If art crime and espionage-flavored superheroing interests you, Catwoman should be right up your alley.

Christopher Sebela and Hayden Sherman's Cold War is exactly the punch in the mouth that comics needs right now.

Mister Miracle is a pure force of nature disguised as a comic book.

I don't think it's hyperbole to say that Mister Miracle is the best superhero comic on the stands. It's consistently been one of the best of the year, and it should cement King and Gerads as one of the all-time great duos in comics.

Supreme: Blue Rose is as rare as its namesake. Books like this one don’t come around all that often, and the pairing of Warren Ellis with a brilliant new artistic talent in Tula Lotay will remind you why. By placing the initial focus on Diana Dane, Ellis and Lotay are able to ground this superhero story with a fleshed out human character that is not content to play the victim. Ellis might be playing in someone else’s sandbox, but he’s taking the property into new territory. Fittingly, so is Lotay. This is only the beginning of what’s sure to be an interesting examination of the superhero archetype.

Calexit is a triumph not just because the craft and the storytelling is good, but because by the end of it, it asks "so what are you gonna do?" Moments like this never last. Books like this don't either.

Armed with monstrous thrills and a killer new hook, Venom #1 is a big win for the returning antihero.

Howard the Duck #1 might be the best superhero book on the stands this week and that's nothing to quack at. It's not concerned with crossovers or big events but even if it was, the creative team has created a unique lens to see those events through. Howard's a very lovable curmudgeon that is sure to worm his way into the hearts of even the most hardened Marvel fan and it's his view of the Marvel Universe that really informs the book. Combined with Quinones' art and Zdarsky playful riffs on fan favorite characters (his work with Spidey is particularly funny), Howard the Duck stands to be a breakout hit.

The follow-up to Chip Zdarsky and Joe Quinones' debut isn't as laugh-out-loud funny as the first issue, but it still stands up as one of the best examples of humor in capes comics today.

X-Men: Grand Design is a must-read for X-Men fans but also the perfect primer for those who might feel a bit overwhelmed by years and years of continuity. For Marvel, it represents a really great way to provide historical texts of their universe and show how they fit together on a more macro level without aping the resources already provided for free on the internet. Ed Piskor is an incredible talent working in comics today and he treats the source material with love and respect. This is a truly for fans by a fan, and it's so much better for that.

While Piskor's approach does strip some of the emotional resonance away from Marvel's greatest superhero soap opera, it does help readers navigate the various retcons that have happened over the years, allowing for a chronological understanding of the X-Men that the comics themselves are hard-pressed to provide.

Who would've thought that what essentially amounts to a history book could be so charming? Ed Piskor's retelling of the X-Men's winding, whimsical continuity is an absolute pleasure.

Boom! is continuing to pump out quality Adventure Time work and The Flip Side is no exception. Coover and Tobin are clearly familiar enough with the property to what works and what doesn't. They're packing in so many jokes that this issue will beg a second read. They have the benefit of being coupled with an artist with a talent for visual gags in Wook Jin Clark, as well. This a definitely must read. So Adventure Time fans who have plenty of time, now you know the way.

While this book might not feature stalwarts like Wolverine and Cyclops or seemingly be connected to the prime Marvel Universe, it feels like the X-Men have finally broken the shackles of rote monotony that has defined much of the line over the last few years. Finally, there is some joy to be had with the unknown, and with Age of X-Man: Alpha, Thompson and Nadler have injected some of that joy back into the X-Men.

While you might see the ending coming, Johnson is still able to adequately tug at your heartstrings.

This comic is slow-moving but it's the kind of thing that makes you want to really dig into the world and see what it's about. This is a great debut for this unique mini-line.

If Marvel is trying to rope in lapsed Runaways readers with this mini-crossover, this is a good way to do it. It not only progresses the Avengers Academy story but the Runaways one, too. Even if this is all we get, this issue (and hopefully the next) will go down as one of the best issues in this run.

Creating good all-ages comics is a difficult task but the Nicolle brothers make it look easy.

This book oozes emotion and it's a great addition to the web of Futures End.

This is a Batman story unlike any other that explores a lot of the reasons why people love and relate to the character. Kurt Busiek and John Paul Leon are completely letting loose, telling a story that feels instantly timeless.

Altogether, this is a great book that's taking a stand that many others might be afraid to.

Bitter Root is more than worthy of a place on your pull list.

Coda looks to be another hit for BOOM! Studios.

Waid and company provide a nuanced story with a healthy helping of superheroics, suspense and real-life drama. The twist ending could potentially be a big one and so it's unfortunate Waid takes a pretty weak route to get there. But for the most part, Daredevil remains one of the gold standards in superhero comics today.

This is good comics, plain and simple.

Descender is an stunning debut. It's obvious why Hollywood jumped on this train early. Lemire and Nguyen are building their world at a rapid pace without leaving their characters behind. They've created enough questions to entice readers to read the next issue but haven't forced too many concepts that the main narrative gets lost. Science fiction is experiencing a new renaissance in recent years and Descender looks to be finest addition from the comics medium since the debut of Saga.

Grayson is off to an excellent start. A strong narrative vision, couple with good character work, a refreshing change of scenery and a great visual style make it a clear cut winner and already one of DC’s better books. Hopefully, the creative team can really up the ante in the coming months but judging from the early goings, that should be a problem. Seeley and King have done a great job bouncing back from their issue of Nightwing and are poised to have even more success than that book did. Mikel Janin is only just beginning to show us what he can do and that’s a scary thought. Look out, All-New Marvel Now!, Grayson might be the breakout hit of the summer.

Aftershock Comics has repeatedly proven that they are arbiters of extremely good taste and this is no exception. Hot Lunch Special is not to be missed.

Inferno follows in HoX/PoX's footsteps as the next big plateau in Hickman's vision for the X-Men. It's another watershed moment, and even though it's basically a fastball thrown middle-middle, and we know it's coming, he still manages to blow us away.

Mind the Gap #1 is an excellent debut of what's sure to be an incredible series. McCann is a master of pacing and left-hand page reveals that are sure to keep readers guessing. The art team of Esquejo and Oback is perfectly in sync with eac other and the vision that's been laid out for this book. The mystery at hand is compelling in ways that Lost was and Morning Glories is. This is a "whodunit" done right.

A book like this is definitely a risk for a publisher that makes its money on capes and cowls, but it's exciting to see DC truly expanding their publishing line in a way that their competitors haven't.

Prez continues to be a pitch-perfect send up of the American political system.

Prophet is not for everyone. This is a far cry from what people will think of when they think about the words" Rob Liefeld's Extreme Studios" but that's what so perfect about it. The willingness to take a chance and allow this kind of work to sit on the same shelves that are inundated with spandex and cheesecake and zombies each week should be applauded. This book is for the kinds of people that don't want the main premise explained succinctly in the title of the book. It's for the kinds of people that would rather read than watch TV. It's for anyone that believes that comics can be good art and that good art should make you think.

There's no denying that Prophet is one of the best books out right now. Graham's vision (and especially the last few pages in this issue) would make Jack Kirby a very happy man. "Bigger is better" and "less is more" might seem like two opposing mantras but here they work swimmingly.

Secret Warriors is one of the best things to spin out of Secret Empire so far, and it really helps flesh that story out. I honestly don’t know how someone could read one without the other. This book stands as an examination of a more intimate betrayal of trust, reminding readers that smaller stories that still have big implications are historically some of the best in Marvel history. You only need to look to the original Secret Warriors for proof. Matthew Rosenberg is solidifying himself as one of the best writers in Marvel’s stable right now, and artist Javier Garron is certainly no slouch, either. Secret Warriors #1 is on track to be the definitive Daisy Johnson story, and that’s a very, very exciting thing.

But overall, Secret Warriors is a complete package. Rosenberg’s writing is witty and fun while never losing sight of the stakes of the plot. Garron’s art helps the jokes and characterization in the script land while also providing strong visual storytelling. This iteration of the team has a lot in common with another group of misfits that came together in the wake of an event: Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning’s Guardians of the Galaxy. There’s a sense that this squad has everything on the line, and they’re going to stop at nothing to complete their mission, even if it means they’ll die trying. Secret Empire might not be for everyone, but Secret Warriors might just be the reason is was all worth it.

Southern Bastards is just beginning but so far it has all the makings of a riveting crime-noir. By using the American South as their setting, Aaron and Latour are firmly in "write what you know" territory and it's working for them. This issue makes it evident that hey have an excellent grasp of where they want to take this story and what they want to accomplish. As Earl gets sucked deeper and deeper back into Craw County, we'll learn more about the town and how the places that you grow up can grow to define you. Southern Bastards is a country-fried gem of a comic book dripping in blood and BBQ Sauce. Can I get a hell yeah?

It's excellent to see such a fully-realized one-shot, and I think Latour and Lafuente really make the case for something of a Spider-Ham ongoing with their work here.

The Fade Out is already looking like another highlight in the prolific partnership between Brubaker and Phillips. It's always fun to have creators that so consistently work together and turn out a great product. This book might be a bit lighter than some of their other noir but there are plenty of openings for it to take more violent and unexpected twists and turns. The Fade Out is a master class in art and writing. And it's definitely a book worthy of your dollars especially if you're looking for a break from the usual slog of the monthly spinner rack.

The Plot is an invitation to become enveloped by the world that this creative team is presenting, and I can't wait to dive in further.

The conclusion of "The Fire of Creation" ends with a bang as Garth Ennis and Aaron Campbell continue to blaze a trail with their run on The Shadow.

Jason Aaron clearly cares deeply about this character and this book marks his 50th issue (across a few volumes) writing Thor. A this point, he’s crafted a story that it seems only he can truly finish and his collaborators are onboard with bringing that vision to light. Corporate superhero comic books rarely see a creative team this in sync this early on just because of the nature of the medium and the process and yet, this team rises above. The book ends with a fun reveal and a lot of hope and excitement for the direction that the narrative is moving in. Aaron is creating a newly definitive take on this character. In thirty years, we’ll be talking about his work on Thor with the same regard we hold Walt Simonson’s.

The Wicked + The Divine embodies some of the weirdness of 90s Vertigo combined with the populism of more standard superhero fare. For the uninitiated, this might be the best introduction to this creative team’s work. It’s big and bright and over-the-top. It has all of Gillen’s trademark snark and that’s amplified by McKelvie’s continually improving grasp on expressions and body language. This is pop comics. It’s that song that comes on the radio that you’ll have stuck in your head for days. The beat is good. The lyrics hint at something bigger and you can’t help but wonder. Although what you are about to read is a work of fiction, it should never the less be played at maximum volume.

If The Wicked + The Divine’s bombastic debut issue didn’t do it for you, Issue #2 is sure to change your mind. Kieron Gillen, Jamie McKelvie and company have already set up the concept and themes that they’ll be exploring, but now they get a bit more character-driven, and it really helps the books move forward. McKelvie and colorist Matt Wilson really expand the visual language of the book as well, allowing the narrative room to get even weirder as the team truly kicks it into a higher gear in the final pages.

Altogether, this issue is excellent and Gillen and McKelvie are continuing to set the bar high for their next creator-owned work.

A-plus for effort in trying to set this one apart, but the execution isn't all there.

