Top 5 Comic Picks Week of 11/23/11

Wolverine and the X-Men #2 Cover courtesy Marvel.com

Top 5 Comic Picks Week of 11/23/11

Wolverine and the X-Men #2

Logan rebuilt the X-School in Westchester but will it be destroyed the first day of class? The new Hellfire Club leaves a nasty surprise underneath the academy.  Issue 1 was full of surprises with a heavy dose of humor and fun. It looks like the action kicks in this issue as the smarmy Black King of the Hellfire Club unleashes a monster that looks an awfully lot like Krakoa, the mutant living island from Giant Size X-Men #1. Krakoa’s capture of the original team was responsible for the formation of the “new” X-men including Wolverine.

Fantastic Four #600

The 50th Anniversary of Marvel’s First Family. Fans have seen big changes to the book and team during Jonathan Hickman’s run. With the Human Torch lost, Spider Man joined the team. Reed renamed the team the Future Foundation. No one stays dead in comics so could this celebration story arc lead to the return of Johnny Storm? There’s another way to celebrate the milestone with the recently released Fantastic Four Omnibus showcasing the legendary run of writer/artist John Byrne. Current writer Jonathan Hickman and Byrne both were masters at capturing the sense of adventure. Both writers were not afraid to shake up the team dynamic.

Batman Dark Knight #3

Fear takes over Gotham City after a toxin boosts the powers of its most notorious villains. Batman’s brawl with a supersized Two-Face last issue was brutal.  This issue a hero becomes infected and the trail leads to the sexy White Rabbit. Is this new temptress behind the plot that’s making Batman’s Rogues Gallery more powerful and dangerous than ever?

Astonishing X-Men 4

Storm sporting her former Mohawk and locking lips with Cyclops – it was the teaser cover that got fans buzzing about Greg Pak taking over the title. Pak is known for his epic Planet Hulk and X-Men: Phoenix: Endsong epics. With Storm in her late 1980’s look, I’m suspecting this will be another cross-time adventure with X-Men from different timelines. It’s been done. But Pak knows how to tell action packed stories with a science fiction edge so I’m in!

Teen Titans #3

Teen Titans #3 from DC Comics. Art by Brett Booth.

A new gay superhero debuts this week. Bunker joins the Teen Titans with issue number three. When the new character was introduced online creators said Bunker would be openly gay and flamboyant. The teaser sparked scorn, praise and controversy. This week you can grab the new issue and decide for yourself.

Bunker is a Mexican teen named Miguel Barragan with the power to build brick like force fields and he likes to wear purple. Scott Lobdell and Brett Booth created this new character to join established DC teen heroes like Red Robin, Wonder Girl and Kid Flash.