Each week, 8th Dimension’s Jeremy Bulloch reads every new comic that comes out and recommends some of the best titles for you to check out. Here are this week’s picks!

Avengers #11 (Marvel Comics)
There were times throughout this issue that I could have mistaken it for an episode of The Venture Brothers, and that’s meant as a huge compliment. The team has flown into Hong Kong to attempt to outmaneuver the villainous scientists of A.I.M. Black Widow and Spider-Woman attempt to run plays that are driven by seduction and/or torture. Captain Marvel attempts the direct approach. In a couple of the greatest pages that I have ever read, Sunspot and Cannonball make buddies with their A.I.M. agents, offering them a night of blowing millions from Sunspot's ridiculous personal fortune and getting blotto drunk with supermodels. Meanwhile, Shang Chi, the Master of Kung Fu, quietly gets the job done in the shadows...with laser nunchucks!

Avengers Assemble #15 (Marvel Comics)
As near as I can tell, Computer Graham is an original character, and not some obscure hero from Marvel UK. What’s cool about this Age of Ultron tie-in is that they give us enough to feel like we’ve kinda known the character since the '80s. He could digitize himself and have adventures inside computers like in the movie Tron, but nothing more advanced than a Commodore 64. As often happens in these kind of stories, the day can only be saved by a ragtag band of heroes, and I’m not sure that they come raggedier or taggedier than this dude.

Batman & Robin #20 (DC Comics)
It’s gonna be a long time, if ever, before Batman finds a way to cope with the death of his son, Damien. It’s turned him into a shell of his former self, almost visibly seething with rage. When Damien’s secret tutor Carrie Kelley comes around asking about him, Bruce Wayne’s behavior goes past rich jerk-face and begins to get more than a little bit suspicious. There have been plenty of times that Batman has found little use in the façade of Bruce Wayne, but he had better be careful here. Of course, carefulness is not on the agenda. As the name of this issue implies, Batman teams up with the Red Hood, taking Jason Todd with him on a butt-kicking tour of Ethiopia. They are allegedly pursuing a team of assassins that took on the bounty on Damien before his death, but there’s more. When Batman forces Jason to confront the very spot in Africa where the Joker pranked him to death with a crow bar and exploded his corpse for good measure, he’s clearly seeking answers. When he asks Jason what he remembers about his death and resurrection, what he’s really saying is, “Why are YOU still here when my real son is dead?” (Note: The cover of this issue gives the title as Batman & the Red Hood, but this is in fact Batman & Robin, not to be confused with Red Hood & the Outlaws.)

Chin Music #1 (Image Comics)
You don’t always have to understand a comic to like it, or at least to  be intrigued by it. Created by Steve Niles (30 Days of Night) and Tony Harris (Starman), Chin Music combines undead and the Untouchables. Famed G-Man Elliot Ness and even more famed gangster Al Capone are somehow involved in a story that intertwines Prohibition-era Chicago with zombies and ancient Egypt. It’s too early to tell how everything connects, but I like it.

Deadpool #9 (Marvel Comics)
Did you ever want to see Deadpool murder Aquaman? Well, this issue is the comic book for you! The dude’s name is Arthur, he’s a blonde lifeguard who can command sealife telepathically, and he wears an orange shirt. If they made it any closer, DC would sue the pants off them. As usual, there was a lot of silliness going on, but also a pretty substantial amount of murder, betrayal, and bad jokes about prison sex.

Green Lantern Corps #20 (DC Comics)
So this issue takes place AFTER Green Lantern #20, but that issue’s not out yet. This is the wrap-up of writer Peter J. Tomasi’s run on the series, tying up all the loose ends he had for John Stewart and Guy Gardner. It’s a very good read, but there will be some minor spoilers for the Wrath of the First Lantern storyline, so be careful.

Harbinger #12 (Valiant)
The Harbinger Wars crossover has been bubbling for a while, but it comes to a full boil in this issue. Peter Stancheck and his fellow escapees from Project Rising Spirit have met another group of young psionics. These guys are even crazier than Pete and his friends. To make matters worse, they have an unresolved history with Bloodshot AND bombs ticking away in their cerebral cortexes.

