Top Comics to Buy for July 21, 2021
By Zack Quaintance — Remember how last week I was semi-complaining about how there weren’t too many new #1s to review? Well friends, this week’s list of Top Comics to Buy for July 21, 2021 is the exact opposite. We’ve got new #1 comics to spare (many of them great), as well as some returning favorites. You can check out our full list of picks (as always) below…
Enjoy!
Top Comics to Buy for July 21, 2021
PICK OF THE WEEK
Superman Red and Blue #5
Writers: Judd Winick, G. Willow Wilson, Joshua Williamson, Mark Buckingham, and Daniel Warren Johnson
Artists: Ibrahim Moustafa, Valentine de Landro, Chris Sprouse, Mark Buckingham, and Daniel Warren Johnson
Inker: Karl Story (for the Williamson/Sprouse piece)
Colorist: Hi-Fi (for the Williamson/Sprouse piece), and Lee Loughridge (for the Buckingham piece)
Letterers: Wes Abbott, Josh Reed, Pat Brosseau, and Daniel Warren Johnson
Publisher: DC Comics
There’s no dog in the Multiverse quite like Superman’s real best friend, Krypto!
Join us this month for an epic retelling of Superman’s canine companion’s origin story, along with four additional tales about the Man of Steel, including one that proves that even in his secret identity Clark Kent is just as super. While Superman is known for his larger-than-life heroism, in this issue we tell the story of a delicate infant rocketed through the unforgiving universe! Also, meet for the first time the man rescued by Superman more often than anyone else in the Multiverse. And follow Pa Kent as he learns what it really means to be the father of a superhero.
You won’t want to miss the penultimate issue of this star-studded anthology celebrating the Man of Steel!
Why It’s Cool: This entire series has been excellent, compiling as it does short (often bold) stories about Superman done entirely in red and blue. This issue has three (three!) stories that really resonated emotionally with me, especially the first and last pieces, which were about having a dog and learning from your dad, respectively.
Price: $5.99
More Info: Superman Red and Blue #5
Home #4
Writer: Julio Anta
Artist: Anna Wieszczyk
Colorist: Bryan Valenza
Letterer: Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou
Publisher: Image Comics
Juan learns the truth of his father’s death and makes a mistake that could lead ICE agents to his aunt’s home.
Why It’s Cool: I’ve found Home to be one of the true must-read new comics of the year, and it continues to be excellent here in issue number four. This book opened with a fantastic slow-burn debut that withheld its genre concept in favor of depicting the real life conditions at the U.S.-Mexico Border. The issues that have followed have been similarly patient, which makes chapters like this one — in which we get more back story doled out — hit with extra weight.
Price: $3.99
More Info: Home #4
The Many Deaths of Laila Starr #4
Writer: Ram V.
Artist: Filipe Andrade
Letterer: AndWorld Design
Publisher: BOOM! Studios
The mortal incarnation of Death, Laila Starr, must confront the cruel nature of her role in the universe when she once again encounters the future creator of immortality who is drawing ever closer to his destiny.
Laila finds it increasingly difficult to divert the man from his path, who this time recognizes her and what she is, as he is now driven by grief from a terrible tragedy...
Why It’s Cool: This book has been fantastic in a singular way since its start, reading as a poetic meditation — both visually and narratively — on the concept of death, all set against excellent artwork and the interest setting of Mumbai. There’s almost a contained nature to these chapters, and this one absolutely excelled, hitting all the books usual core concepts as it found new ground as well. We’re lucky to have this book.
Price: $3.99
More Info: The Many Deaths of Laila Starr #4
Moon Knight #1
Writer: Jed MacKay
Artist: Alessandro Cappuccio
Colorist: Rachelle Rosenberg
Letterer: Cory Petit
Publisher: Marvel Comics
I AM MOON KNIGHT! The mysterious Mr. Knight has opened his Midnight Mission, his people petitioning for protection from the weird and horrible. The Moon Knight stalks the rooftops and alleys marked with his crescent moon tag, bringing violence to any who would harm his people. Marc Spector, in whichever guise he dons, is back on the streets, a renegade priest of an unworthy god. But while Khonshu languishes in a prison that Moon Knight put him in, Moon Knight must still observe his duty: protecting those who travel at night. Let it be known – Moon Knight will keep the faith.
Why It’s Cool: I’m a fan both of Moon Knight as a character as well as the recent Marvel Comics work of writer Jed MacKay, which has a hard-to-describe quality to it that I usually articulate as this just works. Well, here we are again with an excellent Moon Knight #1 issue that just works. I should also say that I think this is one of the most accessible first issues for the character in ages, one that would make a fantastic first Moon Knight comic for the uninitiated.
Price: $4.99
More Info: Moon Knight #1
Superman and the Authority #1
Writer: Grant Morrison
Artist: Mikel Janin
Colorist: Jordie Bellaire
Letterer:
Publisher: DC Comics - Black Label
Sometimes even Superman finds a task almost impossible. Sometimes even the Last Son of Krypton needs to enlist help. Some tasks require methods and heroes that don’t scream “Justice League.” So Clark Kent, the Metropolis Marvel, seeks out Manchester Black, the most dastardly of rogues, to form an all-new Authority tasked with taking care of some business on the sly. Not only will Black know the right candidates for the team, but if Superman can make him behave himself and act in service of the greater good, then he’ll prove literally anyone can be a hero! They’ll have to move quickly, however, as the Ultra-Humanite forms his own team to take out the Man of Steel.
This new limited series helps launch an all-new Superman status quo, setting up story elements that reverberate across both Action Comics and Superman: Son of Kal-El in the months to come. And not only is Superman putting together a superstar team, but it takes superstars to tell the tale: Grant Morrison (The Green Lantern, All-Star Superman) and Mikel Janín (Batman, Future State: Superman: Worlds of War)!
Why It’s Cool: This first issue sees writer Grant Morrison unsurprisingly collaborating excellently with the powerhouse art team of Mikel Janin and colorist Jordie Bellaire. There’s a lot of setup in this book, but it doesn’t feel like that — delivering an excellent future status quo for Superman through a back-and-forth with the rascal, Manchester Black. If this first issue is any indication, we’re in for some excellent comics with this four-part book.
Price: $4.99
More Info: Superman and the Authority #1
Others Receiving Votes
Ascender #17
Black Hammer Reborn #2
Catwoman #33
Everfrost #2
Flash #772
Guardians of the Galaxy #16
Home Sick Pilots #7
Justice League #65
Marauders #22
Nightwing #81
Proctor Valley Road #5
Project Patron #4
Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow #2
Usagi Yojimbo #21
Wasted Space #22
New #1s and One-Shots
Bermuda #1
Blue and Gold #1
Dark Blood #1
Dejah Thoris Versus John Carter of Mars #1
Extreme Carnage: Phage #1
Flash Annual 2021 #1
M.O.M.: Mother of Madness #1
Shazam! #1
Star Wars: War of the Bounty Hunters - Jabba the Hutt #1
Syphon #1
Tales From Harrow County: Fair Folk #1
Thor Annual #1
Trade Collections and Graphic Novels of Note
Bliss TP (read our interview with the creators!)
Bubble TP
Future State: Wonder Woman TP
Mawrth Valliss GN
Once & Future Vol 3 Parliament Of Magpies TP
Orwell GN
Yasmeen TP
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.