The ComiXology Holiday Sales Guide: Buy a Present for Yourself

By Zack Quaintance — For many of us comics fans, the holiday shopping season has come and gone now. Maybe (like me) you made it clear that you want comics, and maybe you got some comics (not to brag, but my family and friends got me two Lone Wolf & Cub omnibuses, tons of LCS gift cards, a couple of Saga Funkos, and the Becoming Andy Warhol graphic novel). You know what one of the most enticing things about this hobby is, though? With comics, there are always more.

So, why not get yourself a gift? I know I certainly did yesterday morning, taking ample advantage of comiXology’s epic holiday digital comics sales. From Marvel to Image to DC, there’s a lot to like on there at some pretty great prices. So much to like, in fact, that it can feel a little overwhelming—which is why we’re here with today’s ComiXology Holiday Sales Guide. There are literally thousands of choices to peruse, so many we surely missed some, and we, of course, don’t share your exact tastes. Still, what you’ll find below is a sampling of some of our favorites.

Let’s check it out!

*Special Note: The Marvel and DC sales will run through the early part of the New Year, while the Image sales will end tonight.*

Top Picks

If you want to be responsible (unlike me) and just buy yourself a relatively reasonable $50 worth of comics, we’ve done our best to make it easier for you with this section, highlighting what we think are some of the overall best deals on the site. Below you will find some fantastic and *mostly* self contained selections

Dark Knight: A True Batman Story - $4.99
Writer:
Paul Dini
Artist:
Eduardo Risso
Letterer: Todd Klein
Publisher: Vertigo Comics
This is an autobiographical Batman story, odd as that may sound. It details Paul Dini working on the classic Batman: The Animated Series cartoon, writing and contributing to many legendary episodes. During this time, Dini suffers a brutal mugging and attack, nearly losing his life. This graphic novel is the story of how his working with Batman stories helped him through the trauma, original and unique and brought to life by Eduardo Risso.

Ice Cream Man, Vol. 1 - $5.39
Writer:
W. Maxwell Prince
Artist: Martin Morazzo
Colorist: Chris O’Halloran
Letterer: Good Old Neon
Ice Cream Man is an incredibly well-done horror anthology comic, wherein the only throughlines are W. Maxwell Prince’s phenomenal existential horror stories, Martin Morazzo’s incredible linework, and the creepy titular Ice Cream Man. A take on Tales From the Crypt for 2018, wherein the biggest threats were supposed to be nice.

Infidel - $5.39
Writer:
Pornsak Pichetshote
Artist: Aaron Campbell
Colorist: Jose Villarrubia
Letterer: Jeff Powell
Horror was a common theme this year, and Pornsak Pichetshote and Aaron Campbell’s comic Infidel was one of the best. This five-issue story sees an American Muslim woman and her multi-racial neighbors living in a building haunted by monsters that feed on xenophobia. This is an honest and unflinching look at discrimination and societal ills.

Saga of the Swamp Thing (Complete) - $29.94
Writer:
Alan Moore
Artists: Stephen Bissette, John Totleben, Dan Day, Rick Veitch, Shawn McManus, Alfredo Alcala, Ron Randall, Stan Woch, Tom Mandrake, Tom Yeates, & Berni Wrightson
Colorist: Tatjana Wood
Letterer: John Costanza & Todd Klein
Arguably one of the best values this holiday season is the $30 fans can pay for the entirety of Alan Moore’s classic Saga of the Swamp Thing. The comic that paved the way for his later work on books like Watchmen, this story is a must-read for serious fans of the medium.

Thanos Wins - $3.39
Writer:
Donny Cates
Artist: Geoff Shaw
Colorist: Antonio Fabela
Letterer: VC’s Clayton Cowles
In 2018, writer Donny Cates went from rising start to one of the guiding voices at Marvel Comics, and arguably his boldest statement was his work on Thanos Wins. It’s big, its brash, and it’s all kinds of ridiculous. Cates is clearly a creator with something to say, and he’s hellbent on finding the most satisfying ways to say it. Don’t miss this one.

