SHIPPING THIS WEEK SEPTEMBER 6, 2007

ACTION PHILOSOPHERS 9 THE LIGHTING ROUND (Evil Twin Comics)
These stories have been a blast to read and are highly entertaining, original and educational to boot. Originally scheduled to ship in July, this is the final issue of the run (two trades are out so far) and I'm looking forward to the next topic: Comic Book History!

ALL NEW ATOM 15 (DC)

AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 544 (Marvel)
One More Day begins. This is the last leg of the roller coaster ride that's been the Straczynski run. My prediction: Skrulls, clones or the return of the real Peter Parker. Wouldn't that cause a shitstorm?

ANNIHILATION CONQUEST WRAITH 3 (Marvel)

BLACK CANARY WEDDING PLANNER (DC)
My sister owns a successful flower shop. I've helped to set up hundreds of weddings over the 20 years of working with her. So I have firsthand knowledge of the ins and outs of planning for a wedding. I'll be studying this issue with a keen eye. (I'm kidding... mostly.)

BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER 6 (Dark Horse)
Brian K. Vaughan takes over. -crosses fingers-

COUNTDOWN 34 (DC)

DETECTIVE COMICS 836 (DC)

HOPE NEW ORLEANS VOL 1 GN (Ronin Studios)
Hadn't heard much about this until this week. More info can be found here.

INFINITY INC 1 (DC)
The original Infinity Inc., with its generational premise and connection between the JSA and their children, has a place in my heart for the Ordway art, the slick Baxter paper and the introduction of some of the coolest looking characters of the time. They've managed to survive somewhat gracefully over the years but the title never resurfaced. It's back now though - this time with a new premise ripped from the pages of the brilliant 52. Will it survive?

JACK KIRBYS FOURTH WORLD OMNIBUS VOL 2 HC (DC)
Two weeks late.

MPD PSYCHO VOL 2 TP (Dark Horse)

NEGATIVE BURN 12 (Desperado)
I have a few of these anthologies and they never seem to disappoint. Check 'em out if you got some extra cash.

NIGHTWING 136 (DC)

OUTSIDERS 50 (DC)
Final issue.

SOLLITARIA 2 (Praxis)
Originally scheduled to ship in June. Interesting story.

SORROW 1 (OF 4) (Image)
Buying this for Francesco Francavilla's artwork alone. You know him from Ape Entertainment's Black Coat. (Or you should). It's five weeks late though, so hopefully it doesn't take too long to finish. I've recently stopped ordering a bunch of Boom Studios! books because of inconsistent shipping (or not at all). It makes it tempting to not order and just pick up at conventions for cheap.

SUPERGIRL 21 (DC)

SWORD OF THE ATOM TP (DC)
At $19.99, this is pricier than it should be for four issues and three specials. But I love this story. It was this mini-series (and Action Comics) that introduced me to Gil Kane the artist and I've been a fan since. It also gave Ray Palmer/Atom more personality than any of the JLA issues I read at the time. Considering what DC is doing with Atom at the moment, this could be important on some level.

SHIPPING THIS WEEK AUGUST 29, 2007

52 AFTERMATH: THE 4 HORSEMEN 1 of 6 (DC)
What was originally solicited as a one-shot is now a six-issue mini-series. The Horsemen were a damn scary creation in the pages of 52 and, with Giffen and artists Pat Olliffe and Drew Geraci on board, I'm sure the overall concept will ring true. However, I wonder if saving the idea for a later, non-event time or for the course of an actual storyarc, if that might have been more effective. Right now it seems lost in the Countdown shuffle.

ACTION COMICS 855 (DC)

AMAZONS ATTACKS 6 (DC)

ASTHMA GN (Sparkplug Comics)
By John Hankieweicz. I know very little about this, except for the title. I'm an asthmatic. So I'm curious why the title choice. Here's a few links to help.

