This week’s Top Comics to Buy for May 28 is a reminder that the last week of the month has become the week of heavy hitters. We get two of DC’s Absolute books, the newest issue of Ultimate Spider-Man, and plenty of indie excellence. If that wasn’t enough, there’s a stellar gritty Western one-shot and a new DC Comics Year One series starting up. Essentially, an already packed week is getting even more packed.
But hey, this is not the space where you’ll find someone complaining about too many good comics. Quite the contrary. I’ve started to actively look forward to the last week in the month and the continuation of some of my favorite books. That doesn’t make narrowing it down to five recommendations any easier, but it’s a good problem to have. You can find the five issues I settled on this week below, along with the usual set of weekly release lists … enjoy!
Top Comics to Buy for May 28, 2025
Assorted Crisis Events #3
Writer: Deniz Camp
Artist: Eric Zawadzki
Colorist: Jordie Bellaire
Letterer: Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou
Publisher: Image Comics
**CRISIS ON HEARTH-TWO! ** When their Earth is destroyed in fire, residents of the small town “Hearth” escape into a near-identical neighboring universe. Do the residents of this surviving Hearth accept their unlucky alternate-reality doubles, or do they abandon them?
Why It’s Cool: This prestige series of one-shots feels to me like it is to superhero/sci-fi comics tropes as Ice Cream Man is to horror tropes. And that’s a high compliment, as I love Ice Cream Man. This issue is also my favorite of this series yet, using parallel Earths (Hearths) to turn a mirror on our society for the way we treat refugees. I was also impressed with this book on a structural level, for the way it wove several individual plot threads into one cohesive story with powerful themes. This was an easy pick for the Top Comics to Buy for May 28, and it’s also a book I’d recommend to everyone, even those who haven’t been reading this series.
Price: $3.99
Crush Depth #3
Writers: DB Andry & Tim Daniel
Artist: Alex Sanchez
Colorist: Kurt Michael Russell
Letterer: Justin Birch
Publisher: Mad Cave
A shared dream? A mass nightmare? A vision of the future? A newly discovered landmass formed atop the Devil’s Teeth thermal vents offers both new hope and new terrors. Liana Pearson’s Absolution crewmates are experiencing strange neurological phenomena and find themselves conjuring up mutually shared images and finishing each other’s sentences. While Liana wrestles with her growing fear, Kate Barron has gone missing…Breathe Deep!
Why It’s Cool: It’s claustrophobic submarine horror plus also aliens. What more do you want from your gritty, excellent horror comics? As regular readers of this column may remember, I’m a big fan of horror that uses claustrophobia as one of its elements (see all the praise I heaped on Dark Spaces: Dungeon), and this book is definitely that.
Price: $4.99
Goddamn Tragedy #1
Writer: Chris Condon
Artist: Shawn Kuruneru
Letterer: Shawn Lee
Publisher: Oni Press
A vicious and vengeful account of one of the Old West’s darkest episodes from those that lived to tell it in a lavishly painted, entirely self-contained 48-page graphic novella!
Ellen Janson is here to set the record straight about the highly publicized, oft-sensationalized journey her family undertook in 1846. Ellen sets out with her mother, Irena, and her father, Leo, on the treacherous road west in search of a better life. But when her father chooses to split off from the party, taking an untested shortcut through the mountains, can their small family survive the elements, the wildlife-and each other? Or will their journey become nothing more than another goddamn tragedy?
Why It’s Cool: I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again — comics needs more excellent one-shots, single issues that bring you into a world and tell you a satisfying complete story. The Goddman Tragedy is certainly that, combining an ominous Western survival story with truly excellent haunting artwork. I couldn’t put it down. There’s a building sense of catastrophe to this one that makes it compulsively readable. Don’t miss it.
Price: $6.99
Mr. Terrific: Year One #1
Writer: Al Letson
Artist: Valentine De Landro (with 3 pages by Edwin Galmon)
Colorist: Marissa Louise
Letterer: Lucas Gattoni
Publisher: DC Comics
Brilliant young inventor Michael Holt’s life was destined for greatness…yet everything screeched to a halt when his wife Paula and unborn son were killed in a car accident. The Holts once shared ambitious dreams of using their technology to help others, but after the tragedy, Michael retreats from society and sells Holt Industries to mysterious and craven tech billionaire Athena Prescott. The domino effect of Michael’s actions set off an explosive chain of events that take a not-so-ordinary man from the depths of despair to the heights of heroism! Meanwhile, in the present day, Mr. Terrific continues his research into what became of Darkseid after the events of the DC All-In Special…and comes to realize that his past and the present might be inextricably linked…
Why It’s Cool: First of all, Valentine De Landro is one of the most reliably excellent artists in comics, and this issue is a great reminder of just how great he is. Second, this book is really well scripted. It’s a great character-driven story that harkens back to Mr. Terrific’s origin, and at the same time, it works hard to tie into the larger in-continuity DC Universe story, the bit about Darkseid, and I always appreciate when creators go the extra mile to enrichen a shared superhero universe. I loved this first issue, and can’t wait for the rest of this book.
Price: $3.99
Ultimate Spider-Man #17
Writer: Jonathan Hickman
Artist: David Messina
Colorist: Matt Wilson
Letterer: Cory Petit
Publisher: Marvel Comics
TURF WAR IN NEW YORK! THE SINISTER SIX VS. THE TWO SPIDER-MEN! All is not well in New York with the Sinister Six at war with each other! Fortunately, Spider-Man’s not facing this one alone… catch Richard Parker in the BLACK SUIT!
Why It’s Cool: This Sinister Six arc has really been a shocker, with writer Jonathan Hickman doing one of the long-term reveals he does so well at a slow, prolonged level. Readers of this space know that I’m loving Marvel’s new Ultimate Universe, but I also just think that on a character level, Ultimate Spider-Man is the most interesting Peter Parker comic in a very very long time.
Price: $4.99
Other Comics I Enjoyed This Week
Absolute Martian Manhunter #3- Absolute Wonder Woman #8
- Bitter Root – The Next Movement #3
- Dark Pyramid #3
- G.I. Joe #7
- Green Lantern #23
- Justice League Unlimited #7
- Minor Arcana #7
- The Power Fantasy #9
- Superman #26
- You’ll Do Bad Things #3
New #1s and One-Shots
Dark Honor #1- Deadly Class – Giant-Sized Artists Proof Edition #1 (one-shot)
- Giant-Size X-Men #1 (one-shot)
- Marvel & Disney What If Donald Duck Became Iron Man #1 (one-shot)
- Mommy Blog #1 (one-shot)
- Monster High Pride 2025 #1 (one-shot)
- The Pale Knight #1
- Star Trek – Lore War – Shax’s Worst Day #1 (one-shot)
- Venom – Original Sin #1 (one-shot)
Graphic Novels and Trades
Read past editions of the Top Comics to Buy!
And check out the Beat’s most recent comics reviews!
Source link
