Overall, it's not such a bad comic. With talent like Bendis and Bagley driving the ship, you could sure do a lot worse. There's some fun stuff going on, sure, and it's not bad to look at. Still, "Avengers Assemble" does a poor job of introducing the Avengers to a new audience or keeping the existing one fully interested. In the end, it feels like everyone involved is relying just a little too much on the hype machine to do the heavy-lifting, which seems pointless considering how hollow it is on the inside.

Two weeks ago, Multiversity EIC Matthew Meylikhov took a look at the first issue of "Avengers vs. X'men", and while he didn't give the book 10 out of 10, he had a mostly positive opinion of the series' kickoff. Like Matt, I set aside any reservations I might've had about the whole series, removed my helmet, and put it out of my head that I ever had a safety belt. And don't judge me for turning my brain off, because "Avengers vs. X-Men" isn't about making highbrow comics, or comics for the Eisners. This is about Avengers fighting X-Men. X-Men fighting Avengers. And if you're coming to the party looking for something more, well" well, you might actually be pleasantly surprised.

As for my final verdict, I give Bloodshot #1 a solid 9.0 " highly recommended. It'd like to go higher, but I recognize that the intense violence and gore won't be for everybody.

On last week's episode of The Hour Cosmic, I recommended Cobra as my book club selection, and this week I'm doing it again. Seriously, even if you're not a fan of G.I. Joe, I promise you that if you read Cobra you will be. It's sad, ruthless, corrupt, seductive, and always just a little bit funny. It's everything you never knew you wanted from of comic inspired by a thirty year old toy line, and the best part is, it keeps getting better.

Obviously, I'm a G.I. Joe guy. Been one all my life, okay? So there's no doubt that I was probably going to enjoy this crossover more than the lay person. But sincerely, I hope these reviews convinced at least one or two of you to pick this up. And if you did, hopefully you found Cobra Command to be just as enjoyable as I did.

Without giving too much away, “Cobra” #12 is not a happy comic, but it's an excellent one. Those of us who've been reading this book since it started needed this, even if we didn't know we did. It's two Joe's saying goodbye in two very different ways, and it sets the stage for what's to come. It's an exciting time to be a Joe fan, and just like I've said before, things do NOT looks good for G.I. Joe, but they've rarely looked better for us readers!

Without the luxury of being hard-wired into a current toy line, IDW's GI Joe has the freedom to do just about anything it wants. However, it also has to work just a little bit harder to establish the rules of the world it lives in, and not just rely on the way things used to be.

And let's not forget my man Alex Cal. Does this guy ever sleep? What a talent this guy has become over the last three months. Cal hasn't drawn every issue of 'Cobra Command', but by god, he's done most of them. If you look back at some of my previous review, you'll see that I wasn't always crazy about Cal's work, specifically his use of photo reference. But the with the shear volume of work this story arc demanded from the guy, he's really become one of my all time favorite G.I. Joe artist. After these last few issues, I would put him right up there with Mark Bright, Rod Whigham, or Ron Wagner. And just like Dixon, Cal does a superb job of keeping the more absurdist aspects of G.I. Joe (aka THE BEST PARTS) from feeling out of place, and as we all know, that's quite an accomplishment.

If you were expecting things to slow down now that ‘Cobra Command' is over, you'd better think again. Sure, “G.I. Joe” #12 features less straight forward action than what we've been seeing, but don't let this issue's lack of explosions and swordplay fool you, because plenty happens, I promise. In fact, it's one of the series' most eventful issues yet. The next great chapter of G.I. Joe starts here. Don't miss out.

With this G.I. Joe relaunch, Van Lente and Kurth aren't just inheriting the previous series, and they don't seem content to play it safe. They look to be wasting no time, and are set to take the property in a bold new direction, and I'm thrilled they're off to a great start. I'm hooked. Of course, I'm the target audience" but whether you've read G.I. Joe all your life, or someone who enjoyed the cartoon growing up, or better yet, if you're just a guy or a gal who enjoys the hell out of good comics, this new G.I. Joe feels like it's got a little something for all of us. Except for Raptor. I guess it doesn't have Raptor yet.

