This week's comic book expectations

Well, it's been a long day. Tomorrow looks like a long one too. So what is my light in the distance?

Black. Lantern. Earth-2. Superman.

BAM!

Well, that and a chipwich.

We're staring a slow comic week dead (no pun intended) in the eyes, but all that could be forgiven if Blackest Night: Superman #1 is as good as I'm anticipating it to be. Check out the full list of this week's comic releases at THIS LINK.

Last week, any remaining fears any of you may have had regarding the validity of "Blackest Night's" tie-ins should have been put to bed for good. "Blackest Night: Batman" debuted with the perfect mixture of humor, heart and horror (which, I now think DC should adopt that as the event's new tagline), and "Green Lantern Corps." once again showed how to add to a storyline without stepping on its toes. I can only expect a lot more of the same from "Blackest Night: Superman," which will feature Zombie Kal-L's return, as well as PA KENT. Could there possibly be more potential for humor, heart and horror?!? (See, it works!)

We've yet to see New Earth's Superman show up in "Blackest Night," so it should be interesting to see how Clark handles his dad and, well, himself rising from the dead. I am also curious as to how far into the Superman family of characters writer James Robinson digs here. Will he include Supergirl and her father? Will Superboy show up, and, if so, didn't Tanya Moon die? We'll see here and I'm guessing we won't be disappointed, despite my growing fear of anything Robinson writes nowadays.

Speaking of the Superman family, Supergirl #44 marks the third quarter of the "Codename: Patriot" storyline, which has me interested in General Lane's machinations for the first time in a while. Granted, I think we can all be pretty sure he's going to be double-crossing that Kryptonian "Patriot" real soon, but it's still the first one of his plans that has grabbed my attention. I'm also looking forward to the reunion of Kara and Thara. Personally, I would love to see those two kids kiss and make up (no, not that way, perverts), which would really fill out Supergirl's supporting cast as the series goes forward. That said, I'm pretty sure Nightwing and Flamebird will be making a mortal sacrifice within the next year. Just a hunch.

I'm much less hopeful for Superman Annual #14. For one, I think my feelings on Robinson's work of late is well documented. For two, this story will center on Mon-el's past life in Daxam, and the history of his people. Is anyone interested? I mean, Mon is a pretty decent character and all, but I just don't see where his past is going to become important. And didn't Peter Tomasi already paint us a perfect picture of Daxam when exploring Sodam Yat?

And don't forget about Batgirl #1 (we finally get to see if DC made the giant mistake of replacing Cassandra Cain!) and Justice League of America #36 (the second of a three-part series written by Len Wein which had a surprisingly strong debut despite the Royal Flush Gang).

Marvel's got less this week, but they do have Daredevil #500, a milestone issue in which Ed Brubaker promises to explain plenty about Kingpin and Lady Bullseye. If you've been following all along Matt Murdock's story, then you know this is a must-buy. If you haven't been reading, you should know this is a must-buy in trade form, and you should also know that issue #501 is likely going to be a real nice place for new readers to jump on board.

The only other books that are (somewhat) of note are Mighty Avengers #28, Punisher Noir #1 (yes, another "Noir") and X-Men: Legacy #227 (a "Utopia" tie-in).

And before I go, you may also be interested to know Archie #600 is out this week. Yes, THAT issue. The one titled "Archie marries Veronica." The one that got at least one fanboy to lose faith in humanity. I have to say, I am a bit interested ... if only because I have a sneaking suspicion the book will twist with Archie getting with Betty after all, and all those angry "Archie" fans can feel oh so foolish.