UPROXX’s Top 25 Comics For November 25

It’s the day before Turkey Day, but fortunately, there are few turkeys on the stands for this New Comic Book Day. Who’s got the number one spot?

1) Archie #4

Archie and Betty have broken up… but why? This issue gets into the details, and what stands out the most is how Mark Waid and Fiona Staples explore the confusion and insecurities around dating and growing up, and how they manifest themselves in massive screw-ups that hurt other people. It’s a thoughtful book in many ways, and not to be missed.

2) Omega Men #6

Tom King and Barnaby Bagenda continue their surprisingly nuanced and more than a little grim look at international space terrorists, this time through the lens of what drives each of them. It’s a clever bit of characterization for each member and makes this team, which has done some horrendous things these last six issues, more relatable. It’s a morally complicated read, and we wouldn’t have it any other way.

3) Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur #1

This new Marvel series starts off on the right foot, introducing a new heroine, Lunella Lafayette, who is just looking to a little solace from the pressures of school, being smarter than everyone else, and parents that just don’t understand how hard life can be for a preteen, especially when you’re a super genius. When her newfound “Kree-o-meter” accidentally opens up a portal to the distant past, the ape-like “small folk” come looking for her alien device, with Devil Dinosaur hot on their trail, seeking vengeance for the recently murdered Moon Boy. Brandon Montclare and Amy Reeder are setting the stage for a fun all ages read that doesn’t talk down to its intended audience. Natacha Bustos’ art does a fine job of combining the violence of Devil Dinosaur’s past with the futuristic promise of the future, bringing Jack Kirby’s original vision to new life. Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur is sure to be a great read for anyone who has felt a little different or who like their dinosaurs with flaming eyes. — Alyssa Fikse

4) Rumble #9

Any comic book that opens with a parody of Gilgamesh is a comic book worth reading. Leaving that aside, John Arcudi and James Harren’s endlessly inventive mix of urban fantasy and Bronze Age mythology is simultaneously action-packed and hilarious, and really one of the best reads Image puts out. Give it a look, you won’t be disappointed.

5) Empowered: Pew Pew Pew

Adam Warren’s hilariously skewed take on superheroes, and the insecure-but-slowly-improving superheroine at its center, takes on Emp’s struggles with self-respect… in the form of a giant supergun that plays on your anger issues. It’s hilarious, and Warren’s comedic style is in full force, but once again you can’t help but simultaneously want to cheer for and give Emp a big ol’ hug. Highly recommended.

6) Darth Vader #13

We don’t just see Darth Vader fight in this book. We see Darth Vader fight very, very dirty. Kieron Gillen and Salvador Larroca show just why the Sith are so feared with a brutal battle scene, and if you’re a Star Wars fan, at all, it’s a blast.

7) Art Ops #2

Shaun Simon and Mike Allred continue their story of a spy agency designed to keep the world’s art, very much alive and very much capable of destroying the world, in check. Allred’s the visual draw here, and truthfully, his manic, gag-filled panels are appealing on their own. But Simon’s script is smartly about how something created solely to be looked at would view itself, even as it mocks and deconstructs grad school arguments about the nature of art.

8) Unbeatable Squirrel Girl #2

Doreen Green continues to be the cutest New Avenger on the block, this time being propelled back in the 1960s by some unknown sinister force. As Doreen and Tippy try to avoid paradoxes and making time rip itself to shreds, Nancy, the only one who even remembers Doreen in the present, tries to figure out a way to get her friend and fellow crime fighter back to her own time. Ryan North continues to write superheroine who’s too clever for her own good that will absolutely charm the daylights out of you. Erica Henderson’s loopy and candy colored art lends itself to the lightness of the story, but don’t think for one second that you can underestimate our perky heroine. Her powers may be on the weird side, but that’s what makes this series so darn fun. — Alyssa Fikse

9) Invisible Republic #7

Gabriel Hardman and Corinna Bechko continue a fascinating slow burn of a story about how a revolutionary becomes a dictator. Watching Arthur, our hero/villain slowly lose focus on his goals, is fascinating, but this book could stand to pick up the pace. Either way, a compelling take, especially with Hardman’s washed out palette and hard inks giving the book a grey, unnerving feel.

10) Silk #1

While still fitting in the with the overall Spider-Verse, Silk does a better job of distinguishing their dark heroine from the Peter Parker-esque origin story than Spider-Gwen. Cindy Moon is a villain now (not really, but go with it), which, honestly, after being locked in a bunker for years, it’s hard to blame her. As she beats the crap out of the Goblin King’s minions, trying to find information about her missing parents and what really happened to her brother, Moon dons a Spidersuit, but for a much more vengeful purpose. As Robbie Thompson writes her, Moon is snarky (anyone who uses “rad” that much is a winner in my book) and tough, as Spiderverse protagonists are wont to be, but there is a sadness to Moon that isn’t as apparent as other supers in the ‘verse. Being locked in a bunker will do that to a person. With ties to SHIELD and an appearance from Mockingbird, Silk will probably continue to be a fun and compelling read. — Alyssa Fikse

11) Wild’s End: The Enemy Within #3

Dan Abnett and INJ Culbard continue their superb mashup of “The Wind in the Willows” and “The War of the Worlds” with a surprisingly tense issue that both reveals a lot of bad news and ratchets up the stakes in equal measure. If you’re not reading this book, you really are missing out.

