10 Panini Comics to Catch Up On (with Discounts!)

Since a law some years ago regulated the possibility for retailers and publishers to offer discounts to readers, a sales period (with markdowns of 20%, the maximum allowed) has also taken hold in publishing, shifting among publishers throughout the year. These days, it's Panini's turn, the publisher that holds exclusive rights to Marvel, DC Comics, and Disney, in addition to a catalog that spans from the USA to Japan. Below, we've selected 10 recommendations, drawing from all titles published at least 6 months ago and included in the initiative, trying to include some small gems and titles that have often flown under the radar but deserve attention. Discounts are applied on the Panini store and by participating retailers. Happy reading!

• Ultimate X-Men
• Nightwing by Tom Taylor
• Cat’s Eye – Cat's Eye New Edition
• The Nice House on the Lake
• Epic Mickey
• Fantastic Four by Waid & Wieringo
• Joker: The World
• Achab
• The Eternaut
• Chronicles of Ducktopia

Ultimate X-Men

The Ultimate Universe is the most interesting of Marvel's recent experiments. An alternate universe (we all know what the multiverse is by now, right?) in which to propose fresher and more current versions of its most beloved heroes, starting from scratch. In this selection, we recommend it because it is undoubtedly the most anomalous series in the group, written and drawn by Peach Momoko in a style, both narrative and visual, far and different from the classic American superhero comic. The Ultimate experiment, moreover, lasts exactly two years, so the series that begins here will have an end within a few more volumes. An alternative recommendation, if you are looking for something more classic, is Ultimate Spider-Man (but married and with children).

Nightwing by Tom Taylor

A Robin's life is tough. First, it's a precarious job: in Batman's history, there are quite a few Boy Wonders. And second, the spotlight is always on someone else. Dick Grayson, former Robin with a long publishing history, wisely decided to find a new identity and go solo. Panini has recently collected in a single volume the famous story arc of the character that began in 2021 by writer Tom Taylor, supported for much of the run by Bruno Redondo, who cemented his characterization. These are ideal stories even for those who know nothing about the character, largely rooted in the upper echelons of Gotham, where crime hides in plain sight.

Cat’s Eye – Cat's Eye New Edition

I know, the jingle is already stuck in your head because of the commercials. Might as well go with it, right? In this case, we choose the new edition of Cat's Eye to talk more generally about this "chubby" format with which Panini is re-proposing some manga classics, generational titles for a certain segment of the public like Tiger Mask or Fist of the North Star. Volumes with abundant page counts whose cost manages to remain competitive thanks to the black and white of the manga.

The Nice House on the Lake

Ten people invited by a mutual friend, the mysterious Walter, to a dream house by a lake. Doesn't sound like the beginning of a horror story, does it? Yet that's exactly how one of the most acclaimed and best-selling horror miniseries of recent years begins, created by James Tynion IV and Álvaro Martínez Bueno. Panini has collected it in a single affordable volume in Pocket format. We'll talk more about these Pockets shortly.

Epic Mickey

Remember the Disney video game recently subjected to an inevitable remake, Epic Mickey? Well, perhaps you don't know that the graphic novel born from this project is an exceptional story, in the true sense of the word! It brings together an extraordinary team of authors composed of Peter David, a long-time Marvel writer linked to a famous Hulk run, and the duo Fabio Celoni & Paolo Mottura on art, two pillars of the highly esteemed Disney Italia stable.

Fantastic Four by Waid & Wieringo

As we were saying, the Pockets! It all started with DC Pocket, an affordable series that collects some of the most important graphic novels featuring DC Comics heroes in a pocket-sized format. Given its success, the initiative has expanded, sometimes taking on other names, but without losing its identity: low cost, many pages, and legendary stories. Somewhat surprisingly, the beloved run of the Fantastic Four by Mark Waid & Mike Wieringo has also arrived in this format, highly recommended to anyone, even those who only discovered Marvel's most special family at the cinema.

Joker: The World

Joker: The World is a celebratory volume dedicated to Gotham's most famous madman, in which DC Comics invited different teams of authors from all over the world to participate. The result is a mix of adventures, themes, styles, and interpretations ranging from the most grotesque to those more rooted in reality. Like the story conceived by the Italian team composed of Enrico Brizzi, Vincenzo Filosa, and Paolo Bacilieri, which brings Joker to Bologna during the years of the strategy of tension.

Achab

From the author of Tough, a manga reinterpretation of Herman Melville's famous novel, Moby Dick. A single, large-format volume, characterized by impressively powerful and beautiful artwork, in which Tetsuya Saruwatari enriches the myth of the most famous battle between man and Nature with his personal interpretation.

The Eternaut

One of the most important comics ever, both for its influence on world comics still felt today, and for the tragic story of its author, H.G. Oesterheld, who disappeared a few years after writing the script for the work. On a Buenos Aires night, a deadly snow engulfs the city and kills most of its inhabitants. Without means of communication, the population must organize itself, awaiting the arrival of the army. But what is happening? An enormous and wonderful metaphor for 1970s Argentina, but also a grand and thrilling science fiction story.

Chronicles of Ducktopia

And speaking of genre literature, do you like fantasy? The last of our 10 recommendations draws from a classic of the Italian Disney tradition, namely themed stories starring ducks and mice. Ducktopia, however, is a special story, because it was created in collaboration with Licia Troisi, a famous fantasy writer, along with the seasoned Disney authors Francesco Artibani and Francesco D'ippolito. The discounted volume collects the first trilogy of this saga, released in installments on Topolino, enclosed within a beautiful metallic green cover.