After a long delay due to vacations, illness and other varying factors, our New Releases post is back! Yay! So what goodies are coming out this Wednesday, Aug. 19th? It’s kind of a light week for me, but there’s still some good stuff coming out that I’m looking forward to. Thanks to DC’s Blackest Night event and Marvel’s intense Dark Reign stuff, it’s a great time to be a comic book geek, that’s for sure.

Here are a couple highlights for me this week:

Batgirl #1: A while back, I ran a post about the new Batgirl and now it’s time to finally see who’s wearing the cowl. But don’t expect answers right away. According to what I’ve heard, DC is taking a page from Marvel’s Red Hulk; we won’t know the identity of the new Batgirl for a couple months (please, God, let’s hope it’s only a few months and not dragged out like this whole Hulk thing!). I’m uncertain what direction this book is going to take, so I figure I’ll give it a couple issues, especially because I want to see if my theories on who the new Batgirl turn out.

Blackest Night: Superman #1 (of 3): Oh, this is going to be too twisted for color TV folks. You’ve got a Black Lantern Superman of Earth-2 digging up the grave of one Pa Kent. Is our boy Kal-El going to have to face off against his own father? Anything’s possible during the Blackest Night and that’s just one of the reasons that I am absolutely loving this series. And considering that James Robinson is writing this mini, you can bet that it’s going to be twisted and have lasting repurcussions in the life of Superman.

Daredevil #500: Ed Brubaker makes his ‘last stand’ as writer of the critically acclaimed Daredevil. It’s a sad day for me, because I was never a fan of this series until Brubaker came in and made him really cool, and I’m not sure if anyone can follow in his footsteps. So, in this issue, we’ll find out Kingpin’s true plan and what he’s got in common with Lady Bullseye, and the sacrifices Matt Murdock’s going to have to make to make things right again. Sounds like Brubaker’s going out with a bang!

Mighty Avengers #28: Any book that features the Young Avengers is a must see for me and this issue looks like it could be fun. I’ll just let the Marvel description for this issue speak for itself: “When the adults are away, it’s the perfect time for VISION and STATURE to sneak a few friends into the Avengers new headquarters and throw a party. No, not that kind of party. It’s a hunting party– and the target they’re after is…THE SCARLET WITCH! Also: QUICKSILVER and US AGENT face off against a longtime Avengers villain and their new team. All this and the start of a strange cosmic odyssey for HANK PYM.”

Superman Annual #14: If you haven’t been reading the Superman line of books, you really should be. I was one of the biggest skeptics when it came to all the recent changes, but, man, have they pulled it off. In Superman Annual #14, we learn a lot more about Mon-El of the 21st Century, as well as his homeworld of Daxam and it’s ties to not only Krypton, but Earth itself.

So, those are a few highlights. Here’s the list of comics coming from DC, Dark Horse, Image and Marvel (For the complete list of all books shipping this week, visit www.diamondcomics.com):

DARK HORSE COMICS

NOV080014 BLOOD PLUS NOVEL VOL 04 NANKURUNAISA $8.95
JUN090010 CONAN THE CIMMERIAN #13 $2.99
JUN090060 STAR WARS KNIGHTS OLD REPUBLIC #44 REAPING PT 2 (OF 2) $2.99

DC COMICS

JUN090261 AIR #12 (MR) $2.99
MAY090256 ASTRAL PROJECT VOL 04 (MR) $12.99
JUN090144 BATGIRL #1 $2.99
JUN090150 BATMAN STREETS OF GOTHAM #3 $3.99
JUN090127 BLACKEST NIGHT SUPERMAN #1 (OF 3) $2.99
JUN090179 BRAVE AND THE BOLD #26 $2.99
MAY090180 BRAVE AND THE BOLD THE BOOK OF DESTINY TP $17.99
APR090259 DARK ENTRIES HC (MR) $19.99
JUN090238 EX MACHINA #44 (MR) $2.99
APR090258 FILTHY RICH HC (MR) $19.99
JUN090137 FINAL CRISIS AFTERMATH DANCE #4 (OF 6) $2.99
JUN090265 HELLBLAZER #258 (MR) $2.99
JUN090258 JACK OF FABLES #37 (MR) $2.99
JUN090182 JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #36 $2.99
JUN090153 OUTSIDERS #21 $2.99
JUN090192 POWER GIRL #4 $2.99
JUN090174 RED CIRCLE THE WEB #1 $2.99
MAY090227 STARCRAFT #3 $2.99
JUN090227 SUPER FRIENDS #18 $2.50
JUN090162 SUPERGIRL #44 $2.99
JUN090158 SUPERMAN ANNUAL #14 $3.99
JUN090165 SUPERMAN BATMAN #63 $2.99
MAY090195 TEEN TITANS CHANGING OF THE GUARD TP $14.99
JUN090228 TINY TITANS #19 $2.50
MAY090251 UNKNOWN SOLDIER TP VOL 01 HAUNTED HOUSE (MR) $9.99
MAY090259 VENUS CAPRICCIO VOL 02 $9.99
JUN090201 VIGILANTE #9 $2.99
JUN090141 WEDNESDAY COMICS #7 (OF 12) $3.99
JUN090250 WORLD OF WARCRAFT #22 $2.99

