Welcome to COMICS TO FEAST ON, which is a slightly altered version of the usual Pull and Hold. Rather than cramming so many previews down your throat that you barely breathe, I’m going to give you my ten most anticipated books of the week. So feast your eyes on these!

With the ever-increasing number of books coming out between the tie-ins, the crossovers, and the new series, we’ve got to limit our list of comics for the week somehow. Rather than focus on every major comic hitting the shelves I’ll narrow it down to ten books that stand out from the rest. Whether you’ve been into comics since you were a young’un, or you’re new to the game, I’m here to help you decide which books to read. If we’ve left out anything important, let us know what you’re stoked for in the comments. Read on for the skinny…

Awakenings

WRITTEN BY: Eric Hobbs
ILLUSTRATIONS BY: Gabe Pena and Mauricio Pinzon
PUBLISHER: Arcana
PRICE: $19.95

The Low Down: ”In the year 2062, New York City detective Spencer Straight is hot on the trail of a gruesome serial killer with a peculiar trademark only to find himself on the run when every lead points to the one person he never would have suspected – himself.”

The Feast: This is a book that began as a web-comic and eventually Arcana recognized it’s potential and offered Hobbs a full graphic novel, collecting the first part of the story. What’s so intriguing about this story is not the fact that it’s set in the future, nor the whole “am I the serial killer” thing, but that it’s moves in directions you could never imagine even if you sat on your ass thinking for weeks straight. If you like mysteries, serial killers, and good comics, don’t miss this debut graphic novel from Eric Hobbs.

Hellraiser #04

WRITTEN BY: Clove Barker and Christopher Monfette
ILLUSTRATIONS BY: Leonardo Manco
PUBLISHER: Boom!
PRICE: $3.99

The Low Down: ”One of the greatest horror franchises of all time returns, now under the control of its original creator! Clive Barker has touched HELLRAISER only twice: once to write THE HELLBOUND HEART, and once more to write and direct the original HELLRAISER film. Now witness Barker’s long-awaited return to tell a new chapter in the series’ official continuity—a trajectory that will forever change the Cenobites…and Pinhead! In this issue, Pinhead and Kirsty Cotton collide in a way that neither of them could possibly imagine. And when these two face off— no one is safe!”
The Feast: Now that we know Barker is (thankfully) not behind that (shitty) trailer for “Hellraiser: Revelations” we can move on to talking about a work from the Hellraiser universe that actually is his child. This book, if anything, is a great story in the Pinhead world, and is way better than most of the sequels to the original masterpiece. If you don’t read comics at all, but you love horror films or Clive Barker, you seriously need to read this book. Who knows, maybe it will open your mind to the wonderful world of comics!

Batman Incorporated #8

WRITTEN BY: Grant Morrison
ILLUSTRATIONS BY: Scott Clark
PUBLISHER: DC Comics
PRICE: $2.99

The Low Down: ”When Waynetech’s launch of Interworld is plagued by a series of “virtual murders,” Batman teams up with Oracle to hunt down the culprit in a simulated environment that’s slowly collapsing into post-apocalyptic zombie-haunted chaos. A computer-generated Batman adventure that brings Dark Knight justice to a wild new frontier, to face a new and virulent menace. In a world of numbers, does everything have a price?”

The Feast: Batman Inc. has been a slightly confusing, slightly awesome read over the past year, and it all amounts to this. The issues are kind of all over the place but somehow Morrison engages readers like he always does. As everyone knows the reboot happens at the end of this month, and it’s been promised that all of Morrison’s hard work will be continued into the New 52. Anything bearing Morrison’s name really doesn’t need to be hyped up, so do yourself a favor and read this series.

Batman: Gates of Gotham #5

WRITTEN BY: Scott Snyder and Kyle Higgins
ILLUSTRATIONS BY: Trevor McCarthy
PUBLISHER: DC Comics
PRICE: $2.99

The Low Down: ”It’s Batman vs. The Architect! The downfall of a major Gotham family! The betrayal of Damian Wayne! It’s all here in this final issue, plus the untold fate of Gotham City’s first Super Villain!
Be here as GATES OF GOTHAM sets the stage for a bold new direction in the Bat books!”

The Feast: Everyone should know by now how much we love and respect Scott Snyder and Kyle Higgins’ work on this series. They are trying to totally rebuild the way we see Gotham (as much as that can be done), and offering one of the best friggin’ Bat-stories we’ve read in a long time. Snyder’s astonishing conclusion to Detective Comics a few weeks back lets us know that he’s got an charmed ability to polish off a story arc.

 Flashpoint: Project Superman #3

WRITTEN BY: Scott Snyder and Lowell Francis
ILLUSTRATIONS BY: Gene Ha
PUBLISHER: DC Comics
PRICE: $2.99

The Low Down: “FLASH FACT: Subject Zero. Subject One. There can only be one.”

