HEATHER’S PICK :: AME-COMI: BATGIRL #1: I am so in love with these adorable comics about the ladies of the DC Universe. To make these comics even better, this month’s Batgirl story features Heroes regular and favorite, Sanford Greene on both the cover and interiors. Barbara Gordon (Batgirl) and her cousin, Carrie (Robin) are taking a break from crime-fighting to focus on concerts and fun, but their night is interrupted by one of my top villains, Poison Ivy, who is joined by friends out for a bad time, rather than the good time our off-duty heroines had in mind.

JUSTIN’S PICK :: FANTASTIC FOUR #1 :: Based on the preview book that accompanied the kickoff of Marvel NOW a few weeks ago, the new Fantastic Four title is getting back to basics, that is: a family of adventurers, adventuring. In just four pages, writer Matt Fraction demonstrated he can ably handle the dynamics of bickering relatives. As for stalwart penciller Mark Bagley, he’s won me over after years of indifference, and his ever-improving style looks great on Marvel’s first family. Pick this one up and get in on the ground floor.

KARLA’S PICK :: THE BOYS #72:

“Job done. The end of a long, long road, and I have to say I enjoyed every step along it.” – Garth Ennis

“We told you it was going to hurt!” – Darick Robertson

SETH’S PICK :: THOR: GOD OF THUNDER #1: Of all the Marvel Now offerings, I’m putting my money on this one (and Hickman’s Avengers) as being the most promising.  Writer Jason Aaron produced consistently solid work on Wolverine, Wolverine: Weapon X, and most recently on Wolverine and the X-men, the latter of which maintained its entertainment value throughout the mammoth Avengers vs. X-men storyline.  Artist Esad Ribic won over a lot of fans with his work on Uncanny X-force, but he’d been making quality comics long before that.  The story focuses on a serial killer of gods, and will cover many different eras past, present and future of Thor and Asgard.  In addition to Thor, Jason Aaron fans should remember that the final volume of his excellent crime series Scalped (vol. 10 – Trail’s End) also hits shelves on Wednesday.

Even when you work at a comic shop, sometimes you forget when a new book is hitting shelves.  You might even read over the New Releases the Friday before a new shipment comes in, and still manage to overlook something good.  It’s not until you’re unpacking new comics that you see it and think, “How did I miss that?”  This is what happened to me a few weeks ago with Dark Horse’s new release of Shaolin Cowboy Adventure Magazine.  Like many of you, I also live on a budget.  Yeah, it’s the first Shaolin Cowboy book to be produced in years, and sure it’s got art from creator Geof Darrow and Gary Gianni, but should I spend $15.99 on it this week?

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HEATHER’S PICK :: BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER WILLOW WONDERLAND #01:
What a great way to follow Halloween with this witch centered miniseries starring Sunnydale’s own Willow Rosenburg as she enters a new dimension on her journey to restore magic to our world.  Will she be successful or will Dark Willow get the better of her once again?

Maybe I shouldn’t use the Heroes blog to push books I’ve worked on but darn it, I’m proud of these two books I colored that are coming out this week!

RICO’S PICK(S) :: X-MEN #38: The solicitations say this one is written by Brian Wood and David Lopez but I’m here to let you know that is incorrect my friends. X-Men #38 is written by Seth Peck and it features almost no X-Men! This issue a old-fashioned team up featuring Daredevil and Domino. The art is provided by Paul Azaceta and myself, check out page 1 below.

STUMPTOWN #3: Greg Rucka and Matthew Southworth’s Stumptown really heats up this issue. The twists and turns are picking up and the action is coming to a head. Grab the first two issues of this while we have them and pick #3 up when it comes out this Wednesday. I think you’ll agree, Dex Parios is one of the most well developed and likable characters in comics.

JUSTIN’S PICK :: RAGEMOOR HC: Jan Strnad and Richard Corben conjure an atmospheric tale of true horror within the walls of Ragemoor, a living, sentient castle. Along the way they hit notes sci-fi and crime, too. If you passed up this four-issue miniseries in favor of the inevitable collection, your wait is over. If you picked up the singles and just want a good looking book to brag about on your bookshelf, this’ll suit your needs.

ANDY’S PICK :: SANDMAN TP VOL 10 THE WAKE NEW EDITION:
The Sandman by Neil Gaiman is one of the most influential series in the history of comics. In my opinion, its most important influence is the way it has been produced and distributed. Sandman was one of the first (if not the first) on-going comic series to be collected and published in trade paperback form while the series was still running. Today, that is the publishing norm and I believe we have the quality (and quantity) of Sandman to thank for it. It remains in print to this very day. In fact, there are two Sandman related titles in this week’s New Releases. The one I recommend is:

Sandman Volume 10–The Wake– the final volume of the regular series. It collects Sandman issues 70-75 and it is my absolute favorite story arc concerning Lord Morpheus, the Master of Dreams and his family–the Endless. The jaw-dropping art is by Michael Zulli, John Jay Muth and Charles Vess–sort of a Consequential Art Murderer’s Row. Yes, The Wake is an certainly an ending; but it is also a beginning and then ol’ Will Shakespeare guest stars in one of the most unique and satisfying codas in comic history. So until Wesley Dodds stops eating Pork & Beans and is able to ditch the WWI Mask, Make Mine Morpheus