By Zack Quaintance — Holy cow, whereas last week was a bit slim for our purposes, the Top Comics to Buy for October 13, 2021 list is just brimming. We’ve got one of those fantastic lists where the fives top books are from a variety of publishers, and it just goes from there. What you’ll find below is a varied set of both monthly comics (floppies, as we call them) and trade paperback collections, as well as graphic novels.

Check out our picks….and enjoy!

Top Comics to Buy for October 13, 2021

Deadbox #2
Writer: Mark Russell
Artist: Benjamin Tiesma
Colorist: Vladimir Popov
Letterer: Andworld
Publisher: Vault Comics
A swap meet throws a marriage into crisis and threatens to undermine the faithful of Lost Turkey. The healing powers of a rom-com are required.
Why It’s Cool: Mark Russell doesn’t really write bad comics, but his best work is when he’s able to be at his most thoughtful, which is certainly what this book has enabled through two issues. It’s sort of a thematic anthology, with a throughline about a young woman living in a small town. But so far both issues have felt very different, with different stories within stories that also speak to what’s happening in the small town narrative. It’s great, very smart stuff, and the team of artist Benjamin Tiesma and colorist Vladimir Popov are knocking it out of the park. Books like this continue to make 2021 the best year yet for publisher Vault Comics.
Price: $3.99
Buy It Here: Deadbox #2

Iron Man #13
Writer: Christopher Cantwell
Artist: Cafu
Colorist: Frank D’Armata
Letterer: Joe Caramagna
Publisher: Marvel Comics
The epic showdown between Iron Man and his allies and Korvac and his cohort continues aboard Galactus’ worldship! Reinforcements have finally arrived, and Tony Stark now stands a better chance of stopping Korvac from accessing the Power Cosmic and becoming a power-crazed god all over again! Can Tony—and War Machine, Hellcat, Scarlet Spider, Frog-Man, Gargoyle, Misty Knight and Halcyon—end this fight once and for all? Or are things about to get a whole lot worse? And if they do, will Tony be forced to make a choice that alters the course of his very human existence forever?
Why It’s Cool: Immortal Hulk ends this week, bringing to a close the most exciting prestige Marvel Comics run of the day — but what if I told you, there is another? Well, there is, and it’s this Iron Man run by Christopher Cantwell, Cafu, Frank D’Armata, and Joe Caramagna. It’s just so good, embracing pulpy science fiction and outsized superhero storytelling that draws delightfully from continuity. I just love it, and I highly recommend this book.
Price: $3.99
Buy It Here: Iron Man #13

Mazebook #2
Writer/Artist: Jeff Lemire
Letterer: Steve Wands
Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
Jeff Lemire! Will's a melancholy building inspector who's been grieving the loss of his puzzle-loving daughter for years. One evening he receives a mysterious phone call from a girl claiming it's her and that she's trapped in the middle of a labyrinth, setting Will off on a journey digging through her personal journals and puzzles for answers on where she is and how to bring her back home. "Mazebook is a deeply haunting and powerfully human work by one of the greatest living masters of the comic medium. You do not want to miss this book."–James Tynion IV
Why It’s Cool: This might be the best Jeff Lemire work in years, which is really saying something. It’s an immersive and heart-rending story steeped in mystery, and it relies more on conveying the human experience than it does on over-inflated genre touches. It is, in a few words, very good comics. One of the true must-read books of the year.
Price: $5.99
Buy It Here: Mazebook #2

Superman and the Authority #4
Writer: Grant Morrison
Artist: Mikel Janin
Colorist: Jordie Bellaire
Letterer: Tom Napolitano
Publisher: DC Comics
Is the team ready for what’s next? Will the Man of Steel’s new super-group fall apart before they even begin? The Ultra-Humanite has put together his own team of rogues designed to match the Authority fist for fist. This series comes to an explosive conclusion that will threaten to split the Man of Steel in half!
Why It’s Cool: If this is truly the last Big 2 comic the great Grant Morrison will ever write — wow, what a way to go out. This series has been an action-packed romp that revels in the tropiness of the genre Morrison has spent their career exploring, while at the same time taking aim at the damaging forces of the day, from white supremacists to NFTs. So yes, this might be the end of Morrison with mainstream superhero work, but sit back and enjoy it — it’s unsurprisingly great.
Price: $4.99
Buy It Now: Superman and the Authority #4

Wasted Space #24
Writer: Michael Moreci
Artist: Hayden Sherman
Colorist: Jason Wordie
Letterer: Jim Campbell
Publisher: Vault Comics
The penultimate issue of the acclaimed sci-fi hit is here. Billy sets himself up for a showdown with the Creator, while Molly and Dust face heavy resistance in their efforts to free the galaxy. Twists and turns abound, all leading to Wasted Space's most shocking climax.
Why It’s Cool: This is the penultimate issue of our favorite space opera in all of comics, and we are sitting here amazed at how this book is somehow getting even better as it heads towards its conclusion. It’s also paying off all the character beats, ideas, and big moments we’ve loved in this story from its start. Can’t wait until this one is all compiled in one giant hardcover edition (hopefully soon!).
Price: $3.99
Buy It Now: Wasted Space #24

Others Receiving Votes

Amazing Spider-Man #76
Batman ‘89 #3
Batman Urban Legends #8
Black Hammer Reborn #4
Home Sick Pilots #10
Immortal Hulk #50
Joker #8
Kang The Conqueror #2
Ka-Zar: Lord of the Savage Land #2
Mamo #4
Second Coming: Only Begotten Son #6
Six Sidekicks of Trigger Keaton #5
Unbelievable Unteens From the World of Black Hammer #3
Wonder Woman #780
X-Men #4

New #1s and One-Shots

Batman: The Audio Specials #1
Batman: The Imposter #1
Black Panthers Legends #1
Darkhold Iron Man #1 (One-Shot)
Eternals Forever #1
ET-ER #1
James Bond: Himeros #1
Ms. Marvel Tales #1
No One Left to Fight II #1
Rick and Morty: Mr. Nimbus #1 (One-Shot)
Star Trek: The Mirror War #1
Star Wars High Republic: Trial of Shadows #1
Transformers: Wreckers Tread and Circuits #1
World Of Darkness Crimson Thaw #1

Trade Collections and Graphic Novels

Batman Arkham Asylum The Deluxe Edition HC
Batman The Long Halloween Deluxe Edition HC
Black Hammer Visions Vol 1 HC
Dead Dog’s Bite HC
Deathstroke By Christopher Priest Omnibus HC
Helm Greycastle TP
Inferior Five TP
Mooncakes Collectors Edition HC
Nexus Newspaper Strips Vol 1 The Coming Of Gourmando TP
Nocterra Vol 1 Full Throttle Dark TP
Sheets Collectors Edition HC
Specter Inspectors TP
Ultramega By James Harren Vol 1 TP
Young Hellboy The Hidden Land 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.