A new Batman #1 is always a major event for us weekly comics sickos, and so I knew that issue would merit consideration for this week’s Top Comics to Buy for September 3. What I did not know was just how much I would enjoy the start of the new run by writer Matt Fraction, artist Jorge Jimenez, and the rest of this creative team. I’ve got more about why it works so well below, along with other top recommendations, and the usual set of other release lists.
Also! If you haven’t seen this yet and you enjoy my taste in weekly comics, I’ve written a new comic of my own, and it’s now in its pre-launch phase ahead of a full Kickstarter campaign this month. You can go here, check out 6 preview pages, and click NOTIFY ME ON LAUNCH if you like what you see…thanks!
Top Comics to Buy for September 3
Batman #1
Writer: Matt Fraction
Artist: Jorge Jimenez
Colorist: Tomeu Morey
Letterer: Clayton Cowles
Publisher: DC Comics
A new day dawns for the Dark Knight Detective as Eisner Award-winning writer Matt Fraction (Hawkeye, Superman’s Pal Jimmy Olsen) joins forces with superstar artist Jorge Jiménez (Batman, Summer of Superman Special) for an unforgettable new era of Batman! The best superhero in comics gets a brand-new first issue to kick off this new era that will test Batman and Bruce Wayne like never before!
Why It’s Cool: It’s a rare thing for a new run on an iconic character to start by trying to re-establish the entire visual language around said character, but that’s what we get in this week’s must-read Batman #1 from Matt Fraction, Jorge Jimenez, and team. In this first issue, Fraction and Jimenez give Gotham a sort of neon veneer atop the long-established seediness, and it makes the book really feel like the start of something new and exciting. The plot is also a fantastic hook for a new run to come. It’s a new Batman #1, so you’re probably picking this one up regardless, but rest assured, you’re on the ground floor of something special.
Price: $4.99
Black Diamond #1
Writer: Brendan Columbus
Artist: Danilo Beyruth
Colorist: Lee Loughridge
Letterer: Saida Temofonte
Publisher: Panick Entertainment
A chilling Nordic thriller unfolds as Panick Entertainment presents Black Diamond, a gripping mini-series fusing Hitchcock’s psychological tension with the folk horror of The Wicker Man. On a family ski trip, Owen and Victoria Welch’s son is abducted. A mysterious cult gives them an unthinkable choice: find another child to sacrifice-or lose their own. As time runs out and the authorities close in, the couple must confront how far they’ll go to save their family.
Why It’s Cool: This enigmatic horror comic really grabbed me from the start and didn’t let go, laying out a harrowing family mystery story set on a ski trip to what might be land of terrifying Nordic legends. This is such a well-told first chapter for a scary story, one that will have you compulsively turning the pages as fast as I was.
Price: $5.99
Everything Dead & Dying #1
Writer: Tate Brombal
Artist: Jacob Phillips
Colorist: Pip Martin
Letterer: Aditya Bidikar
Publisher: Image Comics – Tiny Onion
Jack Chandler is the sole survivor of the zombie apocalypse in his rural farming community, but rather than eliminate them, he has chosen to continue living alongside the undead—including the husband and adopted daughter he fought so hard to have. But when his town is discovered by outsiders, Jack suddenly becomes the one thing standing in the way of those who hope to kill his family for good.
Why It’s Cool: I wrote about this one when it was still up for pre-orders, but it’s the start of a new mini-series that offers a poignant, more surprising take on a classic horror story. With a moving script and wonderful spooky pastoral artwork, this book is a must-read. Check out my full review here.
Price: $4.99
FML #6
Writer: Kelly Sue DeConnick
Artist: David Lopez
Colorist: Cris Peter
Letterer: Clayton Cowles
Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
Locked up for a murder they didn’t commit, Dad and Riley do jail time with a mysterious long-haired stranger. Meanwhile, over at the Convention Center, Susan is set to make CrimeCon an explosive national headline. When Patty realizes her protégée is a maniac and that maniac has her daughter, the gang makes a frantic dash to stop a convention catastrophe.
Why It’s Cool: I’ve long sung the praises of this book, specifically of the way it uses comics as a medium to get across narrative beats that feel both interesting and personal. And that’s all still here in this sixth issue, but also now we have a rapidly accelerating suspense arc, one involving a potential murderer, a wrongful imprisonment, and, of course, our hero and her family at its core. This book was an easy choice for this week’s Top Comics to Buy for September 3.
