Each and every week “Just a City Boy” MK2Fac3 and “Born and Raised in South Detroit” Henchman21 read a lot of comics. Seriously you guys, a lot of comics. Maybe too many comics. I mean, it is possible… theoretically. They look forward to some more than others, I mean, who doesn’t? So, let’s take a look into the depths of their pull lists, grab some comics, and we’ll let YOU know what the top books to look forward to are for the week of August 15, 2012. Single issues and trades, they’re all here.

MK2FAC3 has been called away to be a special counselor at Wrestling Camp, so it’ll just be the Hench flying solo this week. He’s got fantasy, horror, aliens, and a Hulk to keep you entertained. You are about to enter another dimension, a dimension not only of sight and sound but of mind. A journey into a wondrous land of imagination. Next stop, The GoD List!

Henchman21

Issues:

Pathfinder #1 (Dynamite Entertainment – $3.99) It’s a good week for gamers everywhere as we descend on Indianapolis for Gen-Con, the annual gaming convention. This makes it a good time for Dynamite to launch a Pathfinder comic, based on the role-playing game by Paizo Publishing. Now, this is not an RPG system that I have played before, but I will be picking up this issue based on the writing of Jim Zub. Zub is doing some great work on Skullkickers, which is a creator-owned fantasy series featuring all the classic tropes; elves, dwarfs, monsters, what-have-you. Now, Skullkickers is very much an action/comedy book, with an emphasis on the comedy, and I’m wondering how much comedy will make it into this series. I already know that he is well-versed in telling stories in a fantasy milieu, so I don’t have to worry about that part of the series being off. His job here will be making the Pathfinder world come to life and to make readers who aren’t interested in the game care about the world and the characters. If Zub can do that, I’ll be back for the second issue.

Walking Dead #101 (Image Comics – $2.99) Without spoiling too much, issue 100 of The Walking Dead left the characters in a bad place and also featured some shocking changes to the book. The series as it stands now is possibly at its bleakest place ever in terms of tone, and this is a book about the zombie apocalypse. Now, we get to see where the story goes, because I don’t think this level of darkness can go on for too long. It’s just SO dark right now, and even though the series has gone to some pretty dark places in the past, it’s nothing like this, and I don’t think I would enjoy that tone for too long. That said, Walking Dead is still great. Robert Kirkman continues to turn in one of the most dramatic series out there, and Charlie Adlard never fails to impress with his stark black and white art. But seriously, don’t read this book if you’re in a depressed mood.

Saucer Country #6 (Vertigo Comics – $2.99) So far, Saucer Country has been exactly what I had hoped it would be. The series follows a female politician who is in the early stages of a Presidential campaign. Meanwhile, she and her husband have to deal with the belief that they have been abducted by aliens, which means silencing the doubters on her staff, and also planning to repel a possible alien invasion. The series is both a political thriller and a unique look at the world of alien conspiracies, and I have quickly come to love the cast of characters. This issue is a stand-alone looking at the real life history of UFO myths. I’m looking forward to what writer Paul Cornell goes into, and I hope this is a regular feature of the series, as I’m guessing he can’t cover everything in a 22-page story. Saucer Country is the kind of genre-bending series that we’ve come to expect from Vertigo, and I love it.

Trades:

Hulk: Season One Hardcover (Marvel Comics – $24.99) I have to say that I haven’t been very impressed with many of the Marvel: Season One books, and I have to view them more or less as a failure. However, this entry into the Season One line has piqued my interest since it was first announced, and I think this could be one of the good ones for this line. The Season One books are marvel’s way of introducing new readers to their stable of characters. Each volume is self contained, is completely disconnected from the regular Marvel continuity, and is designed to be given to someone who has no knowledge of the character. What that means to me as a long-term Marvel reader is that I don’t get much out of them. Which is fine; I’m not really the target audience. What has me excited about this one is the creative team of Fred Van Lente and Tom Fowler. I’ve enjoyed a lot of Van Lente’s work in the past and I know he is capable of writing a fun and exciting character piece. And while I haven’t read a ton of books that Fowler has worked on, the ones that I have read have impressed me and made me want to take a look at this. Is this going to be for everyone? I kind of doubt it, but the talent involved could raise this above the level of some of the other Season One books, and that’s what I’m hoping for.