It’s a week for big beginnings as Mark Millar and Bryan Hitch start their tenure on Fantastic Four, Jason Aaron and Roland Boschi kick off their run on Ghost Rider, Art Baltazar and Franco launch Tiny Titans, and Kean Soo brings the webcomic Jellaby to print.

But there’s also one notable ending, as Steven T. Seagle and Becky Cloonan’s Vertigo series American Virgin comes to a close.

To see what other titles Chris Mautner and I think are worth mentioning, just keep reading. As always, let us know your choices in the comments below.

Chris’ pick of the week: Little Nothings, Vol. 1: The Curse of the Umbrella

If, for some odd reason that I can’t fathom, you’ve been immune to Lewis Trondheim’s (Dungeon, Tiny Tyrant) charms so far, perhaps this book, a collection of (very funny) autobiographical gag strips taken from various blog postings. You can see a preview here. I’m really sad that more of his work isn’t available here in the US, so let’s hope this book does really well and encourages NBM to get more Trondheim out the door quickly.

Kevin’s pick of the week: Tiny Titans #1

I’m not even close to the target market for this new Johnny DC series, but I find myself unable to resist Art Baltazar’s (Patrick the Wolf Boy) adorable art. It makes me smile. In this first issue, whose cover features everyone from Robin — back in shorts! — to Bumblebee to two versions of Wonder Girl, we’re introduced to life at Sidekick Elementary. And Beast Boy gets a puppy! This, my friends, is sugary goodness.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Vol. 2: Rodrick Rules

Chris: Hey, look! It’s the best-selling (pseudo) comic in America right now! Coming to comic book stores a few weeks after everyone else has already bought it at Borders! How about that!

Leonard Maltin’s Movie Crazy

Chris: From Dark Horse, of all people. I don’t think this is actually a comic book, but I can’t help but think of a mangafied Leonard Maltin guiding readers through his favorite movies.

American Virgin #23

Kevin: I’ve talked before about Steven T. Seagle and Becky Cloonan’s Vertigo series, and I’m not sure what else I can say now that it reaches the end. It dealt with issues of sexuality, faith and morality in sometimes-unexpected ways, and occasionally zigged just when you thought it was going to zag. It was an odd title that aggravated almost as often as it entertained, but I’ll miss it.

Booster Gold #0

Chris: Maybe it’s the nerd in me, but I think it’s pretty good joke that eight issues in we have the “zero” issue. Not to mention that this is a “Zero Hour” crossover.

Crossing Midnight, Vol. 2: A Map of Midnight

Kevin: Fans of Japanese horror and modern fantasy take note: This collects issues 6-12 of Mike Carey and Jim Fern’s engaging supernatural drama.

Showcase Presents: Enemy Ace, Vol. 1

Kevin: Hans von Hammer, the World War I German pilot, gets the 552-page Showcase treatment with a collection of stories dating back to 1965 by creators Robert Kanigher and Joe Kubert, plus John Severin, Howard Chaykin, Neal Adams and others.

Time Masters trade paperback

Kevin: Considering Rip Hunter’s role in 52 and Booster Gold, I’m surprised it’s taken this long for DC to collect the 1990 Time Masters series (by Bob Wayne, Lewis Shiner and Art Thibert) and the “Adventures Inside Earth” story from Secret Origins #43 (by Wayne and Tim Truman).

Fantastic Four #554

Kevin: Mark Millar and Bryan Hitch begin a year-long stint that should push the title to the top of the sales charts, and please their thousands of fans. I couldn’t get past the dialogue in the preview, but I’m probably in the minority.

Fantastic Four: The Lost Adventure #1

Kevin: Announced more than two years ago, this is the fabled 103rd issue of Fantastic Four that Stan Lee and Jack Kirby began in 1970 but never finished. Working from copies of Kirby’s penciled pages, Lee and inker Joe Sinnott have completed the story, and Marvel has paired it with reproductions of Kirby’s pencils, border notes, analysis, and a reprint of Fantastic Four #108, which used some of the material as a flashback.

Ghost Rider #20

Kevin: Writer Jason Aaron (Scalped, Wolverine) and artist Roland Boschi kick off their run on the series.

