As we count down to the 2011 New York Comic Con beginning on Thursday here is a look at the whopping number of amazing books due out this week. There are a lot to chose from so my having to whittle it down to a top ten was a lot harder than usual. Speaking of NYCC, be sure to look out for our coverage of the event this weekend!
Mario’s Top Ten Comic Picks Of the Week!
10) Shade #1 (DC Comics)
Written by JAMES ROBINSON, Art by CULLY HAMNER
James Robinson is back on this character (I guess the JLA appearances don’t count?) and with this I hope to see a door opened to the return of Star Man!
9) PunisherMAX #18 (Marvel Comics)
Written by JASON AARON Art by STEVE DILLON
The fall of Wilson Fisk seems eminent, but it won’t be Frank pulling a “Gustavo” on Fisk, but rather his own ex-wife Vanessa. Aaron has been doing a stellar job on diving into The Punisher in this off-shoot universe, I only hope that all of these stories has a predetermined ending for when he leaves the title.
8 ) Dead Rising Road To Fortune #1 (IDW Publishing)
Written by Tom Waltz, Art by Kenneth Loh
As a huge fan of this game series I am happy to see this comic that promises to bridge the story between when we left Frank at the Mall during the first game, and where we first find Chuck at that gas station in the Xbox 360 exclusive Dead Rising: Case Zero.
7) X-Men Regenesis #1 (Marvel Comics)
Written by Kieron Gillen, Art by Billy Tan
So the X-Men have been split into two different schools of thought, I only hope this story will be enjoyable before we head to the inevitable story where they will stand united again in two or three years. Until then I will be in full force. My decades long love for the X titles knows no bounds.
6) Green Lantern #2 (DC Comics)
Written by Geoff Johns, Art by Doug Mahnke
Sinestro going up against the Sinestro Corp for one reason or another. They are just following YOUR orders, bro. The opening arc of the new DCU continues to plug along but when will Hal get his damn ring back?
5) Batgirl #2 (DC Comics)
Written by Gail Simone, Art by Ardian Syaf
Hopefully this issue has an answer as to why Batgirl is walking again. The last issue was good but if this fails to grasp me I do not think I will stay past the first arc.
4) Who Is Jake Ellis #5 (Image Comics)
Written by NATHAN EDMONDSON, Art by TONCI ZONJIC
The final chapter in what I like to call Fight Club meets James Bond, this was one of those indy books featuring a creative team I have never heard of but I am sure glad that I picked it up. If you miss out on this please be sure to check out the trade as this is a “don’t miss” series.
3) Ultimate Comics X-Men #2 (Marvel Comics)
Written by Nick Spencer, Aart by Paco Medina & Juan Vlasco
Oh no! Mutants were made by the US government and now the world gets us for yet another thing! Also, I wonder what the Human Torch feels about this since he is a human. Does he slowly walk away when the topic arises? I need to see more on this.
2) Joe Hill’s The Cape #2 (IDW Publishing)
Written by Joe Hill & Jason Ciaramella, Art by Zach Howard
It is not always the good guys that get powers, sometimes straight up dickheads get them too. In a world not too different from ours, the only super powered being just happens to be a vengeful blame-others-first sociopath and I love it.
1) Pigs #2 (Image Comics)
Written by Nate Crosby & Ben McCool, Art by Breno Temura & Chris Sotomayor
Issue one of this amazing story took me by surprise, but I will NOT sleep on this issue. For those of you who do not know, this series is about a new generation of Soviet sleepers that have been waiting since the Cold War for their orders to come, and now that they have the fall of America is at hand. Top notch pacing and amazing characteristics make this my must read book of the week.
Here is the full list of releases!
