Comixology Sales – Batman, Avengers, Spawn, Thanos and Blacksad

This week in Comixology (at Amazon) Sales, we break down that big Batman sale by titles and maybe that makes it easier to parse. Marvel has deals on (almost) all things Avengers and their Cosmic wing of the universe, while we keep an eye on the Image Omnibuses.

We’re just wondering if, by the time you read this, whether the Defenders sale is still listed on the Deals page. As we type this, the sale is over, the listing is still up and the link doesn’t really go anywhere. Amazon is trying to keep you on your toes!

(Disclosure: If you buy something we link to on our site, we may earn commissions)

Where did the New Releases and Sale pages go?

In case you’re having troubles with the new UIX (a LOT of people have been):

The Sale That Flaps in the Knight

So let’s revisit the big Batman Sale that’s still running through Monday (3/14). We’ve been hearing a LOT about how hard it is to navigate… and that’s no lie. We also heard one of our old habits is a little more helpful with the new Amazon consumer unfriendly layout, so we’re just going to give you a list of the various Batman series out there. Pretty much everything older is on sale, including $0.99 cent singles, so maybe this would be a little easier to parse?

Batman (original 1940 – ’11 series) – graphic novels
Same series, single issues
Detective Comics (original 1937 – ’11 series) – graphic novels
Guess what? Amazon didn’t bother with a central listing for the original Detective run. Cue the “Real Men of Genius” theme. They’re in the system, but unorganized.
Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight – graphic novels
Same series, single issues
Batman and the Outsiders (original) – graphic novels
For whatever reason, the first collection isn’t on sale, but the single issues are all $0.99.
Batman (’11-’16, i.e. Snyder/Capullo) – graphic novels
Same series, single issues
Detective Comics (’11-’16, i.e. Tony Daniel, then John Layman)
Same series, single issues

Browse around those links and they might be easier to sift through and digest than the formal sale listings.

Now to throw out a suggestion that’s deeper cut, we were always a fan of the Greg Rucka / Shawn Martinbrough / Rick Burkett run that’s been collected under the banner of “New Gotham. Great run, and $4.99 for 300+ page volumes is good bang for your buck, too. Volume 1 and Volume 2.

Bargains Assemble

Marvel has an Avengers sale running through St. Paddy’s Day (3/17).

No single issues on this sale, but let’s take the same approach… although we apologize for how unorganized the series pages on Amazon are presented. It’s poor craftsmanship.

What we’d recommend overall is to head to the original Avengers run and pick off some of the Epic Editions for $6.99.

Another excellent option is to head over to the ’98-’04 Avengers run and look at the Avengers Assemble volumes by Kurt Busiek and George Perez, which is a wonderful thing.

You might be thinking about the Hickman era, but we’re going to throw up a caution light here. Because of how that run bounced between various titles, you’re much better off reading it in the Avengers by Jonathan Hickman: The Complete Collection format and that one’s not on sale right now.

However, if you’re looking to get your Jason Aaron/Ed McGuinness on, their Avengers is most definitely in the sale.

Oh, you’re going to make us pick and choose? Fine.

Since the best chunk of Englehart’s Avengers isn’t in Epic format, we’ll go with The Final Threat for the original run Epic Collection. For $6.99, you get the very end of Englehart, a skirmish with Doctor Doom and Namor, the return of Wonder Man and the Bride of Ultron arc. Plus the finale of the original Thanos/Warlock saga. So your parade of creators also includes Gerry Conway, Jim Shooter, George Perez, John Byrne and Jim Starlin. That ain’t shabby.

Then maybe Avengers Forever, a truly epic Kang story by Kurt Busiek, Roger Stern and Carlos Pacheco. That was it’s own maxi-series and sometimes get overlooked for not being in the main title. But it’s GOOD.

(Honorable mention to Under Seige – the Epic Collection version, from the delightful Roger Stern / John Buscema / Tom Palmer era.)

Image Lays It On THICK

Image’s Omnibus Sale runs through Thursday, 3/31. Now, you need to keep an eye on these Image omnibus sales because a lot of the pricing is for HC deluxe editions and such things don’t matter in digital. That said, things that caught our eye:

Paper Girls The Complete Story by Brian K. Vaughan and Cliff Chiang, i.e. 30 issues for $19.99? That’s a good deal on the time travel caper and you get the whole story in one piece.

