Slowly getting back into comics and, three weeks in, I’ve discovered I’m really enjoying the work of writers and artists whose work I enjoyed before taking my reading hiatus. And then, there are a  few surprises.

Here are my Top 12 Recommended Comic Book Reads for the week –

#12 – Hawkeye: Freefall #4 (Matthew Rosenberg, Otto Schmidt)

Daredevil tips Hawkeye off to the formation of a new task force. They have one mission: to stop the dangerous new Ronin before he tears the city apart. Clint joins up, but he can’t help but notice that Ronin gets results. Whose side is he really on? And as Hawkeye’s own hunt for the Hood intensifies, he’s about to find himself in the sights of one of his most dangerous foes of all time…

I’ve always enjoyed characters, like Clint Barton, who have a sense of humor.  And I’ve always enjoyed writers, like Matthew Rosenberg, who can imbue their work with just the right dose of humor.  This title offers the best of both worlds.

#11 – Venom #24 (Donny Cates, Mark Bagley)

Cletus Kasady may be gone, but CARNAGE is another story – and its evil has infected Venom and the entire ISLAND OF BONES. As every living thing on the island hunts him, Eddie Brock may have no choice but to burn it – and everything he holds dear – to the ground…

Writer Donny Cates spins a tale at turns thrilling, troubling, and, surprisingly, touching.

#10 – The Batman’s Grave #6 – Warren Ellis, Bryan Hitch, Kevin Nowlan, Alex Sinclair

The Batman is trapped in the most dangerous house in Gotham City, trying to protect Commissioner Gordon from a secret army out to kill anyone involved in the justice system. The war on the law has only just begun.

He’s “The World’s Greatest Detective” and yet, more often than not, we don’t really see that side of Batman.  But here, writer Warren Ellis delivers the multi-faceted caped crusader at his high-tech, ass-kicking, deductive best.

#9 – Hawkman #22 (Robert Venditti, Fernando Pasarin, Oclair Albert, Wade von Grawbadger, Jeromy Cox)

Sky Tyrant comes home to roost-whether he likes it or not! Hawkwoman, Adam Strange, and the Atom have trapped Sky Tyrant and desperately work to find a cure for their beloved friend Carter Hall’s Dark Multiverse infection. But they’re running out of time as Sky Tyrant, who controls Carter Hall’s body, makes a play for the ancient and powerful artifact that could lead to the deaths of untold billions…and ensure his immortality for good!

I’ve admittedly never been a huge fan of the character, but this fast-paced, gorgeous-looking issue is hard to put down.

#8 – X-Men #8 (Jonathan Hickman, Mahmud A. Asrar, Leinil Francis Yu)

GET READY TO RUN! The New Mutants are back from space, and they’ve brought intergalactic trouble with them!

A deft and visually dazzling follow up to last issue, chock full o’ intergalactic fun. That diminutive alien Broo is now my favorite character.

#7 – Punisher: Soviet #5 [of 6] (Garth Ennis, Jacen Burrows, Paolo Rivera)

Frank and Val have fought side-by-side against not only a Russian mob but also against the tide of history, and these issues will make you see The Punisher (and possibly the world) differently than you do now.

The penultimate issue of what may well be my favorite Ennis Punisher story to date.  P.S. I think there’s more to the wife than she lets on.

#6 – Thor #4 (Donny Cates, Nic Klein)

The Black Winter is coming – the end of the entire vast universe – and only one entity can stop it. The only one who has survived it before, Galactus the World-Eater, has come to Midgard…in search of a herald for the end of everything.

Writer Donny Cates’ second appearance on this list with an issue that has me incredibly excited for a character I always considered kind of dull (Thor Ragnarok notwithstanding).

#5 – The Man Who Effed Up Time #2 (John Layman, Karl Mostert, Dee Cunniffe)

Time-traveler Sean Bennett has been ordered to fix the damage he did to the space-time continuum, or face the wrath of the Future Police. But to do this, Sean Bennett must face his most dangerous adversary-Sean Bennett? 

When time-travel story is done right, it’s a beautiful thing.  And that’s what we have here.

#4 – Avengers #32 (Jason Aaron, Ed McGuinness)

What do the King of Atlantis, the Lord of the Vampires, the deposed duke of Hell, a mysterious Russian assassin and the secret boss of Washington, D.C.’s greatest super-team have in common? They all really hate the Avengers. And so there came a day, a day unlike any other, when Earth’s mightiest villains found themselves united against a common threat.

Writer Jason Aaron is putting the pieces in play for what promises to be an epic throwdown.

#3 – Immortal Hulk #32 (Al Ewing, Joe Bennett)

The gentle giant XEMNUTM has come to EARTHTM to fight evil – as the INCREDIBLE HULK! And YOU can join him – as he battles ROBERT BANNER, the STRANGEST MAN OF ALL TIME! (HULK is a trademark of ROXXON ENERGY. For a brighter tomorrow.)

What a brilliantly weird little issue we have here.  Cannot wait to see where the story goes.

#2 – Stealth (Mike Costa, Nate Bellegarde, Tamra Bonvillain)

A surprising Top 2 finish for this out-of-nowhere title that really wowed me with its masterfully executed twist (which the synopsis gives away, so I won’t post it).

#1 – Decorum #1 (Jonathan Hickman, Mike Huddleston)

There are many assassins in the known universe. This is the story of the most well-mannered one.
“Manners are a sensitive awareness of the feelings of others. If you have that awareness, you have good manners, no matter what knife you use.”

I have been looking forward to this book for months and it does NOT disappoint. Sci-fi comic books don’t get much better than this.