This week’s list of top comics to buy for July 15 has two mid-arc superhero comics on it — in continuity and everything! — which I think is a bit rare for this list, especially given that neither title features an A-lister. But I’ve been enjoying both Deathstroke and Nightwing quite a bit and wanted to get some love for those very solid series on this list.
Then, as is perhaps a bit more standard, we’ve also got two beginnings and an ending. You can find my five favorite comics from the week below, followed by the usual sets of release and rec lists … enjoy!
Top Comics to Buy for July 15
A Mischief of Magpies #1
Writer: Simon Spurrier
Artist: Matias Bergara
Colorist: Kike J. Diaz
Letterer: Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou
Publisher: DSTLRY
Mar has a secret. Sometimes, without warning, he falls out of the world. This would be an inconvenience if his life wasn’t already such a drag. When he’s gone, he finds himself in an extraordinary city. A city which is also a machine, endlessly crossing a shoreless ocean. A city of two halves: the bright, bustling spires above the waves, and the beast-haunted twilight halls below. And between, clowning along the rusting beach, a troupe of anarchic magpies with all the answers but none of the questions.
Why It’s Cool: This is a formalist, boundary-pushing ethereal comic that makes arguably the best use of DSTLRY’s oversized print format yet. It might not be for everyone, but I enjoyed its bold experimentation quite a bit.
Price: $8.99
Deathstroke the Terminator #5
Writer: Tony Fleecs
Artist: Carmine Di Giandomenico
Colorist: Ivan Plascencia
Letterer: Wes Abbott
Publisher: DC Comics
As the timer runs out on his latest job, Slade Wilson comes face-to-face with his greatest nightmare… himself! Another Deathstroke is on the loose in the DCU, and everyone’s a target. Will Slade get his kill, or is he about to be terminated?
Why It’s Cool: This story arc currently has two Deathstrokes, a Deathblow, AND a Dead Shot. Plus, the art is fantastic and the storytelling is fun and twisty and filled with shootouts. It’s also a villain book that is as grimdark as it needs to be without becoming self-serious. I’m really digging this run.
Price: $3.99
Murder Podcast #8
Writer: Jeremy Haun
Artist: Andy MacDonald
Colorist: Nick Filardi
Letterer: AndWorld Design
Publisher: Ignition Press
Mina and the gang have found the broadcast location of THE Murder Podcast, and they’re ready to smash the servers to smithereens! But first, they’ll have to work their way through an army of murderous cult members who want to see the podcast spread around the world. When Mina finds the machine powering the operation, she also discovers that the human cost for this nefarious endeavor is much higher—and more grotesque—than she ever anticipated.
Why It’s Cool: I’ve loved every issue of this clever horror comic, and this week’s finale is no exception, paying off so much of the excellent track that’s been laid from the start of this one. Overall, I just really loved how this book blended horror, mystery, and crime comics into one great story, all with great characters too.
Price: $4.99
Nightwing #140
Writer: Dan Watters
Pencils: Denys Cowan
Inks: Norm Rapmund
Colorist: Francesco Segala
Letterer: Wes Abbott
Publisher: DC Comics
The hunt for a killer in downtown Bludhaven leads to revelations about the super-villainous architect of the city’s superhighway. But is it too late for Nightwing to pull back from the precipice before he does something he’ll truly regret?
Why It’s Cool: This run is so gritty and excellent. The art is perfect for the story arc, which is a grounded, urban development cautionary tale with crime and supernatural elements on the fringes. I can’t wait to see where this story is headed month-to-month, the highest compliment I can give to new superhero comics these days.
Price: $4.99
Three Worlds / Three Moons: Foundations #1
Writers: Jonathan Hickman and Nick Spencer
Artists: Mike del Mundo, Mike Huddleston, Jerome Opena
Colorist: Matt Hollingsworth
Letterer: Rus Wooton
Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
Across a distant solar system and countless millennia-long cycles, a war has been fought between the forces of magic and science, and order and chaos. When astronaut and explorer Tajo Vallar undertakes a doomed expedition to a dormant moon full of mysteries, the conflict begins anew, and more dangerous than ever before!
Why It’s Cool: The new comics universe that writer Jonathan Hickman and some of the best artists in comics launched via substack is finally coming to print, and it’s an EVENT.
Price: $7.99
10 Other Comics I Enjoyed This Week
- Absolute Flash #17
- Arcadia #6
- Batwoman #5
- Department of Truth #38
- End of Life #6
- Infernal Hulk #9
- Minotaur #1
- Of the Earth #3
- The Ring – The Man Who Beat the Man #2
- Superman Unlimited #15
New #1s and One-Shots
- A Mischief of Magpies #1
- Dark Knights of Steel II #1
- Foundations #1 (one-shot)
- Grendel – Devil’s Crucible Sedition #1
- Kingdom of Earth #1
- Minotaur #1
- Mister Nemo #1
- Punisher vs The Amazing Spider-Man #1
- Rob Liefeld’s Badrock #1
- Sonic the Hedgehog X Godzilla #1
- Space Ghost Annual #1 (one-shot)
- Super Mondo Mega Mutts #1
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles – The Last Ronin – Training Day #1 (one-shot)
- What If The Radioactive Spider Bit Jessica Jones #1 (one-shot)
Graphic Novels and Trade Collections of Note
- Across the Widest Sea TP
- Amazing Spider-Man Vol 4 Broken TP
- American Caper Vol 1 Red-Pilled Blues TP
- Batman White Knight Absolute Edition HC
- Conan the Adventurer The Original Comics Omnibus HC
- DC Finest Batman Blind Justice TP
- Devil on My Shoulder TP
- Dune Edge of a Crysknife HC
- Extraordinary Adventures of Adele Blanc-Sec Vol 1 HC
- Fantastic Four by Dan Slott Omnibus Vol 1 HC
- Ghost Pepper Vol 2 Taste of Cinders TP
- Hellboy and the BPRD 1955 – 1957 TP
- Hello Darkness Vol 5 TP
- High Strangeness Deluxe Edition HC
- Honor and Curse Eternal Vol 1 TP
- Hunger and the Dusk Vol 2 TP
- I Hate Fairyland Vol 10 Monsters Gonna Monster TP
- Infamous Iron Man The Rise of Doom TP
- Iron Man Modern Era Epic Collection Vol 6 The Future TP
- Moomin Summer Madness HC
- Phantom Vol 1 TP
- Planetary Compendium TP
- Poison Ivy Vol 7 Amuse-Bouche HC/TP
- Savage Dragon Welcome to San Francisco TP
- Star Wars The High Republic Adventures The Complete Phase III Part 2 TP
- Superman Braniac Reborn Omnibus HC
- Surfside Girls The Box Set
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Journeys Vol 1 TP
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Ongoing Compendium Vol 2 TP
- Whatever Happened to the Crimson Justice TP
- Wild West C.O.W. Boys of Moo Mesa TP
- Venom Black White & Blood Treasury Edition TP
Read past editions of the Top Comics to Buy!
And check out the Beat’s most recent comics reviews!