Suicide Squad #20 (DC Comics)
There’s a new direction on the book, and it’s bleaker than ever. Amanda Waller has let Deadshot in on a little secret. Thanks the Samsara Serum, it doesn’t matter how often a squad member dies. She can just wake them back up and put them back to work. After series of psychological assaults on the team to show them who their boss is, Amanda Waller welcomes a new recruit to the team. Their reveal is a secret, but it’s someone familiar to recent Bat-readers.

Thor: God of Thunder #8 (Marvel Comics)
Finally, all three Thors that we have been following have teamed up. It’s like when the Doctor meets himself in the Doctor Who specials, only with a lot more testosterone.

Twelve Reasons to Die #1 (Black Mask Soul Temple)
(Note: The page hyperlinked in the title may be NSFW.) There are two things that you need to know going into this comic. First, it was created by Ghostface Killah from the Wu Tang Clan. Second, if F-Bombs were nickels, this comic would be worth a billion dollars.

Uncanny Avengers #8 (Marvel Comics)
They end this issue with a thesis statement for the entire series. The bad guys acknowledge that if man and mutant were actually capable of setting aside their base instincts, then their plan wouldn’t stand a chance. The problem is that the distrust is too deep on both sides. Of course the humans don’t trust the mutants; they’ve seen Magneto, the Phoenix Force, and unkillable sociopaths like Wolverine. Of course the mutants don’t trust the humans; the US government pays for giant robots to murder them in the streets. This book works where books like Civil War failed because it plays on divisions and histories that have been a part of the Marvel Universe since day one. Rogue and Wolverine are both supposed to be Avengers, but they both consider themselves mutants first. When Wasp walks in on them making secret plans, it “proves” her right to not trust them. The team dynamics here are messy and full of shades of gray. Now, I’m sure that the good guys will eventually get enough of their crap together to save the day. This IS still a super hero comic book after all. Still, it’s gonna be a bumpy and interesting ride.

Also Cool This Week
Archer & Armstrong #0 (Valiant)
Astonishing X-Men #62 (Marvel Comics)
Avenging Spider-Man #20 (Marvel Comics)
Avengers Arena #9 (Marvel Comics)
Batman #20 (DC Comics)
Buffy The Vampire Slayer Season 9 #21 (Dark Horse Comics)
Constantine #3 (DC Comics)
Demon Knights #20 (DC Comics)
Fearless Defenders #4 (Marvel Comics)
Justice League of America #3 (DC Comics)
Knights of the Dinner Table #197 (Kenzer & Co.)
Secret Avengers #4 (Marvel Comics)
Star Wars #5 (Dark Horse Comics)
Superboy #20 (DC Comics)
Supurbia #7 (Boom! Studios)
The Walking Dead #110 (Image Comics)
Wolverine #3 (Marvel Comics)
Uncanny X-Force #4 (Marvel Comics)

Each week, 8th Dimension’s Jeremy Bulloch reads every new comic that comes out and recommends some of the best titles for you to check out. Here are this week’s picks!

Age of Ultron #6 (Marvel Comics)
UltWolverine and Sue Storm have traveled back in time to murder Hank Pym before he ever builds Ultron. Sure, Captain America told them not to do it, and he’s attempting his own attack plan in the far-off future, but Wolverine’s got his mind made up. Best way to prevent Hitler is to kill his dad.

Batwoman #19 (DC Comics)
Chase was a short-lived DC comic starring Department of Extranormal Operations agent Cameron Chase as she sought to unmask costumed vigilantes and shut them down. Her main motivation was the brief costumed career of her father, a would-be hero called the Acro-bat. Along with his friends, the Justice Experience, he lived a double life, lied to his family, and was ultimately killed by the villainous Dr. Trap. All that kinda messed Cameron up for life. The DEO has gotten Cameron to dirty her hands a lot over the years, but she’s beginning to have doubts. Cameron’s not the only one having issues with the DEO. Batwoman has never cared much for the agency that blackmailed her into service, but now they want to make her cross a serious line.