Would you like to read the first 100 issues of Spawn for less than $0.50/issue? Because now there are TWO volumes of Spawn Compendium for $23.99 each. 50 issues per volume. Get your Todd McFarlane on, your Greg Capullo on and yes… your Neil Gaiman and Alan Moore, too (in the first volume). That’s about as good a per issue price as you see outside of the holidays.

If you were wondering, the Saga omnibus that was on sale a few weeks back is not currently on sale.

No… Cosmic Boy is a DC Character…

The Marvel Cosmic Heroes Sale runs through Sunday, 3/13.

So what’s Cosmic at Marvel? Strangely, Jim Starlin-inspired material, but not Starlin, himself. No Captain Marvel or Infinity Gems.

Thanos Wins was the introduction of Donny Cates and Geoff Shaw to the Marvel universe. It was never clear to us just how cannon this arc was (then again, we never thought Old Man Logan would turn up in the current timeline), but it’s also an entertaining, disturbing and sometimes funny jaunt that finds Thanos confronting his victorious future at the end of time. And Cosmic Ghost Rider.

The real old school option here is Star-Lord: Guardian of the Galaxy, which collects the early Star-Lord tales. And when we say early, we mean starting with the old b&w Marvel magazines. We’ve got most of those and we like them. It’s a different Star-Lord than you see post-GoG movie, too… although Al Ewing has definitely been going back to basics. (Good on you, Al.) Who was working on these originals? Steve Englehart, Chris Claremont, Doug Moench, Timothy Zahn, Carmine Infantino, John Byrne… there was talent working on the character.

And finally… you like hardboiled mysteries? If so, check out Blacksad. It’s anthropomorphic, but is is NOT funny animals. This PI comic is firmly in the Hammett/Chandler school and it is EXCELLENT.

Posted on March 11, 2022March 11, 2022 by comics_p1pusl

Comixology Sales: Spider-Man, Marvel Max / Punisher, She-Hulk, Silver Surfer, DC’s Joshua Williamson, Spawn and DH’s Matt Kindt

This week’s Comixology Sales includes a bunch of Marvel titles as they break out the Marvel Max line for a rare appearance, plus Sabretooth, She-Hulk and the world of Dan Slott. Speaking of creator spotlights, DC shines one on Joshua Williamson, Dark Horse on Matt Kindt and Spawn has always been a Todd McFarlane spotlight.

(Disclosure: If you buy something we link to on our site, we may earn commissions)

X-Villain

The Marvel Sabretooth sale runs through Sunday, 1/9. (Amazon link)

Victor Creed, the Wolverine villain who Marvel’s never quite turned into a leading man/anti-hero.

You can go back to the beginning in Iron Fist Masterworks V. 2. Yes, Sabretooth is a Chris Claremont/John Byrne creation and started out in Iron Fist’s sphere. (Later teaming with the Constrictor in Power Man and Iron Fist.)

If you think of Sabretooth as an X-Men villain, Mutant Massacre is likely a major touchpoint for you. That would be the Claremont/John Romita, Jr. era, plus crossovers.

If you think of him as a Wolverine villain… well, there’s plenty there, but we’ve also had a soft spot for the lower key Greg Rucka run. Sabretooth shows up at the end of that sequence when Darrick Robertson was on art duties.

Spiders and Surfboards and Avengers, oh my

The Marvel Dan Slott Sale runs through Sunday, 1/9.

And yes, Slott has spent a fair amount of time at Marvel, so this sale covers some territory.

His most famous work has probably been Superior Spider-Man with art by Humberto Ramos and Ryan Stegman. This is the saga of when Doc Ock inhabited Peter Parker’s body. The two omnibus editions are the best deal here.

Slott’s most critically acclaimed work might be his Silver Surfer run with Mike Allred. Ah, mid-aught Marvel, OF COURSE there was a relaunch and despite the numbering, the collections are listed with series 1 and series 2. (Oh, Marvel…)

For something a little more off the beaten path, we always enjoyed Slott’s Mighty Avengers run, now conveniently collected in one volume. Back when Bendis was doing his New Avengers run, this was the only thing that felt like a traditional Avengers title for some time.

