SHIPPING THIS WEEK AUGUST 01, 2007

A new week. A new list. For anyone curious about where I get my info, on Mondays after 5:00pm eastern time, Diamond updates their weekly list. However, I really wish they would provide publisher names for the "Comics" section. Just a lil gripe. Here we go:

ACTION COMICS 853
ALIVE VOL.1
I read this Del Rey manga recently and while it was certainly good storytelling and art, by the time I was finished, the story hadn't evolved much past the basic setup that was explained on the cover blurb. I'm curious to read volume two though, in hopes that it progresses. And while it has some of the mystery of something like Death Note, Alive is mixed with enough humor to keep it from getting too serious.

ALL NEW ATOM 14
AWAKENING 1 of 10
With art by Alex Eckman-Lawn, I'm really intrigued to flip through this. Yes it's about zombies, but something about the art and the preview hooks me in. Archaia Studio Press has been putting out some quality comics lately (I have two more titles on this list below) so I feel it's worth it to check out.

BLACK CANARY 3
CLOCKWORK GIRL 0 (original ship date: June)
It's .25c. What's not to love about a .25c comic?

COUNTDOWN 39
DETECTIVE COMICS 835
FIRST BORN 1
I'm a sucker for events. And now it's Top Cow's turn.

FOXWOOD FALCONS 1 of 3 (original ship date: July)
From After Hours Press, the solicitation described the pitch as "Stand By Me" meets "Goonies". I'm in.

GREEN LANTERN SINESTRO CORPS SPECIAL 3rd Printing
I meant to pick this up when it originally shipped but missed it. My LCS didn't have the second printing, so I doubt they'll have the third. Eventually I'll get this.

INTERGALACTIC 2
JUSTICE SOCIETY OF AMERICA 8
A Liberty Belle spotlight. Jesse Quick (who by the way has been around now in comics for at least 14 or 15 years) is a favorite of mine. She was primarly a speedster following in the tradition of her father, the Golden Age Johnny Quick but has now taken up the mantle of her mother. I was disappointed with how she was written in later issues of the Titans series (the one that predated Geoff Johns' Teen Titans) but I'm very happy to see her in this title.

KILLING PICKMAN 1 of 6
Another Archaic Studio Press title.

MARVEL TAROT (two weeks late)
The Books of Magic... I mean Books of Marvel is explored.

METAL MEN 1 of 8
By Duncan Rouleau. His art on the backup origin story for the Metal Men in one of the 52 issues was eyecatching. Vastly different from his Superman-centric work from years before. I'm not completely sold on this title, but I'm interested enough to see the first issue. I was completely underwhelmed with the Metal Men appearance in recent issues of Superman/Batman.

NEW AVENGERS ILLUMINATI 4 (2 weeks late)
The cover, a group shot of the Illuminati's "better halves", is so fun. The cover alone is worth it.

NIGHTWING 135
OKKO CYCLE OF WATER 4 (original ship date: June)
The third Archaia Studio Press title on my list this week.

OUTSIDERS FIVE OF A KIND WEEK 1 NIGHTWING/BOOMERANG
I should mail my wallet to DC.

ROUGH STUFF 5
With Steve Rude as the feature.

SUPERGIRL 20
WORLD WAR HULK 3
It wouldn't be a Hulk story without a tussle with the military. Bring it on.


By the way, here are titles that were supposed to ship this week but are now, I assume, delayed:
Dark Tower Gunslinger Guidebook
Dynamo 5 #6
Mystic Arcana: Scarlet Witch
and Sorrow 1 of 4

SHIPPING THIS WEEK JULY 25, 2007

Just a list of the comics that came out this past Wednesday July 25 that I spent my hard earned cash on. Let me know what I missed.

ALL NEW OFFICIAL HANDBOOK MARVEL UNIV. A TO Z UPDATE 3
I'm a sucker for encyclopedia comics.

ALTER EGO 70
ANNIHILATION CONQUEST STAR LORD 1
Yay Starlord! I really dug what Keith Giffen did with this character in both his short-lived Thanos run and the first Annihilation. Glad to see this character back in action. (His name is Peter after all.)