Gillen writes an issue that is a combination of the best Star Trek episodes and the greatest X-Men stories tat still works under the umbrella of Cyclops' new mission statement for the team. X-Men and aliens aren't always a sure bet but keeping our favorite mutants' feet on the ground rather than up in space definitely helps the issue out. It's a shame that Gillen didn't have a better collaborator for such a well-written script, but Land puts in a rare satisfactory performance so it isn't all bad. The conclusion to this arc is sure to be a doozy " if Gillen keeps going at this rate, it's going to be interesting to see how he tops this one.

Venom fans do not want to miss out on this one. It's a love letter to everything we remember about that most sinister of symbiotes.

This title is unabashed fun. Jason Aaron is doing his best Conan riff with a forgotten Marvel analogue in Arkon, and Mike Del Mundo's art is simply inspiring.

West Coast Avengers deserves to be on your pull list, even if you didn't have a lot of faith in the roster right away. Thompson and Caselli will make you a true believer.

What If? Magik works so well that even big New Mutants/Magik fans will want to see more of this path not taken.

In some ways, Die has a similar structure to starting a new campaign of your tabletop RPG of choice, and this issue is essentially the character creation step. We're meeting characters already in progress, maybe far past the point where their stories should have ended. But maybe their something to be rediscovered, maybe there's something to be regained. Maybe the things lost in the pursuit of obsession can be found again. Die wants to explore that and with Hans' artwork providing the vehicle, it's off to a spectacular start.

The secrets of Die are really only just beginning to reveal themselves, but the heart at the center of it all is still beating strong. Maybe for some readers it’s not a tabletop game, it’s a sport or a band or a video game - but we all have these connections to people. And no matter how much life gets in the way, there’s always a way to come back. And we’ll get together again, maybe have a few drinks, and we’ll talk and we’ll play. And it’s like no time has passed, but we’re older and wiser than we ever were. And suddenly, we’re home again.

Die continues to be a worthy successor to Gillen's other work.

The X-Men feel (almost) all-new and all-different for the first time in a while, and that's an exciting prospect.

This is the X-Men as you've never really seen them before and possibly, the best they've ever been.

I can’t remember the last time the X-Men was this good. It feels fresh, relevant and important. It feels more like the minority allegory that it’s purported to be than ever before. In true X-Men fashion, there’s interpersonal conflict and big superhero stakes building side by side creating a powderkeg that is sure to explode with the release of the finale of Power of X next week. Hickman, Larraz and the rest of the creative team have created something that is as status quo changing as Giant Size X-Men #1. It’s a great time to be an X-Men fan.

This is how you reinvent a character. By basically doing everything in contrast to the rest of the Bat-titles, DC has put together what is easily their best book and what is unequivocally the best take on Barbara Gordon since Batgirl: Year One.

The plotting may ultimately betray the characters and concept in this issue, but on the whole, it's not a bad effort. good writers can make bad decisions and hopefully, this is just a case of the team hitting an early bump in the road. (We are only three issues into their run, after all.) And for it's narrative flaws, Barbara Gordon is still a very strong character. I'm hoping that she'll start to come up against some bigger villains or at least more inventive ones (a la last issue's motorcycle ninjas). Despite this issue's flaws, Babs Tarr should be the real draw for most readers. She's continuing to make this book a great read for new and old fans alike.

This is a great debut for this creative team and this iteration of the character. It doesn't require any knowledge of Constantine before this point and it's a fun, self-contained story. Doyle and Tynion are clearly attuned to the charms of Hellblazer and put them on full display here. Rossmo is particularly talented at exploring John's corner of the DCU and rendering it in such a way that it looks like nothing else in any other DC book. This Constantine isn't as weathered as many readers are used to him being but this book is sure to satisfy new and old fans. You'll feel like there's real darkness and evil here but that Constantine can handle it with a one-liner, a shot of whiskey and a half-remembered incantation. This is the Hellblazer we know and love and have missed.

This creative team hasn't disappointed yet and they're showing no signs of stopping.

Dead Body Run #1 is a great debut by a talented creative team. They've managed to take a fairly stock concept and turn it into something worth reading. The mystery teased in the last few pages will give Jordan some room to make this book really unique. It's exciting to know that we haven't really scratched the surface yet and Scalera is already on top of his game. As long as the action and intrigue stay at high levels, Dead Body Road will definitely be a winner.

Some might knock the almost stock concept of this book but Jordan and Scalera are making this one their own.

Jonathan Hill delivers the best art that we've seen on this book so far. A flashback page featuring the leader of the Emerald Spear and his connections to previous arcs reveals his motivations with a beautifully laid out page that oozes emotion. Plus, longtime Mega-fans finally get a good look at a fan-favorite character. All-ages comics are rarely ever better than this.

Mega Man is a book that's expectations were definitely buoyed by nostalgia but Flynn and co. have expanded the scope of their storytelling and created a comic that's a delight to read. By not overly relying on the boss battle formula of the Mega Man games, they've been able to challenge readers while still having fun in an age-appropriate way.

Despite some exciting moments, this book is a bit of a slow burn but if you're paying attention, it's an incredibly rewarding one.

The longer and longer this creative team works together, the more their brilliance crystallizes. It's amazing to see a team work this in sync with each other. This volume of Phonogram is bar far the weirdest and most ambitious yet and the whole team is up to the challenge. There's a lot about this book that might turn people off. It's joyfully weird and unapologetically silly sometimes. And for the people that doesn't work for, I'll point you to the back-up story in which David gets a girl to leave him alone by unabashedly enjoying something he loves (in this case, My Chemical Romance). Gillen and company aren't going to change. They're exploring the reasons that we are the way we are and doing it the only way they know how - with no guilt or shame about how much of the stuff they love they can cram into a comic book.

But overall, the Force is with this one. Big-time Cassaday fans will definitely overlook some of the artistic shortcomings, but it's really Aaron's script that's the draw here. Even at a whopping 36 pages, Aaron provides us with action, humor and gravitas. Most importantly, the characters that we know and love are recognizable through their actions and dialogue. There was a lot of bellyaching about Marvel relaunching the Star Wars comic book universe, but it turns out that we should all have a very good feeling about this one.

This is title is a must-read for Star Wars fans of all ages.

The craft in X-Men: Red should have other X-Men creative teams taking notes.

It's clear to see why Tom Taylor and Mahmud Asrar's X-Men: Red has jumped to the top of the pile of X-titles.

Duggan writes some really big, silly stuff into his script and Kuder doesn't shy away from it at all, proving that they're just the creative team to bring out the best in this ragtag group of intergalactic flarknards.

If you aren't reading All-New Guardians of the Galaxy, what the flark are you waiting for?

Irving is a master at creating mood with his artwork, but some of his stylistic tendencies can overwhelm the clarity of the narrative at points. But overall, Irving's art works well with Duggan's haunting script and provides some additional depth we didn't have before.

Cyclops is serving up teen angst in space and I'm sold on it. Scott's dealing with a lot right now. He misses Jean but at the same time, he's struggling with it. He's not sure if he made the right decision by running away with his father. And he hasn't really even gotten to the moral ambiguity of his father's profession. He says he wants to be good. But does he know that his father is good? He might be away from the insanity of the X-Men on Earth but he can't really know what he's gotten himself into. So far Rucka is writing this like the best television sci-fi. It hits beats as well as Farscape or Firefly and it's just as much fun thanks to Russell Dauterman's artwork. If you aren't a fan of the current, older incarnation of Cyclops, I suggest you get onboard with this one.

For anyone turned off by young Scott's pangs of angst in Issue #1, I offer up this issue as proof that Cyclops isn’t navel-gazing, woe-is-me-isms. Scott and his father’s relationship is still in its early stages, but it will be tested - and Scott will have to decide the kind of person that he wants to become. He’s seen what following Xavier’s path gets him, but he’s also starting to understand who his father really is. These ideas are at odds with each other, and I don’t think that Scott is discerning enough just yet to recognize the best parts of either ideology to let those inform his actions. There’s even still a chance that he decides against both and forges a new path for himself. Cyclops is doing what any great superhero comic should: make its readers reflect on themselves and their own humanity while still being incredibly entertaining.

This book continues to have a lot of heart, and if Corsair succeeds at being a father to Scott where Professor X may have failed, we might have the beginnings of a sea change in the X-Universe.

This anthology does a good job of trying to get to the heart of each of these Robins, and it makes for a solid Wednesday read.

All in all, Adventure Time with Finn & Jake #1 marks a promising debut for the all-new ongoing title.""

Time travel is awesome. Time travel Adventure Time might be even better.

The opening is a bit overwhelmingly dialogue-laden, but North turns on the charm after a few pages, teaching us how ghosts work in the land of Ooo and having Princess Bubblegum team up with Anti-Ghost Princess, the warrior princess.

All in all, another quality entry in BOOM!'s Adventure Time catalog that stays true to the source while forging ahead with fun stories.

This is a joyful, fun book. It may not have the world-altering consequences of many other titles in the DC Universe, but it's a nice bit of levity, and that's enough.

Age of X: Marvelous X-Men #1 is a solid addition to this event providing some more context for the world and showing that there is more to this utopia than meets the glowing eye. But it treads water a little bit while waiting for its companion titles to come out. The art is similar in that Failla seems more content working in concert with what Rosanas has already delivered rather than forge his own identity on the book. That said, “Age of X-Man” is off to a captivating start, one that will have X-fans foaming at the mouth for more.

As X-Man's control is wavering, Nadler and Thompson are honing in on the things that make the X-Men the X-Men and that's a strong choice.

The zipatone effect is a little heavy in the opening scene but on the whole, this is one of the more satisfying issues of the entirety of the "Age of X-Man."

Steve to Sam with an opening narration that nails down Sam's character for the uninitiated. From then on out, this book is non-stop fun.

Stuart Immonen's artwork is on point. He continues to show more and more range with regards to his expression work, shot selection and panel layouts. The visual language of Sam as Cap is (and should be) different than Steve Rogers as Cap. Immonen recognizes that and is able to give this book its own unique visual flavor.

The opening pages are rocky, but the creative team overcomes a bad start to deliver a fun debut issue that sets the stage for what's to come. Angela has become a character that thrives in just about any story she's been placed in, so fans worried that she might seem out of place can breathe easy. The final page reveal gives us a reason to keep checking in on Angela, as her tenuous relationship to her newfound family is sure to keep this book going for at least the first couple of arcs. The editors made the right decision by putting two artists on this issue, as they're able to provide two different looks that enhance the reading experience and don't overwhelm one another. Angela is a good start to this book and a reminder that while they might stumble once in a while (ahem, Spider-Woman), Marvel isn't afraid to give a diverse cast of characters a spotlight.

I was a little bit skeptical that an Angry Birds comic book would work. I mean, the game itself isn’t the most original app on the block. But the entire team puts together a convincing package. This might not be the kind of book that you’ll buy month in and month out but if you need to keep your kid entertained for a few minutes or you’re trying to introduce an otherwise video game-obsessed kid to reading, this is a solid purchase.

