New This Week: June 1, 2006

Based on the NCRL list for this week's comics shipping from Diamond, here are a few things to look for at the local comic shop tomorrow:


The Pick of the Week is the collected Shades of Gray Comics & Stories from Century Comics. Shades of Gray was Jimmy "Amelia Rules" Gownley's first comic series. It's a slice-of-life comic about a bunch of young subrban teenagers. Some of the early issues were a bit rough, but it's impressive to see how Gownley grows as an artist and storyteller over the course of the series.

The runner-up Pick of the Week is Matt Fraction and Steve Sanders' Five Fists of Science graphic novel, which I've been waiting for for what seems like forever.


In other comics:

Adhouse have the third issue of Skyscrapers of the Midwest (I should really get around to reading the first two, as several people have told me how good it is...)

AK Entertainment debut their four series about Arab super-heroes: Aya, Jalila, Rakan, and Zein.

Alias have the trade collection of Lullaby: Wisdom Seeker.

Archaia have the third issue of Mouse Guard.

Boom! have a Hero Squared collection (the one-shot plus the mini) and the debut issue of the Hero Squared ongoing; plus the third issue of War of the Worlds: The Second Wave.

Dark Horse have the 10th and final volume of Samurai Executioner.

DC have the third Seven Soldiers collection; the debut of Crisis Aftermath: The Spectre; new issues of 52 (week 4), Action Comics (#839), JLA Classified (#21), and Lucifer (#74); the Sam Loeb tribute issue of Superman/Batman (#26); and the long-awaited Showcase Presents: The Haunted Tank!

D.E. have the 25¢ Battlestar Galactica #0.

Hyperion bring DeMatteis & Ploog's Abadazad back with two volumes, which I think are meant to be heavily illustrated prose, but I've not been quite able to figure them out based on solicitations and whatnot...

IDW collect the recent Jon Sable, Freelance: Bloodtrail mini by Mike Grell; and have the Angel Spotlight: Gunn one-shot.

Image debut Emissary, and have new issues of Age of Bronze (#23) & Gødland (#11).

Marvel have a new digest collection of Sentinel (vol. 3); and new issues of Runaways (#16) & Ultimate Spider-Man (#95).

Oni debut Sam Keith's My Inner Bimbo mini; and have new issues of Local (#5) and Queen & Country (#30).

Seven Seas have the high-concept OGN Aoi House (vol. 1).

Tokyopop have new volumes of Beck: Mongolian Chop Squad (vol. 4) and Bizenghast (vol. 2).

Viper conclude the second Middleman mini (#4).


That's a heck-uv-a-lot of comix--must be the end of the month!