1. THE WALKING DEAD #101
After the shocking death of
[Spoiler - Highlight To Read] Glen [End Spoiler] in last month's landmark issue of
The Walking Dead, there's no way that the latest instalment from writer Robert Kirkman and artist Charlie Adlard is anything other than the most essential purchase of the week. What will Rick Grimes and the rest of the survivors do now that Negan (and "Lucille") has given them his ultimatum? They're outnumbered and out-gunned, and it looks as this will be the first time that Rick will have no other choice than give in to this new baddie's demands; an extremely interesting and exciting shift in the status quo of the series.
2. DAREDEVIL #17
Mark Waid's
Daredevil has been one of Marvel's best titles on a monthly basis, and it appears as if this latest issue will be no different. Following the shocking revelation at the end of last month's issue (which showed that Matt Murdock may still have some serious issues despite a new cheery outlook on life), the plot will surely continue to thicken, although that's far from the only thing to be excited about. Eisner Award Winning Artist Mike Allred - who actually sent a letter into the title requesting a chance to pencil an issue a few month agos - will be on art duties in a story which sees Daredevil facing off against classic villain, Stilt-Man!
3. GREEN LANTERN #12
As "The Third Army" event draws near, a recent preview for
Green Lantern #12 revealed that the Guardians of Oa are indeed plotting to destroy their own Corps (as well as the others) in order to replace them with a new force. As that storyline continues to develop, Hal Jordan and Sinestro are on Earth facing off against the insane Black Hand, who is once again in possession of a black power ring after freeing himself from the Indigo Tribe. Geoff Johns continues his epic run on the series (which started way before "The New 52" relaunch) as Renato Guedes (
Uncanny X-Force) replaces Doug Mahnke on artwork duties for this issue.
4. AVENGERS VS. X-MEN #10
Despite some fantastic issues,
Avengers Vs. X-Men hasn't quite lived up to the hype so far.
Avengers Vs. X-Men #9 finally put Spider-Man in the spotlight, although that wasn't quite as strong a chapter as some may have hoped. While Adam Kubert's art is as good as ever, Olivier Coipel's stunning issues were a hard act to follow and it simply doesn't quite match up. However, with Ed Brubaker on writing duties, it should be very interesting to see where things go from here as the series gets closer to its conclusion. The final two members of the Phoenix Five sees Cyclops head to K'un L'un to retrieve Hope and Emma Frost spiral out of control...
5. BEFORE WATCHMEN: RORSCHACH #1
The controversial
Before Watchmen prequels haven't been perfect so far, but the majority of issues have been of a fairly high standard, and an essential read for fans of the original Alan Moore/Dave Gibbons series. This week finally sees fan favourite character Rorschach get the spotlight, and while it is as shrouded in secrecy as ever, this prequel should definitely shed some light on the mentally unbalanced hero who eventually makes the ultimate sacrifice in
Watchmen. With an incredible creative team like Brian Azzarello (
100 Bullets) and Lee Bermejo (
Batman: Noël), even sceptics should consider checking this one out.
THE BEST OF THE REST...
6. CAPTAIN MARVEL #2
7. AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #691
8. UNCANNY X-FORCE #29
9. DARK AVENGERS #179
10. WONDER WOMAN #12