This week’s Top Comics to Buy for July 3 is a quieter week as a holiday weekend looms, but there’s still some real gems in it. In fact, many of those gems are actually mid-run comics, which is kind of rare for this sort of list, where the excitement often goes to the flashy new #1s (don’t worry, I still picked one of those too). But hey, I’ve got my usual set of five recommendations below, followed by all the weekly lists … enjoy!
Top Comics to Buy for July 3, 2024
Absolute Power #1
Writer: Mark Waid
Artist: Dan Mora
Colorist: Alejandro Sanchez
Letterer: Ariana Maher
Publisher: DC Comics
DC’s epic summer event kicks off with a bang, as the combined might of FAILSAFE and the BRAINIAC QUEEN has at last given Amanda Waller the ability to steal the metahuman abilities of every hero and villain on planet Earth. As chaos erupts in the streets and a massive misinformation campaign sways public opinion to her side, the founder of the Suicide Squad methodically targets each superhero dynasty one at a time, starting with SUPERMAN. But even in this darkest of hours, a resistance is forming…and BATMAN is out for vengeance. It’s a shocking blitzkrieg across the globe that is decades in the making–and will shape the course of the DC Universe for years to come!
Why It’s Cool: This year’s DC summer event is one that the entire line has been building to for a while, and in this week’s first issue, we get a fantastic start to the story. There are twists and turns and character reveals a plenty here, elevating it above most of the recent Big 2 events, at least in the early goings.
Price: $4.99
Barbaric – Born in Blood #2
Writer: Michael Moreci
Artist: Nathan Gooden
Colorist: Fabiana Marques
Letterer: Jim Campbell
Publisher: Vault Comics
The team…separated! Owen faces down the worst nightmare of his Barbarian past, while Soren and Axe endure interrogations by the cruel half-giant Orrick. As for Steel? Turns out that half-feral vampires might have their own place on the food chain!
Why It’s Cool: Barbaric has hit that rarefied air where it has been so good for so long that it’s easy to take it for granted — then bam, a new issue hits and we’re reminded all over again of how great this book is. This issue is a fun one, packed with action as we head toward the last issue of the series latest arc.
Price: $4.99
The Boy Wonder #3
Writer/Artist: Juni Ba
Colorist: Chris O’Halloran
Letterer: Aditya Bidikar
Publisher: DC Comics – Black Label
The cunning Tim Drake has always been the smartest of Batman’s sons…and the most comfortable matching wits with the most sinister geniuses on Earth. Damian Wayne doesn’t like feeling outsmarted–to him, no smugly-written insult could ever be sharper than his sword–so when he’s forced to infiltrate a super-villain gala alongside the sneaky Red Robin, the biggest danger the two of them face might not be Lex Luthor but Damian’s own temper!
Why It’s Cool: This series has been an absolute treat from the start, an exploration of the different character traits of each Robin by one of the most exciting storytellers in comics — Juni Ba. And get ready, because this month it’s Tim Drakes turn.
Price: $5.99
Poison Ivy #24
Writer: G. Willow Wilson
Artist: Haining
Colorist: Arif Prianto
Letterer: Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou
Publisher: DC Comics
THE DEATH OF PAMELA ISLEY Dr. Jason Woodrue, the Floronic Man (a.k.a. Floro), has stacked the deck in his favor. Neither Ivy’s powers nor her allies are enough to put an end to Floro and his devilish plan to turn Ivy’s victims against her. As time, and her own supply of blood, runs out, one thing becomes apparent: to bring the outbreak of the parasitic fungi, Ophiocordyceps Lamia, to an end, Poison Ivy will have to kill both her own creator and herself.
Why It’s Cool: This Poison Ivy series remains one of the best Big 2 comics of recent years, and in this month’s issue we get the culmination of several recent storylines. It’s a really satisfying issue, one that almost feels like a series finale, although (thankfully) the end teases more to come. I don’t know how many times I have to say it, but you really must be reading this book
Price: $3.99
Space Ghost #3
Writer: David Pepose
Artist: Jonathan Lau
Colorist: Andrew Dalhouse
Letterer: Taylor Esposito
Publisher: Dynamite
Enter the Widow! Is she friend or foe? Rolling the dice and trusting the potentially untrustworthy, the Ghost crew takes the fight to Robo-Corp. Will their new ally be the key they’ve been missing in bringing down the evil Robo-Corp once-and-for-all? Find out in this issue!
Why It’s Cool: This series continues to do an excellent job rolling out more of Space Ghost’s world and enemies while also telling satisfying single issue stories. The art is fantastic, the writing perfectly-paced, and the overall series fantastic. Plus, just look at those Michael Cho variant covers! They’re some of the best covers in all of comics right now.
Price: $4.99
Others Receiving Votes
Batman and Robin and Howard – Summer Breakdown #1- Batman #150
- Birds of Prey #11
- Holy Roller #7
- Kneel Before Zod #7
- Public Domain #6
- Scarlett (GI Joe) #2
- SHAZAM! #13
- Toxic Summer #2
New #1s and One-Shots
All The Things We Didn’t Do Last Night #1 (one-shot)- Amazing Spider-Man Vol. 6 Annual #1
- Annihilation 2099 #1
- Betty & Veronica Summer Spectacular #1 (one-shot)
- Cyberpunk 2077 – Kickdown #1
- Doctor Who 15th Doctor #1
- Free Agents #1
- Grendel – Devil’s Crucible – Defiance #1
- Soul Taker #1
- Spider-Man Reign 2 #1
- Star Wars – Inquisitors #1
- Thundercats Cheetara #1
- Werewolf By Night – Blood Hunt #1 (one-shot)
- Wolverine Deep Cut #1
- X-Men Blood Hunt – Psylocke #1 (one-shot)
Graphic Novels and Trade Collections
1949 HC- All-Star Superman TP – DC Compact Comics Edition
- Avengers By Jed McKay Vol. 2 – Twilight Dreaming TP
- Far Sector TP – DC Compact Comics Edition
- Heavyweight – A Family Story of the Holocaust Empire and Memory TP
- Rogue Trooper – Blighty Valley HC
- Wonder Woman Vol. 1 Outlaw TP
- You And A Bike And A Road HC
Read past editions of the Top Comics to Buy!
