After the avalanche of titles last week, this Wednesday seems far more manageable.

Warren Ellis and Simone Bianchi take the reins from Joss Whedon and John Cassaday on Marvel’s Astonishing X-Men, and DC pulls the plug on The All-New Atom while launching the certain-to-be-adorable Billy Batson and the Magic of Shazam! (by Herobear’s Mike Kunkel).

Fantagraphics delves into the world of Steve Ditko with Blake Bell’s Strange & Stranger, Mike Mignola and Richard Corben reteam for Hellboy: The Crooked Man, Ross Campbell surfaces at Minx with Water Baby, and Keith Knight’s The K Chronicles receives the “omnibus” treatment.

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.

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In a week when Marvel unleashes some 34 titles on comic stores, IDW Publishing provides some unintentional relief by shipping … none (the books are tied up in U.S. Customs, so watch out for next week).

Marvel’s avalanche includes three Secret Invasion tie-ins, Joss Whedon’s final issue of Runaways and Matt Fraction and David Aja’s final issue of The Immortal Iron Fist, and the second installment of Marvel 1985. DC’s output — about half that of its competitor — features the second issue of Final Crisis, the long-awaited All-Star Batman hardcover and the collection of Brian Wood and Becky Cloonan’s critically acclaimed Demo.

Elsewhere, Dark Horse releases the first volumes of Gantz and Indiana Jones Adventures – opposite ends of the spectrum, certainly — Drawn and Quarterly gives us Yoshihiro Tatsumi’s Good-Bye, and NBM Publishing rolls out hardcovers of Bluesman and Ordinary Victories.

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.

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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.

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Lordy, it’s hot on the East Coast. (”How hot is it?”) It’s so hot that — eh, I don’t know. But it’s hot. Probably not hot enough to keep folks out of the comic book store tomorrow, but still …

So, if you do venture out of the air conditioning on Wednesday, what’ll you find? Not much on the Big Release front, honestly.

There’s the first volume of IDW’s Little Orphan Annie archive collection, Invincible’s big 50th issue, the first original graphic novel from The Amazing Joy Buzzards, the conclusion of Local and the beginning of another Eternals series. Otherwise, it’s pretty quiet — even with the debut of The Incredible Hulk just days away.

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.

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Is it June already? My parents were right, I guess: Time really does fly.

The first Wednesday of the sixth month brings the debut of DC’s latest weekly experiment, Trinity, the return of Manhunter, and the end of The Midnight (the series, not the character). It also sees the third issue of Marvel’s Secret Invasion, the premiere of Ultimate Origins, and the conclusion of the first Criminal 2 story arc.

Let’s see, what else? Another issue of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, a new Wormwood trade paperback, and a lovely looking, if pricey, Okami art book.

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.

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What a week to have to wait an extra day for comics!

DC Comics finally unveils its Big Summer Event, Final Crisis, while delivering two more doses of Grant Morrison with the second installment of the “Batman RIP” crossover and the penultimate issue of All-Star Superman. And don’t forget the first volume of The Starman Omnibus.

Not to be outdone, Marvel at last ties up Joss Whedon and John Cassaday’s popular Astonishing X-Men run, and debuts Marvel 1985, by Mark Millar and Tommy Lee Edwards.

Elsewhere, Fred Hembeck gets a massive archive collection, Lynda Berry gets a hardcover, Dragon Ball gets an omnibus edition, and Nightmares & Fairy Tales comes to an end.

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.

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It’s still Tuesday, right? Then welcome to a special late edition of “Can’t Wait for Wednesday,” brought to you by an unexpected Wordpress update!

So, what does this New Comics Day hold for you? How about the long-awaited Hellboy: The Companion which, with Hellboy, Vol. 8: Darkness Calls, hits at the right time to take advantage of any movie interest. Not to be outdone, Marvel continues its Incredible Hulk rollout with a John Byrne Visionaries and a hefty omnibus.

Also Dash Shaw’s much-anticipated Bottomless Belly Button debuts while Brian Azzarello and Marcelo Frusin’s Vertigo Western Loveless bows out.

