Salutations, Wednesday Warriors! It’s that time of the week again; time to storm the gates and bring home a fresh stack of new comics. Before you head to the shop, arm yourself with a few recommendations, and for you big spenders out there, we also have a complete list of this week’s releases. This time around we’ve got assassins, kings, crooked cops, and Millar’s new science fiction epic.

BLACK PANTHER #1

Black Panther #1 from Marvel Comics

Written By: Ta-Nehisi Coates
Art By: Brian Stelfreeze
Colors By: Laura Martin
Letters By: Joe Sabino

The Black Panther is poised to explode. He’s about to enter the big time, with a role in Captain America: Civil War and a scheduled solo flick. It’s only fitting that Marvel would launch a new series starring everyone’s favorite superhero king, and as luck would have it the one they launched is awesome. Ta-Nehisi Coates and Brain Stelfreeze deliver right from the first, gorgeously laid out, page. Coates is new to the superhero comic book world, but he’s got godly art talents to guide him. This collaboration produces one of Marvel’s most starling and unique books, one that is less about superheroes and more about legacy and strength. It’s brilliant, without a doubt, and a hell of a lot of fun to read. We like you Black Panther. We like you a lot. Let’s stay together.

EMPRESS #1

Empress #1 from Marvel Comics

Written By: Mark Millar
Art By: Stuart Immonen and Wade Von Grawbadger
Colors By: Ive Svorcina
Letters By: Peter Doherty

Mark Millar knows how to pick them. He has a knack for grabbing the best artists in the industry to work with him and producing some radical comic books along the way. Empress is another awesome Millar comic, and thanks to Stuart Immonen, it’s one of the most dynamic and beautiful. Immonen infuses every page with some much excitement, energy, and power. When the lasers guns start firing and the spaceships start exploding, you feel like the comic in your hand is going to burst into flames and melt the eyes from your skull. Empress moves fast, jumping through it’s opening into an extended science fiction chase sequence that features dinosaurs, aliens, and lots of explosions. Immonen’s art looks incredible, thanks in part to Wade Von Grawbadger’s inks and Ive Svorcina’s colors. It’s big, action-packed fun and we can’t wait to read more.

BLACK WIDOW #2

Black Widow #2 from Marvel Comics

Written By: Chris Samnee and Mark Wade
Art By: Chris Samnee
Colors By: Matthew Wilson
Letters By: Joe Caramagna

There’s no stopping Chris Samnee and Mark Waid. Greater men and women than you have tried and failed. They are a force of pure comic book awesomeness that literally (not literally) turns everything they touch into gold. Literally gold! The first issue of Black Widow was spectacular—probably the best first issue of the year—crafted from literal (not literal) gold. And guess what? The second issue of Black Widow is somehow even better. Samnee is literally on fire and producing some of the best work of his career. Considering the fact that this is a man who once drew dinosaurs wearing jetpacks, so that is saying something. Black Widow captures everything we love about the character: the superspy action, the betrayal, and that superhero noir feel. It’s incredible all around and further proof that Samnee and Waid are our rightful kings and rulers.

THE FIX #1

The Fix #1 from Image Comics

Written By: Nick Spencer
Art By: Steve Lieber
Colors By: Ryan Hill
Letters By: Nic J Shaw

We loved The Fix #1. It’s hilarious and unexpected, constantly pulling the story in directions you never expected. It’s about crooked cops, psycho movie producers, a dog named Pretzels, and one of the best crime bosses to ever grace the comic book page. Steve Lieber and Nick Spencer go together like peanut butter and chocolate, silky smooth and just the right balance of sweet and salty. We could push this chocolate and peanut butter metaphor even further, but you get what we’re saying, right? We’re saying you should be adding The Fix to your pull list. You should be buying multiple copies and handing them out to your friends, family, and children (don’t do that). The Fix is laugh out loud funny and something unique in a medium filled with explosions and spandex.

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THE COMPLETE LIST

(via PreviewsWorld.com)