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 week sees the debut of the stunning new Vertigo series, The Dark and Bloody, and another issue Ninjak, which features the adventures of the greatest character ever conceived in a comic book. I know Batman is cool and all, but Ninjak is better.

THE DARK AND BLOODY #1

The Dark and Bloody #1 from Vertigo Comics

Written By: Shawn Aldridge
Art By: Scott Godlewski
Colors By: Patricia Mulvihill
Letters By: Clem Robbins

Vertigo Comics have made one hell of a comeback recently. A few years ago, the mature readers imprint was written off as all but dead by many readers, but this turned out to be the furthest thing from the truth. With titles like The Dark and Bloody, Vertigo Comics has a new lease on life, and as long as they continue to put out stuff this awesome, they’ll be around for a long, long time. The Dark and Bloody is classic horror, soaked in mystery, moonshine, and death. Shawn Aldridge and Scott Godlewski have a real gem on their hands here, a book that gives us a clear and honest picture of setting that is usually not much more than the butt of lame jokes. It looks fantastic, too. Godlewski’s art is clean and concise; there’s not a single wasted line or misplaced shadow (and there’s a lot of shadows).  There’s no way around it, The Dark and Bloody is bold and beautiful, even when it wallows in grim, dark fortunes.

NINJAK #12

Ninjak #12 from Valiant Comics

Written By: Matt Kindt
Art By: Doug Braithwaite and Juan Jose Ryp
Colors By: Brian Reber and Ulises Arreola
Letters By: Dave Sharpe

Put down that lame, run-of-the-mill superhero comic you are buying out of habit. Just stop. You are hurting yourself and those who love you. Now, take the money you were going to spend on whatever boring superhero comic and buy Ninjak instead. You want action? Buy Ninjak. You want humor? Buy Ninjak. You want weird pink demons and monsters and a dude dressed in a purple ninja suit that also doubles as like body armor? Well, you are into very specific things and, as luck would have it, this issue of Ninjak has you covered. Matt Kindt, Doug Braithwaite, and Brian Reber keep the action front-and-center in this issue, barely giving you a moment to catch your breath. They also deliver one hell of a “holy crap” moment at the end, courtesy of a redesigned and very scary looking Shadowman. Throw in a gorgeous backup story with Juan Jose Ryp and Ulises Arreola and you have another must-buy Valiant comic. Ninjak is life. Ninjak is love. Ninjak is the hero we need and deserve.

JUGHEAD #4

Jughead #4 from Archie Comics

Written By: Chip Zdarsky
Art By: Erica Henderson
Letters By: Jack Morelli

The recent Archie Comics reboot/relaunch has been nothing short of brilliant. While the flagship title Archie seems to be the one everyone is talking about, you’d be cheating yourself if you skip out on Jughead. Chip Zdarsky and Erica Henderson are hitting it out of the park, running home, drop-kicking the catcher in the face, and then single-handedly fighting the other team as they pour out of the dugout. I forgot where I was going with this baseball metaphor, but the point is Jughead is awesome. Funny, bizarre, and strangely relevant, Jughead is a comic book that captures our culture almost perfectly. Plus, you get extended pirate day dreams and vicious games of dodgeball. Jughead is the real deal.

JONESY #1

Jonesy #1 from BOOM! Studios

Written By: Sam Humphries and Caitlin Rose Boyle
Art By: Caitlin Rose Boyle
Colors By: Micky Quinn
Letters By: Corey Breen

Jonesy is the sort of book that could easily fly under your radar. It’s all-ages, cute, and about falling in love. Well, sorta. It’s also about growing up, anime, love-inducing super powers, and all sorts of other nonsense. In way, it feels like a spiritual successor to Scott Pilgrim or maybe Scott Pilgrim‘s younger sibling. Either way, Jonesy has heart, and it’s all genuine and completely absurd. It’s angry, but adorable. It also has a fair amount of ferret obsession. Sam Humphries and Caitlin Rose Boyle are clearly having a blast with this title, and you would be too if you get over that tough kid persona of yours and buy it. Seriously, you aren’t fooling anybody, so just let your emotions run free and pick up Jonesy #1. It’s worth it, I promise.

Okay, that’s it for us this week. Check out the complete list below and let us know what your pull list looks like in the comments!

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THE COMPLETE LIST

(via PreviewsWorld.com)