Top Comics to Buy for April 10, 2024: Great new beginnings

This week’s Top Comics to Buy for April 10 features some really cool new series with the launch of Uncanny Valley and When The Blood Has Dried. If that weren’t enough, we also get the start of a new line-wide Superman story arc. So, lots of great jumping on points this week. Check out the full list of recommendations below…enjoy!

Also, my Kickstarter comic is live now! If you like my weekly column, please check it out and maybe buy a copy. We’ve got great artists (many who have appeared in this space), and I really think we’ve made something special!

Top Comics to Buy for April 10, 2024

Action Comics #1064
Writer: Joshua Williamson
Artist: Rafa Sandoval
Colorist: Alejandro Sanchez
Letterer: Dave Sharpe
Publisher: DC Comics
Brainiac’s Lobo army invades Metropolis in an action-packed oversized issue! The Super family and all the heroes of Metropolis join the fight, but will they be enough to hold off Brainiac’s lethal and crazed soldiers?! Can Superman and Lex learn what Brainiac is searching for? He’s not bottling Metropolis, so what is he collecting instead?!
Why It’s Cool: This issue is a starting point for the new Superman line-wide event House of Braniac. But it’s also just a great high-action superhero comic. Writer Joshua Williamson and artist Rafa Sandoval have teamed in the past, and it shows. This book has fun character moments, some awesome visual set pieces, and a nice intro for the new story to come.
Price: $4.99

Dark Spaces – Dungeon #5
Writer: Scott Snyder
Artist: Hayden Sherman
Colorist: Patricio Delpeche
Letterer: Andworld Design
Publisher: IDW Publishing
What is the Keep’s endgame? How will it forever change or destroy Tyler and his family’s life? Will Detective Madoc be able to overcome his traumatic experiences in the Dungeons as a boy to unravel the Keep’s plans and stop this from ever happening to anyone else? The finale of the year’s most intense thriller is here!
Why It’s Cool: This is very much a serial-killer/torturer murder mystery book, but the horror elements of this story are beyond any I’ve seen in comics in a long while. It’s a truly sadistic premise, and it makes you all the more engaged as our heroes speed toward the villain confrontation here. I won’t spoil too much, but I will say this excellent book absolutely sticks the landing this week.
Price: $4.99

Night People #2
Based on the novel by: Barry Gifford
Writer: Chris Condon
Artist: Alexander Tefenkgi
Colorist: Ronda Pattison
Letterer: Shawn Lee
Publisher: Oni Press
On an otherwise quiet street in New Orleans, the battle over abortion is fought between brother and sister evangelical preachers in an ever-escalating rivalry between their neighboring ministries: the Church on the One Hand and the Church on the Other Hand. As the long-secret origin of Brother Dallas Salt and Sister Dilys Salt’s rift threatens to erupt into scandal, a fanatical female assassin quietly plans to settle their differences once and for all with a furious display of violence aimed right at the heart of a national debate that couldn’t be any more personal.
Why It’s Cool: I don’t know what to tell you about this book other than its basically my newest comics obsession. I absolutely love how different and weird this comic is. Highly recommend this one if you want something well-done, gritty, and different.
Price: $4.99 

Uncanny Valley #1
Writer: Tony Fleecs
Artist: Dave Watcher
Letterer: Pat Brosseau
Publisher: BOOM! Studios
Oliver is a seemingly typical 12 year old boy… except for a mysterious family history that seems to start and end with his mother, and unexplainable powers, that is. He can do things other boys can’t, to the point of landing him in some trouble. Baffled by the surreal cartoonish nature of his abilities and followed by a murder of peculiar crows, the mystery behind Oliver’s family history finally unfolds!
Why It’s Cool: One thing I always like in comics is when a story blends different art styles in the service of its concept or narrative, and that’s absolutely what we get in this book, which smashes realistic characters together with cartoons. It’s also just a really well-paced debut issue that reads lightning fast and leaves you eager for part two. This was an easy pick for the Top Comics to Buy for April 10.
Price: $4.99

When The Blood Has Dried #1
Writer: Gary Moloney
Artist: Daniel Romero
Letterer: Becca Carey
Publisher: Mad Cave Studios
Years ago, a stranger came to Carraig an Bhun, a little town on the edge of the Southern Territories. The locals eventually came to see this “blow-in,” Meabh of Cklonia, as one of their own. Now, Meabh has taken over as proprietor of The Lough Inn, finding a semblance of peace after a lifetime of adventuring…however, the proposed opening of a branch of the Adventurers’ Guild risks dragging her past into the present. What would the townsfolk do if they discovered their beloved barkeep was once part of a ruthless band of rogue sell-swords masquerading as noble heroes? It’s a tragic tale of loss and redemption that asks what’s left behind long after the bodies are buried and When the Blood Has Dried.
Why It’s Cool: Do you like a good, gritty fantasy comic that knows exactly when to let its fantastic artwork do the heavy-lifting? Of course you do. Well then, you’re going to want to pick up When The Blood Has Dried #1 this week for sure, a top-tier debut issue that will make sure this one lands on your pull list.
Price: $4.99

Others Receiving Votes

• Batman / Dylan Dog #2
• The Bat-Man: First Knight #2
• Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees #5
• Earthdivers #16
• Little Black Book #2
• Napalm Lullaby #2
• Phantom Road #10
• Transformers #7
• Ultimate X-Men #2
• Unnatural Order #4

New #1s and One-Shots

• Deadweights #1
• Disney Hercules #1
• Dungeons and Dragons – Thief of Many Things #1 (one-shot)
• Jim Henson’s Labyrinth Archive Edition #1
• Monsters Are My Business (And Business Is Bloody) #1
• Rat City #1
• St. Mercy Vol. 2 – Godland #1

Trade Collections and Graphic Novels

• Black Phoenix Omnibus GN
• Botanica Drama GN
• Con & On TP
• Eden TP
• Fire Power by Kirkman & Samnee Vol. 6 Epilogue TP
• Flash by Joshua Williamson Omnibus Vol. 1 HC
• The Forged Vol. 2 – Home Sweet Home TP
• Ghostlore Vol. 2 TP
• Horror HC
• Lies My Teacher Told Me: The Graphic Novel HC
• Local Man Vol. 2 TP
• The Sacrificers Vol. 1 TP
• Sex Criminals – The Complete Edition TP
• The Vigil TP
• When I Arrived At The Castle GN

FOC Watch

Zatanna Bring Down The House #1
Publisher: DC Comics
I knew I’d be buying and eagerly reading this book as soon as I saw the announcement that artist Javier Rodriguez would be drawing a Zatanna book. Rodriguez is one of those must-buy artists for me, but I am also curious to see how his work tackles a magical character. Add to that scripts by Mariko Tamaki and letters by Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou, and this one is an easy pre-order decision.

It’s due out June 15 from DC Comics’ Black Label imprint.

Read past editions of the Top Comics to Buy!