It’s a great week for new comics!  You’ll definitely want to stop by the store this week, and if you do make sure to pick up your HeroesCon tickets if you haven’t already.  We’re only a few weeks away from the big show, and all of us at Heroes hope you’re there to enjoy it with us!  Until then, on to the week’s new releases!

1) Rocketeer Adventures #1

IDW assembles a who’s who of popular creators to tell all new stories featuring the late great Dave Stevens’ most famous creation. This issue alone features contributions from the likes of Mike Allred, Kurt Busiek, John Cassaday, Michael Kaluta, Mike Mignola, and Jim Silke. I must say, that cover from Alex Ross also stands out as one of the finest pieces I’ve seen him paint in a while.

2) Batman: Gates of Gotham #1

This five issue series has garnered a good bit of advanced acclaim.  Scott Snyder has been building up a solid reputation on books like American Vampire and his recent run on Detective Comics.  Here he teams with co-writer Kyle Higgins and artist Trevor McCarthy to tell a story of Gotham City’s dark past.  Many creators have treated Gotham City like a character in Batman stories.  It should be interesting to see how this trio tells their own story of the city’s history and how it turned dark over time.

3) Alpha Flight #.1

A new Alpha Flight book is always a welcome sight for fans of the classic Canadian super team.  This  new title apparently spins out of Fear Itself, and features the fan favorite original lineup as interpreted by scribes Greg Pak and Fred Van Lente, and artist Ben Oliver.

4) Liar’s Kiss HC

I’ve been hearing about this new graphic novel from Top Shelf for quite some time.  HeroesCon guest Eric Skillman not only wrote the book, but also designed it (along with Alec: The Years Have Pants, The Playwright, and numerous dvds for the Criterion Collection).  For this particular crime noir tale he teams with artist Jhomar Soriano.  The book has been building a lot of buzz, so make sure to check it out, then talk to Eric Skillman at HeroesCon in a few weeks!

5) Ultimate Avengers vs. New Ultimates #4/Ultimate Spider-man #158

Marvel’s Death of Spider-man stories in the Ultimate universe have been selling like crazy.  This week there are two more chapters in the story.  Marvel has already talked about how everything Ultimates will be changing over the next few months.  With all the recent titles all selling out and going to second printings, make sure to pick these up while you can!

>Bonus Picks of the Week: Hawkeye: Blind Spot #4, Snake Eyes #1, Hulk #33, Zatanna #13, and Chester Brown’s Paying For It.