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This Week's Essential Comics: 10/6/14

These are the comics you're looking for!

Ladies and gentlemen, this is a great week to be a comics fan! On TV, we'll have new episodes of Gotham, The Flash, Arrow, and The Walking Dead. Additionally, New York Comic-Con begins this Thursday and we'll hopefully we'll see you there. That alone is exciting enough, but how could anyone forget about the medium where all of these stories and characters began?! There's a whole lot of appealing comics coming out this Wednesday and we want to make sure some of the big ones are your radar. We've looked over the latest list of new releases and we'll tell you which ones we're stoked to check out and why. Once you're all set seeing what we recommend, go ahead and visit the comments section so you can tell the world what you're excited to read. Seriously, if you think something is getting sold short, show it some love in the comments. Maybe that'll inspire someone to pick it up. Now, let's see what the staff picked!

Tony "G-Man" Guerrero's picks

BATMAN #35

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Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo are not slowing down. With an ominous title like Endgame, there’s no telling what this arc could be about. The fact that the story has managed to remain a secret all this time is simply fantastic. Scott did tease a little on our podcast recently.

Are we just supposed to assume this will be another home run for Snyder and Capullo? That’s an easy assumption to make based on their track record. I can say that I have read the issue and we will have a spoiler-y interview on Wednesday with Snyder about the issue. It’s something people should easily enjoy.

Visit USA Today for an extra preview page.

WYTCHES #1

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On the same podcast mentioned above, Scott Snyder gave us his view on witches and the supernatural. He gave a good indication as to what you can expect in this series. We were able to post an early review for this and it’s every bit as good and disturbing as you would expect from Snyder and Jock.

This isn’t just a gruesome horror story. There is an actual story and characters you can get to know. Just be ready for that creepy sinking feeling that something really bad is going to happen. It’s a great story with spectacular art.

BIRTHRIGHT #1

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Joshua Williamson has been on a roll lately. With successes with GHOSTED and NAILBITER, he’s not letting up. BIRTHRIGHT is his next comic that’s ready to blow you away.

The story deals with the disappearance of a young child. You might think you know how the story will go but it does take quite a turn. The missing child does return and it’s not what anyone expects. As if that wasn’t enough, be ready for yet another twist. Like I said, Williamson is not holding back.

To go along with this story, we get some pretty amazing art by Andrei Bressan. Don’t miss out on this.

BATGIRL #35

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Are you ready for the all-new Batgirl? It’s still the same Batgirl we had. It’s still Barbara Gordon. DC is giving the book a makeover and there’s a new creative team consisting of Cameron Stewart, Brenden Fletcher and Babs Tarr. This is a book a lot of people have been talking about. DC is shaking things up and trying some different things. Chances are this is one that will fly off the shelves so you’ll want to make sure you pick it up to see what all the buzz has been about.

Go to The A.V. Club for two more pages.

CHILLING ADVENTURES OF SABRINA #1

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Archie Comics are not just for kids. In fact, this comic is absolutely not for kids. Following in the footsteps of AFTERLIFE WITH ARCHIE, Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa is giving us another dark telling of a familiar character. It should be noted this is NOT in the same universe or continuity of AFTERLIFE. It’s a different alternate world set in the 1960s. We were able to read and review this one early and it’s pretty fantastic.

AVENGERS AND X-MEN: AXIS #1

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Whether you like them or hate them, big events are hard to ignore. This is a story that Rick Remender has been setting up since UNCANNY AVENGERS first started. With Red Skull in possession of the deceased Charles Xavier’s telepathy, he’s on a rampage to turn everything upside down. With other repercussions headed our way and a bunch of spin off series, this is a series you’ll want to keep tabs on to see how it affects the entire Marvel Universe.

Mat "Inferiorego" Elfring's picks

XO MANOWAR #0

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ARMOR HUNTERS just wrapped up and the Valiant universe is completely changed. Everything has REALLY changed about Aric and how his armor works with him as well. Frankly, I can't wait to see the aftermath of one of the most enjoyable events of the past few years. Robert Venditti has done a stellar job with this series and it's the best Valiant has to offer, and that's saying a lot. I'm tired of being a broken record and saying "buy this book." I will now resort to threats. I'm going to tell your parents that your recent job fired you and your girlfriend or boyfriend left you because you had a bad attitude. Your parents will be so mad, unless you buy X-O MANOWAR.

