By Zack Quaintance — This week sees a strong showing for superhero comics, thanks in part to a pair of on-going events as well as a one-off story that is almost certainly going to end up on my (vaunted!) Best Singles Issues of 2020 List. In addition, we have a superhero adjacent title from the Black Hammer Universe. Simply put, it’s a good week to like tights and capes.

Let’s check out our picks!

Top Comics to Buy for September 23, 2020

PICK OF THE WEEK
X of Swords Creation #1
Writers: Jonathan Hickman and Tini Howard
Artist: Pepe Larraz
Colorist: Marte Gracia
Letterer: Clayton Cowles
Publisher: Marvel Comics
X OF SWORDS – CHAPTER 1. A tower. A mission. A gathering of armies.
Why It’s Cool: When everything at a publisher is an event or microevent, nothing starts to feel like an event…and yet here comes X of Swords to disrupt that logic. The reason for this is that aside from the continued excellence of Immortal Hulk, X-Men is easily the brightest star at Marvel Comics right now, and a much-ballyhooed marquee story within the context of the line’s recent quality is a big reason to get excited. The creative team here is also essentially the same team from the House of X/Powers of X launch, with the very welcomed addition of writer Tini Howard, and for my money, the opening salvo of these comics is still the storyline to beat. This book is our pick of the week, because we’re optimistic X of Swords will be another major milestone for this over-arching storyline.
Buy It Digitally: X of Swords - Creation #1

Autumnal #1
Writer: Daniel Kraus
Artist: Chris Shehan
Colorist: Jason Wordie
Letterer: Jim Campbell
Publisher: Vault Comics
Following the death of her estranged mother, Kat Somerville and her daughter, Sybil, flee a difficult life in Chicago for the quaint--and possibly pernicious--town of Comfort Notch, New Hampshire. From NY Times best-selling author, Daniel Kraus (The Shape of Water, Trollhunters, The Living Dead), and rising star Chris Shehan, comes a haunting vision of America's prettiest autumn.
Why It’s Cool: Vault Comics is the most exciting publisher in the indie sphere, and all of their new series are essentially an event. Autumnal is no exception, combining as it does the incredible artwork of Chris Shehan, the tonally perfect autumnal shades of Jason Wordie, the strong characterization in Daniel Kraus’ script, and Jim Campbell’s always-excellent lettering. I’ve typed this thought so many times, but what continues to amaze me about Vault is how varied the thematic interests of their books are, yet how consistent is the quality of the storytelling.
Buy It Digitally: Autumnal #1

Flash #762 & Dark Nights Death Metal: Speed Metal #1
Writer: Joshua Williamson
Artists: Howard Porter & Eddy Barrows
Inker: Eber Rerreira
Colorist: Hi-Fi & Adriann Lucas
Letterer: Steve Wands
Publisher: DC Comics
“Finish Line” finale! Barry Allen and the Reverse-Flash race for the last time in this fast-paced conclusion. For years, Eobard Thawne has tormented Barry Allen, and now the Flash knows the only way to win is to make sure the Reverse-Flash never runs again! The story years in the making comes to a close as Joshua Williamson finishes his epic 101-issue run on The Flash!
Why It’s Cool: My buddy Joe Grunenwald — the managing editor at The Beat — tells me that this issue marks the end of the longest uninterrupted writer’s run on The Flash ever, and that only Cary Bates (130+) has written more issues of The Flash than Joshua Williamson, who has now written 100+. I’ve enjoyed this run throughout, so this one is a must-read for me, as is the Dark Nights: Death Metal - Speed Metal one-shot, which is a Wally West-centric companion piece/event tie-in. Anyway, overall it is a very good week to be into The Flash.
Buy It Here: Flash #762

Shazam! #15
Writer: Jeff Loveness
Artist: Brandon Peterson
Colorist: Mike Ativeh
Letterer: Rob Leigh
Publisher: DC Comics
After a night battling robots across the globe, Billy Batson finds out not everyone loves superheroes when one of his teachers unleashes a lecture on the ethics of unchecked power and privilege. It’ll take more than just the wisdom of Solomon for the teen hero to figure this one out.
Why It’s Cool: Writer Jeff Loveness just “gets” Shazam, and he uses his preternatural understanding of the character here to deliver a wonderful one-shot story that is among my favorite superhero comics of the year. It reminds me of the Steve Orlando/Laura Braga standalone story of Wonder Woman #51, in that it gets to the very core of this character, using the lasting appeal of the story to raise new questions about our lives in 2020…and it does it all with a few laughs and a bit of poignancy. Even if you haven’t read a Shazam comic in years, I’d still recommend this book, which anyone can just pick up and read with minimal confusion.
Buy It Digitally: Shazam! #15

Skulldigger and Skeleton Boy #4
Writer: Jeff Lemire
Artist: Tonci Zonjic
Letterer: Steve Wands
Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
In custody of Detective Reyes after a vigilante outing gone wrong, Skeleton Boy is caught between his desire for revenge and the idea that he may be in over his head. Meanwhile, Skulldigger and Grimjim's feud threatens to take out innocent bystanders.
Why It’s Cool: Artist Tonci Zonjic is one of the most talented creators in all of comics, and his collaboration on this series has led to my personal favorite Black Hammer Universe title, with the possible exception of the main title’s early run. This is just plain old amazing comics storytelling, with the visuals doing so much narrative work while at the same time getting space for some absolutely stunning splashes and panels. This book has been entertaining as all get out, but it’s also been a great read for anyone who appreciates the highest levels of comics craft.
Buy It Digitally: Skulldigger and Skeleton Boy #4

Others Receiving Votes

• Action Comics #1025

• After Realm Quarterly #3

• Aquaman #63

• Black Magick #14

• Bliss #3

• Canto II: The Hallow Men #2

• Daredevil #22

• Doctor Doom #7

• Engineward #3

• Gideon Falls #25

• Hidden Society #3

• Shadow Service #2

• Suicide Squad #9

• Undiscovered Country #8

• Wynd #4

New #1s and One-Shots

• An Unkindness of Ravens #1

• Batman, The Maxx Arkham Dreams Lost Years Compendium

• Fishkill #1

• Immortal She-Hulk One-Shot

• Juggernaut #1

• Miles to Go #1

Original Graphic Novels and Trade Collections of Note

PICK OF THE WEEK
Legion of Super-Heroes Five Years Later Omnibus Vol. 1 HC
Writer: Keith Giffen and Various
Artist: Keith Giffen and Various
Publisher: DC Comics
Price: $150
It's the Legion of Super-Heroes like you've never seen them before, as the United Planets becomes a darker place, with familiar characters changed and the Earth overtaken by alien invaders-prompting the Legion to take on these dangerous new threats. Now this bold era of DC history is collected in an omnibus edition!
Why It’s Cool: I’m a big fan of the heavy sci-fi plus superhero sophomoric teen love dramas that gives the Legion of Super-Heroes franchise it’s foundation. That said, I totally understand why it’s not more well-known…the obscurity and high-concept is a bit of what’s for sale here. Still, getting more of the old Legion comics collected always feels like a big win, all the more so when Keith Giffen is involved.

• Absolute Dark Knight HC New Edition

• Black Hammer Library Edition, Vol. 2 HC

• Black Head and Iron Hand Vol. 1 HC

• Doom Patrol, Weight of the Worlds TP

• Edgar Allan Poe’s Snifter of Terror Vol. 2 TP

• Essential Judge Dredd America TP

• Incorruptible Omnibus TP

• Irredeemable Omnibus TP

• Seance Tea Party TP

• Sweet Heart Vol. 1 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.