One of our favorite charactgers of all the Marvel Universe is Wolverine. He’s a total bad ass and also has a heart, in the right place. Naturally, when Marvel sees fit to release anything having to do with this iconic character, we take notice and bring it to you.

Case in point this time around is the upcoming book Wolverine: Origin II. For more on this new work, check out all the info from the official Marvel press release.

This November, blockbuster writer Kieron Gillen and fan-favorite artist Adam Kubert peel back Wolverine’s shadowy past in a direct sequel to one of the most important Marvel tales of all time in Wolverine: Origin II #1!

“When we last saw Logan at the end of Origin, he was broken—barely straddling the line between man and animal,” said series writer Kieron Gillen. “But how did he transform himself from a wild recluse and into the groomed warrior he is today? That was always been a transformation I’ve wanted to explore.”

One thing Marvel never seems to get tired of is pitting its creations against each other. After all, what do you do when you’ve concurred all the super villains in the universe?

The latest example of this is Marvel’s upcoming Avengers versus X-Men. Not content with just one new series, Marvel is also dropping some tie-in books lioke the one we’ve got a preview of today.

This one, called AVX VS #1, comes from the creative team of Jason Aaron & Adam Kubert and Kathryn & Stuart Immonen. It features “pulse-pounding battles” as Iron Man faces off against Magneto & Thing takes on Namor.

Look for AVX VS #1 to arrive in comic stores on April 25. Check out the preview after the break.

If there’s one thing that send waves of excitement through comic book nerds everywhere it’s epic battles between superhuman combatants. So you can imagine how excited comic book fans will be when two groups of these titans meet to do battle for the fate of the entire Marvel Universe.

Let’s just say it’s going to be epic. Want to know more? Of course you do.

Here’s all the scoop from the official Marvel press release:

From the powerhouse creative team of Brian Michael Bendis, Jason Aaron, Matt Fraction, Jonathan Hickman, Ed Brubaker, John Romita Jr., Adam Kubert and Olivier Copiel comes a groundbreaking event pitting Earth’s Mightiest against the X-Men with the entire Marvel Universe at stake. Cyclops and his team believe the arrival of the Phoenix Force will save mutantkind, but Captain America is convinced it will destroy the world! But who is right?

Who indeed? Check out an image of the first cover after the break. Look for Avengers vs. X-Men to hit store shelves on April 3.

As potential comic book character team-ups go the combination of Spider-Man and Wolverine has to be at, or near, the top of any fan’s wish list. I mean come on, these characters are undoubtedly two of the the most popular in the entire Marvel Universe, so it only stands to reason what an epic book it would be if they ever joined forces.

Well folks, prepare to have your minds blow as that time has come with the pending release of Astonishing Spider-Man & Wolverine #1. According to Marvel, here’s the scoop on the new series:

Marvel is proud to unveil your first look at the hotly-anticipated Astonishing Spider-Man & Wolverine #1, from two of today’s most acclaimed talents—Jason Aaron and Adam Kubert. Spider-Man and Wolverine come together in their first major series ever, as they journey to the edges of a Marvel Universe in a new series that will dramatically affect both characters.

The new series hits store shelves in May. In the meantime, check out several preview pages for the comic right after the jump.

With 2009 coming to a close, the challenge was to pick and rank the 10 best comics from the entire year. I’ve estimated reading approximately 1,500+ issues over that time frame, so obviously it wasn’t the easiest task to complete. Still, after much deliberation, these are my picks for the 10 best comics of 2009.

1. Jonah Hex #50
DC Comics
Writers: Justin Gray, Jimmy Palmiotti
Artist: Darwyn Cooke
Originally reviewed on December 3, 2009

Perfection. Defined as the highest degree of proficiency, skill or excellence, perfection is near impossible to achieve, especially when every comic ever printed is subjective in nature. You know, “beauty is in the eye of the beholder” and all that jazz. Still, when I thought about all the comics I’ve read this past year, this issue of Jonah Hex kept coming back to me. While not perfect (frankly, what is?), it’s pretty close.

A wonderful done-in-one tale following our “hero” as he diligently goes about his day job, in this specific case while hunting down 50 various bad guys who had it coming to them. A fine story on it’s own. Now add a dash of romance – or the bounty hunter’s version of it – to the mix, sprinkle in a little personal vengeance, and top it off with a jolting reminder of how cruel life can be, and you’re left with a portrait of a man who makes no excuses for who he is or what he does, life expectations be damned.