Welcome to the Top Comics to Buy for October 12, 2022, the NYCC 2022 hangover edition. Yes, I was at the show this weekend, and I am still recovering. Physically, I am mostly fine (back thing, because old), but there’s like a post-con haze still hanging over me that has slowed down everything, even the time of day I walk my dog. But! I powered through and here I am with today’s list (just a bit late), with all the usual sections below…enjoy!
Top Comics to Buy for October 12, 2022
Batman Vs. Robin #2
Writer: Mark Waid
Artist: Mahmud Asrar
Colorist: Jordie Bellaire
Letterer: Steve Wands
In the wake of Damian Wayne’s devastating attack on the Batcave, Bruce and Alfred are on the run and running out of time! Magic users across the planet are experiencing dangerous and deadly power flares, and Batman must solve this mystery before his friends and allies are turned to ash. To crack this case, the Dark Knight is going to need the help of one of the greatest masters of the magic arts on the planet…Zatanna! What awaits our ragtag group of heroes in the House of Secrets? Can Damian break free of Nezha’s possession spell before he murders his own father? All this and more in the explosive second chapter of Batman vs. Robin!
Why It’s Cool: If you like superhero comics, it really doesn’t get much better than this. There’s Batman, there’s great art, and there’s a building story that feels headed right for the very center of the DC Universe. It’s also a meaty book clocking in at more than 40 pages.
Price: $5.99
Dark Crisis – Worlds Without a Justice League: Green Arrow #1
Writer: Stephanie Phillips, with a back-up by Dennis Culver
Artist: Clayton Henry, with a back-up by Nik Virella
Colorist: Marcelo Maiolo, with a back-up by Romulo Fajardo, Jr.
Letterer: Troy Peteri
When Pariah and his forces of the Great Darkness laid waste to the most powerful superheroes of all time, all hope was lost…until now. To power his weapons of war, Pariah has captured each member of the Justice League and trapped them on worlds suited to their every dream and desire…while the planets themselves slowly eat away at their respective inhabitants. When the Justice League went toe-to-toe with Pariah’s Dark Army, Green Arrow was fatally wounded by Doomsday…so how did he wake up on a world tailored to his every desire? And what dark bargain has Black Canary made to will these worlds into existence? Where there’s life there’s hope, and with that hope comes a deeper unraveling of the tapestry of the DCU’s biggest event of 2022!
Why It’s Cool: I wrote a full review of why I liked this comic for the DC Round-Up column here, but in brief, this one was an easy pick for the Top Comics to Buy for October 12 because what happens to Green Arrow is one of the most suspenseful elements of the Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths event, which is one I’ve been enjoying quite a bit just generally.
Price: $4.99
Dark Spaces: Wildfire #4
Writer: Scott Snyder
Artist: Hayden Sherman
Colorist: Ronda Pattinson
Letterer: AndWorld Design
The forest, the plan, their chance at new lives-they’re all up in flames. No one is making it out with any money. Now the question is, can they escape with their lives?
Why It’s Cool: Dark Spaces: Wildfire is shaping up to be one of my absolute favorite comics of the year. It’s as smart as it gets, a character-driven heist story with an interesting setting. Elevating it even further is the art by Hayden Sherman, who is really ascending to super stardom by illustrating multiple comics of late. I believe there’s one more issue left for this story, but it’s one to track down or pre-order the trade for, without hesitation.
Price: $3.99
Love Everlasting #3
Writer: Tom King
Artist: Elsa Charretier
Colorist: Matt Hollingsworth
Letterer: Clayton Cowles
“TOO LATE FOR LOVE”
After the bloody end of issue two, Joan finds herself free in the pristine suburbs of the 1950s. But again love pulls at her, demanding her attention, her life. She fights it, fights to escape, but still it pulls, and Joan must find a new way to fight this terror.
Why It’s Cool: Speaking of smart comics, it doesn’t get much smarter than this one, a book that is telling what are essentially self-contained romance comics stories, just with a layer of metafictional imprisonment woven throughout. It’s all illustrated by Elsa Charretier, one of the best comics storytellers and stylists in the industry.
Price: $3.99
Namor The Sub-Mariner: Conquered Shores #1
Writer: Christopher Cantwell
Artist: Pasqual Ferry
Colorist: Matt Hollingsworth
Letterer: Joe Caramagna
A century into the future, not much land remains on Earth. A combination of a worsening climate and a devastating war with the Kree has left the surface of the planet mostly inhospitable, with an ever-dwindling population of air-breathers and a profound lack of super heroes to protect them. Enter NAMOR, who these many years on is no longer King of Atlantis…but ruler of the entire world.
Why It’s Cool: My pal Avery Kaplan wrote a full review of this one for our Marvel Rundown column, and Avery writes, “Taken all together, this all constitutes a team full of exceptionally talented creators, each of them operating at high capacity and delivering a story that takes full advantage of the narrative potential of superhero continuity and storytelling.” I couldn’t say it better myself.
Price: $4.99
Others Receiving Votes
007 #3- Amazing Spider-Man #11
- Black Panther #10
- Daredevil #4
- Do A Powerbomb #5
- Fantastic Four #48
- Future State: Gotham #18
- Highball #2
- Jurassic League #6
- Once and Future #30
- Superman: Son of Kal-El #16
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #133
007 #3New #1s and One-Shots
- A Legacy of Violence #1
- Approach #1
- A.X.E.: Eternals #1 (one-shot)
- A.X.E.: Iron Fist #1 (one-shot)
- Batman Incorporated #1
- Batman and Scooby-Doo Mysteries #1
- Chicken Devils Vol. 2 #1
- Chilling Adventures of Salem #1 (one-shot)
- DC’s Terrors Through Time #1 (one-shot)
Godzilla: Monsters and Protectors – All Hail the King #1- Hack Slash: Hot Shorts #1 (one-shot)
- Halloween Party #1 (one-shot)
- Hitomi #1
- Punisher War Journal: Brother #1
- Scarlet Sisters #1 (one-shot)
- Star Wars: High Republic Vol. 2 #1
- Star Wars Visions #1
- Wakanda #1
A Legacy of Violence #1
Godzilla: Monsters and Protectors – All Hail the King #1Trade Collections and Graphic Novels of Note
- American Vampire Omnibus Vol. 2 HC
- Black Panther By Ta-Nehisi Coates Omnibus HC
- Closet TP
- Follow Me Down: A Reckless Book HC
- Sea Serpent’s Heir Book One: Pirate’s Daughter GN
- Stranger Things Omnibus Vol. 1 TP
- Sword of Hyperborea HC
- Wonder Woman: Evolution HC
American Vampire Omnibus Vol. 2 HCRead past editions of the Top Comics to Buy!
