I’ve pointed to the ever-growing wave of manga in previous installments — including a time when the number of titles from Tokyopop outnumbered those from Marvel — but this week retailer/blogger Christopher Butcher notes what may be a watershed moment in the “manga/comics” divide: When you remove variant covers from the equation, there are more new manga released this week than new Western comics.

It’s a difference of just one book — 63 to 62, by Butcher’s count — but it’s still pretty remarkable. First, the American dollar and the Canadian dollar reach parity, and now this. Will wonders never cease?

So, yeah, that’s a lot of manga.

To see what comics — manga and otherwise — 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, the seesaw that is New Comics Day: Two weeks ago, there was a barrage of “big” comics, followed by a fairly low-key week. This go-around is light on major releases, but filled with plenty of solid comics.

Like what, you ask? Another issue of Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 8, another installment of the popular Sinestro War in Green Lantern Corps, the first issues of Jonathan Lethem and Farel Dalrymple’s Omega the Unknown and Ty Templeton and Juan Bobillo’s Howard the Duck.

Oh, and manga. Lots and lots of manga. Katherine Dacey-Tsuei counts 77 new releases this week; I’ll take her word on that.

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 what was a fairly big week for releases, we shift back into low-key mode this Wednesday.

Like the swallows returning to San Juan Capistrano, this week brings another issue of All-Star Batman and Robin the Boy Wonder (the seventh issue since July 2005!). It also sees the first full and official issues of Dwayne McDuffie and Sean McKeever’s tenures on Justice League of America and Teen Titans, a hardcover collection for Archaia Studios Press’ edition of The Killer, and a couple of annuals from Marvel.

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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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.

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After a lag of a few weeks, “Naruto Nation” finally hits comic shops as Viz releases three volumes of the smash-hit series.

Don’t get too comfortable, though, because the same thing will happen next month. And the month after that. And the month after that.

But Naruto isn’t the only big release. This week also sees the much-heralded Tekkon Kinkreet omnibus edition, the return of John Ostrander to Suicide Squad, and the 100th issue of Daredevil.

For a rundown of the other titles Chris Mautner and I think are worth special mention, just keep reading.

As always, let us know your choices in the comments below.

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With the American holiday on Monday, all of comicsdom is thrown off-kilter: Geeks are staring forlornly in the windows of their local shops. Cats and dogs are living together.

Hey, maybe that explains why “Naruto Nation” hasn’t invaded the direct market yet.

Still, there’s plenty of good stuff to be found tomorrow (or Friday): Brian K. Vaughan begins his arc on Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The sure-to-be-controversial “One More Day” storyline kicks off in Amazing Spider-Man. Ben Templesmith returns to 30 Days of Night. And DC ends The Outsiders, if only temporary, while restarting Infinity Inc.

For a rundown of the other titles Chris Mautner and I think are worth special mention, just keep reading.

As always, let us know your choices in the comments below.

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Although Naruto Nation is unleashed on the bookstores this week, the direct market is spared the wrath of the spikey-haired ninja until next Wednesday. (I think.)

So, what’s that leave for comic shops? How about a big 50th-issue blowout for DC’s Teen Titans, a giant-robots parody from Jeffrey Brown, and the long-anticipated Mice Templar from Michael Avon Oeming?

All right, it’s a little quiet this week. Consider it the calm before the nine-tailed demon fox storm. Or something.

For a rundown of the titles Chris Mautner and I think are worth special mention, just keep reading.

As always, let us know your choices in the comments below.

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Although things are fairly quiet on the single-issue front, it’s a strong week for collections, as we see everything from another volume in the Buffy the Vampire Slayer omnibus series and Mike Wieringo and Todd DeZago’s Tellos Colossal to an Amazing Fantasy omnibus and the Complete Peanuts 1963-1966 boxed set.

But that’s not to say there aren’t any monthly comics worth mentioning. There certainly are: The popular Sinestro Corps War continues in Green Lantern Corps #15. Brian Michael Bendis and Alex Maleev kick off Halo: Uprising. And the second Mouse Guard miniseries debuts.

