This week's comic book expectations

I'm in a good mood today. Maybe it's the sunshine and the fact that I was on the court playing basketball 15 minutes after waking up. Maybe it's the fact that "Tin Cup" is on TV right now. OR, maybe it's the long list of comics worth picking up on Wednesday.

Batman #676 kicks off Grant Morrison's "Batman R.I.P." story, which (as many stories do) promises to change everything for the Caped Crusader. While you've heard plenty of writers claim that, remember that Grant Morrison is the guy that broke up Scott Summer and Jean Grey before bringing back the Phoenix entity the last time he was on a title for this long. While I've never been the hugest fan of Morrison's writing, this is still a story any DC fan is likely to want to read.

My prediction? Batman is "broken" like he was back in the "Nightfall"/Bane story, and Damien takes over the Cape and Cowl for a while.

There are two main "Secret Invasion" tie-ins this week you should know about (and no, this week I'm not talking about Franklin Richards. Captain Britain and MI13 #1 is an interesting title you may want to read if you're really diving into the "Invasion" story, since it features a hero, who's been on Earth for years, and is a SKRULL. In these invasion stories there's always one turncoat and plenty of other suspected turncoats, so this tie-in could be interesting.

The second tie-in (and the one I'll be picking up) is Secret Invasion Fantastic Four #1. When last we saw the Baxter Building, fake Sue Richards sucked everyone into the Negative Zone, leaving Ben and Johnny to fix everything. And, since Marvel likes to FORCE you to buy tie-ins, if you want to find out how those crazy kids get out of their latest pickle, this is the place to do it. I'm also holding out hope that Lyja shows up again, even though Mark Millar would not agree on bringing her back into Johnny's life, with his current plans writing the mothership.

On to less "event"-full stories, Green Lantern Corps #24's cover says it all. Mongol walking through a field of Green Lanterns sucked into the fantasy worlds of the Black Mercys. Personally, I love that villain, and I love that torture device. I have a fantastic story written in my head I'll tell you about sometime featuring the Black Mercys too, since there are just so many possibilities when you put emotionally tortured heroes into their wildest dreams. Anyway, it should be a good read.

Booster Gold #9 should just be good fun too, but if you're reading the story you probably already know that. This issue should see the reunion of "Blue and Gold" with the other members of the former Justice League International, a moment I've been waiting years for.

By the way, Roy McAvoy just parred the back nine with a seven iron. But I digress.

Lastly, Genext #1 comes out this week, the long-awaited Chris Claremont story of the children of the X-Men. I've no idea whatsoever of what to expect from this story, but I am curious and interested, given Claremont's knowledge of the characters and the fact that the story takes place in the near future, not the distant one.

Other titles to keep on your radar include Project Superpowers #3, X-Men Legacy #211, Wonder Woman #20 and Giant Size Hulk #1.

Oh, and don't forget the Final Crisis Sketchbook comes out this week too. It will be interesting to see JG Jones' take on the heroes and the New New Gods.