Top Comics to Buy for December 15, 2021
By Zack Quaintance — This week’s top comics to buy for December 15 features a double dose of Jeff Lemire. There’s Mazebook, which he is writing and illustrating himself, and it just might be the best work Lemire has done in years. Then there’s something entirely different — Robin and Batman #2, wherein Lemire is teaming with frequent collaborator Dustin Nguyen. More about that one below, along with our full list of other picks…
Enjoy!
Top Comics to Buy for December 15, 2021
PICK OF THE WEEK
Mazebook #4
Writer: Jeff Lemire
Artist: Jeff Lemire
Letterer: Steve Wands
Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
Stuck in an urban labyrinth of his own torment, melancholy building inspector Will and his talking canine companion fight their way through a dangerous metropolitan maze and head underground on the hunt to find his long-gone daughter.
Why It’s Cool: There are a lot of Jeff Lemire comics that feel melancholic and lonesome. There are a lot of Jeff Lemire comics that address themes around fatherhood. And there are a lot of Jeff Lemire comics that sort of bend the visual structures to find something more ethereal, something that is fantastical yet still grounded in the familiar. Mazebook is quite possibly the best of these comics since Lemire’s breakout work on Essex County. It’s a must-read book, a rich and heartrending story that is now just one chapter away from its end.
Price: $5.99
Buy It Here: Mazebook #4
Adventureman #7
Writer: Matt Fraction
Artist and Colorist: Terry Dodson
Inker: Rachel Dodson
Letterer: Clayton Cowles
Publisher: Image Comics
"GHOST LIGHTS"
Snow keeps falling, old ghosts keep calling, and Claire Connell discovers a giant secret buried deep underneath Manhattan.
Why It’s Cool: Regular readers of this site will be well aware of this, but I have absolutely loved Adventureman from the team of writer Matt Fraction and artists Terry and Rachel Dodson, with letters by Clayton Cowles. There are plenty of monthly comics that look to retread or homage bygone eras (one might, in fact, argue that most monthly comics do this), but few reach as far back in the collective storytelling conscious as does Adventureman, plumbing the depths of the early 19th Century pulps to unearth stories that feel vibrant and new. It’s tremendous work.
Price: $3.99
Buy It Here: Adventureman #7
Regarding the Matter of Oswald’s Body #2
Writer: Christopher Cantwell
Artist: Luca Casalanguida
Colorist: Glada Marchisio
Letterer: AndWorld Design
Publisher: BOOM! Studios
The day before JFK is assassinated, our four "useful idiots" have-against all odds-found a damn good lookalike candidate for Lee Harvey Oswald. Some poor bastard named Sonny Germs from Dallas.
The only problem is now they have to kidnap... and kill him, which wasn't part of the deal.
As Lee makes his way downtown, the unlucky four find themselves in a chase into Dallas. What happens if they catch Sonny, and what does it mean for Lee's plans on the fateful day, November 22, 1963?
Why It’s Cool: Can I interest you in an ensemble cast character-driven heist story rooted in obsession with Lee Harvey Oswald conspiracy theories, all brought to life by a group of ace comic creators? The answer to that should be yes, and, incidentally, you should all be reading Regarding the Matter of Oswald’s Body.
Price: $3.99
Buy It Here: Regarding the Matter of Oswald’s Body #2
Robin and Batman #2 (of 3)
Writer: Jeff Lemire
Artist: Dustin Nguyen
Letterer: Steve Wands
Publisher: DC Comics
Dick Grayson is struggling in his training to be Robin, and the Batman decides the young man needs a break...and takes him to meet the Justice League! In an awe-inspiring moment, he meets the World's Greatest Heroes...and their sidekicks! Will these teen titans get along?
Why It’s Cool: Okay okay, so now it’s becoming clear exactly what this book is all about. Coming into it, I knew a couple things. This comic would (obviously!) feature Batman and Robin, as its title implies, and it would also be another great collaboration between Lemire and Nguyen, who have teamed for many years, most recently on the one-two creator-owned combo of Descender and Ascender. But what’s becoming clear now is that Batman aside, this book is all about Robin, going through the history of the character almost in the style of Marvel’s Grand Design comics, although a little more story-driven than those. It’s good stuff.
Price: $5.99
Buy It Here: Robin and Batman #2
Rush #2
Writer: Si Spurrier
Artist: Nathan Gooden
Colorist: Addison Duke
Letterer: Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou
Publisher: Vault Comics
1899, Yukon Territory. Nettie Bridger's desperate journey to the goldfields of the frozen north has ended in tragedy. But Nettie won't believe it. Can't believe it. Her son is alive -- somehow -- somewhere -- and she won't stop hunting until she finds him. The valley has its monstrous guardians, and the miners have their secrets, and in this crucible of gore and gold the flickering flame of a mother's love is barely enough to melt the ice.
Why It’s Cool: I’ve said this before but I’ll say it again, writer Si Spurrier with artist Nathan Gooden is one of the most interesting pairings in all of monthly comics making right now, and you know what? It is unsurprisingly leading to an absolutely fantastic comic. But hey, that’s no surprise. Gooden’s record at Vault is undefeated. If you want to know more about that, check out Zojaqan, The Dark One, or Barbaric.
Price: $3.99
Buy It Here: Rush #2
Others Receiving Votes
Amazing Spider-Man #81
Batman: The Imposter #3
Batman Urban Legends #10
Defenders #4
Eternals #8
The Joker #10
Ka-Zar, Lord of the Savage Land #4
My Date With Monsters #2
Newburn #2
Orcs in Space #6
Out #3
Primordial #4
The Thing #2
Witchblood #9
Wonder Woman #782
New #1s and One-Shots
AfterShock Triple Party #1
Batgirls #1
Cloaked #1
Demon Days: Rising Storm #1
Firefly Holiday Special #1
Hecate’s Will #1
Odinn’s Eye #1
Star Wars High Republic Adventures Annual 2021 #1 (One-Shot)
Tis The Season to Be Freezin’ #1 (One-Shot)
Vampirella: Dracula Unholy #1
Wastelands Wolverine #1 (One-Shot)
Trade Collections and Graphic Novels of Note
Babylon TP
Golden Age Book 2 HC
Harley Quinn (2021) Vol. 1: No Good Deed
Luna TP
Nightwing (2021) Vol. 1 : Leaping Into The Light HC
Old Guard Tales Through Time TP
Reign of X, Vol. 7 TP
Rorschach HC
Saga Box Set
Spree TP
Strange Adventures HC
Wonder Woman (2021) Vol. 1: Afterworlds TP
X-Men: Hellfire Gala Red Carpet Collection HC
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.