This is the 22nd week Chris Mautner and I have written “Can’t Wait for Wednesday.” I feel like there should be a prize or something.

In lieu of cash, we get a handful of notable releases, headed by the much-anticipated debut of The Umbrella Academy: Apocalypse Suite #1, My Chemical Romance frontman Gerard Way’s heralded foray into comics.

That’s not all, though. This week also sees the wedding of Green Arrow and Black Canary in DC’s Wedding Special, the end of Marvel’s Irredeemable Ant-Man, the penultimate installment of the hit World War Hulk, another expansion of the 30 Days of Night franchise, and the Darwyn Cooke issue of The Comics Journal.

To see what other titles we think our worth mentioning, just keep reading. As always, let us know your choices in the comments below.

Kevin’s pick of the week: The Umbrella Academy #1

After more than a year of promotional wind-up — one that’s included standalone short stories, a preview in Entertainment Weekly, and countless mentions in the mainstream and music press — Gerard Way and Gabriel Ba’s quirky superhero miniseries finally debuts this week.

I haven’t been wowed by what I’ve read in the Free Comic Book Day book or on MySpace Dark Horse Presents, but it’s a lot of fun, with tinges of pulp adventure and early, offbeat superhero romps. With all the build-up, it may be tough for The Umbrella Academy to live up to the hype, but this is sure to be a top-seller — those My Chemical Romance fans will flock to stores in droves — and an enjoyable ride. Colors by Dave Stewart and covers by James Jean don’t hurt, either.

Chris’ pick of the week: Phoenix, Vol. 11

This collects the second half of the “Sun” storyline, and with that, I believe the entirety of what Tezuka considered his magnum opus is finally collected in English. Obviously if you haven’t been reading this series, this isn’t the place to begin (that would be Vol. 4, Karma, then work your way back — and forward). But any week that sees a Tezuka release is worthy of mention, and this truly is one of the master’s best works, at least of what’s been translated so far.

Apocalypse Nerd #5

Chris: Peter Bagge’s current ongoing series isn’t what I would label his A-list material. It’s funny and engaging, to be sure, and worth reading, but it doesn’t rank with his best work (i.e. Hate). The back-up features on the Founding Fathers, however, is Grade-A gold and well worth my $3.

Dr. Thirteen: Architecture and Morality trade paperback

Kevin: I believe I’ve mentioned before that the only reason I bought Tales of the Unexpected miniseries was for the Dr. Thirteen back-up stories (The Spectre main story was just … never mind). Now DC has wisely released Brian Azzarello and Cliff Chiang’s eight-part story in one handy collection, so everyone can dive into the bizarre and out-and-out fun exploration of the fringes, and near-forgotten past, of the DCU.

Green Arrow/Black Canary: For Better Or Worse trade paperback

Chris: I don’t suppose there’s any chance this could be a fan-fic style mash-up between the DC universe and Lynn Johnston’s comic strip? ‘Cause I’d really love to see Canary kick Anthony’s scrawny ass.

Green Arrow/Black Canary Wedding Special

Kevin: Well, it’s here. I find the marriage weird and, despite the characters’ lengthy past, somewhat contrived. And part of me wonders whether this merger will end up undoing much of the development in recent years of Black Canary. (For an example of the backsliding, see the recent Black Canary miniseries that actually starred Green Arrow.) But I do enjoy Amanda Conner’s artwork.

Compass #1

Kevin: C.B. Cebulski teams with writer Akihide Yanagi and artist Ryusuke Hamamoto (Neon Genesis Evangelion) for a full-color manga series in the American monthly format. It’s magical girls manga, which isn’t really my subgenre, but I’ll still be checking it out.

Irredeemable Ant-Man #12

Kevin: With this, the series comes to an end. No offense to Robert Kirkman or Phil Hester (whose art and layouts were amazing), but I’m surprised it lasted this long. Ant-Man, even (particularly?) as a humor comic, is a pretty hard sell.

Marvel Comics Presents #1

Kevin: Marvel’s recent track record with anthologies hasn’t been that great, even when they’ve focused on tentpole franchises like Spider-Man and X-Men. So, I’ll be interested to see where the publisher takes the resurrected Marvel Comics Presents. Smartly, the editors have assigned name talent like J. Scott Campbell, Stuart Immonen and Marc Guggenheim to the first issue, and tossed currently “hot” characters like the Hulk, Captain America and Spider-Man on the cover. Of course, I’m more interested in reading about the B- or C-list characters, such as Hellcat and Taskmaster.

