This week’s list of top comics to buy for October 8 made me feel smarter. Out of my five top recommendations, four of them incorporate actual history that is largely new to me, ranging from unexplained phenomena in Russia to a superstar Black cyclist. And, of course, my fifth recommendation features Batman, because it’s comics and what are you going to do?
But it’s a very good Batman comic (the best in many years), and I think on the whole, this is a very good and smart week for single issues. Check out my full set of suggestions below. Oh! And if you happen to enjoy my weekly recommendations…I’ve got a comic of my own that’s funding on Kickstarter right now. It’s called Macabre Valley and you can learn more here … cheers!
Top Comics to Buy for October 8
Ancestral Recall #3
Writer: Jordan Clark
Artist: Atagun Ilhan
Colorist: Pippa Bowland
Letterer: Rob Steen
Publisher: AHOY Comics
Besieged by robot dogs, Melvin Warring must use his still-new powers to call on Bill Pickett, turn-of-the-century Black rodeo hero, for help! Meanwhile, in the future, his wife June comes face to face with her captors at last.
Why It’s Cool: Ancestral Recall has had a fantastic concept from its start, and now three issues in, it’s showing a perfect command of how that concept should be executed too, structuring its story around a thrilling chase sequence, while heightening the action with jumps through time. I’ve written about this comic before so I won’t belabor it, but there’s really not another book like it coming out today. It’s a high-concept sci-fi thriller that seamlessly incorporates pieces of Black history. You should absolutely be reading this one.
Price: $4.99
Batman: Dark Patterns #11
Writer: Dan Watters
Artist: Hayden Sherman
Colorist: Triona Farrell
Letterer: Frank Cvetkovic
Publisher: DC Comics
With the mystery of the terrifying new arsonist’s identity hanging over his head, Batman finds himself at a crossroads with one of his allies. Is it possible they’re the mastermind behind the flames devouring Gotham City?
Why It’s Cool: If you’re a regular reader of this column, you know this is my favorite superhero comic of the year. I think every issue has landed in my top recommendations, and this (the penultimate chapter) is no exception. This entire book is just a masterclass on building and paying off both ideas and expense. When taken as a whole, the end result feels like an instant-classic Batman tale.
Price: $4.99
Death to Pachuco #1
Writer/Letterer: Henry Barajas
Artist: Rachel Merril
Colorist: Lee Loughridge
Publisher: Image Comics – Top Cow
During the summer of 1943, Los Angeles became a hotbed of tension and conflict as a series of fierce clashes erupted between U.S. Navy members and Mexican American youth stemming from the murder of Carlos Urbano. Private eye Ricardo “Ricky” Tellez needs to find the Sleep Lagoon Killer before the racist mob kills him in the Zoot Suit Riots. The clock is ticking — and it’s a bad time to be a Mexican.
Why It’s Cool: I backed this comic when it was first crowdfunded last year, because I loved the concept from the start. It takes an actual historical event, and then it uses a great noir story to explore it (and, admittedly, to teach those of us who don’t know the event well more about it). The art here is also superb and interesting from page-to-page, fitting perfectly with the book and its subject matter. I’ll be writing a full review for tomorrow’s Wednesday Comics Reviews column, but in brief, this is a great comic about an underexplored segment of U.S. history.
Price: $3.99
High Strangeness #1 1967
Writer: Chris Condon and Daniel Noah
Artist/Letterer: Dave Chisholm
Publisher: Oni Press
Chicago, 1967. Magazine writer Harry Kean is dispatched to rural Indiana to investigate the sudden disappearance of Becky Plume, a local teenager who stepped into the national spotlight with staggering photographic evidence of a recent UFO sighting. Frustrated to leave his developing stories in Chicago—and the wife he’s hoping to win back—Harry sets off to expose a hoax but instead finds himself in a labyrinth of high strangeness involving a missing girl, her boyfriend, a UFO, and some mysterious black-clad visitors circling at the perimeter of a mystery more vast than Harry could possibly imagine.
Why It’s Cool: High Strangeness is the first of two comics this week that take odd real world incidents and make great comics from them. This one sees a magazine writer exploring a mix of a disappearance and a UFO sighting. The creative team features two of the most exciting creators in modern comics, and they gel together here so well, the book will leave you hoping they collaborate again soon. And if all that wasn’t enough, the back matter in this issue is interesting and comprehensive, adding more to an already extra-sized prestige comic.
Price: $7.99
Red Book #1
Writer: James Tynion IV
Artist: Michael Avon Oeming
Letterer: Aditya Bidikar
Back-Up By: Malachi Ward
Publisher: Dark Horse Comics – Tiny Onion
Russia, 1961. Nine students die tragically under mysterious circumstances that will come to be known as the Dyatlov Pass Incident. To this day, the true cause of their deaths remains unknown, although some theorize the blame lies with visitors from beyond the stars…
Why It’s Cool: Although the competition is fierce, this series has emerged as my favorite James Tynion-penned comic of his post-DC Comics era. This week’s single issue is a continuation of the concept established in Blue Book. It uses real world history and documentation to explore matters of the alien and unexplainable. Only now, the series is shifting its focus to Russia (or in this time period, the USSR). I just find Tynion’s writing and Oeming’s art in these book to be so perfect and engrossing, and at times it gives me actual goosebumps. As such, this was an easy choice for this week’s Top Comics to Buy for October 8.
Price: $4.99
Other Comics I Enjoyed This Week
Absolute Batman #13- Batman – The Long Halloween – The Last Halloween #9
- Black Diamond #2
- Everything Dead & Dying #2
- Falling In Love on the Path to Hell #10
- Free Planet #6
- Godzilla: Here There Be Aliens #5
- Marvel Knights – The World to Come #3
- The Sacrificers #16
- Supergirl #6
- Superman: The Kryptonite Spectrum #3
- Transformers #25
New #1s and One-Shots
- Amazing Spider-Man Torn #1
- Amazing X-Men #1
- Binary #1
- DC K.O. #1
- The Guy In The Chair #1
- Harley Quinn X Elvira #1
- Imperial War – Imperial Guardians #1 (one-shot)
- Laura Kinney – Sabretooth #1
- Little Nightmares – Descent to Nowhere #1
- Longshots #1
- Marian Heretic #1
- Marvel: Black, White, and Guts #1
- Marvel Knights – Punisher #1
- Mary Sue #1
- Return to Planet Hulk #1 (one-shot)
- Rick and Morty vs. The Universe: Last Mort Standing #1 (one-shot)
- Something Is Killing the Children: A Monster Hunter Walks Into a Bar #1 (one-shot)
- Strange Tales #1
- Super Creepshow Special #1 (one-shot)
- Temporal #1
- World of Revelation #1 (one-shot)
Graphic Novels and Trade Collections
Read past editions of the Top Comics to Buy!
And check out the Beat’s most recent comics reviews!
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