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.

AVENGERS VS. X-MEN #11 (Marvel Comics)

The Marvel event of the year starts wrapping up in this issue - and from the way things have been going, it’s going to wrap up big. There aren’t very many moments within comic book history that I can point to a big series like this that I feel has done something. A lot of that is just the nature of superhero comics - while there is always an illusion of change, actual lasting change doesn’t make it longer than a few years before a status quo is reformed. The characters are, after all, built to last longer than we are ourselves, and need to remain intact for future generations. That said, this story has done a lot to push me head over heels into a world of pure enjoyment. I find that I’m not thinking of the behind the scenes motions and mechanics so much as I’m just enjoying the story and honestly wondering where the story will go from here. The stakes are big, what with all of existence hanging in the balance. Regardless of what happens next, the universe is set to look like a strange place for a while - and I’ll be glad to read those stories. But for now? I just wanna see how we get there.

BATGIRL #0 (DC Comics)

So, ever wonder how Barbara Gordon became Batgirl again, what with the shooting and everything? As part of DC’s Zero Month, we’re heading back in time to that fateful day, and discovering just how Babs made it from there, to here. With Gail Simone at the helm, it should be a very interesting and personal story - one built less around sensationalism, and more around the emotion of it all, which is just what this story needs. Her run on this book has been quite amazing so far, and this issue should be no acception. Definitely drop in if you’re interested in what’s going on, and then stick around for her further adventures! You’ll be glad you did.

BRIAN WOOD HOEDOWN THROWDOWN (Various)

It’s another embarrassment of riches week for Brian Wood fans as all four of his current ongoings see issues released this week. First, Wood continues his short run on X-Men with his second adventure involving Storm’s team. And then, over in Ultimate X-Men, he continues with Kitty’s revolution and takes her merry band of mutants to see Nick Fury for what comes next.

Then over at Dark Horse, Conan the Barbarian continues with Vasilis Lolos taking over art chores from Becky Cloonan, who is quite busy drawing next month’s Swamp Thing annual for DC. (Don’t worry kids, Lolos is a fantastic artist in his own right!) And finally, a new arc of The Massive begins as we continue to explore a world post-environment. Should be fun!

THE MANHATTAN PROJECTS #6 (Image Comics)

Alright kids, I’m gonna give it to you straight: you have absolutely no excuse to miss this issue. None. If you’ve been waiting to catch up on the series, the first trade hit the stands last week. If you’ve just been dragging your feet and can’t quite afford such a big buy in, you can still buy this issue and be fine, as each issues of The Manhattan Projects is quite self contained, including this one. If you aren’t sure if you’ll like the book because you’ve never heard of it before (which is fine) then chew on this: The Manhattan Projects tells the untold story about the crazier shit that “building the atom bomb” was just a cover for. It’s a phenomenal “Bad Science” ongoing with humour and horror alike. A great read. Try it!

STUMPTOWN VOL. 2 #1 (Oni Press)

And finally, finally, finally the second arc of Stumptown is here! For those who didn’t grab the first arc in singles or as a gorgeous hardcover, don’t worry: you can absolutely jump on with this issue, much like you could drop into pretty much any episode of The Rockford Files without incident. Much like the detective series of old that matched crime with a bit of humour (and punching), Stumptown follows its own down-on-her-luck private eye as she wades through Portland’s seedier side. It’s a bit of a travelogue to the city, mixed with lighthearted crime and all the nice character touches you find in stories by Greg Rucka. Buy this comic now.

These are five(ish) so many more than five 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.