Hulking Out

The Marvel She-Hulk Sale runs through Thursday, 1/13. (Amazon link)

You have a few different directions in the She-Hulk cannon. The ones that seem to get revisited the most are She-Hulk as broad farce, like the Sensational She-Hulk run of John Byrne and lawyer She-Hulk, such as the Charles Soule/Javier Pulido run.

Not For Kids

The Marvel Max sale runs through Thursday, 1/20. (Amazon link)

Yes, this the Marvel imprint for ages 17+ that’s a little darker, more violent and not on sale quite as often.

The flagship here is probably Punisher. Particularly the first 4 “Complete Collection” volumes that pair Garth Ennis with Leandro Fernandez, Goran Parlov and Doug Braithwaite. This isn’t the comedy of “Welcome Back, Frank.” This is a quite serious and brutal sequence. It’s also a very good one… just not for kids.

Speaking of Welcome Back, Frank, it’s been moved over to Marvel Max. For those who haven’t heard of it, this is an Ennis/Steve Dillon/Jimmy Palmiotti Punisher series that takes a very idiosyncratic direction – Frank is still a very angry, death dealing man… but he’s thrust into the middle of an absurdist farce as he tries to bring down the Gnucci crime family. It’s utterly hilarious and something multiple directors have unsuccessfully tried to translate the screen. Influential and impossible to replicate.

There’s a lot more to the sale, but our off-the-radar pick is Dominic Fortune, Howard Chaykin’s pulp homage that also includes the character’s original appearances.

The Flash and Beyond

The DC Spotlight: Joshua Williamson Sale runs through Monday, 1/10. (Amazon link)

This is one of the smallest DC sales we’ve seen – only 20 items. Williamson’s profile at DC has been raised in recent months and outside of $1.99 Robin single issues, that’s not really reflected in the sale. What is here is the first six volumes of his popular Flash run where Carmine Di Giandomenico is the headlining artist.

Now, if you want to fly under the radar, there are a couple Vertigo volumes here pairing Williamson with artists we tend to associate with Image… and if you’re a .cheap regular, you know we mention his Image work fairly often.

Frostbite with art by Jason Shawn Alexander concerns a post-apocalyptical wasteland of a future where a plague is freezing people from the inside out.

Deathbed with Riley Rossmo finds a reporter sent to investigate the deathbed confessions of a 90-year old man who was once a famous adventure and who resurfaced after a 20-year disappearance. Could something unnatural be behind all this? Surely not.

Capes and Chains

The Image Spawn Sale runs through Thursday 1/20. (Amazon link)

Did you know Spawn has more issues out than Cerebus? It’s true!

Your best buy here is Spawn Compendium Vol. 1. That’s the first 50 issues and that comes out to roughly $0.48/issue. That’s the original run with Todd McFarlane doing full art, guest writers Alan Moore, Dave Sim, Frank Miller, Neil Gaiman and Grant Morrison. Early Greg Capullo art and some Tony Daniels , too.

The off-beat book here is Sam and Twitch, where a young Brian Bendis teams with Angel Medina, Alberto Ponticelli, Clayton Crain and Alex Maleev for some quirky horror detective stories about Spawn’s police acquaintances. It’s not always remembered, but it certainly helped launch some careers.

Underwater Minds

The Dark Horse Matt Kindt sale runs through Monday, 1/10.

Kindt’s most celebrated work at Dark Horse is definitely Mind MGMT. It’s a bit of a genre mashup about conspiracies and psychic espionage. Kindt writes AND draws it. One man gang, as it were. The omnibus editions are the best deal here.

If you’re looking for something similar to Mind MGMT, we’d point you towards Dept. H, wherein an investigator is sent to an underwater base to investigate sabotage and there are much stranger things going on than meets the eye.