World War Hulk #4 (of 5)

Chris: It’s an enraged Dr. Strange/vengeful Hulk showdown! The 12-year-old kid in me is
effectively hugging himself right now.

30 Days of Night: Beyond Barrow #1

Kevin: The march toward the 30 Days of Night movie continues as co-creator Steve Niles and and legendary artist Bill Sienkiewicz join forces for this latest installment in the series. I love me some Sienkiewicz.

Andromedia Stories, Vol. 1

Chris: A new Vertical manga series by the author of To Terra. Expect lots of epic ’70s sci-fi overtures worthy of its own prog-rock soundtrack, and visual compositions that will take your breath away.

Gods of Asgard

Chris: A Xeric-winning graphic novel by Eric Evensen that attempts to retell several classic Norse myths and legends. I should have a review of this up on the site tomorrow morning.

Finder: Sin-Eater, 10th Anniversary hardcover
Finder, Vol. 3: King of Cats
Finder, Vol. 4: Talisman
Finder, Vol. 5: Dream Sequence
Finder, Vol. 6: Mystery Date
Finder, Vol. 7: The Rescuers
Finder, Vol. 8: Five Crazy Women

Chris: If you have any gaps in your Finder collection, this apparently is the week to get caught up. The 10th anniversary book is a hardcover edition that collects the two previous Sin-Eater volumes and Issue #22 (plus nine new pages), according to Carla Speed McNeil’s website.

Johnny Hiro #2

Kevin: The first issue of Fred Chao’s series, in which Johnny — “Half-Asian, all hero” — was confronted by a Godzilla analog, was an absolute blast. I expect this issue to be more of the same. Read the solicitation text for yourself: ” A renowned food reviewer has ordered the lobster at Mr. Masago’s restaurant. Without any lobster left, Masago sends busboy Johnny Hiro to steal one from his archrival Shinto Pete. It’s Ginzu knives galore on the rooftops of the lower east side!”

Wasteland #12

Kevin: I haven’t been reading the single issues, but I picked up the first trade, Cities In Dust, and was swept up by Antony Johnston and Christopher Mitten’s post-apocalyptic tale. And I generally don’t care for post-apocalyptic tales. If you want to check it out for yourself, the full first issue is still available online.

The Comics Journal #285

Chris: Darwyn Cooke provides the big-ass interview and cover for this month’s edition of TCJ. Also inside: interviews with Ernie colon and Keith Knight.

Girls of Vivid 2008 Wall Calendar
Tori Amos 2008 Wall Calendar

Chris: Here’s a safe bet: At no point this week in any comic shop in the U.S. will anyone be buying both of these calendars for their home.

Here’s the full list of comics shipping this week:

DARK HORSE COMICS

AUG070124 APOCALYPSE NERD #5 (OF 6) $2.99
MAY070055 BANYA EXPLOSIVE DELIVERY MAN VOL 5 TP $12.95
APR070067 CLASSIC PEANUTS CHARACTER #9 MARCIE $39.95
JUL070024 CRIMINAL MACABRE MY DEMON BABY #1 (OF 4) $2.99
JUN070056 STAR WARS 30TH ANNIV COLL VOL 8 HC SPLINTER OF MINDS EYE $19.95
JUN070057 STAR WARS KNIGHTS OF THE OLD REPUBLIC #20 $2.99
JUL078192 UMBRELLA ACADEMY #1 1 IN 1 GERALD WAY VAR CVR $2.99
JUN070020 UMBRELLA ACADEMY APOCALYPSE SUITE #1 (OF 6) $2.99
JUL070022 ZERO KILLER #2 (OF 6) $2.99

