The holidays are almost here, but Christmas continues its tendency of coming early with a king’s hoard of brand new comic books. If you’re a fan of far out sci-fi, then this is definitely a week you won’t want to miss. With brand new offerings from the likes of Kelly Sue DeConnick, Brian K. Vaughan, Rick Remender, and much more, this is the Comic Book Day you’ve been waiting for, and this is the pull list you deserve.

Top Picks

Saga #17 | Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples

The worst part about Saga is that each issue comes to an end rather than continuing on for all eternity. The best part about Saga is cracking open a brand new issue and seeing what new manner of sci-fi insanity Vaughan and Staples have dreamed up next. Issue #17 takes us back to Quietus, where our heroes are holed up in the lighthouse home of eccentric author D. Oswald Heist. With Prince Robot IV, Gwendolyn and Lying Cat, and two enterprising journalists all converging on their location at the end of issue #16, you just knew that #17 was going to have an explosive outcome, and Vaughan doesn’t pull any punches. With plenty of dreamy rumination and the sort of familial exploration of new love and child rearing that has come to characterize the book in addition to these fits and bursts of violence, Saga #17 is a gripping, deeply suspenseful chapter in this ever-deepening epic, and a necessary purchase for your pull list this week.

Ghost #1 | Kelly Sue DeConnick, Chris Sebela, and Ryan Sook

Dark Horse’s resident demon hunting dame makes her triumphant return in Ghost #1 from Kelly Sue DeConnick, Chris Sebela, and Ryan Sook. Picking up where the last volume left off, the book offers up plenty to entice readers both new and old, offering up a twist on the standard supernatural fare. Elisa Cameron is here for one reason: to protect Earth from the demons trying to conquer it. How does she do it? Well, she’s a ghost, for starters.

Brash, headstrong, and self assured, Elisa is a decidedly badass heroine, but it’s her backstory that elevates her from interesting to intriguing. Stuck between Hell and Earth, Elisa possesses an array of ghostly powers, which she uses to exorcise demons from their human hosts and send them back to Hell. The title doesn’t just refer to her powers; it’s also referencing how Elisa, having lost her memory, feels like she’s a pale spectre of a person, floating her way through everyday life. It’s the kind of insecurity that many of us who have struggled with identity and purpose can identify with, and it makes her instantly likable.  Helping matters along is DeConnick and Sebela’s narrative sensibilities, which keeps the action and exposition flowing nicely without sacrificing narrative momentum. It may get a little too exposition-heavy at times, but there’s enough charm there, particularly thanks to Ryan Sook’s artwork, to keep us coming back for more.

Black Science #2 | Rick Remender, Matteo Scalera, and Dean White

I don’t know what is in the water over at Image Comics these days, but it’s resulting in some of the most batshit crazy and supremely enjoyable sci-fi I’ve read in years, and with only two issues under its belt, Rick Remender’s Black Science is leading the charge. Issue #1 brought us to an aquatic planet where frog people and fish people were locked in ancient tribal warfare, and issue #2 takes us across the universe to an alternate history version of Earth where German soldiers are fighting against a race of technologically superior Indians with a penchant for human sacrifice. This is like Sam Humphries’ Sacrifice meets Trillium in all the right ways, and Remender throws his readers into the deep end, trusting us to come along for the ride. Granted, he does take a moment to provide some context and backstory, but this only happens after one of our heroes is nearly disemboweled by a bayonet in the middle of a warzone. All of this is rendered wonderfully in a mixture of painted artwork from Dean White and non-painted panels from Matteo Scalera, which makes for a heady visual brew that takes us from on planet to the next seamlessly, creating a tactile, palpable universe that I want nothing more than to explore to its fullest.