Cable & X-Force #7 (Marvel Comics)
Breaking Colossus out of super-jail is only a diversion from Cable’s real plan to free a captured space alien. There are a couple of minor problems with the plan though. First of all, Colossus doesn’t want to be broken out. He legitimately believes that he should be imprisoned for his various sins. Also, the space alien is totally evil.

Conan the Barbarian #15 (Dark Horse Comics)
As Conan lays siege to the fortress Ramah en Ram, we discover the early life of Belit, before she became the dreaded Queen of pirates. Conan’s love for Belit is a single-minded obsession, but neither he nor the reader truly knows if it’s reciprocated.

Doctor Who: Prisoners of Time #4 (IDW)
The Fourth Doctor takes center stage in this fun sci-fi story, running around with Leela, the cave girl, and his robot dog, K-9. While I enjoyed reading the story, it felt much more like a later Fifth Doctor story to me. The best Fourth Doctor stories played more like Hammer horror films than this kind of story. Still, all of the important aspects of Tom Baker’s Doctor were present, from the scarf to the Jelly Babies.

Green Lantern: The New Guardians #19 (DC Comics)
After being separated from each other for what felt like forever, most of the heroes have come together. Simon Baz, B’Dg, Kyle Rainer, Carol Ferris, and Sinestro have all collided in the rubble of what was once the planet Korrugar, and Sinestro is foaming at the mouth with rage. No matter what horrible atrocities Sinestro committed, he was always able to justify them to himself as necessary for Korrugar. Now his home planet has been destroyed. Has what little humanity he had gone with it?

Justice League #19 (DC Comics)
Superman and Wonder Woman went from smooching to clandestinely overthrowing fascist middle-eastern regimes so quickly, they hardly noticed when somebody stole kryptonite from the Batcave.

Nightwing #19 (DC Comics)
This issue is a great jumping-on point for a new or lapsed reader. Nightwing has learned that Tony Zucco, the long-dead gangster who murdered his parents, is alive and well in the city of Chicago. Making a clean break from the Bat-family, Dick has now relocated to the windy city, a city suspiciously devoid of masked heroes. There’s something going on there, but it’s just one of many mysteries that writer Kyle Higgins sets up here. This issue also introduces a new character called the Prankster. While it’s too early to tell which side the Prankster is on, it’s pretty obvious that they’re going to be a thorn in Nightwing’s side.

Superior Spider-Man #8 (Marvel Comics)
There’s so much that happens in this issue, I barely know where to start. The Avengers DO manage to force Dr. Spider-pus to undergo some tests, but they find no evidence that there’s anything physically, mentally, or psychically wrong with the wall-crawler. He’s on notice though! Meanwhile, the storyline with Cardiac and his secret hospital takes some seriously unexpected turns. The last page is as shocking a cliffhanger as it was when Spider-Man flat out shot a dude in the face.

Supergirl #19 (DC Comics)
Powergirl is a slightly older Supergirl from a parallel universe, but she had made it a point to stay away from her teenage doppleganger until now. Now, with Supergirl dying from Kryptonite poisoning and being kidnapped by Lex Luthor, it seems like a good time to arrange a meeting.

Also Cool This Week
Birds of Prey #19 (DC Comics)
BPRD #106 (Dark Horse Comics)
Captain America #6 (Marvel Comics)
Captain Marvel #12 (Marvel Comics)
Catwoman #19 (DC Comics)
Chew #33 (Image Comics)
Daredevil #25 (Marvel Comics)
Daredevil: End of Days #7 (Marvel Comics)
He-Man & the Masters of the Universe #1 (DC Comics)
Iron Man #8 (Marvel Comics)
Nova #3 (Marvel Comics)
Pathfinder #6 (Dynamite)
Red Hood & The Outlaws #19 (DC Comics)
Savage Wolverine # 4 (Marvel Comics)
Thief of Thieves #13 (Image Comics)
Thunderbolts #8 (Marvel Comics)
Venom #34 (Marvel Comics)
Vibe #3 (DC Comics)
Wolverine & The X-Men #27 (Marvel Comics)
Wonder Woman #19 (DC Comics)
X-Factor #254 (Marvel Comics)

Each week, 8th Dimension’s Jeremy Bulloch reads every new comic that comes out and recommends some of the best titles for you to check out. Here are this week’s picks!