Posted on January 6, 2022January 7, 2022 by comics_p1pusl

Comixology Sales: Spider-Man / Green Goblin; Astro City; DC’s pre-Black Friday Sale; Image Superheroes

Highlights of this week’s Comixology sales include Spider-Man and the Green Goblin over at the House of Ideas, DC’s “Road to Black Friday” sale and Image’s superhero sale, which includes the return of Astro City.

(Disclosure: If you buy something we link to on our site, we may earn commissions)

He’s Got Your Pumpkin Right Here

The Marvel Green Goblin Sale runs through Sunday, 11/21.

You absolutely can’t go wrong with the Epic Collections that make up the top row of this sale. Lee/Ditko, Lee/Romita… that’s the foundational material. We also would point you towards Spider-Man: Light in the Darkness for something that’s a bit under the radar. That’s an Epic Collection-sized slice of the under-appreciated Peter Parker: Spider-Man run by Paul Jenkins and Mark Buckingham. Jenkins doesn’t get enough love these days.

The Warm Up

The DC Road to Black Friday Sale – Graphic Novels runs through Monday, 11/22 and comes in two parts – Part 1 (100 Bullets to New Teen Titans) and Part 2 (Night Force to Zero Hour).

Which is to say, they’ve got most of the catalog on sale. The discounts are ranging from ~52% – 69% off, the upper part of the range being above average for DC in ’21… but makes us wonder what’s in store for the actual Black Friday sale?

It’s worth an extended browse, but some things that came to our attention for being at better discounts:

Preacher, the darkly satirical road trip horror epic from Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon is on the high end of the discounts with the first three of the six collected editions at 69% off. Since these are effectively double-sized collections, it’s a pretty good deal as-is.

Multiversity, the dimension-hopping Event by Grant Morrison and a cadre of artists like Frank Quitely and Ivan Reis was a ton o’ fun (we’ll see your President Superman and raise you a pulp-flavored Justice Society). It’s also 70% off right now! Incidentally, you ever notice the Multiversity cover makes no sense unless you already know the comic is about exploring the different worlds in the DC Multiverse?

Speaking of Grant Morrison, the Discount Gods are smiling upon him this week with Final Crisis on sale for 69% off. With JG Jones and Doug Mahnke on art, this one collects the main mini-series, as well as key tie-ins (there was some malpractice at DC during the original release and it was not effectively communicated that Superman Beyond was VITAL to the story), so you can get the whole thing in one sitting.

Astro City Returns… On Sale

Yes, technically it’s part of the Image sale, but it’s so nice to see Astro City back in digital, it gets it’s own header. This Kurt Busiek/Brent Anderson/Alex Ross collaboration exited the DC publishing sphere awhile back and was in limbo until the current Image deal was announced. Appropriately, Astro City started out at Image, so things are now full circle.

Astro City is essentially a distillation of all that’s good about superhero comics. Particularly Silver Age comics. “Astro City” is the setting and the characters are a pantheon of superhero archetypes. Some tales are about the heroes. Some are about the people around them. You can pick up pretty much any volume on it’s own and enjoy it (OK, maybe not Dark Age Part 2…), but if you start at the beginning and move forward, the world building is additive.

Independent Capes

The Image Superhero Sale runs through Monday, 11/22.

To start with something out of left field, there’s always The Pro. Very much in the “mature readers” side of things, this is Garth Ennis, Amanda Connor and Jimmy Palmiotti crafting the adventures of a superpowered prostitute. Oh, yes… wherever you think they won’t go, they do. Very funny, very dark and keep the children away from this one.

Radiant Black by Kyle Higgins and Marcelo Costa is one of the current Image buzz books. The first volume of this Millennial hero whose adventures start by moving back in with the parents is 50% off.

And right back from the dawn of Image, there’s Spawn Compendium Vol. 1. That’s the first 50 issues of Spawn. Todd McFarlane doing the full art before Tony Daniels and Greg Capullo pick up the pencil. Guest scripts by Alan Moore, Neil Gaiman (now that was an expensive script!), Dave Simm and Grant Morrison. Here’s the deal – with this discount, it’s less than $0.50/issue and you just don’t get much cheaper than that!

