This week's picks

Another long and exciting week of Marvel comics down so it's another attempt to choose the three most worthy of recognition this week. Tricky in a week full of ambitious number ones, game-changing ultimate or penultimate issues, and fifth issues of varying degrees of interest. Look, lots of books out this week, is what I'm saying. Let's pick some.

All-New Ghost Rider 1

I don't know that this is truly one of the top three books of the week (it edges out books like UNCANNY AVENGERS, NEW AVENGERS, AVENGERS ASSEMBLE, SILVER SURFER, etc.) but it is the most ambitious of the new books out this week and probably of all the other books out this week. The unique art style and coloring, on top of the creation of a new character who tries to shield his younger brother from the darkness of the world suddenly becoming one of the darkest anti-heroes out there, made for a book that feels like it's got places it can go. For a number one, not being locked in to some specific trajectory so early on feels like such a big first step. Robbie Reyes has a whole world out in front of him and we'll see that world with art that isn't really any where else on the shelves right now.

Hawkeye 18

Don't get me wrong, I adore this series. But as a reviewer, it was almost a relief when HAWKEYE stumbled a bit in production and took a little longer to come out than it normally would have because then there were wild cards in the weekly pull list post. With HAWKEYE rocketing out several times in the last month+, it's almost a given that it's going to wind up on this list every single time. Annie Wu's art is tremendous and matches the tone and style of Fraction's writing for Kate, the story is compelling and engaging, the characters in Kate's new life are well-developed, and the stakes of the story rise at what seems like the perfect speed. It's a phenomenal series. Don't let the fact that it's regularly up on this list make you feel like it's going to stagnate at a certain point, albeit a rather high point. Each one makes it on to this list for all of the same reasons but also entirely new reasons. It's clearly Fraction, Aja, Wu, and Hollingsworth aren't really up for doing the same thing twice at any point with this book. Check it out if, for some ridiculous reason, you haven't already.

Superior Spider-Man 30

I'll be honest, this one, like so many issues of SUPERIOR SPIDER-MAN or even AMAZING SPIDER-MAN before it isn't necessarily as clean as the books I tend to pick and put up here (which is why these books tend to go through waves of making the list and not making the list); it often has a little more over-explanation than I'm looking for in a book, maybe a few too many mentions that Spider-Man 2099 is from the future, maybe it gets a little more heavy-handed and leaves a little less to the audience. HOWEVER, Slott and Gage both clearly understand the reasons we're involved in a Spider-Man story and even though we all pretty firmly knew that Peter Parker was on his way back (particularly as solicit news broke it a couple months ago) seeing him get back into action is fulfilling in every way as a Spider-Man fan. So as the trials and tribulations of the Superior Spider-Man come to a close, Gage and Slott do a fantastic job to get us back into the swing of things (PUN) with Peter Parker's triumphant return. Boy, he's got a lot of cleaning up to do. Nothing's ever easy for that guy.




REAL BEST BOOK OF THE WEEK:
Captain America 117

I mean obviously this was the best book of this week and any other week it "debuted." WATCH, AS RED SKULL ENACTS HIS MOST DASTARDLY PLAN: NOT PAYING FOR A CAB RIDE ACROSS TOWN.