Picks of the Week - July 11, 2012

Is your week not going so well?  Still getting used to a normal work week after the holiday?  At least it’s new comic day.

WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD

Batman #11 (DC Comics) – Batman’s battle with the Court of the Owls concludes this issue with a climactic battle with the Talon known as Lincoln Marsh.  Is there anything to the Talon’s claims that he is Bruce’s long-lost brother?  And have we heard the last of the Court of Owls?

Suicide Squad #11 (DC Comics) – Infiltrated by agents of Basilisk, the team find themselves blown out of the air, cut off from Amanda Waller, and marooned with a lost tribe of Mayans.  Have they found the ultimate escape from mission after deadly mission?

Swamp Thing #11 (DC Comics) – It’s Swamp Thing versus Anton Arcane with Abby trapped in the middle, and both have learned some new tricks since the last time they faced off.  Plus, this issue leads into next month’s crossover with Animal Man as Alec Holland, agent of the Green, and Buddy Baker, agent of the Red, team up against the evil of the Rot.

The New Avengers #28 (Marvel Comics) – In the A vs. X tie-in, Spider-woman, Hawkeye and Luke Cage find themselves imprisoned on Utopia by the Mutants.  Can they beat their captors and escape?  This is one of the few stand out stories in an otherwise mediocre event.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 9 #11 (Dark Horse Comics) – Buffy has been the defender of mankind against vampires and demons for some time now.  But can she put aside all of her instincts to function as a personal bodyguard?

Revival #1 (Image Comics) – In this self-described “rural noir,” the town of Rothschild, Wisconsin has experienced Revival Day, when the dead came back.  This is not a typical zombie title.  The “revivors” are not mindless rotting flesh-eating corpses, but they are not necessarily far from dangerous.  This first issue teases the readers with pieces of a greater mystery, that of Revival Day, leaving the reader wanting more.

Hoax Hunters #1 (Image Comics) – The Hoax Hunters are a reality show team that investigates and debunks the mysterious and unnatural, except that they know far more about the “hoaxes” they investigate than they really let on.