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

COLLIDER #1 (DC Comics/Vertigo)

There are some days where I can’t help but marvel at the destruction we’ve caused as a species. Over the past few centuries, we’ve done our very best to squander all the things that we’ve been given in pursuit of our own bit of happiness, whatever that means to us. The problem being, we’ve largely ignored the consequences of these actions. In short: we’ve fucked the world.

(That’s certainly one way to kick off a recommendation…)

This week, Vertigo continues their new phase of launches with their first ongoing in quite some time: Collider. It’s the story about a world like ours finding itself in a predicament similar to ours, but instead of their problems being largely environmental, theirs come from the realm of physics, where the laws that bind are suddenly and violently breaking down. As is the case when anything starts going horribly awry, a team is formed to deal with the problems that result from this break down of the norm. This is what Collider is about.

Equal parts sci-fi adventure with a touch of social commentary thrown in as a result, Simon Oliver, Robbi Rodriguez and Rico Renzi will be delivering this highly kinetic, almost neon series to the stands each and every month, for as long as you guys will support it. Vertigo recently sent retailers black and white PDFs of the first two issues, so I can say without a doubt that this is a series that many of you are going to love, should it stick around long enough for you to love it. The solution to keeping a book around is, as always, letting your local comic shop know you want it. Or, if you’re stuck without a local comic shop that you would like to frequent (either by location or by personal taste), hit up ComiXology for a copy. Those sales count too, in the grand scheme of things. Give it a try, and if you like it, keep it alive.

GHOST VOL. 1 (Dark Horse Comics)

Kelly Sue DeConnick’s 2012 mini-series is finally collected here, just in time for readers to catch up before the newly announced ongoing begins this November. Her first crack at Ghost was beautiful and etherial, a look helped with the inclusion of Phil Noto delivering some beautiful images to the proceedings. In this story, you’re introduced to the main cast, as well as the titular Ghost, and catch a glimpse at the stakes involved. You also get a great story that mixes the current ghost-hunter culture with fantastic scripted storytelling. This was one of the best reads on the shelves last year, so you’d do good to pick it up for yourself if you missed out.

GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY #5 (Marvel Comics)

One of the medium’s most beloved creators is making a return to comics this week in quite an unexpected way as Neil Gaiman makes a return to Marvel, co-writing an arc of Guardians of the Galaxy. This seemingly odd pairing erupts from the aftermath of the company’s big Age of Ultron crossover, where the walls of time and space were weakened considerably. It also emerges from a settlement between Gaiman and comic creator Todd MacFarline, who had been at odds for quite some time over characters Gaiman helped introduce into Spawn, amoung other things. The result, is the arrival of Angela into the Marvel Universe. Angela, one of the aforementioned characters from the Spawn universe has arrived on a wave of legal and fictional jiggery-pokery that culminates in this very issue of Guardians of the Galaxy where worlds are literally colliding over these strange circumstances. How will this all shake out? I’m pretty excited to see myself. Pick up a copy at your local comic shop, and find out alongside me.

OPTIC NERVE #13 (Drawn & Quarterly)

Yes! A new Optic Nerve is shipping the day before my birthday! Did Adrian Tomine know? Is this his birthday present to me?

For those who are unfamiliar with the series, Optic Nerve is a seldom seen series from the pen of Tomine, who makes the lion’s share of his money doing illustrations and posters and covers for things like The New Yorker. He’s one of those guys who don’t have to make comics (because there’s really no money in the medium), but does so because he can’t help himself. Because of his more lucrative life as a paid illustrator, these issues come out rarely. The format of the series also tends to vary, depending on the kinds of stories Tomine feels like telling. It all started many, many years ago when Tomine was still in high school, publishing a small ‘zine by the same name, which he photocopied and sent out to subscribers in the mail. Eventually, he was picked up by Canadian wonder-company Drawn and Quarterly, who began publishing his work in the more regularly formatted comic book size. Once at Drawn and Quarterly, Tomine began moving away from the shorter stories he was producing, and by the fifth issue of the D&Q run, he was telling tales that filled entire issues. With issue nine to eleven, he expanded this to tell one long story that took years to tell, what with his schedule. With the twelfth and thirteenth installments, Tomine has returned to a multiple short story format, filling the pages of the comic with three stories. As always, Tomine shines a harsh light on humanity, catching various bits of ugliness with simple honesty and an exceptionally clean line. This book is a joy to read each and every time it appears, and this time won’t prove to be any different.

SCRATCH 9: CAT TAILS #1 (Hermes Press)

This is a book about a talking cat. For many of you out there, you’re content with this information, and you already know whether you will buy this comic, or not. We highly suggest you do, as it is one of the relatively few all ages books in the single issue comic book market that is relentlessly fun. In this series, we follow a cat who has the ability to summon any of his “nine lives” to help him with his various adventures, and in this case, his “nine lives” means versions of himself from different times and spaces. It’s a cool concept that’s fun and perfect for all ages. Check it out when you’re in the shop.

These are some 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.