For a rundown of more titles Chris Mautner and I think are worth special mention, just keep reading.

As always, let us know your choices in the comments below.

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Welcome to a special late edition of “Can’t Wait for Wednesday”! Stupid real life always gettin’ in the way …

It’s Tokyopop’s week, as the publisher unleashes a whopping 25 titles, including nine new series. Compare that with DC’s 31 titles (only six of them are trade paperbacks/collections), and Marvel’s 21 (five trade paperbacks/collections). That’s a lot of manga.

For a rundown of the titles — and not only Tokyopop’s — that Chris Mautner and I think are worth special mention, just click “more.”

And, as always, let us know your choices in the comments below.

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After a downbeat — okay, lackluster — week, comics spring back with some pretty solid releases. Ah, the resilience of funny books.

That creeping in-the-middle-of-things feeling I had last week is gone, as publishers unleash a handful of new series, ranging from a new BPRD at Dark Horse and a Black Adam miniseries at DC to Army of Darkness: From Ashes at Dynamite Entertainment and Andi Watson’s Glister #1 at Image.

And then there’s Vertigo’s new The Un-Men ongoing — essentially, a 25-year-old spin-off of a series that’s not currently being published.

Chris Mautner and I have tinkered a little with “Can’t Wait for Wednesday” this time around, pushing our picks of the week to the top. Other than that, it’s business as usual, with us highlighting what we think is worth mentioning, and you telling us your choices in the comments below.

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It may simply be a post-Comic-Con malaise, but this seems like a pretty low-key week for comics.

Oh, sure, there are some notable comings and goings: Marvel wraps up its successful Dark Tower: The Gunslinger Born miniseries — with three covers and a sketchbook, no less! — while kicking off another installment of Shanna the She-Devil. Dark Horse ends another Conan miniseries. And DC takes another stab at the Metal Men, while welcoming an 89 percent less slutty-looking Supergirl (thanks to a new creative team).

But overall, it feels like we’re well into the middle of things as we trudge toward autumn: another issue of Word War Hulk, another issue of Countdown, and countless trade paperback collections.

For a rundown of the titles Chris Mautner and I think are worth special mention, just click “more.”

And, as always, let us know your choices in the comments below.

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With all the excitement of the looming Comic-Con International, with its usual round of project announcements and exclusive agreements, let’s not forget that new comics come out this week. Like clockwork, or something close to it.

You’d think it would be a quiet week for releases, but Wednesday will see a new issue of All-Star Batman and Robin – only two months or so after the previous issue! — more of World War Hulk and its tie-ins, at least three of Warren Ellis’ creator-owned projects, and the latest installment of Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 8.

For a rundown of the titles Chris Mautner and I think are worth special mention, just click “more.”

And, as always, let us know your choices in the comments below.

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Internet problems. WordPress problems. Sigh. It’s Tuesday afternoon, isn’t it?

On top of that, it’s a slow week, picks-wise, for me. Luckily, Chris Mautner is there to pick up my slack.

Tomorrow sees the release of Zero Killer #1 and Casper the Friendly Ghost, Vol. 1, at Dark Horse, All-Flash #1 and The Programme #1 at DC, the Black Cherry and Madman Gargantua graphic novels at Image, and the first issues of Marvel Adventures Hulk and The Order at Marvel.

Elsewhere finds the new volume of Flight, and the debut of Monster Attack Network.

You know the drill by now: This is where Chris and I sift through the titles shipping this week, and highlight the notable releases. As always, let us know your choices in the comments below.

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After my confusion over last week’s release date — no more holidays on a Wednesday, please — this New Comics Day seems relatively … relaxed.

That’s not to say there aren’t any “big” releases; things just seem slower. On the heels of the well-received Sinestro Corps Special comes Green Lantern #21 — the “first chapter” of “Sinestro Corps” (so I don’t know what that makes last month’s special). And after the big revelation of New Avengers #31, the team has to start coming to terms with the new green-skinned threat. No, not The Hulk. Another green-skinned threat.

Elsewhere, Oni Press releases the long-promised Stephen Colbert’s Tek Jansen #1, Frank Miller and Dave Gibbons return with Martha Washington Dies, and Nicolas Cage & Son plunge into the world of comics with Voodoo Child #1.