Still on Sale

The Dark Horse Berger Books Sale runs through Monday, 11/22
The Archie 1000 Page Graphic Novels Sale runs through Monday, 11/29
The Archie Riverdale & Sabrina Sale runs through Monday, 11/29
The Humanoids Best of Jodorowsky Sale runs through Monday, 12/20

Posted on November 18, 2021 by comics_p1pusl

Comixology Sales: Wolverine, Venom/Carnage, (Solo) X-Men, Justice League, Spawn and Cursed Pirate Girl

This week in Comixology Sales, Marvel discounts Wolverine’s demise and the solo X-Men adventures, DC cuts the Justice League pricing, we have a look at some under-the-radar Image titles in their large Fall sale and… Cursed Pirate Girl!

(Disclosure: If you buy something we link to on our site, we may earn commissions)

Dead Again

The Marvel Death of Wolverine Sale runs through Sunday, 10/3.

Spoilers: he gets better.

This sale is pretty straight forward. If you want the full Event experience, Death of Wolverine: The Complete Collection gets you a little more bang for your buck.

Mutants Without Partners

The Marvel X-Men Solo Series Sale runs through Thursday, 10/7.

This would be a collection of some of the mini-series and otherwise short lived titles featuring the various members of the X-family off on their own.

Of the set, Legion (or Legion: Legacy as it’s sometimes referred to) by Si Spurrier and Tan Eng Huat is probably the one with the most lasting influence. You might also be interested in a bit of Chris Claremont. Everyone once in a while, Marvel will give him the greenlight and this 2014 Nightcrawler series drawn by Todd Nauck is one of those.

Symbiotes

The Marvel Venom-Carnage Sale runs through Sunday, 12/17.

Gosh, it’s like there was a movie out or something…

The Venom saga starts with this Amazing Spider-Man Epic Collection. That puts you in the David Michelinie/Todd McFarlane era of the book.

Maximum Carnage isn’t the first appearance of Carnage, but it’s the BIG story arc where Carnage really gets the spotlight, a few years after Venom debuted.

Justice over the Years

The DC Spotlight: Justice League Sale runs through Monday, 10/4.

This is one of those mezzanine level, 50% off sales that are becoming the norm for DC. What’s on sale? A whole bunch of Justice League, naturally. And the older single issues are $0.99, so make sure it’s not cheaper to get single issues than the collected edition. (It’s usually cheaper to get the collected edition if it’s on sale, but not always.)

The original Justice League of America run is here. You can get the first 41 issues or so in collected editions and another batch in the #80s-#90s, but this is mostly a single issue affair. We always thought the Steve Englehart/Dick Dillin era was Peak JLA: #139-146; 149-150. The Gerry Conway/Dick Dillin/George Perez era that followed has it’s fans, too. Conway was on the title a looooooong time.

For an oddity, long before he was doing Deathstroke and Vampirella, Priest did a run on Justice League Task Force. A title you really don’t hear the name of very often. The cleanest place to start (darn those pesky cross-overs) is probably #17, which Mark Waid writes and Priest pops back in with the next issue.

For pure Bang For The Buck, it’s hard to beat Justice League Quarterly. The ’90-’94 series is eclectic as all get out for creators (see for yourself) and it’s 70+ pages for $0.99/pop. Definitely cheaper getting the single issues on this one. If you see a creator lineup you like on an issue, it’s cheap!

The more recent material is also available, but we figure you’re already familiar with that.

Hidden Treasure From Image

The Image Fall Reading Sale runs through Friday, 10/15.

Normally, we don’t recommend $20+ digital collections… but we’ll make an exception for Spawn Compendium V.1 because it’s a 50 issue collection and that comes out to roughly $0.48/issue, which is as cheap as it comes. Spawn’s pretty hot right now and this is a good way to see how it started. Todd McFarlane is even penciling Spawn before Greg Capullo and Tony Daniel enter the picture. Plus all those early guest writers like Alan Moore and Neil Gaiman.

Speaking of things that are hot right now, Kyle Higgins seems to have a hit on his hands with Radiant Black, but not that many people remember his previous indie superhero vehicle, C.O.W.L. Co-written by Alec Seigel and drawn by Rod Reis concerns a labor union for superheroes in ’60s Chicago.

