judgement Day Omega #1 (one-shot)- Billionaire Island: Cult of Dogs #1
- Black Panther Unconquered #1 (one-shot)
- Death of Superman 30th Anniversary Special #1 (one-shot)
- Firefly: Keep Flying #1 (one-shot)
- The Knight and the Lady of Play #1 (one-shot)
- Lord of the Jungle Vol. 2 #1
- My Little Pony Classics Reimagined – Little Fillies #1
- The New Golden Age #1
- Sabretooth and the Exiles #1
- Skullkickers 10th Anniversary Super Special #1 (one-shot)
- Soldier Stories #1 (one-shot)
- Specs #1
- Spider-Man: The Lost Hunt #1
- Star Trek: The Trill #1 (one-shot)
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles – The Armageddon Game – The Alliance #1
- Transformers: Best of Shockwave #1 (one-shot)
- Two Graves #1
- WildC.A.T.s #1
A.X.E. Judgement Day Omega #1 (one-shot)Trade Collections and Graphic Novels
Absolute Dark Nights Metal HC- Below Ambition TP
- Black Panther by John Ridley Range War Vol. 2 TP
- Captain Carter Woman Out of Time TP
- Diana and Nubia Princesses of the Amazons TP
- F.A.R.M. System GN
- Fever in Urbincande GN
- Flash by Mark Waid Omnibus Vol. 1 HC
- Gideon Falls Deluxe Edition Vol. 2 The Eater of All Things HC
- Hellboy and the B.P.R.D. – Return of Effie Kolb and Others TP
- Hellboy Weird Tales TP
- Invaders Omnibus HC
- It’s Lonely At The Centre of the Earth: An Auto-Bio-Graphic Novel TP
- Justice League Vol. 2 United Order HC
- Lastman Vol. 1 TP
- One-Star Squadron TP
- Salamandre TP
- Sennen GN
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Reborn Vol. 5 Mystic Sister TP
- Twig TP
- We Ride Titans Vol. 1 TP
- Wolverine Omnibus Vol. 2
- Wonder Girl Homecoming HC
Absolute Dark Nights Metal HCRead past editions of the Top Comics to Buy!