Animal Man has really come back into its own thanks in large part to Steve Pugh's phenomenal work. This book is at its best when Lemire continues to expand our knowledge of Animal Man's mythology while still grounding the conflict with his family, some of the greatest supporting characters in comics ever. A great comic satisfies you with answers but always leaves you with questions and this one fits the bill.

This issue is a prime example of what's been so problematic about Lemire's run on this book. In spending so much time with added Red/Green mythos, we lose Buddy's family and it waters down the threat of Brother Blood.

Animal Man is hurtling towards an ending, and Jeff Lemire is making sure it goes out with a bang.

This final issue serves as a warm reminder. It's like the night before graduation and you're sitting on the hood of your buddy's car drinking a beer saying "Hey, remember that time..." The memories flow out of you. You think about where you'll be next year. What's going to happen? But you take comfort in knowing that you'll always have the past, even while you are thrust into new beginnings. This isn't the last we'll see of Buddy Baker or Animal Man. This isn't even the last time Lemire will write him. This wasn't a run without any faults but it's important to relish the good stories because you don't know when you'll get the next one. On the whole, Animal Man was a good story. It's sad to see it go.

This isn't the old Archer & Armstrong but Van Lente and Henry are definitely off to a good start. They've packed an impressive debut full of punches and punchlines that are sure to enthrall new readers and jog some old-timers' memories.

Noto is very rarely going to knock you out with his sequential work the way he can with his standalone illustrations and design, but he helps make this script s

There's a little bit for everyone here. Anthologies are great primers for new readers and Clevinger wisely crosses over into video game territory to maybe try and bridge that gap. Despite multiple artists, the different visual styles all suit the story at hand and more importantly the Atomic Robo universe. Three out of four solid entries isn't bad for this kind of book and I'm sure that time will prove the one outlier to be a quality addition to the Robo mythos as well.

Atomic Robo and the Flying She-Devils of the Pacific #1 is the beginning of what is sure to be another incredibly entertaining Atomic Robo epic. Clevinger and Wegener are a team in perfect sync with one another and it shows. Some readers might be disappointed in the overall lack of any really heavy sci-fi beyond jetpacks but there's still time for that. Remember, the beauty of Robo is the build-up, and this only the beginning.

No Road Home is a story that is realizing its potential and it'll be interesting to see the effect it could have on the larger Marvel Universe when all is said and done.

B.P.R.D. 1948 #1 is another great addition to the mythology of Hellboy and the B.P.R.D. Some origin stories feel shoehorned in after the fact but the Secret Origins trilogy has continued to build on an almost unparalleled mythology without alienating readers. The dynamic collaboration between Mignola, Arcudi and Fiumara is one that should be kept together even after this miniseries is finished.

Monkeybrain Comics has a lot going for it right from the outset. We expect quality work from quality creators. Tobin and Coover absolutely deliver here. Bandette is a reminder that all kinds of comics have the potential to be good even if they are far from what's generally out there. It's just a matter of strength of execution.

Batgirl and the Birds of Prey is a good book, and one that lives up to the significance of its title. Both Batgirl and Birds of Prey have historically yielded great stories about women and, even more importantly, great stories coming from great female creators. It's clear that the Bensons are comfortable working together and their scenes flow together so well; this isn't a case of two different writing voices being mashed together. It's nice to see the Bat-family open up a little bit without involving Bruce Wayne or Dick Grayson right off the bat. The women in Birds of Prey are more than capable without leaning on A-listers to help sell the book. There is an obvious connection but these women are carving out their own niche in the DCU, and that's a very, very good thing.

This might sound reductive but this book is exactly as advertised on the cover: Ellis, Hitch, Batman. 'Nuff said.

Kudos to DC for putting this selection together and choosing a bunch of creators who put together a good showing.

It's a sweet, heartwarming and human tale that should remind readers why representation is so important. This book exists now for a whole new generation of queer folks and people of color to see themselves in. It may not be perfect, but it's a whole lot better than the options those readers had before. It's a reminder that there is a place and an audience for every kind of story, as long as it is crafted with honesty and without pretense.

Black Panther isn't for everyone yet. The book is knee-deep in its own world for now, and that might be off-putting for some readers that are hoping to jump into something a little bit less dense. But it does stand as a great way to take continuity and make it your own. Coates is unapologetic about the things he doesn't like about Black Panther, and so he sets out to change them. But he doesn't so that wholesale, making changes that run counter to the character or previous events - instead, he seeks to lead the narrative in a way that the changes he wants to see are part of a natural story progression. That's something we don't always see from writers. Stelfreeze continues to be one of the best and my nitpickings with the color work are minor compared to the wholly effective work that's present and the scale of this book. Black Panther's a winner that should be making it on to pull lists everywhere as soon as possible.

This is a tried and true Marvel formula at this point but Kibblesmith and the art team make this one is a win for Marvel.

Blossoms 666 #1 is a great comic in its own right, but with the artistic depictions and theme-heavy plot, the devil is in the details.

Blue Beetle: Rebirth #1 is a very pleasant surprise. Giffen and Fajardo work together to remix the idea of a teen hero in the 2010s very well. It's too soon to call this DC's answer to a title like Ultimate Spider-Man, but it definitely has that feeling. When books are working this well, the powers that be would be remiss not to pay attention. The seamless integration of Doctor Fate makes this book one that holds keys to understanding the new limits of this DCU. But on a smaller scale, there's a really fun superhero book about a kid who just wants to get to school on time and happens to have some really bad luck along the way. DC has long lacked a human element, opting to present their characters (even the solidly human ones) as mythic, godlike figures. But with Blue Beetle, it seems like the times, they are a-changin'.

Yep. They defeat sexism and a banana is proud. If that last sentence seems like something you're into, you'll dig this book. It's fun and silly and a reminder that not everything has to be dark and brooding to be good.

The front cover of Buzzkill has a quote from Mark Waid saying, "God, I wish I'd thought of this." That's a hell of an endorsement and so far, it's kind of book that'll make you say that. The art is engaging and visually stimulating. The writing has kept everything pretty simple and straightforward while still allowing room for twists and some unanswered questions. Cates and company's first issue is a good reminder that sometimes less is more especially when remixing a genre that many believe has been done to death.

It’s a simple and straightforward story, and Tartakovsky doesn’t lean heavy into the era’s bad scripting habits (particularly with dialogue) that would make modern readers cringe. The art is expressive and outsized. The pacing comes at a good clip. The script has a couple of fun cameos. It might stand in stark contrast to the Cage we see on the small screen but Tartakovsky’s reverence for the character is clear. This is his love letter to an era of comics that he grew up reading and that’s why it works so well. It combines his unique sense of humor with the best parts of ‘70s Power Man, while leaving the more problematic bits by the wayside. Ya dig?

It was immediately clear that Jason Aaron was born to write Conan the Barbarian after the debut issue, but Aaron has definitely avoided a sophomore slump with the second entry in the series.

This is about as satisfying an ending as you can get for a miniseries that really came out of nowhere.

It's nice to have ol' Hornhead back in the red tights with a creative team that fits him like a glove.

Chip Zdarsky and Marco Checchetto's Daredevil continues to be an excellent treatise on guilt and compassion through the lens of one of Marvel's most tortured characters.

It's another issue that shows just how thoughtful of a writer Zdarsky can be and has been through his Marvel tenure.

Both stories honor the King, his creations and his worldview in a way that so many other recent tributes have not been able to. This is a must-read for Kirby fans.

A lot of your enjoyment of this title will hinge on your feelings about Brisson as a writer. His own personal quirks are fully on display here and when they work (i.e. a side-splitting Glob Herman/Forge scene), they’re streets ahead of the duds (i.e. “Really? Was ‘Lady Bad Guy’ already taken?”). Henderson delivers some really solid cartooning that for the most parts weaves together well with the script he’s been given. It’s strange that a book like this doesn’t feel like more of an event, but readers looking for a conclusion to four years of Old Man Logan appearances will almost definitely find something they like here.

Brian Posehn and Gerry Duggan have turned in some fine Deadpool comics lately. They've added high stakes and gravitas to an otherwise silly character, but that doesn't mean they've forgotten how to have fun.

Death of the Inhumans is the story that these characters need right now, even if it might be the last time we see them for a while.

Even if the Inhumans aren't your thing, this is a mini worth checking out as it seeds their next chapter.

Aftershock publishes a wide range of stories and Descendent feels like it was an easy green light considering that conspiracy theory stories are quite popular right now. But what's most impressive is how tight the script and storytelling is. It's not often that you see a creative team this locked in from the outset and that speaks to Phillips and Bornyakov's ability to put this thing together.

Donny Cates and Nick Spencer's script does its best to live in the same territory that Spencer's Superior Foes of Spider-Man did, delivering quick-witted character interactions that are fun to read and then relying on artist Szymon Kudranski to package them in a way that draws out the humor.

Damnation is a delight right down to the last panel.

Doctor Who #1 is another solid entry in the storied Who franchise. While it may not hold immediate appeal for anyone wondering just what this Doctor guy is all about, it should be enough to at least pique some curiosity and send them diving backwards into glut of material from the past. Diggle remains true to the current status quo of the series, and fans will get to spend some more time with the Ponds.

Event Leviathan may not be everyone's idea of a marquee event book and it still has a lot of room to fail, but to this point, it's been fun and effectively told. Bendis and Maleev are doing work that stands up next to some of their best team-ups, and the mystery has some legs.

Overall, Extermination #1 lives up to its title, but to call it the "Next Big X-Men Epic" seems like a big oversell. Brisson's been tasked with clearing the table a little bit before giving way to the new Uncanny relaunch and thankfully, he's doing his work quickly.

This creative team is clicking and this book is starting to live up to the hype.

X-Men fans new, old and lapsed need to be checking out Extermination. Brisson and Larraz have made the X-Men exciting again.

An event book with this level of impact that feels this organic probably hasn't existed since the "Messiah Complex"/"Messiah War" era. (Yeah, it's been a while.) There's a lot of good work here that hopefully signals a bold new direction for the X-line.

If you are picking up on Brubaker’s inspirations for this story, you are going to love what he’s created here. But even if those who aren’t familiar with those specific touchpoints are going to enjoy Friday as a lovingly crafted mystery story that teases a lot of heart and is executed with a ton of style. Martin and Vicente have created a visually stimulating world while Brubaker’s words almost do everything they can to stay out of the way, illuminating the art only as much as a flashlight in the dark, and that’s part of the fun.

This is a great start to DC's current foray into the world of Hanna-Barbera, and one that should leave fans hungry for more.

DeConnick, Sebela and Sook pick up right where the last volume left off but add a last page twist that will surely define this iteration of Ghost. The dialogue does get a little over-expository at times (especially considering how succinctly the recap page can bring you up to speed) but not enough to affect the quality of this book. Consider this one another feather in the cap of Dark Horse's superhero lineup.

Glory is an interesting character. She exists as an antithesis to typical superhero ladies. This is no exercise in T&A. This book doesn't pander to the clich comic buying crowds by serving up cheesecake on a silver platter. It's about time, comics. It's about time. But all in all, crazy sci-fi, enough strong female characters to pass the Bechdel test a thousand times and intense, psychedelica-infused artwork; what's not to love? Glory is definitely flying under the radar but Joe Keatinge and company are creating something special that is both brutal and beautiful. It's brutiful. Yeah, let's go with that.

