The Amazing Amazon Marvel Digital Comics Sale

You may have heard that, for reasons unknown, Marvel is having another one of their ridiculously amazingly cheap digital comics sales on Amazon right now.

Disney’s financial quarter ends October 31st, so I’m guessing it’s not strictly a desperate bid to boost revenues on the spreadsheet before the number crunchers have their end-of-quarter fun.

If this sale lasts for the next month and a half, though, I might take that back.

The sales are so good, I’m going to run down eleven of the best that I’ve seen, some of which I’ve already purchased. Some of these are categories. Some are specific series. I couldn’t hold myself back, sorry.

Don’t forget: if you have your Comixology account linked to Amazon, you can likely read all these comics over there, too, and not just on the Kindle app (or device).

In no particular order:

11 Digital Purchases Worth Making

• Frank Miller’s “Daredevil”

Let’s start off with a true classic. Miller’s original run breaks down into three trade paperbacks. If you’ve never read it before, make this the excuse you need to do so now. It’s a great run, and you’ll better see how it’s influenced every other direction on Daredevil since, including the movie and tv series.

Volume 1, Volume 2, Volume 3

Those three books will get you the entire run for $14.

• Brian Bendis and Michael Gaydos’ “Jessica Jones: Alias”

Whether you’ve seen the television series or not, this is still 28 issues of some of Bendis’ best Marvel writing. You can read the entire thing right now for just $10.40.

Or you can try to track down the hardcover Omnibus edition that’ll run you closer to ten times that.

If that leaves you wanting more, you can pick up the Marvel Universe-friendly “The Pulse” complete series with art by Mark Bagley, Michael Lark, Brent Anderson, and Gaydos. That’s $5.00 for 14 issues, total.

• Alan Davis’ “Excalibur”

This is a personal favorite, but it holds up very well. Alan Davis’ off-kilter approach to the British mutant team starts off strongly with Chris Claremont writing the series, but then really takes off when Davis returns to guide the series on his own. (There’s a mushy middle inbetween that leaves a little to be desired.) I reread this a few years back and still couldn’t wipe the smile off my face.

Here’s a link to the entire run of Excalibur trades up to the end of Davis’ second tenure. It’s safe to skip the sixth trade. Davis isn’t in it at all.

To finish off his run, though, you’ll also need to get “Excalibur Visionaries: Alan Davis” volume 2 and volume 3 ($3.00 each). There are some fill-ins included in there, but it’s tough to complain at these prices.

• You Need Even More Alan Davis In Your Life

Davis skips around Marvel a lot. While I still think of “Excalibur” as his high point, he’s done other mini-series that deserve a look:

“Fantastic Four: The End” ($2.20)
“Avengers Prime” ($1.80) – When Tony Stark, Steve Rogers, and Thor had to learn to be friends again
“Savage Hulk” v1 ($1.80) I don’t remember this one at all, but for that price I can take a chance.

His “Killraven” mini-series, oddly enough, isn’t on Amazon as a single collection anywhere. Shame.

• The Crazy World of Marvel Crossovers

Honestly, both Marvel and DC lost me completely in recent years with their reliance on crossovers and world-changing events. But if you were a big fan of any of them, or just want to see some of their valiant attempts at Meaningful Big Event Mini-Series with some of their stable of top creative talents, this sale will help you out.

Check out these books, all of which were events in the 2000s. It’s quite exhausting-looking, isn’t it?

“Civil War” ($2.60)
“Civil War II” ($3.00)
“Inhumans vs X-Men” ($3.60)
“Secret Invasion” ($3.00)
“Secret Wars” (Jonathan Hickman Edition) ($3.40)
“World War Hulk” ($1.80)
“Siege” ($1.80)
“Fear Itself” ($3.00)
“House of M” ($3.00)

“The Illuminati” ($1.80) (Remember when Jim Cheung would draw more than one issue of something?)

“Original Sin” ($3.40)
“Avengers vs. X-Men” ($8.00 for 21 issues)

I had forgotten about a couple of those already, and I’m still afraid that I may have missed an event or two.

