A big week with some stand-out books and a few make-or-breakers, too.  Toss in a bunch of #1’s and you’ve got yourself a pretty full bag.

Oh, and a picture of a wrestler.

• Robin Rises: Omega #1 (DC): It’s all led to this.  By it, I mean: early on, Tomasi did a terrific job of toeing the Bat-line that Morrison drew in Batman Inc.; but for the most part the post-Two Face team-ups were terribly tedious.  Stitching Batman to Frankenstein worked well, however, because of its acting as a natural segue into Robin’s resurrection–or whatever’s going to go down.  Who knows?  Maybe Robin’ll come back less human than human; maybe he’ll forevermore be known as–wait for it–Robzombie.

• The Squidder #1 (IDW): Trying out some new Ben Templesmith, who’s trying out some words along with his usually stunning images.
• The Last Fall #1 (IDW): Writer Tom Waltz has had a hand in making TMNT a must buy.  I’m willing to give him a shot here.
• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #36 (IDW): That’s right: TMNT is a must buy.  The story’s been solid, and Mateus Santolouco’s art has been instrumental in redefining the Turtles.

• Rat Queens #7 (Image): The Unreal Queens of Comedy are back to offend our sensibilities–and, as #6 proved, to make us like ’em all a little bit more.  (Yeah, the four-panel first page snagged me but good.)  One thing that keeps me coming back for more: it reminds me of the late Drew Hayes’s Poison Elves.  (God, I loved Poison Elves!)
• Stray Bullets: Killers #5 (Image): I agreed completely with Derek’s assessment–his very positive assessment–of SB:K #1.  Since then, however, Lapham hasn’t quite killed it.  Rooting hard for Amy Racecar.

• The Wicked & The Divine #2 (Image): The title’s got me thinking less about the book itself and more about Kieron Gillen.  I love Uber and really liked Three (Divine!); his post-Schism Uncanny X-Men was unreadable, and Young Avengers was wildly over-hyped (Wicked!).  After #1, I’m leaning toward the latter.  One thing going for it: it read not unlike a Johnathan Hickman book–just with characters who are annoying as hell.
• Magneto #7 (Marvel): While #5 fell a bit flat, #6 reestablished Magneto’s mojo–with a vengeance!  It’s all about vengeance, ain’t it?  Good for us.  Kudos to Cullen Bunn, who has gone a long way toward establishing himself as the master of the Master of Magnetism.
• Ms. Marvel #6 (Marvel): #5 was the weakest issue thus far.  Not saying it wasn’t good; there was just something…inconsistent about it.  Wondering how the new artist–Jake Wyatt–will affect the book, especially considering how instrumental Adrian Alphona has been in making this book so magical from the get-go .  I’m still very high on Kamala, though.

• Silver Surfer #4 (Marvel): We’ve celebrated #1 and #2 as Top 5 books–of March and April, respectively.  And, not surprisingly, you’ll soon find that we liked #3 a whole lot, too.  No doubt: this last wave of Marvel books has been damn good; and of the bunch riding it–including the aforementioned Ms. Marvel and Magneto, plus the knockout Iron Fist–Slott and Allred’s Silver Surfer is the Big Kahuna.

• Uncanny X-Men #23 (Marvel): I’ve admitted it already, but I’ll do so again; see, it needs to be emphasized–especially since I was such a tough customer: I like what Bendis is doing on both X-books.  That’s right: I’m a believer!  And not simply on the strength of one or two issues of each; no, I’d still be cautious–maybe even rude–with such a small sampling.  After several issues of each–of All-New and Uncanny–I haven’t had a single thing to complain about!  Well, it’s more than just not having something to complain about: Bendis has found the all-important balance between the serious and the silly that must be struck in order for the X-Men to work.  Works for me.
• Black Market #1 (BOOM!): I haven’t really liked anything I’ve read from Frank Barbiere (Five Ghosts, White Suits); but, as I tried those, I’ll probably try this one.
• Dicks: End of Time #2: I hope I score the offensive cover!  Honesty: I felt like a jerk buying it, more so while reading it, and totally after.  Yup, I’m Super Wanker!
• Harbinger #25 (Valiant): Here comes Harada!  Doesn’t look like he’s gonna Toyo with Peter any longer.  Ouch.  Sorry for that.  Speaking of ouch: plenty of ouch potential here, right?  I mean, anniversary issues usually suck.  A gaggle of special guests usually results in an overpriced mess, doesn’t it?  Hoping for more.
• The Last Broadcast #3 (Archaia): Thus far, The Last Broadcast has been a magical experience!  In fact, we’re going to be celebrating #2 as a top book of June, you know, when we finally get around to it.  Seriously, though, Andre Sirangelo and Gabriel Iumazark have pieced together an engrossing mystery that plays like a Polanski film (Frantic, The Ninth Gate).  (Hey, I might use that in my Top 5 review…)

• The Devilers #1 (Dynamite): If I see Joshua Hale Fialkov’s name on a book, I’m going to buy the book.  Where he’s at now (The Bunker, The Life After), odds are good this’ll be hella good.

Avery’s Picks of the Week:

• Scribblenauts Unmasked: A Crisis of Imagination #7 (DC): She’s got the first six, so there’s no stopping now–even if she has no idea what’s going on.  After all, we’re a family of completists.  Unless a book really sucks, of course.

• Littlest Pet Shop #3 (IDW): The first two were cute enough.
• Doodle Jump #2 (Dynamite): Oh, Avery’s going to totally jump for Doodle!  What is Doodle Jump, you ask?  It’s Q-bert on drugs.  Well, Q-bert on more drugs.

What are you looking forward to this week?

Turning pages,

Scott