Even though I’m overwhelmed by all the comics I want to read, I’ve already started thinking about some of the new series I’ll be picking up in 2012.  Some of my favorite creators have announced new titles, and some characters I really love are making a return. Here the 10 upcoming comics I’m most excited about diving into in the year to come.

10.  Marvel’s mystery Ed Brubaker project

All that’s known about this Ed Brubaker is that it exists, and that it’ll be coming in 2012. Brubaker has done a great job writing several of my favorite characters, such as Captain America and Batman, and I’m looking forward to gaining a new appreciation for whatever character he’s writing about this time. Here’s hoping he gets to use his crime writing skills to their fullest.

9.  Judas Coin

Judas Coin, an original graphic novel by Walt Simonson, has been in the works for years now. The series will follow the titular coin as it slips through the hands of several of DC’s more obscure characters. We’ve already seen that the coin will spend time with pirate extraordinaire Captain Fear, as well as the infamous outlaw Bat Lash. I can’t wait to see what other characters the book spotlights, and I can’t wait to read this comic.

8.  Dark Matter

I love a good space based mystery tale, and Dark Matter looks like it will be right up my alley. The series, which will be penned by Stargate writers Joseph Mallozzi and Paul Mullie, follows the crew of a space ship after they awake from stasis with no memories of who they are or how they got there. As they attempt to remember their identities, the ship’s security system turns deadly, and they have to focus on working together while uncovering the many secrets that brought them where they are. I’m expecting this four issue miniseries to be a terrific read, and I hope its mysteries are as intriguing as they sound.

7.  Whispers

I’ve really enjoyed past series from the Luna Brothers, like Girls and The Sword, and I’m excited to see how Joshua Luna handles his first series on his own. Whispers will be a supernatural themed miniseries that follows a man who learns he can leave his body and move around like a ghost. Luna has said he hopes to explore the nature of free will and control in this series, and it’s shaping up to be a really interesting comic book.

6. Batman: Earth One

Geoff Johns‘ Batman: Earth One has been drifting along without a release date for quite a while now, and it’s exciting to know it’ll finally be coming out in 2012. This will be the second book in DC’s Earth One graphic novel series, which re-tell the origins of iconic characters in a new, modernized setting. Arkham City fans have already gotten a little taste of what’s to come thanks to a bonus costume that shows off Earth One Batman’s new look. This comic will be coming out at last this summer.

5. Saucer Country

I’m a huge fan of Paul Cornell, so it goes without saying that I’m looking forward to his new Vertigo series Saucer Country. I’m sure he’ll find many ways to make UFO mythology more fun, and the preview pages from artist Ryan Kelly look terrific. Both the creators seem so passionate about this project, and their enthusiasm is completely contagious. I’m especially interested to see how they handle the “true tales” that will be appearing between story arcs. For me, any Paul Cornell penned comic is a must read, and I’ll be adding Saucer Country to my pull list as soon as I can.

4. Scarlet Spider

I’ve never been a huge Scarlet Spider fan, but I am a big fan of Christopher Yost. I’m confident that he’ll be able to sell me on the character in this new series. Yost is great at character work, and I’ve been lead to believe he has some big plans for the upcoming Scarlet Spider ongoing. We have yet to learn who’s behind the Scarlet Spider’s mask, but whoever it is in going to be getting some great stories soon.

3. Fatale

As I mentioned before, I’m a big fan of Ed Brubaker, and I was thrilled to hear about his new creator owned project Fatale. The series seems to be featuring everything he excels at, and is pushing him into some interesting new territories.  The panels we’ve seen from artist Sean Phillips are moody and gorgeous, and I’m fascinated by what I’ve heard about the series premise. In the last few years, Image has become one of my favorite comic book publishers, and this looks to be yet another great series from the company.

2. Justice Society of America

Many fans lamented the loss of the Justice Society of America in the DC relaunch, but it looks like they won’t have to wait long to see the JSA again. DC has announced an Earth-2 based JSA series that will be written by Starman scribe James Robinson. The series will feature art from fan favorite Nicola Scott, and is rumored to be set during World War II. Robinson has said he’s hoping to use this opportunity to write stories about JSA members who were previously dead or unavailable. Hopefully, original Green Lantern Alan Scott will be one of them.

1. Saga

Bryan K. Vaughan‘s only been out of the comics game for a little over a year, but it feels like much longer. I was thrilled when I heard he’d be writing a brand new series, and even more excited when he described the science fiction epic Saga. Vaughan has described Saga as a pure sci-fi story that will focus on a family caught up in an intergalactic war. The series will feature art from Fiona Staples, who previously worked on Mystery Society. Vaughan has said he feels like he could write Saga forever, and I hope he does.