Pull List

DARK HORSE COMICS

OCT130034 BLOODHOUND CROWBAR MEDICINE #3 $3.99
OCT130060 BPRD HELL ON EARTH #114 $3.50
OCT130033 BUZZKILL #4 $3.99
OCT130029 CAPTAIN MIDNIGHT #6 $2.99
OCT130022 CONAN THE BARBARIAN #23 $3.50
OCT130069 CRIMINAL MACABRE EYES OF FRANKENSTEIN #4 $3.99
OCT130046 DARK HORSE PRESENTS #31 (MR) $7.99
APR130084 DOMO JAPANESE MUG $12.99
AUG130070 EMPOWERED TP VOL 08 $16.99
SEP130019 GHOST #1 $2.99
OCT130055 ITTY BITTY HELLBOY #5 $2.99
OCT130073 KISS ME SATAN #4 $3.99
OCT130019 MASS EFFECT FOUNDATION #6 $3.99
OCT130047 MASSIVE #18 $3.50
AUG130069 MASSIVE TP VOL 02 SUBCONTINENTAL $19.99
OCT130048 NEVER ENDING #2 (MR) $3.99
AUG130112 NGE SHINJI IKARI RAISING PROJECT TP VOL 13 $9.99
AUG130126 POWERS FIGURE SET $24.99
AUG130076 SAVAGE SWORD OF CONAN TP VOL 15 $19.99
OCT130052 SHOOT FIRST #3 $3.99
OCT130057 SLEDGEHAMMER 44 LIGHTNING WAR #2 $3.50
SEP130063 STAR WARS DARK TIMES SPARK REMAINS #5 $3.50
OCT130010 STAR WARS DARTH VADER & CRY OF SHADOWS #1 $3.50
OCT130013 STAR WARS DAWN O/T JEDI FORCE WAR #2 $3.50
OCT130015 STAR WARS LEGACY II #10 $2.99
OCT130075 STRAIN THE FALL #6 $3.99

DC COMICS

OCT130216 ANIMAL MAN #26 $2.99
AUG130305 AUTHORITY HC VOL 02 $34.99
OCT130227 BATMAN 66 #6 $3.99
OCT130201 BATMAN AND TWO FACE #26 $2.99
OCT130226 BATMAN BEYOND UNIVERSE #5 $3.99
OCT130195 BIRDS OF PREY #26 $2.99
SEP130270 BIRDS OF PREY TP VOL 03 CLASH OF DAGGERS (N52) $14.99
SEP130305 FABLES TP VOL 19 SNOW WHITE (MR) $16.99
OCT130135 FOREVER EVIL ROGUES REBELLION #3 $2.99
SEP130272 FURY OF FIRESTORM TP VOL 03 TAKEOVER (N52) $16.99
OCT130211 GREEN LANTERN NEW GUARDIANS #26 $2.99
OCT130185 HARLEY QUINN #1 $2.99
OCT130153 JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICAS VIBE #10 $2.99
OCT130204 RED HOOD AND THE OUTLAWS #26 $2.99
SEP130284 SHOWCASE PRESENTS STRANGE ADVENTURES TP VOL 02 $19.99
OCT130181 SUPERGIRL #26 $2.99
SEP130285 SUPERMAN VS MONGUL TP $14.99
OCT130263 TEEN TITANS GO #1 $2.99
SEP130274 TEEN TITANS TP VOL 03 DEATH OF THE FAMILY TO (N52) $14.99
OCT130139 TRINITY OF SIN PANDORA #6 (EVIL) $2.99
OCT130256 VERTIGO ESSENTIALS 100 BULLETS #1 (MR) $1.00
OCT130281 WAKE PART ONE #1 (MR) $9.99
OCT130154 WONDER WOMAN #26 $2.99

DC COMICS/DC COLLECTIBLES

JUN130317 DC COMICS BOMBSHELLS HARLEY QUINN STATUE $124.95
JUL130286 INFINITE CRISIS ARCANE GREEN LANTERN STATUE $124.95
JUN130306 INFINITE CRISIS ATOMIC WONDER WOMAN STATUE $124.95
SEP130329 JUSTICE LEAGUE SHAZAM AF $24.95

