Welcome to Food or Comics?, where every week we talk about what comics we’d buy at our local comic shop based on certain spending limits — $15 and $30 — as well as what we’d get if we had extra money or a gift card to spend on a splurge item.

Check out Diamond’s release list or ComicList, and tell us what you’re getting in our comments field.



Graeme McMillan

It's a busy week at the store for me, it seems. If I had $15 this week, I'd pick up Harbinger #0 (Valiant, $3.99), the one-shot revealing the backstory of the surprisingly compelling relaunch/reboot of the 1990s series, as well as the first issues of Fearless Defenders (Marvel, $2.99) and Snapshot (Image, $2.99). The latter, I've already read in its Judge Dredd Megazine serialization, but I'm really curious to see if it reads differently in longer chapters; the former, I'm just hopeful for, given the high concept and involvement of Cullen Bunn.

If I had $30, I'd add the reissued 7 Miles A Second HC (Fantagraphics, $19.99) to my pile. I remember reading the original Vertigo version of this in the 1990s, and am definitely curious to see what this recolored edition, with pages restored after being cut from the Vertigo edition, is like.

Splurging, I find myself drawn to IDW's Doctor Who Omnibus, Vol. 1 ($29.99). I blame the lack of new Doctor Who on the television right now. That month-and-a-bit is far too long to wait …!



Chris Arrant

If I had $15, I’d blow it all at my local comic shop first on Dia De Los Muertos #1 (Image/Shadowline, $4.99). I love the idea of an artist-centric anthology, especially when that artist is Riley Rossmo. I interviewed him last month for another site, where he told me he invited a host of unique writers and is employing a different style for each story. Next up would be Andy Diggle and Jock’s next big team-up, Snapshot #1 (Image, $2.99). They’re one of the best modern-day collaborative teams in the biz, and I’m glad to see them reuniting – and doing it creator-owned. The third pick in my pack is Brandon Graham’s Multiple Warheads: Alphabet to Infinity #4 (Image, $2.99). 2012 was Graham’s year with Prophet, so I’m glad to see him riding that by doing a new series of his own with Image; the three issues so far have been great as a rambling little story that’s as much about setting as it is about a straight three-act story. I’m beginning to gain a new perspective on Graham’s storytelling, through this, Prophet and elsewhere, as more of an open canvas story akin to video games than a straight linear tale, i.e. movies. And I love it more because of it. Lastly, I’d get the finale of Rick Remender’s run with Secret Avengers #37 (Marvel, $3.99). Not quite the celebrated success Uncanny X-Force was, but I love the concept of the Descendents and his work with Ant-Man, Venom and Valkyrie.

If I had $30, I’d make a second pass on the comic racks and pick up Think Tank #5 (Image/Top Cow, $3.99). I came onto Matt Hawkins and Rahsan Ekedal’s Ferris Bueller meets War Games scenario late to the game, but now that I’m caught up I’m all aboard. After that I’d get a Jonathan Hickman two-fer with Avengers #5 (Marvel, $3.99) and New Avengers #3 (Marvel, $3.99). I’m more interested in the latter, as the idea of a Black Panther-centric story with the Illuminati reads to me as a new vantage point to see the Marvel U from.

If I could splurge, I’d end where I began, buying a Riley Rossmo book; in this instance, it’s the collected edition of Debris (Image, $14.99). Written by Kurtis J. Wiebe, this is a interesting environmental take on the apocalypse, with shades of English mysticism.



Chris Mautner

If I had $15, I'd find another $5 — somehow, someway; don't ask questions — and get the new edition of 7 Miles a Second. Normally I don't buy new editions of comics I already own, but the promise of new, previously edited material, plus my memories of how good this particular comic was, make this an easy grab for me.

If I had $30, I'd save 7 Miles for another day and get Aya, Vol. 2: Love in Yop City. I've been a fan of this look at life and love in the Ivory Coast since D&Q started publishing it a few years ago. It's a warm, funny and knowing soap opera. While the last book, Life in Yop City, collected the first three original books, Love is all-new material and wraps up the storyline. I'm really anxious to find out what happened to Aya and her friends, so this is the pick of the week for me.

Splurge: Hmmmm. Well, there's a new Tales Designed to Thrizzle collection, but that's one of the few series I'm reading in pamphlet-form, so I'll probably hold off with that. Charest and Jodorowsky's Weapons of the Metabaron is out with a new printing this week and I'd like to nab that at some point … but I'll probably go with Issue 302 of The Comics Journal. This new, brick-sized edition features a big interview with the legendary Maurice Sendak, another with the great Jacques Tardi and a host of other great material. Diamond doesn't have it on their list this week, but I imagine some stores will get a copy nevertheless.



Michael May

If I had $15, I'd start my pile with Paul Jenkins and Humberto Ramos' Fairy Quest #1 ($3.99). I'm a huge Ramos fan and loved the Revelations series he did with Jenkins, so I've been eager to read Fairy Quest since it was announced and can hardly believe it's finally here. Next, I'd get Guarding the Globe #6 ($2.99), 'cause that's a cool series, and Planet of the Apes: Cataclysm #6 ($3.99). Then I'd finish off my wallet with Fearless Defenders #1 ($2.99) for the female superheroes.

With $30, I'd add Red She-Hulk #62 ($2.99) and Robert Venditti and Alina Urusov's adaptation of Melissa de la Cruz' Blue Bloods ($11.99). I'm not usually about the teen vampires, but I've got $12 burning a hole in my pocket and Urusov's art is very pretty.

For my splurge, I'm picking Russ Manning's Brothers of the Spear Archive, Volume 2 ($49.99). I don't have Volume 1, but it's Russ Manning drawing jungle stories, so I'll still take the plunge.