We’re running a little behind this week, thanks to a rare delay in the release of Diamond’s shipping list.

But we’re here now, late but ready to dive into the comics set to show up at your local shop on Wednesday (or Thursday, depending where you live).

We get brief relief from Summer Event Madness, as DC is Crisis-less this week, and Marvel has only a pair of Secret Invasion tie-ins. Both look to events past, though, with another Sinestro War Corps hardcover and a Hulk: World War Hulk collection.

Tomorrow also sees the first issue of Millar and McNiven’s “Old Man Logan” storyline in Wolverine, two volumes of Kazuo Umezu’s Cat Eyed Boy, and Hope Larson’s Chiggers.

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.

Kevin’s pick of the week: The Essential Batman Encyclopedia

Nine times out of 10 when a publisher touts a book as both “essential” and “ultimate,” it’s trying to make up for some serious shortcomings. But in the case of The Essential Batman Encyclopedia — “The Ultimate Guide to the Man Behind the Mask … and the Mythology Behind the Man” — the adjectives are well-deserved.

The 388-page book, written by former DC Comics editor Bob Greenberger and released by Del Rey, is an exhaustive A to Z — Abattoir to Zur-En-Arrh — guide to all things Batman, jam-packed with facts and art, including two 16-page color inserts.

Major Bat-title characters like Catwoman, Timothy Drake, Dick Grayson and Jason Todd, and rogues like The Joker and Two-Face receive multi-page entries, while minor figures and occasional guest stars — The Flash and Green Arrow, for instance — get a few paragraphs each. Batman alone is given nearly 16 pages, with additional ink devoted to the Batmobile, the Bat-Signal and the Batsuit.

I was never a big Batman fan — I preferred Robin — but I found myself getting lost in the Encyclopedia, trying to think of obscure characters Greenberger might’ve missed, or stumbling across others I’d forgotten about. So, for Batman devotees, this book is a must.

Chris’ pick of the week: Cat Eyed Boy, Vols. 1-2

If the arrival of not one, but two immense volumes (544 pages!) of seminal Kazuo Umezu horror comics isn’t cause for celebrating, then I don’t know what is. This title is a series of EC-like revenge tales — what John Jakala calls “comeuppance theater” — with a creepy little demon child as your host. Can’t wait.

Hellboy II: The Art of the Movie
Hellboy II: The Golden Army (novel)

Kevin: Tying into the opening next month of the second Hellboy movie, Dark Horse releases these two books. The first is, as the title suggests, a look behind the scenes, with concept art, and photos of props, sets and filming. The second is Robert Greenberger’s novelization of the motion picture.

The Umbrella Academy: Apocalypse Suite trade paperback

Kevin: I’ve written frequently about Gerard Way and Gabriel Ba’s fun, if chaotic, X-Men-meets-The Royal Tenenbaums miniseries, so I don’t know what more I can say about it — other than, “Here’s the trade paperback collection. You should read it.”

Green Lantern: The Sinestro Corps War, Vol. 2, hardcover

Kevin: DC releases a second hardcover devoted to the successful 2007 crossover. This one collects Green Lantern #24-25 and Green Lantern Corps #16-19. The die-hard fans certainly snatched up the issues as they came out, but here’s an opportunity for those late coming to the party.

World’s Finest Deluxe Edition hardcover

Chris: Dave Gibbons and Steve Rude’s throwback to the Golden Age (originally published back in the early 90s if memory serves me right) gets the fancy-shmancy hardcover treatment. If I didn’t already own the individual issues, I’d probably pick this up.

Y: The Last Man, Vol. 10: Whys and Wherefores

Chris: The final arc of Brian K. Vaughn and Pia Gurerra’s seminal Vertigo series get collected in this trade paperback.

Incredible Hercules #118

Kevin: This “Sacred Invasion” story arc — it’s a Secret Invasion tie-in, naturally — is hitting all the right notes. For me, anyway. This issue sends the God Squad through the realm of Nightmare on their way to attack the Skrull deities. Nightmare’s a fine villain who doesn’t see much play outside of Ghost Rider. Plus, he lives in that trippy, Ditko-esque dimension.

The Punisher #58

Kevin: Garth Ennis wraps up his seminal run on the title. Never mind, he has two more issues.

Wolverine #66

Kevin: I can’t get excited about this “Old Man Logan” storyline, for a variety of reasons. But fans of Mark Millar and Steve McNiven undoubtedly will love what Marvel is touting as “the most important Wolverine story of the 21st century” (which I guess means subsequent creators can slack off for the next nine decades or so).

Atomic Robo, Vol. 1

Kevin: Brian Clevinger and Scott Wegener’s Eisner-nominated miniseries about a robot with automatic intelligence — created by Nikola Tesla, no less — is collected in this 180-page trade paperback. A second miniseries debuts in August.

Chiggers

Chris: Hope Larson’s all-ages story of a summer camp friendship arrives in stores. I imagine this will further cement Larson’s reputation as a cartoonist to be reckoned with.

Naoki Urasawa’s Monster, Vol. 15

Chris: More thrills and chills for poor doctor Kenzo Tenma as Urasawa’s tightly plotted series nears ever closer to its finale.

Rasl #2

Chris: The second issue of Jeff Smith’s sci-fi/noir series arrives.

Sardine in Outer Space, Vol. 5

Chris: Emmanuel Guibert goes it alone, sans collaborator Joann Sfar, for this fifth all-ages collection concerning the plucky little space pirate and her gang of friends. They also encounter “My Cousin Manga,” which will no doubt lead to all sorts of delightful cultural misunderstandings.

Drawing Words & Writing Pictures

Chris: Again, I ask, what was this book doing listed in the merchandise section? Never mind. Jessica Abel and Matt Madden’s “how to make comics” textbook from First Second is about as comprehensive a guide as you could possibly need. If you’re teaching or learning how to make comics, chances are you’ll need this book.

Kevin: I second that endorsement. This book belongs on the shelf next to those by Eisner and McCloud.

The full list of titles shipping this week can be found here.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, June 17th, 2008 at 5:38 pm and is filed under Books, Can't Wait for Wednesday, Comic Books, Graphic Novels, Manga, Retailers. 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.