JASON’S PICK :: BATMAN #12: Scott Snyder started writing Detective Comics when it was Dick Grayson under Batman’s cowl (which he discussed in depth at this year’s HeroesCon!), but he didn’t miss a beat with Bruce Wayne’s return and the jump to writing Batman with the launch of DC’s “New 52.” This issue wraps up Snyder’s game-changing “Court of Owls” storyline/crossover and sets the stage for the coming year of stories. With the Joker’s return in the “Death of the Family” storyline coming soon, it’ll be exciting to see what kind of hints and teases Snyder throws at us in this issue.

HEATHER’S PICK :: BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER: SEASON 9 #12: Since the major world changes from Season Eight, Buffy has had a lot going on as she adjusts to life in post-Twilight era.  (That’s Season Eight’s Big Bad, not the sparkling vamp series.)  Supernatural foes have been replaced by typical post-college woes: maintaining steady employment and paying off student loans.  Slayer training is now put to practical use in a special security gig that brings back one of my favorite Big Bads from the Angel side of the Buffyverse: Wolfram & Hart (oh, those evil lawyers!!).  Come for the beautiful Phil Noto covers and stay for the great storytelling within.

DOUG’S PICK :: BEFORE WATCHMEN: OZYMANDIAS  #2: Jae Lee art!  Jae Lee art!  Jae Lee art!  Need I say more?  Ozymandias is the best of the Before Watchmen books and the closest in tone to the original series.

MATT’S PICK :: ADVENTURE TIME: MARCELINE AND THE SCREAM QUEENS #02: The girls take the show on the road and Jake is in charge of The Candy Kingdom?  Mathematical!

ANDY’S PICK :: Scott Pilgrim Color Hardcover Volume 1: Precious Little Life: Two years ago the Heroes Discussion Group met to discuss Scott Pilgrim and we had a blast. Why? Because the black and white series is so fast paced, so fun and Bryan Lee O’Malley is terrific cartoonist who combines manga comics, rock music and video games. Now O’Malley has taken the first volume Precious Little Life and has reproduced it in full color. If you didn’t try Scott Pilgrim the first time through, now’s your chance. Read it, then see the movie, then thank me (in that order)

SETH’S PICK :: GRENDEL OMNIBUS: HUNTER ROSE  VOL. 1 TP: Like The Rocketeer, Love and Rockets and HeroesCon, Matt Wagner’s Grendel is also celebrating its 30th Anniversary this year.  With its numerous incarnations and span of eras covered, Grendel can be a tough series to tackle.  This first omnibus offers everything you need to enter the world of the author-turned-criminal mastermind, Hunter Rose.  This volume collects Devil By The Deed, the entire Behold the Devil series, and Black, White, & Red, and Red, White, & Black, two excellent miniseries featuring artists like Mike Allred, Duncan Fegredo, Stan Sakai, Scott Morse, Jill Thompson, Ashley Wood, Cliff Chiang and more.  Plus, the volume collects 600 pages of material for only $24.99.  This sometimes experimental, often times violent look at a man’s descent into crime is well worth your time and money this week.

RICO’S PICK :: MICHAEL ALLRED’S IT GIRL AND THE ATOMICS #1 : Jaime S. Rich and Mike Norton take the reigns on a few of Mike Allred’s creations in this new ongoing title from Image. Rich has a track record of working on quality projects with quality people dating back to his days as Editor-In-Chief at Oni Press and he has been editing Allred’s Madman family of comics for years now. If you’re looking for fun superheroes who ponder things like the silliness inherent in their own genre while fighting crime, beautifully drawn by Mike Norton, check this book out! (Image below is Darwyn Cooke’s alternate cover. Check out an interview with Rich and few preview pages of the book here.)

My love for the character of Hawkeye is well documented in the annals of the Heroes blog, so I won’t bore you with repetition.  I will, however, mention that I’m not usually the kind of reader who will buy up every comic bearing the character’s name.  Hawkeye’s solo comics have been all over the map in terms of quality.  Hearing the news about the latest ongoing series brought some youthful reminiscence about how I’ve enjoyed the character, but also some understandably cautious optimism.  This is, after all, a Hawkeye book.