I told you before I was going to start breaking my own rules.

Everybody loves getting surprises. It's just human nature. But ya know what's better than getting one surprise? Getting TWO surprises in the same week like I did in the form of two comic books that I picked up this Wednesday. It was like Marvel and DC both said "let's put out an issue just for Mike." These books made my so giddy that I had to blog about them as soon as I could (and I bet I'll be the only person really talking about them). In a week with Blackest Night & War of Kings tie-ins, multiple Avengers titles, and of course, Wednesday Comics, my favorite books this week will probably be missed by a lot of people. Hell, I almost missed them too, but I'm getting ahead of myself.

The first of these awesome books was Wolverine: First Class #18. Like any good comic fan, I print out and bring my shopping list with me every Wednesday when I go to the comic shop. Since I've only read an issue here and there from the "First Class" books, I did not have Wolverine: First Class #18 on my list. Then, sitting on the new release shelf, was that hilarious Skottie Young cover with none other than my favorite character in all of comics: Jamie Madrox, the Multiple Man. Not only that, but the issue was written by one of my favorite writers, Peter David, who currently writes X-Factor which also features Madrox. Someone was not doing their job because I should have known about this month's issue of Wolverine: First Class! Really, they could have put an ad in X-Factor for this issue. I'll bet you it would have helped sales. Of course, as soon as I realized what this issue was, I bought it, and as you can probably can tell, it did not disappoint. Basically, the story is Multiple Man (whose power is that he can make copies of himself called "dupes" in case you didn't know) is looking for a runaway dupe and comes to Xavier's school looking for help. A chase ensues with Wolverine and Kitty Pryde in tow with a couple existential crises happening in the meantime as they debate what makes someone a person. So you get action, comedy, philosophy, and some great art from Francis Portela with Madrox in his awesome classic costume. What more could you want? It was a great issue, and with all of the rumors floating around that Peter David's X-Factor might be canceled soon, I want to get as much Madrox as I can. (By the way, please go out and buy X-Factor. Try it out. You'll like it. It needs all the help it can get if the rumors are true.)

The second book was on my shopping list but the story was not at all what I was expecting. That book was Gotham City Sirens #3. Now this series has not been getting much buzz really, and I don't understand why. The story so far has been tight and full of great action and Guillem March's art can only be described as "crazy fantastic." Over the last couple years, I have grown to love Batman's lady rogues. Will Pfeifer's run on Catwoman has made me a devout fan of Selina Kyle, and who can't enjoy the team of Poison Ivy and Harley Quinn? Put all three in one title and I will definitely be purchasing it. Plus, look at that cover. How can you say no to that? It's like a movie poster for one of the good Bond movies. Now remember how I said this book was not what I was expecting. Well, I expected a book called Gotham City Sirens to have the Gotham City sirens in the book, but this issue concentrated on someone else entirely: my favorite of Batman's rouges, the Riddler! Just like my love of Jaime Madrox, I will buy any book with the Riddler, especially now that he has turned over a new leaf as a private investigator. Seeing Riddler solving crimes just like he would solve a riddle brings a new dynamic to the character, and writer Scott Lobdell shows us the genius that is going on in Riddler's mind as he mumbles the parts of each puzzle to himself, even the puzzle of a possible new Batman. Here's hoping that Riddler continues to be a major part of Gotham City Sirens as the series continues.