Punisher: Force of Nature

Kevin: I’m only vaguely familiar with Duane Swierczynski, the crime author who’s writing this. However, who cares about the creative team? The cover is enough to sell this: Capt. Ahab Frank Castle versus a white whale!

X-Force #1

Kevin: Although I can’t shake the feeling that this new series exists solely to maintain the trademark, I imagine it will appeal to those readers jonesing for a ’90s-style dose of shouting anti-heroes wielding big sharp things. Plus, it features Wolverine, so that should be good for a few copies.

Camera, Camera, Camera, Vol. 2

Chris: That’s a lot of cameras.

Dark Metro, Vol. 1
.hack//G.U.+ Vol. 1
Pet Shop of Horrors: Tokyo, Vol. 1

Kevin: I’m woefully behind on my reading, but these three new series from Tokyopop have made it as far as the corner of my desk. If I’m lucky, I may get to them by the weekend.

Tokyo Calen and Yoshiken’s Dark Metro is a horror manga that imagines the Tokyo subway system as the boundary between this world and a dark after-life. The difficult-to-type .hack//G.U. + is Tatsuya Hamazaki and Yuzuka Morita’s follow-up the sci-fi series .hack//Legend of the Twilight. And Matsuri Akino’s Petshop of Horrors: Tokyo, perhaps unsurprisingly, picks up several years after the end of … Petshop of Horrors.

Jellaby, Vol. 1, hardcover
Jellaby, Vol. 1, softcover

Chris: Kean Soo’s popular, all-ages webcomic is collected in book form courtesy of Hyperion.

Reich #1

Chris: From Sparkplug Press and Elijah Brubaker comes this ongoing series about the life of Wilhelm Reich, who considered the orgasm to be the fundamental source of energy in the world and built a device entitled an orgone collector designed to harness said energy and repel the aliens that he was certain were threatening Earth. Interestingly enough, Brubaker plays the whole thing straight, with little in the way of nudity or titillation. Despite this, it’s still a compelling read.

Bill Maudlin: A Life Up Front hardcover

Chris: This isn’t Mauldin’s autobiography or the upcoming Willie and Joe collection by Fantagraphics, but a biography of the editorial cartoonist by one Todd DePastino.

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

DARK HORSE COMICS

NOV070077 30 DAYS OF NIGHT ZIPPO LIGHTER RED $29.99
OCT070056 BLADE OF THE IMMORTAL TP VOL 18 SPARROW NET (MR) $19.95
DEC070024 BPRD 1946 #2 (OF 5) $2.99
OCT070024 CITY OF OTHERS TP $14.95
OCT060049 DOMINION CONFLICT 1 NO MORE NOISE TP (NEW PTG) $14.95
DEC070041 EVIL DEAD #2 (OF 4) $2.99
NOV070020 GOON #21 $2.99
OCT070016 HELLBOY NOVEL EMERALD HELL $12.95
OCT070043 INDIANA JONES OMNIBUS TP VOL 01 $24.95
AUG070135 LEONARD MALTINS MOVIE CRAZY SC $19.95
OCT070063 STAR WARS EPISODE IV NEW HOPE PHOTO COMIC $9.95
DEC070066 TERMINATOR OMNIBUS VOL 01 $24.95
SEP070089 TRANSLUCENT VOL 3 TP $9.95