DC COMICS
Action Comics #1 (Rags Morales 3rd Printing Variant Cover)
All-New Batman The Brave And The Bold #12
Batgirl #1 (Adam Hughes 3rd Printing Variant Cover)
Batgirl #2
Batman And Robin #1 (Patrick Gleason & Mick Gray 2nd Printing Variant Cover)
Batman And Robin #2
Batwoman #1 (J.H. Williams III 2nd Printing Variant Cover)
Batwoman #2
DC Comics Presents Batman Blink #1
DC Comics Presents JLA The Age Of Wonder #1
Deathstroke #1 (Simon Bisley 2nd Printing Variant Cover)
Deathstroke #2
Demon Knights #1 (Tony S. Daniel 2nd Printing Variant Cover)
Demon Knights #2
Frankenstein Agent Of S.H.A.D.E. #1 (J.G. Jones 2nd Printing Variant Cover)
Frankenstein Agent Of S.H.A.D.E. #2
Green Lantern #1 (Ivan Reis & Joe Prado 2nd Printing Variant Cover)
Green Lantern #2 (Doug Mahnke & Christian Alamy Regular Cover)
Green Lantern #2 (David Finch Variant Cover)
Green Lantern #2 (Doug Mahnke Black & White Variant Cover)
Grifter #1 (Cafu & Bit 2nd Printing Variant Cover)
Grifter #2
Legion Lost #1 (Pete Woods 2nd Printing Variant Cover)
Legion Lost #2
Mister Terrific #1 (J.G. Jones 2nd Printing Variant Cover)
Mister Terrific #2
My Greatest Adventure #1 (of 6)
Resurrection Man #1 (Ivan Reis & Joe Prado 2nd Printing Variant Cover)
Resurrection Man #2
Shade #1 (of 12) (Tony Harris Regular Cover)
Shade #1 (of 12) (Cully Hamner Variant Cover)
Suicide Squad #1 (Ryan Benjamin 2nd Printing Variant Cover)
Suicide Squad #2
Superboy #1 (Eric Canete 2nd Printing Variant Cover)
Superboy #2
Unexpected #1 (Rafael Grampa Regular Cover)
Unexpected #1 (Michael Wm. Kaluta Variant Cover)
Vertigo
American Vampire Survival Of The Fittest #5 (of 5)
Northlanders #45
Unwritten #30
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MARVEL COMICS
All-Winners Squad Band Of Heroes #5 (of 8)
Alpha Flight #5
Amazing Spider-Man #671
Avenging Spider-Man Daily Bugle (Promotional Item)
Black Panther The Most Dangerous Man Alive #524
Daken Dark Wolverine #15
Fear Itself Hulk Vs Dracula #3 (of 3)
FF #10
Generation Hope #12
Ghost Rider #4
John Carter World Of Mars #1 (of 5)
Legion Of Monsters #1 (of 4)
New Avengers #17 (Mike Deodato Regular Cover)
New Avengers #17 (John Tyler Christopher Marvel Comics 50th Anniversary Variant Cover)
Punisher #4
PunisherMAX #18
S.H.I.E.L.D. #3 (Gerald Parel Regular Cover)
S.H.I.E.L.D. #3 (Dustin Weaver Historical Variant Cover)
Stand The Night Has Come #3 (of 6)
Super Heroes #19 (Marvel Adventures)
Ultimate Comics Spider-Man #3
Ultimate Comics X-Men #2
Uncanny X-Force #16 (Esad Ribic Regular Cover)
Uncanny X-Force #16 (Mike Del Mundo Marvel Comics 50th Anniversary Variant Cover)
Wolverine And The X-Men By Nick Bradshaw Oversized Poster
X-Men Evolutions #1 (One Shot)
X-Men Legacy #257
X-Men Regenesis #1 (One Shot) (Chris Bachalo Regular Cover)
X-Men Regenesis #1 (One Shot) (Morry Hollowell Variant Cover)
