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.

ADVENTURE TIME #20 (kaboom!)

The last arc of kaboom!‘s Adventure Time series was some pretty heavy stuff, in terms of emotion and continuity; it took some of the more heartbreaking or complex ideas of the TV series and turned them into a sprawling, ambitious comic storyline that reinforced that the comic series can handle all the material and complexity of its parent series and still have some super fun alt text on the bottom of most pages. It was pretty great stuff!

With that in mind, what’s next here? More emotional terrorism? Some yuks? WHO KNOWS. That’s pretty great, isn’t it? It’s the same feeling you get starting an episode each week, not knowing how dark or silly or emotional it will be; the team is just killing it at the idea of what all-ages comics can and should be.

BOXERS & SAINTS (First Second)

Cards on the table: I think this technically came out last week, at least in bookstores. I don’t know if it’s made it to comic book shops yet, or if it’s made it to yours, because Diamond Distributors are just the absolute worst, I’m told. So whether or not you could go to a local bookstore or Amazon last week to buy Boxers & Saints, I wanted to make a special effort to mention it here right now.

Boxers & Saints is Gene Luen Yang‘s (American Born Chinese, the Avatar: The Last Airbender sequel comics) ambitious two-volume graphic novel set about China’s Boxer Rebellion from two different Chinese points of view: a member of the Boxer resistance to the English/European influence and a young convert to Christianity. It’s Yang’s exploration of things that are very personally important to him - his heritage and his spirituality - and an in-depth look at a frequently overlooked aspect of Chinese history, especially in the West, where, you know, we weren’t necessarily the good guys there. Or at least to some, because, as the Saints volume will explore, this is a very complex topic.

Technically, this isn’t just Boxers & Saints; it’s also Boxers or Saints, because if cost, convenience or interest means you only want to pick up one half, you can. But the works are meant as companion pieces, and you can get them together in a really gorgeous slipcase, and I recommend you do.

FIVE GHOSTS, VOL. 1 (Image Comics)

If you missed Five Ghosts during its initial miniseries run and want to catch up before the new ongoing series picks up at the end of October with Issue #6, or just want a comic with a really great concept that also looks great, the first storyline is released in a trade paperback this week, and maybe it’s something you want!

After all, this is a comic that is about a treasure hunter (check) who is possessed by literary ghosts (check) and ends up fighting mysterious pulp-y evil (cheeeeeeeck). That is a pretty amazing high concept for a book to have, and it is TEN DOLLARS for what promises to be a pretty wonderful amount of fun. Frank J. Barbiere and Chris Mooneyham, you’ve got my money.

KISS ME, SATAN #1 (Dark Horse)

At this point, you have to work pretty hard to intrigue me with a concept of “Monster X fights Monster Y in ___ genre,” but dangit, if Kiss Me, Satan #1 didn’t catch my attention, what with its “werewolf mafia” and “Anna Wintour-esque witch crime boss” and “gratuitous car chase.” Consider this interest piqued.

It’s also got some pedigree to back it up. Victor Gischler is very familiar with the crime and supernatural genres, having written them in both novels and comics. Juan Ferreyra gives the book a lush, humid feel that suits the book’s New Orleans setting while lending it a certain oppressive tone that fits the concept. He’s got a good eye for composing action, and pulls out some incredible hand-drawn sound effects. It looks very good.

SIX-GUN GORILLA #4 (BOOM!)

This is a comic whose title more or less sells the book itself (I assume), with the promise of some big, wacky action, and hey, that’s there. There are scenes where a Clint Eastwood-y gorilla just straight-up wrecks some dudes with his pistols. That’s a thing that happens, and it’s pretty great. But Si Spurrier and Jeff Stokely‘s comic is so much more than its bold, exciting title. It’s also a bold, exciting comic that happens to be about a really interesting fictional world.

Six-Gun Gorilla takes place in a world called the Blister, an odd dimension/world where a war is going on between the locals, settlers and an invading, sinister force from Earth. It presents interesting critiques of consumerism and reality television while also presenting a moving story about loss and getting over it. There is also a gorilla that shoots stuff. It’s pretty rad.

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.