DC COMICS

DEC070289 100 BULLETS #88 (MR) $2.99
NOV070286 AMERICAN VIRGIN #23 (MR) $2.99
DEC070276 ASTRO CITY THE DARK AGE SPECIAL #2 BEAUTIE $3.99
DEC070200 BAT LASH #3 (OF 6) $2.99
DEC070261 BATMAN STRIKES #42 $2.25
DEC070197 BOOSTER GOLD #0 $2.99
NOV070225 CONNOR HAWKE DRAGONS BLOOD TP $19.99
DEC070184 COUNTDOWN TO FINAL CRISIS 11 $2.99
NOV070290 CROSSING MIDNIGHT TP VOL 02 A MAP OF MIDNIGHT (MR) $14.99
AUG070360 DC MINIMATES WAVE SEVEN PI
DEC070293 DMZ #28 (MR) $2.99
NOV070255 DOKKOIDA VOL 01 $9.99
OCT070191 DOOM PATROL ARCHIVES HC VOL 04 $49.99
DEC070287 FRIDAY THE 13TH BAD LAND #2 (OF 2) (MR) $2.99
DEC070282 GEN 13 #17 $2.99
DEC070192 GOTHAM UNDERGROUND #5 (OF 9) $2.99
DEC070198 GREEN ARROW BLACK CANARY #5 $2.99
DEC070229 GREEN LANTERN CORPS #21 $2.99
DEC070233 JLA CLASSIFIED #52 $2.99
OCT070192 JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA HC VOL 02 LIGHTNING SAGA $24.99
DEC070264 LEGION OF SUPER HEROES IN THE 31ST CENTURY #11 $2.25
DEC070193 SALVATION RUN #4 (OF 7) $2.99
NOV070243 SHOWCASE PRESENTS ENEMY ACE TP VOL 01 $16.99
DEC070212 SIMON DARK #5 $2.99
DEC070203 SUICIDE SQUAD RAISE THE FLAG #6 ( OF 8 ) $2.99
DEC070217 SUPERMAN #673 $2.99
NOV070242 TIME MASTERS TP $19.99
DEC070260 TINY TITANS #1 $2.25
NOV070262 VENUS IN LOVE VOL 02 $9.99
DEC070242 WONDER WOMAN #17 $2.99

IMAGE COMICS

DEC072081 76 #2 ( OF 8 ) (MR) $2.99
SEP071980 BRIT #4 $2.99
JUL071947 CHEMIST #2 (MR) $3.50
DEC072151 DARKNESS EVE WWTX T/S LG $17.99
DEC072050 GUTWRENCHER #1 (OF 3) $3.50
DEC072093 JACK STAFF #14 $3.50
JUL061749 MITH PACK $9.99
OCT071967 NEXT ISSUE PROJECT #1 (FANTASTIC COMICS #24) $5.99
DEC072104 SWORD #5 (MR) $2.99
OCT072025 WALKING DEAD #46 (MR) $2.99
OCT078040 WITCHBLADE TP VOL 01 WITCH HUNT (BOOK MARKET ED) #793) $9.99
NOV072077 WITCHBLADE TP VOL 01 WITCH HUNT (DIRECT MARKET ED) $4.99

MARVEL COMICS

DEC072170 AMAZING SPIDER-GIRL #17 $2.99
NOV072129 AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #550 BND $2.99
DEC072249 ANITA BLAKE VH HC FIRST DEATH $19.99
DEC072250 ANITA BLAKE VH HC FIRST DEATH DM ED $19.99
NOV072141 BLACK PANTHER #34 $2.99
NOV072139 CAPTAIN MARVEL #3 (OF 5) $2.99
DEC072174 CIVIL WAR CHRONICLES #8 $4.99
DEC072262 CLANDESTINE CLASSIC PREM HC $29.99
DEC072231 DEAD OF NIGHT FEATURING MAN THING #1 (OF 4) (MR) $3.99
DEC072274 EXILES TP VOL 16 STARTING OVER $19.99
DEC072181 FANTASTIC FOUR #554 $2.99
DEC078057 FANTASTIC FOUR #554 BIANCHI VAR $2.99
NOV078182 FANTASTIC FOUR #554 SUYDAM SKRULL VAR $2.99
DEC072182 FANTASTIC FOUR LOST ADVENTURE $4.99
DEC072183 GHOST RIDER #20 $2.99
NOV072149 IRON MAN ENTER MANDARIN #5 (OF 6) $2.99
DEC072191 IRON MAN POWER PACK #4 (OF 4) $2.99
DEC072194 MARVEL ADVENTURES HULK #8 $2.99
DEC072197 MARVEL ADVENTURES SPIDER-MAN #36 $2.99
DEC072201 MARVEL COMICS PRESENTS #6 $3.99
DEC072206 NEW AVENGERS #38 SII $2.99
DEC072229 NEW EXILES #2 $2.99
DEC072209 NOVA ANNUAL #1 $3.99
DEC072232 PUNISHER FORCE OF NATURE (MR) $4.99
DEC072212 PUNISHER WAR JOURNAL #16 $2.99
DEC072270 SPIDER MAN TP BACK IN BLACK $24.99
DEC072169 SPIDER-MAN FAMILY #7 $4.99
DEC072272 SUB-MARINER TP REVOLUTION $14.99
DEC072164 ULTIMATE IRON MAN II #3 (OF 4) $2.99
DEC072255 ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN HC VOL 09 $39.99
DEC072225 WOLVERINE #62 DWS $2.99
DEC072256 WOLVERINE ORIGINS PREM HC VOL 04 OUR WAR $19.99
DEC072275 WOLVERINE TP EVOLUTION $14.99
DEC072224 X-FACTOR #28 DWS $2.99
DEC072221 X-FORCE #1 DWS $2.99

