By Zack Quaintance — Wow, pretty wild to be typing Top Comics to Buy for January, 2022…2022! The last part of the year really just blinked past (so much so, that we’re still rolling out best of 2021 content!). But comics releases are not slowing down, and so, as always, you can find my weekly picks for the best new releases of the week.

Enjoy!

Top Comics to Buy for January 5, 2022

PICK OF THE WEEK
Monkey Meat #1
Writer/Artist: Juni Ba
Publisher: Image Comics
MINISERIES PREMIERE
DJELIYA creator JUNI BA introduces a new fantasy universe in this ANTHOLOGY SERIES! The Monkey Meat Company made its fortune selling cans of processed meat all around the world. Using that money to fuel their wacky experiments, they turned their native island into a magical hyper-capitalist hellscape where even demons have to pay rent! Follow the lives of the creatures of Monkey Meat Island in this fun, action-packed romp. Each issue is its own story!
Why It’s Cool: If you read our recent Best Comics of 2021 - Staff Picks list, you may have spotted on that list Djeliya by Juni Ba, a singular graphic novel that ranked as one of the most interesting creative visions of the past year. The book was beloved by critics, and now Ba has a new miniseries with Image Comics, an anthology of early stories called Monkey Meat. Fans of Djeliya will not be disappointed, and newcomers to Ba’s work will find the same striking cartooning and boldness of vision as the full-length book.
Price: $3.99
Also Read: Juni Ba’s graphic novel, Djeliya

Arkham City - The Order of the World #4
Writer: Dan Watters
Artist: Dani
Colorist: Dave Stewart
Letterer: Aditya Bidikar
Publisher: DC Comics
Dr. Joy is now face to face with the ghost of Amadeus Arkham—the ghost that she had assured all her patients did not exist. Now faced with overwhelming evidence that the Ten-Eyed Man’s “delusions” were anything but, she has found herself questioning everything. Meanwhile, Dr. Phosphorus and Nocturna attempt to live a “normal” life in Gotham, but the good doctor’s radioactive body may be having unforeseen side effects on their unsuspecting neighbors.
Why It’s Cool: If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it several dozen times (generally on Twitter) — it is a very good time to be a fan of Batman comic books. Part of this is that DC Comics has really doubled down on the character (almost like they enjoy high sales), keeping the Batfamily well-represented in its in-continuity line while also rolling out Black Label books from top-tier creators. Within that, one of the most interesting and idiosyncratic Gotham City-set comics has been Arkham City - The Order of the World, and this fourth issue is no exception. So yes, it’s a good time to like Batman, and if you do, this is a must-read book.
Price: $3.99

Inferno #4
Writer: Jonathan Hickman
Artist: Valerio Schiti
Inker: Adriano Di Benedetto
Colorist: David Curiel
Letterer: Joe Sabino
Publisher: Marvel Comics
TO EMBERS!
Jonathan Hickman's time on X-Men ends with the dramatic conclusion of one of the first and best mysteries he brought to the line. Valerio Schiti returns on art to help bring down one of the foundations of the era.
Why It’s Cool: Sigh. All good things must come to an end, and that includes Jonathan Hickman’s time as the lead writer on Marvel’s X-Men comics. This is issue is the final book to have Hickman as a writer, and it promises to wrap up some of the really interesting balls Hickman tossed into the air when he and his collaborators reinvigorated the X-Men line with the landmark House of X/Powers of X series back in 2019. The first three issue of this book have been solid, and I for one am very interested to see how all this ends.
Price: $5.99
Read How Hickman’s X-Men Started: HoX/PoX Hardcover

Nocterra - Blacktop Bill Special #1 (One-Shot)
Writer: Scott Snyder and Tony S. Daniel
Penciller: Denys Cowan
Inker: Kent Williams
Colorist: Chris Sotomayor
Letterer: AndWorld Design
Publisher: Image Comics - Best Jackett Press
"HALL OF MIRRORS"
Behold the book of Blacktop Bill. In the wake of the first arc's explosive finale, the origin of NOCTERRA's most terrifying creature will at last be revealed in this special one-shot issue! Witness the horror that awaits our heroes as SCOTT SNYDER and legendary artist DENYS COWAN present a penny dreadful you won't soon forget.
REGISTER PITCH: A standalone tale perfect for NOCTERRA fans looking for more nightmarish storytelling or readers new to the series.
Why It’s Cool: Scott Snyder is one of the best in monthly comics at creating villains, from the Court of Owls to the Batman Who Laughs, and this week’s Nocterra one-shot delivers a chilling origin story for one of the lead big bads in that comic, too. Brought to life by Denys Cowan — one of my all-time favorite comics pencillers — this book can be read as an addition to Nocterra (the first of collection of which is out now), or also as a standalone.
Price: $3.99
Read This Book: Nocterra, Vol. 1 - Full Throttle Dark

One-Star Squadron #2
Writer: Mark Russell
Artist: Steve Lieber
Colorist: Dave Stewart
Letterer: Dave Sharpe
Publisher: DC Comics
Meet Minute Man, the greatest hero probably never heard of! It's not easy being Red (Tornado)! As the boss, he's got everyone relying on him for their next paycheck. Enter Minute Man, a 1990s has-been superhero looking for 15 more minutes of fame...or at least a way to pay for Miraclo pills. Without them, he's a super-zero and he's willing to do anything for one more chance at power. How far will he go? Meet Metropolis Comic Con's newest special guest!
Why It’s Cool: I absolutely loved the first issue of this book (read my review here!), which comes to us courtesy of two of my favorite creators in all of superhero comics — writer Mark Russell and artist Steve Lieber. Through two issues, this has been such a well-done comic, perfectly mingling Russell’s keen knack for poignant humor and satire with Lieber’s absurdly-clever and emotive cartooning. What’s also taking shape with this series is a story about being chewed up by late model capitalism that uses D-List superheroes to examine the poor ways the system pushes us to treat each other. It’s all very entertaining and very smart and very likely to make you feel/think. What else do you want?
Price: $3.99

Others Receiving Votes

• Amazing Spider-Man #84

• Batman #119

• Buckhead #2

• Captain America Iron Man #2

• Crush and Lobo #8

• Detective Comics #1047

• Frontiersman #4

• Hellboy: Bones of Giants #3

• Not All Robots #5

• Odinns Eye #4

• Suicide Squad #11

• X-Men #6

New #1s and One-Shots

• Apache Delivery Service #1

• Darkhold Omega #1 (One-Shot)

• Elektra: Black, White, and Blood #1 (One-Shot)

• Pantha #1

• Transformers, Best of Optimus Prime

• Wastelanders Doom #1 (One-Shot)

Trade Collections and Graphic Novels of Note

• Beauty, Vol. 6 TP

• Blubber HC

• EC Archives Weird Science Vol 1 TP

• League Of Extraordinary Gentlemen Vol IV Tempest 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.