By Zack Quaintance — I’ve never gone in for traditional Black Friday shopping, you know, the whole waiting outside some store and running in to buy whatever as soon as it opens the morning after Thanksgiving. I have, however, still found a way to conduct reckless commerce of late to mark the occasion, and that way is by spending a reckless amount of money on digital comics. This year, I’m working hard to entice folks to join me in that endeavor, and it’s with this in mind that I now present my list of the Best comiXology Black Friday Sales 2020.

Enjoy!

The Best comiXology Black Friday Sales 2020

Marvel Comics Black Friday Sales

PICK OF THE WEEK

House of X/Powers of X
Writer: Jonathan Hickman
Artists: Pepe Larraz and R.B. Silva
Colorist: Marte Gracia
Letterer: Clayton Cowles
Designer: Tom Mueller
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Collects Powers Of X #1-6, House Of X #1-6.
Face the future — and fear the future — as superstar writer Jonathan Hickman (INFINITY, NEW AVENGERS, FANTASTIC FOUR) changes everything for the X-Men! In HOUSE OF X, Charles Xavier reveals his master plan for mutantkind — one that will bring mutants out of humankind’s shadow and into the light once more! Meanwhile, POWERS OF X reveals mutantkind’s secret history, changing the way you will look at every X-Men story before and after. But as Xavier sows the seeds of the past, the X-Men’s future blossoms into trouble for all of mutantdom. Stories intertwine on an epic scale as Jonathan Hickman reshapes the X-Men’s past, present and future!
Why It’s Cool: This 12-issue series spread across two titles (though that doesn’t really matter much) set a new course for the X-Men that has now yielded more than a year of very strong comics, the densest and longest-sustaining quality run for the franchise in I don’t know how long. The nice thing about the House of X/Powers of X conceptual relaunch is that it’s relatively accessible. Total X-Men neophytes might struggle with who characters are, but really this is high-concept sci-fi with the X-Men attached. It’s filled with big ideas that grow from past iterations of the franchise, to take it to a place that is entirely new. And if you’ve somehow missed it (or bought the books in print and want an easier-to-access format) you can now snag the entire thing for less than $10.
Price: $9.99
Buy It Here: House of X/Powers of X

Dawn of X, Vol. 1 - Vol. 7
Writers: Jonathan Hickman, Tini Howard, Gerry Duggan, Benjamin Percy, Ed Brison, and Bryan Edward Hill, and more
Artists: Leinel Francis Yu, Joshua Cassara, Marcus To, Matteo Lolli, Rod Reis, and more
Colorists: Various
Letterers: Various
Designer: Tom Mueller
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Get in on the ground floor of the Dawn of X! Jonathan Hickman rewrites all the rules and reinvents the X-Men universe for a new and exciting era! Hickman himself helms the adventures of a powerhouse team of X-MEN in a world of fresh possibilities — and co-writes the reunited NEW MUTANTS on a cosmic quest to find their missing friend! And more of the industry’s best and brightest talents take on uncanny X-squads! X-FORCE — the CIA of the mutant world, one half intelligence, the other half special ops! Captain Kate Pryde and her MARAUDERS of the high seas! A new Captain Britain leads EXCALIBUR — made up of Rogue, Gambit, Rictor, Jubilee…and Apocalypse! But who are the FALLEN ANGELS?
Why It’s Cool: After House of X/Powers of X (see above, ‘natch!), came Dawn of X, which was a six-title re-launch (that has since expanded) of X-Men series stemming from the new status quo. With this relaunch came an interesting trade collection publishing decision. Rather than completely silo the various titles, making them available in their own insular volumes, Marvel Comics published what are essentially Dawn of X anthologies, or books that collect the entire line. The way this works is that Dawn of X Vol. 1, for example, collects all of the line’s first issues, while Vol. 2 has the second issues, and Vol. 3 has the third issues, etc. It’s a really cool way for readers to keep up with everything happening in the franchise, one that I’m not entirely sure has been attempted before in the modern era, or at least not of this scope. This weekend, the first seven (seven!!) volumes of Dawn of X are all available for the price of a regular comic each.
Price: $3.99 each; or $27.93 for all seven
Buy It Here: Dawn of X Vol. 1; Dawn of X Vol. 2; Dawn of X Vol. 3; Dawn of X Vol. 4; Dawn of X Vol. 5; Dawn of X Vol. 6; and Dawn of X Vol. 7

