By Zack Quaintance — It might just be me, but it feels like it’s been a little while since we’ve had one of these weird fifth Wednesdays, always a disruptive force in the monthly comics market. Yet, here on the Top Comics to Buy for March 30, 2022 list we still have plenty of excellent books. In fact, I had some difficulty narrowing down the full list. But! I have solidered through and done it anyway. Check out the full list of recommendations below.

Enjoy!

Top Comics to Buy for March 30, 2022

PICK OF THE WEEK
Astro City: That Was Then…Special
Writer: Kurt Busiek
Artist: Brent Anderson
Colorist: Alex Sinclair
Cover and Character Designs: Alex Ross
Lettering and Design: ComiCraft’s Tyler Smith and Jimmy Betancourt
Publisher: Image Comics
ASTRO CITY returns with an all-new special! Who were the Jayhawks? How did they inspire five teen sidekicks looking for answers to hit the road in a rickety crime mobile in 1969? And how will this affect Astro City in the present? This one-shot special features new and existing heroes and launches a mystery that will drive the forthcoming ASTRO CITY series. And don’t miss the ASTRO CITY METROBOOK, collecting the first three years of the acclaimed series!
Why It’s Cool: I basically grew up reading Astro City, the first book to really expand my understanding of what both superheroes and comics could be, and now with its first new issue in nearly four years, I’m stunned at how consistent and excellent this city remains. This new special is fantastic, just a well-done story that happens to have superheroes in it. It’s loaded with rewards for long-time readers but it also ranks as an excellent entry point for new readers who are wondering what Astro City is all about. And if you like what you see here, you can head immediately over to another new release this week, Astro City Metrobook, Vol. 1, a hefty paperback with the first 20 issues or so of this landmark series.
Price: $3.99
Buy It Here: Digital
Read our full review of Astro City: That Was Then….Special!

Batman: One Dark Knight
Writer/Artist: Jock
Letterer: Clem Robins
Publisher: DC Comics - Black Label
With the power out across Gotham, Batman must haul the not-particularly-cooperative villain responsible, E.M.P., across miles of chaotic city streets, filled with terrified people and opportunistic criminals! Blackgate Prison can nullify E.M.P.'s destructive electrical powers, if Batman can survive long enough to get them there-but what happens if there are two people loose in Gotham with those powers? What then? The mega-talented Jock (Batman: The Black Mirror, The Batman Who Laughs) writes and draws the blockbuster story of Batman's worst night!
Why It’s Cool: Simply put, this one is a banger. It’s a simple premise — an EMT has sunk Gotham into a major black out and left Batman without his digital toys. And now street gangs and (I think) corrupt cops are causing all kinds of problems. Jock’s artwork is stellar, the book is fast-paced, and the end result is something that feels a bit like Batman meets The Warriors. This book is a total banger, and if you’re not reading, I highly recommend pre-ordering the hardcover collection, due out in September.
Price: $6.99
Buy It Here: Digital

Newburn #5
Writer: Chip Zdarsky, with a back-up by Casey Gilly
Artist: Jacob Phillips, with a back-up by Soo Lee
Letterer: Jacob Phillips, with a back-up by Toben Racicot
Publisher: Image Comics
Newburn finds himself in his most dangerous position yet - in prison, surrounded by the men he helped put there.
PLUS: A thrilling new backup story BEGINS! In "SPOOK-A-RAMA" by GILLY and LEE, if the cops won't investigate her best friend's murder, can Ronnie solve it herself?
Why It’s Cool: Newburn has been strong since the series debut late last year, featuring a clever concept for a noir crime story, wherein the titular character is a sort of third party authoritative entity to the mob families and other criminals that operate in his city. He’s not a cop, but he sort of functions as one for crime organizations, investigating suspicious deaths and operating with autonomy to ensure they get along, as much as they can, anyway. This issue sees Newburn going to prison, and from there we get an excellent start to a new story in this book. Also of note is the fantastic new back-up story here by Casey Gilly and Soo Lee. All good things in this issue.
Price: $3.99
Buy It Here: Digital

Step By Bloody Step #2
Writer: Si Spurrier
Artist: Matías Bergara
Colorist: Matheus Lopes
Graphic Design: Emma Price
Publisher: Image Comics
Spring turns to summer; the child grows rebellious; the savage walk goes on.
But all roads lead to civilization. And all civilizations lead to war.
Why It’s Cool: After the first issue of Step By Bloody Step (which was excellent), I had wondered if the book might move away from being a silent story, told without any dialogue or captions. The first issue was a visual tour de force, an incredible and stunning and gutsy intro to a new fantasy comic, but I thought maybe the creative team was using the oversized silent format to reel in readers before a second issue might arrive to deliver more proscriptive exposition. Friends, that is not what happened. The second issue is once again silent, and it works so well, taking us through more of this gorgeous fantasy world and upping the stakes for the conflict. There are plenty of unanswered questions, and it’s fine. More than fine, it’s intriguing and well done, trusting the power of the art (and it is very powerful) and the intelligence of the reader to follow along. I love this book.
Price: $4.99
Buy It Here: Digital
Read our review of Step By Bloody Step #1!

TMNT Annual 2022 #1
Writer/Artist: Juni Ba
Colors: Ronda Pattinson
Letters: Shawn Lee
Story Consulting: Kevin Eastman and Tom Waltz
Publisher: IDW Publishing
The Turtles embark on a secret mission to their roots, but a mysterious creature hunts them relentlessly. The Turtles will have to find a new way to come together to escape their foe-and the pain that haunts them. A special story of remembrance and family written and drawn by acclaimed artist Juni Ba!
Why It’s Cool: I absolutely love the work of cartoonist Juni Ba, whose breakout book Djeliya I wrote about for NPR Books last summer. This year, Ba has built upon the success of his breakout OGN with a new anthology series from Image Comics called Monkey Meat (read my full review of Monkey Meat #2, maybe my favorite individual issue of the year). And now — because apparently we can have nice things — he’s written and illustrated the new TMNT Annual, which is a surprisingly deep and touching meditation on grief (with mutant ninjas of course). I should note that I’m not caught up on the current TMNT series, but that I still enjoyed this comic as a standalone story, enjoyed it so much that it was a no-brainer pick for this list.
Price: $6.99
Buy It Here: Digital / Physical
Where to start with TMNT comics in 2022!

Others Receiving Votes

Aquamen #2
Dark Ages #6
DC Vs. Vampires #6
Ghost Rider #2
Hellboy Silver Lantern Club #5
Miles Morales: Spider-Man #36
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #127
Something Is Killing the Children #21
The Swamp Thing #11
Usagi Yojimbo: Lone Goat and Kid #3
War For Earth-3 #2

New #1s and One-Shots

Batman: Beyond the White Knight #1
Batman: Faze Clan #1
Buffy The Vampire Slayer 25th Anniversary Special #1
Cities of Magick #1
Hulk Grand Design: Monster #1
Immortal X-Men #1
Season of the Bruja #1
Sensational Wonder Woman Special #1
Shadow War Alpha #1
X-Men Unlimited Latitude #1
ZVRC Zombies vs Robots Classics #1

Trade Collections and Graphic Novels of Note

Astro City Metrobook Vol 1 TP
Good Luck TP
Pearl Vol 1 TP Dark Horse Edition
Poiko Quests & Stuff GN
Walk Me To The Corner TP
X-Men By Jonathan Hickman Omnibus HC

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.