By Zack Quaintance — January continues to feel like a bit of a subdued month for new comics, which his maybe hinting at an understated year for the industry....which is just fine. I know I’ve been enjoying the chance to breathe a little bit, with a weekly stack that comes out closer to 25 books rather than 40. It’s also giving me the chance to really savor some of the indie stuff more, enjoying what has become a pattern of excellent endings again this week.

Anyway, from that bunch, here are my picks for the Top Comics to Buy for January 22, 2020!

Top Comics to Buy for January 22, 2020

*PICK OF THE WEEK*
Wonder Woman #750
Writer: Various
Artist: Various
Colorist: Various
Letterer: Various
Publisher: DC Comics
Price: $9.99
An all-star 96-page celebration of the Amazon Princess by longtime favorites and acclaimed new voices! In the lead story, Wonder Woman's epic "Year of the Villain" battle comes to a close, leading the way to new challenges ahead. Additionally, this oversized gem tells tales from Diana's past, present and future by some of the greatest storytellers in the business- including Colleen Doran, Mariko Tamaki, the Teen Titans: Raven team of writer Kami Garcia and artist Gabriel Picolo, and legendary Wonder Woman creators returning to the character, including Gail Simone and Greg Rucka!
Why It’s Cool: With so many gigantic, $10 celebrations of DC characters coming out this year (we have The Flash next month, Robin the month after that, plus Catwoman AND The Joker in April), there’s bound to be diminishing returns on these things at some point, but that point just isn’t here quite yet. What I found most impressive about this celebration of Wonder Woman, was the way it both celebrated the characters past while pushing the property ahead into the future — the magic balance creatives are always looking for with these decades-old, corporate superhero characters. 

Basketful of Heads #4
Writer: Joe Hill
Artist: Leomacs
Colorist: Dave Stewart
Letterer: Deron Bennett
Publisher: DC Comics - Black Label - Hill House
Price: $3.99
Is June Branch a woman fighting for her life-or a deranged axe murderer with a basketful of paranoid fantasies? In the long hours of the night she makes a desperate run for the Brody Island Police Department, unsure whether she's a victim who needs protection-or a killer who must be stopped!
Why It’s Cool: The Hill House horror comics feel like the freshest thing happening at DC, along the rest of the Black Label comics, that is, which have been big favorites around here as of late. And at the forefront of the success of those books is lead title Basketful of Heads. This book, in addition to just being really well written and illustrated, has found almost an ‘80s teen aesthetic (the lead character and her jean shorts, the summer vacation island, the romance at the center of things) that it uses to effortless evoke other touches of the genre. Also, as the title implies there remains a Basketful of Heads, which, awesome.

Ether: The Disappearance of Violet Bell #5
Writer: Matt Kindt
Artist, Colors, Letters: David Rubin
Flats: Kike J. Diaz
Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
Price: $3.99
In this explosive conclusion, interdimensional detective Boone Dias comes face-to-face with the diabolical intelligence behind all his hardships. But this time he must confront his own failings in order to succeed against an old enemy and save Ether.
Why It’s Cool: Since the first volume of this series hit stores, we have been absolutely enthralled with the level of imagination artist David Rubin has poured into each and every installment of this comic. Rubin’s versatile, cartoon-heavy style is just the perfect aesthetic for a series that literally takes place within a mysterious realm of imagination, allowing as it does for both Rubin and writer Matt Kindt to really push the limits of their vision. In this final chapter, Rubin’s art is again laced with stunning imagery, while Kindt plots an ending that ties up all that comes before it while at the same time bestowing it with more meaning. Our committee (of one) can’t really ask for anything more, and this book will be greatly missed now that it’s over.

The Mask: I Pledge Allegiance to The Mask #4
Writer: Christopher Cantwell
Artist: Patric Reynolds
Colorist: Lee Loughridge
Letterer: Nate Piekos
Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
Price: $3.99
With chaos and absolute power on the presidential agenda, will Big Head take all? The Mask calls out to the minds of those previously under its control and sets pieces into motion that will lead to a conclusion that is explosive in more ways than one.
Why It’s Cool: I had never really read a Mask comic until a few months ago. If I’m being totally honest, I was only even vaguely aware of the franchise as something that had sprung from the comics medium, associating as I did with the Jim Carrey-helmed film I also only vaguely remember from childhood. This series, however, has absolutely blown me away from start to finish. This finale cements it not only as an entertaining read, but as one of the best pieces of satire in any medium about our current political, um, situation, laying bear some of the core ugliness of this presidency by drawing a connection between it and this character, whose identity is in part that he does exactly what he feels like at all times and just strongly insists he’s right. It’s a great connection, and I’ll (hopefully) be sharing some favorite panels from this comic later this week or month.

Wasted Space #13
Writer: Michael Moreci
Artist: Hayden Sherman
Colorist: Jason Wordie
Letterer: Jim Campbell
Publisher: Vault Comics
Price: $3.99
Molly and Dust go on a quest of Tolkien proportions while Billy and Fury try to avoid being roasted by emotional vampires!
Why It’s Cool: This seems like an odd thing to say about a book I have repeatedly described as “the best space opera in comics,” but some of my favorite issues in Wasted Space are those that give our hero Billy ample space to spout off and speak. This is because Moreci has created an excellent, frustrated mouthpiece for our times, one who is keenly aware (and ashamed) of his own flaws and the role he has played in a desperate galactic political situation, and he’s not afraid to express both of those ideas in long expressive tangents that oscillate from incensed to hilarious. At the same time, artist Hayden Sherman continues to impress with the grandiosity of his detailed sci-fi art. Basically, Wasted Space is a comic with a creative team that has been working seemlessly together for some time, putting out issue after issue as surprising as they are consistent. I love this book. 

New #1s and One-Shots

• Atlantis Attacks #1

• Betty and Veronica Friends Forever What If? #1

• Birds of Prey Giant #1

• Ghostbusters Year One #1

• Guardians of the Galaxy #1

• Red Sonja: Age of Chaos #1

• Robotech Remix #1

• Ruins of Ravencroft Dracula One-Shot

• Web of Venom: Good Son #1

Others Receiving Votes

• Captain Marvel #14

• Family Tree #3

• Far Sector #3

• Folklords #3

• Heart Attack #3

• Heist, Or How to Steal a Planet #3

• Kill Lock #2

• Marauders #6

• Middlewest #14

• Old Guard: Force Multiplied #2

• Shazam! #10

• Superman #19

• The Visitor #2

• Wonder Twins #11

• Year of the Villain: Hell Arisen #2

Trades and OGNs of Interest

• Comics Ad Men GN

• Huntress Origins TP

• Ironheart Vol. 2, Ten Rings TP

• Jughead’s Time Police TP

• Justice League International Book 1 Born Again TP

• Necromancer’s Map TP

• Punisher Kill Krew TP

• Resonant Vol. 1 TP

• Road of Bones TP

• Sera and the Royal Stars Vol. 1 TP

• X-Statix Complete Collection Vol. 1, TP

See our past top comics to buy here, and check out our reviews archive here.

Zack Quaintance is a tech reporter by day and freelance writer by night/weekend. He Tweets compulsively about storytelling and comics as Comics Bookcase.