1. WINTER SOLDIER #8
Ed Brubaker has always been best suited to espionage tales, and while he prepares to wrap up his epic run on
Captain America before the Marvel NOW! relaunch, the news that he will be staying with
Winter
Soldier came as a huge relief to fans. Since he returned in 2004, Bucky has become a fan favourite character and many were left seething when he was seemingly killed off in the pages of
Fear Itself. However, he faked his death and has since been operating in the shadows, and this arc - with art from the brilliant Michael Lark - looks set to be one of the best yet as the former sidekick hunts down the killer of Fred Davis (who now has his hands on the Black Widow). To say much more would spoil what looks set to be another incredible arc, so be sure to make it a priority purchase tomorrow.
2. GREEN LANTERN #11
Green Lantern is easily one of DC's best titles (as it was even before "The New 52" relaunch) and the decision by writer Geoff Johns to turn the book into a buddy cop team-up between Hal Jordan and Sinestro has been a genius one. Following the conclusion of the arc focusing on the Indigo Tribe, issue #11 kicks off "The Revenge of Black Hand" as the villain once again has his hands on a black power ring. As this exciting arc plays out (described in the solicitation as having the most shocking conclusion ever), we should also see the mysterious plan of the Guardians continue to develop as we near the highly anticipated "The Third Army" event. Will Hal and Sinestro survive? They haven't been included in any of the promotional images for that story, so this is most definitely a must-buy - especially with pencils by the brilliant Doug Mahnke.
3. UNCANNY X-FORCE #28
Since its launch, Rick Remender's
Uncanny X-Force has easily been one of Marvel's best titles. While the future of the title is unclear as we head into the Marvel NOW! relaunch, the stakes have never felt higher (even during the "Dark Angel Saga") than they do now that the team is facing off against a brand new Brotherhood of Evil Mutants led by Wolverine's son, Daken. Fantomex has already fallen victim to them - it appears as if he really is dead if the events of last issue were anything to go by - and X-Force have now escaped into the future where a recent preview revealed that they are met by Deathlok and seemingly pursued by Cable and Hope Summers. With stunning artwork from Julian Totino Tedesco, now is the time to pick up this fantastic series as the plot continues to thicken.
4. AQUAMAN #11
Another Geoff Johns title in the top five this week as his reinvention of Aquaman (a character considered a joke by many - something the writer has cleverly pointed out several times in the series itself) continues. "The Other League" shows a totally different side to Arthur Curry when his mysterious past is revealed - you see, it turns out that the Justice League wasn't the first team that he was a part of! Their battle with Black Manta nears its conclusion in this fifth instalment of the arc after the revelation that the hero killed the villain's father by mistake in a fit of rage many years ago. Johns also shines the spotlight on the rest of the team, making this a very interesting read with the fantastic artwork you would expect from Ivan Reis.
5. HIT-GIRL #2
With many of Mark Millar's comic books currently being brought to the big screen, reading a title like
Hit-Girl offers up an idea of what we should expect to see when it's adapted to live action (especially as Millar and
Kick-Ass 2 director Jeff Wadlow have already said that this series will play a big role in the film). Regardless, that takes nothing away from just how great a read the first issue of this series was and the second instalment looks set to continue to impress. Serving as both a solid standalone tale and a way of filling in the gaps between the two core volumes, there's no reason why you shouldn't be buying this book. John Romita Jr.'s pencils are perfectly suited to a series like this, and as with
Kick-Ass 2, this series features some of his best work yet.
THE BEST OF THE REST...
6. AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #690
7. FLASH #11
8. BEFORE WATCHMEN: COMEDIAN #2
9. VENOM #21
10. INCREDIBLE HULK #11