By Zack Quaintance — Welcome to the Top Comics to Buy for December 23, 2020, which is one of those weeks that feels custom-built for my exact tastes. These releases mix new and bold indie books with the end of one of my favorite runs in all of superhero comics. In addition, we finally get the long-awaited conclusion to Ann Nocenti and David Aja’s The Seeds.

Check it out!

Top Comics to Buy for December 23, 2020

Action Comics #1028
Writer: Brian Michael Bendis
Penciller: John Romita, Jr.
Inker: Klaus Johnson
Colorist: Brad Anderson
Letterer: Dave Sharpe
Publisher: DC Comics
The powerhouse creative team of Brian Michael Bendis, John Romita Jr., and Klaus Janson wrap up their run on Action Comics with “House of Kent: Epilogue”! With the final fate of Metropolis’s underworld revealed at last, it’s time for each member of the House of Kent to face their unknown futures head on, including Lois, Conner, Jon, Kara, Jimmy, and, of course, Clark Kent! This standalone Superman story connects threads from Superman’s Pal Jimmy Olsen, Lois Lane, Superman, Justice League, Legion of Super-Heroes, and other unforgettable series in epic-and unexpected-ways!
Why It’s Cool: This is one of those issues that made me sad that one of my favorite runs in superhero comics was ending, but at the same time left my satisfied with how it all wrapped up. Alternately fun and sweet, Brian Michael Bendis and his collaborators double down on the primary strength of the entirety of this run — the pitch-perfect Superman tone. I’ve enjoyed this run quite a bit, and I think they absolutely stuck the landing with this issue.
Price: $3.99
Buy It Digitally: Action Comics #1028

A Dark Interlude #2
Writer: Ryan O’Sullivan
Artist: Andrea Mutti
Colorist: Vladimir Popov
Letterer: Andworld Design
Publisher: Vault Comics
What happens in Issue #2? The plot continues. What else should I say? Why has my "publisher" asked me to pen the marketing copy for my own brilliance when there are perfectly good copywriters who... [Message truncated at the request of Vault Comics]
Why It’s Cool: This sequel (not a sequel) to the excellent series Fearscape continues to go in surprising new directions without sacrificing any of its original tone or identity, and I’m here for all of it. This second issue maintains the momentum from the debut, building an excellent and frightening tension that serves the pacing of the book well.
Price: $3.99
Buy It Digitally: A Dark Interlude #2

Department of Truth #4
Writer: James Tynion IV
Artist: Martin Simmonds
Letterer: Aditya Bidikar
Publisher: Image Comics
How can a journalist ethically report on a story that they know can’t possibly be true? As packages with proof of impossible stories keep arriving on one reporter’s doorstop, sent by a mysterious entity known only as Q, one reporter must find the answer themselves. JAMES TYNION IV (Something is Killing the Children) & MARTIN SIMMONDS (Dying is Easy) send the Department of Truth after the Fourth Estate.
Why It’s Cool: I’m hard-pressed to think of a comic in recent years that has been this strong through its first four issues. This book has a killer premise, and it’s slowly applying it to more elements of society while expanding the scope of its ambitions. This issue puts a heavy focus on the media, doing so in a way that feels both through-provoking and vital. Great storytelling all around.
Price: $3.99
Buy It Digitally: Department of Truth #4

Ice Cream Man #22
Writer: W. Maxwell Prince
Artist: Martin Morazzo
Colorist: Chris O’Halloran
Letterer: Good Old Neon
Publisher: Image Comics
“ADVENT CALENDAR”
Every day is a gift.
Why It’s Cool: Another year, another high-ranking for Ice Cream Man on my year-end favorite comics. Put simply, no book was better this year on a monthly basis than Ice Cream Man, and issues like Ice Cream Man #22 speak directly to why. This continues to be a series that blends existential fears, concerns, and questions with interesting comics formulism. Combine that with an anthology series concept, and what you get as a series where no two issues feel similar, past their shared tone and aesthetics. This continues to be just an absolute tour de force in comics making, and it doesn’t seem poised to slow down any time soon.
Price: $3.99
Buy It Here: Ice Cream Man #22

The Picture of Everything Else #1
Writer: Dan Watters
Artist: Kishore Mohan
Letterer: Aditya Bidikar
Publisher: Vault Comics
As the 20th century dawns, art promises to change the world...and steep it in blood. A rash of impossible killings sweep through Paris, tearing the rich and beautiful apart in their beds. When two art thieves stumble upon the portraits of the victims damaged in the exact same manner they died, it appears the man who once painted the immortal portrait of Dorian Gray has returned—with darker plans for future works. From the minds of Dan Watters (Coffin Bound, Lucifer, Deep Roots) and Kishore Mohan comes a haunting balance of depravity and beauty.
Why It’s Cool: One of the things that has endeared everyone involved with this book to me — from writer Dan Watters, to letterer Aditya Bidikar, to publisher Vault Comics — has been a patient willingness to take risks, preferring the interesting and literary to the easy and quick. This debut issue really encapsulates that ethos, patiently drawing readers into an immersive period piece that involves art, thievery, and the supernatural. It’s really bold and well-done, and I’ll have a full review coming later this week. For now, however, just know that this comic gets my full recommendation.
Price: $3.99
Buy It Digitally: The Picture of Everything Else #1

Others Receiving Votes

Batman Superman #15
Comic Book History of Animation #2
Doctor Doom #10
Dry Foot #4
Edgar Allan Poe’s Snifter of Blood #3
Family Tree #10
Gideon Falls #27
Killadelphia #11
Red Hood: Outlaw #52
Scarenthood #3
Sea of Sorrows #2
Shadow Service #5
Something Is Killing the Children #13
Tartarus #8
Thompson Heller: Detective Interstellar #3
U.S. Agent #2

New #1s and One-Shots

Black Adam: Endless Winter One-Shot
Dark Nights: Death Metal Secret Origin One-Shot
Firefly Blue Sun Rising #1
King-Size Conan One-Shot
Star Wars Adventures: Smuggler’s Run #1
Taarna: The Last Taarakian #1

Graphic Novels and Trade Collections

Batman: Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader Deluxe Edition HC
DC Through the 80s - The End of Eras HC
Klaus: Life and Times of Santa Claus HC
New Mutants Omnibus Vol 1 HC Book Market Bill Sienkiewicz Cover
Seeds TP
Superman: Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow Deluxe Edition 2020 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.