Image Comics

We try not to play favorites here (at least not between the Big 2), but pound-for-pound, Image Comics is usually our favorite publisher, putting out new and ongoing creator-owned books from industry heavy weights every damn month. The list below is a pretty decent encapsulation of some recent favorites.

Gideon Falls Vol. 1 - $3.59
Writer:
Jeff Lemire
Artist: Andrea Sorrentino
Colorist: Dave Stewart
Letterer: Steve Wands
The next big Image book has arrived, and it’s Gideon Falls. The price is right for the first volume, which starts off feeling like an homage to Twin Peaks and grows into something all its own. Be ready to become unsettled.

Monstress Vol. 1, 2, & 3 - $14.37
Writer:
Marjorie Liu
Artist: Sana Takeda
Letterer: Rus Wooton
This is probably the best complete comic on the stands today, this side of Saga. If you haven’t read it yet, reading all three volumes back-to-back is an incredible treat, and you shouldn’t hesitate to pick them all up now.

Rock Candy Mountain Vol 1. & Vol. 2 - $8.98
Writer/Artist:
Kyle Starks
Colorist: Chris Schweizer
One of the funniest comics I’ve ever read. Rock Candy Mountain is brutally entertaining in its simplicity, and I can’t recommend it enough.

Skyward Vol. 1 - $3.59
Writer:
Joe Henderson
Artist: Lee Garbett
Colorist: Antonio Fabela
Letterer: Simon Bowland
Another deceptively simple comic, Skyward is a tour de force in narrative structure and tone. The pacing in the first act is incredible, using big scientific extrapolations and ideas like a path of gold coins to lead readers through the action.

Snotgirl Vol. 1 & Vol. 2 - $3.59 & $5.39
Writer:
Bryan Lee O’Malley
Artist: Leslie Hung
Colorist: Mickey Quinn
Letterer: Mare Odomo
Snotgirl reads like an Instagram fever dream violently colliding with whip smart commentary on the value system that radiates to the rest of the country from a starting point somewhere chic in LA. It’s an important and singular comic with an unmatched aesthetic. It has broad appeal and, in spite of the pretty colors, is not to be taken lightly.

DC Comics (Superheroes)

DC Comics has a line-wide $4.99 for trades sale that encompasses almost all of the publishers collections. My run is admittedly a bit backwards-looking (three of my five picks here predate the New 52), since I’ve already collected the vast majority of the more recent Rebirth trades. Still, I don’t think you can go wrong gifting any of the comics below to yourself.

Grant Morrison’s Batman Run - $40
Writer:
Grant Morrison
Artist: Various
One of my all-time favorite runs with the Bat characters is easily Grant Morrison’s, in spite of it being upended a bit by Flashpoint and the advent of the New 52. This run reads like a grand adventure through the character’s past present. A full list of the volumes you need to pick up to complete it (all of which are $4.99, btw) is below:

  • Batman: Batman and Son (Deluxe Edition)

  • Batman: R.I.P.

  • Batman & Robin Vol. 1, 2, & 3

  • Batman: The Return of Bruce Wayne

  • Batman: Incorporated Vol. 1 & Vol. 2

Green Arrow/Green Lantern - $4.99
Writer:
Dennis O’Neil (and Elliot Maggin)
Artist: Neal Adams
Colorists: Cory Adams & Jack Adler
Letterers: John Costanza & Joe Letterese
This is a study in comics with political messages from the past, and a particularly groundbreaking one (for that time, obviously) at that. It could also have renewed relevancy soon with Grant Morrison and Liam Sharp teasing a new Lantern/Arrow green team-up in the back of their recent The Green Lantern #1 comic.

Sideways Vol. 1 - $4.99
Writers:
Dan DiDio & Justin Jordan
Artist: Kenneth Rocafort
I’m an apologist for the New Age of Heroes Line (RIP...basically), and this book is a big part of the reason why. It’s a great modern teen superhero take in the DC Universe, which checks a good many of my boxes. It’s also a somewhat uncomplicated read, for being a story of a kid who can suddenly jump through dimensions.

