Top Comics to Buy for July 15, 2020
By Zack Quaintance — I feel like I keep saying this, but this Top Comics to Buy for July 15 feels like one of the first of these columns that has a full compliment of industry-wide monthly books to choose from. The distribution stoppage feels increasingly behind us after both Marvel and DC took the week before July 4 off, and now we have a great selection of comics from the Big 2, from indie publishers, and also from book publishers, with Tom Scioli’s excellent Jack Kirby book standing out as the cream of that crop.
And you can find our picks of the best of the bunch below…enjoy!
Top Comics to Buy for July 15, 2020
PICK OF THE WEEK
Superman’s Pal Jimmy Olsen #12
Writer: Matt Fraction
Artist: Steve Lieber
Colorist: Nathan Fairbairn
Letterer: Clayton Cowles
Publisher: DC Comics
Price: $3.99
Whoa - is that what I think it is? If I'm reading this solicitation text correctly, we made it to issue #12! Mazel tov! Party time! If you see Matt and Steve at the next convention, go buy them a drink because I have no idea how we made it this far! No, wait, I do - it's all thanks to you guys! In this final issue, with the Daily Planet on the ropes, Jimmy learns something about it that'll change everything forever.
Why It’s Cool: Superman’s Pal Jimmy Olsen is the finale for one of the smartest, most clever, and downright refreshing series that DC Comics has put out in years. It’s the type of finale that both makes you excited to see how it all ends while at the same time a bit sad that you won’t have a book of this high quality coming at you each and every month. This particular issue brings the long-simmering Luthor-Olsen feud (yes!) to a head, one that as this book has established has been ongoing throughout Metropolis’ long civic history. What a comic.
Buy It Digitally: Superman’s Pal Jimmy Olsen #12
Artemis and the Assassin #3
Writer: Stephanie Phillips
Artist: Meghan Hetrick & Francesca Fantini
Colorist: Lauren Affe
Letterer: Troy Peteri
Publisher: AfterShock Comics
Price: $3.99
Transported to the Wild West, an infamous WWII spy and a time-traveling assassin have to contend with outlaws, drunkards, and even a fifteenth-century ninja in order to return to their respective time periods.
Why It’s Cool: Stephanie Phillips has been a favorite rising writer around here for some time, and we make it a point to read all of her new comics. Of that group, we’ve been consistently impressed (Butcher of Paris, in particular, was a highlight), but you know what? None of those books has grabbed us so quickly as Artemis and the Assassin, a comic that combines Phillip’s keen interest in history with an exciting story and two excellent artists — Meghan Hetrick and Francesca Fantini. Publisher AfterShock is putting out a lot of interesting new comics of late, and this is one of the best.
Buy It Digitally: Artemis and the Assassin #3
Engineward #1
Writer: George Mann
Artist: Joe Eisma
Letterer: Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou
Publisher: Vault Comics
Price: $3.99
Earth is an ancient myth, long forgotten. Now, the word of the god-like Celestials is absolute, and they rule with brutal efficiency. When Joss, an Engineward, discovers and reactivates the head of an ancient ghoulem, she finds all is not as intended. Her destiny-and that of her world-lies somewhere far beyond the borders of her shantytown.
Why It’s Cool: For a detailed and intricate view at why this comic works so well, you can read our Engineward #1 advanced review, but in short, this debut issue for the new book from writer George Mann and artist Joe Eisma is one of the best debut comics that we’ve read all year. It’s a first issue so good that we immediately locked in to reading this title for the length of its run. If you buy one brand new creator-owned book this month, Engineward should be it.
Buy It Digitally: Engineward #1!
Immortal Hulk #35
Writer: Al Ewing
Artist: Mike Hawthorne
Letterer: Cory Petit
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Price: $3.99
The war with the Minotaur is over — and a grateful humanity knows who saved them all. Can Shadow Base come out of the shadows? Can the world believe in Bruce Banner? Can there be a happy ending... for the IMMORTAL HULK?
