This week’s list of the Top Comics to Buy for May 29 is a nice mix, featuring several different publishers and a range that goes from skate kids in the ’80s to a dystopian visual of life or death social media. It is, to put it simply, a great week. You can find all five of my recommendations, along with the usual lists, below…enjoy!

Top Comics to Buy for May 29, 2024

Dawnrunner #3
Writer: Ram V
Artist: Evan Cagle
Colorist: Dave Stewart
Letterer: Aditya Bidikar
Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
Ace mech pilot, Anita Marr, continues to explore the unusual link forming between her and Dawnrunner, the new prototype Iron King she has been partnered with. Together, they might be humanity’s best hope in fighting back the ongoing onslaught of the monstrous Tetza.
Why It’s Cool: This comic has been engaging and stylish from the start, standing out from the pack with its gorgeous sci-fi art. It’s also continued to get its narrative hooks into me, and this issue especially so.
Price: $4.99

DC Pride (2024) #1
Writers: Al Ewing, Ngozi Ukazu, Gretchen Felker-Martin, Jamila Rowser, Jarrett Williams, Nicole Maines, Calvin Kasulke, Melissa Marr, and Phil Jimenez
Artists: Stephen Byrne, Ngozi Ukazu, Claire Roe, Oneill Jones, DJ Kirkland, Jordan Gibson, Len Gogou, Jenn St-Onge, and Giulio Macaione
Colorists: Triona Farrell, Marissa Louise, and Jeremy Lawson
Letterers: Aditya Bidikar, Lucas Gattoni, Jodie Troutman, Ariana Maher, Morgan Martinez, and Frank Cvetkovic
Publisher: DC Comics
DC’s Eisner and Ringo award-winning Pride anthology returns in the form of a universe-spanning travelogue like you’ve never seen! In its pages, Dreamer makes a first-time pilgrimage to her ancestral planet, Naltor! Poison Ivy and Janet from HR go spore-hunting on Portworld! Superman (Jon Kent) gets the boys together for a night out in A-Town, but things go sideways when The Ray vanishes into thin air! Steel (Natasha Irons) works up the courage to face Traci 13 at the Oblivion Bar’s Pride party for the first time since they broke up! Aquaman (Jackson Hyde) catches an unexpected ride to the Fourth World just in time for their annual Love Festival! All this and more in a volume celebrating how the LGBTQIA+ community is everywhere and belongs anywhere–even the very furthest reaches of the universe.
Why It’s Cool: This year’s DC Pride book features a great set of stories, but the two highlights are writer Al Ewing making his DC Comics debut (or at least his first DC Comics work in a long while) by teaming with Stephen Byrne…and a very personal prestige story penned by Phil Jimenez, taking us behind the scenes a bit with some of his landmark DC Comics work.
Price: $9.99

Death Ratio’d #1
Writer: Mark Russell
Artist: The CI
Colorist: Marco Lesko
Letterer: Cipriano Salt
Publisher: AWA Studios
When Arnold awakens from a coma twenty years into the future, he discovers that society is now ruled by social media. Enough “likes” and “upvotes” can unlock fame and fortune but – watch your step! – enough “thumbs down” clicks and the collar around your neck explodes. And you’re done. Now, confused and running on his last like him, Arnold must navigate a world in which the slightest online misstep can have fatal consequences.
Why It’s Cool: Anytime Mark Russell is doing complex cultural satire, count me in. This one is even more appealing because it’s an extra-sized contained story…and it’s fantastic, loaded with great ideas that I haven’t seen done quite this way.
Price: $6.99

Deathstalker – The Return of the Last Great Warrior King #2
Writer: Tim Seeley
Artist: Jim Terry
Colorist: Kurt Michael Russell
Letterer: AndWorld Design
Publisher: Vault Comics
Deathstalker is now a member of the most elite military unit in the realms, assigned to protect and serve all kingdoms…who can pay. When he and his new best buddy Jotak are assigned to clean out the forgotten keep known as Grimvault, Deathstalker must use his particular wizard-murdering skills or fall victim to magic darker than his little black heart.
Why It’s Cool: This excellent new fantasy comic reads like a sword to the face (is that a thing?). I’ve absolutely loved both of the first two issues, which have looked great, been paced perfectly, and hooked me for the duration of this series run.
Price: $4.99

Grommets #1
Writers: Rick Remender and Brian Posehn
Artist: Brett Parson
Colorist: Moreno Dinisio
Letterer: Rus Wooton
Publisher: Image Comics – Giant Generator
Two best-friend outcasts navigate the Sacramento suburbs of 1984, where they find a home in skateboard culture and punk rock. On one side of the coin, GROMMETS is an authentic look at 80s skate culture, a snapshot of the generation that turned skating into a worldwide phenomenon. On the other, it’s a heartfelt coming-of-age story that follows two friends from troubled homes as they navigate their damage in an era when no one cared.
Why It’s Cool: I don’t think this comic could possibly more fun. It’s a perfect new-kid-in-a-new city comic. It’s got a fantastic setting (who doesn’t love the ’80s?), and it’s loaded with amazing artwork, with the perfect aesthetic for its skate world. Humor in comics is so hard to do, but this comic has an amazing hit rate of quick hit jokes that just keep coming.
Price: $3.99