By Zack Quaintance — The Top Comics to Buy for December 16, 2020 is up now. Make sure to read this whole list, which ranges from a new Image Comics #1 to some surprisingly excellent superhero storytelling to the top-tier comics duo of Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips dabbling in a straight to trade collection format. Check it. all out below!

Top Comics to Buy for December 16, 2020

PICK OF THE WEEK
Post Americana #1
Writer/Artist: Steve Skroce
Colorist: Dave Stewart
Lettering and Design: Fonografiks
Publisher: Image Comics
Price: $3.99
From MAESTROS creator, WE STAND ON GUARD co-creator, and The Matrix storyboard artist STEVE SKROCE with coloring by Eisner Award-winning DAVE STEWART. The Cheyanne mountain installation, aka The BUBBLE, is the most sophisticated super bunker in the world. It was built to ensure the survival of America's executive branch of government and its most important citizens, should the unthinkable happen. When the world ended, the executive branch failed to reach the sanctuary, but the elite citizenry did. Eighty years later, one of their own has named himself the new President of the United States. His plan? Subjugate the survivors of the American Wasteland using the same bunker resources meant to rebuild it. The only thing standing in their way is a deadly Wasteland girl, hellbent on revenge!
Why It’s Cool: You can read my Post Americana #1 review here, but I called Post Americana #1 “the best comic about America falling to pieces…” and I stand by that. Great first issue to a series I will be following to completion.
Buy It Here: Post Americana #1

Barbalien: Red Planet #2
Script By: Tate Brombal
Story By: Jeff Lemire and Tate Brombal
Artist: Gabriel Hernandez Walta
Colorist: Jordie Bellaire
Letterer: Aditya Bidikar
Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
Price: $3.99
With a borrowed face, shapeshifting Martian hero Barbalien explores the gay night scene and a buried part of himself. But his fractured identity takes another hit when he comes into conflict with his new friends, his fellow police officers, and the murderous lunatic who followed him to Earth. Origin story for Barbalien. Art by Gabriel Hernandez Walta (New Mutants, X-Men)!
Why It’s Cool: Poignant and emotionally-moving, this is a powerful book that takes a Martian Manhunter analog and makes it about discrimination, identity, and abuse of power by the police. It’s all really immersive and well-done, rendered to perfect by one of comics best art duos — Gabriel Hernandez Walta and Jordie Bellaire. This is a must-read for fans of Black Hammer, but it’s a great standalone series as well. I highly recommend checking this one out.
Buy It Here: Barbalien: Red Planet #2

New Mutants #14
Writer: Vita Ayala
Artist: Rod Reis
Letterer: Travis Lanham
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Price: $3.99
On the edge of Krakoan society, the NEW MUTANTS are loose in the Wild Hunt! Going big, blowing things up, and combining powers to see who gets crowned king of the mountain. But something lurks in the trees -- something old… and HUNGRY… and its favorite prey is young mutants…
Why It’s Cool: I’ve been waiting for this run to get underway since the moment it was announced, and I couldn’t be more thrilled that it’s here. Rod Reis is a towering artistic talent, and Vita Ayala is a rising star writer. Can’t wait to see what they have in store within the Krakoa world with some of my long-time favorite X-Characters. The premise for this is also just outstanding. There’s a lot to like about this comic, coming off the super strong X of Swords line-wide crossover, and I’m excited to dive in.
Buy It Here: New Mutants #14

Second Coming: Only Begotten Son #1
Writer: Mark Russell
Artist: Richard Pace
Finisher [Sunstar Pages]: Leonard Kirk
Colorist [Sunstar Pages]: Andy Troy
Letterer: Rob Steen
Publisher: AHOY Comics
Price: $3.99
"The world's most dangerous comic book and the most lovely" (Comics Beat) returns for a new six-issue series, by superstar writer Mark Russell and artists Richard Pace and Leonard Kirk. The infant Sunstar will grow up to fulfill his destiny as Earth's most powerful superhero and roommate to Jesus Christ - but first, he and his parents must endure the mundane and the tedious on the last night of the doomed planet Zirconia. All AHOY comics feature extra prose stories and illustrations.
Why It’s Cool: There was no smarter and funnier send up of superhero worship culture in recent years than this same creative team’s earlier volume of this book, Second Coming. Now, they’re all returned for a second volume that pushes the concept to a very different place, eschewing (at least a little bit in this first issue) some of the biblical explorations for a deeper dive into superhero origins, one that turns them upside down and casts Superman’s beginning as more of a domestic comedy. And it’s all just so well done. Make sure to pick this title up this week, you don’t want to miss it.

Tales From the Dark Multiverse: Crisis on Infinite Earths
Writer: Steve Orlando
Artist: Mike Perkins
Colorist: Andy Troy
Letterer: Troy Peteri
Publisher: DC Comics
Price: $5.99
When the Anti-Monitor’s deadly grudge match with the Multiverse was finally foiled, there was only one Earth left! But which Earth? That was crucial to what would happen next. In one timeline, Earth-1’s Superman stopped the Superman of Earth-2 from going into final battle, but in the Dark Multiverse, it’s Jor-L of Earth-2 who survives, changing the landscape for all that follows. When Surtur comes looking to crush all life, the beleaguered heroes jump into their next big battle, jumping from one Crisis to the next...but will the last days of the Justice Society of America play out differently if Green Lantern Alan Scott can step into the darkness?
Why It’s Cool: Put simply — this comic rules so so hard, and it is really the absolute best of this Tales of the Dark Multiverse series of one-shots, not that some of the other books haven’t been strong. In this one, though, writer Steve Orlando shows his vast command of deep cut DC mythos, which is up there and above 99.9 percent of comics who work with these characters. It all adds up to a story with an incredible twist. Can’t say enough good things about this one.
Buy It Here: Tales From the Dark Multiverse - Crisis on Infinite Earths One-Shot

Others Receiving Votes

• American Ronin #3

• Batman #105

• Commanders in Crisis #3

• Dark Nights: Death Metal #6

• Decorum #6

• Green Lantern Season 2 #10

• Immortal Hulk #41

• Iron Man #4

• Once and Future #14

• Resonant #6

• Sera and the Royal Stars #10

• Stillwater #4

• Superman #28

• Vain #3

• X-Force #15

New #1 Issues and One-Shots

• Black Cat #1

• Blade Runner 2029 #1

• King In Black: Immortal Hulk One-Shot

• Red X-Mas #1

• Sam and His Talking Gun #1

• Sh*t Show #1

Trade Collections and Graphic Novels

• Chasin’ The Bird: Charlie Parker in California HC

• Die, Vol. 3 - The Great Game TP

• Invisible Men: Trailblazing Black Artists of Comics HC

• New Mutants Omnibus Vol. 1 HC Direct Market Bob McLeod Variant Cover

• Reckless HC

• Red Mother, Vol. 2 TP

• X-Men: God Loves, Man Kills Extended Cut Gallery Edition

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.