Top Comics to Buy for November 27, 2019: Batman Creature of the Night, Ascender, and more!

By Zack Quaintance — Sorry for the delay this week, but it’s actually kind of fitting because our comic of the week is Batman Creature of the Night #4. So, why does that make it kind of fitting? Well, because two years have elapsed between the release of Batman Creature of the Night #1 and this week’s finale.

Like that comic, here’s hoping this week’s Top Comics to Buy for November 27, 2019 is also very much worth the wait!

Top Comics to Buy for

*PICK OF THE WEEK*
Batman Creature of the Night #4
Writer:
Kurt Busiek
Artist: John Paul Leon
Letterer: Todd Klein
Publisher: DC Comics
Price: $5.99
Bruce Wainwright is not the man he believed himself to be. He never was. But when you've unleashed horror on the world... what can you do about it? Is Bruce human after all? Or has he become more than a man? It's the unmissable finale of one of the best-reviewed miniseries of the year, sure to go down as a modern Batman classic!
Why It’s Cool: Like its conceptual and spiritual predecessor, Superman Secret Identity, this comic has just been a tour de force, one that speaks to the emotional core of an iconic character. The concept here is that this is a metafictional Batman book set in a more realistic world. This is a bit of a tried concept, and, as such, what has really made this comic standout has been the execution. Writer Kurt Busiek, artist John Paul Leon, and letterer Todd Klein are all at the top of their respective creative roles in the industry, and it has shown through the past chapters of this book. Simply put, the finale is here and it is a MUST BUY comic.

Ascender #7
Writer:
Jeff Lemire
Artist: Dustin Nguyen
Letterer: Steve Wands
Publisher: Image Comics
Price: $3.99
"THE DEAD SEA," Part Two-As Captain Telsa struggles in the jaws of a massive WereWhale, the secret of what happened to her during the Second Descender attack is finally revealed!
Why It’s Cool: The biggest compliment that I can pay this issue of Ascender is that while reading it, I had the thought that this series has been better than its predecessor, Descender. And I really do. Artist Dustin Nguyen just feels so unencumbered with the space and fantasy concept versus just the hard sci-fi concept. So yes, this series has been fantastic since it’s start. What elevates this book to must-buy status is that the plot actually gives us a bit of connective tissue between the two series, but just enough to orient us a bit more without taking the mystery away from all of it. It’s great stuff, and our committee (of one) highly recommends it.

Criminal #10
Writer:
Ed Brubaker
Artist: Sean Phillips
Colorist: Jacob Phillips
Publisher: $3.99
Price: $3.99
The CRIMINAL epic moves toward its brutal climax, as Private Detective Dan Farraday reenters the scene... while Teeg prepares for the biggest heist of his career. And as always, CRIMINAL contains back page art and articles only found in the single issues.
Why It’s Cool: Criminal is just so so so consistently excellent, in every way, from the writing to the artwork to the characters. It’s so good that it’s the type of comic I feel liable to take for granted. This issue continues what has been one of the longer sustained arcs in this new run of Criminal, shifting perspective a bit as it does in a way that’s really effective and engaging...before shifting back at the end. The point is, however, that this story continues to be great. If you’ve liked the issues that have come before, you’ll like this issue as well.

Lazarus Risen #3
Writer:
Greg Rucka
Artist: Michael Lark w/Tyler Boss
Colorist: Santi Arcas
Letterer: Simon Bowland
Publisher: Image Comics
Price: $7.99
END OF STORY ARC! "FRACTURE I," Conclusion-Revenge is a dish best served bloody. Forever faces the Zmey once again, but this time it's a battle of a different sort. On the home front, Eight's problems get worse, and Abigail breaks her silence. Featuring an all-new prose story by award-winning writer ANDREW CONSTANT, artifacts from the firm of Trautmann and Howe, an all-new World of Lazarus: Tools of War, and more...
Why It’s Cool: If it wasn’t for a finale that’s been like 18-plus months in the making, Lazarus Risen would have easily been our PICK OF THE WEEK. This book is just so immersive, and it has been from its start. Lazarus Risen almost transcends the medium, feeling realistic in ways that only movies, TV, and the top-tier of novels can. It’s also an aggressively prescient comic, one that has ended up mirroring current events. Essentially, world news has caught up a (scary) amount to the future depicted in this comic. Not only does our committee (of one) highly recommend this issue, we recommend that any and all fans of comics go back and read this one from the start. It’s really that good.

The Plot #3
Writer:
Tim Daniel & Michael Moreci
Artist: Joshua Hixson
Colorist: Jordan Boyd
Letterer: Jim Campbell
Publisher: Vault Comics
Price: $3.99
A startling revelation leaves the nascent Blaine family unit shaken. Reese and Chase both experience ominous visions.
Why It’s Cool: Speaking of comics that really are that good, our next book has been getting quite a bit of hype online since its launch over the summer. And you know what? All of it is deserved. Simply put, The Plot is the best horror comic coming out these days, which really says a lot because there are so many great horror comics coming out these days. This book is just so cinematic, so polished, and so, frankly, creepy as all got-damned hell. If you’re looking for something eerie, look no further than this generational family horror story about muck and legacies.

New #1s and One-Shots

  • Conan 2099 One-Shot

  • The Crow: Hark the Herald #1

  • Fantastic Four Negative Zone #1

  • Killadelphia #1

  • Ogres #1

  • Punisher 2099 One-Shot

  • Scream: Curse of Carnage #1

  • Tales From the Dark Multiverse: Infinite Crisis #1

  • Space Riders: Vortex of Darkness #1

  • Star Trek: Picard Countdown #1

  • Witchfinder: Reign of Darkness #1

Others Receiving Votes

  • Basketful of Heads #2

  • East of West #44

  • Ether: Disappearance of Violet Bell #3

  • From Hell: Master Edition #8

  • Invisible Kingdom #7

  • John Constantine: Hellblazer #2

  • Machine Gun Wizards #4

  • Mall #4

  • Martian Manhunter #10

  • New Mutants #2

  • Relics of Youth #3

  • Resonant #5

  • Second Coming #5

  • Terrifics #22

  • X-Force #2

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.