Infinity Gauntlet
Writer: Jim Starlin
Artists: George Perez and Ron Lim
Inkers: Josef Rubinstein and Tom Christopher
Colorists: Max Scheele
Letterer: Jack Morelli
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Collects Infinity Gauntlet (1991) #1-6. The Mad Titan Thanos has seized control of Infinity Gauntlet and with it near-omnipotent power! Who can stop this deadly new overlord? All of Marvel's top heroes star in this epic of cosmic proportions!
Why It’s Cool: To me, this is the single story that was the most influential for the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s recent mega-two part story, Avengers: Infinity Wars and Avengers: Endgame. Essentially, this is the comic wherein the mad titan Thanos acquires all of the Infinity Gems, puts them on the Infinity Gauntlet, and begins to wreck havoc upon the cosmos. In these pages — expertly illustrated first by George Perez and next by Ron Lim — readers will find moments that made it directly into the films (more or less) including Captain America’s confrontation with Thanos as well as the infamous snap. Of course, there will be plenty of elements that are comics only in these pages as well, but even if you’re not familiar with that era of Marvel Comics and have only seen the movies, there’s likely to still be a good deal of interest here.
Price: $3.99
Buy It Here: Infinity Gauntlet

War of the Realms
Writer: Jason Aaron
Artist: Russell Dauterman
Colorist: Matthew Wilson
Letterer: Clayton Cowles
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Collects War of the Realms #1-6.
Asgard. Alfheim. Heven. Jotunheim. Muspelheim. Niffleheim. Nidavellir. Svartalfheim. Vanaheim. All of the Ten Realms have fallen to Malekith and his army, except one: Midgard. Home to Thor's beloved humans. Home to heroes and gods alike. Now, at last, Midgard burns. All hell breaks loose in New York City as Malekith and his allies begin their invasion - and our greatest heroes watch as Earth falls! With Thor trapped in the land of the Frost Giants and Earth's forces overwhelmed, Black Panther, Jane Foster and Doctor Strange undertake a desperate gamble. What can possibly stop Malekith and his army? Spider-Man, Daredevil, Punisher, Ghost Rider, Blade, Hulk and more join the fray as Jason Aaron's epic Thor saga explodes across the Marvel Universe in an event for the ages!
Why It’s Cool: War of the Realms ranks above most big Marvel Comics events, because the premise is essentially one that does not require too much knowledge of other titles or ongoing continuity — the Marvel Universe is at war with a host of Norse mythology invaders, Frost Giants, and demons, and all kinds of other threats from some heavy metal lyrical mythos. You can see things like Spider-Man riding around on a horse with a sword. The art is also astounding, with Russell Dauterman and Matthew Wilson ranking as one of the top teams to depict superheroes in the modern era.
Price: $3.99
Buy It Here: War of the Realms

DC Comics Black Friday Sales

Deathstroke by Christopher Priest, Entire Series
Writer: Christopher Priest
Artists: James Bennett, Carlo Pagulayan, Denys Cowan, Ed Benes, Fernando Pasarin, and more
Colorists: Various
Letterers: Various
Publisher: DC Comics
A thousand enemies, a thousand kills—Deathstroke is the world’s greatest assassin. Stalked by an unseen foe, Slade Wilson is confronted by his own troubled past and challenged to reinvent himself before he loses everything and everyone in his life. Can Deathstroke be redeemed? Or will his addiction to violence destroy him?
Why It’s Cool: Although it largely flew under the radar for pretty much the entirety of its run, the recently-concluded Christopher Priest-penned run of Deathstroke was one of the best long-form DC Comics stories in many, many years, perhaps since Grant Morrison’s run of Batman (to my tastes, anyway). This 50-some issue epic was marked by Priest’s complex use of comics structure, intensive and brave character studies, and some stellar artwork throughout. Now, you can get the whole run — including a pair of Titans crossovers — on sale via comiXology. If you’re looking for a long-form, complex narrative that seeds ideas and patiently bides time to pay them off, this is the run for you. Also, check out my long-ago piece about Deathstroke and bad dads.
Price: Prices per volume range from $4.24 to $11.04; or you can get the entire run for $57.70
Buy It Here: Deathstroke Vol. 1; Deathstroke Vol. 2; Deathstroke Vol. 3; Titans - The Lazarus Contract; Deathstroke Vol. 4; Deathstroke Vol. 5; Batman Vs. Deathstroke; Deathstroke - Arkham; Teen Titans/Deathstroke - The Terminus Agenda; and Deathstroke R.I.P.