Glory is a great book for anyone looking for a little ugliness in their superhero comics. These characters aren't perfect and some of them aren't all that attractive. They're weird and conflicted but they're trying. It's easy to get caught up in the off-the-wall aliens and the less-than-normal proportions of our heroine but in the end, the first part of "Bloodshadow" is a sibling rivalry story on a grand scale that many of us can relate to.

God Country is without a doubt one of the best books on the stands this week.

This is an efficacious start for this book. Fawkes puts all the major players in place. The hook is efficient and easy to understand. Templesmith's color work provides a few excellent moments that help improve a story that's similar to ones we've seen before. A supernatural police procedural is nothing new, but Fawkes and Templesmith are able to put their own little twists on it. Mark Doyle's continued reinvention of the Batman line is a bright spot in the DC publishing line and other editors would be smart to take note. Superheroes are incredibly flexible characters that can allow for almost limitless permutations of their concept. Gotham By Midnight is a good example of that now and it looks to only be getting better moving forward.

Early issues saw a pretty formulaic approach to this crossover, but Sam Humphries nails the landing for a satisfying conclusion that leaves our characters and the circumstances that surround them changed.

The stakes feel a little low, but they're telling a good story, and that's always got to be a team's first priority.

Hawkeye: Freefall deserves a place on your pull list. While it doesn’t have the crazy scope and scale of other Marvel titles, Rosenberg and Schmidt make a great case that it doesn’t need to. This is about as street-level as Marvel’s street-level books get and proves that the bland interpretation of the character in the Marvel Studios films is the wrong approach altogether. (Seriously, who is that guy? He better be a Skrull.) If you’re looking for a fun and legitimately funny Marvel book this week, look no further than Hawkeye: Freefall #5.

This may not be the story that you're looking for if you're a Hulk fan. But then again, Hulk #2 isn't really a story for traditional Hulk fans. Tamaki and her art team are trying to tell a story about coping with reality. This might be an imaginary story but the weight of the proceedings is very real. Jen Walters is coping with loss in the same ways that the creators themselves and likely the readers of this book do as well. Hulk comics don't usually have a reputation for being all that cerebral, but this creative team saw that as a challenge. They're finding out what the Hulk means in 2017, and it's a captivating new exploration.

Pornsak Pichetshote and Aaron Campbell's 21st century horror story hits something of a climax in this issue, and the tension is real and exciting.

Infinity Countdown is a weird little book in that it’s the set-up for an event, but also includes some big changes on its own. It’s hard to know what those status quo shifts mean for the future, but Duggan and Kuder are at least trying to get readers’ attention. The end of the book leads right into the next piece of the Infinity Stone diagram as we see where the Space Stone is and who is now in possession of it. That’s a great framing device for this miniseries, as it helps contextualize the flow of the book. By the end, we should be primed for what’s next and if we’re not, that’s a failure of the mini - pretty straightforward there - but marrying the issues to the diagram allows Duggan to check off the boxes pretty easily. I like Infinity Countdown so far. It feels like a more organic set-up for an event than we’ve seen in a while, and that’s a very welcome change from the last few years.

While the larger Infinity Countdown story will likely only bear a passing resemblance to the upcoming Avengers films, if the creative team can keep up this level of quality, that's okay. So far, this event feels a bit more sequestered to cosmic reaches of the Marvel U (despite Wolverine walking around with an Infinity Stone), but that might be a good thing " it seems that Marvel has learned from the recent past, limiting the main throes of this story to a mere six issues with only a few tie-ins.

Ol' Wingclaw is back and honestly, he might just be better than ever.

Hopeless is clearly moving the story into bigger territory and that should allow Ibanez to let loose. For this story, the artist is a fit because he's able to faithfully render a teenaged character, her surroundings and the action that the script calls for. That's a good start.

The script is all over the place, bouncing Jean from locale to locale but the art team doesn't waver, upping the ante page after page until Jean's face off with the Phoenix.

"Drowned Earth" may feel much smaller than recent DC events like Dark Nights: Metal, but that's by design. It's an Aquaman-centric story with a scope that requires the rest of the Justice League to get involved while still keeping the core character focus on Arthur, Mera, Black Manta and Orm. Credit to James Tynion and the editorial team for doing a good job catching readers up to the happenings around this event.

All in all, Odyssey is a surprisingly solid debut.

Justice League Odyssey might be the rare Justice League title that's actually flying under the radar.

This creative team is singing the same song, and I can't wait for them to get to the chorus.

Lois Lane is a great reminder that the human element is often what’s missing in our superhero stories. Sometimes the most unsung heroes in these world’s aren’t the ones with sci-fi gadgets or super powers. Greg Rucka excels at showing us that vision of the DCU, and it’s great to have him back in his wheelhouse here. Perkins and Mounts are a good fit for the writer as well, and I suspect that their work will only improve as this maxi-series continues.

Marauders is the kind of book that I didn’t realize I missed so much in its absence. Duggan has developed a great rapport between these characters and is doing his best to have his story as fully informed by this new era of X-Men as possible. (Though, it is odd that Kurt calls Kate “Katya” in his e-mail to her rather than “Katzchen.” Is Colossus borrowing Kurt’s computer?) Caselli is doing his part to make sure that Marauders feels like an essential X-title despite not technically having an X in the title. In a lot of ways, this is the platonic ideal of an X-Men book. It was missed.

The book isn't meant to be scary, but it is meant to feel alien and Rossmo achieves that splendidly. Martian Manhunter is one of the strangest, most delightful books out there.

For a lot of other creative teams, an issue like this would kill the momentum of the book but Riley Rossmo has such a singular visual style that it's impossible to stop turning the pages.

It's understandable that a book like this that seems to almost purposely obfuscate the whole story to force you to hone in on the characters themselves might not be for everyone but it remains one of the most exciting and forward-thinking books in DC's publishing line.

Legacy doesn’t fix anything. But it has promise. It has hope. It’s been a while since we’ve had anything resembling actual hope in a Marvel comic book and it’s nice to see that returning. Aaron recognizes the things that make the Marvel universe work. It’s more than heroes fighting heroes or heroes fighting villains or who wields a hammer or shield. It’s about exploration and pushing forward and charging into that great unknown to find the impossible. Marvel revolutionized comics book once upon a time and it’s clear that they want to again. Only time will tell if the creators themselves can reach the heights of their legacies.

Chip Zdarsky is more than just a funny guy. He writes Marvel 2-in-One with a pathos that's necessary for the Fantastic Four and for Doctor Doom most of all.

With seven more issues to go, it'll be interesting to see what Roberson and company are able to do. The length of the mini could allow Roberson to more deeply examine each individual character and the ways in which they relate to and differ from each other. For now, Masks is a pretty typical comic book with outstanding artwork that might be fun for new fans looking for something different.

Mighty Avengers didn't inspire much confidence when it was announced, but almost a year later, it's a book thats right in line with Marvel's plan of telling quality stories with a broad range of characters. In a superhero landscape where minority characters are only trotted out to show that they'll fail, it's refreshing to see the existence of a book that doesn't attempt to pander to anyone. Ewing and Schiti are doing an excellent job that's, unfortunately, gone under the radar. Hopefully, the presence of a larger threat can up the profile of this book before it gets cancelled and is wrongfully used as evidence of why publishers won't publish comics with more diverse lineups.

Ms. Marvel is more than deserving of a spot on your pull list every month.

Negative Space is another great comic book from a couple of creators who should soon be household names. It's a combination of a big concept relating to a smaller idea and strong execution that makes this one hold up. Lindsay and Gieni are a great team with strengths that definitely complement each other. It feels a little bit like this will read better as whole work, not broken down into individual issues but this is a strong start.

It's a really quick read, with Robinson getting the hell out of ACO's way and letting the artist rock through multiple double page spreads.

Oliver #1Written by Gary WhittaArt by Darick Robertson and Diego RodriguezLettered by Simon BowlandPublished by Image Comics‘Rama Rating: 8 out of 10

Overall, this is a hidden gem in BOOM!'s publishing line that deserves more attention.

AfterShock has given a home to another great sci-fi adventure with Patience! Conviction! Revenge! #1, a rousing debut that delivers on the promise of its opening pages.

Thankfully, Quinones is a seasoned Zdarsky collaborator and he mostly nails this team-up of two Spider-Men, the only problem really being some clear struggles to vary up the panels a bit when Peter, JJJ and Teresa are in young Peter's room. But overall, Peter Parker: The Spectacular Spider-Man is a nice change of pace from the usual flavor of Spidey stories.

Chip Zdarsky may have a reputation as a goofball, but he can tug at those heartstrings with the best of them.

Polarity looks to be a breakout hit for Boom! and not just because of the background of its writer. While Bemis brings a very dedicated fanbase, he's at least created something here that doesn't require any previous knowledge of his work to get into. Coupled with excellent artwork of Coelho and Sobreiro, this issues sets to the stage for what is sure to be an entertaining miniseries that fans of Infinite Vacation and Luther Strode would definitely be into.

If you haven't checked in on Matthew Rosenberg's run on Punisher, you're definitely missing out. The book has evolved from its initial "Punisher plus War Machine armor" pitch by placing Frank Castle in the crosshairs of the Marvel Universe as he seeks some sort of reconciliation for his role in Secret Empire.

The beauty of Punks is that it doesn't take itself seriously. There's a story called "Depression" with a very quick reference to Morrissey, because of course there is. At one point, Abraham Lincoln straight-up tells the reader that the next story will be split in two just so that they have to buy the second issue, a hilarious nod to the way comics are traditionally formatted - and this one is clearly anything but. Image Comics has always been standing in front of the rest of the comic book industry shouting "Let creators do what they want and it'll work out." Punks is an obvious testament to that.

Quake #1 is a great reintroduction to a character that many readers may not be familiar with. Rosenberg and Kindlon display a deft understanding of Daisy Johnson and her role in the Marvel U without leaning heavily on the Avengers to give her importance. They also remain true to their roots, writing a book that features the same outsider themes of their previous work. Daniel Warren Johnson and Jason Keith's contributions definitely help enhance the script, providing just enough of an edge balanced out with strong visual storytelling. As for Daisy Johnson, the writers have left her in a good spot. Maybe this is a sign of things to come for Daisy Johnson/Quake/Agent Skye (her TV counterpart), or maybe it's not. Either way, this issue serves as a decent primer for the character and sheds some light on an important part of her history.

Saga is unstoppable. In it's second issue back from a brief reprieve, we still find Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples "firing on all cylinders" and other critical cliches that we usually only reserve for Batman and the first six months of those DC Dark books.

On the first page, Jack slowly rises over a ridge, and it's evident that Zub and Suriano know what they are doing. By combining their reverence for the source material with a strong desire to move it forward, they've created a new beginning for a character with a considerable history and made it an excellent jumping on point for new and old fans alike. They've done a good job translating what was once animated to a static format but they've left a lot of room to grow and I suspect they'll only get better at it. Samurai Jack is more than just a trip down memory lane. Zub and Suriano may be nostalgia surfing, but they're also shredding new and exciting waves.

Still the artwork complements the story and as the book enters the final issue of this arc, it's clear that Remender has something special brewing.