Superman: Secret Identity Vol. 1 & Vol. 2 - $10
Writer:
Kurt Busiek
Artist: Stuart Immonen
Kurt Busiek has long been one of my favorite writers in comics for the level of realism he’s able to achieve by putting himself into the minds of his characters, and this comic is one of the crowning achievements in that regard. It essentially imagines in a realistic way what it would be like to have a real Superman (who grew up reading about Superman) on Earth, and it does so without the usual cynicism that marks superhero deconstructions.

The Omega Men
Writer:
Tom King
Artists: Barnaby Bagenda, Toby Cypress, & Ig Guara
This was the first in what I’ve come to call the Help me I’m silently in lots of pain ouvere popularized by Tom King within recent superhero comics. It’s also one of the most traditionally superhero-y of his work, which makes it a bit easier to read that stories like Mister Miracle or Heroes in Crisis.

DC Comics (Vertigo)

The following are my picks for the top 5 seminal Vertigo series you can get right if you’re willing to drop between $50 to $80 a piece for them. These are all among my favorite comics ever. Go with Astro City for something on the optimistic side, 100 Bullets or Scalped for gritty, Sandman for literary, and Y: The Last Man for commentary on societal gender roles and bit of human sexuality.

100 Bullets
Writer:
Brian Azzarello
Artist: Eduardo Risso
Whole Series Price:
$70

Astro City
Writer:
Kurt Busiek
Artist: Brett Anderson
Whole Series Price:
$80

Sandman
Writer:
Neil Gaiman
Artist: Various
Whole Series Price:
$55

Scalped
Writer:
Jason Aaron
Artist:  R. M. Guéra‎
Whole Series Price: $50

Y: The Last Man
Writer:
Brian K. Vaughan
Artist: Pia Guerra
Whole Series Price:
$50

Marvel Comics

Marvel digital sales are different, in that since their excellent Marvel Unlimited streaming service makes all comics older than six months available in perpetuity, for many of those subscribers there’s really no point in indulging in this. I, however, like to collect Marvel digital trades (the kind that are not eligible for ComiXology unlimited borrowing), and below you will find five of my recent picks.

Essential and Masterwork Marvel Volumes
The best deals in any of these sales can be found through the essential Marvel volumes, which tend to run about $5 or $6. They each include literally hundreds of pages of 1960s Marvel, an era that is to this day unparalleled in the creative fruit it bore, including the creation of a wide berth of some of the most famous pop culture IP on the planet still. This is Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, Steve Ditko, and more at their best. These stories give real world characteristics to folks with fantastic powers for the first time, all while shaping what a shared universe can be. Below are some of my picks (which violate my no unlimited choices rule, but still).

  • Amazing Spider-Man Masterworks Vol. 1 - $5.09

  • Avengers Masterworks Vol. 1 - $5.09

  • Fantastic Four Masterworks Vol 1. - $5.09

  • Incredible Hulk Masterworks Vol. 1 - $3.39

  • Thor Masterworks Vol. 1 - $5.09


Moon Knight Vol. 1, 2, & 3 - $7.62
Writer:
Jeff Lemire
Artist: Greg Smallwood and various
A trippy adventure into the most splintered psyche in all of comics. I recommend this one to both long-time fans of the character and Moon Knight neophytes.

Mutant X - $5.94
Writers:
Howard Mackie, Jay Faerber, & Ben Raab
Artists: Tom Raney, Cary Nord, Pasqual Ferry, Mike S. Miller, and Javier Saltares with Yancey Labat, J.J. Kirby, Michael Kaluta, John Romita Sr., John Byrne, J.G. Jones, & Michael Gordon
Inkers: Andrew Pepoy, Pasqual Ferry & Saleem Crawford with Walden Wong, Scott Elmer, Johnny Greene, Derek Mei, Scott Koblish, Harry Candelario, Michael Wm. Kaluta, John Romita Sr., John Byrne, J.G. Jones, & Michael Gordon
Colorists: Gina Going, Joe Andreani, & Jason Wright
Letterer: Chris Eliopoulus
Wow, that’s one heck of a credits section for this book. This one is admittedly a nostalgia pick for me. My first alternate reality comic, it follows Havok as he explores an alternate dimension where the X-Men are all a bit more late ‘90s goth than in the usual continuity. I have fond memories and am looking forward to re-visiting this one now that I’ve gotten it from the holiday sale.

