This week's comic expectations

Well, I hope you enjoyed last week's bonanza, because this week certainly does not have the same depth.

What it does have, though, is heavy hitters.

From DC, Justice Society #12 hits shelves. I've said it before, as far as I am concerned, this is the best monthly book in all of comicsdom. And while Geoff Johns' decision to write a story arc all about new characters, when so many great new characters on this team still haven't been fully fleshed-out, would not have been my choice, you cannot argue with how the story is going. If you remember, Kingdom Come Superman (or Superman 22) is now with the team, and they've already picked up one new kid, the silent Judomaster. In this next issue, we get to see several more new characters, plus the return of Jakeem Thunder. Pick this book up!

DC's other top book this week is, believe it or not, Countdown to Final Crisis #12. Yes, you heard me, COUNTDOWN! Why? Because last issue, we learned that Darkseid is in cahoots with Solomon the Monitor, and we watched as Superman Prime tore apart Monarch! While you should expect to see a little more from the ancillary storylines in this book, after several straight weeks spent exclusively on Earth-51, the buzz around this title is now starting to get real noisy.

The big title from Marvel is Uncanny X-Men #495, the start of the "Divided We Stand" stories. I made no secret of how much I didn't like "Messiah CompleX," but there are plenty of reasons to be optimistic for the future. For one, it seems Uncanny is going back to being a title for the A-List X-Men, with several of the new kids dispersed into the grown-up teams. Second, I LOVE Mike Choi's art. OK, it may not quite be on par with John Cassady or Dale Eaglesham, but after enduring Chris Bachalo and Humberto Ramos, Choi's art is looking like a masterpiece on every page.

If you're getting set for the "Secret Invasion" storyline, you may also want to pickup Ms. Marvel #24. Something strange is going on for Carol Danvers, as she is mysteriously reaquiring her Binary powers. For a character who has been tied closely to the Skrulls thus far, this may be an important issue to read.