Milo, aka “Bane of Kings”, runs down the Top 5 Must Read Comics Hitting Shelves This New Comic Book  Day, featuring titles from a variety of publishers.

It’s the last week of the month and that means we have loads of releases to look forward to – an Aquaman/Swamp Thing crossover debuts this week from DC Comics, a new book from former Nightwing writer debuts from Image just as Nightwing reaches its conclusion. All that and more can be found in stores or online this week – the full list of releases can be found here, and you can see what books I’m picking up here.

AQUAMAN #31

Story: Jeff Parker | Art: Paul Pelletier | Publisher: DC Comics | Price: $2.99

The King of Atlantis vs. the Avatar of the Green! It’s Aquaman against Swamp Thing, with countless lives hanging in the balance! But why – and what does this mean for rest of The New 52? Find out here!

WHY? Aquaman versus Swamp Thing? It sounds like the start of a potentially awesome mini crossover that could be one of the best DC’s given us yet. Jeff Parker has been handling the book very well so far so it’ll be interesting to see how he deals with Soule’s Swamp Thing – which hits shelves next week so you won’t have to wait long for the next installment of the crossover. If you’ve fallen behind with either titles this should in theory also be a good jumping on point – so if you want to explore some books that have been great since the start of the New 52, then you can’t go far wrong.

C.O.W.L #1

Story: Kyle Higgins | Art: Rod Reis | Publisher: Image Comics | Price: $3.50

Welcome to the ‘Chicago Organized Workers League’-the world’s first Super-Hero Labor Union! While C.O.W.L. once stood as a beacon of hope against an epidemic of organized crime and an unbeatable ‘brotherhood’ of Super-Villains, the union now faces its fiercest foe yet-a disillusioned public. In targeting the last of the great villains, C.O.W.L. attempts to prove its value to the world and to each other, while staving off villainy from both outside and inside its offices.

WHY? Kyle Higgins finished his run on Nightwing with #29 and is moving over to Image for a brand new C.O.W.L ongoing series focusing on the formation of the World’s first Super-Hero Labor Union. Needless to say, it should be great fun – especially when you consider all the high quality Image books out lately – where can you go wrong with one more?

GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY #15

Story: Brian Michael Bendis | Art: Nick Bradshaw | Publisher: Marvel Comics | Price: $3.99

* With the entire galaxy gunning for the Guardians and Peter Quill missing, its time to bring in a little help. Captain Marvel JOINS the Guardians of the Galaxy!
* But where in the universe is Star-Lord? And what does his disappearance mean for the safety of earth?

WHY? With the upcoming movie launch, now would be a great time to jump on board the Guardians of the Galaxy if you haven’t already – Captain Marvel is joining the team, much like Iron Man did at the start of Marvel Now!. However, this time around it’s Captain Marvel’s turn, and hopefully Bendis can continue to work on what has been his best book since it started running.

NIGHTWING #30

Story: James Tynion IV | Art: Russell Dauterman | Publisher: DC Comics | Price: $2.99

FINAL ISSUE The Bat Family is forced to face the brutal aftermath of FOREVER EVIL, but after everything they’ve been through, can they stand together?

WHY? Yes, this is technically a final issue, but if you’ve been keeping up with Forever Evil then you’ll want to know how it turned out for Nightwing, and what led into him becoming Grayson, Agent of Spyral. This should be dealt with in this issue here, penned by James Tynion IV – and although it has been delayed, it should still be a good read.

STAR WARS LEGACY #15

Story: Corrina Bechko, Gabriel Hardman | Art: Gabriel Hardman | Publisher: Dark Horse Comics | Price: $2.99

The good news: Ania Solo has escaped the vengeance of a crazed bounty hunter. The bad news: She has been taken into custody by the Empire for the murder of an Imperial Knight! Somebody’s getting a death sentence!

WHY? Yes, it’s #15 and technically not a jumping on point, but there’s a space for this book every single month on this list – simply put, you need to be reading it. It’s the best Star Wars book on stands and packs a good storyline with amazing artwork – Volumes 1 and 2 are out now, so I strongly suggest going to pick them up. You won’t regret it.