12) The Black Hood #7

Greg Hettinger is back in Philadelphia, back on the police force roster, and off the pills. But the one bad habit he can’t kick appears to be acting as a vigilante; with increasing abductions of the homeless, it’s time for the Hood to reappear. Duane Swierczynski and Michael Gaydos return to form with an intriguing new set of villains and Greg’s usual, relatable struggles and it’s a great mix of noir and vigilante superheroics.

13) Jupiter’s Circle Vol. 2 #1

Mark Millar’s take on Silver Age heroes with decidedly modern age psychological problems is back, and what stands out the most is how he balances the over-the-top with the mundane, something Wilfredo Torres does equally as slick with his clean, almost too shiny, art. An excellent read.

14) Fight Club 2 #7

Chuck Palahniuk and Cameron Stewart have finally revealed just what Tyler is after. And it turns out, Project Mayhem has a natural, and troubling, role in the real world, but we’ll leave that for you to discover. Unnerving and cleverly done, with Stewart’s dream sequences a particular standout.

15) DKIII #1

After the decade-defining ’80s original and the deliberately goofy Silver Age parody of the sequel, you might wonder where DKIII has to turn. Well, for Brian Azzarello, Andy Kubert, and Klaus Jansen, the short answer is towards police brutality. Whether the overall miniseries, which ends on an odd cliffhanger, will be any good is still an open question, but, it’s definitely a new take on a beloved idea, and attention-getting just for that.

16) Ringside #1

Joe Keatinge and Nick Barber deliver a look at the day-to-day life of pro wrestlers. It’s an interesting concept, but honestly, the day-to-day stuff is more compelling than the revenge plotline. I care more about the young closeted wrestler trying to get on a card than the old broken-down guy on a revenge kick. Either way, though, it’s a smart book, and one worth picking up.

17) Ivar, Timewalker #11

This entire new arc has been building to one gut-hook of a final splash panel, and oh man, is it hard to take. But that’s the genius of Fred Van Lente and Pere Perez’s book; it mixes the comedy, like Ivar and Neela, our heroes, as Honey Boo-Boo-esque gags, with the bittersweet, like the fact that you can’t change time. Highly recommended.

18) Colder: Toss The Bones #3

Paul Tobin and Juan Ferreyra’s surreal, creepy story of Declan, a man who can cure insanity at the cost of body heat, continues with Ferreyra’s most playful and unnerving issue of art yet. Tobin knows how to set up a creepy thriller and this issue really hammers home just what’s at stake. If you’re not reading this series, pick it up; it’s one of the best horror books on the stands.

19) Grayson #14

Dick Grayson’s time as a superspy may be coming to an end, as his superspy organization collapses around him. Stephen Mooney’s layouts are regular yet oddly hypnotic, and it makes for a fun action read. Plus, cyborgs! Who doesn’t like cyborgs?

20) The Spirit #5

Matt Wagner and Dan Schwenke are firing on all cylinders, delivering a comic that keeps the soul of Will Eisner’s classic while delivering fun new riffs on its characters. A lot of fun, and if you’re looking for a witty superhero book, a great choice.

21) Venom: Spaceknight #1

Flash Thompson is a hero of the cosmos! Now if only he had any idea what the heck that actually meant! Ariel Olivetti, best known for Conan comics, is a perfect choice for the breezy space opera Robbie Thompson puts on the page. A fluffy little souffle of an action comic, perfect for light reading.

22) X-O Manowar #42

Aric is torn between the alien race he’s the Messiah of, and the human race he’s a part of, in what’s easily the best story we’ve seen from this book so far. There’s an excellent balance here in Robert Venditti’s script between action and diplomacy, as Aric has to thread a dangerous political needle, and it’s thrilling reading well worth your time.

23) Project Superpowers: Blackcross #6

Warren Ellis wraps up his take on Project Superpowers with an action-packed finale, delivering a low-key but fun riff on the idea. It’s worth picking up the whole arc just to enjoy a well-told paranoid thriller with superheroes, especially if you miss books like Incognito.

24) Jacked #1

Eric Kripke gives a middle-aged, unemployed shlub superpowers thanks to nootropics in this book, although it’s John Higgins who really sells it with his half-photorealistic work on the book. It’s a fun read, but it’s far better when Kripke is exploring the sadness and insecurities of his protagonist than when he starts wrecking shop.

25) Black Magick #2

Mark Waid is going for the slow burn here, in the story of Rowan Black, a witch who’s also a police detective. Which is fine, but Nicola Scott is capable of way more than people talking, and it feels like this book is holding back a bit too much.

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