5. JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #7 (DC)

Best selling novelist Brad Meltzer continues his run on the relaunched JLA with the start of a new story that follows a long standing tradition of crossovers between the Justice League and the Justice Society. The story begins here and will crossover back and forth with the JSA comic and it promises a murder mystery which is Meltzer's cup of tea.

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4. AMERICAN SPLENDOR: ANOTHER DAY (DC Vertigo)
Written by Harvey Pekar; Art by Haspiel, Eddie Campbell, Ty Templeton and others; Cover by Dean Haspiel
136 pgs | $14.99

This is the first of 3 originally self-published books out this week that found their way to major publishers. Harvey Pekar is a legend in the indie comics world and was made famous on a more mainstream level by the movie American Splendor starring Paul Giammatti from a few years ago. DC's Vertigo line began publishing new Pekar comics with an all-star cast of artists illustrating Pekar's autobiographical tales of mundanity. This trade paperback collects the series and showcases such artists as Eddie Campbell, Richard Corben, Gilbert Hernandez and Dean Haspiel.

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3. MADMAN ATOMIC COMICS #1 (Image Comics)
story MIKE ALLRED; art & cover MIKE & LAURA ALLRED
32 pg - $2.99

Mike Allred returns to his popular creation, Madman, in this all new series. Madman is Frank Einstein, a hitman brought back from the dead by a pair of mad scientists. Frank came back with supernatural powers and doesn't remember a thing from his past life except for a few disturbing memories of his death.

This first issue is the first published by Image Comics and promises to recap a lot that has happened in past Madman comics to bring new readers up to speed. If you love 60's retro pop art then you'll love Allred's artwork. His sense of humor makes all his books a fun read too.

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2. RUNAWAYS #25 (Marvel)
Written by Joss Whedon; art by Michael Ryan and Rick Ketcham
32 pgs | $2.99

With Buffy the Vampire Slayer #2 also on the shelves today, it's a big week for Joss Whedon fans. But it's also a big moment for fans of this comic whose loyalty saved it from the brink of cancellation a few years back. Series creator Brian K. Vaughan has moved on and left the reins to super-popular Buffy creator, Joss Whedon to take this book potentially to the next level.

Runaways is about a group of teenagers in the Marvel Universe who found out that their parents are super-villains, a fact that freaked them out and sent them off on their own. As we reach issues #25, the kids have made their way to NYC to start a surprising new adventure.

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1. ELK'S RUN (Villard/Random House)
Written by Joshua Hale Fialkov; art by Noel Tuazon and Scott A. Keating
224 pgs | $19.95

This is a happy ending for a book that has worked really hard to get into people's hands. Originally self-published by the author, Elk's Run was picked up by short-lived publisher Speakeasy Comics until it went bankrupt leaving the book in limbo. Now, for the first time, the full story can be read thanks to Random House publishing.

The town of Elk's Run is a utopian town in West Virginia built by Vietnam veterans as a safe haven from the violence of the outside world. One day a tragic accident leads to panic and violence and sets off a chain of events that could tear the whole town apart. Each chapter is told from the point of view of a different character and as you start to see the story from different sides you find that what you thought you knew wasn't the whole truth.

This trade paperback edition contains more than 100 pages of new material.