Best comiXology Sales: Weekend of June 27, 2020
By Zack Quaintance — I think this is a thing that has been ingrained in me since I was a kid, but summer is when I do most of my comics binging, especially those that belong to the escapist disposable superhero variety. There’s just something about a morning of yard work, a cool air-conditioned room, and a seemingly-infinite stack of colorful stories. Maybe that’s all why the Best comiXology Sales: Weekend of June 27, 2020 skew hard toward superhero stores.
I mean, the heat and humidity are definitely in full force here in Washington, D.C., but anyway! You can check out our usual set of picks for the week below…
Best comiXology Sales: Weekend of June 27, 2020
PICK OF THE WEEK
Moon Knight by Jeff Lemire & Greg Smallwood
Writer: Jeff Lemire
Main Artist: Greg Smallwood
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Marc Spector — a.k.a. Moon Knight/Jake Lockley/Steven Grant — has been fighting criminals and keeping New York City safe for years…or has he? When Marc wakes up in an insane asylum with no powers and a lifetime's worth of medical records, all of his identities are called into question. He's surrounded by faces: haughty doctor, hostile orderlies, vacant-eyed patients. But maybe those faces are just masks. Some might hide friends, others enemies. Or even worse: gods and monsters! Marc's got to get out. The moon is high, the mask is on — but if he succeeds in escaping, will he find only a city of sand? And what will it mean when Marc Spector comes face-to-face with…Moon Knight?! Everything you know may be wrong — and you'd be insane not to find out for sure!
Why It’s Cool: This run is one of the psychologically twistiest (is that a thing?!) I’ve ever seen attempted within the context of a usual superhero comic. Granted, Moon Knight is without question a character who is sort of built for that, but writer Jeff Lemire and main series artist Greg Smallwood still go above and beyond to make this a tour de force of misdirection and mystery. The first two volumes of this run are especially strong, but the whole damn thing is very good. Highly recommend it.
Price: $2.54 for each, or $7.62 for all three.
Buy It Here: Moon Knight, Vol. 1; Moon Knight, Vol. 2; and Moon Knight, Vol. 3
Green Lantern, The Kyle Rayner Years
Main Writer: Ron Marz
Main Artist: Daryl Banks
Publisher: DC Comics
Hal Jordan had been Earth’s Green Lantern—a proud hero in an even prouder tradition. But even heroes have their limits, and when his hometown of Coast City was destroyed by Mongul, Hal Jordan reached his. When the Green Lantern Corps’ creators refused Hal the power to change the past, something inside him snapped. He crossed the line he had sworn he never would, and stripped the Guardians of the Universe and their legendary Green Lantern Corps of every shred of power they had, killing many of them in the process. He became a man consumed with his own rage, and an era of heroism ended. The ring and legend of the Corps, however, would not be extinguished. The lone surviving Guardian has come to Earth and bequeathed the final power ring to a young man named Kyle Rayner. With it, a new chapter in the legacy of Green Lantern has begun. But this time, there’s no one to train the new bearer of the ring, and he must learn to wield it in a trial by fire against some of the DC Universe’s most powerful threats!
Why It’s Cool: I’m going to be honest with you here: I’m a bit biased when it comes to Kyle Rayner, because he was my Green Lantern while I was growing up…until it became John Stewart with the advent of the Justice League animated series. Even so, I always had a deep appreciation for Kyle Rayner, who unlike the other Green Lanterns was a quieter and more creative type, an artist who was able to get bigger and more creative with his constructs. He was essentially built for comics loving kids, and his story as the main Green Lantern starts with these two volumes of comics.
Price: $5.94 for each, or $11.88 for both
Buy It Here: Green Lantern: Kyle Rayner, Vol. 1; and Green Lantern: Kyle Rayner, Vol. 2
Legion of Super-Heroes by Paul Levitz & Keith Giffen
Writer: Paul Levitz
Artist: Keith Giffen
Publisher: DC Comics
The guardians of the 30th century return to face an all-new host of challenges in Paul Levitz and Keith Giffen's LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES: THE CURSE! Following the events of the critically acclaimed Legion epic THE GREAT DARKNESS SAGA, this long-awaited collection continues the classic title's exploration of the wonders and dangers of the galaxy's future. An all-star assembly of Legionnaires take their turn in the spotlight, including Cosmic Boy, Lightning Lad, Colossal Boy, Shrinking Violet, Star Boy, Saturn Girl, Chameleon Boy, Brainiac 5, and many more.
Why It’s Cool: In many recent weeks you’ve heard me on here and on Twitter singing the praises of Paul Levitz and Keith Giffen’s Great Darkness Saga, but the duo’s run on the Legion of Super-Heroes actually extends much past that, and while it lacks the coherent grandiosity of the main event story, it’s all very very good. And you can get more than 500 pages of it this week for about six dollars. So, if you haven’t listened to me about the Great Darkness Saga or even if you have, now is your chance to take me up on all of this and dive into the Levitz/Giffen Legion, which remain some of the greatest cosmic superhero comics of all-time.
Price: $5.94 for The Curse; $5.04 for The Great Darkness Saga; or $10.98 for both
Buy It Here: Legion of Super-Heroes: The Curse; and Legion of Super-Heroes: The Great Darkness Saga
One More Year
Writer/Artist: Simon Hanselmann
Publisher: Fantagraphics
Simon Hanselmann’s previous two Megg & Mogg books have both been New York Times best-sellers, and One More Year continues to cement Hanselmann as one his generation’s defining graphic novelists. Megg the witch, Mogg the cat, and their friends Owl and Werewolf Jones are imbued with far more pathos and depth than seems plausible. One More Year continues to give more substance to the characters and personalities of its protagonists in ways that never fail to surprise, delight, and horrify.
Why It’s Cool: I recently wrote about how some of the best comics being made during this ongoing national moment of chaos and fear are the daily Megg, Mogg, and Owl stories that cartoonist Simon Hanselmann is posting to his Instagram. Now, admittedly the subject matter in these comics is not for everyone, but if you appreciate the humor and concentrated anxiety in them as much as I do, you’ll also want to check out this book, which is on-sale now. It’s also worth noting that Hanselmann’s other works with these characters are available via comiXology Unlimited.
Price: $8.99
Buy It Here: One More Year
Zodiac Starforce
Writer: Kevin Panetta
Artist: Paulina Ganucheau
Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
They're an elite group of teenage girls with magical powers who have sworn to protect our planet against dark creatures . . . as long as they can get out of class! Known as the Zodiac Starforce, these high-school girls aren't just combating math tests. They're also battling monsters--not your typical afterschool activity! But when an evil force from another dimension infects team leader Emma, she must work with her team of magically powered friends to save herself--and the world--from the evil Diana and her mean-girl minions!
Why It’s Cool: We recently wrote about why this magical girl team comic works so very well, but in short: Zodiac Starforce rules because of its strong work in the area of establishing bedrock values of trust and acceptance. Right now in these trying times, we can hardly think of a better book. Plus, these comics are very well-done and very entertaining.
Price: $4.49 each; or $8.98 for both
Buy It Here: Zodiac Starforce; and Zodiac Starforce, Vol. 2
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.