Each and every week “Madness” MK2Fac3 and “Henchamaniac” Henchman21 read a lot of comics. Seriously you guys, a lot of comics. Maybe too many comics. I mean, it is possible”¦ theoretically. 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 lists, grab some comics, and we’ll let YOU know what the top books to look forward to are for the week of April 11, 2012. Single issues and trades, they’re all here.

Henchamania’s runnin’ wild, brother! Everywhere I go, man, all the little Henchsters are askin’ me what The Hench is gonna pick this week! And I gotta look those little Henchsters right in the eye, dude, and I gotta tell them, man, that when The Hench picks his books, you’re gonna know about it, brother. So you gotta remember, Henchamaniacs! You gotta remember to say your prayers, and eat your vitamins, dude. And to all the doubters and non-believers, when The Hench raises the largest long box in the world and drops it down like an atom bomb to the ground, spraying comics from sea to shining sea, dude, you’ll know that The Hench has been reborn and he’s on a mission! Because it’s truth, justice and The Henchman way! So, what’cha gonna do, brother, when The GoD List and Henchamania run wild… on… you!?

Conan The Barbarian #3
Script by Brian Wood
Art by Becky Cloonan
Colors by Dave Stewart
Letters by Richard Starkings and Comicraft
Cover Art by Massimo Carnevale and John Paul Leon with Dave Stewart
Dark Horse Comics
Release Date: April 11, 2012
Cover Price: $3.50

Conan The Barbarian #3 features the third part of the eagerly anticipated, by many Conan fans, Queen of the Black Coast. One of the most beloved Conan short stories that Robert E. Howard ever wrote about the world’s favorite barbarian. Conan’s first meeting with the Pirate Queen Belit is epic in every sense of the word, and thankfully, this comic is too.

Brian Wood creates, with help from Robert E. Howard, a very bittersweet tale in this issue. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, this is SO unlike any other Conan comics before it. Totally different storytelling style, totally different art, and a totally different feel to the book. While I won’t go into story details for spoiler reasons, this is NOT your typical Conan story. This is more about Conan the MAN than Conan the BARBARIAN. In fact, there’s little to no sword play or action at all, and that’s OK. Very well done, all in all.

Dracula
Illustrated Classics Edition
By Bram Stoker
Illustrations by Becky Cloonan
Harper Design
Release date: April 10, 2012
Hardcover | Kindle

Vampires are all the rage these days, with Twilight and True Blood, and no doubt Johnny Depp will make his mark on the genre next month with Tim Burton’s Dark Shadows. But everyone knows there would be no vampire tales today if not for the granddaddy of them all, Dracula.

Now, Harper Design has released a new illustrated edition of Bram Stoker‘s 1897 novel with art by illustrator and comic book artist Becky Cloonan (American Virgin, Conan The Barbarian). This illustrated classics edition is not a mash-up or an redo — this is the full version as written by Stoker, the words are exactly the same, nothing has been changed or deleted. What is different about this version of the novel is that it is now a 384-page hardcover book which contains more than 50 original illustrations by Cloonan and it’s damn gorgeous.

Conan The Barbarian #2
Written by Brian Wood
Art by Becky Cloonan
Colors by Dave Stewart
Letters by Richard Starkings and Comicraft
Cover by Massino Carnevale
Dark Horse Comics
Release Date: March 14, 2012
Cover Price: $3.50

Conan The Barbarian #2 is a true gem. One of those comics that will have a Conan fan cheering out loud by the end of the book. The problem is, I don’t know how well readers who aren’t familiar with Conan will take it.

Writer Brian Wood takes a classic Robert E. Howard story with almost no dialogue and crafts a fantastic comic…with almost no dialogue. And that’s fine. There’s not much that needs to be said in this story, and what dialogue there is, is meaningful.

Conan the Barbarian #1
Script by Brian Wood
Art by Becky Cloonan
Colors by Dave Stewart
Letters by Richard Starkings and Comicraft
Covers by Massimo Carnevale and Becky Cloonan
Dark Horse Comics
Release Date: February 8, 2012
Cover Price: $3.50

I’ve been looking forward to Conan the Barbarian #1 ever since it was announced. Why? Because with the announcement of the book’s creative team, it promised something different for a Conan comic, and happily, it delivers. Big time.

Fans have been begging for Dark Horse to adapt the classic Robert E. Howard Conan story Queen of the Black Coast for quite a while now, and that has to be tricky for writer Brian Wood. Thankfully, he more than delivers on this fan’s expectations.