"G.I. Joe: The Cobra Files" #1 is hugely impressive comics. Post relaunch, it remains the most unconventional of the Joe books, both in story and art, offering a wonderfully weird and exciting alternative view of the G.I. Joe franchise. It speaks volumes, I think, that as a longtime reader and someone who's already been through several iterations of this series, that I still can't wait to see where Costa and Fuso take things this time around. This book's one of my favorite reads, and thankfully, it doesn't look like renumbering is going to change that. If you're at all intrigued by G.I. Joe " whether it be nostalgia, post-movie curiosity, or just looking for something new " you could do a lot worse than "G.I. Joe: The Cobra Files." Quite frankly, you'd be hard pressed to do much better.

Would I recommend Godzilla Legends to everybody? Probably not, but I'd definitely say pick it up if you're enjoying the regular series, with the caveat that the two books are very different. Kingdom of Monsters is a more traditional long form piece telling the story of a world terrorized by giant monsters for the very first time, while Godzilla Legends strips away all of the superfluous details and jumps right in and sets two monsters at each others' throats without much regard for who or what is in the middle. This book is the Godzilla equivalent of Batman:Legends of the Dark Knight, and as a longtime fan, I look forward to a series of out of continuity, done-in-one stories, and genuinely hope it does well enough to garner more mini-series like it down the road.

With everything that's set up in this issue, and with fan favorite Young Avenger Kate Bishop showing up soon, this all-new “Hawkeye” definitelyhas a lot of promise. This isn't the first superhero after-hours comic that's ever been, and it's not even the first one from Marvel., but it is the first time we've seen this approach for Hawkeye, and despite being in a market that's flooded with new #1 issues, honest to goodness firsts are awfully hard to come by. So I'm thankful for this one — but more importantly, I'm sold on it too!

As this issues intro text explains, Thaddeus "Thunderbolt" Ross is a man who believes he can affect the world with his hands, and currently, those are some pretty powerful hands. But 'Haunted Hulk' looks to be putting Red Hulk against a supernatural obstacle he can't just smash his way out of, and if this first chapter's any indication, this just might be the kind of Hulk story we've all been dying to read.

Next month, Aaron reunites with his "Punisher: MAX" co-creator Steve Dillon to kick off a brand new arc called 'Stay Angry', wherein the Hulk must, presumably, stay angry. That's a solid sounding premise, sure, but before this issue, I don't know if I could have told you I'd be sticking around for it. But "Incredible Hulk" got really good this month, and if it's any indication of things to come, Jason Aaron's set to bring the SMASH!

“Infernal Man-thing” #1 is inventive, and weird, and gorgeous, and sort of shockingly heartfelt. As a fan of Gerber and his work on Man-thing, it's going to be hard not to like this comic a whole lot. In some ways, it's setting itself up to be the most Man-thing story of all time, and considering it's Gerber's final take, that's pretty appropriate. Just be aware, this is no one off, romp in the swamp comic. This is the real deal, and with two issues left to go, I can't imagine it getting any less Gerber.

That one's all you, IDW. If I'm disappointed, well… I definitely think we're both to blame.

More than any other title I'm reading now, Kirby Genesis revels in being a comic book. It's a wild ride inspired by the biggest imagination in comics, and the best part is that it's really just getting started. It's exactly the kind of a book we need more of" really, if for no other reason than to remind Marvel and DC what it looks like celebrate the genius of Jack Kirby in every panel and on every page.

You've probably figured out by now that Lord of the Jungle wasn't the book for me. But in full disclosure, I'm pretty familiar with the source material and can't help but let that cloud my opinion. It's not that Lord of the Jungle # 1 was bad. Average, maybe, but certainly not bad. Still, if the first one's an indication of what the series plans to be, the whole thing's going to end up as just another missed opportunity to do something original with one of America's finest, but all too often wasted icons.

