We're pleased as punch to present James' pull list for the week so check it out:

The Wake #8

I am fully vested in Scott Snyder and Sean Murphy’s twisted tale of past, present, and future regarding mankind and mermankind. It has been intense, exciting, a little bit creepy, but altogether awesome. In the wake (pun intended) of the Merfolk’s cataclysmic attack on the humans, a real crappy dystopia has risen from the drenched earth that we are beginning to see at work as our new second  protagonist, a spunky lady by the name Leeward, does battle with the Mers and the Dystopes. It’s pretty sweet I must say.

I have noticed the second half of this mini, which takes place way in the future has upped the ante and just keeps me even more committed to it. If there is any type of mini you need to read, this is it. You will not be disappointed in any way whatsoever. Plus, Snyder really is at his best when writing about bad things (think American Vampire). Darkness is his realm and here in #8 the darkness is pretty heavy.

New 52 Future’s End #1

I did not want to care about this title. I knew about it for a while, I know that is just the same old “futures gone to shit” story arc where someone has to go back in time to change the horrid reality. With the “assimilation” to an evil entity thing done pretty good in the Rotworld story crossover a while back, I just wasn’t planning to be into this one. It’s been done, and done, and done again and again by everybody. No, I wanted no part of it…Then here comes the Free Comic Book Day #0 offering, and the cover looks pretty sweet…So I pick it up. It still looks like a mechanized version of Rotworld to me, but I read it. Damn! Why did I read it? Though I have seen this type of story so many times in so many formats, I must admit that I am a sucker for it and I actually kind of liked the #0 and not just because it was free. DC has assembled a strong creative team of writers and artists and #0 has drawn me in to try #1 this week. Hey, when we see what happens to three major DC characters (and even a few minors too), well you just know that I got to pick up the new one. It might just be that I have worked too many twelve hour shifts recently and am delusional, I don’t know. But Future’s End has been assimilated into my pull list this week. I say it again, Damn!

Terminator Salvation: The Final Battle #6

J. Michael Straczynski has been blowing up this “closer look” mini that ties the entire Terminator Mythos together. We have been given a front row seat into the final battle between Skynet and the Humans and we are now starting to see how the first Terminator and Kyle Reese crossed on through. What we don’t know is how all the others went through that have (and are in this one) causing trouble in the past.

A lot of unknowns still remain, but Stazczynski being the master writer that he is, is stringing us along at a nice pace offering some clues...Just enough to entice us, but never exposing the full picture. What else is happening is an intricate tale of human nature as we also get to see Skynet’s use of serial killer Thomas Parnell and Doctor Serena Kogan to help aid them in addressing the deficit they do have in fighting (and defeating) the humans. The idea behind these two is quite interesting and even a little bit scary as you can only imagine what is going on with our two as they work for the dark side. One does it simply for survival, while the other does it simply for administering death (and suffering). It is an interesting reflection of mankind that has had me greedily wolfing this title up every month.

Red Sonja #9

I totally dig on Gail Simone and Walter Geovani’s She Devil with a Sword saga. These two have created some exceptional story that has made this just a super want on any title list right now. We currently find ourselves three issues into the second story arc in which Sonja is on the search for the world’s greatest artisans that are to be in use for an end of life party being held by a pharoh type king who is dying. He has tasked Sonja to find the six greatest artisans in the world with the freedom (or life) of 1000 slaves on the line as a bet. Sonja has taken the bet and has two bagged so far. Only four more to go.

This second arc has been much more lighthearted than the Queen of the Plagues story arc but it still packs a nice punch of action as well as bringing Simone’s signature offbeat humor to the mix which works well for easing up on all the seriousness that we have seen. And it has worked thus far. We have a more fun filled but excellently readable story and I am ready to see where we are heading next.

Swamp Thing #31

Charles Soule has been one of the hardest working writers in comics lately appearing in well…like everything. He’s on a roll and I for one have been super into his version of Alec Holland (aka Swamp Thing). Since taking over for Scott Snyder after all the Rotworld destruction, Soule has taken a strong look on what it means to be human even for a fully realized Avatar of the Green. Some hardcore bombs have been dropped along the way that has been pretty damn impressive. Yet everything has been done with a smooth subtlety that makes this title so readable every month.

Right now, things are looking pretty bleak for old Alec, but he has more heart and soul than nearly anybody in the DC universe, human or not. I am very curious to see how he works his way out of his current mess as the Gift of the Sureen arc wraps up. Oh yeah, old Swampy has a battle date with a demon coming soon too as he works to uphold a hundreds year old protection request of Murder Poet Cupucine that has been slow churning for months now waiting for a spot to land. Add some previous Avatars who have been made human again and their dealings with human life and you get all the wonderful complexities that establish Soule as such a great writer.  His stuff is good and I anxiously swipe up this title of my all time favorite comic book character month after month.