So you’re back for some COMICS TO FEAST ON? 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…

Witch Doctor #3 (of 4)

WRITTEN BY: Brandon Seifert
ILLUSTRATIONS BY: Luka Ketner
PUBLISHER: Image
PRICE: $2.99

The Low Down: “It’s Dr. Morrow’s biggest case yet: ‘The Patient From The Black Lagoon!’ What’s the secret of the Deep Ones? How do they fit in with the Relapse, the Extinction Event that’s coming for humankind? And why are Morrow and his medical staff at each other’s throats? ‘Basically, I’m jealous. Bastards!’ — Ben Templesmith”

The Feast: Witch Doctor is the comic that horror fans have been waiting for. Not only is it creepy as all hell, not only does it bring disturbing imagery, but it offers a take on the genre never seen before. Horror fans, above all others, love to see their genre progress to a new plateau and Seifert has climbed high. The story follows (you guessed it) a lunatic doctor who travels around Oregon curing all sorts of disgusting “illnesses”. The doctor is a cross somewhere between Dr. House and Dr. Herbert West, never failing to explain his procedures in medical terminology. If you missed the first two issues, not to worry, the series runs in an episodic fashion allowing you to jump in anywhere.

Flashpoint #5 (of 5)

WRITTEN BY: Geoff Johns
ILLUSTRATIONS BY: Andy Kubert and Sandra Hope
PUBLISHER: DC Comics
PRICE: $2.99
The Low Down: “FLASH FACT: The war between the Amazons and the Atlantians has arrived. The battle between Diana of Themyscira and Emperor Aquaman will tear this world apart – unless The Flash can fix it!”

The Feast: As you well know this is the final Issue of the much debated Flashpoint event, also marking the final major comic before the “you know what”. Whether you hate Flashpoint or love it, this is a key milestone in comic history and should be widely celebrated. Geoff Johns has given us a tale that stretches (perhaps beyond his reach) far and wide across the entire DCU. If you’re waiting for the trade to come out and you’ve been thinking “jeez, with all these bad reviews, is it worth it?” trust me when I say, it is.

Shinku #3

WRITTEN BY: Ron Marz
ILLUSTRATIONS BY: Lee Moder, Matthew Waite and Michael Atiyeh
PUBLISHER: Image
PRICE: $2.99

The Low Down: “’THRONE OF BLOOD,’ Part Three The key to destroying the vampire plague is almost within Shinku’s grasp. But can she keep her new ally, Davis, alive long enough to actually use it? Blood splatters as RON MARZ & LEE MODER’s martial arts and horror mash-up continues!”

The Feast: Crossing over the samurai and vamp genres, Shinku is a diamond in the rough. Though it may be a familiar tale, with all the vampires and the “last samurai” business, each page is beautifully mapped out making for a unique take on the two genres.. Rather than trying to suggest that this is something completely new, Marz spares us a long-winded intro and gets right into the action (and there’s plenty of it) satirizing the current vampire trend. If you can stomach another fang-story, then put this one on your pull list. It’s like Kill Bill had a love child with Kick-Ass for the sole purpose of cutting Robert Pattison’s pretty-boy head off.

Extinct #1 (of 6)

WRITTEN BY: Fabian Rangel Jr.
ILLUSTRATIONS BY: Jethro Morales
PUBLISHER: 215Ink
PRICE: $2.99

The Low Down: “Texas, 1985. Jimmy Reynolds is the school punching bag. He has one friend, and a crush on a girl he can never have. Meanwhile the school principal begins to show his darker side. After getting bullied on his birthday, Jimmy decides enough is enough and retaliates. Jimmy, his best friend, and his crush get detention. As the full moon rises, Jimmy realizes his troubles have only just begun.”

The Feast: As an independent comic writer, I understand how hard it is to get your work distributed to comic shops. With the tendency of horror comics largely leaning towards more adult material, it’s becoming difficult to find a horror book that’s just plain fun for all age groups. This is where Extinct comes in. Bringing you back to your days of watching Saturday morning cartoons, and reading Goosebumps, Extinct offers an adolescent take on werewolves. Most of you probably have your weekly list at your local shops and rarely dare to pre-order comics that you won’t find on the shelf, but I urge you to ask your shop to get you a copy of this one. It can be ordered here: http://215ink.com/site/portfolio/extinct/

Justice League #1

WRITTEN BY: Geoff Johns
ILLUSTRATIONS BY: Jim Lee and Scott Williams
PUBLISHER: DC Comics
PRICE: $2.99

The Low Down: “Comics superstars Geoff Johns and Jim Lee make history! In a universe where super heroes are strange and new, Batman has discovered a dark evil that requires him to unite the World Greatest Heroes!”

The Feast: Out with the old and in with the new! DC is taking no time between Flashpoint and the re-launch, kicking things off with the profound Geoff Johns and the legendary Jim Lee. This is a chance for anyone who is not into comics to find out what it’s all about, and a chance for old fans to rekindle their love and enter the new DCU. Though many people have their harsh thoughts about the reboot, let’s welcome it wholeheartedly and hope that it means a surge into our comic book world.