Abe Sapien: Dark & Terrible #1 (Dark Horse Comics)
My second favorite character from the Hellboy universe (behind only the pulp hero Lobster Johnson) finally has his own ongoing series, and it starts off with a great creepy vibe. If you haven’t read the recent BPRD comics, all that you need to know is  that everyone’s favorite fish-man is on the lam. The Bureau wants to bring him back, but he’s got his own thing going on. More and more of the BPRD’s dark and twisted secrets have been happening in broad daylight, in front of civilians. When Abe overhears a colorful exchange with a bunch of train-hoppin’ hobos, it could just be the fevered rantings of paranoid minds, or it could be something much worse.

Age of Ultron #4 (Marvel Comics)
This issue is full-blown action movie awesomeness.

All New X-Men #10 (Marvel Comics)
It sure is hypocritical the way that the X-Men fetishize Jean “I’m too sexy for a codename” Grey, yet completely blame Cyclops for killing Professor Xavier while possessed by the Phoenix Force. I remember a popular Wolverine story called "Enemy of the State" where the X-Men’s favorite spree-killer had been turned into an assassin by the Hand (not that it took a lot of work), and he ran around killing children and X-Men alike, all over the campus. It’s great seeing Scott and his team show up at the Jean Grey School and tell it like it is. While we’re at it, how about the way that Wolverine not only named the school after Scott’s dead wife but used her MAIDEN NAME?! Anyway, the original teenaged X-Men are rightly pissed off to discover that they had not been told anywhere near the full truth about their future selves. No matter how infuriating the X-Men’s behavior may be, I’m loving this comic. Everyone has their version of the truth, their own way of seeing the world. Each worldview makes sense, and is consistent with the characters’ pasts. Sure they argue a lot, but then so does any extended family. We can all agree that Wolverine is a creepy jerk though, right?

Animal Man #19 (DC Comics)
Buddy Baker’s son, Cliff, is dead, and the magical forces of the Red that empower him aren’t taking his calls. No matter how much Ellen would like to pretend that their daughter Maxine is normal, the Red has chosen her as their next Avatar. I can’t shake the feeling that Maxine is going to use her powers to bring Cliff back, but I don’t expect that to end well.

 
Batwing #19 (DC Comics)
The cover is a little misleading, but yes, there IS a new Batwing. The new star of this series has closer ties to the established Bat-family and promises to be an interesting choice. I hope that David Zavimbe isn’t thrown away like Stephanie Brown and Wally West; he’s too interesting a character for limbo.

Deadpool #7 (Marvel Comics)
Continuity can be hard. Did the Fantastic Four still steal their experimental rocket so they could beat the Reds into space? How come Flash Thompson was a Vietnam War vet in the '80s, but now he fought in Afganistan? The important thing to remember about comics is that they have to come out every month, year after year. If you choose to have them take place in real time like Savage Dragon, then a villain from the '90s is now middle-aged with kids and no good reason to ever wear spandex again. That creates its own fun, but you can’t do it with most comics. Luckily, Deadpool is NOT most comics. This issue is set somewhere in the late '70s to early '80s and is allegedly an “inventory issue.” Back in the day, they would keep a backup issue in a drawer that could be published instead of the regular comic if the artist was late or the editor decided to change direction on a story and they needed to buy some time. That’s what they’re pretending to have unearthed here, and it’s really fun. There are tons of Easter eggs for longtime Marvel readers, but the story stays light and accessible for anyone. Deadpool teams up with drunk Tony Stark. It reads like an episode of Robot Chicken, and I can think of few higher compliments.