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BOOM! STUDIOS
Clive Barker’s Hellraiser #6 (Cover A Tim Bradstreet)
Clive Barker’s Hellraiser #6 (Cover B Nick Percival)
Clive Barker’s Hellraiser #6 (Cover C Tim Bradstreet)
Ducktales #5 (Cover A)
Ducktales #5 (Cover B)
Elric The Balance Lost #4 (Cover A)
Elric The Balance Lost #4 (Cover B)
Elric The Balance Lost #4 (Cover C Erik Jones)
Irredeemable #30 (Cover A)
Irredeemable #30 (Cover B)
Stan Lee’s Starborn #11 (Cover A)
Stan Lee’s Starborn #11 (Cover B Jonboy Meyers)
DARK HORSE
Baltimore The Curse Bells #3 (of 5)
Buffy The Vampire Slayer Season 9 #2 (Georges Jeanty Variant Cover)
Buffy The Vampire Slayer Season 9 #2 (Steve Morris Regular Cover)
Dollhouse Epitaphs #4 (of 5) (Stephanie Hans Variant Cover)
Dollhouse Epitaphs #4 (of 5) (Phil Noto Regular Cover)
Kull The Cat And The Skull #1 (of 4) (Jo Chen Regular Cover)
Kull The Cat And The Skull #1 (of 4) (Stephanie Hans Variant Cover)
Orchid #1 (Massimo Carnevale Regular Cover)
Orchid #1 (Shephard Fairey Variant Cover)
Star Wars Invasion Revelations #4 (of 5)
Star Wars The Old Republic The Lost Suns #5 (of 5)
DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT
Garth Ennis’ Jennifer Blood #5 (Tim Bradstreet Regular Cover)
Garth Ennis’ Jennifer Blood #5 (Ale Garza Variant Cover)
Garth Ennis’ Jennifer Blood #5 (Johnny Desjardins Variant Cover)
Garth Ennis’ Jennifer Blood #5 (Jonathan Lau Variant Cover)
Garth Ennis’ Jennifer Blood #5 (Tim Bradstreet Negative Art Variant Cover)
Garth Ennis’ Jennifer Blood #5 (Tim Bradstreet Virgin Variant Cover)
George R.R. Martin’s A Game Of Thrones #1 (Alex Ross 2nd Printing Variant Cover)
Living Corpse Exhumed #3 (of 6) (Andrew Magnum & Juan Fernandez Regular Cover)
Living Corpse Exhumed #3 (of 6) (Ken Haeser & Buz Hassan Regular Cover)
Robert Jordan’s Wheel Of Time The Eye Of The World #14
Vampirella #10 (Ale Garza Regular Cover)
Vampirella #10 (Fabiano Neves Regular Cover)
Vampirella #10 (Paul Renaud Regular Cover)
Vampirella #10 (Jelena Kevic-Durdjevic Regular Cover)
Vampirella #10 (Fabiano Neves Black & White Variant Cover)
Vampirella #10 (Paul Renaud Blood Red Variant Cover)
Warehouse 13 #2 (Ben Morse Regular Cover)
Warehouse 13 #2 (Photo Regular Cover)
Warlord Of Mars #8 (Joe Jusko Blue Reorder Cover)
Warlord Of Mars Fall Of Barsoom #3 (Joe Jusko Regular Cover)
Warlord Of Mars Fall Of Barsoom #3 (Francesco Francavilla Variant Cover)
Warlord Of Mars Fall Of Barsoom #3 (Francesco Francavilla Virgin Variant Cover)
Warlord Of Mars Fall Of Barsoom #3 (Joe Jusko Black & White Variant Cover)
IDW PUBLISHING
Dead Rising Road To Fortune #1 (of 4) (Kenneth Loh Regular Cover)
Dead Rising Road To Fortune #1 (of 4) (Dead Rising Concept Art Team Variant Cover)
Ghostbusters #2 (Cover A Dan Schoening)
Ghostbusters #2 (Cover B Nick Runge)