IMAGE COMICS

MAY090344 ASTOUNDING WOLF-MAN #18 $2.99
MAY090313 BOMB QUEEN OMNIBUST HC VOL 01 (MR) $39.99
MAY090396 DRAGON PRINCE #1-4 READER SET $7.99
JUN090382 INVINCIBLE #65 $2.99
NOV082307 MIDNIGHT NATION DLX HC $100.00
JUN090394 VIKING #3 (MR) $2.99
JUN090432 WITCHBLADE #129 CHRISTOPHER CVR B $2.99
JUN090431 WITCHBLADE #129 SEJIC CVR A $2.99

MARVEL COMICS

JUN090480 AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #603 $2.99
JUN090657 AMAZING SPIDER-MAN MARY JANE POSTER $8.99
JUN090619 ASTONISHING X-MEN PREM HC GHOST BOX $29.99
MAR092628 AVENGERS FOREVER HC $34.99
MAR092638 BLACK WIDOW STING OF THE WIDOW PREM HC $24.99
MAR092639 BLACK WIDOW STING OF THE WIDOW PREM HC DM ED $24.99
JUN090528 DAREDEVIL #500 $4.99
JUN090615 DARK AVENGERS PREM HC VOL 01 ASSEMBLE $24.99
JUN090502 DARK REIGN HOOD #4 (OF 5) DKR $3.99
JUN090499 DARK REIGN MISTER NEGATIVE #3 (OF 3) DKR $3.99
JUN090586 DEADPOOL SUICIDE KINGS #5 (OF 5) $3.99
JUN090656 ESSENTIAL MARVEL TEAM-UP TP VOL 03 $19.99
JUN090600 GENEXT UNITED #4 (OF 5) $3.99
JUN090553 MARVEL ADVENTURES AVENGERS #39 $2.99
JUN090554 MIGHTY AVENGERS #28 $2.99
JUN090623 MIGHTY AVENGERS PREM HC EARTHS MIGHTIEST $19.99
MAR092621 MMW AMAZING SPIDER-MAN HC VOL 11 $54.99
MAR092622 MMW AMAZING SPIDER-MAN HC VOL 11 VAR ED $54.99
JUN098031 MS MARVEL WAR OF MARVELS MUST HAVE ONE-SHOT $4.99
JUN090622 NEW AVENGERS PREM HC VOL 11 SEARCH FOR SORCERER SUPREME $19.99
JUN090654 NYX TP NO WAY HOME $19.99
JUN090558 PUNISHER #8 $2.99
JUN098029 PUNISHER #8 REST IN PIECES RANEY VAR $2.99
JUN090630 PUNISHER DARK REIGN PREM HC $19.99
JUN090604 PUNISHER FRANK CASTLE MAX #73 (MR) $3.99
JUN090653 PUNISHER FRANK CASTLE MAX TP SIX HOURS TO KILL $16.99
JUN090461 PUNISHER NOIR #1 (OF 4) $3.99
JUN090462 PUNISHER NOIR #1 (OF 4) CALERO VAR $3.99
JUN090652 SPIDER-MAN MARY JANE TP YOU JUST HIT THE JACKPOT $24.99
JUN090645 SQUADRON SUPREME TP BRIGHT SHINING LIES $14.99
JUN090446 STAND AMERICAN NIGHTMARES #5 (OF 5) $3.99
JUN090629 WOLVERINE ORIGINS PREM HC DARK REIGN $19.99
JUN090577 WOLVERINE WEAPON X #4 $3.99
JUN090587 X-FACTOR #47 $2.99
JUN090632 X-FACTOR TIME AND A HALF PREM HC $24.99
JUN098010 X-MEN LEGACY #226 2ND PTG WEAVER VAR $2.99
JUN090489 X-MEN LEGACY #227 DAX $2.99