So, this is the part where Chris Mautner and I sift through the titles arriving in stores this week. As always, let us know your choices in the comments below.

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With the Fourth of July holiday falling on Wednesday, I’m not really sure how New Comics Day will pan out.

Diamond cautions that “shipments may be delayed,” and suggests you “consult your retailer,” which I guess means everything will depend upon whether your comics shop is open tomorrow. So, you’re at the mercy of your retailer’s family barbecue schedule.

Now that I’ve thoroughly confused and depressed you, let’s get around to business, namely, Chris Mautner and I sifting through the titles arriving this week — sometime this week — to a comics shop near you.

As always, let us know your choices in the comments below.

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Is it still Tuesday afternoon?

Time slipped away from me this week. I’ll chalk it up to being in mourning over the death of Bart Allen. Maimed, stripped of his personality, absorbed into the Speed Force, aged, depowered and then killed — all within four years. The poor kid can’t catch a break.

Anyway, where was I? Oh, right: It’s time for Chris Maunter and me to sift through the titles shipping this week to a comics store near you.

It’s a fairly quiet week, release-wise, so we’ll just dive into our picks.

As always, let us know your choices in the comments below.

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With New Comics Day fast-approaching, Chris Mautner and I return for another look at the titles scheduled to appear at a retailer near you.

As DC Comics says good-bye to Flash: The Fastest Man Alive — the name and numbering, at least — Image kicks off Madame Mirage and Repo, while Marvel lays the groundwork for its fall X-Men crossover with the Endangered Species one-shot.

Elsewhere, Virgin Comics collects Devi, John Woo’s Seven Brothers and Snakewoman, and Boom! Studios has a big week with collections of Hero Squared and Tag, and the first issue of Warhammer: Forge of War.

But for the release of the week, you’ll have to read on.

As always, let us know your choices in the comments below.

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It’s New Comics Day Eve, which means Chris Mautner and I are back for another look at the books scheduled to appear this week at a comics store near you.

After a slow buildup, Marvel finally kicks off its big summer event with World War Hulk #1 while seeing how many Avengers-related titles the market can support with the introduction of Avengers Classic (which makes me think of the Coca-Cola experiment of 1985).

At DC Comics, Green Arrow comes to an end with Issue 75, if only temporarily, while Jim Kreuger and Alex Ross’ Super Friends homage, Justice, completes its 12-issue run.

Elsewhere, Dark Horse releases another volume of Hellboy Animated, Image collects the second Death Jr. series, and IDW unleashes the new Tank Girl miniseries, The Gifting.

For a rundown of the titles we think are worth highlighting, just click “more.” And, as always, let us know your choices in the comments below.

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This week sees a formidable wave of comics based on other media, led by Buffy the Vampire Slayer #4 and Dark Tower: Gunslinger Born #5 — the undisputed current juggernauts of the niche — and composed of the likes of Aliens vs. Predator Omnibus, Seventh Shrine, Battlestar Galactica #10, Doctor Who: The Flood, Eureka Seven, Vol. 5, and a bunch of Starship Troopers titles that I can’t quite figure out.

For a rundown of the titles Chris Mautner and I think are worth singling out, just click “more.”

And, as always, let us know your choices in the comments below.

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All it takes is one American holiday to throw comics fandom off-kilter. We’re a fragile bunch.

Still, Chris Mautner and I soldier on, taking another look at the comics scheduled to appear this week at a comics store near you. Only a day later.

This week, Papercutz reoffers a bevy of Nancy Drew graphic novels, just in time for the Nancy Drew movie, while Marvel rolls out Silver Surfer Requiem #1 and the Ultimate Galactus Trilogy hardcover … just in time for the Fantastic Four movie. Ah, synergy.

At DC, 52 gets its first trade paperback, while at Dynamite, Wildstorm refugee The Boys settles into its new home with Issue 7 and a collection of the first six.

As always, let us know your choices in the comments below.

For our rundown, and the list of books set to appear this week in finer stores everywhere, just click “more.”

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