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

Animal Man #10
by Jeff Lemire and Steve Pugh

Animal Man continues to be one of the best books that DC Comics puts out. Lemire is slowly weaving an intricate story full of great characters and steeped in a mythology that combines the classic ideas that Morrison introduced to Animal Man years ago, with new ones created by Lemire. The most interesting part of this book is that it’s not really a superhero book; it’s not even really a horror book. Even though it shares elements of both genres, it’s really a fantasy book about a family and the terrible danger they’ve been placed in. This book is unlike anything else on the shelves and is full of surprises, whether they are a new twist, a strange creature, or a moment of humor and warmth. Give this book a try; you’ll be glad you did.

Creator Owned Heroes #1
by Various

This week we get yet another unique idea from the people over at Image Comics. Creator-Owned Heroes is an anthology like the old Tales to Astonish books. In this issue Justin Gray, Jimmy Palmiotti, and Phil Noto bring the tale of Trigger Girl #6, while Steve Niles and Kevin Mellon deliver American Muscle. Trigger Girl is a sleek, sci-fi/action piece about an assassin, brought to life wonderfully by Noto’s art, while Niles’ American Muscle evokes memories of Mad Max with its high octane action and post-apocalyptic setting. There’s a lot of comic here for $3.99, but they didn’t stop there; they also fill the book with letters from the creators and an interview with Neil Gaiman. These guys are trying to do something new and exciting with comics, and if this quality is what they’ll be putting out regularly, then they should be very successful in their endeavor.

Dark Avengers #175
by Jeff Parker and Declan Shalvey

Finally, two of my favorite Marvel concepts are merging into one awesome book with this new issue of Thunderbolts that Marvel has renamed Dark Avengers. The reason they have done this is because, with the regular Thunderbolts lost in time, Luke Cage needs new Thunderbolts to fill the void. The new Thunderbolts are the last people Luke would expect, the Dark Avengers. Parker has consistently been delivering great Thunderbolts stories for some time now, but there seems to be a new energy to the book with this roster change up. Even better is Shalvey’s art, which lends a grittier feel to the book now that the team is even darker. Don’t let the numbering confuse you; whether you are a Dark Avengers fan, a Thunderbolts fan, or just want to try a new book, this story is very much worth it.