Comics this week

Hey all my buddies, get ready for a deceptively short list of comics (it's deceptive because the site I use to look them up lists all variants and TPBs and everything else you could think of and THAT LIST, my friends, is a long list). Also, get ready for a couple of the clunkiest names a massive comic event and a hitherto unknown limited series might ever have.

Avengers 36
We've seen a little of what this eight-months-later future looks like on both sides of the ball now so diving back in with AVENGERS 36 could reveal a little bit more of what's happened lately and could build towards the future of this one. I've heard mostly good things about the eight-months-later business and I think we can all say Hickman is one of those guys we trust to handle something like this so read on to see where we are and/or will be at.

Avengers and X-Men: Axis 1
Do I put the colon in there? Do I not? No one will ever know. Is the thinking behind this name change from the short-and-sweet AXIS to the unbelievably unwieldy AVENGERS AND X-MEN: AXIS driven by the thought that maybe people weren't buying books like FEAR ITSELF and SIEGE because they weren't sure who was going to be in those books? Because, and remember this comic-makers out there, this is a uniquely visual medium to go along with your words, it's entirely possible for a cover to convey answers to such questions as "who will be in this book?" and "what sort of things can I expect from this book?" That is, unless there are so many unwieldy words and, undoubtedly, different type-faces that no one could possibly see the picture underneath. ANYWAY, new event starting up, Rick Remender's in charge of this one so I'm already interested.

Rocket Raccoon 4
Want to buy a book that's just really fun and spectacular to look at? I have to say, in all of comics (and let's not pretend I'm reading every comic released every week but I am reading every Marvel comic and a good bunch of Image comics and casually glancing at some others), this might be your best option for just that. Skottie Young is doing some wonderful things over here and I hope you're all checking it out.

Thanos: A God Up There Listening 1
Okay. Let me say up front: I am not remotely interested in this book. I don't even know what it is. I'd say it's the first time I'm hearing about it but I have a terrible memory and it's entirely possible that it is, in fact, not. Thanos tends to bore me and the fact that he's been thrust back into the light via several extremely lucrative movies and comics isn't exactly my favorite thing. Fortunately, this is a short-list week and I'm willing to cast aside, for the time being, genuine recommendations for CAPTAIN MARVEL and PUNISHER in order to shine a light on this god-awful title. I legitimately don't know if this is the title (furthermore, don't know if the colon should be there but I've made my decision) or if the comic site I use is simply making fun of me now, but this is, in fact, an anti-recommendation. Don't buy this book. I hope it's great because I much prefer reading great books. Given the description (something about Thane, with the Ebony Maw, learning things about his own future from his father's past), it's entirely possible this is some weird retrospective on Thanos' history. My reason for asking you not to buy the book is to stand with me in telling Marvel to tighten up their naming. I understand that there are certain trends and fads to differentiate the constant renumbering and rebranding and that things like that seem genius to some marketing guys out there (ALL-NEW is the bane of my existence and I don't CARE who knows), but this is just words thrown up on a cover in the thought that we'll probably just buy it anyway. DON'T DO IT, MY FRIENDS. I...I can't ask you the same about AXIS, though I really wish they'd just stuck with AXIS.

X-Force 10
Ah, who cares any more? It'll probably be great. Look at that blunt, direct name. Work of art.