Weekly comic books are a big part of my life and below is a list of what I’ll be picking up this Wednesday along with cover artwork and previews courtesy of Comixology’s Pull List app.

Ten new books on my list this week and a fair number actually aren’t part of the Marvel Universe. The ones that are fall almost entirely under the Avengers vs. X-Men banner.

• AVENGERS #26 – Of all the AvX tie-ins I’m reading, Brian Bendis’ Avengers one is possibly the weakest. It’s not a bad book, but it has some strong competition including Bendis’ New Avengers which is tremendously enjoyable. I have faith that things will pick up here and having Walt Simonson drawing the book makes it a must read.
• AVENGERS ACADEMY #30 – The first AvX issue of this title did little for me until the final pages. Sebastian Shaw has been a ticking time bomb since returning in Generation Hope and it looks like time’s up.
• AVENGERS VS. X-MEN #4 – I’m enjoying this event title well enough, but there have been moments where characters just haven’t seemed like themselves (particularly Cyclops and Captain America). This is clearly a series that I’ll follow to the end, but I’m looking for more of Hope Summers and the Scarlet Witch. Hopefully it’s coming soon.
• AVX VS. #2 – This book delivered exactly what it promised: nothing but fights that spill out of the main AvX series. My chief complaint from the first issue was declaring a winner from each match up when no one really “won.” It’s hard to believe we’re headed for anything but double count-out finish for the whole series.
• JUSTICE LEAGUE #9 – Jim Lee returns to continue the story of the JLA in the current New 52 universe. Admittedly, I didn’t pay a lot of attention to the two issues Lee was away for, and I’m hoping this starts immediately moving toward the events of DC’s Free Comic Book Day issue and Trinity War.
• THE MANHATTAN PROJECTS #3 – Image Comics is publishing a host of great new series as they celebrate their 20th anniversary, and Jonathan Hickman’s The Manhattan Projects is right up my alley with its alternate history, supernatural stuff, and science(!).
• NEW MUTANTS #42 – Part three of the Exiled crossover with Journey Into Mystery. It’s nice to see that not every book is getting pulled into AvX, but it’s been tough keeping up with this crossover as it seems like it’s shipping every week.
• SAGA #3 – Another Image series that’s captured my attention. It’s no surprise given Saga‘s creative team of Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples, and so far this has delivered something remarkable with each issue.
• UNCANNY X-MEN #12 – I really like the way Kieron Gillen is working AvX into his ongoing story. This issue looks to be heavy on the fighting, and unfortunately there’s a lot of that going around this week. Plus it’s another issue featuring Greg Land art.
• X-FACTOR #236 – There’s a lot happening in this book right now with Havok and Madrox’s power struggle, the return of the Isolationist, and a new villain stalking the would-be-heroes of Seattle. All this along with some strong hints that the connection between Longshot and Shatterstar may soon be revealed. My money’s still on Shatterstar as the child of Longshot and Spiral.

Check back every week to see what’s on My Latest Pull List and please share your thoughts on these titles and everything you’re reading this week in the comments.

With this weekend’s premiere of Marvel Studio’s The Avengers (and as part of our month long Standard Deviations series dedicated to the team), we’re taking a look at some past sets of variants shipped to coincide with the premieres of the solo movies featuring the Avengers’ “Big Three:” Iron Man, Thor, and Captain America. In this edition, we spotlight May 2011’s “Thor Goes Hollywood” variants that featured an excellent theme paying homage to some of American cinema’s most iconic films. Just about every image is immediately identifiable whether you’re a film buff or not.

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Every year DC seems to position it’s Free Comic Book Day offering as a preview of one of their upcoming events. Previous FCBD comics have focused on series such as Blackest Night and War of the Supermen. This year DC presented the origin of the new character Pandora who first appeared in the final issue of Flashpoint and went on to appeared in the first issues of every title that was part of the New 52. While this tale was indeed an origin story, it proved to be a secret origin that raised more questions than it answered.

Extensive spoilers will follow in our discussion below.

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Weekly comic books are a big part of my life and below is a list of what I’ll be picking up this Wednesday along with cover artwork and previews courtesy of Comixology’s Pull List app.

Six new books for me including one of the three DC books I follow. I’ll also be checking out IDW’s Frankenstein Alive, Alive! #1 and John Byrne’s Trio #1 with reviews throughout the rest of the week.

• BATMAN #9 – I haven’t read Batman regularly in years, but Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo’s New 52 series may be the best book on comic shop shelves today. Snyder’s run with the character goes back quite a bit and it appears he’s been planting seeds all along the way. As the Bat-titles enter the Night of Owls event, I’m just hoping I don’t miss too much by not reading the other books.
• JOURNEY INTO MYSTERY #637 – Part two of the Exiled crossover with New Mutants. Kieron Gillen’s Asgard series gets a lot of praise, but this is my first time reading it. If his Uncanny X-Men is any indication, I should really enjoy it.
• NEW AVENGERS #26 – I went into the Avengers tie-ins to AvX unsure what to expect and the Iron Fist story in New Avengers has really intrigued me. It’s introducing a previously unrevealed connection being the Phoenix force and the monks of K’un-Lun and Mike Deodato’s art looks fantastic.
• UNCANNY X-FORCE #25 – This book lost some steam coming out of the epic Apocalypse story that ran through the first eighteen issues. The Otherworld story that followed was by no means bad, but everything before it had really raised the stakes for this title. A landmark 25th issues, the start of The Final Execution, and Mike McKone art are just what this title needs.
• WOLVERINE AND THE X-MEN #10 – Last issue was one of the best AvX tie-ins out there and there’s no signs things will be slowing down with an appearance by Cylops.
• X-MEN: LEGACY #266 – AvX hits another X-Men title that I regularly read, and the prospects of Rogue versus She Hulk are epic.

Check back every week to see what’s on My Latest Pull List and please share your thoughts on these titles and everything you’re reading this week in the comments.

In commemoration of the this weekend’s premiere of Marvel’s The Avengers (and as part of our month long Standard Deviations series dedicated to the team), we’re taking a look at some past sets of variants shipped to coincide with the premieres of the solo movies featuring the Avengers’ “Big Three:” Iron Man, Thor and Captain America. The trend of shipping variants throughout the week’s leading up to Marvel’s big screen releases began with 2009’s Wolverine: Origins. As a result, no such cover events coincided the original Iron Man movie in 2008. In this edition, we begin with the May 2010 “Iron Man by Design” variants that shipped to coincide with Iron Man 2. 

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