Comics this week!

Age of Ultron 2
This title appears on my pre-game list again this week pretty much for the same reason it was here last week. We're diving into a ten-book event and, one issue in, we've learned a lot about the tone and the general situation, but not much about where our plot is going to go from here. If the cover of this next issue is to be believed, we'll also encounter some new characters still fighting Ultron in this world (including Moon Knight, who discovered a plot around an Ultron head in his short-lived recent solo series). Hopefully this issue gives us a better sense of where the series is heading.

Avengers Arena 6
Last issue showed that we've met everybody on this island and been given some sort of background to each group, so this issue can go any which way. Maybe we'll focus on plot. Maybe we'll continue to stick with one group per issue. Maybe, like last issue, we'll bounce around between groups as we work our way through the plot. Maybe we'll stick with one group and focus on each member in that group. In truth, I don't really care which direction Hopeless goes with this book because it's all been great so far so really, I don't think any decision he's made on how to show the rest of the book is going to hurt. Let's just enjoy it.

Secret Avengers 2
The first issue gave us the general layout of the book and a plot twist to throw us off our guard. This issue is going to be an important one to show us where the book is going to turn. Like Age of Ultron, the second book could very much make or break this series (in truth, I think it's unlikely for either book two to do that entirely, it's too early to judge in two issues, but it could certainly begin to sway readers one way or the other). You can't just repeat the plot of book one and you can't have the team figure out the plot twist so quickly. So will issue two be a new story with a new character to show off the lineup? Will we stick with the old characters and get a new plot? Will we get some mix? We'll find out, I hope, this week.

Thor: God of Thunder 6
This book is great. It's pretty much on my pre-game list because it's great. Is that not reason enough? The writing is solid, the art is amazing, the story is brilliant, the characters are enticing. Buy this book. That's my pre-game announcement. I think this week might be the origin of the new god-killing villain Gorr, if I'm not mistaken (I just looked back into my blog and I'm not mistaken; this week is the Gorrigin. How could I ever forget that?), so we're bound to learn quite a bit about this new villain. Exciting times ahead.

X-Men Legacy 7
As with Thor, this book is on my list because it's great already. Avengers Arena's the same way, but both Age of Ultron and Secret Avengers are here because they're still in testing and could go either way. X-Men Legacy has been stunning so far and I see it being great going forward. We're leaving Legion's first full arc with this issue so we're also at a crossroads to set up where this book will be going outside of conventional X-books (leaving the X-Men behind). We also got the drama at the end of last issue revealing to us that there's a Charles Xavier in Legion's head who is set on stopping his son and preventing him from destroying mutants. Thrilling adventure sure to come.