1) Avengers Assemble #1

This new title from Brian Bendis and Mark Bagley features all of the heroes appearing in the upcoming Avengers movie, and appears to be a stand alone, continuity-free venture.  In other words, if you’ve been hesitant to pick up Avengers but found yourself intrigued by the trailers for the film, this is a great book to pick up.  Even better, we’re offering the rare Heroes Variant for issue #1!  It’s only available for purchase in the store or at the Heroes online store, and features different cover art from Khoi Pham alongside a nifty banner for HeroesCon!  The Heroes variant hits stands for the first time this Wednesday alongside the rest of the week’s new releases.

2) Saga #1

Image ushers in Brian K. Vaughan’s return to comics this week with his new ongoing series Saga.  The new title features art from Fiona Staples, and is very much in a science fiction vein, while still focusing on a central cast of a young family in the midst of a war.  Early reviews of the book have been very positive, and if you followed Vaughan’s earlier efforts like Y: The Last Man or Ex Machina, you should definitely enjoy this new venture.

3) Corto Maltese: The Ballad of the Salt Sea TP

One of Europe’s most popular comics finally sees a new American printing this week.  Corto Maltese is among the finest representations of European comics, and probably the best known work from illustrator Hugo Pratt.  It also happenes to be one of comics’ most influential adventure stories.  This introductory volume features the first appearances of the character, and are the perfect place to jump onboard and learn about this classic character.

4) Saucer Country #1

Vertigo is launching several new titles over the next few months.  This one by Paul Cornell and Ryan Kelly follows a Governor who was abducted by aliens and decides to run for President in part to ward off an alien threat.  The combination of politics and science fiction makes this book one that should work nicely at Vertigo.

5) Monstermen and Other Scary Stories HC

Another great find this week is this lesser known gem from illustrator Gary Gianni.  Dark Horse collects these tales that feature Gianni’s take on all things adventure and horror, including pirates, monsters, ghosts and more.  Gianni recently took the reins on the classic Prince Valiant strip, and has contributed notably to comics over the years with work ranging from The Shadow and Batman, to Tom Strong and Indiana Jones. This collection of his own characters is a long time coming, and a perfect book for horror fans.

> Bonus Picks of the Week: Womanthology Heroic HC, Adventure Time #2, Complete Crumb TP vol. 1, Conan the Barbarian #2, Wolverine and the X-men #7, Lobster Johnson: The Burning Hand #3, and Secret History of D.B. Cooper #1.