We've read this week's books and selected a few of our favorites. Robins, Bears, and Turtles - oh, my.
Top of the Hump is a new weekly column where we select our two favorite comics of the week. This Wednesday, we're highlighting the end of a serial killer epic, the start of something wonderous, our favorite fighting turtles, and more.
There are exciting New Comic Book Days, and then there are EXCITING New Comic Book Days! This week, we've got new chapters in some of our favorite ongoing series as well as two hotly anticipated Number Ones. We continue to be cautious regarding our nostalgia and such titles as Transformers and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, but these books keep delivering the goods and subverting/exceeding expectations. Ya love to see it.
The books below are the Best Comics you can buy on 5/7/23, and we think you'll remember this week rather fondly come the end of the year. Let us know what you think if you snag them up at the shop this week.
Best Comics 5/7/24: Ain't No Grave 1
The team behind The Me You Love in the Dark and Middlewest returns with a ghostly Western simmering with hot emotion and violence. Skottie Young and Jorge Corona thrive with stressful stories, supplying beauty and dread frequently in the same panel. Ain't No Grave switches back and forth in time, telling Ryder's sad saga. Once upon a time, she was a badass outlaw, but love found her, and family followed. Then came the cough and the diagnosis. She's compelled to strap leather and battle the only entity with cruel control over the situation. Imagine Unforgiven reworked by Guillermo del Toro.Â
Best Comics 5/7/24: Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees 6
Endings are terrible, awful things, especially when they involve hotly anticipated stories, with many readers predicting many more possibilities. Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees was the most surprising success in comics this past year, and witnessing it come to a close comes with a somber feeling. We're not ready for Sam to go away, and we hope that cartoonist Patrick Horvath shares our desire for more Woodbruck slayings.
But let's focus on the present, shall we? We don't like the finality of a final issue, but if it must occur, we're happy to report that it's a damn fine conclusion. The sixth issue miraculously pulls all the dangling elements together in a satisfying, unpredictable, and appropriately grotesque manner.
Bravo, Patrick. Take your bow. And give us more.
Best Comics 5/7/24: Boy Wonder 1
Does anyone else remember Juni Ba's short Truth and Justice story (from the sixth issue)? It was a quick burst, but in it, Ba displayed tremendous love for Damian Wayne. We never imagined DC Comics would allow the Mobilis and Djeliya cartoonist to expand on those emotions, but shame on us for lacking faith. Boy Wonder allows Ba to expand on his passion for Damian and the rest of the Bat Family. The issue is as electric as Damian's personality, buzzing with a fresh perspective, unbeatable cartooning, and sequential storytelling. Juni Ba looks to silence those curmudgeons who too frequently question the purpose of Robins in Batman's mission.
Best Comics 5/7/24: Night People 3
As an adaptation of Barry Gifford's novella, Night People is a grim affair and not necessarily the most fun comic to read month to month. Writer Chris Condon perfectly captures Gifford's horrendous human circus, keeping the focus on the author's words, characters, and often profoundly troubling philosophy. For this third chapter, Condon is joined by I Hate This Place's Artyom Topilin, and the stylist adds a compelling aesthetic and personality. Topilin's characters don't stray too far from what the previous two issues established, but they carry a gleam that reaffirms the power of the medium. We dig how this series rotates through artists; it's one of the book's main appeals, but after reading this issue, we kinda wish Topilin was as much a throughline as Gifford and Condon.
Best Comics 5/7/24: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Black, White, and Green 1
Okay, you need to prepare yourself for some serious hyperbole. But we mean it. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Black, White, and Green is the most exciting TMNT comic in years. Yes, we understand that you're all super stoked about the upcoming relaunch from Jason Aaron and company. So are we, totally. However, this new anthology series feels as close to that classic Mirage Studios moment when Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird formed their stable of rad, boundary-bending cartoonists. Remember when Stephen R. Bissette, Jim Lawson, Richard Corben, Michael Zulli, and Rick Veitch would run wild on Turtle issues, doing their radical thing while never betraying the concept's core values? That's what we got here in the first issue of Black, White, and Green.
IDW Publishing invites Declan Shalvey, Dave Baker, Jesse Lonergan, Gigi Dutreix, Lorenzo Hall, and Paulina Ganucheau to unleash their full potential on the Ninja Turtles. The result is four stories with unique vibes and tones, revealing the unlimited possibility of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and adding a little something new to them, too. Whether you're a die-hard Turtles fan or a newbie, this comic has something for you. If you buy only one comic this week, buy this one.
Best Comics 5/7/24: Transformers 8
Two Jorge Corona books in one week? Is this the best week ever? Yes. We were never nervous that Corona would be anything other than outstanding on Transformers, but it's nice to see it so obviously confirmed with this issue. While Daniel Warren Johnson's script digs a little deeper into the complicated relationship dynamics of the Decepticons, Corona slays at communicating expression on their metallic faces and delivering gorgeous bombast when the action requires it. Spike and Carly continue to struggle with their new orphan status, and we eagerly await revelation regarding Optimus Prime's ever-evolving parental role. The wait between Transformers issues is always painful. At least this week, we were also gifted with the Free Comic Book Day Energon Universe Special.
Best Comics 5/7/24: Honorable Mentions
Batman 147
Birds of Prey 9
Gone 3
Masterpiece 5
One Hand 4
Shazam 11
Usagi Yojimbo: The Crow 2