Price: $4.99
Phantom Road #15
Writer: Jeff Lemire
Artist: Gabriel H. Walta
Colorist: Jordie Bellaire
Letterer: Steve Wands
Publisher: Image Comics
Agent Weaver risks everything to save his daughter Theresa, sacrificing his own life to the Other Place in exchange for hers. Or are memories not to be trusted in these traumatic histories? Did Agent Donald Weaver survive, and is Agent Hawaii on the side of true evil after all?
Why It’s Cool: I’ve been singing the praises of Phantom Road’s latest arc — The Horrormen — since it started five issues ago, and that arc is concluding this week. The finale lives up to the praise I’ve heaped upon it too, unraveling some mysteries while seeding many more questions for stories to come. I’ve been a big fan of the spooky, forlorn vibe of this comic since it began, and now that we’re getting deeper into some of the book’s central mysteries, I’ve never been so into it.
Price: $3.99
Other Comics I Enjoyed This Week
Absolute Green Lantern #6- Ancestral Recall #2
- Batgirl #11
- Cheetah and Cheshire Rob the Justice League #2
- JSA #11
- Resurrection Man Quantum Karma #6
- Star Trek: Red Shirts #2
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #11
- Tin Can Society #8
- Tramps of the Apocalypse #3
New #1s and One-Shots
Adventures of Lumen N #1- Adventures of Superman: Book of El #1
- Blood Honey #1 (one shot)
- Closer #1 (one shot)
- Imperial War – Exiles #1 (one shot)
- It’s Jeff & Other Marvel Tails #1 (one shot)
- Maria Llovet’s Artificial #1
- Monster High – House Hunters #1
- Sabrina The Teenage Witch Magic Unleashed #1 (one shot)
- Skin Police 2 #1
- Spider-Man ’94 #1
- Star Trek Voyager – Homecoming #1
- Star Wars – Han Solo – Hunt for the Falcon #1
- White House Robot Romance #1
Trade Collections and Graphic Novels
- Adventure Time Oni Compact Comics Edition Vol. 1 Down Memory Lane GN
- Aquamanatee HC
- Autumn Kingdom Vol. 1 Through the Blight TP
- Batman Arkham Asylum TP (DC Compact Comics Edition)
- Batman White Knight Presents Harley Quinn and Generation Joker – The Deluxe Edition HC
- Blade Runner 2019 The Complete Series Omnibus HC
- Bloodborne Vol. 1 The Death of Sleep Deluxe Edition HC
- Borderlands Moxxis Mysterious Memento TP
- Bread & Wine – An Erotic Tale of New York HC Updated Edition
- Breaklands Season 1 The Chase TP
- Breathtaker Collection HC
- Champion – A Graphic Novel HC
- Creepy Archives Vol. 10 TP
- Daredevil Epic Collection Vol. 8 To Dare the Devil TP
- DC Finest Batman Red Skies TP
- Eerie Archives Vol. 10 TP
- Hornsby & Halo Vol. 1 TP
- Hothead Paisan Homicidal Lesbian Terrorist GN
- Invincible Vol. 11 TP New Edition
- JSA Vol. 1 Infinity Inc vs The Justice Society HC
- Juvenile TP
- Love Everlasting Vol. 3 TP
- Marvel Masterworks Marvel Two-In-One Vol. 8 HC
- The Mask of Haliya Vol. 2 Echoes of the Forgotten Past HC
- Once Upon a Time at the End of the World HC
- Pizza Witch GN
- Power Fantasy Vol. 2 Mutually Reassuring Destruction TP
Robotech Archives The Complete Macross Saga Vol. 1-3 TP Slipcase Edition- Sam Wilson Captain America Better Angels TP
- Spectacular Spider-Men Vol. 3 Strange Love TP
- Serpent in the Garden: Ed Grey and the Last Battle for England HC
- Spider-Man Deadpool Modern Era Epic Collection Vol. 3 Road Trip TP
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles IDW Collection Vol. 18 HC
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Nightwatcher TP
- Tron Download TP
- Ultimate Wolverine Vol. 1 The Winter Soldier TP
- Wonder Woman by John Byrne Omnibus HC
- X-Factor by Mark Russell Vol. 2 Know Your Enemy TP
Read past editions of the Top Comics to Buy!
And check out the Beat’s most recent comics reviews!
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