IDW PUBLISHING

OCT130370 BEN 10 #2 [DIG/P+] $3.99
OCT130326 DOCTOR WHO PRISONERS OF TIME TP VOL 03 $17.99
OCT130376 GHOSTBUSTERS #11 [DIG/P+] $3.99
OCT130403 GI JOE AMERICAS ELITE DISAVOWED TP VOL 02 $19.99
OCT130398 GI JOE COBRA FILES #9 [DIG/P+] $3.99
OCT130348 GODZILLA RULERS OF EARTH TP VOL 01 $19.99
OCT130346 GODZILLA RULERS OF THE EARTH #7 [DIG/P+] $3.99
OCT130349 ILLEGITIMATES #1 [DIG/P+] $3.99
SEP130367 KISS KIDS #4 [DIG/P+] $3.99
AUG130407 LOCKE & KEY ALPHA #2 BOX SET $49.99
AUG130398 LOCKE & KEY ALPHA #2 CVR A RODRIGUEZ [DIG/P+] $7.99
AUG130399 LOCKE & KEY ALPHA #2 CVR B BISLEY $7.99
AUG130400 LOCKE & KEY ALPHA #2 CVR C FABRY $7.99
AUG130401 LOCKE & KEY ALPHA #2 CVR D KALUTA $7.99
AUG130402 LOCKE & KEY ALPHA #2 CVR E SIENKIEWICZ $7.99
AUG130403 LOCKE & KEY ALPHA #2 CVR F SIM $7.99
AUG130404 LOCKE & KEY ALPHA #2 CVR G WRIGHTSON $7.99
OCT130344 MARS ATTACKS JUDGE DREDD #4 [DIG/P+] $3.99
OCT130373 MR PEABODY & SHERMAN #2 [DIG/P+] $3.99
OCT130357 MY LITTLE PONY FRIENDSHIP IS MAGIC #14 [DIG/P+] $3.99
OCT130359 MY LITTLE PONY MICRO SERIES #10 LUNA [DIG/P+] $3.99
OCT130378 POPEYE CLASSICS ONGOING #17 [DIG/P+] $3.99
OCT130362 SAMURAI JACK #3 [DIG/P+] $3.99
OCT130339 SINISTER DEXTER #1 [DIG/P+] $3.99
OCT130320 STAR TREK CLASSICS TP VOL 05 WHO KILLED CAPTAIN KIRK $21.99
OCT130317 STAR TREK ONGOING #28 [DIG/P+] $3.99
SEP130460 TARZAN RUSS MANNING NEWSPAPER STRIPS HC VOL 02 1969-1971 $49.99
OCT130413 TMNT ADVENTURES TP VOL 06 $19.99
OCT130407 TMNT KEVIN EASTMAN CVR GALLERY $3.99
OCT130410 TMNT NEW ANIMATED ADVENTURES #6 $3.99
OCT130405 TMNT ONGOING #29 $3.99
AUG130488 TRANSFORMERS ART OF PRIME HC $49.99
OCT130388 TRANSFORMERS REGENERATION ONE #97 [DIG/P+] $3.99
OCT130385 TRANSFORMERS ROBOTS IN DISGUISE #24 DARK CYBERTRON PART 5 [DIG/P+] $3.99
OCT130418 X-FILES SEASON 10 HC VOL 01 $24.99