The Monolith, written by Jimmy Palmiotti & Justin Gray and illustrated by Phil Winslade is a comic that was originally published by DC, with the rights having returned to the creators. (Do not say that last part around the Marvel legal offices this week. Someone might get alarmed.) A troubled young woman discovers golem in her basement in this one. A very angry golem who thirsts for revenge. It’s something you may not have heard of and we’re saps for Phil Winslade’s art.

Another lesser-known series by a now more prominent creator is twenty-seven by Charles Soule and Renzo Podestá. Yes, Soule is on the prolific side. This one explores why all those famous musicians die at the age of 27. An occult conspiracy? That would be telling.

Curses!

The BOOM! YA All Day Sale runs through Friday 10/1.

We would draw your eye to a wonderfully idiosyncratic comic: Jeremy Bastian’s Cursed Pirate Girl. We’re not sure we’d necessarily call it YA, so much as living in it’s own space in sort of an surreal Alice in Wonderland kind of way… but with pirates and ghosts. Such a unique work!

Still on Sale

The Small Press Manga Sale runs through Monday, 10/4

Posted on September 30, 2021October 1, 2021 by comics_p1pusl

Comixology Sales: Archie Vs. Predator! Deadpool! Spawn! and DC’s Crisis of Events on Sale!

This week’s Comixology Sales include Deadpool, DC’s Events over the years, Spawn and Dark Horse put the Aliens and Predator lines on sale ahead of Marvel’s versions.

(Disclosure: If you buy something we link to on our site, we may earn commission.)

Crisis on Infinite Sales

The DC Event & Mini Series Sale runs through Monday (12/14). It’s a little heavier on Events. For a somewhat recent title, Event Leviathan has made its to the discount zone. The Brian Bendis/Alex Maleev tale of a mysterious criminal conspiracy moving on DC’s spy organizations in preparation for a takeover was supposed to have a sequel, Event Leviathan: Checkmate that hasn’t been rescheduled yet.

DC’s best event in recent(ish) memory is probably Multiversity. Grant Morrison went about exploring the multiverse with Frank Quitely and a posse of A-list artists in tow. Not that the multiverse might suddenly be relevant at DC again or anything… This is a nice thick 450 page package, too.

Going back a hair further to the Before New 52 Times, Sinestro Corps War is probably the pinnacle of the celebrated Geoff Johns era on Green Lantern. This first GL event kept it tightly in the family with just Green Lantern, Green Lantern Corps and an Event special.

The Merc with the Discount

The Deadpool Vs. The Marvel Universe Sale (Amazon link) runs through Sunday (11/13). The first thing you’re thinking when you read that sale name is probably Deadpool Kills the Marvel Universe by Cullen Bunn and Dalibor Talajic. And you’d be right to think that. It’s the first thing listed on sale. There are several volumes of Cullen Bunn’s various Deadpool titles, as it happens.

The sale is made up of several of the “side” series Deadpool has had over the years… and that’s a fairly long list. For a couple alternate ideas, Deadpool Vs. X-Force is written by Duane Swierczynski with some relatively early Marvel art by Pepe Larraz, who’s certainly on the A-list today.

And if you’d like a bit of high concept snark, Deadpool’s Art of War by Peter David and Scott Koblish has the Merc with the Mouth in a get rich quick scheme involving translating Sun Tzü’ venerable tome and… things don’t go quite as planned.

Lots of Marvel still on sale in the bottom section.

Spawn

Image lines up with a Spawn sale (Amazon link) through Thursday, 12/17. This is one very long series. The 20 volumes of Spawn Origins takes you through #122, then the titled volumes pick up a bit later in the series. Spawn#312 shipped a couple weeks ago, so Spawn has outlasted Cerebus.

Aliens and Predators on the Way Out the Door

Running until 12/31, Dark Horse has an Aliens Predator Sale (Amazon link). Since Marvel already has their first Aliens comic scheduled, its possible some of this material is going to be out of circulation for awhile. If you want bang for your buck, go with the Aliens Omnibus and Predator Omnibus lines. If you want something different… Archie vs. Predator by Alex de Campi and Fernando Ruiz. Yes, that’s real.