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Gotham Central, Book One - Book Four
Writers: Greg Rucka and Ed Brubaker
Artists: Michael Lark, Kano, and more
Colorist: Lee Loughridge
Letterer: Clem Robbins
Publisher: DC Comics
Not all of Gotham's heroes wear costumes. Batman may get all the credit for cleaning up the town, but Renee Montoya & Crispus Allen of the Special Crimes Unit are determined to do the job. Witness the gritty side of the GCPD from their perspective, as they solve crimes their own way.
Why It’s Cool: Recently, we concluded an excellent weekly series by Bruno Savill De Jong called Gotham Central: Case by Case, and what this series did was each week look in depth at one of the story arcs from Gotham Central. We don’t just do that with any series. No, all of this is a means of noting that Gotham Central is an all-time favorite Batman series here at the site, and we love it because it takes an understated and immensely smart look at the Gotham Central Police Department, depicting the ordinary people on the ground tasked with protecting a city in which Mr. Freeze might show up at any time and freeze you. Through this lens, the top-tier creative team is able to raise questions about communities, identity, police work, and doing the right thing. It’s a stunning work, spanning more than 40 issues.
Price: $5.09 each; or $20.36
Buy It Here: Gotham Central Book One; Gotham Central Book Two; Gotham Central Book Three; and Gotham Central Book Four

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Harley Quinn: Breaking Glass
Writer: Mariko Tamaki
Artist: Steve Pugh
Letterer: Carlos M. Mangual
Publisher: DC Comics
With just five dollars and a knapsack to her name, 15-year-old Harleen Quinzel is sent to live in Gotham City. She’s not worried, though-she’s battled a lot of hard situations as a kid, and knows her determination and outspokenness will carry her through life in the most dangerous city in the world. And when Gotham’s finest drag queen, Mama, takes her in, it seems like Harley has finally found a place to grow into her most “true true” with new best friend Ivy at Gotham High. But when Mama’s drag cabaret becomes the next victim in the wave of gentrification that’s taking over the neighborhood, Harley’s fortune takes another turn. Now Harleen is mad. In turning her anger into action, she is faced with two choices: join activist Ivy, who’s campaigning to make the neighborhood a better place to live, or team up with her anarchist friend Joker, who plans to take down Gotham one corporation at a time.
Why It’s Cool: Harley Quinn - Breaking Glass landed a spot on our Best Graphic Novels of 2019 list, and there’s good reason why — this book is perhaps the best glimpse yet at what updating/repurposing familiar characters for 2020 can/should look like. It’s part of DC Comics new YA-skewing line of original graphic novels, but it’s a rewarding read for adults as well, telling a moving story of teen inclusion and loneliness in the smartest of ways. The creator pedigree here is also impecable, featuring writer Mariko Tamaki and artist Steve Pugh, two of the most consistent reliable creators in mainstream comics today.
Price: $5.09
Buy It Here: Harley Quinn - Breaking Glass

Twilight
Writer: Howard Chaykin
Artist: Jose Luis Garcia Lopez
Colorist: Steve Oliff
Letterer: Ken Bruzenak
Publisher: DC Comics
DC's wide-eyed science fiction heroes, most of whom first appeared in the 1950s, are reimagined in this dark tale from writer Howard Chaykin and artist Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez. Originally published in 1990, TWILIGHT tells the story of how one of the Star Rovers, Karel Sorenson, became a living god when caught in an explosion with a race of immortal creatures called Methuseloids. It''s up to renegade hero Tommy Tomorrow to stop his former ally -- but he ends up absorbing Sorenson's power and becoming an all-powerful tyrant himself. Also includes appearances by Star Hawkins, Manhunter 2070, Ironwolf, Space Ranger, Space Cabbie and other heroes. Collects TWILIGHT #1-3.
Why It’s Cool: I’ve written for other outlets about how Twilight is a lost DC Comics sci-fi classic, and it’s really the truth, powered as it is by original Jose Luis Garcia Lopez artwork that can only be described as visionary. This book hit at an odd time for DC, when it was still finding its legs with imprints like Vertigo, and it never quite achieved the stand alone success of other smart books of the era, like Dark Knight Returns and Watchmen. The reason is perhaps because this book is a bit less accessible than those works, but for those who commit to wading through the density, the ideas and artwork in these pages are absolutely stunning, to be sure.
Price: $4.24
Buy It Here: Twilight

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