IMAGE COMICS

OCT130632 A VOICE IN THE DARK #2 [DIG] $3.99
OCT138204 APOCALYPSE AL #1 RETAILER EXC PREVIEW (MR) $2.99
OCT130593 BLACK SCIENCE #2 CVR A SCALERA & WHITE (MR) [DIG] $3.50
OCT130595 BOUNCE #8 (MR) [DIG] $2.99
SEP130618 EAST OF WEST #8 [DIG] $3.50
OCT130489 GREAT PACIFIC TP VOL 02 NATION BUILDING (MR) [DIG] $14.99
OCT130475 MIND THE GAP #16 CVR A ESQUEJO [DIG] $2.99
OCT130476 MIND THE GAP #16 CVR B FRISON $2.99
SEP130549 PETER PANZERFAUST DLX HC $39.99
OCT130610 PRETTY DEADLY #3 (MR) [DIG] $3.50
OCT130617 REVIVAL #16 (MR) [DIG] $2.99
OCT130619 SAGA #17 (MR) [DIG] $2.99
JUL130540 SECRET #4 [DIG] $3.50
OCT130622 SEX #9 (MR) [DIG] $2.99
AUG130718 TEN GRAND #6 (MR) [DIG] $2.99
OCT138102 UMBRAL #1 2ND PTG (MR) $2.99
OCT130630 UMBRAL #2 (MR) [DIG] $2.99
OCT130507 WALKING DEAD SPANISH LANGUAGE ED TP VOL 02 (MR) $14.99
SEP130649 WITCHBLADE #171 CVR A CHRISTOPHER [DIG] $2.99
SEP130650 WITCHBLADE #171 CVR B SEJIC $2.99
OCT130635 ZERO #4 CVR A MOORE & MULLER (MR) [DIG] $2.99
OCT130636 ZERO #4 CVR B WARD & MULLER (MR) $2.99

IMAGE COMICS/MCFARLANE TOYS

SEP130652 WALKING DEAD TV 10IN DARYL DIXON DLX AF PI

MARVEL COMICS

OCT130723 ALL NEW X-MEN #20 $3.99
OCT130682 AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #700.4 $3.99
OCT130684 AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #700.5 $3.99
SEP130805 ASTONISHING X-MEN TP VOL 12 UNMASKED $29.99
OCT130646 AVENGERS ASSEMBLE #22.INH $3.99
OCT130674 CATACLYSM ULTIMATE X-MEN #2 $3.99
OCT130712 DAREDEVIL #34 $2.99
OCT130733 DEADPOOL #21 $2.99
SEP130798 DEADPOOL CLASSIC TP VOL 09 $29.99
SEP130800 DEADPOOL TP VOL 03 GOOD BAD AND UGLY $15.99
OCT130713 FANTASTIC FOUR #15 $2.99
OCT130714 FF #15 $2.99
OCT130645 INDESTRUCTIBLE HULK #17.INH $3.99
OCT130735 LONGSHOT SAVES MARVEL UNIVERSE #4 $2.99
JUL130696 MMW ATLAS ERA STRANGE TALES HC VOL 06 $74.99
SEP130787 MMW GOLDEN AGE MARVEL COMICS TP VOL 02 $29.99
SEP130774 POWERS BUREAU TP VOL 01 UNDERCOVER (MR) $19.99
OCT130693 SCARLET SPIDER #25 $3.99
OCT130667 SECRET AVENGERS #13 $3.99
SEP130813 SPIDER-MAN GATHERING OF FIVE TP $29.99
OCT130688 SUPERIOR SPIDER-MAN #24 $3.99
OCT130691 SUPERIOR SPIDER-MAN TEAM UP #8 $3.99
OCT130709 THOR GOD OF THUNDER #16 $3.99
OCT130701 THUNDERBOLTS ANNUAL 2013 #1 $4.99
OCT130664 UNCANNY AVENGERS #15 $3.99
OCT130731 UNCANNY X-FORCE #15 $3.99
SEP130804 VENOM TP LAND WHERE KILLERS DWELL $15.99
SEP130806 X-FACTOR TP VOL 21 END OF X-FACTOR $14.99
OCT130725 X-MEN #8 $3.99
OCT130669 YOUNG AVENGERS #14 $2.99