Ghostbusters #2 (Dan Schoening ‘We’re Ready to Believe You’ Variant Cover)
Infestation Outbreak #4 (of 4) (Davide Furno Regular Cover)
Infestation Outbreak #4 (of 4) (David Messina ‘Character’ Variant Cover)
Joe Hill’s The Cape #2 (of 4) (Cover A Zach Howard)
Joe Hill’s The Cape #2 (of 4) (Cover B Nelson Daniel)
Joe Hill’s The Cape #2 (of 4) (Nelson Daniel Black & White Variant Cover)
Jurassic Park Dangerous Games #2 (of 5) (Jeff Zornow Regular Cover)
Jurassic Park Dangerous Games #2 (of 5) (Jeff Zornow Black & White Variant Cover)
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #1 (Kevin Eastman 2nd Printing Variant Cover)
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #2 (Kevin Eastman 2nd Printing Variant Cover)
IMAGE COMICS
Blue Estate #6
CBLDF Liberty Annual 2011(Cover A John Cassaday)
CBLDF Liberty Annual 2011(Cover B Matt Wagner)
CBLDF Liberty Annual 2011(Frank Quietly Black & White Variant Cover)
CBLDF Liberty Annual 2011(Frank Quietly Variant Cover)
Morning Glories #13
Pigs #2
Pilot Season City Of Refuge #1
Super Dinosaur #5
Walking Dead Weekly #41
Who Is Jake Ellis #5
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215 INK
Vic Boone #2
AARDVARK VANAHEIM
Glamourpuss #21
ADHOUSE BOOKS
Pope Hats #2
ANTARCTIC PRESS
Escape From The Planet Of The Dead
Gold Digger Swimsuit Special #21
APE ENTERTAINMENT
Dream Reavers #1 (of 4)
ARCHAIA ENTERTAINMENT
Immortals Gods And Heroes HC
ARCHIE COMICS
Mega Man #6
Veronica #209 (Veronica Presents Kevin Keller issue 3) (Dan Parent Regular Cover)
Veronica #209 (Veronica Presents Kevin Keller issue 3) (Dan Parent Variant Cover)
World Of Archie Double Digest #11
ARDDEN ENTERTAINMENT
Flash Gordon Invasion Of The Red Sword #5
Grim Ghost #5
Phoenix #5
ASPEN MLT
Haunted City #1 (Cover A Michael Ryan)
Haunted City #1 (Cover B Joe Benitez)
Haunted City #1 (Cover C Beastly Variant)
ASYLUM PRESS
Black Powder #1 (of 6)
BIG DOG INK
Critter #3 (of 4) (Eric Basaldua Cover)
Critter #3 (of 4) (Fico Ossio Cover)
CAMPFIRE
Ali Baba And The Forty Thieves Reloaded GN
CINEBOOK
Lucky Luke Adventure Volume 24 The Judge TP
COMIC SHOP NEWS
Comic Shop News #1269
DRAWN AND QUARTERLY
Death-Ray HC (by Daniel Clowes)
Great Northern Brotherhood Canadian Cartoonists HC
John Stanley Library Volume 3 Nancy HC
FANTAGRAPHICS BOOKS
Frank Book HC
Frank Book SC
Nuts HC
Cabbie Volume 1 HC
NBM
Bubbles And Gondola HC
ONI PRESS
Black Metal Volume 2 GN (of 3)
SEA LION BOOKS
Richelle Mead Dark Swan Storm Born #3 (of 4) (Dave Hamann Regular Cover)
Richelle Mead Dark Swan Storm Born #3 (of 4) (Dave Hamann Sketch Variant Cover)
SECRET ACRES
Troop 142 GN
SEVEN SEAS ENTERTAINMENT
Certain Scientific Railgun Volume 2 GN
Dracula Everlasting Volume 1 GN
STERLING PUBLISHING
Tale Of Two Cities GN
TWOMORROWS PUBLISHING
Draw #21
UNITED PLANKTON PICTURES
Spongebob Comics #5