This week's comic book expectations

OK, I take back what I said in that last post. I am thrilled for a new issue of "Justice Society," it's true, but I didn't even notice we get a new "Captain America" as well -- and that has me even more excited.

When last we left our freedom-fighting friends, Sharon Carter had just met "Steve Rogers" in Red Skull's liar -GASP! - and there is definitely something wrong with him. Hopefully in Captain America #38 we'll get to find out what. Also, from what I can see in the solicitations, we're also going to start to see this "original" Cap in action, so hopefully we'll start to learn exactly how the Skull plans on using him. Honestly, it's amazing how good Brubaker's work over the last year and a half has been, and yet we still don't know what Skull is aiming at, exactly.

We're also getting yet another issue of Mighty Avengers #14, and is it just me, or does it seem like this book has been coming out on a weekly basis lately? OK, I know it's not true, but it feels like Bendis is just shooting this series out one after the other. Of course, over the last three issues we've been learning where Nick Fury has been and what his machinations are (I just wanted to use Machinations in a sentence), so I would only expect that story to continue here.

And who can overlook Fantastic Four #557? It's the final issue of Mark Millar and Bryan Hitch's first four-part arc, and for better or worse, it's ending. After last issue's dreck I would never suggest you picking up this issue -- but since most of us have already invested nine bucks into this crappy should-have-been-much-better story, what's another three to see the ending?

Marvel also offers X-Men: Divided We Stand #2 this week, another series of short stories showing what our merry mutants have been up to since "Messiah CompleX." While I wouldn't say the first of this two-issue set was bad, I will say it was by the numbers. There was that common theme of "We only belong as X-Men" running through the entire thing, so hopefully we get a little variety here. I'm just excited that Havok and his new team of Starjammers is included in this issue. If you've read this blog for a while, you know I am a big proponent of the potential for that space/Vulcan storyline, so hopefully Alex's inclusion here is a sign of things to come.

Finally from Marvel, I don't know how you want to look at it, as a jumping on point or a getting off point, but both Ultimate X-Men #94 and Ultimate Fantastic Four #54 mark brand-new storylines for the series. X-Men welcomes new regular writer Aaron Coliete, but with how horrible the series has been lately, I don't know if anyone can save this book. Fantastic Four, on the other hand, is coming off a fantastic Ultimate Thanos story, so it might be an issue to give a try.

There's less offered from DC this week, but a couple of real good issues to take note of:

Justice Society of America #15 is obviously the crown-jewel of DC's week. the issue will plop us right back into the middle of Gog's assault on the JSA brownstone for the second half of that battle. (Remember the cool full-page image of Alan Scott and Obsidian???) And while many of you have been talking about how this "Kingdom Come" slant has taken away from the JSA characters, I still have faith that Johns is going to turn it all full-circle. Hopefully this is that turn.

That other Justice team also shows up this week, Justice League of America #21, and it's also just about the only sign of "Final Crisis" we get this week. This issue is promoted as a re-introduction for one of the central henchmen in the upcoming event, Libra, and it will also introduce the Human Flame (you know, the C-list villain that apparently is going to off you-know-who in the "Final Crisis" opener). Personally, it seems like DC is just looking to place whatever "Final Crisis" material they can in their highest selling book in order to challenge Marvel's sales numbers this month. Well, it's working on me.

Brave and the Bold #13 begins a new story arc now that all that Megistus stuff is wrapped up, and I'm excited about it since the teamup includes one of my favorite heroes of all-time, Jay Garrick. Hell, I walk around wearing my Jay Garrick red lightning bolt long-sleeve t-shirt all the time, despite how flamboyant it looks. That's how cool as Jay Garrick is.

And with that little personal confession, I'm out.