By Zack Quaintance — I’ve made no secret about this, but I’m running a Kickstarter this week for my first full-length comic, Next Door, and as such, I’ve been spending a whole lot of time browsing books on Kickstarter. And folks? There are just so many good small press comics being made these days. Coincidentally at the same time, one of the marquee best comiXology sales for this weekend just so happens to be small press comics, and so this week’s picks (past the PICK OF THE WEEK) are heavy on those choices.

So, take a look, try something new, and enjoy!

Best comiXology Sales: Weekend of August 7, 2020

PICK OF THE WEEK
Harley Quinn: Breaking Glass
Writer: Mariko Tamaki
Artist: Steve Pugh
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.
Why It’s Cool: Mariko Tamaki had a huge July. Tamaki was the winner of this year’s Eisner Award for Best Writer, and then just days later, Tamaki also launched a new run on one of DC Comics’ marquee characters, Wonder Woman. As such, I’ve been singing Tamaki’s praises online, and several folks have asked me where to start familiarizing themselves with Tamaki’s work. Well, one could do much worse than diving in with one of this week’s sales titles, Harley Quinn: Breaking Glass. Technically this one is for teen readers, but you really wouldn’t know it. I should also note that I’m no giant fan of the Harley Quinn character, and yet I enjoyed this book all the same. It’s that well done.
Price: $5.09
Buy It Here: Harley Quinn - Breaking Glass

Battlecats Vol. 1 & Vol. 2
Writer: Mark London
Artist: Michael Camelo
Publisher: Mad Cave Studios
Follow Kelthan, Vaela, Zorien, Kaleera, and Mekkar as they undertake a perilous quest through different regions in pursuit of The Beast while unearthing dark secrets, and even darker enemies. Valderia [and the Battlecats] will never be the same...
Why It’s Cool: Speaking of entities on the rise in comics, Mad Cave Studios is without question a publisher to watch, putting out as they do an increasing number of excellent titles from excellent creators (including our sometimes-contributor Jarred A. Luján!), and while new books from writers like Christopher Sebela and Matthew Erman are highly-anticipated, this week presents a chance to checkout some of the early Mad Cave offerings that set the stage for this growth. Chief among those are Battlecats Vol. 1 and Battlecats Vol. 2, which are both on sale this week for great prices. You can also read them as prep work for taking a stab at Mad Cave’s annual talent search contest.
Price: $4.99 and $6.49; or $11.48 for each.
Buy It Here: Battlecats Vol. 1; and Battlecats Vol. 2.

Dragonfly & Dragonflyman Vol. 1
Writer: Tom Peyer
Artist: Peter Krause
Publisher: Ahoy Comics
Now collected in one dimension-smashing volume! In the darkness of Earth-Omega, THE DRAGONFLY exacts vengeance from sadistic killers and corrupt authorities. On sunlit Earth-Alpha, the upstanding DRAGONFLYMAN fights for justice alongside the police. This prequel to THE WRONG EARTH takes place before they became trapped on each other's worlds! Can two versions of the satanic Devil-Man corrupt their souls?
Why It’s Cool: Sneakily, I think one of the single best superhero concepts in the last few years has been the new Wrong Earth franchise from Ahoy Comics. The concept of the series is simple: what if a superhero who has lived through disparate eras (think Batman in the 1966 TV show and Batman in the 1980s Frank Miller The Dark Knight Returns) got swapped Earths, so that the wholesome version of the character is in the gritty world version and vice versa. It’s super clever, and well executed on every level by comics veterans. The book on-sale this week is a really clever look at those two characters before they got swapped, and with art from one of our favorites — Peter Krause — we can’t recommend this book enough.
Price: $8.49
Buy It Here: Dragonfly and Dragonflyman Vol. 1

The End of Summer
Writer/Artist: Tillie Walden
Publisher: Avery Hill Publishing
In a secluded castle, at the beginning of a winter that is predicted to last for three years, Lars is battling illness and boredom. He passes the time with his siblings and his giant cat, Nemo, as secrets are revealed and tensions within the family begin to simmer…Tillie Walden’s classic, Ignatz winning, debut graphic novel returns in this special edition that includes the new prequel story, ‘Lars & Nemo’.
Why It’s Cool: Tillie Walden is one of our favorite graphic novelists in all of comics, and also another Eisner Winner from last month’s awards. Walden’s work over the past couple of years has been stellar, with On a Sunbeam and Are You Listening? ranking as two of the most memorable graphic novels, despite tackling largely entirely different subject matter. Walden just makes great comics, and you can check out Walden’s debut graphic novel now via a great sale this weekend — The End of Summer.
Price: $4.49
Buy It Here: The End of Summer

An Entity Observes All Things
Writer/Artist: Box Brown
Publisher: Retrofit Comics / Big Planet Comics
Stories of science fiction and mental exploration from Box Brown, New York Times-bestselling author of Andre the Giant: Life and Legend. Lizard aliens! New Physics! Electromages! Wastelands! Star Warrior robots! Social media cults! Pizza!
Why It’s Cool: I have to admit here that this book was published by the local comic shop that I frequent here in D.C., Big Planet Comics, and it’s a fantastic little graphic novel. It’s really different than Box Brown’s later, more-known work for publisher First Second, but it has the same level of thoughtful quality and well-realized structural choices as his books about Andy Kaufman, Andre the Giant, and the legalization of marijuana, among other things. If you’re a Box Brown fan, this early book is 100 percent essential reading, and you can get it now for the same price as a new book from Marvel or DC.
Price: $3.99
Buy It Here: An Entity Observes All Things

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

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