Comic Proportions

It’s Wednesday.

For normal folk, that means “hump day” has arrived and the weekend is almost here. But for geeks like me, Wednesday is a truly glorious day — it’s the day that new comic books flow into shops all around the country.

I’ve been personally making a weekly trek to the comic shop on this day of the week for more than 20 years, and I get excited with anticipation the same way each and every time. (And, no, I don’t live with my mother.)

Anyway, what’s hitting stands today and what’s worth grabbing? I’ll be providing a few “Quickie Comic Reviews” later today, but here’s a list of stuff I’m planning to pick up:

The latest issue of Previews: In case you don’t know, Previews is the catalog of upcoming comics and merchandise; it’s published by the industry’s largest distribution company, Diamond Comics. For collectors, Previews is an indispensable tool that shows you everything coming out from most of the comic publishers out there. I saw the art for this week’s cover and it’s featuring the soon-to-be-released limited series Image United. We’ll see if that comic comes out on time. In the meantime, snag a copy of Previews and stay in the loop.

Usagi Yojimbo No. 122: A consistently entertaining read every month.

Batman and Robin No. 3: I’ve been loving Grant Morrison’s relaunch of the Batman franchise, and — while this issue is a tad late — I’m excited to see how he and artist Frank Quitley wrap up the first story arc.

More DC books: Along with Batman and Robin, it looks like I’ll be picking up a bunch more comics from DC this week, including the latest issues of Detective Comics (for the incredible art alone, although I am loving the Question backup story), Flash: Rebirth (another late comic, but I’m hanging on until the end) Green Lantern, Wednesday Comics, JSA and Wonder Woman.

Bart Simpson Comics No. 49: Like Usagi Yojimbo, it’s just damned funny every issue.

Marvel Comics: From the folks at Marvel, I’ll be on the lookout for Dark Avengers No. 8, Fantastic Four No. 570 (the start of the new creative team), Guardians of the Galaxy No. 17 (yeah, I still love it), New Avengers No. 56, New Mutants No. 4 and Secret Warriors No. 7 (one of my favorite new books).

Buck Rogers No. 3: This is my last attempt to read this comic. The first few issues were decent, but not incredible.

Check back later for a few reviews.

OK, so every comic book reader on earth knows that Comic-Con International — the biggest comic convention in the country and one of the biggest in the world — is going down NOW in San Diego.

Yeah everbody knows it’s happening but, due to various different factors (like being broke and stuff), not everybody is going. So what’s a San Diego-less comic fan to do this weekend? I’ve got a few ideas:

Get on the Internet: Obviously, if you’re reading this, you’re already online. And you probably know about the various news sites to keep you informed about all the cool stuff that’s bound to be announced over the next few days. Still, I’d like to suggest you follow the Beat blog. It’s written and such by Heidi McDonald and she’s been obsessed over Comic-Con for the last few months it seems. She’s bound to have some cool stories from the Con.

Live vicariously through Twitter: Get on Twitter and follow some folks who are at the Con. Heroes Aren’t Hard to Find owner Shelton Drum is supposed to go I heard.

Go mobile: If you’re not by a computer and you have a phone the supports Apps (like, you know, the iPhone), you can download the Comic-Con App. It promises to keep you up to date  with all the poppin’ things poppin’ in Cali. I plan to download it later. I’ll tell you what I think when I do.

Read free comics: Here’s your chance to finally read that stack of Free Comic Book Day comics you haven’t got around to yet. Might I recommend Owly?

Even more free comics: As you probably know, the library is filled with great graphic novels. This weekend, visit a local branch and check out some good stuff — like the Wonder Woman collections from the 1960s where Princess Diana has no powers and uses kung fu. Cool stuff. If you live in Charlotte, the best library for graphic novels is the Checkit Outlet Uptown near the Green. It’s not open on the weekend, but you have a few hours before it closes today. Hurry!

Raid the quarter bins: Now’s the time to go longbox diving in search of off-the-wall comics from back in the day. I’m still building my collection of Defenders comics. Gotta get that story arc with the Mandrill! Talking monkeys rock.

Aaaaaand … that’s all I can think of. If you’re stuck in Charlotte or wherever, don’t fret. Jut follow my tips and you probably won’t slit your wrists. Anyway, check back Monday for a roundup of all the big announcements from Comic-Con.

It seems like it wasn’t so long ago that I was bitchin’ and moanin’ about the comic books being published by DC Comics. I mean, I really was not digging a lot of what the company was doing.

It’s not that I hated everything, but if you read any of my weekly “Comic Proportions” columns, you may remember my discontent with a slew of DC books. I complained about Judd Winick’s aimless run on Green Arrow and Black Canary, hated on the ambiguous and slow Final Crisis, and talked shit about the confusing weekly series Trinity … among other comics.

But these days, I’ve really gotta admit that DC is putting out some stellar stuff. I would even go so far as to say that I think DC is publishing some of the most exciting mainstream comics on the stands.

“Like what?” you may ask. Well, I’m loving:

Wednesday Comics: The newest weekly series after Trinity, Wednesday Comics is DC’s tribute to old, full-page comic strips. The giant-size publication features work by the best in the business. Seriously. I’m talking Neil Gaiman, Paul Pope, Joe Kubert, Mike Allred, Kyle Baker and the list goes on.

Blackest Night: Where Final Crisis slipped, Blackest Night goes all the way for the touchdown. An “event” comic in every sense of the word, this comic takes place across the cosmos and pits DC’s greatest heroes — led by Green lantern — against truly deadly (and dead) foes. And big action starts from the first issue. This ain’t no talkin’ head book. This is a true summer blockbuster.

Batman and Robin: Grant Morrison and Frank Quitley — fresh off All-Star Superman — team again for a brand-new incarnation of the Dynamic Duo. This time around, Batman is really the original Robin, Dick Grayson, and Robin is the homicidal illegitimate son of Bruce Wayne. Seriously. The art is amazing and the dialogue is insane. Cool shit.

And there’s more — like Wonder Woman, Superman: World of New Krypton, Jonah Hex, JSA vs. Kobra, Detective Comics, Madame Xanadu. I also must mention that I love the company’s “second feature” program, which places back-up stories in several regular monthly titles that star second-tier characters like the Question, Blue Beetle and Manhunter.

Yeah, it’s safe to say the DC s on a roll. One day we may be remembering this time as another “Golden Age” for the company. Time will tell. For now, I’ll read and enjoy.

Oh … one last thing: Teen Titans still sucks. Can we fix it please? Soon?