Lemire and Jacinto are building a very solid foundation for Bob Reynolds that may just see the Sentry into more modern-day relevance.

Dale Eaglesham has been sorely missed in comics over the past few years and he's a perfect fit for Cullen Bunn's Sinestro, a book about a tyrant's reclamation of power. Sinestro is one of the most interesting villains in the DC Universe and arguably, Hal Jordan's most worthy foe.

All too often, stories change for the worse when they are translated across mediums, but Hallum and Bandini maintain the spirit of the original work in Spider-Man: City at War, which doesn’t try to reinvent the wheel and thereby makes a pretty effective adaptation. Fans of the game will find some fun behind-the-scenes content in the back matter, which is a fun bonus. But for folks who don’t care for video games, this still stands on its own as the beginning of a good Spider-Man story, and that’s what’s most important here.

Super Sons has been a very solid book to this point, and this annual stands as a reminder that comics are, can be, and should be as fun as possible sometimes.

Peter J. Tomasi has another great debut for his resume, and Jorge Jimenez is a big part of that. Most artists have a blindspot when it comes to drawing kids but Jimenez embraces the challenge and delivers greatness. It's so exciting to see the potential for these characters to grow over time. It's not something we get to see all that often.

Super Sons might have taken a long time to get started but it's been more than worth the wait.

Super Sons needs to be on your pull list if you're into solid, over-the-top fun in your capes comics.

Super Sons is one of the most genuine and resounding books on the stands right now and it definitely deserves a place on your pull list.

This book suffers a bit without stellar cartooning, and unfortunately, artist Jose Luis isn't quite up to the task.

Superior Foes is still a must-read month and month, because if we could, we'd all at least try being super villains - just, y'know, not very evil ones.

Lee Weeks' pages are a dream. They perfectly capture the size and scope of the story and the impactful nature of the choices these heroes have made.

All in all, this is a solid issue that might be overlooked considering its lack of relevance to the DCU at large, but it's a reminder that you don't have to do too much to make Superman a compelling character.

Superman Smashes the Klan says just about everything you need to know right in the title, but Yang and Gurihiru make it so much more than that. This is about growing up knowing you’re different than everyone else and learning to deal with it. This is about learning to stand up for yourself in the face of bullies and hate. This is about learning that hatred and prejudice can come in many different forms and no one is immune to their effects. This is a story about good versus evil but not just because Superman is there to save the day. It’s about learning that we have it in ourselves to stand up to bigotry whenever it rears its ugly head.

This is a special book, and an especially fun one.

All in all, Superwoman #1 is a great outing with a bit of a surprise ending. The Superman family of titles might seems a bit crowded at times, but I like this as a way into the mythology. It's a totally different flavor than what we're getting in the other Super-titles, lending DC the kind of variety that was lacking in the "New 52." Some may argue that imbuing so many characters with Superman's gifts might make him less special, it does allow for DC to touch on a few different aspects of the idea of Superman without having to cram it all into one book. In the same way that it's felt like there's a type of Batman title for many different readers, this is a way to make the Superman concept broader and potentially more palatable, as Jimenez is able to utilize some supporting characters in a way that enriches Clark Kent's world. Superwoman isn't your average Superman title, and that's its biggest strength.

Tales from the Dark Multiverse is far from essential reading, but does provide at least an interesting remix on some classic stories.

As a package though, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is an absolute joy to read. It's clear and concise enough for new readers. It's compelling and enticing enough for old fans. And best of all, it's a comic that transcends age. All-ages books can be done right, and this is one of the best examples of that.

The TMNT Micro Series is a must-read for dedicated fans of the mutant martial artists. It provides an additional layer of characterization on top of what the main series already delivers. It's refreshing to read about the solo adventures of the turtles because we're so used to seeing them together all the time. It's exactly what you would expect for a TMNT story: something fun, easy to read and a combination of totally radical and tubular. Or as Donatello would say, "Perestroika?"

Cates has a penchant for purple prose that fits the tone of this story like a glove (pun intended? You decide.) and by working in that mode, the issue feels a bit like a love letter to Marvel's past - namely, the works of Starlin, Claremont, Simonson and Lee.

Is it too soon to call "Thanos Wins" a modern classic? I don't think so.

The Archies one-shot doesn't take itself too seriously, and that's a very good thing. It's a heartwarming story about the birth of the Archies complicated by egos, just like so many other bands before them. And I think that speaks a little bit to the enduring nature of these characters and the concept of Archie comics.

The Mighty Thor is a solid book. It's a light read right now but the danger is really mounting against Jane Foster and despite Loki's sinister machinations, the odds might be stacked against him as well. Dauterman really anchors the book but Aaron clearly has a vision for the future of the title. By calling back to so many different pieces of the Thor mythology and combining them in new and interesting way, the creative team is able to keep things fresh without overdoing it the way some of the other "All-New, All-Different" books have tended to.

The Mighty Thor continues to quietly be one of the better superhero books on the stands. Aaron seems to be directly addressing any opposition that people had to putting Jane Foster under the helmet within his narrative while also telling a good story. He's blessed with the opportunity to continue working with Russell Dauterman. They are proving to be one of the strongest creative teams in the post-Secret Wars Marvel Universe, and that's no small feat.

Mighty Thor might be off in its own little cosmic corner of the Marvel Universe, but it's definitely one of the most bombastic books on the stands.

Ridley examines how the prejudices, both personal and societal, that affect our world also affect the world of our favorite heroes and villains. This is meant to be a statement piece about how the world on paper isn't all that different from the world outside our windows because it's still informed by similar structures. Those systemic issues don't just go away when rendered in two dimensions instead of three.

The latest issue of Cullen Bunn and Brian Hurtt's The Sixth Gun begins a new arc that kicks off with the Sword of Abraham and Gord Cantrell, and Bunn does a good job setting up conflict for what's to come.

This feels like a book that’s going to make a certain section of comic book readership angry and I kind of hope it does. Science fiction, fantasy and superheroes have always existed as safe havens for outsiders but over time, they started catering only to certain sections of their fanbases. We deserve to get more stories that feature diverse casts, diverse experiences and diverse points of view. As readers, we deserve to see ourselves in the stories that we read. The Unstoppable Wasp may hew close to Marvel’s past success with Ms. Marvel in terms of approach but it is not apologizing for putting women at the center of its story. When was the last time you could realistically grab a Big Two book off the rack that someone of any age and any gender could realistically enjoy? It’s probably been a while but look no further.

Secret Wars has only just begun, but I'm eager to see where Thor fits into all of this. Marvel has really been playing up the idea of legacies for all their characters and creating those for new readers is important. Giving new readers new characters to latch onto without the weight of hundreds of issues of back story and multiple characterizations over 50 years of comics makes them much more palatable. Aaron, Dauterman and company have excelled in giving Jane Foster's Thor a solid base from which to grow. I just hope that this isn't the last we see of this creative team on a solo adventure for her.

Like I said, some of the art choices do get in the way of the flow of the story but overall, this is another great entry in Aaron's continuing Thor epic.

There's a great balance of humor, action and the mounting threat of Malekith. Thor #4 proves that sometimes one comic book can have it all.

The "Rule of Cool" definitely wins out in this issue over anything else, but it results in a high-spectacle experience that's lacking in substance.

Overall, it's enough for comics to just be fun, and that's what this issue accomplishes in spades.

All stories have to start somewhere and after DC mucked up some of their characters in the "New 52," they’ve remained steadfastly dedicated to getting back to basics during "Rebirth." Trinity represents a doubling down on the hope and optimism that has been exhibited elsewhere in the line and Manapul proves that he’s the guy to bring these three characters to the top of the heap together. Artistically, the script is executed just about perfectly and while there are a couple of issues with dialogue and characterization, they aren’t big enough to derail the issue at all. It’ll be interesting to see what kind of threats these three will face considerings they have to be bigger than in their solo titles but smaller than a full-scale Justice League adventure. But if Manapul can mix in meaningful character work along the way, Trinity could be one of the books that makes DC Comics great again.

Even if you're not caught up with U.S.Avengers, this issue is worth a read.

As far as first issues go, this has to be considered a win. It's good enough t to hook readers because it poses many opportunities for Orlando and Trakhanov to explore different themes and potential plotlines. It'll be interesting to see where it goes moving forward. Trakhanov's art is definitely a little off the beaten path but only in the best ways. IT has an off-kilter weirdness to it that reminds me of a messier Eduardo Risso. Once he gets a better handle on communicating location a bit more effectively, the art will truly sing. Undertow is still finding its sea legs but this is a good debut from a brand-new creative team.

Veil #1 is an exciting series debut. This issue raises a lot more questions than it answers, but Rucka and Fejzula's approach promises that we are only seeing the seeds of a great story being planted here. Fans of Dark Horse's other forays into the horror and mystery genres would be remiss to pass on this one. Rucka is pushing the comic book medium into new and invigorating territory and he has an excellent artist in Toni Fejzula, along for the ride with him.

I really want to care about what's going on but these teenagers sound a bit contrived and it's too early to tell how his book fits into the overall scheme of the Bat-books.

I think this book is finally coalescing, and the result is a title that I genuinely enjoy.

People tend write teenagers off. Their intentions are too idealistic. Their view of the world is too naive. Their ideas are half-baked. And while some of that may be true, where's the joy in killing that kind of optimism? While the new Batman has already reprimanded the Robins for getting involved in Gotham's affairs, it's easy to understand why they wouldn't listen and why Troy's death would strengthen their resolve. Bermejo and Harvey deliver a compelling character piece that stands as a thesis for just about every teenaged hero that's ever existed. To quote the great American Football, "All my teenage feelings/ and the meanings/ they seemed too see-through/To be true." The Robins mission is simple: do good. That's a concept that, understandably, might be too pure for adults to wrap their heads around. It's a good reminder that as we grow older, we lose some of that idealism but if we didn't we might be better for it.

The Wild Storm #1 is an exciting beginning. It’s important to remember that while Ellis may have played with some of these characters before, he’s never been able to completely redefine them. So in a way, this isn’t a retread. He’s already promised that we’ll see Henry Bendix and possibly Apollo and Midnighter somewhere down the line so there’s a lot to look forward to. Hopefully the imprint is able to hold onto Davis-Hunt for as long as possible because having his visuals at the center of the universe creates something for the rest of the books to rally around and demonstrates the approach that Ellis probably means to have employed across the line. This might not be the WildStorm you remember, but it has the potential to be even better.

The Wild Storm is just getting started, but once Ellis gets all of his chess pieces in place, hopefully he'll be able to hone in on fewer characters at a time and give us more intense examinations of them.

There are still a lot of questions but even in a short scene, it feels like we're getting relevant information. Not a lot of writers are able to do that, and The Wild Storm is better for it.

Thompson and Nadler aren’t doing the heady exploration into superhero psyche that we’ve seen some of their contemporaries do, but that’s because Yondu isn’t a superhero - at the end of the day, he’s a man just trying to survive in a universe that he probably cares about more than he lets on. McCrea is an artist who can incorporate great humor and worldbuilding into his work and the scripting has that in mind. Yondu surely doesn’t feel like essential reading yet, but it has the potential to be an interesting character study if done right.