BACK ISSUE 23
BATMAN 666
Anyone remember Detective Comics 666?

BLACK DIAMOND 3
BLACK SUMMER 1
I wanna see what all the hub-bub is about.

BLUE BEETLE 17
BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER 5
Is this a week early?

COMICS INTROSPECTIVE VOL 1 PETER BAGGE SC
Brainchild of Chris Irving, this is a new mag from the always excellent TwoMorrows Publishing.

COUNTDOWN 40
FRIENDS OF LULU PRESENTS GIRLS GUIDE TO GUY STUFF GN
GREEN LANTERN CORPS 14
GRENDEL BEHOLD THE DEVIL 0
Come on, it's only .50c. Ya'know, I've never read a Grendel comic in my life? That's crazy talk.

HAWKGIRL 66
Yes, I still collect Hawkgirl. Doesn't mean I read it.

IMMORTAL IRON FIST 7
Probably my favorite Marvel title right now.

MIGHTY AVENGERS 4
POSTCARDS TRUE STORIES THAT NEVER HAPPENED HC
This is such a great collection of creators.

PREVIEWS
PULPHOPE ART OF PAUL POPE SC
I've been waiting for this for since it was announced last year.

SHOWCASE PRESENTS MARTIAN MANHUNTER VOL 1
Okay, I didn't really order this ahead of time. But I must get this. In some circles, Martian Manhunter's first appearance is the start of the Silver Age (since he eventually finds his way as a founding member of the JLA), so this seems like the best place to start reading Showcase Presents volumes. With Marvel's Essentials, I want to start reading the very first Fantastic Four volume and try and incorporate their entire line in chronological order. That means bouncing back and forth between the FF, the X-Men, Iron Man, Thor, Hulk, etc. etc. Now that DC has a similar line, I want to do the same thing with Martian Manhunter, Flash, Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, eventually the JLA, etc. I love me some world building.

SUPERGIRL AND THE LEGION OF SUPER HEROES 32
SUPERMAN 665
TEEN TITANS 49
TEEN TITANS GO! 45
WIZARD MAGAZINE ALEX ROSS KINGDOM COME CVR 191
Okay, I get this by subscription. And yes, I just reupped. I have only myself to blame.

WONDER WOMAN 11

I HATE SANGRIA.

Whoever billed sangria as "the summer drink" needs to pay me my money back. Bleh.

New York was a blast. Good work, good play, good friends, good comic shopping. Lots of text messaging going on. Thankfully I upped my plan. haha.

How badly do I want to hang out in NY all night and not sleep. Just to say I've done it once. How many diners can I get kicked out of? Heh. Anyone game?

FIVE FOR FRIDAY!

FIVE BOOKS I'M READING:
1. Image Comics: the Road to Independence by George Khoury (TwoMorrows)
2. Flight vol.1
3. Royal Flush Magazine 4
4. Soon I Will Be Invincible by Austin Grossman (Pantheon)
5. Reading Comics by Douglas Wolk (Da Capo)

FIVE PODCASTS I'M LISTENING TO:
1. Indie Spinner Rack
2. Uncanny X-Cast
3. Quiet! Panelologists at Work
4. Crank Cast
5. Hot Girl in a Comic Shop

FIVE SITES I'M BROWSING:
1. Geoff Klock
2. Hyeondo Park art
3. Christopher Priest
4. Makeshift Miracle
5. the Overman comic

FIVE SHOWS I'M WATCHING:
1. Battlestar Galactica season 2 (4 episodes in)
2. Heroes season 1 (5 episodes in)
3. the Phantom
4. Incredible Hulk
5. Broken Saints

FIVE CREATORS I WANT MORE WORK FROM:
1. Jeff Lemire
2. Brett Weldele
3. Dustin Nguyen (from Manifest Eternity)
4. Jonathan Hickman
5. Celia Calle

IT IS 5:30AM

-whew-

I just wrote a pretty revealing post and then had the good sense to delete it all.

Morning hours do that to me.

So instead, I'll just say ... um ... I like the sound of birds in the morning.

haha.

I swear I'm not on drugs!