This week’s Top Comics to Buy for April 23 feels like a collection of what I think of as prestige books. Of this week’s picks, the majority are just a bit more thoughtful and experimental than your usual weekly books. Books like Assorted Crisis Events attempt to use the medium to get at more poignant ideas and deeper truths. But also, this week has a book called Moonshine Bigfoot, and it rules.
As such, I think this is a week that’s representative of what I love about following weekly comics. There are Important and Serious Books, and there are books that go big, go goofy, and serve up a pulpy good time. You can find my full set of five recommendations below, followed by the usual weekly release lists … enjoy!
Top Comics to Buy for April 23, 2025
Absolute Martian Manhunter #2
Writer: Deniz Camp
Artist: Javier Rodriguez
Letterer: Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou
Publisher: DC Comics
The other-dimensional alien consciousness calling itself the Martian continues its invasion–and transformation–of John Jones’ mind! The by-the-book FBI agent has been drafted into a cosmic war that will make him question the nature of reality and test his belief in good, evil, and free will!
Why It’s Cool: After a first issue that I found intriguing and excellent, Absolute Martian Manhunter #2 starts to tip what’s really going on here a bit more, and that clarity draws the reader in even further. This is a superhero comic that’s determined to surprise and thrill, and it’s a joy to read. I also appreciate what it stands for. It’s a book in a high-profile Big 2 line that isn’t afraid to get weird…and then get even weirder, letting its artist and writer run wild. More Big 2 comics like this, please.
Price: $4.99
Assorted Crisis Events #2
Writer: Deniz Camp
Artist: Eric Zawadzki
Colorist: Jordie Bellaire
Letterer: Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou
Publisher: Image Comics
What stalks the blood-soaked kill floor? A dizzying, heartbreaking, hallucinogenic trip through the endless slaughterhouse! Witness a man’s life cut up, ground down, and packaged for easy consumption!
Why It’s Cool: Just two issues in, this book has established itself as maybe the least predictable series in comics (complimentary), serving up one-in-done stories that use sci-fi breakdowns in reality to emphasize larger, poignant questions about the ways we live. At the same time, these stories are also brought to life by bold panel layouts, electric artwork, and perfect lettering and colors. Don’t miss this book.
Price: $3.99
Moonshine Bigfoot #1
Writers: Mike Marlow and Zach Howard
Artist: Steve Ellis
Inker: Zach Howard
Colorist: Nelson Daniel
Letterer: Thompson Knox
Publisher: Image Comics – Syzygy Publishing
Buzzard County, 1981-Moonshine Bigfoot spends his days making a living while outwitting clueless cops, reckless rivals, and buffoonish Bigfoot Hunters. All is hunky-dory until he draws the attention of an Illuminati-esque cabal. With his partner in life and crime, Amethyst, our hairy hero is about to learn that some problems can’t be handled just by jumping them in a souped-up Mach 1.
Why It’s Cool: I think the title gives you a pretty good sense of what this book is all about…and how much fun it is. But if that was ever in doubt, this first issue opens with an extended car chase that manages to introduce a huge cast of goofy characters while also filling us in on the personalities of our leads. This is the type of rip-roaring pulpy comic that wants to push the outer edges of how fun this medium can be. I loved it. Check our Wednesday Comics Reviews column tomorrow for a full review!
Price: $4.99
Out of Alcatraz #2
Writer: Christopher Cantwell
Artist/Letterer: Tyler Crook
Publisher: Oni Press
1962. California. They thought escaping America’s most infamous prison would be the hard part. They were wrong. Frank, Clarence, and their secretive handler were supposed to be laying low in the farmlands north of San Francisco, but the bodies have already started piling up . . . and it’s difficult to keep a finely tuned plan in order when you’re turning on each other. Meanwhile, the FBI wants this case closed and the escapees declared dead, but one rogue US Marshal has a lurking suspicion that might just bring the full weight of history crashing down on the walking dead men who somehow made it out of Alcatraz-only to find a worse kind of hell waiting for them.