That’s 12 events for $38. Not a bad haul.

• The Star Wars Books

I’ve been reading the latest run of “Star Wars” stories from Marvel through various on-line sales in the last year or so, and have enjoyed everything that I’ve read. Looks like I’ll be able to add a few more books to the reading pile here.

All four books in the “Darth Vader” series can be yours for $8.40

You’ll also want to get “Vader Down,” though, which sits in the middle of that series and crosses over with Jason Aaron’s “Star Wars” series.

Aaron’s “Star Wars,” featuring art by the likes of Stuart Immonen and John Cassaday, can also be yours through issue #31 (excepting the “Vader Down” issues) for $11.80

I’ve only read the first year and a half of it so far, but it’s the most I’ve ever enjoyed Star Wars comics in my life, so I’ll be happily adding more books to my library here this week.

• “Sensational She-Hulk by John Byrne: The Return”

It’s one of those books that would be just too wacky for Marvel today, not that any She-Hulk series since this one has played it too straight. Dan Slott’s run is a particular high spot — and also available for dirt cheap — but I wanted to bring this one pick back to my earliest comics reading days.

If you want to see She-Hulk in a wedding to Mole Man, or Howard Mackie drawing a page, or any of several other crazy things involving jump ropes or body-switching, this is the series for you.

“Sensational She-Hulk by John Byrne: The Return” collects issues #31-#46 and #48-#50 for $4.00.

There’s no trade collecting his earlier run on the series that I could find, sadly. There’s some gold nuggets in those early issues, too.

• Dan Slott’s “She-Hulk”

Oh, OK, I can’t let it slide by. I love a good funny book, after all.

Combine legal craziness in a superhero universe with a Marvel writer’s encyclopedic knowledge of Marvel history and a strong handle on characterization and imagination with the law. You get this great series of the early 2000s.

The first twelve issues span two trade paperbacks for $4.40 total.

Then a new #1 issue starts a new series of trades. Slott wrote volumes 3 – 5 ($7.80) before Peter David took it over.

I reviewed Charles Soule’s She-Hulk not that long ago, and that’s on sale, too.

• Mark Waid and Chris Samnee’s “Black Widow”

I was holding out hope for some kind of oversized hardcover print presentation of this one. I don’t want to wait any longer, so I’m picking it up in this sale.

The two volumes of this series are a total of $4.40. How can I say no?

• “The Vision”

The 12 issues mini-series written by Tom King with art by Gabriel Hernandez Walta is yours for just $4.40. I have to admit that I haven’t read the second half yet, though I did pick up that trade in the last sale like this. I think I’m well overdue in re-reading the first six issues so I can get through the second half and see once and for all if this book ended as strongly as it began.

• Something from Marvel’s Current Catalog

I’m pretty much out of the Marvel Universe these days. I pick and choose individual runs to read here and there, or books outside of continuity. I stay far away from the events and crossovers.

For those of you still inside, there are a lot of current or recent books on sale here, too, many of which are critical and/or fan favorites. That includes Ta-Nehisi Coates’ “Black Panther” run (with art by the likes of Brian Stelfreeze and Chris Sprouse), “The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl“, the all-too-short-lived “Mockingbird“, “Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur“, “X-Men Gold“, “Ironheart“, etc.

I’m picking up a couple of those, too, to try.

Let Me Spend Lots of Your Money

Look at that list of comics above. It’s a pretty good collection of comics, from a spread of nearly 40 years. There are plenty of books on sale collecting comics older than that. There are also lots of comics from the last 20 years that I don’t have the space to mention here. (Lots of Punisher and Deadpool titles recently… So very many X-books…)

Search around and you’re bound to find something. Everything Marvel has available digitally on Amazon is on sale.

Yes, I’ve just spend $150 or so of your money or so, but how many hundreds of comics are we talking about for that price? (I think it’s around 400, for the record…)

Knowing my readership, I also bet a lot of you already own some of these books.

Don’t forget to try something new along the way. At these prices, it’s worth giving any random book a shot for a couple bucks.

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