GHOSTED #14

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Oh, is it time for my current favorite on-going series to come back out? It is? GOOD. I'm loving this new story line involving Trick's (RIP) son and the idea of haunting people as your death wish. Listen, there's a lot of good books for you to pick up every week, but let me give you reason to get this one. It's a mixture of horror and heist with a dash of humor. There's nothing else like it on the shelves, and if you're someone already enjoying NAILBITER from Image, you should be reading this because it's the same writer. By the way, if you also don't buy this, the same threat from above applies. I have all of your parent's home phone numbers.

Honorable Mention: PUNKS THE COMIC #1

Gregg "k4tz" Katzman's picks

HAWKEYE VS. DEADPOOL #1

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Okay, it's disappointing that there hasn't been a big brawl between these two just yet (maybe that'll change in this chapter?), but writer Gerry Duggan's sharp script more than makes up for that. This limited series takes some of the best elements from Wade and Clint's books and puts them into one hugely entertaining story. It has the clever humor and creative visuals that HAWKEYE delivers and it has plenty of the laughs you'd expect from the merc with a mouth's book -- we even spotted his supporting cast in the last chapter. Could we see more of them? I definitely hope so! If you take a look at the preview, you'll see Matteo Lolli's artwork is a solid fit for the lighthearted ride, too. Give Duggan a comic with Deadpool and there's a 150% chance I'll buy it; the guy does such a great job with the character.

ALIEN VS. PREDATOR: FIRE AND STONE #1

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Look, I'm going to be completely honest here: I have no idea if this will be an amazing return of the AvP franchise. However, what I do know is I'm ridiculously excited for it and the preview absolutely has me interested in seeing more. First and foremost, there's the simple fact that I adore the joining of these two franchises. It's full of so much sci-fi action goodness and, with Ariel Olivetti's artwork, you know it's going to look awesome. Seeing as this will connect to the other limited series titles Dark Horse is bringing back (Prometheus, Aliens, Predator), I'm curious to see what Christopher Sebela will do to expand the scope of this story. You know, when he's not busy making these glorious aliens kill one another or anyone unfortunate enough to get in their way, that is! Dark Horse, you've made me such a happy person by bringing these franchises back and I'm so excited to see what this chapter will dish out. Now, go appreciate Olivetti's artwork in the preview below!

THE PUNISHER #11

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Frank Castle's surrounded by total scum in a prison and chaos is about to erupt back in Los Angeles? Yeah, this new story has my undivided attention. Nathan Edmondson has been doing an excellent work keeping Castle's book fast-paced and oh-so-exciting. Now that some major plot points are in motion, I'm curious to see how it'll all play out for ol' Frank and his supporting cast. Plus, Mitch Gerads always creates some appropriately striking and vivid pages. I mean, just take a look at how he handles those guards assaulting Frank!

Honorable Mentions: NEW SUICIDE SQUAD #3, TRANSFORMERS VS GI JOE #3

Corey "Undeadpool" Schroeder's picks

CAPTAIN MARVEL #8

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We now return to more HI-LARIOUS hijinks on That Flerken Cat! Starring Carol Danvers, Rocket Raccoon and, of course, CHEWIE! That Flerken Cat is filmed in front of a cosmic studio audience. Last issue showed us that not only were Rockets accusations against little Chewie true, but they now have unexpected, bizarre consequences. So while we're now all waiting for answers and to see how this impacts the future of the title, I have no doubt that Kelly-Sue DeConnick will craft a compelling, delightful narrative about a...space cat and Marcio Takara's visuals will no doubt continue to be a highlight as well.

AVENGERS #36

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Whatever's happening when Time Runs Out is apparently bleeding out from NEW AVENGERS into Jonathan Hickman's mainline Avengers team. And whiel the rumor mill is furious working away what this could all be leading up to, Hickman hasn't steered the series in a predictable nor dull direction yet, so anything (and I mean that more literally than mots times) is possible. After a head-scratching storyarc that had a fair amount of payoff at the end, I'm hoping for something a little easier to comprehend up front but regardless, I can't turn down the return of Stefano Caselli to Hickman's Avengers.

AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #8

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Ms. Marvel crossing over with Spidey under the auspices of Dan Slott? You HAD me at Ms. Marvel crossing over! I may not have fully agreed with all the decisions made since the renumbering, but it has, at its heart, been a thrilling, character-driven ride and that's all I really need from my Spidey titles on a regular basis. Series regular Giuseppe Camuncoli is sticking around to led his edgy, jagged style to the further adventures of Peter Parker, and APPARENTLY we're getting a visit from across the pond (and the dimensional barrier) from a character I had no idea existed but now desperately want to know everything about: SPIDER UK!

Honorable Mention: BATMAN ETERNAL #27

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