Comics this week!

Not that I'm upset by this wealth of riches, but it's certainly hard to choose five pre-game picks when I have so many great titles. There are also a couple not-great titles this week, which makes SOME aspects easier, I suppose.

WAIT, I'VE CHANGED MY MIND. I'm going to highlight the five books I think have the most to prove or are intriguing for reasons other than being the best books around (for those curious, my picks pre-this-new-idea were New Avengers 4, Cable and X-Force 6, Captain America 5, Captain Marvel 11, and Daredevil 24).

Avengers 8
I've really liked this new iteration of one of Marvel's flagship titles. I think it's a great premise with good writing and interesting characters coming out from all corners of the Marvel Universe. That said, this seems to me, going in, like it's going to be the first multi-issue arc since the very first couple issues. Every issue has left us with something to think about and a thread to be pulled on at a later date. Last issue ended with what I have to assume is a thread that needs immediate pulling. I don't necessarily think there's a TON hinging on how this issue comes out as I think it's established itself pretty well, seven issues in, but it'll be interesting to see how Hickman starts tying plot points together.

Indestructible Hulk 5
I said in my last review of Hulk that Waid is taking a very definitive stance on how he wants to show Banner/Hulk. Banner is the driving force of the book and sick of living a shy and quiet life avoiding Hulk appearances. It's not like he relishes Hulk now but he understands a purpose for Hulk in the world and is doing what he can to channel that while not allowing it to control his life. It's a solid idea but it's still in the early stages. Every issue is suspect. A Banner-driven book hasn't really be tried before now so it's hard to say if it'll work in the long term. We find out that it seems possible with every new issue.

Nova 2
I was more impressed than I expected to be with Nova 1. Nova 2 comes in with a couple new advantages and a couple new disadvantages. On the one hand, Sam will actually be Nova this issue. That's both a plus and a minus. As interesting as Sam Alexander might be, we're all reading this book for Nova and its Nova's appearance that will make or break this book. Another possible advantage is the appearance of Gamora and Rocket Raccoon. Start building a supporting cast for Nova and, if they're good, we're in business. If they fall flat, the book is in trouble and Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy-heavy future could be in trouble. So Nova 2 will hopefully nod to the direction it'll go.

Superior Spider-Man 6
I've liked the shape of this book so far, what with a completely different look Spider-Man at the helm and making us question if our beloved Peter Parker really was the best Spider-Man available. There are some things I'm not totally in love with (one of which is Peter Parker himself constantly yelling his solution to every problem in the background) but I've liked the questions this book has asked so far. One of those questions was, assuming we all saw this correctly, Spider-Man's slaughter of Massacre, the psychopathic/sociopathic serial killer. This issue will see the fallout from that, including a visit from the Avengers. It'll be interesting to see how Slott plays this new card.

X-Termination 1
I've not really been quiet nor subtle about my interest in Age of Apocalypse Nightcrawler, on whom this mini event seems to depend. I like his character and his similarities and differences with the 616's Nightcrawler. On the other hand, it seems like a lot of books and a lot of very different plots are going to be tied together through this event, so some level of skepticism seems warranted. Though this event will span a total of about ten books, if I'm remembering correctly, the main X-Termination series will only run two issues. It'll be interesting to see how the event's laid out and also how it's going to weave through its multiple titles. That said, there's a lot riding on this first issue.