JUSTIN’S PICK :: SAVIORS #1: It’s a light week this Christmas at the comic book store, with the usual suspects of the Justice League and the Avengers ready to stuff your stockings. But for those of you who like to wander off the beaten path, Saviors is a book that certainly deserves your attention. An unlikely team of fan favorite creators – writer James Robinson and cartoonist J. Bone – craft an interesting tale of small town boredom, fatal acceptance, casual drug use and a weird, alien menace.  Your guide to Passburg is Tomas Ramirez, a prototypical slacker. When his idyllic life suddenly erupts into a bizarre chase, both he and the reader are caught in a literal cliffhanger. James Robinson requires no paltry accolades from a scrub such as I; J. Bone’s art is, as always, a thing of crystalline beauty. A perfect team on a great book, don’t let this gem get lost in the shuffle.

SETH’S PICK :: ROCKETEER: HOLLYWOOD HORROR #1: Whenever I talk or write about IDW’s new Rocketeer stories, I like to mention my opinion that any artists who work on the character pale in comparison with its creator, Dave Stevens.  No one will ever make Rocketeer stories better than Stevens.  However, I usually follow up that statement with this one:  I love the way IDW has created new stories that both revere and uphold Stevens’ legacy.  Their two volumes of Rocketeer Adventures read like a love letter to Stevens’ creation, and the Mark Waid/Chris Samnee miniseries Cargo of Doom fell right in line with the tradition.  This week IDW offers up an all new miniseries by Roger Langridge and J. Bone, along with Walt Simonson on covers.  Langridge, while known for humor and all ages work, has always had a strong connection with comics’ adventure roots.  Look no further than his excellent John Carter of Mars adaptation for evidence.  J. Bone has done lots of work with Darwyn Cooke, and also provided the covers for DC’s Super Friends title.  If you take his previous comics into consideration, it’s easy to see how well he could bring the Rocketeer’s era to life.  Even though I’ll always love Dave Stevens’ work best, it would be a shame if we were denied new stories of his famous creation.  Thankfully, IDW knows how much people care about Rocketeer, and hires creators who equally value the man and his work.  Let’s hope they will continue to produce quality comics that not only pay homage to Stevens, but allow future generations to be exposed to his genius.