This week's comic expectations

There are only two must-buy books this week, and a few pretty good bets.

The two must-buys? Green Lantern #22 and Incredible Hulk #109.

Geoff Johns' Sinestro War has been the best written and biggest event of the year (despite a relative lack of publicity or buzz), and it will only escalate more in GL #22. If you haven't been following too closely, the GL books have focused on Hal Jordan's part in the war, while the Corps. books have focused on everyone else. Hal is basically stranded on Qward, stuck in the same place as most of the Sinestro Corps' heavy hitters, and is currently stuck in a bit of a mental fear-induced breakdown... sounds like fun to me!

I'm holding out hope that Johns actually manages to deliver a satisfying event, from beginning to end, for the first time in the industry's recent history.

Speaking of which, World War Hulk has been up and down -- but the last issue, World War Hulk #3 was up, so here's hoping Incredible Hulk #109 keeps up the up. It seems the Incredible Hulk books are being used to tell side stories from Hulk's allies (last issue was a so-so Rick Jones story) -- and according to solicitations, this issue will be about Amadeus Cho's changing perception of the Hulk. Amadeus will be one of this event's biggest players, so this is a must-read.

I'm still not sure what to think of Black Adam: The Dark Age #1 of 8. Following 52, Teth Adam was one of the hottest and most intriguing character in the DC Universe. It seemed whatever series next featuring him and his return to power would be instant gold. That IS, until he made a brief cameo in Countdown two months ago, with his powers, killing a whole bunch of momentum the character (and the mystique of this series) had. Still, in a slow week, it wouldn't hurt to see if Adam can redeem himself in this series about his redemption.

As we've said plenty of times, slow weeks are good weeks for trying out solid series that you just haven't given a chance yet. One of the best bets this week is Exiles #97. In their last issue, the Exiles visited a world governed by Victor Von Doom, who has Sue Storm and Johnny Storm on his side -- the side of good -- while Reed Richards is an underground rebel. Exiles is a fantastic read for any fan of alternate reality stories, and if you are ever going to give the book a chance, this is a great story to jump on to.

That about does it! One note, though... while DC is still claiming on their Web site that Countdown to Adventure #1 begins this week, Diamond Shipping doesn't have the book listed. Don't expect to see it in stores on Wednesday, with a new likely release date of August 29.