COMICS & GRAPHIC NOVELS

AUG130956 8BIT ZOMBIES ONE SHOT [DIG] $3.99
SEP131277 ACG CLASSICS COLLECTORS PACK $124.99
OCT130970 ADVENTURE TIME #23 MAIN CVRS $3.99
OCT131394 ARE YOU ALICE GN VOL 03 $11.99
SEP138339 ASH & THE ARMY OF DARKNESS #1 2ND PTG VAR $3.99
AUG131403 ASTERIX AND THE PICTS HC $14.95
OCT131314 AWKWARD SILENCE GN VOL 04 (MR) $12.99
OCT131358 BLOODSHOT & HARD CORPS #17 REG ROSSMO $3.99
OCT131395 BLOODY CROSS GN VOL 01 $11.99
JUL131213 BOY AND A GIRL GN $19.99
OCT130986 BRAVEST WARRIORS #15 MAIN CVRS [DIG] $3.99
JUN131172 BUCK ROGERS IN 25TH CENT GRAY MORROW YEARS VOL 01 1979-81 $49.99
AUG131137 CLIVE BARKER NEXT TESTAMENT #6 (MR) [DIG] $3.99
OCT131078 CODENAME ACTION #4 $3.99
JUN138036 COMPLETE PEANUTS HC VOL 05 1959-1960 (NEW PTG) $29.99
OCT131281 CON JOB GN $5.99
OCT130927 CROSSED BADLANDS #43 (MR) $3.99
OCT130929 CROSSED BADLANDS #43 TORTURE CVR (MR) $3.99
OCT130928 CROSSED BADLANDS #43 WRAP CVR (MR) $3.99
OCT131396 DARK HUNTERS INFINITY TP VOL 02 $13.00
SEP131287 DEAN KOONTZ IN ODD WE TRUST TP SIGNED BOOKPLATE ED $10.95
AUG131238 DEJAH THORIS & GREEN MEN OF MARS #9 (MR) $3.99
OCT131303 DEPARTMENT OF MONSTEROLOGY #3 $3.99
OCT131375 DEVIL & HER LOVE SONG GN VOL 12 $9.99
MAY131098 DF SATELLITE SAM #1 MIDTOWN EXC $16.99
MAR131118 DF WARLORD OF MARS #30 RISQUE CVR $18.99
SEP131286 DIANA GABALDON OUTLANDER GN SIGNED BOOKPLATE ED $25.00
SEP131271 DISNEY FAIRIES GN VOL 13 PIXIE HOLLOW GAMES $7.99
SEP131272 DISNEY FAIRIES HC VOL 13 PIXIE HOLLOW GAMES $11.99
OCT131379 DOROHEDORO GN VOL 11 (MR) $12.99
OCT131353 ETERNAL WARRIOR #4 REG LAROSA $3.99
OCT131111 EVIL ERNIE TP VOL 01 ORIGIN OF EVIL $19.99
AUG131058 EXTINCTION PARADE #4 (MR) $3.99
AUG131060 EXTINCTION PARADE #4 END OF SPECIES CVR (MR) $3.99
AUG131059 EXTINCTION PARADE #4 WRAP CVR (MR) $3.99
SEP131233 FAIRY TALES OF OSCAR WILDE GN VOL 02 $9.99
JUL131064 GARTH ENNIS BATTLEFIELDS TP VOL 08 (MR) $16.99
OCT131439 GFT WONDERLAND TP VOL 03 $15.99
OCT131427 GFT WONDERLAND TTLG #4 A CVR LILLY (MR) $3.99
OCT131428 GFT WONDERLAND TTLG #4 B CVR NUNES (MR) $3.99
OCT131429 GFT WONDERLAND TTLG #4 C CVR MALSUNI (MR) $3.99
OCT131062 GRIMM #8 $3.99
APR131209 HARVEY HORRORS COLL WORKS BLACK CAT MYSTERY HC VOL 02 $47.99
OCT130845 HAWKEN MELEE #2 [DIG] $3.99
OCT131007 HELLRAISER DARK WATCH #11 (MR) [DIG] $3.99
OCT131397 HIGH SCHOOL O/T DEAD COLOR OMNIBUS HC VOL 02 (MR) $49.99