DC COMICS

JUN070181 52 VOL 3 TP $19.99
JUL070225 AQUAMAN SWORD OF ATLANTIS #56 $2.99
JUL070294 ARMY @ LOVE #7 (MR) $2.99
JUL070215 BATMAN LOBO DEADLY SERIOUS #2 (OF 2) $5.99
JUL070226 BIRDS OF PREY #110 $2.99
JUL070219 CATWOMAN #71 $2.99
JUL070228 CHECKMATE #18 $2.99
JUL070182 COUNTDOWN 32 $2.99
JUL070184 COUNTDOWN TO MYSTERY #1 ( OF 8 ) $3.99
JUN070198 DR THIRTEEN ARCHITECTURE AND MORALITY TP $14.99
JUL070279 EX MACHINA #30 (MR) $2.99
JUL070229 FLASH #232 $2.99
JUN070189 GREEN ARROW BLACK CANARY FOR BETTER OR WORSE TP $14.99
JUL070198 GREEN ARROW BLACK CANARY WEDDING SPECIAL #1 $3.99
JUL078086 GREEN LANTERN 2ND PTG #22 $2.99
JUL078084 GREEN LANTERN CORPS 2ND PTG #15 $2.99
JUL078085 GREEN LANTERN CORPS 3RD PTG #14 $2.99
JUL070302 HELLBLAZER #236 (MR) $2.99
JUN070273 HELLBLAZER THE GIFT TP (MR) $14.99
JUL070281 HIGHWAYMEN #4 (OF 5) $2.99
JUL070236 JLA HITMAN #1 (OF 2) $3.99
MAY070171 JUSTICE SOCIETY OF AMERICA VOL 1 THE NEXT AGE HC $19.99
JUN070234 KEY TO THE KINGDOM VOL 1 $9.99
JUL070256 LEGION OF SUPER HEROES IN THE 31ST CENTURY #6 $2.25
JUL070264 MAD MAGAZINE #482 $3.99
JUN070238 MOON CHILD VOL 8 $9.99
JUL070283 PROGRAMME #3 (OF 12) $2.99
JUL070220 ROBIN #166 $2.99
JUL070263 SCOOBY DOO #124 $2.25
JUL070239 SHADOWPACT #17 $2.99
JUL070224 SUPERMAN BATMAN #40 $2.99
JUL070205 TALES OF THE SINESTRO CORPS PARALLAX #1 $2.99
JUL070307 TESTAMENT #20 (RES) (MR) $2.99
JUN070256 TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE TP (MR) $14.99

IMAGE COMICS

JUL071932 AFTER THE CAPE VOL 1 HOW FAR TO FALL TP $12.99
JUN071878 COMPASS #1 $2.99
JUL071996 CONSUMED #3 (OF 4) $2.99
JUL071977 CYBLADE PILOT SEASON #1 $2.99
JUL071949 DYNAMO 5 #7 $3.50
JUL071997 GHOSTING #2 (OF 4) $2.99
APR071870 GUTSVILLE #2 (OF 6) (MR) $2.99
MAY071874 MADMAN ATOMIC COMICS #4 $2.99
JUL071958 REPO #4 (OF 5) (MR) $3.50
APR071875 SPAWN #171 $2.95
JUN071901 SPAWN COLLECTION VOL 4 TP $29.95
JUL071981 WITCHBLADE TAKERU MANGA #8 KIRKHAM CVR B $3.99
JUL071980 WITCHBLADE TAKERU MANGA SUMITA CVR A #8 $3.99

MARVEL COMICS

JUL072143 ANNIHILATION CONQUEST QUASAR #3 (OF 4) $2.99
JUL072147 AVENGERS CLASSIC #4 $2.99
JUL072149 CAPTAIN AMERICA #30 CWI $2.99
JUL072222 CAPTAIN AMERICA BY ED BRUBAKER OMNIBUS VOL 1 HC $74.99
JUL072248 DAILY BUGLE OCTOBER PI
JUL072167 IRREDEEMABLE ANT-MAN #12 $2.99
MAY072170 JACK KIRBYS GALACTIC BOUNTY HUNTERS #6 $3.99
JUL072172 MARVEL ADVENTURES AVENGERS #16 $2.99
JUL072170 MARVEL ADVENTURES FANTASTIC FOUR #28 $2.99
JUL072228 MARVEL ADVENTURES SPIDER-MAN VOL 7 DIGEST TP $6.99
JUL072176 MARVEL ADVENTURES TWO-IN-ONE #3 $4.99
JUL072177 MARVEL COMICS PRESENTS #1 $3.99
JUL072246 MARVEL COMICS PRESENTS CAMPBELL POSTER $6.99
JUL072132 MARVEL ILLUSTRATED TREASURE ISLAND #4 (OF 6) $2.99
JUL072197 NEW X-MEN #42 $2.99
JUL072185 PENANCE RELENTLESS #1 (OF 5) $2.99
JUL072234 SILENT WAR TP $14.99
JUL072141 SPIDER-MAN RED SONJA #2 (OF 5) $2.99
JUL072207 TERROR INC #2 (OF 5) (MR) $3.99
JUL072224 THUNDERBOLTS BY ELLIS VOL 1 FAITH IN MONSTERS PREM HC $24.99
JUL072205 WOLVERINE ORIGINS #17 $2.99
JUL072236 WOLVERINE ORIGINS VOL 2 SAVIOR TP $13.99
JUL072160 WORLD WAR HULK #4 (OF 5) WWH $3.99
JUN078037 WORLD WAR HULK FRONT LINE #4 (OF 6) $2.99
JUL072164 WORLD WAR HULK GAMMA CORPS #3 (OF 4) WWH $2.99
JUL072161 WORLD WAR HULK ROMITA JR VAR #4 (OF 5) $3.99

