Tax day is a Wednesday, so let’s start by sending a goodwill to all the freelancers out there having to navigate things before we get into this week’s Top Comics to Buy for April 15. Did you send that goodwill? Excellent. I’m sure they’ll appreciate it. Now, let’s get into my five favorite comics of the week!
As always, you can find them below, followed by 10 more recommendations, and the usual set of release lists … enjoy!
Top Comics to Buy for April 15
Absolute Batman #19
Writer: Scott Snyder
Artist: Nick Dragotta
Colorist: Frank Martin
Letterer: Tom Napolitano
Publisher: DC Comics
Poison Ivy proved to be just one of the many horrors within the bowels of the ARK M facility, and as Joker sets his sights on Absolute Batman, he decides to enlist the help of one of the center’s most terrifying doctors, Dr. Jonathan Crane. While Bruce Wayne tries to align himself with Barbara Gordon, there’s more than one alliance formed in this issue. New debuts, new villains, new arc starts here.
Why It’s Cool: Regular artist Nick Dragotta is back for a new arc, and the kickoff is fantastic, delivering a chilling new vision of a classic Batman villain. This issue also features a big status quo shift (or two). If Absolute Batman is going to slow down, I haven’t seen a sign of it yet.
Price: $4.99
Dead Teenagers #2
Writer: Jude Ellison S. Doyle
Artist: Caitlin Yarsky
Letterer: Becca Carey
Publisher: Oni Press
High school seniors J.T., Ryder, and Brandy have been catapulted through time into their adult bodies. Physically, they’re now elder millennials with jobs and families. Psychologically, they’re damaged teenagers with disposable income who are about to discover the consequences of making poor life choices. Even worse, not everyone thinks their new circumstances are an improvement over being ritualistically murdered every 24 hours. Does their never-ending prom night massacre hold the key to finding out how and why they were chosen to live out this supernatural torment?
Why It’s Cool: This is such an interesting comic, taking a surprising approach to exploring how high school — and hey maybe even one night during high school — can spiderweb out into effecting the rest of a life. And with Caitlin Yarsky artwork, it looks so good doing it.
Price: $4.99
End of Life #3
Writer: Kyle Starks
Artist: Steve Pugh
Colorist: Chris O’Halloran
Letterer: Becca Carey
Publisher: DC Comics – Vertigo
Eddie has a Big Cock problem: The chicken-headed Menagerie assassin has found his way to Pluto. Who could’ve given up Eddie’s secret? Or is Big Cock here for another purpose? Whatever the answer is, it’s obviously all Eddie’s fault, and now the whole town is in danger. Oh, and it gets worse. Deep within the confines of the abandoned Wrongdog Park, Richard Smiley is working on a plan to take Eddie down and tighten his criminal grip on the town…
Why It’s Cool: This series keeps getting more comfortable with its characters and story in each subsequent issue as things fall into place, and that level of comfort in this one leads to the funniest issue yet.
Price: $3.99
Ice Cream Man #45
Writer: W. Maxwell Prince
Artist: Martin Morazzo
Colorist: Chris O’Halloran
Letterer: Good Old Neon
Publisher: Image Comics
A voyeuristic, Hitchcockian homage wherein we watch as a wheelchaired watch-man watches the windows of a weary world of wahoos, wackos, and wannabes.
Why It’s Cool: It’s really amazing to me that a book can be as good as Ice Cream Man has been for this long without relying on any sort of formula. In fact, Ice Cream Man is kind of the anti formula comic, trying something bold and new in each issue. When it hits like it does this week, there’s still nothing else like it in comics.
Price: $3.99
Nightwing #137
Writer: Dan Watters
Penciller: Denys Cowan
Inker: Norm Rapmund
Colorist: Francesco Segala
Letterer: Wes Abbott
Publisher: DC Comics
Haunted by a deadly highway collision, Nightwing restlessly hunts for clues in the ghost stories of Blüdhaven. When a deadly standoff besieges Blüdhaven Bridge, Dick Grayson might not be in the best state of mind to tackle it. Luckily, the World’s Greatest Detective has come calling…
Why It’s Cool: I’ve been a fan of this Dan Watters-penned Nightwing run for a good while now, but with the legendary Denys Cowan aboard, it’s leveled up. These past two issues are some of the best superhero comics I’ve read all year. I don’t even think you need to particularly care about Nightwing to dig them. They’ve been that good.
Price: $4.99
10 Other Comics I Enjoyed
- Bloodland #3
- Ghost Pepper #10
- G.I. Joe #21
- Kill All Immortals II #4
- Malevolent #3
- Narco #2
- New Titans #34
- Superman Unlimited #12
- Tigress Island #2
- Ultimate Wolverine #16
- Wonder Woman #32
New #1s and One-Shots
- Darkness vs Angelus #1 (one-shot)
- Fireborn #1
- GI Joe A Real American Hero – Sssilent Missions Zartan #1 (one-shot)
- Lenore Muffin Else Matter #1 (one-shot)
- Resident Alien: One More For The Road #1 (one-shot)
- Star Trek – Starfleet Academy Lost Contact #1
- ThunderCats X SilverHawks Mumm-Ra The Ever-Living #1 (one-shot)
Graphic Novels and Trade Collections
- Adventure Time Oni Compact Comics Edition Princess Power TP
- Amelia Shadows and the New Head Ghost HC
- Ancestral Recall TP
- Asterix Collector Vol 6 Asterix and Cleopatra HC
- Batman – Gotham By Gaslight – The Kryptonian Age TP
- Batman Sword of Azarael Deluxe Edition HC
- Black Widow Modern Era Epic Collection Vol 2 Widowmaker TP
- Birds of Prey Vol 4 On The Run TP
- Booster Gold The Complete 2007 Series Book 3 TP
- Chernobyl, Life, and Other Disasters HC/TP
- Complete 2000AD by Alan Moore Vol 1 Future Shocks and Other Stories HC (read our review!)
- DC Finest Western The Hangman Never Loses TP
- Extraction TP
- Fine Print Vol 3 GN
- Flash The Road to Rebirth Omnibus HC
- Gatchaman Vol 3 TP
- Green Lantern – Green Lantern Corps The Starbreaker Supremacy TP
- Gunpowder Prophets Death in Texas TP
- Hotel Limbo Vol 1 TP
- I Didn’t Ask For This GN
- Karl Lagerfeld An Illustrated Biography GN
- Look Into My Eyes Vol 1 TP
- Lumberjanes Book 4 HC/TP
- Maria Llovet’s Artificial TP
- Spawn Origins Collection Vol 32 TP
- Star Trek Lower Decks Vol 2 Mixed Signals TP
- Star Wars Jedi Knights Vol 2 A Higher Path TP
- Star Wars Visions TP
- Uncanny X-Men by Kieron Gillen Omnibus HC
Read past editions of the Top Comics to Buy!
And check out the Beat’s most recent comics reviews!
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