Why It’s Cool: I’ll just be blunt about this — until something happens to make it otherwise, Immortal Hulk is a permanent fixture of our weekly Top Comics to Buy column. The book has just been that good, the best run at Marvel Comics since Fraction and Aja’s Hawkeye or Waid/Samnee’s Daredevil. It’s a bonafied superhero phenomenon that has transcended the Big 2 lines of books to become one of the must-read entities in the entire comics industry. Simply put, every issue of this series is a must-buy until it’s over.
Buy It Digitally: Immortal Hulk #35
Old Guard: Force Multiplied #5
Writer: Greg Rucka
Artist: Leandro Fernandez
Colorist: Daniela Miwa
Letterer: Jodi Wynne
Publisher: Image Comics
Design: Eric Trautmann
Price: $3.99
Ancient enemies, new allies, a history of violence, and modern warfare all come to a head, as Andy and Nile reconcile the sins of the past with the promise of the future...and carnage ensues.
Why It’s Cool: Most comics folks this weekend (at least on my Twitter feed), were discussing the new comic book movie adaptation on Netflix, Old Guard, starring Charlize Theron. And this makes sense — movies always rate more discussion than comics, even when those movies are bad, which all indications are that Old Guard is actually good. Anyway, my point here is that not only is Old Guard a movie, but it’s also an ongoing comic that is all kinds of excellent. Old Guard: Force Multiplied #5 marks the end of the second story arc, and it is a most worthy purchase, indeed.
Buy It Digitally: Old Guard: Force Multiplied #5
Others Receiving Votes
Amazing Spider-Man #44
Aquaman #61
Avengers #34
Conan: Battle for the Serpent Crowd #3
Dark Nights: Death Metal #2
Die! Die! Die! #11
Family Tree #7
Gideon Falls #23
Justice League #49
Ludocrats #3
Metal Men #8
Once & Future #9
Strange Adventures #3
Vampirella #11
Undone By Blood #4
New #1s and One-Shots
2020 iWolverine #1
Bettie Paige #1
Empyre #1
FCBD - X-Men #1
Giant-Size X-Men: Magneto #1
It Eats What It Feeds #1 (read our review!)
Sacred Six #1
Snake Eyes: Deadgame #1
Star Trek Deep Space Nine: Too Long A Sacrifice #1
Transformers ‘84: Secrets and Lies #1
Trade Paperbacks and Graphic Novels of Note
PICK OF THE WEEK
Jack Kirby: The Epic Life of the King of Comics HC
Writer/Artist/Letterer: Tom Scioli
Publisher: Ten Speed Press
Price: $28.99
This sweeping, full-color comic book biography tells the complete life story of Jack Kirby, co-creator of some of the most enduring super-heroes and villains of the twentieth century for Marvel Comics, DC Comics, and more. Tom Scioli breathes visual life into Kirby's life story, from his days growing up during the Great Depression to his time on the frontlines of World War II and on to his world-changing collaborations at Marvel with Stan Lee. Just as every great superhero needs a villain to overcome, Kirby's story also includes his struggles to receive the recognition and compensation that he believed his work deserved. Drawn from an unparalleled imagination and a life as exciting as his comic book tales, Kirby's super-creations have influenced subsequent generations of creatives. Readers can experience the life and times of a comics titan through the medium that made him famous.
Why It’s Cool: Tom Scioli is a cartoonist’s cartoonist, a hectic illustrator whose intricate attention to detail and craft is striking on every page he draws. This book sees Scioli hitting a whole new level, both in terms of the abstract cartooning that makes up the book as well as the intensive level of research that forms the foundation of this reality-based biography of Jack “The King” Kirby. I’ve read my fairshare of previous books about The King, and this book still taught me quite a bit more about his life. In addition, the book sees Scioli trying what felt like some new things to me around abstractions, with Kirby’s eyes for example standing out as just one bit of interesting visual experimentation in this book. Anyway, if you have any interest in Jack Kirby or mainstream comics history, this book has quite a lot to offer you.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer Angel Hellmouth TP
Dreaming, Vol. 1 One Magical Movement TP
Eat And Love Yourself OGN TP
Empowered Omnibus, Vol. 1 TP
Grot: Story of the Swamp Grifters TP
It’s Your Funeral GN
Loud TP
Ms. Marvel by Saladin Ahmed Vol. 2 Stormranger TP
Oblivion Song Book 1 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.