What you've Been Waiting For

Has a week gone by already? My calendar says it has. And next week is July 4th! Where did the month of June go? The days are already getting shorter, and I'm not ready! This might be the same thing that the comic book creators and/or publishers might have said this week, as deadlines approach. Who has made the goal and who has let it slide? Well, you're about to find out in this week's installment of What You've Been Waiting For. Some of the books are late, some are not, but either way we haven't seen an issue since May 2nd or later.

Grimm Fairy Tales Return to Wonderland #1 (Zenoscope) and Marvel Illustrated Last of the Mohican's #2 (Marvel) are arriving this week, and both comics had the prior issues (#0 for Grimm) arrive back on May 2nd, just over 7 weeks from tomorrow. This officially puts Marvel back on the list, after an unprecedented 3 weeks of not having any comics make my 7-week cut off. And Zenoscope can't seem to get any kind of shipping schedule down. Sometimes their books come out every couple of weeks, sometimes every couple of months.

Walking Dead #38 (Image) must have had to come through a squad of zombies to get to stores. the last issue arrived back on April 25th. I'd say it was an every-other-month comic if I didn't know better, and if I hadn't ordered it back in February.

Devil's Due has been doing some really cool graphic adaptations of the Dragonlance and Forgotten Realms books. This week Forgotten Realms: Streams of Silver #3 will finally arrive, after having the prior issue make its way to shelves on April 18th. I have had people insist that I didn't hold this issue for them and they can't find it anywhere, but I keep telling them that for some reason it just hasn't come in yet. Finally this week I'll have the comics! Based upon when we ordered it, I don't think it's very late though, so DDP must have realized that books of this quality take a few extra weeks to make.

Legion of Monsters: Satana (Marvel) is coming out this week. Now, these are all a series of one-shot comics, so it is a little different than a series in that there isn't a continuing story to worry about. And, based upon the orders this isn't late. But, it has been since April 11th that we saw a Legion of Monsters comic. Marvel is weird with these one-shot character feature comics - sometimes they come out one per week, sometimes one per month, and sometimes they just come out whenever. (Side note - I did a bit on the cover for this one the other day)

One day someone at DC Comics decided that it would be a good idea to buy the licensing for Nightmare on Elm Street and Friday the 13th. Several months later they might have realized that it wasn't such a good idea. These comics have fans, and sell, but they're not BIG sellers. On top of that, many of the fans aren't regular comic shop frequenters, so they prefer short series and one-shots to long, ongoing stories. Well, DC seems to have realized that. And in the process I guess they have also decided that the comics don't need to come out regularly. Nightmare on Elm Street #8 is coming out this week, nearly three months after issue #7, which arrived April 4.

And finally, the latest of the late is another Marvel comic book -- see, I told you their streak wouldn't last. Ultimate Vision #4 arrives in comic book stores tomorrow. Issue #3 came out back on March 7th. We ordered #4 back in January - so it is definitely late. Lucky for Marvel they don't offer returnability on late comics any more, isn't it. Diamond sure did them a big favor with those exclusive contracts where the big 2 could basically make the rules.

What I'm reading:
AMAZONS ATTACK #3 (OF 6)
BATTLESTAR GALACTICA #11
BOYS #8
COUNTDOWN 44
CRIMINAL #7
FALLEN ANGEL IDW #17
FANTASTIC FOUR #547 CWI
FRANK FRAZETTAS DEATH DEALER #3 (OF 6)
IMMORTAL IRON FIST #6
JACK OF FABLES #12
SILVER SURFER REQUIEM #2 (OF 4)
SPIDER-MAN FAIRY TALES #2 (OF 4)
WONDER WOMAN #10
WORLD WAR HULK FRONT LINE #1 (OF 6) WWH
X-FACTOR #20

Oh boy - I'm never going to get through all of those! Good thing I've got some time off next week for the holiday and Kelly Ann is working this weekend.

Trades I want to read:
ART OF BONE HARD COVER
COURTNEY CRUMRIN VOL 1 NIGHT THINGS PAPERBACK
CROSSING MIDNIGHT VOL 1 PAPERBACK

Don't forget, because of the holiday UPS isn't working on Wednesday next week, so everyone's comic books will be a day late. If you try to get into your local comic book store on Wednesday the 4th, they'll either be closed (like us) or they'll laugh at you for coming in on the wrong day.