Things to Come - Wednesday 3/16 arrivals

Since I've been a bit slow over the last couple of weeks with my new arrivals, I'm getting a jump on them today for this week!

New #1's coming out this week:

• Let the Star Wars Mania begin (or continue, as the case may be) with the first mini-series Dark Horse is bringing out before Revenge of the Sith. Star Wars General Grievous #1 is part of a 4 book mini-series, written by Chuck Dixon, that highlights one of Episode III's villains. This book should feature some great Jedi battles as they try to stop the General. Also check out the Star Wars Visionaries trade paperback this week. 136 full color pages full of concept art as the minds of Lucasfilm come together to tell their own Star Wars tales in this compilation of short stories. Each artist offers a new twist or deeper view into the world of Star Wars.
• Human Race #1 will also make its debut this Wednesday as the first installment of the 7 part series published by DC Comics and written by Ben Raab (Green Lantern, Green Arrow). In a world where both the human species and alien forces threaten the human race's genetic code, someone needs to protect it - to protect us. That's where Delta Chi Delta comes in. They are a group of super-humans assigned with to the task of protecting the human genetic code.
• Lullaby Wisdom Seeker #1 is a bit late to the shelves, but looks to be a great all age book with some excellent art and story. Published by Image, written by Mike Miller, this is a 4-issue mini series featuring some well-known childhood friends like Red Riding Hood, Pied Piper, and Pinocchio. They must protect their magical world, Wonderland, from dark magic forces - and the bad guy is supposed to surprise everyone at the end. This should be a great comic for the whole family to enjoy, as it takes fairy tales to a new level.
• Fathom #0 by Michael Turner's Aspen Studios, highlights the long awaited return of the world of Fathom. This issue is a lead-in with a 12-page story to set the stage for Fathom #1 expected to come out in June 2005.

The Big Books

As usual with the end half of the month, there are a handful of "big" books that almost everyone is reading. This week's "big books" include:

Black Panther #2, published by Marvel and written by R. Hudlin with art by J. Romita Jr. The first one sold out and can fetch a nice after market price these days. This 6-issue series retells the Black Panther's origin. We will also have the Black Panther #1 Variant available on Wednesday, for those of you who want to check out the story but didn't pick it up the first time and don't want to spend $15 - $50 for a new comic book.

Wonder Woman #214 is the second, and final Flash crossover story issue, truth or Dare. Wonder Woman is still blind, but she and Flash must work together to stop the Cheetah and Zoom.

Teen Titans #22 is the 2nd part of a 3-part Identity Crisis tie-in story called Lights Out. Doctor Light has staged and publicized a battle with the young heroes in an attempt to get his reputation back. This story is full of action!

Ultimates 2 #4 will be here on Wednesday. Catch more of the tales of the "alternate Avengers" in this fan-favorite written by Mark Millar. Nick Fury has dispatched the Ultimates to take down their most powerful member--Thor! Meanwhile, things heat up between Tony Stark and Natasha Romanov.

Young Avengers got off to a great start last month, and #1 sold quickly. Young Avengers #2 will be here on Wednesday! Written by Allan Geinberg with art by Jim Cheung, its a fun story of a group of teens that seem remarkably like the Avengers, earning them the name Young Avengers by the press. In this issue the secret origin of Iron Lad should be revealed! And if you missed the #1 issue, not to fear. The Director's Cut version of #1 will also be available this week.

Other items worth checking out:

We will have more Atomika #1 in stock - and with it's artist Sal Abbinanti coming into Neptune in June, you should stop in and get yourself a copy.

Conan fans should check out the trade paperback Conan Vol. Frost Giants Daughter & Other Stories

Ex Machina has been growing its circle of readers for months now. Pick up #9 and enjoy the adventures of the man "infected" with circuits.

San Lee has his own publisher now, and his first work in a while, trade paperback Alexa, will be out on Wednesday.

This year, in the DC universe, is the Year of the Lantern. Be sure to check out the Green Lantern Action Figures when they come in on Wednesday!

Manga fans will want to check out: the newest issue of Shonen Jump, Battle Royale Vol 12, Rave Master Vol. 14, Rebirth Vol 13, and the new book Sword of the Dark Ones Vol. 1.