Comic suppliers will no longer be shipping out comics for the foreseeable future due to the ongoing pandemic. That means new material is limited. Luckily, there are hundreds of thousands of comic backlogs. Here are 5 comic series’ you can read this week in lieu of your normal weekly pull.
The Walking Dead (Image Comics)
If reading a comic about a pandemic doesn’t turn you off, then The Walking Dead is a great series to start right now. Not only is it very long (32 volumes, 193 issues) but it’s also completed, so you wouldn’t need to worry about it not ever getting finished. The comic would also be a good read for fans of the show, as it’s almost an alternate universe in a sort. Many things that happen in the comic take place very differently in the show (or not at all), and vice versa. So, if you’re worried about the comic being too similar to the show, it’s not.
Read the First Issue of The Walking Dead here!
Fables (Vertigo)
Fables revolves around a group of various fairy tale characters (Snow White, Bluebeard, Big Bad Wolf, etc.) who are forced to relocate to a hidden borough in New York City called Fabletown. A mysterious and powerful enemy known as ‘The Adversary’ takes over their homeland. The series takes place in modern-day and follows the folklore characters as they try to blend in New York City while working towards taking back their home. Not unlike The Walking Dead, Fables is a longer series (150 issues, 22 volumes) that also has an end. There’s also a Telltale game based upon the series called The Wolf Among Us.
Sweet Tooth (Vertigo)
Sweet Tooth is a series I picked up last year and loved. It’s written and illustrated by Jeff Lemire and takes place in the post-apocalypse where human/animal hybrids are a thing. Sweet Tooth follows Gus, a human/animal hybrid, who lived with his father in seclusion all his life. Events happen and he’s forced to leave with an unknown man named Jeppard. He promises to take Gus to a sanctuary, but in the post-apocalypse, nothing can be taken at face value and things go awry. The comic has been dubbed by some as “Mad Max meets Bambi.” Sweet Tooth has a great story with some really unique art. The series is completed and done with 40 issues and 6 volumes.
Saga (Image Comics)
Saga is a modern Romeo and Juliet story that revolves around a husband and wife from two very different sides of a long, brutal war as they’re on the run from the space authorities while also trying to care for their newborn daughter (who also narrates the series occasionally). Saga is one series I’d recommend every adult (kids stay away, viewer discretion is definitely advised) read if they want an amazing story that can be funny one issue and the next heartbreaking. The art is incredible, and the characters are likable. The series is not finished. Saga stopped at issue #54 to go on a hiatus, with no end in sight (but the last 54 issues ARE planned out).
Read the First Issue of Saga here!
Gotham Academy (DC Comics)
Gotham Academy is set within the Batman mythos of the DC Universe. The story follows a group of friends as they investigate the mysterious intricacies of their school, Gotham Academy, which just so happens to be across the street from Arkham Asylum (who thought that was a good idea?). The series features a cast of interesting characters, it’s well written, and the art’s fantastic. Gotham Academy is a great read for the younger audiences, and older alike. There are 18 issues (3 volumes) in the “First Semester” series and 12 in the “Second Semester” series, as well as a 6-issue limited series crossover, Lumberjanes/Gotham Academy.
It really sucks not having new comics to read, but what sucks more is when comics are your livelihood. Comic stores all over the world are suffering from the pandemic. Here’s a couple of my local favorites (Toronto) that you can support if you’re able to!
- Silver Snail
- The Beguiling (you can buy original art and gift certificates)
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