Earth 2 #11 (DC Comics)
Jay Garrick’s greatest power isn’t his super speed, but his ability to inspire people. He did it for Barry Allen in the Silver Age, the entire JSA in the post-Crisis DCU, and now he does it for Khalid. The power of Nabu is terrifying, and Khalid does not want to take it, but he must. He risks his sanity and sense of self to become Dr. Fate because of Jay Garrick, and the sacrifices that he makes in this issue. It’s great to know that no matter how much the DC Universe has been changed, some things remain the same.

Green Arrow #19 (DC Comics)
Artist Andrea Sorrentino can sure draw some visceral action sequences. I felt myself cringe a little with each landed punch, and shudder with ever arrow effortlessly piercing flesh. The entire issue is a fight between Green Arrow and the merciless archer Komodo, but it’s several different fights at once. There’s a physical battle between them, but also a mental fight as Oliver attempts to extract information from the hitman. While those fights each play out, Komodo seeks to taunt Oliver about various secrets that his father had kept from him. There are multiple games of chess happening at once, and the only move Ollie has left is to flip the table.

Green Lantern #19 (DC Comics)
Sinestro has escaped the Black Ring and returned to life. His only concern is the people of his homeworld Korrugar, but if he has any hope of saving them, he must defeat the First Lantern. Meanwhile Hal Jordan is still trapped in the dead world, unable to help. He has a plan though. His plan is to commit suicide by throwing himself off a cliff. He never said it was a GOOD plan.

Indestructible Hulk #6 (Marvel Comics)
Walter Simonson drew Thor for what seemed like a billion issues in the 1980s, and they were all great. Even all these years later, his is still the definitive run on the character. So when Bruce Banner leads his lab assistants through a portal to Asgard, there’s not a better person alive to illustrate the story.

Locke & Key: Omega #4 (IDW)
After months of successfully hiding in the stolen body of Bode Locke, Dodge breaks character. For most of his victims though, it’s going to be too late to matter. If you’re not reading this series, buy the trade paperbacks today. This is without a doubt the best horror comic ever made.

Polarity #1 (Boom Studios)
Max Bemis is the front man of the band Say Anything and a diagnosed sufferer of an extreme bipolar disorder. He’s taken many of his own experiences and used them to fuel this comic. Frankly, the subject matter seems much more raw and unsettling than the usual sanitized or cartoonish depictions of mental illness that you see in comics. In Polarity, our main character is an artist who goes off his meds and becomes a danger to himself and others. He also might actually be a superhero who is constantly being watched by dark forces, so there’s that. If you’re a fan of Say Anything’s music, or trippy comics like Grant Morrison’s Invisibles, I would strongly recommend that you check this series out.

Snapshot #3 (Image Comics)
We knew that Callie’s dad was no good. His criminal actions led to multiple murders and the framing of comic shop clerk Jake Dobson. It turns out that her mom sucked as a human being too.

Superior Spider-Man #7 (Marvel Comics)
This issue brings back the old Eric Larsen character Cardiac, a super-powered doctor who breaks a whole mess of laws to help patients that the system has left for dead. It also has the Avengers finally realize that something is wrong with their friendly neighborhood Spider-Man. Of course in my humble opinion, Otto is doing a great job. The Avengers shouldn’t let a psychotic spree-killer with claws for hands make their moral arguments.

Swamp Thing #19 (DC Comics)
Swamp Thing has embraced his role as the protector of the Green, and that means frequently having to side against mankind. I like when a hero’s choices aren’t easy to make, and they have to struggle with their choices. Alec feels his humanity slipping away, so he seeks out Superman. Who better to relate to him and advise him? The cover claims that Swamp Thing “battles” the Scarecrow, but that’s like when Godzilla “fought” Bambi. What makes this issue good isn’t the violence, but the introspection.

