This week’s Top Comics to Buy for September 11, 2024 finds us as summer is winding down, and within comics things are (as always) both beginning and ending. As such, this week’s set of recommendations is a good mix of new beginnings and endings. You can find those recommendations below, along with the usual set of release lists…enjoy!

Top Comics to Buy for September 11, 2024

Batman and Robin #13
Writer: Joshua Williamson
Artist: Juan Ferreyra
Letterer: Steve Wands
Publisher: DC Comics
Batman, Robin, and Bane must escape Dinosaur Island. But they are not alone! A dangerous presence has taken over and won’t let anyone leave the island alive! Can the father and son dynamic duo return to Gotham or will this be their last adventure together?!
Why It’s Cool: This is the end of writer Joshua Williamson’s time on the book, but more than that, it’s the end of his time writing a continued story about Damian Wayne, perhaps the best story featuring the character since he was introduced, introducing a degree of lightness and fun to him. I’m a big fan.
Price: $4.99

Dead Eyes – The Empty Frames #1
Writer: Gerry Duggan
Artist: John McCrea
Colorist: Mike Spicer
Letterer: Joe Sabino
Publisher: Image Comics
Dead Eyes is back! The world’s most unkillable comic is out of hiding and back stomping around Boston. At the end of the first volume, the masked hood known as Dead Eyes picked up a clue as to the location of the paintings swept in the largest private art heist in America. Can Dead Eyes and Wheels take down the score while avoiding the cops and the mafia? Duggan and McCrea are back and knocking teeth down throats.
Why It’s Cool: The first Dead Eyes series was great, and now we’re getting more, with an interesting subversive bend to the subject matter. Bottom line though, is you want this comic for more great John McCrea / Mike Spicer art.
Price: $3.99

Red Before Black #2
Writer: Stephanie Phillips
Artist: Goran Sudzuka
Colorist: Ive Svorcina
Letterer: Tom Napolitano
Publisher: BOOM! Studios
A PTSD flashback brings Val back to prison, with an intimate look into his character and origins before Florida. Meanwhile in the present, Leo is in her crosshairs, but the operation will have to be carried out at a place with far too much collateral present…
Why It’s Cool: This is one of my favorite art teams in all of comics (no exaggeration) and this script is perfect for them. This comic reads great and looks amazing. It’s a lowkey gritty character-driven crime miniseries, what else could you want?
Price: $4.99

Summer Shadows #1
Writer: John Harris Dunning
Artist: Ricardo Cabral
Colorist: Brad Simpson
Letterer: Jim Campbell
Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
Nick Landry is on the unspoiled Greek island of Avraxos to look for his ex. Anthony was the love of his life, and without knowing why he left, Nick couldn’t move on. But Anthony isn’t the only one to disappear on Avraxos. Coast guard officer Alekos Kourkoulos is on the trail of another young man missing on the island. They learn they both fell in with the glamorous set onboard a jet-black super yacht, the Nyx, before vanishing. As the mystery deepens, Nick and Alekos discover that the brighter the sunshine, the darker the shadows…
Why It’s Cool: This is a complex and confident comic for adults that stands out among the usual direct market offerings. I loved it.
Price: $5.99

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #2
Writer: Jason Aaron
Artist: Rafael Albuquerque
Colorist: Marcelo Maiolo
Letterer: Shawn Lee
Publisher: IDW Publishing
Michelangelo is living in Tokyo, where he’s become a big TV star. It’s a pretty cool life, full of fame and fortune, but if he’s being honest, Mikey misses his brothers and the sense of purpose they had together. Well, in a classic case of “be careful what you wish for,” that old life looks like it’s coming to find him when ninjas show up in his apartment armed to the teeth!
Why It’s Cool: This slow-rolling new Turtles era continues by checking in on Michelangelo and bringing aboard artist Rafael Albuquerque — a one-two punch that adds up to an excellent comic. I’m loving this all so far, anxiously awaiting the moment when the band all comes together. What a great way to create tension and interest in these books.
Price: $4.99