5 Marvel trades to purchase on sale, from Black Panther to Star Wars

As long as you don’t mind buying comics digitally, a new sale makes diving into new Marvel comics that much easier, from Star Wars to Black Panther.

Comics are not cheap. This is not as large of a barrier to entry as some people may think — libraries certainly help — but it does mean that you’re subject to the whims of library budgets and purchases.

Enter things like Amazon’s current Marvel Comics sale (with a tip of the hat to Kinja Deals). The five titles below are all going for just $0.99 each … and there are plenty more sales, too. But we’re trying to keep things on a budget, so for $5 (and taxes, where applicable), you can read all five of these trade collections.

Black Panther Prelude

Look.

We’re not saying that you probably have a sudden desire to read comics featuring Black Panther after the movie, but … you know, it’s a natural reaction.

What sets Black Panther Prelude apart is that it’s designed to ease MCU-only fans into the world of the comics as well, because it collects issues from past runs of the comics. That means you’ll have an easy starting point. Additionally, there’s actually a story that’s MCU-compliant. In other words, you get the best of both worlds here.

Darth Vader vol. 1: Imperial Machine

Kieron Gillen did an excellent run under the Darth Vader title a couple years ago. Alas, those titles are not on sale. Charles Soule’s inaugural run on a new series, however, is, and while it’s not quite the same as Gillen, it has some seriously high points.

Darth Vader: Dark Lord of the Sith vol. 1: Imperial Machine picks up quite literally at the end of Revenge of the Sith — it doesn’t have quite the same impact as James Earl Jones wailing “No!”, but it works — and sees the origins of Vader’s new red lightsaber. There’s action, there’s Vader using all his skills, and there’s also a silly short comic drawn in a completely different style. Yes, Vader can be funny (terrifying, but funny).

Tomb of Dracula: The Complete Collection vol. 1 

If you’re looking to get into the world of some older comics, or just don’t feel like indulging your inner Sith Lord or Avenger, then look no further than Tomb of Dracula: The Complete Collection vol. 1. There aren’t many volumes in this sale that can beat this one for sheer value — you’ll be getting 19 issues for $0.99, from both Dracula Lives! and Tomb of Dracula.

Additionally, it’s an introduction into horror comics, as the official Amazon description points out. While we might focus a lot on superheroes around here, there are other genres to be known and loved. Besides, who doesn’t love a good Dracula story?

Defenders vol. 1: Diamonds are Forever

For those who liked the dynamics of The Defenders on the show, but aren’t sure they can sit through the Netflix series again (especially when a season 2 looks to be in doubt per Krysten Ritter), this collection teams up the four heroes of the show — Jessica Jones, Daredevil, Luke Cage and yes, even Iron Fist — then adds in Deadpool and the Punisher for an extra good time. While Ryan Reynolds’ take on Deadpool probably wouldn’t fit in the Netflix show, he definitely fits in here.

Additionally, it features both Iron Fist and Daredevil sporting their updated costumes (and yes, Iron Fist has a costume, not just a tattoo and a willingness to go shirtless or wear low-cut shirts so we see his tattoo).

Black Bolt vol. 1: Hard Time

For those who somehow either liked Marvel’s Inhumans or wish it could have been done better, look no further than Saladin Ahmed’s run with Black Bolt. It also features the work of Christian Ward, who’s already earned some props here on Culturess for his work on ODY-C. What’s not to like?

Hard Time covers the first six issues of the limited series, which, as the official description reminds us, is literally the first time that Black Bolt has ever gotten his own series. So, congratulations! It comes with imprisonment. However, this is also a good opportunity to play catch-up, since issue 12 of the series drops on April 4, promising a reunion between Black Bolt and Medusa if the cover is any indication, and this time without terrible hair CGI.

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What’s your top title on sale? Will you be picking any of these up?