By Zack Quaintance — Happy Thanksgiving week everyone. It’s a weird year for holidays — I’m know I’m not travelling or welcoming family at all, due to pandemic — but comics are still coming out this week, and it’s actually a fairy great batch of new comics. This week’s choices for the Top Comics to Buy for November 25 include a different sort of Monstress comic, the latest issue of the hottest new book in direct market creator-owned comics, and more X of Swords.

You can find our picks below…enjoy!

Top Comics to Buy for November 25, 2020

PICK OF THE WEEK
Monstress: Talk Stories #1
Writer: Marjorie Liu
Artist: Sana Takeda
Lettering and Design: Rus Wooton
Editor: Jennifer M. Smith
Publisher: Image Comics
Price: $3.99
Bridging the gap between the fifth and sixth arc (which resumes in January 2021), MONSTRESS returns with TALK-STORIES, a two-part limited series that invites you to eat dumplings beside the fire and listen as Kippa recounts a defining moment from her childhood.
Why It’s Cool: Monstress is one of my favorite comics right now, ranking as my favorite modern entry in the fantasy genre. The main narrative has really soared to some epic heights of late, but for the next two months, we’re taking a breather from that. This is the first break month, and the Monstress - Talk Stories interlude delivers a poignant, emotional, and well-done contained story around one of the best supporting characters in all of comics. I highly recommend this book to both long-time Monstress readers as well as Monstress newbies alike. It’s very very good.
Buy It Here: Monstress - Talk Stories #1

Department of Truth #3
Writer: James Tynion IV
Artist: Martin Simmonds
Letterer: Aditya Bidikar
Designer: Dylan Todd
Editor: Steve Foxe
Publisher: Image Comics
Price: $3.99
Mary never knew what "false flag" or "crisis actor" meant, until her son was murdered in a mass shooting, and the threats and accusations began. But as her reality starts to bend around her, it’s the job of the Department of Truth to keep these dark conspiracies from coming true…at any cost. JAMES TYNION IV (Batman) & MARTIN SIMMONDS (Dying is Easy) continue their breakout thriller.
Why It’s Cool: Department of Truth has quickly established itself as one of the most exciting new creator-owned series of 2020, doing so by operating in a thematic area that deals in the problematic modern obsession with conspiracy theories. It does this much in the same way that the recent fantastic graphic novel Sabrina by Nick Drnaso does, just with the fantastical genre trappings one needs to make work viable in the direct market. What makes it all feel strikingly important and original is the artwork by Martin Simmonds, who is doing career-best work through the first three issues of this excellent new book.
Buy It Here: Department of Truth #3

I Walk With Monsters #1
Writer: Paul Cornell
Artist: Sally Cantirino
Colorist: Dearbhla Kelly
Letterer: Andworld Design
Publisher: Vault Comics
Price: $3.99
In Jacey’s past is the Important Man who took away her brother. Now Jacey has David, who sometimes transforms into a terrifying beast. Together, they’ve found a way to live--and to hunt, sniffing out men who prey on the vulnerable. But Jacey and David are about to run into the Important Man again. From Paul Cornell (Wolverine, Doctor Who, Elementary) and Sally Cantirino (Last Song, We Have To Go Back) comes a haunting story about the monsters that walk beside us all, and sometimes lurk within.
Why It’s Cool: Look, I don’t entirely know what happened in I Walk With Monsters #1. I sat down, started to read the comic, and about 15 minutes later or so I was finished, sitting in my chair and badly badly wanting to read the second issue. That’s all an exaggerated way to say that what we have here is an incredible immersive and engaging debut issues that will pull readers into a fully-formed world with great characters living through a fantastic set of mysteries. I loved this comic, and I highly recommend taking a chance on this series this week.
Buy It Here: I Walk With Monsters #1

Wasted Space #17
Writer: Michael Moreci
Artist: Hayden Sherman
Colorist: Jason Wordie
Letterer: Jim Campbell
Publisher: Vault Comics
Price: $3.99
The crew arrives on Earth (finally, amIright?) and find the planet to be--surprise!--a complete hellhole. But that just means more problems and crises for our band of galactic (non)heroes!
Why It’s Cool: Event his deep into the run, I’m still consistently impressed with how entertaining and clever Vault Comics’ excellent space opera, Wasted Space, is in each and every issue. This issue is no exception, drawing from some of the plot threads built well in the first arc of the series and also giving us a glimpse of the earth in this odd sci-fi future where the story takes place. In addition, the art team of Hayden Sherman and colorist Jason Wordie somehow continues to find new ways to level up, giving this book an increasingly-wonderful style and aesthetic.
Buy It Here: Wasted Space #17

X of Swords: Destruction #1
Writers: Jonathan Hickman and Tini Howard
Artist: Pepe Larraz
Colorist: Marte Gracia
Letterer: Clayton Cowles
Designer: Tom Mueller
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Price: $4.99
The wheel of fortune turns. The unfortunate fall.
A sword against the darkness.
Why It’s Cool: Well folks, it all comes down to this. The first linewide crossover of the new X-Men era is wrapping up with this finale issue. I haven’t read it yet (the Marvel review copies tend to hit late Monday), and I can’t possibly speculate what’s going to happen in this issue — this event has been filled with way too many expectation subverting twists for me to be comfortable doing that. What I do know is that this event has been a whole lot of fun, and the finale just might set a bunch of new plot directions for these books moving forward.
Buy It Here: X of Swords - Destruction #1

Others Receiving Votes

Action Comics #1027
Autumnal #3
Bleed Them Dry #5
Colonel Weird: Cosmagog #2
Daredevil #24
Doctor Doom #9
Dry Foot #3
John Constantine: Hellblazer #12
Killadelphia #10
Love and Rockets #9
The Plot #7
Shang-Chi #3
Tartarus #7
Thompson Heller: Detective Interstellar #2
Undiscovered Country #10

New #1s and One-Shots

Dark Nights: Death Metal - The Multiverse Who Laughs One-Shot
Kaiju Score #1
Other History of the DC Universe #1
Power Pack #1
Rick and Morty Presents Jaguar #1
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Best of Donatello
Usagi Yojimbo: Wanderer’s Road #1
Witcher: Fading Memories #1
X-Men #15

Graphic Novels and Trades

BANG! Vol. 1 TP
Criminal Deluxe Edition Vol. 3 HC Image Edition
Justice League International Omnibus Vol. 2 HC
NOIR: A Collection of Crime Comics HC
Question: The Deaths of Vic Sage HC
Rick and Morty Go To Hell TP
Sex Criminals: Six Criminals Vol. 6 TP
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Jennika 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.