McKelvie turns in one of the best issues of the run with dynamic spreads during an epic battle sequence and a shot of Miss America that cuts right to the heart of this issue.

The day has already been won but Kieron Gillen and company have a little bit left in the Young Avengers tank. With sort of an art-jam approach, the epilogue shows us where the characters stand with each other following the final battle

Goodbye, Young Avengers. If we had the chance, we'd never let you go.

Young Justice is back, and it's setting the bar for Wonder Comics exceptionally high.

Once again, Hickman proves deft at remixing familiar elements just enough to make them interesting, and while the questions posed by his narrative have no easy answers, the journey to finding them and exploring this new status quo is the most exciting the X-line has been in quite some time.

Powers of X remains the more "big picture" part of this budding X-Men era but Hickman's intentionality and attention to detail has made it as much of a must-read as its companion title.

Powers of X continues Hickman and company's winning streak by echoing the past but pushing forward to the future. Weekly series usually suffer from an extreme lack of momentum from issue to issue but slight shifts in focus and the introduction of exciting new concepts have kept the books feeling fresh. This is appointment reading, straight to the top of the pile each week and it would be a mistake to miss it.

After a couple of more straightforward, action-heavy issues, this one might seem slight but Hickman continues to up the ante. And he continues to keep building up his vision for this world. However, this might be the first time that it's felt like he was writing three completely different books and mashing them together.

It's clear that Powers of X walks so that House of X can run at this point. That's not to say this isn't an enjoyable issue, though - writer Jonathan Hickman has fallen into a pattern of revealing how we get to big HoX moments in the pages of PoX and it's a neat bit of filling in the gaps.

This has been an incredible journey so far and if this couldn’t get you onboard for what’s coming, I’m not sure what will. Hickman’s work can be knotty and difficult at times, but pushing a 50+ year old franchise forward is no easy task - especially a franchise as mired in nostalgia as the X-Men. That said, Hickman is finding inspiration in the stories that came before. He’s trying to piece them together. He’s trying to make everything relevant because he knows how frustrating it is for fans to see their favorite characters and concepts tossed aside by a new creative team. Ultimately, House of X and Powers of X landed exactly where it needed to - it set up the next bunch of stories and said to readers, “Welcome to the X-Men. Hope you survive the experience.”

Multiversity: Pax Americana is a dense book. Every page is packed with panels. Every panel is packed with symbolism and it's all serving Morrison's bigger ideas for this series. Readers might be turned off by Morrison's somewhat haphazard approach to time in this issue, but it's almost as if he's letting the characters control their own fates. Atom loses some awareness of where and when he is the same way that the reader might. Time flips between forward and backward on a whim and without warning. Morrison and Quitely challenge the idea that anything you read is ever all that straightforward, and that's a scary thought. If you could prevent something from happening just by turning back a comic book page, would you?

This issue isn't a world-changer and it doesn't add much to the overall story of Multiversity but it is a master class in delivering a fully fleshed out one and done superhero story. But it's the optimism present that truly impressive. This book has big stakes and they're achieved without the hero having to suffer some great tragedy. That seems like a rarity in today's market. This issue might not have larger implications, but it proves that Multiversity is the gift that keeps on giving.

Multiversity has featured an approach similar to that of Morrison's Seven Soldiers but instead of just focusing on one character at a time, we're getting a new slice of the Multiverse. That could make it tough for some readers to keep up but Morrison includes enough callbacks to his previous work that parsing together the plot shouldn't be all that hard. Plus, these issues have played very well as standalones even without the context of a larger whole.

Mastermen isn't the best book it could be. That's a shame because with a few more pages I think Morrison could have really done something with it and given us a more nuanced ending. The one he writes is big and bombastic but I don't think it help him achieve his goal. This issue also doesn't do a whole lot to open up the larger narrative of Multiversity and while I'm all for insular storytelling, this doesn't seem like the right place for it. I also think Morrison would've been better served with a more consistent art team. Obviously, we don't know the circumstances surrounding this book, but the army of names that follow Jim Lee's on every book he does are starting to become a regular occurrence.

Multiversity: The Just might end on an obvious note, but I think it's the one that anyone reading would want to see. The characters are starting to wrap their heads around the idea of these comics leaking through from other worlds. The writing is on the wall, er... it's literally in those books, and the heroes that are able to put it together quickly will be the ones who will be saved or able to save others. Morrison simultaneously puts the "lowest common denominator" superhero plot and the "heady deconstruction" of the superhero on the same pedestal in this issue, taking shots at both while still making it clear that he reveres both idea and that they have place in the same narrative. I think that Sister miracle's tweets at the end just about sum it all up. "The mayhem begins. #party to end all parties. Parallel world! Isn't it nuts?" Indeed, it is.

All-Star Batman works in tandem with the other titles in the Bat family to create a really complete picture of the world of the Batman. This is definitely the strongest that the line has been in a while and where the main Batman title might be the brain, All-Star is the heart, pumping lifeblood elsewhere in the line when needed. These stories feel like the essential takes on certain characters that we saw with Batman: The Animated Series. While the medium is different, the idea that these arcs deepen the established roles and continuity of these characters is really powerful. Not many other families of titles can claim to have an emotional core that keeps evolving. Add to that the fact that Snyder has a murderer’s row of talent joining him on the title, and you’ve got one of the best books currently running in superhero comic books today.

The real MVP is letterer Steve Wands, who packs pages with text when needed but never makes the pages feel overwhelmed. He deftly works around Jock's penchant for not leaving enough negative space when Snyder's waxing poetic and really holds the book together.

Overall, this isn't a bad book at all, but not as cohesive as one might expect given the talent involved.

If this doesn't win back lapsed readers exhausted by Zero Year, I don't know what will. Scott Snyder and Dustin Nguyen tease the future of Batman Eternal in this one and its got a little bit for everyone.

This has probably been my favorite of the "Zero Year" tie-ins. Scott Snyder brings his conflict to a head with the drama and tension of the superstorm juxtaposed with the infamous events of Crime Alley.

I hate to bring up "Year One," because comparing "Zero Year" directly to it is unfair to what Snyder and Capullo were assigned to do. But part of the reason that "Year One" worked so well as a prequel story was the efficiency in its storytelling. Everything you needed to know and wanted to know could be found in one place. "Zero Year" has been a sprawling mess of an event that's crossed over with too many titles and involved too many other creators of varying levels of talent. Snyder and Capullo can only control what happens in their book, and they've done all right on that front. But the scope and length of this event has robbed them both of the ability to imbue this arc with the stakes necessary to tell a great story. They were able to manufacture some in the first two acts of "Zero Year," but so far it hasn't carried through to the final act.

All around, this is an excellent issue that'll have fans foaming at the mouth for next month.

On its own, this issue doesn't stand up but as part of the whole story - it's probably a necessary cog in the machine, but that makes it hard to read (let alone enjoy) issues on an individual basis rather than as a collected whole. But even when writing for the trade, each single issue should gets you jazzed for the next issue, and that just doesn't happen here. The next issue of Batman will undoubtedly be better not because of anything we've seen, here but because that's what we've come to expect from this creative team. Here's to next month.

Greg Capullo's art is as strong as it's ever been, and he really gets to dig into a bunch more characters than usual. (His Clayface is a personal favorite of mine.) But a wholly dull script has me wondering if the insular nature of this Batman book is starting to hurt it.

"Superheavy" has felt like it was holding back until now, but if you dropped off the title because of Robo-Bunny Batman, now would be a good time to catch up and pretend you never left.

Overall, this is a strong showing and a great reminder of the abundance of stories that can be told with Batman at the center.

Despite the lack of an emotional payoff, this book is still pretty sound. The art is tight and it accomplishes its goals even if it meanders for a moment in the service of poetic license. But the ending feels like a non-event. It's cheap, and frankly it feels like the creative team isn't giving readers enough credit. They've built a rabid fanbase with this take on Batman. The tease is unnecessary, and I think it undercuts the effectiveness of the script. The big reveal plays like that episode of a TV show that knows it wasn't strong so they give you a glimpse of next week's guest star to get you to tune in. Stick the landing before getting back on the horse. I promise your audience will still be there.

My favorite part of any hero story is when the hero has to double down on their resolution to become a hero, because they realize that it's a lot harder than they thought. This is that moment for Batman. This is that moment in Scott Snyder's run. This is a creative team saying, "we've put this guy through hell, but even happiness itself can't stop him." And that's why people love Batman. Because against all odds, this guy, millionaire or not, ninja or not, gets up and decides to be a hero. And I think that's how most people want to view themselves. Snyder's Batman is a reflection of our innermost desires and our purest intentions. If you've ever tied a towel around your neck and snuck around in the shadows ready to leap to action at the first sign of injustice, this one is for you. Bruce Wayne is dead. Long live Batman.

E Is For Extinction is another one of the better Secret Wars tie-in books. It's faithful to it's source material without being slavishly devoted to it and the influence of the overarching event is present without being stifling. I'm very excited to see more from this creative team, and I'm eager to see how they continue to expand this concept. Some of the Secret Wars tie-ins have recalled other events in name only and they were worse for it. This book borrows its title from the first arc of one of the best runs on X-Men of all time. We can only hope that a strong debut issue signals a similarly strong outcome.

Don't get me wrong, I like E is for Extinction. It's refreshing to see a creative team do something weird but this issue loses the themes that were built up in #1. Without that focus to help ground the book, this issue turns into a trippy fight comic that lacks the context to really pack a punch. I even like that the final page reveal comes out of left field. This creative team is keeping us guessing and that's always good. I'm just hoping for the return of a more nuanced approach in #3, as well as a little more influence from Secret Wars.

This is one of the strongest books on the shelf this week and just goes to show that sometimes embracing the over-the-top, weird tendencies that a property has can make for good reading.

This is the kind of big, ridiculous comic book nonsense that DC's top superhero team deserves.

Snyder is a well of creativity that is ensuring the future of DC's shared universe by creating events with big stakes, no obvious solutions and, inevitably, lasting consequences. With Manapul backing up his work with stellar visuals, Justice League is the best its been in years.

If you like over-the-top, constantly evolving adventure stories, you need to be reading "Drowned Earth."

This is a fun story that's clearly winging into the next one in a big way, as Snyder is wont to do, but you'd be forgiven for feeling like this one is all a little over your head.

Scott Snyder and Jorge Jimenez kick off their next Justice League epic by taking readers to the Sixth Dimension, and this issue has everything you'd want from an introductory chapter.

Deftly taking us around this world, this isn't a very action-packed issue but Snyder manages to increase the tension, foreshadow what's coming and provide some very fun character moments. (If you don't instantly love Jarro-Robin, you've lost your sense of wonder.) Justice League is bonkers in all the right ways.

Justice League #21Written by Scott SnyderArt by Jorge Jimenez and Alejandro SanchezLettering by Tom NapolitanoPublished by DC ComicsReview by Pierce Lydon‘Rama Rating: 9 out of 10

Scott Snyder and James Tynion IV are able to lay out big plot points of the last couple of years while indulging some of Jarro's fantasies and it makes for a funny, heartfelt break from the usual big picture plot machinations we get in Justice League.

