By Zack Quaintance — This doesn’t have much to do with our Top Comics to Buy for December 11, 2019, but it’s my site and I don’t have a profit motivation (even a little bit whatsoever) to feel beholden to, so I’m going to lead with it anyway — you all, I organized a bunch of the big stack of comics I have laying around my office this weekend, and it feels incredible. I’ve moved across the country twice now, and as such I’m seriously re-thinking my approach to physically collecting comic books.

What this means is I’m making a concerted effort to limit my collection to roughly 1,500 comics, kept in hard plastic boxes with dividers that hold 150 each, thereby making them easier to carry for myself or movers, and more resistant to being crushed in a truck. I’m also getting all the books that I do decide to keep into hefty mylar. It’s a big undertaking, but I’ve now got one box done, and hoo boy, is it a thrill of the most exhausting and minor variety. Anyway, thanks for listening!

And now, on to this week’s comics!

Top Comics to Buy for December 11, 2019

*PICK OF THE WEEK*
Superman #18
Writer: Brian Michael Bendis
Pencils: Ivan Reis
Inker: Joe Prado
Colorist: Alex Sinclair
Letterer: Dave Sharpe
Publisher: DC Comics
Price: $3.99
With Superman's family scattered across the galaxy, our hero must confront some of his greatest concerns about himself and his place in the galaxy. Legendary artist Ivan Reis joins writer Brian Michael Bendis as they introduce the biggest change in the Man of Steel's life ever!
Why It’s Cool: I didn’t realize how hard this story would hit me until I got right into it. What happens in this issue is that a central tension of one of America’s most famous fictional character (a tension that is older than basically all of us) is removed, and we just sit back and watch the emotional stakes as they escalate and de-escalate. For sure, there will be standard punch-punch-punch superhero stories to come out of this, but it was nice to see Bendis, Reis, Prado, and crew get an entire issue for the big moment and some of its quieter repercussions.

New Mutants #3
Writer: Jonathan Hickman
Artist: Rod Reis
Letterer: Travis Lanham
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Price: $3.99
THE FUTURE COMES KNOCKING!
While the original New Mutants are off in space, the rest of the youth of Krakoa begin to make the future they want to live in. First up - Armor's outreach party, seeking young mutants who have chosen not to come to Krakoa.
Why It’s Cool: Since the Dawn of X, this book has been a standout title, giving us a classic concept with a new feel due to the changed status quo. Moreover, Dawn of X architect Jonathan Hickman is writing the first few issues of this one, saying on podcasts that he will be dropping into books periodically to do this sort of thing when he was to set up some bigger plot points within the larger ongoing X-Men narrative. Hickman clearly loves the New Mutant characters, and so all signs point to this continuing to be a must-read X-Men comic this week. This is also the issue where we tie back to Krakoa in some fashion, which always gets extra points from our committee (of one).

Something is Killing the Children #4.jpg

Something is Killing the Children #4
Writer: James Tynion IV
Artist: Werther Dell’edera
Colorist: Miquel Muerto
Letterer: Andworld Design
Publisher: BOOM! Studios
Price: $3.99
The FBI has come to the small town of Archer's Peak, allegedly to help stop more children from being killed. But when the Sheriff's department turns their investigation to Erica Slaughter, the FBI is more interested in getting in the way. As the horrified townspeople watch Erica arm herself for a war they can't see, tensions rise to their breaking point in this penultimate issue.
Why It’s Cool: This book has just been fantastic, from its concept to its characters to the stylish execution. This issue sees things escalate a bit, paying off the tip of some of what’s been promised from the building tension in the first three issues. It also does this thing that I like to see in comics where it starts throwing together some characters we’ve seen operating separately. The book has been so well-built from the start that we as an audience can now just sit back and start to watch the action unfold. It’s a wonderful thing.

Undiscovered Country #2
Writers: Scott Snyder & Charles Soule
Artists: Giuseppe Camuncoli & Daniele Orlandini
Colorist: Matt Wilson
Letterer: Crank!
Publisher: Image Comics
Price: $3.99
As the team goes on the run from the deadly Destiny Man, the focus shifts to Charlotte's brother, Daniel. Until this expedition, he was the only person on Earth to successfully infiltrate the black box that is the United States. What secrets did Daniel learn that might keep the team alive, and what did they cost him?
Why It’s Cool: When Undiscovered Country #1 hit last month, it felt like the next major milestone comic from Image, a publisher that had a string of such creator-owned books until as of late, but has been without a major major bonafied hit for a while. After reading the second issue of Undiscovered Country, our committee (of one) continues to believe that this comic has arrived to fill that gap. This issue answers some questions we had from the debut, serving up quite a bit more talking and less action than its predecessor, which is to be expected given the sheer ambition of the world-building on display here. Anyway, all in all, this remains an absolutely must-read comic, and we highly urge you to give it a shot.

Wasted Space #12
Writer: Michael Moreci
Artist: Hayden Sherman
Colorist: Jason Wordie
Letterer: Jim Campbell
Publisher: Vault Comics
Price: $3.99
Unwelcome (to Billy, at least) guests threaten to tear the Wasted Space team apart, and an old friend resurfaces!
Why It’s Cool: Speaking of must-read comics! Our last entry (alphabetically determined) on this week’s list is Wasted Space #12, which is the most recent chapter of hands down the best space opera in all of comics. This issue continues what has been the funniest arc of the book to date (which is really saying something), splitting up our core group, introducing some new characters, and reuniting us with some faces that have been missing for a minute. Out of all the comics I find myself raving about on a regular basis, Wasted Space is the one that is cover-to-cover consistently just the best time. I can’t recommend it enough — each and every one of you should be reading this comic.

New #1s and One-Shots

Annihilation Scourge: Beta Ray Bill #1
Annihilation Scourge: Silver Surfer #1
Criminal Macabre Big Bleed Out #1
Dark Knight Returns: The Golden Child #1
Dejah Thoris Vol. 3 #1
Doom 2099 One-Shot
Dungeons and Dragons: Infernal Tides #1
Dying is Easy #1
Hack Slash 15th Anniversary Celebration
Harley Quinn: Year of the Villain #1
Ocean Master: Year of the Villain #1
Red Mother #1
Scream Curse of Carnage #1
Spider-Man 2099 One-Shot
Star Trek Voyager: Mirrors and Smoke
Symbiote Spider-Man: Alien Reality #1
Tales From the Dark Multiverse: The Judas Contract #1

Others Receiving Votes

The Batman’s Grave #3
Captain America #17
Detective Comics #1017
Dollhouse Family #2
Ether: Disappearance of Violet Bell #4
Far Sector #2
Gideon Falls #19
Heist or How to Steal a Planet #2
Immortal Hulk #28
Moonshine #14
Morbius #2
Oblivion Song #22
Pretty Deadly: The Rat #4
Steeple #4
X-Force #3

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.