I don't much enjoy the realism of these Batman stories, never teetering away from the serious. Instead, this story embraces what makes Batman so sad and angry. And that's all well and fine. He's a tortured badass. But at least have some fun with it while you're at it.

Maybe this series will take the TV approach: tell a couple of standalone stories and tie them all up at the end of the arc with bang. It doesn't necessarily have to be the Pandorica all over again (this issue starts a little while after Amy and Rory's wedding), but it should heart-wrenching. Something about Alice's predicament before she meets the Doctor tells me that the writing will hit very close to home by the arc's end.

This is a very good start for this new limited series. If Mice Templar is any indication, Glass is very good at telling epic stories that are at once intimate and captivating. Along with Santo's beautiful illustrations, Glass has laid down the foundation for a wonderful new yarn.

For now, give this first issue a chance. It isn't the jaw-dropping start to a riveting new Halo adventures, but if I know anything about Dark Horse and this beloved series, it will definitely get there.

That's what I feel Halo: Initiation will be about at its best (of course, this might never be if this new series is pure promotional fodder for new Halo games heading our way; smarten up, Microsoft, and realize that there is so much good you can do with this series): showing us the scars, placing the demons on the frontlines, and finally asking the moral questions.

Polar: Came From the Cold is one of my favorite graphic novels of the year for its fresh, fast-paced approach. Reading this yarn is pure fun, and I can only hope that we'll see a lot more of Black Kaiser next year. Starting in January, Dark Horse will release a new superhero series by Santos called Furious. While that's great news, I can only hope that Black Kaiser won't be pushed back into retirement.

Sin Titulo is an anti-mystery, more interested in showing you each piece and letting you figure out its shape, its order, and if it should fit with the other pieces at all. The very Lynchian beaches and boogeymen of this story set in stone the main mind****ing rule in the narrative thread: the things that Alex perceives to be real might not be real at all.

The rest of the story is about as exciting as a Hutt triathlon. I can only hope that The Star Wars is able to deliver a unique experience, one that becomes as memorable as its predecessor.