Why It’s Cool: Out of Alcatraz is comics making of the highest order. It uses an actual historical event as its starting point, and then quickly pushes into new territory, creating a character-driven crime caper powered by desperation and twists. Cantwell and Crook are two of my favorite creators in comics, and they work very well together. This series is in contention for my favorite book right now.
Price: $4.99
Welcome to Twilight City #2
Script: Brian Michael Bendis
Story Plotting: Brian Michael Bendis, Patton Oswalt, and Jordan Blum
Art: Soo Lee
Letterer: Nate Piekos
Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
From Frankie’s colorful past comes a mysterious figure to the Minor Threats universe! A brand-new character so dangerous she was never spoken of until now. Find out her connections to the past and how they’re gonna affect the future of the city. Co-created by the creator of the Peabody winning Jessica Jones and the Bram Stoker award-winning co-creator on Carmilla Soo Lee!
Why It’s Cool: Welcome to Twilight City is a new anthology series set in the ongoing world of Minor Threats, and it’s bringing in some of the best creators in comics to play in this sandbox. This issue brings in Brian Bendis, whose ear for dialogue and unpacking of superhero tropes remains the best in the business. And the art here by Soo Lee is just fantastic. This book was an easy choice for the Top Comics to Buy for April 23, the way it manages to introduce not only a set of new characters, but complex dynamics between them — all as they work through a satisfying stand-alone story.
Price: $4.99
Others Receiving Votes
Amazing Spider-Man #2- G.I. Joe #6
- Green Lantern #22
- Into the Unbeing Part 2 #3
- Justice League Unlimited #6
- Lilith #3
- Minor Arcana #6
- Spectrum #5
- Superman #25
- Those Not Afraid #4
- Ultimate Black Panther #15
New #1s and One-Shotes
Arcana Royale #1- Gatchaman Ryu Scavengers #1 (one-shot)
- G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero – Silent Missions – Roadblock #1 (one-shot)
- Godzilla 70th Anniversary Foil Classics #1 (one-shot)
- Medieval Spawn #1
- Predator Vs. Spider-Man #1
- Superman Day 2025 Action Comics #1
- Superman Day 2025 All-Star Superman #1
- Witcher: The Bear and the Butterfly #1
- Youngblood Deluxe #1
Graphic Novels and Trade Collections
- Batman The Brave and The Bold Out of the Darkness TP
- Blondie Against the Odds HC
- Broken Social Scene Presents – You Forgot It In People HC
- Cosmic X-Men Omnibus HC
- Dark Knights of Steel the Deluxe Edition HC
- DC Finest – Superman Family – The Giant Turtle Man TP
- Deadpool Team-Up by Rob Liefeld Blood of the Dragon TP
- Farscape Book 2 HC
- The Flip Side HC
- Groo: Minstrel Melodies TP
- Gunnerkrigg Court Vol. 2 Reason / Materia HC
- Hazards of Love Vol. 2 TP
- Heartcore GN
- JLA Book 2 TP
- Lady Mechanika Vol. 6 Oversized Edition HC
- Masked Macher TP
- The Moon Is Following Us Vol. 1 TP (read our review!)
- My Degeneration Journey Through Parkinsons HC
- Nightwing Rebirth Omnibus HC
- Paranoid Gardens TP
- Plastic Man No More HC
- The Punisher by Rick Remender Omnibus HC
- Revolution 9 TP
- Rifters Vol. 1 TP
- Romeo Vs. Juliet: A Kill Shakespeare Adventure TP
- Sonic the Hedgehog Vol. 18 Extreme Competition TP
- Spawn Monolith TP
- Star Wars The High Republic Adventures Phase III Echoes of Fear TP
- Summer Shadows TP
- Superman Day 2025 All-Star Superman Deluxe Edition HC
- Superman Day 2025 Superman Unchained Deluxe Edition HC
- Supermassive Vol. 1 TP
- Toxic Summer TP
- Ultimate X-Men Epic Collection Vol. 1 The Tomorrow People TP
- Venom War Spider-Man Lethal Protectors TP
- The Writer TP
Read past editions of the Top Comics to Buy!
And check out the Beat’s most recent comics reviews!
