Each and every week “Batman Incorporated Is The Only Thing That Matters” MK2Fac3 and “Dirty Hench” 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 May 23, 2012. Single issues and trades, they’re all here.

Guys, seriously, I love Florence + The Machine, I’m listening to their MTV Unplugged album right now, and it’s just so good. Right now is a really good time for a fan of female vocalists. Anyway, I know that has nothing to do with what we’re supposed to be talking about right now, and that’s fine, but you should know that Daniel Bryan was robbed on Sunday and he should have taken home the championship! What are we talking about again? Oh right, comics. Sure, there are comics coming out this week, but for the life of me, I can’t think of anything that I’d rather read more than Batman Incorporated, so that’s what I’ll be talking about at length, while Chris talks about some new comics, some new old comics, and some that are in between! So, strap in to your seat belts because I’m about to take you on a nice long ride where I talk a whole lot about Batman. No backseat drivers! Only The GoD List!

Alabaster: Wolves #1
Written by Caitlin R. Kiernan
Art and Letters by Steve Lieber
Colors by Rachelle Rosenberg
Covers by Greg Ruth, Michael Avon Oeming
Dark Horse Comics
Release Date: April 11, 2012
Cover Price: $3.50

As luck would have it, I just randomly chose some of the comics up for review this week. And I scored with this one, let me tell you. I read this and loved every moment of it. Alabaster: Wolves #1 stands out from the average comic book in a multitude of ways.

Caitlin R. Kiernan‘s protagonist, Dancy Flammarion, is a remarkable character in that she is both an atypical teenager and a complete badass. Backed by one of the creepiest looking angels ever, she is a dangerous slayer of all things evil. Her no nonsense attitude and inability to back down from a fight makes her a very deadly opponent, indeed. Add to that her albino skin and total disregard for niceties and you get one of the best anti-heroes I have ever seen or read.

Dark Horse Comics announced this week that it would be publishing Michael Avon Oeming‘s post-modern superhero tale The Victories this August.

Oeming, long-time collaborator with Brian Michael Bendis (Powers, Takio), will be taking his skills to perform both writing and art duties on his brand new mature comic The Victories. The Victories is being described as a post-modern superhero story for mature readers in the vein of Watchmen and Powers. And while those are completely different comics, the themes of turning the idea of a superhero narrative on its head is still present. We’ve seen a lot of comics attempt this brand of storytelling recently with books like Irredeemable, Kick-Ass, Empowered and many, many more to the point of near saturation, but some books still stand out, and with Oeming’s phenomenal artwork, I have no doubt that this comic will rise to the top. And if you doubt that, check out the cover image here below.

Icon, the creator-owned subsidiary of publisher Marvel Comics, has possibly one of the best stables of creators and comic book titles in their arsenal, and care of Comixology, you can catch up on titles like Criminal, Powers, Casanova, and more with a cool 20 percent off sale.

Yes, that’s right! You’ve seen the praise for Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips‘ creator-owned work on this site before, and that’s with good reason, as Criminal and Incognito are two of the most innovative works in their fields. Both comics completely suck you in to their gritty, crime-ridden world setting and tell a story that is simply unforgettable. I even suggested that you catch up on Criminal on this past week’s GoD List, so if you for some reason weren’t listening to me, here’s your perfect opportunity. There’s not a single issue of Criminal or Incognito for over the price of $1.50. What are you waiting for?

Captain Victory #1
Story & Script by Sterling Gates
Art Direction & Story by Alex Ross
Art by Wagner Reis
Colors by Inlight Studios
Letters by Simon Bowland
Featuring the concepts & characters of Jack Kirby
Covers by Alex Ross, Michael Avon Oeming, Sean Chen, and Wagner Reis
Dynamite Entertainment
Release Date: November 16th, 2011
Cover Price: $3.99

I have to admit, I’ve fallen a little behind in the Kirby: Genesis universe, but Captain Victory #1 really intrigued me when it was announced a few months ago, and I’m happy to report, it is exactly what I’d hoped that it would be. A good old-fashioned sci-fi action comic, with a few twists and turns thrown in to make things interesting.