By Zack Quaintance — It’s a holiday weekend, and that means big sales on digital comics. This week, we have as always combed through the current comiXology sales to render to you (our dear readers!) this list of five great choices within them. This weekend’s list includes some of the best DC Comics ever made (which also tie into an upcoming reading project for this site), an all-time great modern Marvel Comics run, all of Umbrella Academy, and more.

Anyway, here are the Best comiXology Sales for the Weekend of July 3…enjoy!

Best comiXology Sales: Weekend of July 3

PICK OF THE WEEK
Hawkeye by Matt Fraction and David Aja
Writer: Matt Fraction
Artist: David Aja
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Marvel's most critically acclaimed comic in recent memory! Clint Barton, breakout star of a little Marvel movie you might have seen a while back, continues his fight for justice — and good rooftop BBQs! With Young Avenger Kate Bishop by his side, he's out to get some downtime from being one of Earth's Mightiest Heroes — but when the apartment building he's moved into, and the neighbors he's befriended, are threatened by a tracksuit-wearing, dog-abusing gang of Eastern European mobsters who say "bro" an awful lot, Clint must stand up and defend his new adopted family…any way he can. It's Hawkguy, Kate, Pizza Dog et al. against the Clown, Madame Masque, the tracksuits and more in a fantastic, Eisner Award-nominated reinvention of the arrowed Avenger! Bro, you read this book. Okay, bro?
Why It’s Cool: In the last 10 years (and, really, potentially longer), the best release from Marvel Comics hands down has been the 22 issues plus an annual that comprises writer Matt Fraction and artist David Aja’s Hawkeye. This book took a fringe Avengers character, applied a grounded and deeply humanistic approach to his everyday life, and turned out some of the deepest and most poignant superhero comics ever made, and it did so while breaking new ground in the medium with fascinating experiments that were heavy on craft. What results is a set of comics anyone can pick up and enjoy (regardless of how they feel about superheroes), and a book that stands in the face of the idea that nothing creatively significant can be accomplished within the corporate framework of superhero comics.
Price: $5.09
Buy It Here: Hawkeye via comiXology

Black Widow by Waid and Samnee
Writer: Mark Waid
Artist: Chris Samnee
Publisher: Marvel Comics
A knockdown, drag-out tale of action and espionage! The award-winning creative team supreme of Mark Waid and Chris Samnee takes Natasha Romanoff to new heights — by forcing her out on the lam! The world’s greatest superspy has a lifetime of secrets — and when some of the darkest ones are made public, nobody is safe. As S.H.I.E.L.D. turns on its once-greatest asset, the Widow seeks out her own answers. But will Natasha’s hunt for the Weeping Lion send her back to the one place she never wanted to go? There’s an all-too-familiar room with a dark new name in the Widow’s future. And there awaits the deadly Recluse — who’s fixated on proving her worth by killing Natasha!
Why It’s Cool: In addition to Hawkeye by Fraction and Aja, the other set of comics in the past decade that have had the most influence on superhero comics (especially of the Marvel variety) are the Daredevil comics by writer Mark Waid and artist Chris Samnee. But Daredevil was not the only character those creators worked with last decade. They followed-up that landmark run with a 12-issue story about Black Widow, and now you can get it all for about $5, complete as it is with some of the best high-flying espionage-laden graphic sequential storytelling in recent memory. Everything Samnee draws is electric and lush, and these books are no exception.
Price: $5.09
Buy It Here: Black Widow by Waid and Samnee via comiXology

Swamp Thing by Alan Moore & Stephen Bissette
Writer: Alan Moore
Main Artist: Stephen Bissette
Publisher: DC Comics
Before WATCHMEN, Alan Moore made his debut in the U.S. comic book industry with the revitalization of the horror comic book THE SWAMP THING. His deconstruction of the classic monster stretched the creative boundaries of the medium and became one of the most spectacular series in comic book history. With modern-day issues explored against a backdrop of horror, SWAMP THING's stories became commentaries on environmental, political and social issues, unflinching in their relevance.
Why It’s Cool: We’ll have a post later today about this, but my next nightly reading project is going to be the Saga of the Swamp Thing by Alan Moore and Stephen Bissette, which fortunately is also on sale this weekend via comiXology. Of all of the embarrassing blind spots in my comics reading history, this is perhaps the most glaring, an all-time great superhero run of comic books from the best writer to ever do it. I am, however, going to remedy that in the days and weeks to come.
Price: Swamp Thing Vol. 1 - Vol. 3 $5.09; Swamp Thing Vol. 4 - Vol. 6 $7.93 to $8.59; or $40.28 for all.
Buy It Here: Saga of the Swamp Thing Vol. 1 - 6 via comiXology

Thanos Wins by Donny Cates and Geoff Shaw
Writer: Donny Cates
Artist: Geoff Shaw
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Ask the most powerful beings in the Marvel Universe how they fear the universe will end, and in their most honest moment, they will answer with two words: "Thanos wins." And now, it looks as though that disturbing thought is about to become a horrific reality! See what happens when the Mad Titan gets his way! Thanos journeys to the end of time and his moment of complete victory…and still isn't happy with what he sees. Witness the Mad Titan's greatest glory — and ultimate shame! And no matter what form Thanos' victory takes, is there any way that anyone — or anything — can possibly survive? Featuring the Silver Surfer and introducing the all-new cosmic Spirit of Vengeance, Ghost Rider!
Why Its Cool: This is the definitive madcap end of the Marvel Universe, and it’s also a book that launched not only Donny Cates career as one of the rising stars at Marvel, but a set of cosmic characters and approaches that Cates and others have continued to explore. This book saw the creation of the Cosmic Ghost Rider character, as well as the seeds that would eventually blossom into Cates’ fan favorite comic, Silver Surfer: Black. It’s also the first time he got to play with giant Marvel toys like Galactus, a trend that he has kept up first with his run on Guardians of the Galaxy and now with his fledgling story as the main writer for the post-Jason Aaron era of Thor. It’s also just an absolute blast, as I wrote about how Thanos Won last year.
Price: $3.39
Buy It Here: Thanos Wins via comiXology

Umbrella Academy
Writer: Gerard Way
Artist: Gabriel Ba
Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
In an inexplicable worldwide event, forty-three extraordinary children were spontaneously born by women who'd previously shown no signs of pregnancy. Millionaire inventor Reginald Hargreeves adopted seven of the children; when asked why, his only explanation was, "To save the world." These seven children form The Umbrella Academy, a dysfunctional family of superheroes with bizarre powers. Their first adventure at the age of ten pits them against an erratic and deadly Eiffel Tower, piloted by the fearsome zombie-robot Gustave Eiffel. Nearly a decade later, the team disbands, but when Hargreeves unexpectedly dies, these disgruntled siblings reunite just in time to save the world once again.
Why It’s Cool: Breaking up this week’s selection of four titles about superheroes we have…another title about superheroes. Umbrella Academy, however, takes a decidedly different approach, and it’s one that has resonated strongly with the kids, as it were. I still remember being in Northern California when the Netflix Umbrella Academy show dropped, and seeing a dad come into a comic book store, totally panicked with his young daughter, asking for “Any Umbrella Academy comics you have…please!” Unfortunetly, they were all sold out…which speaks to the appeal of this property. If you haven’t dove in yet, this week’s comiXology sales makes it every easy to do so.
Price: $5.49 each, or $16.47 for all.
Buy It Here: Umbrella Academy via comixology

You can find our picks for the best books on comiXology Unlimited 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.