Every week, Comics! The Blog goes through the list of new releases and we tell you which comics to plug into your mind hole. Your mileage may vary.

ADVENTURE TIME: MARCELINE AND THE SCREAM QUEENS #1 (Boom! Studios/Ka-Boom!)

What’s better than getting an Adventure Time comic once a month? How about getting one twice a month!

Boom! Studios is doubling down on the Adventure Time love with a new mini-series staring Marceline the Vampire Queen and Princess Bubblegum who are in an awesome band together. And to make things better? The whole thing is being put together by the extremely talented Meredith Gran, she of Octopus Pie fame, which is the perfect match of concept with creator. Them editors over at Boom! sure as hell know what they’re doing.

AVENGING SPIDER-MAN #9, DEFENDERS #8 and CASANOVA: AVARITIA TP (Marvel Comics/Icon)

It’s a motherfuckin’ Fraction-DeConnick Investigations extravaganza this week, with the release of three big comics!

First up, Avenging Spider-Man #9, which features the introduction of Carol Danvers as Captain Marvel… in a way. Kelly Sue DeConnick flexes her spider-muscles in this issue, the first of a two-part team up drawn by comic superstar Terry Dodson - which means, not only will the book be fun to read, but it will also be pretty nice to look at. And then, in just one short week, Captain Marvel #1 hits the stands with artist Dexter Soy, which will start off this round of adventures in full! But seriously? What a great marketing plan by Marvel, using one of their highest profile characters near the apex of his cultural awareness (anyone watch a movie lately) to push a well deserving creator and character. This should be a great read, for readers both old and new.

Elsewhere in the Marvel universe, Jamie McKelvie and Mike Norton join Matt Fraction on the Defenders with this issue - which will push this already insane book into realms of further, gorgeous looking madness. As the team struggles against the strain of reality and the mysterious concordance engine, they come up against one John Aman, Prince of Orphans, a particularly amazing man from Fraction and Brubaker’s run on Immortal Iron Fist (as well as a few other places here and there). And seriously? This guy is the business. I can’t wait to get my hands on this book.

And finally (FINALLY!) the collected edition of Casanova: Avaritia hits the stands this week, which means you literally have no excuse not to have this read in a few weeks time. Seriously, there were single print issues, there were single digital issues (which are all still available), and now there’s going to be this. Don’t make us come over there and harm you with our fists, because god dammit, we’ll do it, even if we don’t know how to fight worth shit. You don’t scare us. (You might scare us.)

BLACKSAD: SILENT HELL HC (Dark Horse Comics)

It could have easily been an exercise in furry fetishism, but dammit if Blacksad isn’t one of the most stunningly crafted books on the market.

The series comes to us from overseas from Spanish creators Juan Díaz Canales and Juanjo Guarnido, and the French publisher Dargaud, and in keeping with most French albums, the series looks gorgeous. Over there, the publication system is quite different, as creators are often given as much time as they need to make each installment. Each volume is then subsequently printed in larger chunks than our typical 20 page comic, and come bound in a nice oversized hardcover, which are called Albums. This system of production makes for some amazingly lush work, albiet work that comes out quite a bit slower than we are used to. For more popular series like Blacksad, you’ll often see advertisements everywhere for upcoming releases, much like we do here for movies and television shows, with comics adorning train station posters, billboards, and park benches. It’s pretty damn amazing to see. And honestly, with work that looks like this…

…you can see why.

LIFE WITH ARCHIE #21 (Archie Comics)

In this issue, Cheryl Blossom gets cancer, and I wrestle with the stark, existential horror of trying to feel sympathetic to Cheryl Blossom.

Shut up, this is hard for me.

(Also, Life with Archie is a pretty great series, that really has to be experienced to be believed. Would you believe that Archie and Veronica did a bit of a divorce dance lately? How about a CRISIS ON INFINITE ARCHIE REALITIES? Seriously, buy one of these, and breathe it in.)

RICHARD STARK’S PARKER: THE SCORE (IDW Publishing)

And finally, the next installment in Darwyn Cooke’s immaculate adaptations of Richard Stark’s Parker novels will be on the stands this week. If you’ve yet to experience these adaptations yet, I highly recommend them - the entire series is done in monochrome, with a strong sense of design and character, and the stories are… well, the stories are legendary pieces of crime noir storytelling. Flip through a copy of this, or the other two volumes (The Hunter and The Outfit) and bask in its wonder. Then, purchase a copy. You know you want to.

These are five-ish of the many great books being released this week! You can find the full list of comics being released here. If you have any other recommendations, let us know in the comments below.