Aaron Kuder

The best idea from the New 52 relaunch of Superman continues to endure, in fan consciousness if not in continuity; Superman as social crusader, taking on the ills of our world that have been elevated to human-plus levels, including one of the most virulent evils of our world: white supremacists.

This year sees the cinematic return of the Guardians of the Galaxy, and it also sees the conclusion of Brian Michael Bendis' years-long run with the franchise, so the odds were good that the ongoing series would be relaunched in some way to capitalize on the new film's release. Today, Marvel announced that Deadpool's Gerry Duggan and Action Comics' Aaron Kuder, along with colorist Ive Svorcina, will launch All-New Guardians of the Galaxy in May, published on a twice-monthly schedule.

Since the Marvel Universe jumped eight months ahead following the conclusion of Secret Wars, the biggest mystery left unanswered has centered on the relationship between the X-Men and the Inhumans; specifically regarding the toxic Terrigen Cloud killing mutants around the world. This week, we got our first look at the events that sparked the conflict that will eventually lead to the disappearance or death of Cyclops, with a look at the first mutant to fall to M-Pox in Jeff Lemire, Charles Soule, Aaron Kuder and Morry Hollowell's Death of X #1.

This week saw us say goodbye to a hero who fought for truth, justice and the American way. Who fought for the downtrodden and the common man. Who fought against injustice while wearing a t-shirt and jeans. This week saw us say goodbye to The New 52 Superman. Spoilers for the current Superman status quo follow.

Marvel unveiled its July variant cover theme at C2E2 this past weekend, and the pictures definitely tell a story. As a follow-up to March's "Women of Power" covers, which highlighted the strength of Marvel's heroic women, the July covers are dubbed "Mighty Men of Marvel." While "covers with men on them" might seem like an unremarkable theme, given that it describes most Marvel covers already, it's clear from the art released thus far that the concept was meant to be more bold than that --- but it's equally clear that Marvel missed its target.

I've mentioned it before on the site and elsewhere, but I'm of the mind that the core Superman titles --- Action Comics by Greg Pak and Aaron Kuder, and Superman by Gene Luen Yang, John Romita Jr. and Howard Porter --- are better now than they have been in a very long time. They're engaging, they're fun and innovative, and they have a sense of cohesion that Superman as a character often lacks. But every time I say that, I'm always a little surprised that there are so many people who disagree. Don't get me wrong --- no story is going to appeal to everyone, but for me, these are some of the most fun stories out there. Then again, that might just be because there's a story where Superman joined a pro wrestling federation for forgotten gods, and that's kind of everything I want out of comic books happening at once.

DC Comics' solicitations for June reveal that various members of the Justice League will be getting makeovers, and the new looks include a fully-covered Wonder Woman and a casual Superman. In an effort to phase out the New 52 branding, Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, The Flash, Green Arrow, and Green Lantern will get new costumes to replace the New 52 threads that they've worn since August 2011. Aside from a mysterious Bat-robot, the redesigns for Wonder Woman and Superman feature the most notable stylistic changes, which I will break down in terms of design and superhero costumes after the cut.

Action Comics has had a pretty rough time of it lately. After Grant Morrison's departure on his way out of superhero comics and Andy Diggle leaving the book for "professional reasons," the title's future has been up in the air -- and not in a good way. Now, though, we finally have our answer.