Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Avengers, by Brian Michael Bendis

 Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Avengers, by Brian Michael Bendis, 136 pages

I totally read this once before, but when I went to read volume 2, I couldn't remember where we left off.  And the movie's coming out, and I love some Chris Pratt, so- worth a revisit during lunch.  Anyway: Peter Quill is StarLord- but he has rejected his position as next in line to the throne.  Instead, he's teamed up with a ragtag group of toughies, including Gamora, Drax, Rocket Raccoon, and Groot.  And Iron Man, for some reason.  It's pretty good- there's potential here that I hope goes somewhere.  And Bendis is pretty much a go-to Marvel man, in general- anything he writes is usually good.

Deadpool vol. 1 by Gerry Duggan and Brian Posehn

Deadpool vol. 1 by Gerry Duggan and Brian Posehn, 280 pages

Deadpool is awesome.  That should be more than enough for people to read this, but I've got more.  This volume contains two story arcs, "Dead Presidents" and "Soul Hunter," which are issues 1-6 and 7-12 respectively of the current running of Deadpool awesomeness.

In "Dead Presidents," a Necromancer summons back the former U.S. Presidents in order to bring about a new age of prosperity for the country.  His plan backfires and it's up to S.H.I.E.L.D. to stop stop them.  However, not being in good taste to send Captain American to take down the former leaders of his namesake, the Merc with the Mouth is sent instead, and hilarity follows.

"Soul Hunter" kinda picks up where "Dead Presidents" left off, starting with a fairly relevant flashback.  Anyway, this time around Deadpool must collect souls for a demon who wishes to challenge Mephisto for power.  Hilarity follows.

Deadpool is great.  Never before have I actually "lol'd" at anything print, let alone a graphic novel, let alone super hero one.  I knew what I was getting into and still had my expectations blown out of the water.  Upon finishing, I had to call a carpenter, because my the fourth wall of my room had been completely torn down (but not really, just my lame attempt at humor).

A Storm of Swords (A Song of Ice & Fire #3), by George RR Martin

A Storm of Swords (A Song of Ice & Fire #3), by George RR Martin, 1177 pages

In this installment, all of the self-named kings are still at war, but treachery is afoot! And it means an end to some beloved characters... or DOES IT??  Jon Snow learns about love, loss, and honor; Arya takes up with some strange traveling companions; Daenerys is on a little mission to end slavery (and totally winning!); and Tyrion is in some serious trouble.  Oh, and Joffrey totally gets what's coming to him. The author has created such a rich collection of characters- some of whom you hate, and then grow to love.  It is authorial manipulation at its best!

Also, I found this, which is what I desperately wish would happen with the Jaime and Brienne storyline.  (Pardon the commercial in the beginning) To dream!
    http://www.vh1.com/video/misc/901957/game-of-thrones-as-a-rom-com-trailer.jhtml#id=1706066

A Clash of Kings (A Song of Ice and Fire #2), by George R R Martin

A Clash of Kings (A Song of Ice and Fire #2), by George R R Martin, 926 pages

I was a little on the fence with the first book in this series- it was good, but tedious at times.  This book has really grabbed me, however.  The action is bursting in this second book of the series, and even chapters told by boring characters hold suspense, intrigue, and dramatic changes.  Also, slowly but surely, more fantastic elements are finding their way into the story.  Things are getting REAL- war is raging all over the place, the dragons are cat-sized (which is a little cute and terrifying all at once), Theon is a JERK, and Tyrion is, as usual, running it like a BOSS.  Does it seem like I overdid the all-caps?  Not if you've read the book.  This is an awesome epic fantasy series- I'm biting my nails, hoping that my favorite characters live and that the evil ones get what's coming to them.