This week's picks! (a day late)

Sorry about the delay for this post. Ended up having a bit of a busy day yesterday and a bit of sleep deprivation to boot so Sunday was a bit of a day sans comics. So let's just jump into this, which may, in fact, be a slightly shorter post than is typical for a pull list post anyway. Or maybe it won't (hint, it's not written yet). With that said, it's really hard to pick this week. There were a slew of books that had very good issues and only a couple that had really outstanding issues. Is that because the series as a whole has been outstanding so we're seeing the ones that are still better than other issues but maybe weaker than the strongest of those series? Look, I don't know. All I'm saying is that it's exceptionally hard to be me and maybe you guys should cut me some slack.

Astonishing X-Men 64

This one, even as I write this, is the most suspect of this group. I thought it was a pretty good issue but it wasn't without its flaws. It beat out other potential choices in Avengers Arena, Daredevil, Indestructible Hulk, and Superior Spider-Man, but only by an intangible fancy. Maybe I'm bummed that the series is supposedly cancelled (though there's further rumor that it's going to get a makeover for Marvel NOW 2) but let's not make this out to seem like it was a bad issue. It was fine and the story itself continues to be very interesting. We're getting a lot out of Bobby that, I think, will prove even more interesting after this arc concludes and we're able to pick up the pieces. Still, it was a fun issue by itself as we get a little bit of everyone and, it can't be ignored, a nice moment where Wolverine gives his thoughts about Thor (at left).

Hawkeye 12

This is one of those books where you have to be careful when you're making your pull list picks. I think this was a slightly weaker issue of Hawkeye than we've come to expect but the thing is that Hawkeye has been a phenomenal book so far. If you go in expecting Hawkeye to always be the level of Hawkeye that you've come to expect, you're setting the bar almost impossibly high for the series. When you pull back and look at this issue, it's still a pretty great story that's definitely worth recommendation. The characters of both Barney and Clint (who only gets some flashback and a very short scene at the end) get boosts out of this issue even if their current relationship still remains a bit up in the air. The beauty of this issue is that whatever Fraction chooses to do next will fit within the context of their relationship thanks to this look into their lives. Will the two forgive and forget? They could; after all, they're brothers and they were raised looking out for one another. Will their naturally aggressive personalities, in addition to their shaky history, lead them to fight with one another? Very possible. Whatever it is, though, Fraction has set it up for us here. Add to that Francisco Francavilla's very capable and personal style filling in for Aja on a story that fills in for our main characters and you have a worthwhile issue.

Young Avengers 7

Okay, well some books were never at risk of missing this list. There's plenty of plot happening here but it almost seems like it's in the background of what is truly a marvelous book. Gillen and McKelvie so masterfully explain away three months and, with it, a much more formed relationship between the characters that the book feels completely natural, even knowing that these guys haven't spent a lot of on-panel time together. Off-panel, they've grown and become something resembling a team. There are still self-aware jokes as Loki points out the similarities between a group of shapeshifters posing as their idols (more impressive shapeshifters) and their little crew and as Instagram makes an appearance in the lives of teenagers but they fit perfectly in with the characters and the story and the overall feel of the book. There are several books Marvel's putting out right now that seem to have the absolute best people for the job working on them. They include New Avengers, with Hickman and Epting, Hawkeye, with Fraction and Aja, and particularly this one, which has jumped so eagerly into a look and a mood that it feels no one else could have established. It's a wonderful thing. Even if you haven't ever liked the characters or the conceit of the book, you should check in with it. There's something truly beautiful when you feel the book is the best it could possibly be and that's certainly the case here.