Hey, wait a minute…

To say more about "Reset" would just give away too much, and quite honestly, this is just the first issue. Plenty happens, but there's a lot more to come. The way this one ends, though, leaves you with plenty of questions as to why Krause is so important to the project, and more than enough reason to come back next month.

With Venom and Uncanny X-Force, Remender's already writing two of my favorite Marvel titles right now. And with just one regular issue under his belt, and some very cool ideas and villains on the table, I'm already feeling some major anticipatory excitement for Secret Avengers that I don't see going away anytime soon.

Month after month, Snake Eyes continues to be a great read, dishing out some of the coolest action and intrigue in comics. And now, with a major Snake Eyes / Storm Shadow clash coming up next month, it's possible that Cobra Commander's dealings may not be the most exciting aspect of GI Joe for much longer. And suddenly it's just like 1993 all over again!

Things look bad for G.I. Joe all around, but the good news is, they've never looked better for us as fans. This is exciting stuff people, and if you're not reading, you don't know. And knowing's" nah, too easy.

As much as I really wanted to love this comic, it just left me cold. I was a huge fan of the 'Frankencastle' era, and wanted so much for this to be in the same vein. But for a comic with a title as on-the-nose as "Space Punisher", it doesn't go nearly far enough with either the premise or the title character's story, and that's two very big missed opportunities.

I'm tired of the Man of Tomorrow feeling like yesterday's superhero. Step up, DC. You're the only ones who can make this book better.

Is “Superman Family Adventures” the Superman comic I want? No, not really. What I'm looking for is something closer to “All Star Superman”, the animated series, or the animated-inspired “Superman Adventures.” But the thing is, “Superman Family Adventures” isn't really intended to be for me. It's something else, and meant for someone else. Namely, my son. Each night, my wife and I read three books to my two year old boy just before he goes to bed. And despite our house being completely covered in them, I've never read him a single comic. Sure, he sees them around and knows the characters, but he's never wanted me to read him one. But tonight, on his way back to his room, he noticed “Superman Family Adventures” and specifically asked for it to be his bedtime book, which makes this unquestionably the best Superman book. Even if it's not the best one for me.

So what exactly is Superbia about? Let's assume that the Meta Legion is this world's major superteam. They've got a Sovereign super-man, a dark knight known as the Nite Fox, and a wonderous female warrior called Batu, a Daughter of the Bright Moon. The team's exactly what you think it is, but do yourself a favor, and don't get hung up on the analogs. This group of not-the-Justice Leaguers isn't what this book's about. Superbia's a story about the people waiting at home while the heroes are out saving the world; those who choose to engage in relationships with men and women with lives so spectacular that they can't help but outshine everyone else. It's what happens when the pedestrian bed down with the spectacular, and they all pretend it's normal.

Having said that, it's obviously not an absolute one-to-one comparison. This isn't just writer James Roberts substituting Rodimus, Magnus, and Ratchet for Kirk, Spock, and McCoy. The Lost Light is certainly not the Enterprise, and there's a whole slew of Transformers and subplots working in this book that have nothing to do with anything Trek-related. In fact, MTME probably owes more to classic Transformers scribe Simon Furman's Matrix Questthan it does Star Trek. Still, with the way things played out this issue, I think there'sdefinitely a little Trek inspiration floating around in there, and I for one am loving it!

But all kidding aside, I'm looking forward to seeing Flash/Venom take a little break from the impending doom of his little cross-country tour. It's been pretty dark lately, and while a rip roaring punch 'em up through a corner of Hell might not exactly say light-hearted, at least it'll be fun, and I don't have to worry about Flash killing anyone that doesn't deserve it.

Two chapters in, and it's looking like Back In Japan won't be my favorite story of Jason Aaron's Wolverine run. But hey, the good news is, a less-than-brilliant Jason Aaron comic is typically still better than a most other superhero comics out there, so it's most likely not the worst thing I'm going to read this month.