BATMAN ANNUAL 26: HEAD OF THE DEMON (DC)
Like the Sinestro Corps War, the Resurrection of Ra's al Ghul is growing out of an actual story and looks to be a great read. I also like that this isn't a one-shot or some kind of extra mini-series. That they are using Annuals again for important or special stories is a plus.

BOMB QUEEN IV 1 OF 4 (Image)
More fun than anyone should have reading a comic. Don't take it too seriously, just enjoy.

COUNTDOWN 35 (DC)

COUNTDOWN TO ADVENTURE 1 of 8 (DC)
I don't know what to expect with this mini-series. With Adam Strange, Animal Man and Starfire, DC is playing off a lot of faith from 52. But if this turns out to be a similar plotline to what Jason Todd/Donna Troy/the Monitor are doing - discovering new worlds - I'll be disappointed. I want an actual space-faring story with these characters. Another series riding off the good-will of 52.

INCREDIBLE CHANGEBOTS (Top Shelf)
Fun, nostalgic and silly. A little pricey ($15) considering the smaller size format, but still enjoyable.

LOOKING GLASS WARS HATTER M HC (Desperado)
With the second part of the novel trilogy out, Seeing Redd, this makes for a good extra story. Ben Templesmith's art doesn't hurt either.

MICE TEMPLAR 1 (Image)
Mice are the new zombies. And that's okay.

NOTHING BETTER TPB Vol.1
Another comic I first came across at MOCCA Fest 2007. By Tyler Page, the issue I read felt like a close cousin to Strangers in Paradise in a college setting. Good stuff so far.

OUTSIDERS FIVE OF A KIND: GRACE/WONDER WOMAN (DC)

PREVIEWS
Page 385. Comics NOW! Order it.

PUNKS GN (Digital Webbing Presents)
I can't wait to read this. It just looks so cool.

SUPER SPY GN (Top Shelf)
The hardcover version was a hit at this year's MOCCA Fest. Now you can pick up the softcover of 52 (52!) spy thriller stories.

TEEN TITANS 50 (DC)

TEEN TITANS GO! 46 (DC)

WIZARD 192

WONDER WOMAN 12 (DC)

SHIPPING THIS WEEK AUGUST 22, 2007

ANNIHILATION CONQUEST STAR LORD 2 (Marvel)

BATMAN 668 (DC)

BIRDS OF PREY 109 (DC)

BLUE BEETLE 18 (DC)

BOMB QUEEN III 4 (Image)
The cover to this issue is in homage to Nick Cardy's Teen Titans #23 featuring Wonder Girl's new costume change from ponytail to jumpsuit. Hilarious.

BUSHI TALES 1 (Pencil Neck Studios)
From our good friends over at Pencil Neck Studios, they've gone from self-publishing to a wider distribution. Congrats!

COUNTDOWN 36 (DC)

DEATH BY CHOCOLATE REDUX GN (Top Shelf)
This collection includes the Xeric-grant awarded origin tale of Agent Swete, a never-before published Death By Chocolate tale, and an essay by Yurkovich on the creation of the series.

GREEN LANTERN CORPS 15 (DC)

IMMORTAL IRON FIST 8 (Marvel)

JOHNNY DELGADO IS DEAD 1 of 2 (Image)
Featuring artwork by Chris Moreno.

LIBERTY GIRL VOL 1 THE RETURN TP (Heroic Publishing)
I don't know much about this comic but I figured it might be worth a try.

MOUSE GUARD WINTER 1152 1 (OF 6) (Archaia Studio Press)
A few weeks late but worth the wait.

MYSTIC ARCANA SCARLET WITCH (Marvel)

THE ORDER 2 (Marvel)
The first issue was a bit of a letdown, so we'll see how it continues.

OUTSIDERS FIVE OF A KIND WEEK 4 METAMORPHO AQUAMAN (DC)

PLANETARY BRIGADE VOL 1 TP (Boom!)
Giffen and DeMatteis unleashed. Comics are fun again.

RETURN OF THE SUPER PIMPS 3 (Dial C for Comics)
So Bad! it's good.

