All of the major American publishers are putting out worthwhile books this week, but few are likely to be as enjoyable as the latest issue of Buffy The Vampire Slayer that flashes Ms. Summers back to her high school days - and into the unseen pilot for the animated spin-off of the show, with art by Eric Wight (Get a preview here). Well, there are a couple as fun, but we'll get to them later.

Superhero fans can indulge this week with the first collection of The End League, Rick Remender's operatic and apocalyptic superhero series, the first issues of Spider-Man Noir (It's Spider-Man! But in the 1920s!), X-Men: Kingbreaker (It's the X-Men! But in space!), Dark Reign: New Nation (It's the Marvel Heroes! But in the latest cynically "dark" incarnation of political drama!) and The Greatest American Hero (Believe it or not, he's walking on air!). If you're looking for actual honest-to-goodness holiday comics, then there's the DC Universe Holiday Special or the 250th issue of Hellblazer, which takes British magician John Constantine on a particularly festive series of fantasy stories by a collection of creators, including 100 Bullets and Joker writer Brian Azzarello and io9 favorite Peter Milligan.

For those looking to get a jump on next year's big movies, Dynamite has the first issue of a new Terminator series, Salvation, while IDW releases the honest-but-lengthily-titled Transformers: Revenge Of The Fallen Prequel: Alliance. But even Michael Bay-levels of destruction are surpassed in the downright stunning Armageddon Now: World War III, in which 1990s comic icon Rob Liefeld - The man who gave the world, uh, this - turns to the Bible to inspire his latest tale of Rapture-friendly action and men with detachable lower jaws. You know you want it.

Surprisingly given everything I've listed so far, I've still not mentioned the book of the week. That would be Showcase Presents: The Brave And The Bold - The Batman Team-Ups Volume 3, in which more than twenty of the early '70s greatest Batman stories (written by Bob Haney, a man who thought nothing about pointing out that Batman never ages and fights Satan himself on a regular basis) get collected for less than $17. Easily the most enjoyably stupid thing you'll read this week, and if you don't believe me, here's a glimpse of what awaits you if you pick it up.

In case you've not had enough of checking lists twice, then this week's shipping list may make your day. Once you've checked off what's naughty and nice, look for your local comic store and everything will be ho ho ho before you know it.

I guess we should start with the only comic featuring the 70-year-old Man of Steel, huh? That would be Superman: Last Son, a hardcover collection of the much-delayed storyline that brought Richard Donner to comics - he co-writes the book alongside Geoff Johns - as well as returned General Zod and the Phantom Zone to current DC continuity. I could tell you more about the story, like the fact that Superman adopts a son, but I know that all you'll really care about is that there's a special 3-D section midway through the book. That Phantom Zone is trippy, man.

Elsewhere in the DC line this week, Superman's oldest rival Captain Marvel gets a new series, with the first issue of kid-targeted Billy Batson And The Magic of Shazam. Less friendly for little tykes, the Dark Knight tie-ins start properly with the first issue of The Joker's Asylum, which makes Heath Ledger's alter-ego into your host as he narrates stories about the other inmates over at Arkham Asylum. Or maybe you want even darker still, with Hellblazer: The Fear Machine collecting some of the earliest stories of magician, former punk and all-round bastard John Constantine from the 1980s, when it was cool to turn yuppies into demons.

More nostalgia comes in the form of the imported Doctor Who: The World Shapers, which brings together the little-seen mid-80s run of Grant Morrison on the British Who comic. On the one hand, yes, it's the Colin Baker Doctor, but on the other, rare Morrison... It's a tough one. Equally tough is Star Trek: Mirror Images, a new mini-series that explores one of the greatest Star Trek concepts ever, the Mirror Universe. IDW's Trek comics have been somewhat hit and miss, so the potential for disappointment here is, sadly, great. But it is the Mirror Universe. I mean, goateed Spock...what could go wrong?

If you're looking for things that will make you much less conflicted, I can heartily recommend the following three books: Boom!'s Station is a murder mystery set on the international space station right as things start to go wrong and it looks like everyone might end up dead. If you liked Greg Rucka's Whiteout, chances are you'll enjoy it. Mike Mignola gets slightly ahead of the movie curve this week with a new Hellboy series, The Crooked Man, illustrated by comics legend Richard Corben. So expect the same great writing and slightly off-putting stumpy figures (I kid because... well, because I can, really. But you'll know what I mean when you pick it up).

Pick of the week, however, is easily Buffy The Vampire Slayer #16, which sees Joss Whedon return as writer, as well as the return of his futuristic slayer, Fray. For everyone who hasn't read the Fray series and wonders why this is a big deal, all I have to say is this: Imagine Faith, but from the far future, and with an even worse attitude. I foresee carnage and futuristic cursing that you can get away with in comics, as well as quite a few battles over that weird scythe that both of them think they own.

As is the case every single week, you can see the complete list of everything hitting comic stores this week here, and find out where your local comic book store is by clicking here. Do it because Clark Kent would want you to.