Milo, aka “Bane of Kings”, looks at the top five comics that you should keep an eye out for being released from a wide variety of publishers today.

This week sees the debut of several series. The Twelfth Doctor gets his first ongoing comic from Titan Books, Sleepy Hollow gets its own tie-in series written by a Scott Snyder prodigy and a new Witchblade series starts (not featured here, though). And that’s before we even get to the big two, Marvel and DC, who have plenty of new releases coming this week.  As usual, you can find my pull list here as well as all the comics that are hitting shelves today here. So without further ado, let’s get stuck in.

BATWOMAN #35

By Marc Andreyko | Art: Georges Jeanty | Colours: Guy Major | Publisher: DC Comics | Price: $2.99

The new storyline ‘Batwoman and the Unknowns’ starts now with new artist Georges Jeanty (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)! Batwoman is neck-deep in danger with her new allies Ragman, The Demon, Clayface and Red Alice! What is going on and how did Batwoman end up here? Find out beginning in this issue!

WHY? I stopped reading Batwoman after the departure of JH Williams III but Andreyko may have just come up with an intriguing enough storyline, entitled “Batwoman and the Unknowns” to hook me back in. Seeing Kate team up with Ragman, The Demon, Clayface and Red Alice? That should be very awesome to read about indeed and when you consider the awesome cover by Rafael Albuquerque, it should be enough for anybody to really pick up this book, and hopefully we can see this continue the resurgence in quality that the Batbooks have been demonstrating recently from DC.

DAREDEVIL #9

By Mark Waid | Art: Chris Samnee | Publisher: Marvel Comics | Price: $3.99

• Matt Murdock has struggled mightily to rise above the tragedies that have plagued him in the past.

• Now, however, one of his oldest foes has unleashed a force that Daredevil cannot fight without being swallowed by his darkest moods and thoughts.

• Is this the beginning of a new, grim chapter in his life?

WHY? Mark Waid and Chris Samnee have kept the fine form of Daredevil going from before the relaunch and they’re continuing to make this book the best Marvel title on shelves. If you’re not reading this series then you really should be because it just continuously blows all other titles at Marvel out of the water, and now with Lemire leaving Green Arrow it may have become the best book at both publishers. Can’t wait for this issue.

Doctor Who:  The Twelfth Doctor #1

By Robbie Morrison | Art: Dave Taylor | Colours: Hi-Fi | Publisher: Titan Comics | Price: $3.99

Offering shocks, surprises, and galaxy-shaking revelations, seasoned TARDIS pilot Robbie Morrison (Drowntown, The Authority, 2000AD, Nikolai Dante) and New York Times-bestselling artist Dave Taylor (Batman: Death by Design; 2000AD) mark the start of their first five-issue run by diving headfirst into the console room and pulling all the levers they can – spinning the new Doctor off to his most challenging destination yet!

Freshly regenerated and with a new head full of unanswered questions, the Doctor (as played by Peter Capaldi) whisks Clara Oswald (as played by Jenna Coleman) away to a strange and distant world.

Clara thought she was in for an evening of marking essays on the Metaphysical Poets, followed by going out on a date – or at least trying to. You know, normal stuff.

Instead, she’s facing down exotic flora and fauna in her best dress, backing up the Doctor on a trek through traumatically alien undergrowth – and she doesn’t even know what the Doctor is searching for, or what will try to kill them should they find it!

New Face! New Doctor! New Beginning! Get in on the ground floor of this amazing ongoing series!

WHY? This is the first comic to feature Peter Capaldi’s Doctor so I’m certainly going to be on board for this one especially as Capaldi is quickly turning out to be my favourite Doctor since Eccleston. I don’t know too much about the writer or the artist but this should be an interesting experiment to say the least, and I’ll be looking forward to seeing where Morrison and Taylor and take the last of the Time Lords in the start of the first arc for the series.

SLEEPY HOLLOW #1 (of 4)

By Marguerite Bennett | Art: Jorge Coelho | Colours: Tamra Bonvillain | Publisher: Boom! Studios | Price: $3.99

WHY WE LOVE IT: As fans of the SLEEPY HOLLOW television series (now entering its second season on Fox), we knew we had to make a comic just as haunting, engaging and visually gorgeous as the show itself. Featuring multi-layered characters, intense visuals, and creepy storylines, SLEEPY HOLLOW is primed for comics. Not only that, but
WHY YOU’LL LOVE IT: One of the most exciting young writers working today, Scott Snyder protégé Marguerite Bennett is currently writing Archaia’s BUTTERFLY and has worked on DC’s LOBO, SUPERMAN: LOIS LANE, and BATMAN: JOKER’S DAUGHTER. Even if you don’t watch the show, SLEEPY HOLLOW is perfect for fans of SUPERNATURAL. Includes all-new back-up stories from Noelle Stevenson (LUMBERJANES).
WHAT IT’S ABOUT: After dying on the battlefield during the Revolutionary War, Ichabod Crane awakes in present-day Sleepy Hollow, New York. His resurrection is tied to the reappearance of the Headless Horseman, one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. Realizing it is his mission to help stop the end of the world, Ichabod teams with Lt. Abbie Mills to meet each evil threat head-on. When minor miracles start to sweep the town, they’re glad something good seems to be happening for once. No decapitations, no headless horseman, no worries, right? But as one by one the miracles start to backfire, more and more violently, Abbie and Ichabod must find time between saving the world to save the citizens of Sleepy Hollow…

WHY? Sleepy Hollow was one of the strongest new TV series of last year and it’s great to see the latest awesome new creator on the market, Marguerite Bennett, bring the adventures of Ichabod Crane and Abbie Mills to life in comic book form. Whilst it may only be a mini-series, Bennett will no doubt deliver an awesome hit here that’s not to be missed for fans of the show. So what are you waiting for? Now’s the perfect time to jump on board – even if you’re not following the series.

TRINITY OF SIN #1

By JM DeMatteis | Art: Yvel Guichet, Jason Gorder | Colours: Gabe Eltaeb | Publisher: DC Comics | Price: $2.99

Pandora, The Phantom Stranger and The Question have hated each other for centuries…and nothing has changed! Now the Trinity of Sin are forced to work together to save humanity and uncover the darkest secrets of the universe in this new ongoing series!

WHY? With the cancellation of Phantom Stranger (and Pandora), merging the three characters together in a single book looks like a great idea especially for fans looking to get the most out of the mysterious Trinity of Sin. JM DeMatteis is an awesome writer so hopefully he can continue the fine form from Phantom Stranger – which was one of my favourite DC Books, so as you can probably guess, I’m incredibly excited for this book and if it’s not on your pull list already then you really should consider adding it.