Thanos Rising #1 (Marvel Comics)
Remember that big purple dude that popped up at the end of the Avengers movie? That was Thanos, the mad god who wants to get into Death’s pants. This miniseries will pull back the curtain and tell his whole story, adding a lot of depth and detail. It’s a must for any fan of Marvel’s cosmic books, but it really stands on its own feet too. Simone Bianchi’s artwork is always awesome, but I was not expecting him and writer Jason Aaron to humanize Marvel’s greatest villain so much. We shouldn’t relate to Thanos any more than we should find ourselves rooting for the Red Skull, but they give the reader a complex and nuanced character study that’s just great. In his early years, long before Thanos fell in love with Death, it stalked him. While I’m sure that eventually Aaron and Bianchi will have the mad Titan willingly turn down the road to damnation, when issue #1 starts, he’s an innocent child. Destiny will not allow Thanos to stay that way for long.

 
Also Cool This Week
Action Comics #19 (DC Comics)
Detective Comics #19 (DC Comics)
GI Joe: Special Missions #2 (IDW)
Harbinger Wars #1 (Valiant)
The Last of Us #1 (Dark Horse Comics)
Mind the Gap #9 (Image Comics)
Phantom Stranger #7 (DC Comics)
Super Dinosaur #18 (Image Comics)
Uber #0 (Avatar Press)
Ultimate Comics X-Men #25 (Marvel Comics)
Winter Soldier #17 (Marvel Comics)
Worlds’ Finest #11 (DC Comics)

Each week, 8th Dimension’s Jeremy Bulloch reads every new comic that comes out and recommends some of the best titles for you to check out. Here are this week’s picks!

Age of Ultron #3 (Marvel Comics)
The whole issue builds up to the last page - a twist that changes everything. Stay away from the internet and don’t get spoiled.

Aquaman #18 (DC Comics)
The original Aquagirl hasn’t been around since her death in 1985’s Crisis on Infinite Earths. This updated version of Tula is pretty great. She is the half-sister of Orm, but has no blood-relation to Aquaman. As the next several issues unfold, it will be interesting to see if blood is thicker than water (see what I did there?) and if her loyalty is to her king, or to the brother that they share in common.

Batman, Inc. #9 (DC Comics)
This issue is about as emotionally raw as it gets. Damien has been killed, and his father is devastated. He has a target for all those feelings, and it’s Talia al Gul.

East of West #1 (Image Comics)
This is the most important new #1 issue to come out since the launch of Saga. Here’s the elevator pitch: The American Civil War lasted for decades, culminating in the formation of seven independent nations, including one for the unified Native American tribes. Then a second Book of Revelation was written, telling the story of the world’s end. Now it’s the year 2064, and the Horsemen of the Apocalypse are roaming this dystopian sci-fi/western. I think the hero of the story is Death. Buy this today, or you’ll regret it.

Fantastic Four #5 (Marvel Comics)
Franklin and Val have been left in outer space while the grownups zipped back to earth to help with the Age of Ultron. Things didn’t go so good for the grownups.

Fatale #13 (Image Comics)
It’s Colorado in the year 1883, and Black Bonnie Smith is a gun-slinging outlaw. When she was a child, an old fortune-teller told her that she would die three times, and she was right. After her first death, Bonnie eventually discovered that men did whatever she told them to do. This issue is the story of why, and how all these things are true, and feeds back into our main narrative with more questions than it answers. In short, it’s awesome.

Guardians of the Galaxy #1 (Marvel Comics)
After a very good .01 issue telling us Peter Quill’s origin, the flagship title of the cosmic side of the Marvel Universe finally begins. The various space-faring races have agreed that Earth is off limits. By officially listing it like that, all they did was paint a giant target on the planet for races like the Badoon. If you like pulpy space opera, or if you just want to know who all these characters are when the movie comes out next year, you should check this out.

Injustice: Gods Among Us #3 (DC Comics)
The lead-in to the upcoming video game continues to outshine the regular Justice League comic. Superman announced that he is enforcing the rules from now on. Sooooo the president of the US of A decides that he can bully him into backing down by hiring Mirror Master to kidnap his parents. Then Wonder Woman beats the crap out of Ares, the god of War. After schooling him BAD, she shares the opinion that he should be the god of something else now, like ponies. That’s the kind of series that this is. I hope the game is half as cool.

Justice League Dark #18 (DC Comics)
Our magical heroes finish the battle of Epoch, and lay the foundation for a new direction for their team.