Talented creators are involved in this one all around, but they just aren't able to stick the landing.

This kind of workmanlike, tunnel vision approach to storytelling gets the bills paid, but doesn't really feel worth the cover price.

It's hard not to find something to like about X-Men. It has exactly the kind of broad appeal that the main title in the line should have.

This book essentially exists for its final page, but it's fun to see Hickman moving some chess pieces around, even if the X-Men themselves kind of take a backseat to the plot. Yu turns in some really good work here and hopefully we get to do more with the Brood moving forward. Many readers won’t be satisfied with a book that is so focused on the politics of the Kree and Shi’ar - that’s understandable. But sometimes it’s nice to see moments like these play out on the page rather than just be told they occurred somewhere, some time off-panel. It’s hard not to appreciate Hickman’s big picture world-building, even if that gets in the way of putting a focus on the characters on the cover.

Hickman and company have been smart about the way they've built this event but they've made it clear that it's going to be extremely different from the traditional superheroics that many Marvel fans are used to and will be extremely additive to the mythology of these characters. But they have delivered on those two basic tenets every step of the way and X-Men #13 is no exception.

We haven't seen this flavor of X-Men story in a while and it's a welcome change of pace.

X-Men: Blue #2 is the strongest of the new X-Men lineup so far. It's a return to what makes the X-Men great: melodrama and intrigue buoyed by strong character work and effective, emotive art. And it's becoming clear that Bunn is not satisfied to just riff on what Claremont did in the past. Instead, he's taking the core approach from those books and applying it to the idea that he finds the most fascinating in the Marvel Universe.

The pacing might have taken a step back this issue, but X-Men: Blue is still one of the best new X-books out there.

I wonder if the layouts could have been improved to really take this book to the next level but for fans of fast-paced, fun superhero action comic books, this one is a winner.

All-New All-Different Avengers is an interesting addition to the Civil War II canon. Waid, Whitley and company stay away from the main fray and craft a careful character study that puts into words some of the feelings that readers themselves have about the current state of superhero comic books. Kubert is as effective as ever, despite a couple of odd shot choices, but he’s able to deliver Waid and Whitley’s script here with aplomb. This issue of Avengers might not be what most readers are expecting, but over time it should stand out as one of the better tie-ins to come out of Civil War II.

Avengers Undercover #1 reads more like an epilogue to Avengers Arena than a debut issue of a new series. Considering Hopeless and Walker's good work with these characters in the past, it will be exciting to see them in a new setting but we haven't gotten to anything exciting just yet. Kev Walker remains a great fit for Hopeless' style and the tone of this book. A lesser artist wouldn't be able to keep a slow issue like this one afloat. Arena stumbled similarly at its debut until Hopeless really hit his stride and it became one of Marvel's most entertaining books. Here's hoping that's what we're in store for with Avengers Undercover.

If you're hankering to fill the void left by Young Avengers, this is a book to watch.

Superhero comics are frustrating sometimes because the characters never really change, but Hopeless is making sure that these characters have no choice but to, making Avengers Undercover one of the most fun reads in the Marvel Universe.

The writing is a bit saccharine and the conclusion is fueled by a pretty big deus ex machina, but Dennis Hopeless and Tigh Walker send Avengers Undercover off in style.

This is a solid fight comic through and through. The "boss battle" is coming up, and it looks like it'll be a doozy.

Cliff Richards's pencils are solid, if unspectacular. Unfortunately, they don't do enough to sell some of the emotional weight that is present in the script, causing the big moments to fall flat.?

I hope Patrick Gleason always draws Batman books. If there was ever a worthy successor to Greg Capullo on the mina book, Gleason is it.

Batman and... has been a good place to explore Bruce's relationships with many different characters, but here it only changes the setting, and the narrative falls flat as a result.

"Robin Rises" is off to a great start, and this issue is the complete package.

Peter J. Tomasi really nails the Bat family dynamic better than most writers at DC right and as Bruce embarks on this suicide mission to save Damian, he gives his family their own mission: keep Gotham safe.

Tomasi keeps going bigger and bigger with this story, never shying away from using his characters to their full potential. (You'll see what I mean during the Cyborg scenes.) That might be why Batman and Robin is the most consistently entertaining Batman book on the stands.

Patrick Gleason's art is sublime. He curates a perfect balance of action, comedy and dramatic tension that brings out the best in Tomasi's script. This team is truly one for the ages.

Undoubtedly, Humphries and Quinones will be able to deliver something more substantial in the next issue now that they’ve gotten some of the introductory work out of the way. But this issue might not be enough to get readers to come back next month. The art is good. The concept is novel. And if Quinones is going to be switching up his art style with every new hero that Miguel dials, this could be a really exciting book visually. But if you’re not sold on another “down on his luck teen gets a magic doodad” story, you might want to trade-wait rather than purchase this one in installments.

Humphries' pacing is still a little on the slow side as he tends to serve the bit over pushing the story forward but there's no denying that Dial H for Hero is a fun and inventive title.

This is a solid start, a book whose opening salvo appears to be on target - it just remains to be seen whether or not Old Man Hawkeye has enough uniqueness in its story trajectory to truly hit the bullseye.

So while it is a gorgeously rendered return to the wasteland, it buckles under the weight of its own legacy.

This is a brave new era for Venom.

Venom #20 isn’t necessarily a gut punch - I don’t think it’s emotionally heavy on that level, but it does provide a more satisfying character conclusion for Eddie Brock than Absolute Carnage did. And Cates pulled out some fun toys for that event, so it’ll be interesting to see where the revelations in this issue take his plotting. The art team does a solid job with this one as well, keeping the visuals interesting enough without distracting from the beats that Cates is looking to hit. This feels like the start of a new era for Eddie Brock, and that means that Cates and company have achieved exactly what they set out to do.

All told, we're looking at a solid, if imperfect, post-Secret Wars debut.

No one else draws like Bachalo, and not many books look quite as good as Doctor Strange.

It might be some time before this run is remembered as fondly as Mark Waid's Daredevil or Matt Fraction's Hawkeye, but that's because Aaron's aspirations have always been so much bigger. Marvel's solo title have recently tried to remain a little bit insular, to provide heroes with smaller conflicts that they can handle on their own. But Aaron has always had a "go big or go home" mentality. When he wrote Wolverine and the X-Men, he made Krakoa the site of the school grounds. When he wrote The Mighty Thor, his big arc was called "Godbomb." With Doctor Strange, his plan is no different: tell a huge story that speaks to the heart of the characters involved. Aaron is lucky enough to have a collaborator that is suited for these particularly sensibilities and as the the "Last Days of Magic" approach, the writer looks to keep deliver a story that's right in line with his mighty Marvel tradition.

Doctor Strange has a good bit of momentum heading into Damnation, and it will be interesting to see how Loki's foreshadowing plays out.

Regardless of your feelings about Damnation as a whole, it's clear that Cates and company are still doing exciting work with Marvel's Sorcerer Supreme.

Superman #1 is head and shoulders above the rest of the Rebirth titles despite its flaws, because all of the awkward hoops that needed to be jumped through to get us here are in the past. Tomasi and Gleason get to actually dive into their concept rather than make excuses for it (a la Wonder Woman), and we start to see the true potential of the book. Add that to the fact that Gleason, Gray and Kalisz are such a cohesive artistic unit, and you've got something really special on your hands. This creative team might be going back to the well with a central idea but they've proven that they can twist that concept in the past to tell great stories. Their work here is no different. For the first time in a long time, we are getting what feels like a truly definitive take on Superman.

After plenty of fits, stops, relaunches and revamps, the Man of Steel is back. Tomasi and Gleason have a clear concept for the character that works on every level and provides new and exciting lenses to view him through. Lois kind of gets the short end of the stick here as it seems like they might have tried to wrap everything up a little bit too neatly from issue one but that's hardly a grievous mistake. Despite the fact that it still feels like the team is testing the dynamics of these characters to see what they can do with them, the heart of the book remains strong. There hasn't been this much fun in the DC Universe for some time, so it's good to see the company returning to its roots.

Superman has continued to be a bright spot in DC's "Rebirth" era publishing line. Tomasi and Gleason are writing a compelling narrative that puts the characters first, even if they aren't exactly as many fans would remember them. Their work with Jonathan has greatly improved since the debut issue, even as Lois is still getting the short end of the stick. The art, however, is still some of the best in comic books right now, so hopefully the writing will catch up. Superman reminds us that there is no such thing as a bad or broken character. Tomasi and Gleason and the rest of the art team are elevating the concept of Superman while keeping the character's core intact. It's a model that many other creators could stand to learn from.

Superman continues to be a pillar in DC's new lineup and that's exactly how it should be.

This is just a brutal, brutal book. Peter J. Tomasi and Patrick Gleason have been really good at winding up readers and making the revelations of the mysteries they're weaving very impactful.

DC should be doing whatever they can to keep this creative team together because it feels like there's absolutely no stopping them now.

Peter J. Tomasi's "Super Sons of Tomorrow" arc kicks off here in earnest, but aside from a couple of cool moments, this issue is largely just set-up.

Unfortunately, James Robinson has no handle on young Jon Kent's voice or his dynamic with Superman. So instead of a heartwarming father-son team-up, we get a grating rehash complete with a heavy-handed philosophical bent.

We'll see if this creative team has any last tricks up their sleeves before leaving the Man of Steel to Brian Michael Bendis, but for now, this is just good, solid storytelling.

Dark Nights: Metal is a great event book because it is true to its characters and it's deeper than just its surface "Justice League vs. Evil Batmen" premise.

Scott Snyder proves that he can do the long game as well as anyone, and this event is really shaping up to be his magnum opus if he can pay it all off. More than maybe any other event book in recent memory, you can tell that the creative team is having fun with this one and that goes a long way to getting people onboard. Comics should be fun. Metal is trying to remind us that.

Metal is still a fun read, but it feels like it needs to start kicking out the jams soon. It feels like we might finally be getting past all the setup we need to let the fun concept at the center of Snyder and Capullo’s story loose. Capullo, in particular, doesn’t work as well when his already thin linework is overwhelmed by text. Hopefully, Snyder can ease back a little and let him do his thing. All the pieces are in place - the Dark Knights all look really cool, the idea of a Dark Multiverse is the kind of “pop” premise that we’ve come to expect from Snyder and the stakes seem to be very high. Now we just need to get to the chorus.

There are some really great, smaller character moments when Harley is home with her family but his art doesn't come across with the same kinetic energy that say a Humberto Ramos Spider-Man book has.

Detective Comics #25 isn't reinventing the wheel with this entry into Zero Year, but it is an inoffensive starting point for those would-be Gordon fans.

Layman turns in a Man-Bat tale that's not exactly as it seems and proves why he's one of the most underrated writers on DC's roster. Batman stories are notorious for messing with readers' expectations. Layman plays them with nuance and subtlety by expounding on Bruce's detective skills.

Francis Manapul and Brian Buccellato up the ante in their second issue of Detective Comics in terms of both art and storytelling.

Francis Manapul and Brian Buccellato continue to redefine Detective Comics, and they're starting to make the case that this should be the only Batman book you're reading.

Detective Comics #33 is missing the wow factor of recent issues, but it's still an above-average installment in this arc.