SHOWCASE PRESENTS WONDER WOMAN VOL 1 (DC)
I'm really anxious to read the Silver Age exploits of the Trinity: Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman. I've been collecting back issues of WW when I have the chance but this collection will probably wind up on my shelf.

SUBCULTURE 2 (Ape)

SUPERGIRL AND THE LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES 33 (DC)

SUPERMAN 666 (DC)

TANK GIRL THE GIFTING 3 (IDW)
If it's Ashley Wood I'm so there.

TELLOS COLOSSAL HC (Image)
An unexpected tribute to the life and loss of Mike Wieringo. Info here.

WHITE PICKET FENCES 3 (Ape)

WORLD WAR HULK GAMMA FILES (Marvel)
Just in case you need yet another explanation of Planet Hulk.

SHIPPING THIS WEEK AUGUST 15, 2007

ACTION COMICS 854 (DC)
More Countdown Tie-Ins I'm not reading.

AMAZONS ATTACK 5 (DC)
Oh yea. Almost forgot this is still going on.

ANNIHILATION CONQUEST QUASAR 2 (Marvel)

ARCHAIC 8 (Fenickx)
Hyper-violent elves. Homicidal maniacs. Sinister Kings. Technology-obsessed religious zealots. What's not to love? Seriously, I'm surprised by this book and I continue to enjoy each issue. There are two trades that will catch you up to date. Seek them out.

BIZARRE NEW WORLD 3 (Ape)
Meant to ship in July, this issue wraps up this fun little mini. And it's not the ending you would expect from a comic about an average guy who learns he can fly. Good stuff.

BLACK CANARY 4 (DC)

BOOSTER GOLD 1 (DC)
Back in the mid-80s, there were the Cola-Wars: Coke vs Pepsi. A lesser known war, between my comic book reading friends at the time, was Booster Gold vs. Blue Beetle. We would try and convince each other that one comic was better than the other. Looking back, both were great silly fun. Blue Beetle had the better art (Paris Cullins rocked and was a nice successor to Ditko's manic energy) but Booster Gold had the character you loved to hate. So here we are twenty years later with another series and I'm stoked. And I'm glad Dan Jurgens is back to help with his creation. Booster Gold is arguably the first new character created post-Crisis, so he's pretty important. Looking forward to this new series and new direction.

BRAVE AND THE BOLD 6 (DC)

CATWOMAN 70 (DC)

CHECKMATE 17 (DC)

COUNTDOWN 37 (DC)

FLASH 231 (DC)
Mark Waid returns to write Wally West as the Flash, this time with artist Daniel Arcuna. Arcuna's work on Uncle Sam & the Freedom Fighters is outstanding. But can Waid recapture the magic of his first Flash run? We'll see.

GEARHEAD 4 (Arcana)
Dennis Hopeless and Kevin Mellon are just fantastic guys. And GearHead is riproaring fun about a girl with a large wrench. Come on. You gotta buy it.

JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA 12 (DC)
Meltzer's oft-criticized run comes to an end.

KILLING GIRL 1 OF 5 (Image)
If you're a fan of Frank Espinosa and Rocketo, then you should be picking up this comic that asks the question: "What if the Mafia had their own secret service?". Check it out.

LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES IN THE 31ST CENTURY 5 (DC)

NARCOLEPTIC SUNDAY GN (Oni)
By Jeremy Haun and Brian Koschak. An interesting premise about a narcoleptic who wakes up to find his one night stand murdered. Oni rarely fails to deliver. Worth a read.

OUTSIDERS FIVE OF A KIND THUNDER/MARTIAN MANHUNTER (DC)

REX MUNDI 7 (Dark Horse)

RIPCLAW PILOT SEASON 1 (Top Cow)
Top Cow is putting their lineup in your hands.

ROBIN 165 (DC)

SHADOWPACT 16 (DC)

SUPERMAN/BATMAN 39 (DC)
Sigh. I don't want to get this but Dustin Nguyen is on art. DC, you sneaky bastards.