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.

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It’s a good week for vampires — or at least fans of vampire comics.

Two big vampire-themed releases come from First Second: the all-ages Little Vampire, by Joann Sfar, and the decidedly more mature Life Sucks, by Jessica Abel, Gabe Soria and Warren Pleece. But this week also sees the second collection of Buffy the Vampire Slayer’s Season 8, the second volume of Blood +, the debut issues of Lost Boys: Reign of Frogs and BloodRayne: Tokyo Rogue, the penultimate issue of Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter: Guilty Pleasures, the eighth volume of Chibi Vampire … and probably a few other titles that I’ve missed.

But it’s not all vampires. Wednesday also marks the beginning of the much-anticipated “Batman R.I.P.” storyline, the conclusion of the second volume of Casanova, and the first release in Marvel’s partnership with French publisher Soleil.

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.

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Television has its May Sweeps, and comic books has … well, whatever this is — a week when Marvel and DC pull out the stops with several new, and notable, releases.

DC’s Vertigo imprint slaps a new coat of paint on the House of Mystery, while the central “universe” kicks off a special issue and three miniseries that may or may not be tied into the big Final Crisis summer extravaganza.

Marvel, meanwhile, welcomes the much-touted return of Alex Ross with Avengers/Invaders, and hopes to take advantage of interest generated by the Iron Man movie with a new ongoing series by Matt Fraction and Salvador Larroca, and a miniseries by film director Jon Favreau and Adi Granov. (The first issue of Fraction and Larroca’s Invincible Iron Man has six covers!) Plus, there’s the second issue of Secret Invasion.

Elsewhere, Dark Horse gives us another issue of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Paul Grist delivers another issue of the not-quite-monthly Jack Staff, and First Second releases two anticipated graphic novels, Kaput & Zosky and Three Shadows.

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.

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Technical issues aside — curse you, Wordpress! — it looks to be a pretty good week.

DC Comics ramps up for this summer’s big Final Crisis with DC Universe: Zero while Marvel paves the way for Alex Ross’ Avengers/Invaders miniseries with a greatest hits-style compilation of the teams’ previous meetings (while bidding farewell to another super-team title, The Order).

Elsewhere, Vertical unleashes the first volume of Tezuka’s Dororo, Dark Horse rolls out new volumes of B.P.R.D. and the Buffy omnibuses, and IDW Publishing releases the fourth installment of Chester Gould’s Dick Tracy.

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.

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I’m not going to lie: The shelves of your local comic shop won’t be bustling with exciting titles tomorrow. It’s kind of an off week.

DC’s Countdown to Final Crisis and Death of the New Gods wrap, freeing us up for the DC Universe: Zero one-shot and, what we’re all waiting for, Final Crisis. (Admit it, you thought Countdown would never end.)

And speaking of event comics, Mighty Avengers #12 and Ms. Marvel #26 feed the insatiable beast that is Secret Invasion.

Elsewhere, IDW Publishing brings out its third Terry and The Pirates collection, while Oni Press uncovers the second Queen & Country Definitive Edition.

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.

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If I didn’t know any better, I’d say we’re fast approaching summer movie season. “Iron Man” appears in the title of no fewer than a half-dozen items this week, from the Invincible Iron Man Omnibus to the Iron Man: Legacy of Doom miniseries to Andy Mangel’s comprehensive guide to the Golden Avenger.

Dark Horse and Digital Manga Publishing ease into the pool with the first Hellboy Library Edition and the Speed Racer: Mach Go Go Go! box set, respectively.

Beyond that, this Wednesday is a little slow. So if your wallet’s still full you could always throw $80 at that signed limited-edition American Flagg! hardcover.

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.

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Despite the just-launched Secret Invasion and the looming Final Crisis, all is relatively quiet this week on the superhero front.

Luckily, other publishers step in with a healthy selection from other genres. On the all-ages and YA adventure front, there’s Chickenhare, Vol. 2, and Aqua Leung, Vol. 1. Classic comic strips are well represented by Willie & Joe: The WWII Years and The Complete Peanuts, 1967-1968.