WIZARD ENTERTAINMENT

MAY073097 FANTASTIC FOUR #547 TURNER CVR CGC 9.8 ED PI
MAY073098 FATHOM KIANI ECONOMY COMICS VAR TURNER SGN ED PI
MAY073092 SUB MARINER #1 TURNER SGN ED PI
JUL073174 WIZARD ANIME INSIDER APPLESEED EX MACHINA CVR #49 (NOTE PRICE) $4.99
MAY073102 WORLD WAR HULK FRONT LINE #1 CGC 9.8 PI

OTHER PUBLISHERS
JUN073811 2000 AD #1551 $4.10
JUN073812 2000 AD #1552 $4.10
JUL073624 30 DAYS OF NIGHT BEYOND BARROW #1 $3.99
JUL073641 30 DAYS OF NIGHT RED SNOW #2 $3.99
JUN073641 A G SUPER EROTIC ANTHOLOGY #66 (A) $4.99
AUG073814 A KINGS LESSON GN (A) $10.99
JUL073470 ABANDONED COLOR ED GN $5.99
JUN073939 ANDROMEDA STORIES GN VOL 01 $11.95
JUL073288 BETTY & VERONICA BOY TROUBLE VOL 1 TP $7.49
JUL073289 BETTY & VERONICA DIGEST #178 $2.49
JUN073978 CASE CLOSED VOL 19 GN $9.99
JUN073620 CODE #4 $2.99
MAY073119 CRYPT OF HORROR VOL 4 TP $24.95
AUG073953 DEAD ALREADY MANGA VOL 1 GN (JUN068248) $9.99
JUN073763 DINOSAURS ACROSS AMERICA HC $12.95
JUL073722 DISTANCE MAKES THE HEART GROW SICK SC $16.00
JUL073700 DISTANT #1 (OF 4) (MR) $2.99
JUN073749 DIY SCREENPRINTING GN $13.00
AUG073816 DOG STYLE GN (A) $10.99
JUL073244 EMO BOY VOL 2 WALK AROUND WITH YOUR HEAD DOWN $13.95
JUN073731 FINDER SIN EATER 10TH ANNIVERSARY HC $29.95
AUG073830 FINDER VOL 3 KING OF CATS TP (O/A) $13.95
AUG073831 FINDER VOL 4 TALISMAN TP (O/A) $13.95
AUG073832 FINDER VOL 5 DREAM SEQUENCE TP (O/A) $20.95
AUG073833 FINDER VOL 6 MYSTERY DATE TP (O/A) $17.95
AUG073834 FINDER VOL 7 THE RESCUERS TP (O/A) $16.95
AUG073835 FINDER VOL 8 FIVE CRAZY WOMEN TP (O/A) $15.95
JUL073260 GD SOURCEBOOK OFF HANDBOOK TO THE GD UNIVERSE #9 $3.95
JUN073621 GENESIS FIVE #4 $2.99
JUL073806 GODS OF ASGARD GN $14.99
JUL073265 GOLD DIGGER SWIMSUIT END OF SUMMER SPECIAL 2007 $4.50
JUL074119 HAMMER STORY REVISED HC ED $35.00
JUN073798 HARDY BOYS BOXED SET #2 $29.95
JUL073800 HE IS MY MASTER VOL 2 GN (MR) $9.99
JUN073633 HERO INITIATIVE DYNAMIC HERO 5 STARTER SET $16.99
JUN073634 HERO INITIATIVE LONE RANGER #1 SGN ED $49.99
JUN073635 HERO INITIATIVE WOLVERINE #50 SGN ED $49.99
JUL073723 INVINCIBLE SUMMER AN ANTHOLOGY SC $14.00
JUN073622 JOE & MAX #4 $2.99
JUN073175 JOHNNY HIRO #2 (MR) $2.95
JUN073814 JUDGE DREDD MEGAZINE #262 $7.50
JUL073292 JUGHEADS DOUBLE DIGEST #134 $3.69
MAY073327 JUNGLE GIRL PX #0 $0.25