She-Hulk Vol. 1, 2, & 3 - $8.47
Writer:
Mariko Tamaki
Artists: Various
This is a darker take on the Hulk heroine, really delving into how a psyche can be riven by rage. It’s a different sort of story for Jen Walters, whose most famous adventures have largely been lighter in tone, but it’s one that continues to have implications for the current status quo of the character. Tamaki is also a nuanced and powerful writer.

Silver Surfer Vol 1, 2, 3, 4, & 5
Writer:
Dan Slott
Artist: Mike Allred
This is my all-time favorite Silver Surfer story, and one of my favorite superhero runs on any character in the past decade. Dan Slott and Mike Allred craft an intergalactic and nigh-timeless love story that unfurls throughout a series of incredibly entertaining episodic vignettes. If that wasn’t enough, the creators here often push the boundaries of the form. Snag all of these volumes, and get ready to bliss out for the duration.

BOOM! Studios

With BOOM! Studios, there are a few key franchises I’d recommend checking out. The brilliant slice-of-life comedy Giant Days is consistently one of the best comics on the stands. While Grant Morrison and Dan Mora’s mythical Santa Claus re-imagining Klaus is well-worth a read. Finally, Victor LaValle’s Destroyer was one of the best Mary Shelley-influenced works I’ve ever read.

Phew. That was a lot, but irresponsible spending loves company. So in conclusion I’ll just say, I hope you’ll be joining me on this year end digital comics binge!

See our past top comics to buy here, and check our 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 BatmansBookcase.


A Handy Guide for DC's Big comiXology Memorial Day Sale

Midnighter Vol. 1 is one of our top picks, available for $5.99.

Midnighter Vol. 1 is one of our top picks, available for $5.99.

I am scared to count how much money I’ve spent on DC’s Memorial Day Sale on comiXology, which runs through Monday. Figuring out my budget is a problem for Next Month Me. I also suspect I’m not done yet and I’ll end up making more last minute purchases as the weekend winds down.

To that end, I’d like to enable all of you to spend money along with me. This is America, you know. All told there are 1,000 titles, most of which are marked down to $5.99 while a few others to $4.99. Deciding what to buy can be a bit overwhelming, which is why I’ve compiled this Handy Guide for Last Minute DC comiXology Memorial Day Sale Shopping. Behold!

Below you will find five categories: my top 10 overall picks, a list of significant runs to invest in, some essential classics it’s nice to have, the books that offer the biggest savings, and a quick list of all the $4.99 books.

Hope you find this helpful, and feel free to hit me up on Twitter to let me know what you bought!

Top 10 Overall Picks

This list skews toward books I’ve perceived as underrated or under-discussed recently, with my hope being readers will find new discoveries. I could have put All-Star Superman or Watchmen here, but how helpful would that be, right?

1. The Flintstones Vols. 1 & 2
The Flintstones by Mark Russell and Steve Pugh is one of the sharpest comic book satires ever, commenting on everything from the military-industrial complex to artistic struggles to consumerism. And it’s somehow also about The Flintstones. It takes a leap of faith, but if some or any of what I described sounds appealing, I highly recommend doing it. Total Price: $11.98

2. The Wild Storm Vol. 1
Warren Ellis and Jon Davis-Hunt are doing something ambitious and special with this new take on the old Wildstorm universe and characters, which is fresh and stands on its own yet brimming with plenty of nods to long-time readers. The sister title, Wild Storm: Michael Cray by Bryan Edward Hill and N. Steven Harris, is just as good (but, alas, not on sale). Total Price: $5.99

3. Green Arrow: Rebirth Vols. 1, 2, 3, & 4
I know, I know...this book has already gotten much attention, but I just had to include Benjamin Percy’s Rebirth Green Arrow run here. If you want to know why I like it so much, you can find that here. Total Price: $23.96