WIZARD ENTERTAINMENT

DEC073289 TOYFARE TRANSFORMERS ANIMATED CVR #128 $4.99

OTHER PUBLISHERS

OCT073613 30 DAYS OF NIGHT BEYOND BARROW #3 $3.99
NOV073543 4 GIRLFRIENDS GN (A) $10.95
DEC073885 99 #5 $2.99
NOV073483 AIR GEAR GN VOL 07 (MR) $10.95
DEC073401 ARCHIE & FRIENDS #116 $2.25
NOV073840 ARCHLORD GN VOL 04 (OF 4) $9.99
DEC073863 ATOMIC ROBO #5 (OF 6) $2.95
OCT073435 ATOMIK MIKE (DP) #4 (OF 4) $3.99
DEC073632 AWESOME INDIE SPINNER RACK ANTHOLOGY VOL 1 TP (AUG073629) $14.95
NOV073908 BASARA TP VOL 26 $9.99
NOV073831 BATTLE ROYALE ULTIMATE ED HC VOL 02 (OF 5) (MR) $24.99
DEC073366 BEOWULF COLOR TP VOL 01 $14.95
DEC073406 BETTY & VERONICA SPECTACULAR #81 $2.25
NOV073909 BOYS OVER FLOWERS TP VOL 28 $9.99
DEC073592 CAMERA CAMERA CAMERA GN VOL 02 (MR) $12.95
NOV073820 CHIBI VAMPIRE GN VOL 07 (OF 10) (MR) $9.99
NOV073830 CLAMP NO KISEKI MAGAZINE COLLECTABLE VOL 10 (OF 12) $19.99
DEC073753 CORY DOCTOROWS FUTURISTIC TALES HERE AND NOW #5 (OF 6) $3.99
NOV073824 DARK METRO GN VOL 01 (OF 3) $9.99
DEC073340 DEAD EYES OPEN $12.95
DEC073600 DEMON PRINCE CHILDREN OF GAIA GN VOL 01 $11.99
NOV073692 DISTANT #3 (OF 4) (MR) $2.99
DEC073724 DOCTOR WHO CLASSICS #3 $3.99
NOV073825 DOORS OF CHAOS GN VOL 01 (OF 3) (MR) $9.99
NOV073817 DOT HACK SIGN GU GN VOL 01 (OF 3) $9.99
DEC073593 ENCHANTER GN VOL 07 (MR) $12.95
NOV073410 FALL OF CTHULHU TP VOL 01 FUGUE (RES) $14.99
NOV073517 FAMILY COMPLEX GN $12.95
NOV073922 FLAME OF RECCA TP VOL 26 $9.99
NOV073411 FOUNDATION #2 (OF 5) (RES) $3.99
NOV073818 FRUITS BASKET ULTIMATE EDITION VOL 02 (OF 4) $14.99
OCT073744 FURRLOUGH #179 $3.99
OCT073745 GENUS GREATEST HITS VOL 04 (A) $6.99
DEC073583 GI JOE AMERICAS ELITE #32 $3.50
NOV073829 GOTHIC AND LOLITA BIBLE VOL 01 $19.99
NOV073923 HAYATE COMBAT BUTLER TP VOL 06 $9.99
DEC073841 HERO BY NIGHT ONGOING #2 $3.99
AUG073370 HORRORWOOD VOL 1 TP $16.95
NOV073826 IN THE END GN VOL 01 (OF 3) (MR) $9.99
NOV073925 INU YASHA ANI MANGA GN VOL 25 $11.99
DEC073694 JELLABY GN VOL 01 $9.99
DEC073695 JELLABY HC VOL 01 $18.99
NOV073877 JOHN WOOS SEVEN BROTHERS SERIES 2 #5 (MR) $2.99
AUG073842 JUICY MOTHER VOL 2 HOW THEY MET (MR) $14.95
NOV073836 KAMI KAZE GN VOL 07 (OF 7) (MR) $9.99
