1) Avengers Academy #7

Perhaps the most underrated of the ever-increasing family of Avengers titles, Avengers Academy has done an admirable job of introducing a bunch of new characters and an interesting premise.  With a cast of dangerous characters, the stories read more like a Junior Thunderbolts title than something like Young Avengers.  Hardcore Avengers purists should especially take note of this issue as Hank Pym finally gets rid of his recent unpopular Wasp identity and finally returns to the Giant Man garb.

2) Black Panther Man Without Fear #513

In the post-Shadowland Marvel Universe, it’s the Black Panther who will be subbing for Daredevil as the protector of Hell’s Kitchen.  Writer David Liss and artist Francesco Francavilla helm this new direction for both the Panther and the long running Daredevil title.  While this book should appeal to longtime fans of  the classic Avenger, hopefully new fans will turn up to see what could be a unique take on the character.  Apparently Panther is no longer the King of Wakanda and his access to Wakandan vibranium and technology is severely limited.

3) John Byrne’s Next Men #1

John Byrne takes his Next Men title to IDW in this new relaunch.  Fans of Byrne and his creator-owned properties should take note of this new series.  For those unfamiliar with the original series, it kind of resembles what the X-Men might have looked and sounded like had Byrne been writing them.

4) Conan: Road to Kings

Roy Thomas returns to writing Conan alongside artists Mike Hawthorne and John Lucas. While it’s cool to see Thomas back with Conan, even more exciting is the fact that this series features Conan battling pirates!  Who wouldn’t want to see that?

5) Green Lantern/Plastic Man: Weapons of Mass Deception #1

Of DC‘s new releases, this 56 page one shot looks pretty entertaining.  Veteran creators Marv Wolfman and Brent Anderson document this unlikely pairing of heroes as they attempt to thwart an alien threat.

> Bonus Picks of the Week: Amazing Spider-Man #650, the Occultist #1, Metalocalypse Dethklok #2, Superman: Secret Origin HC, DeadpoolMax #3, Batman and Robin #18, and Wolverine #4