A clear sign that we're in WWE's "Extreme Rules" season: matches ending with a "flying chair to the throat"on Raw.

We’re back from our short hiatus in time to get ready for tonight’s special three-hour Raw from Detroit, Michigan. With Extreme Rules less than a week away, it’s safe to expect a night full of high risk maneuvers and illegal objects along with a contract signing between John Cena and Brock Lesnar. Last week’s Raw came to us from the land of bangers, mash, and alleged bad teeth, London, England. The crowd was pumped all night, proving that it isn’t only US crowds that are ready to chant loudly throughout the show, and thankfully we can focus on that positive energy as our break will keep us from talking much about the appearance by the “new” Three Stooges two weeks ago.

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New from writer Jonathan Hickman and artist Ryan Bodenheim is Secret, a series that aims to combine industrial espionage with political conspiracy.  Though I’m glad I read its first installment, the book left me somewhat underwhelmed.  Admittedly, Secret #1 was my first introduction to Hickman’s writing.  Given the high level of praise he receives on various comic book forums across the internet, my expectations were rather elevated.
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Image Comics’ Saga is the latest series from writer Brian K. Vaughan (Y: The Last Man) and artist Fiona Staples (Mystery Society).  The first issue, released on March 14, 2012, introduces the story of forbidden lovers, Marko and Alana, from two warring races. The issue witnesses the birth of their child and the family’s attempts to evade capture in order to live out their lives together peacefully.

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Here comes the pain! Brock Lesnar returned to Raw last Monday and went straight at WWE mainstay John Cena.

The night after WrestleMania did not disappoint last Monday as Raw featured some memorable moments with an appearance by the Rock, the debut of Lord Tensai, and of course the return of Brock Lesnar. Unlike last year’s follow up to the big dance, we thankfully did not see any matches booked for WrestleMania 29 in New Jersey, but we did get plenty of possibilities for what we might see as we begin the slow build to next year. While it’s likely we’ll be seeing Lesnar again tonight, the Rock’s contributions last week suggest it might be a while before his next appearance. 

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Marvel’s biggest event of the year is here along with perhaps the most extensive set of variant covers the publisher has ever produced. Avengers versus X-Men promises to be huge in every way, and each of the series’ twelve issues will be wrapped in at least five different covers. Shipping from April to October, these books will feature artwork from some of the industry’s top names, and if nothing else will result in the most massive entry in our Standard Deviations series to date. As “AvX” rolls on, we’ll be updating this post with all of the associated images and commentary you’d find in each installment. Read on to see where it all begins, and be sure to check back regularly as each issue ships!

• UPDATED: April 13th, 2012 with Olivier Coipel’s C2E2 AvX #1 variant.
• UPDATED: April 19th, 2012 with AvX #2.
• UPDATED: May 2nd, 2012 with AvX #3.
• UPDATED: May 16th, 2012 with AvX #4.
• UPDATED: June 6th, 2012 with AvX #5.
• UPDATED: June 20th, 2012 with AvX #6.
• UPDATED: July 7th, 2012 with AvX #7.
• UPDATED: July 19th, 2012 with AvX #8.
• UPDATED: August 1st, 2012 with AvX #9.
• UPDATED: August 15th, 2012 with AvX #10.
• UPDATED: September 14th, 2012 with AvX #11.
• UPDATED: October 3rd, 2012 with AvX #12.

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