The Feast: Well, it’s not shock that another Snyder book has made it onto this list, yet again. Of all the Flashpoint tie-ins this one has by far been the most interesting, and has utterly changed Superman’s character. The second issue pretty much canceled out the events of the first issue (which was super annoying to see from this team). I have faith that the concluding issue will once again show us a frail and vulnerable Superman who’s out for revenge.

Anne Rice: Servant of the Bones #1 (of 6)

WRITTEN BY: Anne Rice and Mariah Huehner
ILLUSTRATIONS BY: Renae DeLiz and Ray Dillon
PUBLISHER: IDW
PRICE: $3.99

The Low Down: “Anne Rice, among the most iconic creators in horror, brings one of her richest stories to IDW in this six-part tale of murder, demonic revenge, and the redemptive power of faith. When a beautiful young woman is brutally slain in the streets of New York City, the demon Azriel sets out to discover who killed her, only to find a far more sinister plot that could end the world. Once a human in ancient Babylon, Azriel is a spirit of rage and terror that gradually rediscovers his humanity through holy vengeance and spiritual love. Ornately illustrated by the New York Times Best-selling team of Renae DeLiz and Ray Dillon.”

The Feast: The Servant of the Bones is one of the most iconic horror tales from one of the most iconic modern horror writers. Turning popular books into comics is all the rage these days, and lucky for us they keep getting better at it. While novel to comic adaptations were shaky at best a few years ago, they have progressed leaps and bounds to the point where they offer new insight into classic works. Oh, and Anne Rice is helming this herself! The story mixes romance, gore, murder, lust, sex, mind-numbing terror, and twists that will leave you panting. If this is anything like Anne Rice’s novel, it’s going to be one of the best books from IDW this year.

Hack/Slash #7

WRITTEN BY: Tim Seeley
ILLUSTRATED BY: Daniel Leister
PUBLISHER: Image
PRICE: $3.50

The Low Down: “’FAME MONSTER,’ Part Two It’s not easy being a pampered, useless celebrity. Cassie and Vlad must protect an American idol from his insane fans, a bloodthirsty killer, and horrific entities intent on enslaving humanity. Blood, skin and paparazzi rule in ‘FAME MONSTER’”

The Feast: My sincere apologies. I noted that this would be released a few weeks back, but much to your dismay, and mine, it comes out this week for real (I was given faulty information).

It’s no secret that here at Graphic Content we have a love for Tim Seeley’s Hack/Slash series. This has been one of the best in the horror genre, never failing to bring loads of fun to the table. Each arc, Seeley finds a new way to wrangle up some pop culture icon and shred them to pieces in his psychotic world where horror movie monsters roam free. On top of all this, Hack/Slash is currently being made into an animated film, which we couldn’t be more excited for.

The Punisher #2

WRITTEN BY: Greg Rucka
ILLUSTRATIONS BY: Marco Checchetto
PUBLISHER: Marvel
PRICE: $2.99

The Low Down: “THE HOTTEST LAUNCH OF THE SUMMER CONTINUES. Hunting for the villains behind the Wedding Day massacre, The Punisher will leave no body unturned! With Detectives Bolt and Clemons on his tail, the massacre’s only survivor will seek the Punisher’s aid…which might be the worst of all possible choices”

The Feast: Greg Rucka’s first issue of The Punisher was special for two reasons. Frist, it marked his return to the mainstream of comics after almost two years out of the picture. Second, it’s a f*cking great Punisher story. There will be no set story arcs or chapters set out for at least a few issues, so don’t worry if you missed the boat on the debut. This is a dark, mysterious, and gruesome look into the eyes of Frank Castle, and could be one of Marvel’s best in years.

X-Men #16

WRITTEN BY: Victor Gischler
ILLUSTRATIONS BY: Jorge Molina
PUBLISHER: Marvel
PRICE: $3.99

The Low Down: “’THE LAND OF THE SKULL’ The X-Men and the FF team up when strange happenings in the Bermuda Triangle threaten the Marvel Universe. Yes, you’ve seen the X-Men and the FF interact before, but never with Magneto and Dr. Doom on the side of the angels. Don’t miss this landmark team-up with an adventure that you have to see to believe.”

The Feast: The Evolutionaries storyline is going to be very tough to follow up. However, Gischler is bringing fans one of the most bad-ass team ups in years, Magneto and Dr. Doom! Come on, how long have you wanted to see these two dudes walk hand-in-hand to fight for mutantkind?

American Vampire #18

WRITTEN BY: Scott Snyder
ILLUSTRATIONS BY: Rafael Albuquerque
PUBLISHER: Vertigo
PRICE: $2.99

The Low Down: “The Ghost War comes to a stunning conclusion!”

The Feast: Surprise! It’s another Snyder book. Okay, well not a surprise at all. This is the concluding issue of ‘The Ghost War’ storyline, and if you’ve been reading I don’t need to say anything else. Unfortunately, this is a terrible jump on board point for new readers; so I suggest you just kick yourself in the face for not reading this before, then go pick up the first trade.