“Action Comics #872”

Geoff Johns continues his “New Krypton” storyline, which shows the aftermath of Braniac’s attack and Superman’s liberation of the Kryptonian city Kandor.

Now that hundreds of super-powered Kryptonians have been let loose on Earth, Johns has taken the opportunity to explore the situation by delving into the public’s reaction to the event and Superman’s attempts to teach his people how to cope with life on Earth, highlighting how Superman is different from the Kryptonians due to his upbringing on Earth. Lex Luthor has already been introduced to the storyline through a military operation seeking to find a way to stop the Kryptonians should they become dangerous. Metallo and Reactron will also appear in this issue.

“Detective Comics #851”

The new Batman will still likely not be revealed for a few more weeks, but that doesn’t mean the comic is taking a break from important stories. Issue 851 features the return of legendary Batman writer Dennis O’Neil, also known for his spectacular Green Lantern/Green Arrow stories, which are often cited as early examples of bringing gritty, real-world issues into superhero comics.

Here, O’Neil tells the tale of the “Last Days of Gotham” in a two-part story about the city’s reaction to the loss of Batman. The issue will also feature a conflict with Two-face and a new hero nicknamed “the face of Gotham.”

“Astonishing X-Men: Ghost Boxes #2”

Many fan favorite X-Men stories deal with time-travel and alternate dimensions. Writer Warren Ellis adds his own contribution to this tradition with the two-part “Ghost Boxes,” which focuses on the idea of alternate dimensions which are accessible through “ghost box” devices.

The first issue of this mini-series did a nice job expanding on the characters of Emma Frost and Armor, the two newest X-Men (although Frost has been present in different X-Men series since 1980). Adi Granov’s art, depicting a 19th century mutant team from a parallel world called the “X-Society” was the strongest point of the last issue, and this issue looks to be supported again by fantastic visuals, this time from “Thor’s” Oliver Coipel and “Spider-Man: Reign’s” Kaare Andrews.