Comics:

DISTRICT X #13

Writer David Hine continues to shine in the first of the two-part "One of Us", involving a stand-off between a young mutant and Mutant Town police with Bishop caught in the middle. If you've been avoiding jumping on this book because of the six-month story arcs, this shorter arc is your chance to give it a try! While not historically the most popular or even more interesting X-Men characters, Bishop, whose main shtick has typically been reduced to man-out-of-time syndrome with just a hint of macho chest-puffing, has been fleshed out into a more fully-realized character who utilizes his future-cop skills for solving crime rather than pulling guns and zapping things with his energy-based mutant powers. Penciller Lan Medina along with inker Alejandro Sicat finish out the equation with very solid art and well-paced layouts, and the color by Digital Rainbow is bright-but-subtle and well-balanced.

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Toys & Statues:

RANN-THANAGARIAN WAR #1

If anything, this book is going to make some fans very happy as it reveals that Green Lantern Kyle Rayner did not die at the end of the as-yet unreleased finale of "Green Lantern: Rebirth" and probably will make just as many upset at that outcome. Whatever your take on that subject, one can't help but get behind the idea of a huge space opera-style comic book featuring not just a Green Lantern but Adam Strange (fresh off the finale of his own 8-issue epic mini-series, which you should probably read first) and Hawkman and Hawkgirl. The title pretty much says it all, and though this book doesn't pack in quite as many first-issue punches as its Infinite Crisis brethren, it is still a solid and entertaining read, with enough great twists and turns to leave you wanting more. Written by Dave Gibbons, with art by Ivan Reis and Mark Campos.

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MARVEL TEAM-UP #8

One of the great things about writer Robert Kirkman is that he can take a normally gratuitous team-up like Punisher and Blade and turn it into something not just entertaining but something refreshingly unusual. Blade and the Punisher have a rather humorous stand-off---not much blood but more of a very amusing one-sided conversation, and Sunfire, halfway round the world in Japan takes the fight to Titannus. At a glance, it doesn't seem to have much to do with the events of last issue, but again, the team-up is itself well worth it regardless of any lack of an apparent connection.

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MAJESTIC #5

Majestros finally returns to Earth, but it isn't the Earth he remembers. Something has gone terribly wrong in his absence, and only Majestic can put things right. In the first part of "Demon Night" (which should give longtime Wildstorm fans a small idea of the surprises in store for our hero), Majestic finds himself thrown into yet another completely muddled situation with the fate of the world hanging in the balance. Friendly faces and old foes alike return, with writers Abnett and Lanning sending the Kheran warlord on yet another epic adventure, with pencils by Juan Santacruz and inks by Sal Regla.

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MARY JANE: HOMECOMING #3

The big night is upon her, but is MJ ready? When an old crush---a certain blue-and-red wallcrawler---starts to make random appearances in Mary Jane's life again, she starts to once more question her relationship with Harry Osborn. Liz won't hear a word more of MJ's Spidey-talk as she doesn't want anything ruining homecoming night. Surprises abound for everyone in the penultimate chapter of Sean McKeever and Takeshi Miyazawa's wildly underrated and hugely entertaining teen drama-styled take on the younger versions of Spider-Man's supporting cast.

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DESOLATION JONES #1

It's an all-new Warren Ellis project, which is always a good thing. Die-hards need not be convinced, but for anyone who isn't sure about it, this is definitely a must-read! Michael "Desolation" Jones is a retired intelligence operative and the product of horrific scientific testing at the hands of his own government. Now a detective-for-hire exclusively to the covert ops community, Jones resides in L.A. taking on cases that no one else can, making this series possibly one of the strangest things to come from Ellis' mind in quite some time. J.H. Williams III supplies his always-brilliant art, making this book not just a pleasure to read but a visually stunning masterpiece as well.

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