4. The Omega Men: The End is Here
Before Tom King was Mister Miracle Tom King, or Batman Tom King, or even The Vision Tom King, he was The Omega Men Tom King. This is the book that first brought one of the best current writers to my attention. If you’ve enjoyed his high-profile recent work, you’ll surely appreciate this too, like watching a rookie have a breakout game in sports. Total Price: $5.99

5. Cassandra Cain as Batgirl Vols. 1, 2, & 3
Just like Wally West is always and forever my Flash, Cassandra Cain is my Batgirl. She was, after all, in the costume when I read my first Batgirl comics. If you liked her in James Tynion’s recently-concluded Detective Comics run, you’ll like this book, too. Total Price: $17.97

6. New Super Man Vols. 1 & 2
This title is ending soon, but Gene Luen Yang’s New Super Man—a Chinese teenager genetically enhanced by his government—has been a highlight of DC’s Rebirth. It’s also one of the few titles from the initiative that takes refreshing risks rather than leaning on foundations of long-established characters. Total Price: $11.98

7. Midnighter Vols. 1 & 2 & Midnighter & Apollo Vol. 1
Midnighter, which starts in the New 52 and extends into Rebirth with the six-issue mini Midnighter & Apollo, is the book that first brought Steve Orlando to my attention. It’s complete with faith in the reader and nuanced character beats that make Orlando’s most recent work—Justice League of America and Crude—so favorably-reviewed on our site. Total Price: $17.97

8. Superman and the Legion of Super Heroes
There is a surprising amount of commentary about nationalism in this book (planetism, technically) that feels searingly relevant today. If you’re dying for the Legion to return to the post-Rebirth DCU, this quick read might just tide you over. Total Price: $5.99

9. Swamp Thing (2016)
The last few months of the New 52/DC You were a mess, as the publisher was aggressively looking to the future. Swamp Thing (2016), however, was a standout, and it also ended up being one of the last stories the character’s creator, Len Wein, ever told. Total Price: $5.99

10. Batman: New Gotham Vols. 1 & 2
I may have nostalgia bias here, seeing as this collects the first run of Detective Comics I read as a kid, but I’ve always thought Greg Rucka’s time on the title was underrated. It’s set in the aftermath of No Man’s Land, and it does a great job of depicting the central tenants of Batman’s world, including Bruce Wayne, Gotham City, and the GCPD. Total Price: $11.98

All Star-Superman is essential reading.

All Star-Superman is essential reading.

7 Essential Classics

This section is dedicated to books that all comic fans should own. I have many of these in hardcopy—and, as always, I advise you to support your local comic shop/community by purchasing in that format, too—but it doesn’t hurt to have digital copies, you know, in case you need to clean panel shots to post on Twitter.

  • All-Star Superman - $4.99
  • Batman: The Dark Knight Returns - $5.99
  • Crisis on Infinite Earths - $5.99
  • Kingdom Come - $4.99
  • Superman: Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow? - $5.99
  • Watchmen - $4.99
  • Wonder Woman by George Perez Vols. 1 & 2 - $11.98 Total

 

8 Significant Runs to Invest In

The section above is mostly standalone books, so let’s look now at some of the best runs in this sale, which range in size from three volumes to as many as nine.

  • Aquaman (by Geoff Johns) Vols. 1, 2, 3, & 4 - $23.96
  • Batman (by Scott Snyder & Greg Capullo) Vols. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, & 9 - $53.91
  • Deathstroke: Rebirth Vols. 1, 2, & 3 - $17.97
  • Green Arrow Vols. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, & 9 - $53.91
  • JLA Vols. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, & 9 - $53.91
  • Justice League Vols. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, & 8 - $47.92
  • New Teen Titans Vols. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, & JC - $53.91
  • Secret Six Vols. 1, 2, 3, & 4 - $23.96 & New 52 Secret Six Vols. 1 & 2 - $11.98

All the Biggest Savings

These books cost $29.99 or more but have been marked down for this sale to $5.99.

