This week's picks

There are weeks where I know I'm going to have a tough time working out what books to choose for the top three and know not to make any calls until I've checked them all out and given some time to process. There are also weeks where two books lock in to the top three from the moment I read them and I have to carefully think about the other books to figure out which one is third. This week is the latter.

Daredevil 35

I was wondering how, with only two issues left, DAREDEVIL was going to really shake things up before its relaunch. My fear, especially with the ending of last issue, was that they would kill Foggy. I don't really believe they would but it seemed like we were awfully close to the end and Foggy took a turn for the worse and I just didn't know, okay? This is much better and far less...cheap, I suppose. A character's life is always important, especially one as fundamental to our title as Foggy, but that often means that they could be used to raise the stakes for our hero. Instead, we get Daredevil choosing to turn his whole life upside down to make a play that his enemies won't expect. It's so Daredevil that I can't believe no one's done it before. It feels, now that it's all said and done, so perfect for the man without fear to refuse to be part of the game that the Sons of the Serpent would play with him. It's also nice that Waid's (first) run didn't conclude without seeing Elektra and similarly nice that she was so influential in his decision. Just a really well-told story.

Thunderbolts 20

This book was the one that still, even as I write these words, is trying to fight off other titles to stay on this list. SUPERIOR SPIDER-MAN was my stand-in pretty much all week for this because of the surprise of the reveal and I can't help wondering if it wouldn't have made the cut if it hadn't been spoiled early in the week. However, there were also some really choppy lines in there that broke flow and maybe a little too much exposition from every angle to keep it up there. In fact, INHUMANITY - SUPERIOR SPIDER-MAN might have beat it out if THUNDERBOLTS hadn't, thanks to stellar Chris Gage writing and unbelievable Stephanie Hans art. But THUNDERBOLTS, as it has so often of recent, takes control as it again stands out with its dialogue and characterization. It feels like every line in this book is there for a purpose, that every line advances plot or characterizes someone. Charles Soule is writing a really good book and Marvel has done a solid job finding him artists that match the tone, as Carlos Barberi shows off some skill on this one. Really fun, really engaging title. Check it out.

X-Men Legacy 22

As I said above, there were two books that, from the moment I read them, I knew they'd make the top three. Sometimes you just know. It's a mix of sheer greatness from the book and gut feeling and the level of competition out there for the rest of the week. There was never any doubt with X-MEN LEGACY but even if there had been it certainly still would have garnered serious consideration because, like with most weeks when it's released, LEGACY stuck in my head far longer than any of the other books out this week. I really enjoyed DAREDEVIL and if I think back on it I can recall exactly what happened and what I liked about it. I loved X-MEN LEGACY and I don't have to think back on it because it's pretty much at the front of my mind, days after I read and reviewed it last. This series has turned from one that I loved for its kind of slow burn into one that I love for its immediate impact AND the slow burn as I think about it later in the week. I'm very excited to see how this one wraps up and also a little devastated inside that the hole this book filled will reopen (though hopefully some of the new books launching from Marvel will ease that pain).