X ISLE VOL 1 tpb (Boom!)
Boom Studios calls this Alien meet the Descent. With a splash of Lost no doubt. Art by Greg Scott makes it completely worth it. I was surprised how much I enjoyed this mini.

SHIPPING THIS WEEK AUGUST 08, 2007

A DUMMY'S GUIDE TO DANGER VOL 1 TPB
From Viper Comics, this was an enjoyable mini-series about a paraplegic ventriloquist dummy. No lie.

ALAN MOORE THE COMPLETE WILDCATS TPB
It's been awhile since I read these stories but I can remember at the time thinking that they definitely helped to ground the overall title from the sometimes haphazard storytelling in the earliest of issues. And the Travis Charest artwork was beautiful to look at to boot. 15 issues at $29.99 is not a bad price, especially if anyone ordered this with a discount.

ANNIHILATION CONQUEST WRAITH 2

BATMAN 667
I believe this is the first of a 3-part story featuring the Club of Heroes or the Batman of Many Nations. An old Silver Age concept that only Grant Morrison could bring back. So looking forward to this storyline.

BLACK ADAM THE DARK AGE 1 (OF 6)
This feels a bit anti-climactic after learning of his fate in Countdown. This may turn into dollar-bin finds. The original solicitation says 1 of 8. Diamond has it listed as 1 of 6. Guess I'll find out when I see the cover. I'm also curious to see the variant cover by Alex Ross. I like artist Doug Mahnke's work, but his cover is just okay to me. Oh - and remind me to tell my Peter Tomasi story someday.

CASANOVA 8
One of my new favorite series returns, this time with art by Fabio Moon. I can't recommend this title enough. It's a fun, challenging romp that pushes what it means to be a comic book.

COUNTDOWN 38

DARK TOWER GUNSLINGERS GUIDEBOOK
My love affair with Handbooks continues.

DYNAMO 5 6

ESSENTIAL DAZZLER VOL 1 TPB
Come on. How badly do I want this?

GHOSTING 1 (OF 4)
Written by Fred Van Lente of Action Philosophers, this mini is from Platinum Comics. College hazing has been made illegal so pledges are put through the Ghosting - pranks designed to play on their greatest fears. The artwork by Charles Carvalho looks pretty decent. Worth a flip through at the store.

GI JOE AMERICAS ELITE 26
World War III continues.

GREEN ARROW YEAR ONE 3

GREEN LANTERN 22
The Sinestro Corps War rages. This storyline rocks.

JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA SERIES 1
BLACK CANARY, BLACK LIGHTNING, RED ARROW, SUPERMAN, VIXEN
I'm not usually a fan of the DC Direct series that are based off of artist styles. And while this series riffs off of Ed Benes, I do like the idea of owning a Vixen.

LAST CALL VOL 1 GN
By Vasilis Lolos from Oni. Two friends are hit by a ghost train and wake up to discover themselves stuck on the train with no way out. As they search for an escape they uncover clues that lead them into the path of a killer. The prelim art and story sound interesting enough to browse through.

NEW AVENGERS 33
NOVA 5
OUTSIDERS FIVE OF A KIND WEEK 2 KATANA/SHAZAM

SHOWCASE PRESENTS ADAM STRANGE VOL 1 TP
One of my favorite space characters gets the Showcase treatment reprinting stories from Showcase and Mystery in Space. Excellent.

SUPERMAN CHRONICLES VOL 3 TPB
Collecting the adventures of Superman in chronological order (and in color!) is an interesting experiment. Especially for a history buff like me that likes to see how characters develop over the years. They come out far too infrequently for me though.

UN-MEN 1
From Vertigo, the Un-Men were old Swamp Thing foes. So I'm a bit curious to see a series with them.

VAULT OF MICHAEL ALLRED LTD ED HC
If you're an Allred fan, this is for you. Rare art, interviews, sketches, history, etc. It came out in comic form - for four issues I believe - but something tells me this will make a great book to add to my reference collection.

WORLD WAR HULK FRONT LINE 3
Just for the Chris Moreno pages alone.

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