Fanboy Comics Contributor Jason Enright brings you his top comic book picks for the week.

Flash #6
by Francis Manapul and Brian Buccellato

The second arc of the Flash starts here as Buccellato and Manapul reintroduce Captain Cold, one of Flash’s oldest enemies who gets a new 52 update…and he’s deadlier than ever. I have to admit, I never used to be a Flash fan. I figured he was a dude who ran fast, and his bad guys always seemed dorky. Brian Buccellato and Francis Manapul have proven me wrong with every issue of this book, and, nowadays, Flash is one of the books I’m most excited to read each week. The Flash possesses an amazing super power: he can tap into the speed force and run faster, punch faster, and even think faster, but the writers have introduced a very interesting limitation for the Flash. The use of his powers could possibly be ripping time and space apart at the seams. Before Flash can even figure out what to do about this problem, his old nemesis Captain Cold returns with a vengeance. The most interesting thing about this series is that both creators serve as artists and writers in this book. No other creative team has ever had such amazing synergy between the art and the story. Every image in Flash is full of vibrant color and a sense of movement, and the layouts are beautiful and always unique. If you missed the first five issues, this is a great jumping on point, so go pick it up because obviously it’s going to go very fast.

New Mutants #38
by Dan Abnett, Andy Lanning, Leandro Fernandez, and Val Staples

New Mutants is one of the many teams that make up the 7 or 8 books of the Marvel X-Men line. The X-Men have always been a complicated team to get into. There are tons of characters and a lot of history. Luckily, this book is a really simple pickup. These are some of the younger mutants who have moved into a house in the city and are trying to live normal lives. They also occasionally put their superhero suits on and go save the world. It’s basically like The Real World meets The X-Men but way more interesting. The best parts of this book are the dialogue and the quirky characters. For example, this issue asks the question: how does a person with the ability to comprehend and speak any language instantly find the right words to tell his friend that he finds her attractive? The art in this book is pretty straightforward, but the artist really shines at finding the perfect expression to convey the awkward emotions of the cast. One complaint is I wish they would lay up on the inks a little, as some scenes seem really dark. If you like this issue, check out last month’s one shot (Issue 37) in which the hotheaded Amara literally goes out on a date with the devil.

No Place Like Home #1
by Angelo Tirotto and Richard Jordan

Last week Image Comics gave us a reimagining of Peter Pan, and this week they give us a modern take on The Wizard of Oz. This book is like if a prolific horror director reinvented Dorothy and her friends and is filled with murder, mystery, and foul language. Angelo Tirotto gives the characters strong voices, keeps the book moving at a good pace, and maintains the balance between humor and horror. In this issue, we meet Dee who has traveled back home from LA to attend her parents’ funeral after a terrible tornado took their lives. Only not everything is as it seems, and by the end of the issue, Dee and her friends find themselves in some deep trouble. The art by Richard Jordan and Paul Little is dark and moody, lending the perfect atmosphere to the scarier scenes. Do this book a favor and don’t judge it by its odd cover image. It is definitely one worth checking out.