If you're here in the Panel Discussion programming block, you might be a lapsed comics reader, trying to find a way back to the JLA Satellite. Or you might someone killing time until you pick up your weekly Wednesday pull list. Or maybe you've said goodbye to dozens of longboxes to embrace the promise of digital comics. Whichever it is, you're still interested in the good stuff.
Welcome, then, to the Panel Discussion Dozen Quartet, where I pick out just-released or out-soon comics that I think are worth paying attention to. Ready? Then, let's meet the sequential art that'll be draining your wallet this week. Be sure to chime in with the books you'll be picking up or that you think everybody should be ready in the comments.
Uncanny Avengers #1
This book represents the blended-family approach that looks to be the hallmark of Marvel's top-tier series coming. It's an angry, doubtful bunch of characters assembling at Captain America's request and tensions from the just-ended Avengers vs. X-Men event run high. The art by John Cassaday is lovely but a title like this rises and falls on the strength of its member make-up. It's got Havok, though. I love me some Havok.
Batman #13
After having been gone for more than a year, the Clown Prince of Crime returns in the start of the new Death of the Family crossover. (Yeah, they just had a crossover finish up in the Bat-books. Keep calm and carry on.) The tease here is a gruesome new appearance and more brutal outlook for the Joker. The talent on the Bat-books should carry this arc pretty well. I could do without those die-cut covers, though.
Point of Impact #1
Jay Faerber is a writer who I've always considered to be a bit under-appreciated in comics. He's brought a sharp understanding of character dynamics to his superhero work, finding melodrama that fits in with capes and masks. This new book—about a murder that affects people from different walks of life—marks a big shift in tone for Faerber. I think that could be a very good thing.
Saga, Vol. 1
This collection brings together the first six issues of the great series by Brian K. Vaughn and Fiona Staples, which has starcrossed lovers in a fantastic universe on the run with their newborn baby. It combines great observations on human nature with utterly captivating world-building. If you've been waiting on the trade, go and get it now.