1) Shadow #1

Dynamite brings back the popular pulp vigilante this week in a new series from Garth Ennis and Aaron Campbell. Ennis’ gritty style should work well with this violent character and his late ’30’s battles with killers, spies and other ne’er-do-wells.  The first issue also features a wide variety of covers, including art from Alex Ross, Jae Lee, John Cassaday, Francesco Francavilla and Howard Chaykin.

2) Avengers #25

This issue is tied to the massive Avengers vs. X-men series, but it also marks the debut of guest artist Walt Simonson.  Walt will be on board for several months, and it’s great to see him back drawing some of the classic characters he helped to define over the years.  Plus, this marks the last major storyline from Brian Bendis, who will be leaving the book following the big Avengers vs. X-men story.

3) Harvey Pekar: Cleveland HC

Though comics lost one of its truly original voices when Harvey Pekar passed away in 2010, Cleveland reminds us of his continuing relevance.  This posthumous graphic novel illustrated by Joseph Remnant is a typical Pekar work in that it’s filled with reflections on ordinary life.  At the same time, it explores the history of Cleveland, and how Pekar himself observed it through his lifetime.  If you’re a reader who has been wanting to find some good examples of autobiography and memoir in comics, look no further than the works of the late, great Harvey Pekar.

4) Wonder Woman #8

Wonder Woman remains one of the most reliable of DC’s new 52.  It’s a book you can always count on for solid storytelling.  This issue is significant because it sees series artist Cliff Chiang add to his role by becoming co-writer alongside regular writer Brian Azzarello.  Cliff used to edit some of Vertigo’s top titles before gaining renown as an artist, so his writing should only make this already good book even better.

5) Uncanny X-force #24

This issue from Rick Remender and guest artist Phil Noto focuses on Wolverine and his covert ops squad hunting down the Iceman from the Age of Apocalypse storyline, who recently wound up in our reality.  If you want to see more Nightcrawler and an Iceman with full control of his abilities, this should be a fun book for you.  The fact that Phil Noto provided art for this issue makes it well worth a look, even if you’re new to this series.

> Bonus Picks of the Week: Avengers vs. X-men #2, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Micro Series #4: Leonardo, Batman #8, Wolverine and the X-men #9, Justice Leage #8, Secret History of D.B. Cooper #2, Manhattan Projects #2 and Rocketeer Adventures 2 #2.