NOV073927 LAW OF UEKI TP VOL 10 $9.99
NOV073735 LITTLE NOTHINGS GN VOL 01 CURSE OF THE UMBRELLA $14.95
NOV073859 LOVE MODE GN VOL 08 (OF 11) (A) $12.99
NOV073860 LOVE PISTOLS GN VOL 04 (OF 5) (A) $12.99
DEC073594 LOVE TRAINING GN (MR) $12.95
NOV073493 NECESSARY EVIL #4 $3.99
NOV073494 NEGATIVE BURN #17 (MR) $5.99
SEP073529 NEW BATTLESTAR GALACTICA SEASON ZERO FOIL CVR #5 PI
NOV073928 NO NEED FOR TENCHI 2ND ED TP VOL 12 $9.99
NOV073929 O PARTS HUNTER TP VOL 08 $9.99
NOV073822 PET SHOP OF HORRORS TOKYO GN VOL 01 (MR) $9.99
SEP073336 POSE FILE ULTIMATE EDITION SUPERSIZE $34.95
NOV073512 PRINCE CHARMING GN VOL 02 (MR) $12.95
DEC073972 RAMAYAN 3392 AD RELOADED #4 (RES) $2.99
SEP073509 RED SONJA ADRIAN FOIL CVR #29 PI
DEC073398 RED STAR SWORD OF LIES #1 (OF 5) (O/A) $4.50
DEC073399 RED STAR SWORD OF LIES #2 (OF 5) (O/A) $4.50
NOV073801 REICH #1 (MR) $3.00
NOV073833 ROSE HIP ZERO GN VOL 05 (OF 5) (MR) $9.99
NOV073827 SHIN MEGAMI TENSEI KAHN GN VOL 01 (OF 9) (MR) $10.99
NOV073854 SHINSHOKU KISS GN VOL 02 (OF 2) (MR) $9.99
NOV073487 SHUGO CHARA GN VOL 03 $10.95
DEC073751 SNAKED #3 (OF 5) $3.99
DEC073411 SONIC THE HEDGEHOG #185 $2.25
DEC073582 SPOOKS #1 ARCHER CVR B $5.50
DEC073581 SPOOKS #1 STAPLES CVR A $3.50
DEC073733 ST TNG INTELLIGENCE GATHERING #2 (OF 5) $3.99
DEC073413 TALES FROM RIVERDALE DIGEST #27 $2.49
OCT073871 TALL TALES OF VISHNU SHARMA PANCHATANTRA #2 (OF 5) (MR) $2.99
NOV073619 TRANSFORMERS ANIMATED VOL 2 TP $7.99
DEC073712 TRANSFORMERS BEAST WARS ASCENDING TP $17.99
NOV073819 TRINITY BLOOD GN VOL 05 (OF 9) (MR) $9.99
NOV073488 TSUBASA GN VOL 16 $10.95
SEP073685 UNCLE SCROOGE #372 $7.99
DEC073595 VANILLA GN VOL 02 (MR) $12.95
SEP073686 WALT DISNEYS COMICS & STORIES #687 $7.99
SEP073462 WARHAMMER 40K BLOOD & THUNDER CVR A #3 (OF 5) $3.99
SEP073463 WARHAMMER 40K BLOOD & THUNDER CVR B #3 (OF 5) $3.99
DEC073500 WARHAMMER 40K DAMNATION CRUSADE #1 (OF 6) MCGUINNESS CVR $14.99
DEC073501 WARHAMMER FORGE OF WAR #1 (OF 6) EA MYTHIC CVR $14.99
NOV073857 WILD ADAPTER GN VOL 04 (OF 5) (A) $9.99
SEP073446 WRATH OF THE TITANS SKETCH VAR #2 (OF 4) $3.50
NOV073930 ZATCH BELL GN VOL 17 $9.99

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