Locke & Key: Clockworks #2 (of 6)

WRITTEN BY: Joe Hill
ILLUSTRATIONS BY: Gabriel Rodriguez
PUBLISHER: IDW
PRICE: $3.99

The Low Down: “Chapter Two – ‘SMASH!’ The 2011 Eisner-nominated series continues here! Terror runs wild, and the Locke family comes to grief in the smash-ingest story of the series yet!”

The Feast: It’s not a big surprise that Fox passed up on the TV series given their complete incompetence when selecting TV shows (i.e. canceling Firefly and Terminator). Nonetheless I still have faith that we will this show will air sooner or later (hopefully sooner). In the meantime continue to enjoy Joe Hill’s (Stephen King’s son) magnificently twisted series. It’s like nothing you’ve read before, and keeps getting better.

Epoch #1 (of 5)

WRITTEN BY: Kevin McCarthy
ILLUSTRATIONS BY: Paolo Pantelena and Jorge Fares
PUBLISHER: Image
PRICE: $2.99

The Low Down: “THE GREATEST TOURNAMENT THE WORLD HAS NEVER SEEN BEGINS ANEW! Top Cow Productions and Heroes and Villains Entertainment proudly present a dark and intensely kinetic tale from writer KEVIN McCARTHY (Red Sonja, The Amazing Adventures of the Escapist) and newcomer PAOLO PANTALENA (What If?: House of M, War of Kings: Darkhawk). Jonah Bishop is an NYPD detective assigned to a mysterious murder case that threatens to rip the reality he knows and plunge him into the shadow world of his heritage–the Supernatural. Jonah’s quest will drop him deep in the middle of a conspiracy that threatens to tear apart the very fabric of society.”

The Feast: Another book for comic newcomers this week, Epoch is a great introduction to the Image catalogue. This book’s got it all, carnage, murder, monster, paranormal events, mystery, and a hard-ass hero. Simply by looking at the cover you can tell this book has an extended cast of characters stretching through all veins of the supernatural. Based on how things have been going for Image recently, this should be another grand slam.

Amazing Spider-Man #668

WRITTEN BY: Dan Slott
ILLUSTRATIONS BY: Humberto Ramos
PUBLISHER: Marvel
PRICE: $3.99

The Low Down: “Spider-Island PART TWO! Spider-powered New York citizens! Spider-powered criminals! And Peter Parker fighting alongside Manhattan biggest super heroes — as Peter Parker? The most sensational spider-ific summer event continues!”

The Feast: I gotta admit that I thought the first installment of Spider-Island was an abysmal let down. ASM # 666 was one of the best Spidey books in years only to be followed by poor writing and a ruination of what I remembered of Jackal. Though my words may seem harsh, it’s only because I know Slott is capable of so much more and I hope he’s able to turn this story around to live up to it’s potential.

Hack/Slash/Eva: Monster’s Ball #4

WRITTEN BY: Brandon Jerwa
ILLUSTRATIONS BY: Cezar Razek and Salvatore Aiala
PUBLISHER: Dynamite
PRICE: $3.99

The Low Down: “It’s time for the final cut(s)! Reality is shifting, the streets of Detroit are running red with the blood of the fallen…and at least one of our heroes will be changed forever before the battle is over! MATURE THEMES”

The Feast: Though Seeley is not behind the wheel on this one, Cassie Hack is still looking as fine as ever. This has been an interesting crossover series and it’s a treat to see Hack/Slash expanding beyond it’s own walls. If you’ve never read Hack/Slash this is probably not the best place to start, but if you’ve always been a fan then this gem only adds to the allure of the series.

Journey Into Mystery #1

WRITTEN BY: Rob Rodi
ILLUSTRATIONS BY: Pasqual Ferry
PUBLISHER: Marvel
PRICE: $3.99

The Low Down: “START READING with this Point One Issue! Young Loki is at a severe disadvantage: everyone in Asgard remembers him from his previous life-but they’re all strangers to him, and they fully intend to keep it that way. Desperate, Loki conjures up a mystical means of eavesdropping on their private thoughts; and what he learns doesn’t make him happy. Even worse, the lesson itself may just cost him his life! A perfect jumping-on point, showcasing Loki’s relationships with Asgard’s movers and shakers, and setting the stage for the choices he makes in the months to come.”

The Feast: Marvel’s recent point one issues have been spot on, offering a wonderful start for new readers without giving a boring origin story that everyone has heard six times or more. Loki, God of mischief, and Thor’s brother, often makes poor decisions and rebels against his family for his own benefit. Even if you’re not into the whole Fear Itself thing, you’ll dig this if you’re looking for some good ol’ ancient mythology swept into the cosmos of space and time to help pitiful humans with their pitiful lives.

That’s it for this week, let me know what you can’t wait for in the comments or on Twitter! Follow @BD_Lonmonster