  • Aquaman: A Celebration of 75 Years $29.99
  • Aquaman: The Atlantis Chronicles $34.99
  • Batgirl: A Celebration of 50 Years $29.99
  • Batman by Azzarello and Risso $29.99
  • Batman: Eternal Vol. 1 $29.99
  • Batman: Eternal Vol. 2 $29.99
  • Batman: Eternal Vol. 3 $29.99
  • Batman: A Celebration of 75 Years $29.99
  • Batman: Ego and Other Tails $29.99
  • Batman: War Games Book 2 $29.99
  • Catwoman: A Celebration of 75 Years $29.99
  • DC Universe of John Byrne $29.99
  • DC Universe of Mike Mignola $29.99
  • DC: New Frontier $39.99
  • Green Arrow by Jeff Lemire and Andrea Sorrentino Deluxe Edition $39.99
  • Green Arrow: A Celebration of 75 Years $29.99
  • Green Lantern: A Celebration of 75 Years $29.99
  • Justice League of America: The Nail $29.99
  • Justice Society of America: A Celebration of 75 Years $29.99
  • Lex Luthor: A Celebration of 75 Years $29.99
  • Lois Lane: A Celebration of 75 Years $29.99
  • Midnighter: The Complete Wildstorm Series $29.99
  • Shazam! A Celebration of 75 Years $29.99
  • Superboy & The Legion of Superheroes Vol. 1 $34.99
  • Superman: A Celebration of 75 Years $29.99
  • Superman: Doomed $39.99
  • Swamp Thing by Scott Snyder $39.99
  • Tales of the Batman: Archie Goodwin $29.99
  • Tales of the Batman: Carmine Infantino $34.99
  • Tales of the Batman: Don Newton $29.99
  • Tales of the Batman: Gene Colan Vol. 1 $29.99
  • Tales of the Batman: Gene Colan Vol. 2 $29.99
  • Tales of the Batman: Gerry Conway Vol. 1 $34.99
  • Tales of the Batman: JH Williams III $34.99
  • Tales of the Batman: Len Wein $34.99
  • Teen Titans: A Celebration of 50 Years $29.99
  • The Flash: A Celebration of 75 Years $29.99
  • The Joker: A Celebration of 75 Years $29.99
  • The Multiversity Deluxe Edition $34.99
  • The New 52: Futures End Vol. 1 $29.99
  • Wonder Woman by John Byrne Vol. 1 $29.99
  • Wonder Woman: A Celebration of 75 Years $29.99
  • Zatana by Paul Dini $29.99

All the $4.99 Books

If $5.99 still sounds too rich for your blood, worry not! A handful of books have been marked down even lower, and most of them are classics like All Star Superman, Batman: Hush, Kingdom Come, and Watchmen.

Kingdom Come is on sale for $4.99.

Kingdom Come is on sale for $4.99.

  • All Star Superman $4.99
  • Aquaman by Geoff Johns Vol. 1 $4.99
  • Batman: Hush $4.99
  • Batman/The Flash: The Button: $4.99
  • Doom Patrol Vol. 1 $4.99
  • Flashpoint $4.99
  • Green Arrow: The Archer’s Quest $4.99
  • JSA by Geoff Johns Book 1 $4.99
  • Justice League New 52 Vol. 1 $4.99
  • Kingdom Come $4.99
  • Planetary Book 1 $4.99
  • Teen Titans by Geoff Johns Book One $4.99
  • The Legion by Dan Abnett & Andy Lanning $4.99
  • Watchmen $4.99
  • Wonder Woman by Brian Azzareto Vol. 1 $4.99
  • Zatana by Paul Dini $4.99

 

That’s it for our guide. I’m sure a good many of you have already poked around, but Hopefully, our little list gave you some new ideas. I know writing it motivated me to spend more money (not like that’s hard with comics—I have a problem).

Anyway, enjoy your Memorial Day weekend, and we’ll see you next week for some great reviews of this week’s books, plus a list of New Comic Discoveries for May 2018 and maybe some other content if an idea strikes our fancy.

Zack Quaintance is a journalist who also writes fiction and makes comics. Find him on Twitter at @zackquaintance. He lives in Sacramento, California.