Each week, MK2Fac3 and Henchman21 read a lot of comics. Seriously, a lot of comics. Maybe too many comics. 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 list, grab some issues and we’ll let YOU know what the top books to look forward to are for the week of March 30, 2011. Single issues and trades, they’re all here.

MK2Fac3

SINGLE ISSUES

Jimmy Olsen One-Shot (DC Comics – $5.99) – Formerly a back-up story from Paul Cornell’s run on Action Comics, the team of Nick Spencer and RB Silva have put together a complete 80-page tale that brings Jimmy Olsen back into the public eye with open arms to the Silver Age. I’ve been dying for this to come out since DC nixed all of the back-up titles. This is definitely a purchase that I can’t recommend enough. And the fact that Amanda Conner did the cover doesn’t hurt its hopes at being purchased by me.

Detective Comics #875 (DC Comics – $2.99) – Continuing my excitement for the massively talented creative minds behind Detective Comics, Scott Snyder and Francesco Francavilla team up to bring the focus on Commissioner Gordon in what promises to be a beautiful, thrilling crime book. A must buy.

The Amory Wars: In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth 3 #9 (BOOM! Studios – $3.99) – Claudio Sanchez, Peter David, and Aaron Kuder continue to turn of the heat in the wave of the last four issues in the mini-series. The series has continued to get better and better, and although I love Chris Burnham’s art, I think Aaron Kuder’s appearance on the book has kept the same feel to the art, while also making it his own. This is an exciting sci-fi series that I look forward to every month.

COLLECTION

Strange Tales II Hardcover (Marvel Comics – $24.99) – The second installment in Marvel’s series featuring independent comics creators taking on Marvel’s heroes. This book features several awesome creators taking on the likes of Wolverine, Ghost Rider, Silver Surfer, and many others. With names like Jeff Lemire, Terry Moore, Kate Beaton, Sheldon Vella, Johonen Vasquez, and so many more on this book, how could you not want to read this? I read the issues as they came out, and the art alone warrants the cost in a hardcover format.

Henchman 21

SINGLE ISSUES

Jack of Fables #50 (DC/Vertigo – $4.99) – In which we bid a fond farewell to the Fables spin-off featuring everyone’s favorite jerk. Jack of Fables has been the more humorous companion piece to the main series, and I have loved the series from the beginning. I will be sad not to see anymore Babe the Miniature Blue Ox one-page jokes and I hope they can find a way to work that into the main series. Writers Bill Willingham and Matthew Sturges have made what at first seemed like an unnecessary spin-off into its own adventure. Here’s hoping that Jack can now find his way back into the main series and cause all kinds of havoc over there.

Amazing Spider-Man #657 (Marvel Comics – $3.99) – Amazing Spider-Man is one of my favorite comic at Marvel right now. Fantastic Four, or merely FF as it is now known, is also one of my favorites comics. This issue ties together Spider-Man into the events of the last arc of Fantastic Four, in which the Human Torch was killed in action (presumably). Spider-Man and the Human Torch have had one of the best relationships in comics since each of their series began, so it is only fitting that the death gets addressed in this book. I trust writer Dan Slott and artist Marcos Martin to turn in a story that could very well bring me to tears.

The Amory Wars: In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth 3 #1 (BOOM! Studios – $1.00) – I ordered this largely on the word of MK2Fac3, and also on the fact that it is only a dollar. I’m familiar with the fact that this book ties into the music of Coheed and Cambria and I’m not what you would call a super fan, but I know their music and I know they’ve had a whole string of comics. I’m curious to see what this book is all about, and for a dollar, I couldn’t turn it down. Will it be able to get its hooks in me and make me look for the previous volumes in the series? I guess we’ll just have to wait and see.

COLLECTION

Batman & Robin: Batman Reborn (DC Comics – 14.99) – I’m not actually picking up any trades or collections this week, which is good because I have enough to catch up on, but if I was picking up something, it would probably be this one. This is the softcover edition of the first six issues of Grant Morrison’s run on Batman & Robin. Picking up from the events of Batman R.I.P., former Robin Dick Grayson has taken over the role of Batman, and he has recruited Bruce Wayne’s son Damian to join him as the new Robin. Together, they look to take down the Domino Killer and then take on The Red Hood. The art in the first three issues by Frank Quietly is phenomenal, but I’m not as much of a fan of Phillip Tan’s work. Still this is a great series and this is the cheapest way yet to pick up these issues. Give it a shot if you have been holding back.