This week's picks!

Smaller slate of books out this week means that, unless we hit an improbable 50% amazing books mark, the selection process is more about picking the clear winners and then, the far trickier part, deciding who takes third place. In a week with more books, there's a far greater chance that you have four or five deserving books so the trouble becomes trying to pare down to how those four or five rank. But we should have plenty for this week, right?

Captain Marvel 17

The final entry of this volume of CAPTAIN MARVEL, which has been a truly tremendous run and which I imagine will continue to be tremendous when DeConnick moves to the next volume, starting early next year. I'm interested to see the changes between the two books (Captain Marvel...in SPACE) but, for this book, it's been a near perfect series and this was an absolutely perfect send-off. Very sweet, very character-driven, wonderful book. I don't think this book could have turned out any better than it did and to end this run of it (even if it's just ending for a month or two before kind of restarting) here, in an issue focused on the people in Carol's life as much as on Carol herself, is an absolutely perfect decision. Definitely one of the best series of this year (I know, we're getting to the time of year where people have to start thinking about best of lists. Gross) and a beautiful and meaningful and emotional ending for it. Perhaps the saddest thing about this series ending (particularly saddest in the respect of "it's starting over again soon so don't get too sad") is that it seems the end of DeConnick and Andrade teaming up, which was the most amazing team-up. What an artist, that guy.

X-Men Legacy 19

Okay it was either this or CAPTAIN AMERICA and neither one is ever really off of these pull list picks but I went with X-MEN LEGACY because this one is rather sticking with me more. I talked a lot about how DeConnick made this last issue of CAPTAIN MARVEL more impressive and emotional by playing a long game (long con) and making all of the characters in Carol's life mean something, making it a far bigger impact when she has to fall back on them. Spurrier's done very much the same thing in LEGACY in a very different way; he's built a resourceful, smart, sympathetic, and extremely powerful, if entirely broken (borked, as David would say) character throughout the length of this series only to now show us just how hard it is to be that character. David has such a well-defined personality and such a specific voice that building an entire issue where we see the culmination of all of the events of the series and their repercussions while also watching him battle through those repercussions and try to find a way out. And that's before we even TALK about the evil Xavier and the shadow of the Phoenix. Come on guys, great stuff.

Thor: The Dark World

SURPRISE, this one's not a comic. If I had picked a comic it would have just been CAPTAIN AMERICA and we all would have been like "hey, look at all this diversity Tim's pulling out, X-MEN LEGACY and CAPTAINS MARVEL and AMERICA. Not at all like any other week!" You guys are being awfully judgmental, huh? Anyway, I get the chance to throw a major Marvel movie in my picks once every six months or thereabouts so you can bet I'm taking my chance to do it now. Really fun movie, not without its faults (more tomorrow!) but ultimately a really well-done, exciting, fun movie. Bonus: the casting of Christopher Eccleston as Malekith is pretty well hidden so you very rarely, if ever, think of him as the ninth Doctor while watching the movie. But sometimes you do. And sometimes that hurts. Anyway, lot of fun, can't say much more but I will tomorrow. The idea of the thing, though, is that it makes my top picks of the week because you should really check it out. I'm sure Marvel Studios could use your support.



Best book that was repeatedly mentioned in this post but not actually given a spot

Captain America 13
Pretty good, you guys!