JUN073384 JUNGLE GIRL PX ED #1 $2.99
MAR073215 LADY DEATH SACRILEGE #2 (OF 2) $3.99
MAR073216 LADY DEATH SACRILEGE ART NOUVEAU CVR #2 (OF 2) $3.99
MAR073217 LADY DEATH SACRILEGE MARTIN CVR #2 (OF 2) $3.99
MAR073220 LADY DEATH SACRILEGE PREMIUM CVR #2 (OF 2) $9.99
MAR073218 LADY DEATH SACRILEGE RYP CVR #2 (OF 2) $3.99
MAR073219 LADY DEATH SACRILEGE WRAP CVR #2 (OF 2) $3.99
AUG073433 LADY DEATH VS PANDORA AUXILIARY CVR $2.99
AUG073434 LADY DEATH VS WAR ANGEL GOLD FOIL CVR #1 $19.99
AUG073435 LADY DEATH WICKED ROYAL BLUE #1/2 $75.00
JUL073721 LEXIAN CHRONICLES FULL CIRCLE SGN PACK #3 $10.00
MAY073516 LIBERTY COMICS #1 $4.50
JUN073983 MAR VOL 15 GN $7.99
MAY073121 MEN OF MYSTERY #67 $9.95
JUN073830 MR GRIEVES VOL 1 GN (MR) $9.99
JUL073802 MYSTERY MANOR HAUNTED THEATRE #1 $2.95
JUN073796 NANCY DREW BOXED SET #2 $29.95
AUG073431 NIGHT O/T LIVING DEAD HUNTER DONT PEEK CVR #1 (MR) $5.99
JUN073228 NINJA HIGH SCHOOL #153 $2.99
JUN073990 PHOENIX VOL 11 TP $16.99
AUG073447 RAY HARRYHAUSEN WRATH O/T TITANS SKETCH ED #1 (OF 4) $3.50
JUL073294 SABRINA VOL 2 #88 $2.25
AUG073817 SCANDALOUS SEIRYO UNIVERSITY GN (A) $10.99
JUN073802 SCARLETTS CURSE #4 (OF 7) (NOTE PRICE) $2.99
JUN073466 SHEENA #3 (OF 5) $3.50
JUN073953 SHOJO BEAT OCT 07 VOL 3 #10 $5.99
JUL073366 SIMPSONS COMICS #134 $2.99
JUL073272 SKY SHARKS #2 (OF 5) $3.50
MAY073688 SLAINE BOOKS OF INVASIONS VOL 3 THE BOOKS OF INVASIONS HC (C $27.99
MAY073510 SLUGGY FREELANCE MEGATOME VOL 2 LITTLE EVILS TP $24.95
JUL073192 STRANGERS IN PARADISE VOL 6 PKT TP $17.95
AUG073421 STREETS OF GLORY #1 (OF 6) (MR) $3.99
AUG073422 STREETS OF GLORY WRAP CVR #1 (OF 6) (MR) $3.99
JUL073814 TANK GIRL VOL 2 GN (O/A) (MR) $14.95
JUN073363 TAROT WITCH OF THE BLACK ROSE VOL 5 PX LTD ED TP (MR) (C: 0- $34.99
AUG073430 WARREN ELLIS WOLFSKIN 1-3 SET $11.99
JUL073754 WASTELAND #12 (MR) (NOTE PRICE) $3.50
JUL073971 WITH THE LIGHT VOL 1 RAISING AN AUTISTIC CHILD GN $14.99
JUN073747 WITNESS CVR A #1 $3.50
JUN073748 WITNESS CVR B #1 $5.95
JUN073743 YAAKOV AND ISAAC VOL 1 GN (O/A) (NOTE PRICE) PI

This entry was posted on Tuesday, September 18th, 2007 at 3:34 pm and is filed under Can't Wait for Wednesday, Comic Books, Dark Horse, DC Comics, Graphic Novels, Image, Independent, Manga, Marvel, Retailers, Tokyopop, Viz. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.