We’re smack-dab in the middle of summer! Which means that a ton of gloriously geeky riches await us: San Diego Comic-Con is on the horizon, Guardians of the Galaxy is just a couple weeks away from hitting theaters, and soon after that, we’ll be treated to the Michael Bay version of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

Okay, so it’s not all good news.

But one thing is for certain: it’s Wednesday, which means it’s New Comic Book Day, which never fails to entertain. And this particular #NCBD is packed full of fan favorites and a few hidden gems.

Continue reading for the 3 Hottest #NCBD Picks For July 16th!

First on my pull list is Rat Queens #7 (Image Comics, $3.50).

In the last year, this story about a foul-mouthed quartet of ass-kicking women has grown into a legitimate phenomenon. Month after month its audience is expanding, and suddenly it’s not uncommon to see a photo of Felicia Day sporting her Rat Queens tank top, or to spot a gaggle of cosplayers dressed as Hannah, Violet, Dee, and Betty.

In issue seven, “THE FAR REACHING TENTACLES OF N’RYGOTH,” Palisade is overrun with tentacle monsters. And if I had to venture a guess, there will be copious amounts of hacking, slashing, and enchantments involved – as well as some carefully crafted insults being hurled, care of writer Kurtis J. Wiebe.

As always, Roc Upchurch‘s artwork is stellar, as evidenced by the wonderfully tentacle-filled cover (his best of the series so far, in my opinion – and Roc has illustrated some truly beautiful covers).

Next up is Aphrodite IX Cyber Force #1 (Image Comics, $5.99) – an intriguing crossover event. Marc Silvestri‘s self-contained, oversized one-shot clocks in at a whopping 48 pages. According to the description on Image’s homepage, the Chairwoman from Cyber Force and Aphrodite IX had a plan to recreate the world in her children’s image, although things didn’t go quite as planned. Featuring the present day team of Cyber Force and the 28th century Aphrodite IX, this story lays the origins of the new comic series IXth Generation, which is slated to launch in 2015.

And finally, I plan on picking up Hacktivist Hard Cover (Boom! Studios, $24.99), a series by Alyssa Milano. Yes, that Alyssa Milano – Tony Danza’s spunky pre-teen daughter on Who’s The Boss. But aside from being an actress, entrepreneur, social media butterfly, and an activist, it turns out that Alyssa also has some mad writing skills.

Hacktivist follows two brilliant young programmers who run a popular social media site by day, and moonlight by running the largest black-hat hacking group on the planet. Their covert operation is discovered by the U.S. Government, and presumably, craziness ensues. I can’t wait to sink my teeth into this one.

Other books worth a mention this week are B.P.R.D. Hell On Earth #121, Buffy The Vampire Slayer Spike Into The Light HC, Ms. Marvel #6, and the always entertaining She Hulk #6.

I’ll be back soon with more picks. In the meantime, comment below and let me know what’s on your pull list for this week’s NCBD!

Blake Northcott is a Canadian writer, Twitter-er, and Vampire Slayer (only the ones that sparkle).

She’s a regular contributor at Comic Book Resources and CBS Man Cave Daily, and has written several Amazon Kindle bestsellers – including her recent novel Arena Mode.