Comics this week!

OKAY GUYS, homestretch of these long release weeks before next week (Christmas Eve is the Wednesday) gives us just TWO NEW BOOKS. AND THEY'LL BOTH BE WORTH READING (prediction: they will both make my pre-game and post-game lists). This week promises a slew of new and interesting options for readers and, for some strange reason, another two AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 700.- issues. That is just a strange thing to be happening, you guys. Easy enough to pick out five most-anticipated though, as is this weekly entry's job. QUICK HITS TIME.

Daredevil 34
Barely making the pre-game this week over pleasant surprise LONGSHOT SAVES THE MARVEL UNIVERSE's conclusion, DAREDEVIL has been a phenomenal series overall and it's inching its way to its conclusion...before being renumbered with the same creative team. Okay, so it's not really a conclusion but PRESUMABLY we'll reach an end to an important storyline to justify the renumber. Matt will be back in New York this issue (I would assume) after snagging the magic needed to go after the Sons of the Serpent. Should be fun, this series always is.

Scarlet Spider 25
You want to talk about pleasant surprises, there's no better place to look than SCARLET SPIDER. A 25 issue run concludes as we see what will become of Kaine and his Houston co-stars as Chris Yost wraps up his extremely fun and always-intriguing tale of the dark Spider-Man clone gone good. Excited to see the end of this one, sad that it will be the end.

Thunderbolts Annual 1
Like with DEADPOOL ANNUAL a couple of weeks ago, this one makes the list thanks to its writing team of the Bens, Acker and Blacker, who write, among other things, the incredible THRILLING ADVENTURE HOUR podcast (and the graphic novel which I still need to check out). Good news: DEADPOOL ANNUAL did not disappoint after I went in with high hopes for this team. Better news: I like THUNDERBOLTS more than I like DEADPOOL right now and I think, as a series, THUNDERBOLTS has portrayed the better Deadpool. Looking forward to it.

Uncanny Avengers 15
I dare you to find a pre-game list that doesn't include this book (don't look anywhere but this site though, in case it's very easy to find and I'm misinterpreting how important this book is). After the shocking conclusion of the last issue, this issue's importance can't be overstated (unless it can, which goes back to the last parenthetical aside). Not only are we racing towards the conclusion of a really long arc, we saw major characters die the last time out and now we'll have to see the effect of that. Don't miss this one.

Young Avengers 14
It pains me to say that we're only two issues away from the end of this series and the final issue will come just two weeks later. So incredibly sad to see this series, which has done so much in so little time, go. These two issues should be a lot of fun, though, as we get the afterparty for the entire series, with a ton of major young characters in the Marvel Universe heading out to the clubs. On top of that, we'll get a ton of big-name artists and colorists jumping in to highlight these final two issues. Very excited that a book that has changed the way stories can be told in comics will end with a two-part non-standard ending. Really love this book. If you haven't read it, pick up the trades when they're all released.