Vertigo’s Swamp Thing is a treasured series for many comic book readers. Alan Moore’s iconic run is untouchable in my opinion, but the yarns spun by Rick Veitch, Mark Millar, Brian K. Vaughan, Andy Diggle, and Joshua Dysart left a strong legacy as well. Scott Snyder (American Vampire, Batman) knows this and isn’t screwing with too much continuity. You can tell, even from this debut issue, that he has plans for an epic story arc all his own.

And this is how the season ends. Not with a whimper, but a bang. A few bangs, actually. And some blood as well. There’s a lot of ‘splaining left to do—and yes, the pieces fit together amidst special effects cranked up to a blinding 11.

When it was announced that Barbara Gordon would be returning as Batgirl in DC Comics’ New 52 universe, the main question comics fans had was how they would deal with her being paralyzed back in The Killing Joke, if they’d deal with it at all.

Fans of the original Justice League International from 25 years ago will be pretty familiar with the overall story arc for this new issue #1. The proposed JLI roster and the pre-approval via U.N. sanctions are old hat. New fans just being introduced to a lot of these second and third string characters will most likely be lost. Unlike Justice League #1, Dan Jurgens (Booster Gold) does very little to acquaint you with this team or give you a strong reason to root for them.

It must be difficult for a songwriter who possesses great wit, extraordinary performance skills, and an ear for complex arrangements to not want to show off now and again, and St. Vincent’s Annie Clark wasn’t immune from flexing her skills on her first two releases.

Los Angeles-based AM and London-based Shawn Lee both have an inherent feel for unadulterated soul vibes and funk tempos filtered through ‘70s soundtracks.

The unstoppable writing machine that is Grant Morrison (All-Star Superman, Animal Man, Batman and Robin) returns to the Man of Steel this week. Alongside him is bold artist Rags Morales (Countdown to Infinite Crisis, Batman Confidential, Identity Crisis). Their postmodern vision of The Man of Steel with Action Comics #1 is obviously one of the most-anticipated New 52 #1 titles this month.

Between his split from The Wailers in 1974 and his untimely murder in 1987, Peter Tosh laid down a solo legacy that included several of reggae’s most essential, classic albums. Columbia/Legacy has reissued Tosh’s first (and best) two solo albums, Legalize It and Equal Rights, in deluxe editions packed with rare and previously unreleased bonus materials.

Jonathan Ross, who’s described in shorthand as “the British David Letterman,” is a huge comics nerd, and has put his creative energy into a comics project with noted artist Tommy Lee Edwards. Turf is a tale weaving together several compelling genres: vampires, aliens, and gangsters, all vying for supremacy in prohibition-era New York City. But the cacophony of ideas may be more ambitious than successful.