Without a doubt the biggest DC Comics release of the week is the first issue from the series of comics called Before Watchmen. Comprised of several different mini-series, all showcasing adventures of the various characters in Watchmen, and taking place before that seminal story by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons. This week sees the release of Before Watchmen: Minutemen #1 (of 6)!

And DC is certainly bringing out some heavy hitters for this event. This Minutemen series, for example, is written and illustrated by the supremely talented Darwyn Cooke, whose work we’ve seen on the Parker graphic novels and DC’s The New Frontier.

BEFORE WATCHMEN MINUTEMEN #1 (OF 6)

Written by Darwyn Cooke, Len Wein
Art by Darwyn Cooke, John Higgins

"Little did we know that poor boy would lead to the end of us all."

Plus: Don’t miss the CRIMSON CORSAIR backup story by writer LEN WEIN and artist JOHN HIGGINS!

DC Comics’ Before Watchmen: Minutemen #1 (of 6) comes out this Wednesday!

We’ll start the DC highlights with the Second Wave of New 52 titles, several of which see their second issues hit the stands this week! Most notably, I suppose, is Earth 2 #2! A strong showing in the polls propelled the first issue to a very high standing in last month’s Top Twenty. And then with the recent news about Alan Scott… well… safe to say this is a hot one!

EARTH 2 #2

Written by James Robinson
Art by Nicola Scott, Trevor Scott

MR. TERRIFIC – Michael Holt – lands on EARTH TWO! Don’t miss the origin of the Earth Two FLASH – and the first time he uses his powers! What could be a bigger threat to Earth Two than APOKOLIPS? Jay Garrick is about to find out!

Also look for World’s Finest #2! It’s the story of Huntress and Power Girl, heroines from Earth Dos, trying make their way over here on Earth Uno. We’ve got issue #1′s of both Earth 2 and World’s Finest still in stock!

Also be sure to check out Detective Comics #10! The series had a great role in the Night of the Owls crossover and this is the first issue to come after that event. A fine time to get on board!

Finally, there’s Action Comics #10. If you’ll recall, the last issue featured a story that took place on Earth 23 and involved President Superman. It was great. But it was also a one-off… which makes this issue, like many of the comics we have featured this week in both Marvel and DC, a great place to start reading!

ACTION COMICS #10

Written by Grant Morrison, Sholly Fisch
Art by  Gene Ha & Various

CLARK KENT is DEAD! The three-part ACTION COMICS summer event storyline begins here! New villain NIMROD THE HUNTER is on SUPERMAN’S trail! He’s killed every living thing he’s ever tracked – but he’s never killed an ALIEN! This issue is also offered as a combo pack edition with a redemption code for a digital download of this issue.

Click here for a complete list of titles coming out this week!

As I mentioned in the Marvel rundown for this week, Avengers vs. X-Men leads the way for the House of Ideas! There are three AVX books in total, including the main series. Look for Avengers vs. X-Men #5 (of 12), Uncanny X-Men #13 and Avengers Academy #31!

You might remember that at the end of the last issue of Avengers vs. X-Men, the two teams found themselves staring each other down on the surface of the moon. All while the Phoenix itself appeared. It’s been an awesome event so far and we have copies of the first four issues of the series in stock. If you haven’t already, get in on it!

AVENGERS VS X-MEN #5 (OF 12) AVX

Written by Matt Fraction
Art by John Romita

The fiery conclusion of Act One brought to you by Matt Fraction and John Romita Jr! Clashing on a lunar battlefield, the tide of the conflict will be turned… The Phoenix takes its host! All hope is lost?!

Marvel Comics’ Avengers vs. X-Men #5 (of 12) comes out on Wednesday!

The first official week of June gets off to a great start at Marvel Comics, propelled of course by the power of Avengers vs. X-Men (which we’ll talk about a little later today). But there are also several part one’s and new storylines to talk about, all of which would make for great places to start reading those titles. We’ll start with Winter Soldier #6 from Ed Brubaker and Michael Lark!

WINTER SOLDIER #6

Written by Ed Brubaker
Art by Michael Lark

Ed Brubaker is reunited with famed artist Michael Lark (DAREDEVIL) who joins for the Winter Soldier’s second arc "Broken Arrow" with original Winter Soldier artist Steve Epting taking the reins on covers! Winter Soldier finds himself on a twisted trail from coast to coast and past to present… chasing the insane man who will become his worst enemy. And an inciting incident you won’t forget!

One of our favorite series also gets a fresh start in Journey into Mystery #639! The "Exiled" crossover with New Mutants got mixed reviews so we’re happy to have this title back on its own again with Little Loki getting mixed up in who knows what.

Also, it may not be a part one, but people are definitely getting into Garth Ennis and Goran Parlov’s Fury Max series, and this week sees the release of Fury Max #3! The one comment that keeps coming up about this series is how "Punisher-y" it is… notice I said comment and not complaint!

But, pack to part one’s, Hulk starts a new story arc called "Mayan Rule" in Hulk #53! Not entirely sure what it’s about but I have to assume it’s about the presumed end of the world. Also, I totally dig the cover! (More on that tomorrow… ?)

Finally, there’s Dark Avengers #175. Yes, you read correctly! What was once Thunderbolts is now Dark Avengers! Hearkening back to Norman Osborn’s Dark Reign. Which I’m sure is a welcome change, as Thunderbolts had been floundering a bit. We’ll see where the new title goes!

DARK AVENGERS #175

Written by Jeff Parker
Art by Declan Shalvey

Dark Scarlet Witch. Dark Spider-Man. Trickshot. Ragnarok. …Luke Cage?!

Click here for a complete list of titles coming out this week!