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

Batman #8
by Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo

This issue starts off the first event of DC’s New 52, and if it is any indication, this event is going to be awesome. Even better, this issue is a great jumping on point, if you haven’t been reading Batman. A short scene in the beginning gives the exposition needed to catch everyone up to speed, and then the action starts. Snyder and Capullo waste no time showing that Bruce Wayne is just as deadly and dangerous without his suit and toys, but the real scene stealer in this issue is Alfred Pennyworth, everyone’s favorite butler.  Snyder and Capullo have spent seven issues so far setting up this very moment, and you will not be disappointed. After picking up this issue, be prepared to drop some money next month, as this storyline spirals the ten other books that make up the Bat family. If those other books are even half as good as this one, then they’ll be worth every penny. Make sure to pick up Batman #8 if you like men fighting in bathrobes, sarcastic butlers, or the quiet moments right before all hell breaks loose.

The Punisher
by Greg Rucka, Marco Chechetto, and Matt Hollingsworth

So, this is an awesome week for Marvel. Avengers vs. X-Men #2 is out and ties into Wolverine and the X-Men and Avengers, and the Amazing Spider-Man continues fighting to the ends of the earth against Doctor Ocotpus and his Sinister Six. One book stood out for me from all of Marvel’s offerings, and that is part of The Omega Effect storyline which takes place in Punisher this week. This title sees Punisher, Daredevil, and Spider-Man teaming up to keep an important weapon out of the hands of five of the world’s most dangerous criminal organizations. Issue 1 was in a Spider-Man comic, and the webhead took center stage, but Issue 2 puts the spotlight on Frank Castle and his new partner, Rachel Alves. This issue shows the team putting their master plan into motion, and gives us some nice moments between these very different kinds of heroes. Rucka really shows us how different the Punisher is from superheroes like Daredevil and Spider-Man. Pick up this book if you like arachnid super-geniuses, one-eyed revenge-aholics, or blind ninja lawyers.

The Walking Dead #96
by Robert Kirkman, Charlie Adlard, and Cliff Rathburn

Let’s just get this out of the way right now. If you are a fan of the TV show, the book is very different. It has a much different pace and has taken many of the characters in different directions. That said the comic is masterpiece in its own right. Robert Kirkman has taken these characters through 96 issues of hell, and now, as we near Issue 100, there is supposedly a light at the end of the tunnel. As much as The Walking Dead is about the ongoing story, every once in a while there is a great issue like this one that perfectly stands on its own and sets up the next major plot point. Read The Walking Dead if you like ruggedly handsome men splattered with blood, people who bring spears to gunfights, or beautifully-rendered back-to-back splash pages.