The start of a new arc, "Negative," serves as a good jumping on point for fans curious as to what Barry Allen's been up to lately and does a solid job of priming readers for what's to come.

The Flash #42 is here for the diehard Flash fans but otherwise there's not a ton to really sink your teeth into.

Heading into Flash War, Williamson has readers right where he wants them, and that's great news for Flash fans.

"Flash War" continues and Joshua Williamson turns the melodrama up to 11 with an issue that's extremely well-paced.

The Flash #51 is a quiet issue, but it puts a satisfying cap on this arc before moving forward.

This is the beginning of another great chapter in Barry Allen's story.

Williamson's run on The Flash remains one of the most solid book on the stands.

Josh Williamson's wholly solid run on The Flash continues and this one fails to inspire because the twist is completely telegraphed.

Josh Williamson's run with The Flash has been one of the most consistent since DC Rebirth, and this issue is no exception.

This issue feels like it's over before it really gets going, but then maybe I shouldn't expect a Flash book to be anything less than a fast read.

Readers who have been firmly entrenched in this run from the beginning are going to feel a little bit like this issue is going through the motions. But thanks to the pace set by the art, this chapter will probably read great in trade, especially as that moment for Barry will stop the narrative dead in its tracks for a moment. It doesn’t feel like this story needed this issue so much as it needed that moment. Porter and Peterson put Williamson on their back a little bit in this issue but that’s what a collaborative medium is for. Williamson has proven he can deliver great Flash stories, and it’ll be a treat to see him wrap up this one.

Like I said with the last issue, if you are already waist-deep in this run, you'll probably want to keep wading further to reach the conclusion but it's unlikely that you'll be surprised by anything Williamson is offering here.

Readers who aren't caught up might be left scratching their heads a bit, but if you have been onboard for Morrison's journey into the heart of human willpower, then you'll be satisfied with this chapter.

Fans of their previous work together won't be disappointed with what Morrison and Sharp are doing here.

Grant Morrison's Green Lantern has been a special kind of bizarre and this issue is no different.

Longshot is a goofy character. He's got a goofy new haircut. This is a goofy comic. And that's why it worked for me.

After an inspiring start to this mini-series, Longshot Saves the Marvel Universe #2 goes off the rails in terms of pacing and effectiveness.

Longshot returns to the first issue's former glory by basically just throwing everything at the wall.

The tone and the unique little hook in this arc is sure to engage readers new and old.

I'm really starting to like this Jessica Drew. A huge departure from what we're used to seeing from the character, Dennis Hopeless' take on Spider-Woman has a lot of heart.

Hopeless seems to have lost the momentum that he had in the previous arc, and half this book is Jessica and company aimlessly solving cases around the U.S. in a lengthy montage fashion.

There's an aspect of this book that feels like a break from Detective Comics' regularly scheduled programming but after the event of the last two arcs, it's nice to have a bit of a breather. This is a relatively breezy book that has a lot of heavier implications. Ben Oliver is a big reason that's the case because his narrative sense is on point. But the big reveal at the end notwithstanding, Tynion and Bennett have worked together to make Kate's story have weight.

While Bryan Edward Hill's Detective Comics has served as a bit of a backdoor pilot for a new Outsiders title, it's a little frustrating to see them practically get sidelined before the big fight.

This is a speedy read, in part because the art team is doing their jobs so well. It should always be this easy to read a comic. But it does highlight just how little Tomasi moves the plot. So while his character interactions are really fun, Tomasi fails to drive home the weight or the stakes of the story he's telling because he runs out of pages to do so. "Medieval" is off to an interesting start, albeit a slow one.

This is a thoroughly solid issue that moves the chains for the next part of the story.

Obviously, this story is just setting up little details for "Joker War," but Tomasi and Walker try to make that as entertaining as possible.

Wonder Woman might be slow, but it's deliberately so. Diana's recent history has been mired in a lot of bad storytelling, the slow burn is one way for this creative team to avoid that as long as they're able to pay it off.

Wonder Woman #2 is a solid installment, even if it's a little jarring to get this issue right after a cliffhanger in the other arc. Hopefully, these two arcs will wing together in some way down the line so it doesn't just feel like two different books, but for now they're worlds apart. Nicola Scott is the star of this issue. She really makes Rucka's pacing sing, even if her art is so effective that it renders most of the dialogue useless. This is a much slower start than what we saw from Rucka and company in "The Lies," but it works as a set-up for a "Year One" story. Maybe we really are getting the definitive take on Diana's origins that we've been waiting for.

DC is all-in with Wonder Woman at this point, but there's just not enough here yet. The longer that it takes Rucka and Sharp to get the house in order, the more readers they'll lose, and whatever they are building towards will have less impact. There is some good in the issue, with the character development and the hints of The Island of Dr. Moreau in some of the details of the arc, but it's almost equally balanced by frustration in both the plot development and the artistic execution. Great character work is incredibly important, but it can't be the only way for readers to get into a character. It won't take much for the creative team to right this ship, but they need to do it sooner rather than later.

If Wonder Woman isn’t already on your pull list, I’m not quite sure why. The character is being written possibly better than she’s ever been, and Rucka is exceptional at keeping up the intrigue in his plots. Even as this arc ends, the stakes feel huge for what’s to come. Readers might be put off by the dubious nature of the truth in this story but Rucka is making sure it’s clear that something much larger than what we’ve seen is at work. Liam Sharp and Laura Martin continue to be a dynamic duo and Sharp in particular will be missed as Matthew Clark takes over the next odd-numbered issue of this series. Rucka’s take on Diana is refreshing and fun, even if the future is a little bit uncertain for her, that’s a good place to be.

This is a slower issue than many others during this run, but it's stuffed full of really intense, human moments that are communicated perfectly through the art.

What Rucka has done really beautifully is remind us that there are many different ways to be strong. So while the ending might feel anticlimactic to some, it's really the only way that Rucka could close this arc out while remaining true to the main ideas and concepts he put forth.

Hopefully as the story moves forward, the plot will come into a bit better focus, but fans looking for more horror/supernatural-tinged work should be eating this one up.

It's consistently inconsistent, and that makes for an odd read overall.

"The Iron Maiden" has proven to be a solid arc that sets more pieces up moving forward.

Wonder Woman #759 won't impress everyone. It's not reinventing the wheel, but it's a solid enough issue. The art is outstanding, and the writing has the potential to get there. We saw Tamaki able to explore Jennifer Walters' psyche during her run on She-Hulk and I hope we'll get a similar examination here. Max Lord is back " a villain that Diana killed back in the days of Infinite Crisis " and that's got to weigh on her in some way. But the art is the real star in this issue " did I mention that Janin draws great dinosaurs? Because he totally does " and I hope that Tamaki is able to challenge her art team to make this arc truly memorable.

Is Absolute Carnage a perfect event? No, but few are. This issue isn’t even the best the series has been so far, but it does lay some important groundwork for where the series can go from here, not only from a plot and action level, but from a character level as well. There’s a feeling that if Cates can really stick the landing, there’s an extremely satisfying catharsis coming for Eddie Brock and a further upheaval of the role of symbiotes in the Marvel Universe. That feels like what this creative team has been aiming for with this entire run, and they’re clearly still on that path.

All in all, it's a good effort - it's not the kind of finale that will blow you away, but it serves its characters well and will have lasting consequences for Venom moving forward.

With this issue, Morrison is truly beginning to show us his hand. He has huge plans for the book but with this issue we truly begin to understand just how encompassing they may be.

It might not jive with the rest of DC's Superman output, but Greg Pak is writing the best Man of Steel comics right now.

Superman fans yearning for some old-school Kryptonian action will want to check this one out.

Action Comics #42 is an incredibly powerful issue, and a return to form for one of America's most enduring heroes. Pak and Kuder handle their premise with poise and maturity. While some readers will decry this as another attempt by comic book creators to infect "Big Two" comics with their own personal politics, it should be seen as a stark reminder that the times we're living in are dark and getting darker. Even our greatest heroes don't stand a chance against systemic oppression, and that should be something of a wake-up call. Pak and Kuder have managed to call attention to a problem that has permeated our culture so deeply that we've let it become an acceptable status quo. But Superman can't let these injustices stand, and neither should we. Clark Kent is just like you. He barely has any superpowers now. So what's your excuse?

I loved the last issue of Action Comics but this one sees Greg Pak, Aaron Kuder and DC pull a resounding #NOTALLCOPS, undermining the statement that they started making.

In trying to get us to the finish line that is the end of the "New 52," DC is really limping along. While Batman has gotten a fairly succinct finish to this era of DC publishing, Superman's final days are spent much like the first ones - a varied, scattershot approach that doesn't serve the characters or creators as well as it should. This storyline is a mess and one that readers will, no doubt, want to move on from. But why should they have any faith that DC will handle the Man of Steel correctly in the next go-around? Completists won't mind flipping through this one but more casual fans might just want to wait for Rebirth.

The biggest knock on this series is the length of each chapter. Because what you're reading is essentially half a comic book, there's a feeling that things don't really get going. That said, it still works in terms of giving more to fans of the show who might not have interacted with comics before now. The team has a great handle on the tone of the show and translating into something palatable for a new audience. With the support of the show and a lack of messy continuity, I wouldn't be surprised to see this Supergirl overtake the current DCU version as the preferred take on the character.

Your mileage with Nextgen will vary, as the trappings of it will feel very familiar and Brisson doesn't reveal all that much about the world beyond that. To isn't a terrible fit for the book, but his work doesn't elevate the script and he doesn't have any standout moments. (Though I don't think I've seen quite so many accurate depictions of chickens in an X-book before.) Brisson does ensure that this title syncs up with the rest of the event in a neat way, but it feels like there should be a little more meat on this narrative bone. Your enjoyment of Age of X-Man: Nextgen will hinge mostly on how much you like Glob Herman and how patient you're willing to be.

Nextgen is rounding into one of the best books in the "Age of X-Man."

It's just about everything you'd want from the swashbuckling savant but it doesn't as additive to the "Age of X-Man" at this point as maybe it could.

Seanan McGuire and Juan Frigeri's The Amazing Nightcrawler keeps chugging along and mostly stays in the same lane as the debut.

Apocalypse Al is the kind of book that wouldn't be out of place on any primetime network if it was a TV show. The question is, is it better than the offerings that are already on the shelf in this crowded genre? JMS' vague "Book of Keys" that serves as the center of conflict might not be enough for seasoned veterans even though the writer does bring in a supernatural heavy hitter in the finals pages. The miniseries is only four issues so it might be worth taking a chance on. IT's solid and unassuming. It achieves exactly the goals that it sets out to. But don't be surprised if you get burned by another fire and brimstone narrative in a world chock full of them.

Avengers #1 stumbles out of the gate because it tries to be everything all a once - an epic story, a course correction and an apology. In trying to be everything for every kind of reader, Marvel has delivered that, honestly, doesn't feel like much of one despite the implications of its final pages. This is by no means a death knell, but "boring and mishandled" is a bad place to start.

Avengers has been a disappointment so far. Aaron and McGuinness just can't get on track.

It may have taken a little while for Jason Aaron and the Avengers to gel, but they absolutely have.