And Jughead, well, he tries out a “Dynamic New Look.”

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.

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I initially considered writing a lengthy introduction presenting oh, I don’t know, Archie #583 as this week’s big release. But I hate April Fool’s Day, so let’s forget that lame idea and just get down to business.

As most every superhero-comic fan realizes, tomorrow sees the release of Secret Invasion #1, which kicks off Marvel’s much-publicized summer event. Many of you will run to your local comic store to discover who’s a Skrull and, more importantly, whether marvel b0y was yanking everybody’s chain. Get those score cards ready so you can compare his — or her – “spoilers” to those of the anonymous commenter. Who do you trust?

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.

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March goes out with a bang as the last Wednesday of the month delivers a veritable treasure trove of quality releases.

Yes, I said “veritable treasure trove.”

New issues of Gilbert Hernandez’s Speak of the Devil, Jason Lutes’ Berlin and Kevin Huizenga’s Ganges all hit this week. Kid-friendly fare comes in the form of Flight Explorer, Power Pack: Day One, The Clouds Above and Wolverine: First Class. Geoff Johns retells the origin of Hal Jordan in the pages of Green Lantern. And David Hajdu revisits the anti-comics crusades of the 1950s in The Ten-Cent Scare.

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.

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Two weeks ago, there was an avalanche of notable releases. Last week, there wasn’t much to talk about.

So, what’s this week like? Eh, somewhere in the middle.

DC marks the 20th anniversary of Batman: The Killing Joke with a recolored hardcover edition, and introduces a new kid-friendly — and toy-friendly — title, Super Friends. At Marvel, Garth Ennis and Howard Chaykin reintroduce a character from the late ’60s in War Is Hell, while The Order sees its penultimate issue.

Elsewhere, NBM Publishing releases the first volume of Dungeon Monstres, by Sfar, Trondheim, Mazan and Menu, and Andi Watson brings his Princess at Midnight to Image.

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.

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After the onslaught of big releases last Wednesday — Dark Tower, Echo, The New Frontier, Honey and Clover – this week feels a little … light.

Our wallets could use a break, I guess.

But before you put your money away, note that tomorrow sees the long-awaited 19th issue of Palookaville, another collection of Adam Warren’s Empowered, the last issue (for now) of Atomic Robo, the debut of Joe Casey’s The Last Defenders, and the sure-to-be-essential-reading How to Make Webcomics.

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.

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Ah, it’s nearly springtime, when a publisher’s thoughts turn to launching new series.

Marvel returns to Stephen King’s Dark Tower universe with The Long Road Home, takes another crack at a Cable ongoing, and hands Wolverine over to Brian K. Vaughan and Eduardo Risso for the three-issue Logan.

At DC, Darwyn Cooke, J. Bone and Dave Bullock revisit The New Frontier, David Lapham kicks off his new Vertigo monthly Young Liar, while Wildstorm dips its toe into the superhero pool again with The New Dynamix.

Elsewhere, the Action Philosophers team of Fred Van Lente and Ryan Dunlavey tackle the lives of legendary creators with Comic Book Comics, Terry Moore introduces Echo, Antony Johnston and Ben Templesmith visit Dead Space, Chica Umino’s Honey & Clover jumps from the pages of Shojo Beat, and The EC Archives: Weird Science gets a pricey leather-bound volume.

Plus, Mark Evanier’s Jack Kirby biography finally hits the shelves.

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.

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It looks like a good week for No. 1 issues. Heck, maybe even a great week.

At Marvel’s Icon imprint, there’s the debut of Mark Millar and John Romita Jr.’s Kick-Ass, and the return of Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips’ Criminal (with a new volume and new numbering).

IDW Publishing generates a new Doctor Who series, starring the Tenth Doctor and Martha, while at Dynamite, Alex Ross and Jim Krueger follow up a 0 Issue with Project Superpowers #1.

And then there’s Jeff Smith, who debuts his much-anticipated RASL tomorrow.

See? It’s good to be No. 1.

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.

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