OCT131000 HIT #4 [DIG] $3.99
OCT130998 IMAGINE AGENTS #3 [DIG] $3.99
JUL131237 INFOMANIACS HC (MR) $22.95
OCT131370 ITSUWARIBITO GN VOL 10 $9.99
OCT131123 JENNIFER BLOOD FIRST BLOOD TP (MR) $19.99
OCT130952 KNIGHTINGAIL SHADOW DIVISIONS #6 $3.99
AUG131228 LADY RAWHIDE #3 $3.99
SEP131041 LARGO WINCH GN VOL 08 SHADOW $11.95
SEP138118 LEGENDS OF RED SONJA #1 REORDER ED $3.99
SEP138119 MARK WAID GREEN HORNET #7 REORDER ED $3.99
SEP131091 MARK WAID GREEN HORNET #8 $3.99
OCT131398 MELANCHOLY OF HARUHI SUZUMIYA GN VOL 17 $13.00
OCT130966 MIDAS FLESH #1 MAIN CVRS [DIG] $3.99
OCT131392 MOBILE SUIT GUNDAM ORIGIN HC VOL 04 JABURO $29.95
OCT131231 NO 6 GN VOL 04 $10.99
OCT131366 NURA RISE O/T YOKAI CLAN GN VOL 18 $9.99
OCT131400 PANDORA HEARTS GN VOL 19 $11.99
OCT130983 PEANUTS VOL 2 #14 [DIG] $3.99
SEP131414 PUELLA MAGI KAZUMI MAGICA GN VOL 03 INNOCENT MALICE $11.99
OCT131362 REAL GN VOL 02 $12.99
OCT131045 RED SONJA #6 FRISON CVR $3.99
OCT131046 RED SONJA #6 THOMPSON CVR $3.99
OCT131030 RED TEN #5 (MR) $3.99
OCT130955 REX ZOMBIE KILLER #2 $3.50
JUL131248 ROY THOMAS PRESENTS CLASSIC PHANTOM LADY TP BOXED SET $79.99
SEP131049 SCAM #4 FINALE (MR) $3.99
OCT130958 SERGIO ARAGONES FUNNIES #11 $3.50
JUL130892 SERUSIS #4 $3.50
OCT130959 SIMPSONS COMICS #207 $2.99
SEP131293 SLAINE BOOK OF SCARS 30TH ANNIVERSARY HC (MR) $31.99
AUG130976 STEAM ENGINES OF OZ VOL 2 #1 GEARED LEVIATHAN [DIG/P+] $3.99
OCT131393 SUMMER WARS GN PART 02 $14.95
JUL131373 SUNSHINE SKETCH TP VOL 07 $17.00
JUL131066 THE SPIDER #16 $3.99
OCT131367 TORIKO GN VOL 19 $9.99
OCT130890 TRISH OUT OF WATER #3 ASPEN RESERVED CVR $3.99
OCT130889 TRISH OUT OF WATER #3 DIRECT MARKET CVR [DIG] $3.99
OCT131402 UNTIL DEATH DO US PART GN VOL 05 $18.99
SEP131375 VALIANT MASTERS RAI HC VOL 01 $24.99
OCT131114 VAMPIRELLA #37 NEVES CVR $3.99
OCT131115 VAMPIRELLA #37 PARRILLO CVR $3.99
SEP131135 VAMPIRELLA ARCHIVES HC VOL 08 (MR) $49.99
SEP130858 VERY ZOMBIE CHRISTMAS #5 [DIG] $3.99
OCT131058 VOLTRON TP VOL 02 TEN LIONS $19.99
APR131054 WARLORD OF MARS #31 (MR) $3.99
AUG131256 WARRIORS JAILBREAK TP $16.99
OCT131261 WASTELAND #51 (MR) $3.99
OCT130960 WONDERFUL WORLD OF LISA SIMPSON #1 $3.99
SEP130896 WORLD OF ARCHIE DOUBLE DIGEST #34 [DIG/P+] $3.99
OCT131345 X-O MANOWAR #20 REG ANDRASOFSZKY $3.99
What’s on your pull list this week?