By Zack Quaintance — In the Top Comics to Buy for March 2, 2022, there are a few books that surprised me, and I always appreciate that. One thing I’ve learned from doing this weekly list (for like four years now!), is that you can try to guess what the best books of the week will be, but actually reading the advanced review comics will always upend it. And this is one of those weeks where the upending was just delightful, especially with our pick of the week…

Check out the full list below, and enjoy!

Top Comics to Buy for March 2, 2022

PICK OF THE WEEK
Radio Spaceman: Mission to Numa 4 #1
Writer: Mike Mignola
Artist: Greg Hinkle
Colorist: Dave Stewart
Letterer: Clem Robins
Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
When a ship crashes and lands on a mysterious planet and some of the surviving crew go missing, the mysterious mechanical hero Radio Spaceman is called to investigate. But the planet hides much more than the missing crew, and Radio Spaceman may be stumbling into more than even he can handle.
Based on Mignola's viral pencil sketches, Radio Spaceman is a steampunk space adventure full of mystery, monsters, and awesome gadgets. Featuring the amazing art of Greg Hinkle (The Beauty, Black Cloud) and colors by longtime Mignolaverse collaborator Dave Stewart, this new series is perfect for Mignola fans old and new!
Why It’s Cool: I didn’t really go into this comic with any expectations. I knew it was based on popular pencil sketches Mignola had been posting online, but past that, did not know thing one about this book — and it absolutely blew me away. It’s got everything I love about Mike Mignola comics — from the pulpy sensibilities to the dry humor — and the artwork by Greg Hinkle is an absolute fit, falling somewhere between past Mignola collaborator Guy Davis and Mignola himself. I would recommend this book to anyone this week, it’s that simple; pick it up.
Price: $3.99
Buy It Here: Radio Spaceman - Mission to Numa 4 #1

Batman: Killing Time #1
Writer: Tom King
Artist: David Marquez
Colorist: Alejandro Sanchez
Letterer: Clayton Cowles
Publisher: DC Comics
"Three villains, one Dark Knight, and a deadly heist gone wrong.
Catwoman, the Riddler, and the Penguin join forces to pull off the greatest robbery in the history of Gotham City. And their prize? A mysterious and priceless artifact in the secret possession of Bruce Wayne! But, as the events unfold, what fun is a heist without a bloody double cross or two?
The blockbuster team of Tom King and David Marquez bring an epic, white-knuckled, action-packed tale of a young Batman desperate to recover his most prized possession from a host of violent rogues before the clock strikes the Killing Time... "
Why It’s Cool: Our resident Tom King expert, Steve Baxi, will have a full review of this book tomorrow, but in short, David Marquez doesn’t draw bad comics, basically ever, and in this one his pristine linework is paired with colorist Alejandro Sanchez and writer Tom King, who delivers a packed script that feels like a rich and mysterious bank heist thriller. This is a must-read for Batman fans, sure to stoke excitement for the new movie.
Price: $4.99
Buy It Here: Batman - Killing Time #1

The Blue Flame #7
Writer: Christopher Cantwell
Artist: Adam Gorham
Colorist: Kurt Michael Russell
Letterer: Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou
Publisher: Vault Comics
Facing consequences for his most recent act of vigilantism, Sam plummets towards rock bottom. Meanwhile, the Blue Flame gets a firsthand look at what happens when an entire civilization is annihilated. Shattered by what he witnesses, the Flame desperately searches for some proof of a benevolent force in the universe, as Sam faces his own oblivion in Milwaukee.
Why It’s Cool: One of the most pyschologically complex and emotionally resonant superhero comics stories of our time (though calling it a superhero comics story feels increasingly off), The Blue Flame #7 continues to slowly pull the curtain back past what’s really happening in this book, and what’s behind it is making all that’s come before even more poignant.
Price: $3.99
Buy It Here: The Blue Flame #7

The Thing #5
Writer: Walter Mosley
Artist: Tom Reilly
Colorist: Jordie Bellaire
Letterer: VC’s Joe Sabino
Publisher: Marvel Comics
“THE NEXT BIG THING” CONTINUES! What began as just a simple altercation in Manhattan has now spiraled into a cosmic showdown on the moon, as the Thing faces off with a trio of familiar villainous faces from the past! And should he win out, the greatest and most implacable enemy of all is waiting for him in the wings! There’s drama, action, romance, revelations, surprises and excitement as Walter Mosley and Tom Reilly’s epic adventure reaches its penultimate issue!
Why It’s Cool: This book has been near-perfect, an excellent distillation of a classic Marvel character brought to life by Walter Mosley (clearly having an absolute blast just doing this) and Tom Reilly, one of the cleanest and best artists work in superhero comics. This is quite possibly my favorite book at Marvel right now, it’s that good, and this week we’ve got the penultimate issue.
Price: $3.99
Buy It Here: The Thing #5

Wrong Earth: Trapped on Teen Planet #1
Writer: Gail Simone
Artists: Walter Geovani (inked by Rob Lean) and Bill Morrison
Colorist: Andy Troy
Letterer: Rob Steen
Publisher: AHOY Comics
The first of five unique one-shots building and expanding on the world of AHOY's The Wrong Earth, by some of the biggest names in comics! First off: superstar writer Gail Simone contributes an extra-long story as grim and gritty vigilante Dragonfly is whisked to an alternate Earth of teen-agers, malt shops, love triangles, and school dances! Will this innocent world soften him? Or will his violent methods poison it? Featuring variant covers by Dan Parent (Archie) and Gene Ha (Top Ten, Mae).
Why It’s Cool: Holy cow, this book is an absolute blast. It’s a little different than the way previous iterations of Wrong Earth have made light of the multiverse, but it fits the classic comic property it’s skewing so well. Oh, and that property is Archie…
Price: $3.99

Others Receiving Votes

• Arkham City: The Order of the World #6

• Black Panther #4

• Buckhead #4

• Daredevil: Woman Without Fear #3

• Dark Knights of Steel #5

• Devil’s Reign X-Men #2

• Love and Rockets #11

• Manor Black: Fire in Blood #2

• Monkey Prince #2

• Moon Knight #9

• Newburn #4

• Nita Hawes Nightmare Blog #5

• The Nice House on the Lake #7

• One-Star Squadron #4

New #1s and One-Shots

• 7174 Annual #1

• Devil’s Reign Spider-Man #1

• DieNamite Never Dies #1

• G.I. Joe Real American Hero #1 (One-Shot)

• Jim Henson Storyteller Shapeshifters #1

• Loaded Bible: Blood of My Blood #1

• Rogue Sun #1

• Star Trek Discovery: Adventures in the 32nd Century #1

• Star Trek: Klingons #1

• Star Trek Mirror War: Captain La Forge #1

• Strange #1

• Transformers Best of Megatron #1 (One-Shot)

• The War for Earth-3 #1

• What If…Miles Morales #1

Trade Collections and Graphic Novels of Note

• Absolute Wonder Woman: Gods and Mortals HC

• Engineward TP

• Frontiersman Vol. 1 TP

• Ice Cream Man, Vol. 1 Rainbow Sprinkles TP Seuss Parody Edition

• Nice House on the Lake, Vol. 1 TP

• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Ultimate Collection, Vol. 6 TP

• The Me You Love In the Dark TP

Read more great graphic novel and comics reviews!

Zack Quaintance is a tech reporter by day and freelance writer by night/weekend. He has written about comics for The Beat and NPR Books, among others. He Tweets compulsively about storytelling and comics as Comics Bookcase.