Red Team #2 (Dynamite Entertainment)
Eventually the team will get caught killing criminals, but that seems well in the future. This issue is narrated by Eddie’s partner, Detective Trudy Giroux. Unlike him, she seems unflappable. To her, their vigilante murder spree was more than justified. They were the Red Team, and that made them qualified to decide who lived and died. It’s with that arrogance that they made the rules that you find yourself agreeing with them. It’s all a matter of justification. They’re only killing bad guys, right?

Savage Skull-Kickers #1 (Image Comics)
It’s the return of the dwarf! Wait, didn’t they say he was dead last month?

Scarlet Spider #15 (Marvel  Comics)
Kaine is back from the dead, which is good. He’s also now a monster like when Peter Parker embraced his spidery-ness in the mystical storyline "The Other." I was a huge fan of JMS’ years on Amazing Spider-Man, so anything that brings back Ezekiel is cool for me.

Superior Spider-Man #6 (Marvel Comics)
This is a fill-in team, but you’d never know if you didn’t look at the names on the cover. Christos Gage and Dexter Soy totally nail the complicated character of Dr. Spider-Pus, and give us a great tie-in to the Age of Ultron event. After several issues of seeing Otto be better at being Spider-Man than Peter was, this issue is an interesting counter-argument. Otto’s paranoia and ego make him fail, whereas Peter’s trust and loyalty MIGHT have saved the day.

Thunderbolts #7 (Marvel Comics)
The Punisher is hooking up with Elektra, and that’s making Deadpool a little jealous. I give this book two more issues before everyone shoots each other like the end of Reservoir Dogs.

Uncanny Avengers #5 (Marvel Comics)
In spite of doing crazy things every issue and combining characters that have never really interacted with each other, this comic feels the most like classic Marvel of all of their new series. This issue brings a reluctant Sunfire and Wonder Man into the fold, neither of whom feel comfortable on the combined roster. Rick Remender has complete knowledge of these character’s often convoluted histories, and they are never not perfectly realized as the people that the readers have known for decades. The Scarlet Witch is Magneto’s daughter, and was a charter member of the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, but she is best known as a member of the Avengers. Even taking that into account, there’s no way that she can be the public face of this new team, no matter how hard she wants to be. After the events of "House of M," when she committed near-genocide on the mutant race, nobody will trust her. Nobody but Captain freakin’ America that is.

Wolverine & The X-Men #27 (Marvel Comics)
Jason Aaron balances two kinds of storytelling in this issue. On one hand, he fills the book with great character moments where Logan uses experiences from his own horrible life as teachable lessons for his at-risk students. When Evan is bummed that everyone just KNOWS he’s going to go evil since he’s the clone of Apocalypse, Wolverine tells him all about his OWN horrible father, letting the kid in on secrets he’s never told the X-Men. But then a bunch of mutants in school uniforms shoot cowboys and robots with laser shotguns in a hidden land full of dinosaurs. It really has something for everyone.

Young Avengers #3 (Marvel Comics)
Teddy’s not the only young hero whose dead parents suddenly showed back up. The roster mostly comes together this issue, with Asgardian and Hulking now hanging out with both Loki and the new Miss America. Unfortunately, the demons wearing their parents' faces think their new friends are a bad influence.

Also Cool This Week:
All Star Western #18 (DC Comics)
Angel & Faith & Spike #20 (Dark Horse Comics)
Dragon Age: Until We Sleep #1(Dar Horse Comics)
FF #5 (Marvel Comics)
The Flash #18 (DC Comics)     
Fury MAX #10 (Marvel Comics)
The Legend of Luther Strode #4 (Image Comics)
Morbius the Living Vampire #3 (Marvel Comics)
Powers Bureau #3 (Marvel Comics)
Witch Doctor: Mal Practice #5 (Image Comics)
Superman #18 (DC Comics)
Talon #6 (DC Comics)
Teen Titans #18 (DC Comics)
Think Tank #6 (Image Comics)
Uncanny X-Force #3 (Marvel Comics)