Woo-hoo! It’s almost Wednesday and that means new comics! I’ve had a rough week, so I’m really looking forward to my weekly ritual of grabbing a pizza and relaxing with a stack of new books to unwind. And this week looks like there’s a few winners to help relieve my stress.

What’s the Geek Speaker looking forward to this week, you ask? Well, let me tell you, it’s a big week for this DC geek!

Blackest Night Titans (OF 3): Really, do I have to say anymore? I mean look at that cover! Black Lantern Terra all hot and heavy with Beast Boy?! C’mon…that’s just creepy to a whole new level. And let’s not forget that in their long and varied history, the Titans in all their incarnations have lost a buttload of heroes. There’s not going to be a lack of Black Lanterns to come after the Titans. And remember, both Donna Troy and Tempest have babies who have died. Wonder how that’s going to play out.

Dark Avengers #8: I’m totally grooving on the Utopia X story line running between Uncanny X-Men and Dark Avengers. I’ve said before I’m not a huge fan of all the Dark Reign stuff, but this is how all of it should be handled. The action has been great, the art in both books is beautiful and you get just enough of all the various characters to be intrigued. Hell, I’ve even been looking at back issues and trades about Wolverine’s son Dakken. I don’t like Logan all that much, but his son has me really intrigued. This issue sets the stage for next month’s conclusion to the storyline in September’s Uncanny X-Men/Dark Avengers – Exodus, which also seems to be setting the stage for another shake up in the X-Men status quo.

Detective Comics #856: I think I’ve said it before the Batman: Reborn stuff has been pretty hit or miss with me (don’t even get me started on Batman & Robin!), but I have to say, Detective Comics has gone to the top of my read pile every month. Greg Ruka does a kick ass job with Batwoman and I haven’t really missed the presence of Batman in the book. And the art…wow! I can’t say enough about how beautiful this book looks. JH Williams III could illustrate the phone book and I’d buy it, if it looked even half as good as this. Of course, the backup featuring Rene Montoya’s Question is pretty good too. I wasn’t crazy about her arc in 52, but she’s really coming into her own and growing on me.

Flash: Rebirth #4 (of 6): Okay, I’ll admit it right now: I’m not sure what the hell is going on in this book. I mean, when Geoff Johns did Green Lantern Rebirth, I understood that the whole purpose was to bring Hal Jordan back to life and have him be GL again. But here, Barry Allen is already back. And there’s something going on in the Speed Force and he might be the new Black Flash…seriously, maybe I’m a bit dense in my old age, but there’s a disconnect going on here for me. And yet, I’m still so damn intrigued to see what’s happening and last issue’s ending was pretty cool. Of course, it’s got Ethan Van Sciver’s art, so that alone is worth the price of admission. I’m really looking forward to this one, just so hopefully I can figure out where Johns is going with this.

Green Lantern #45: It’s written by Johns and ties into Blackest Night. That’s all I really have to say right now. Well, that and it’s got a showdown between what looks like Carol Ferris (as a Star Sapphire) and Sinestro. Oh, yeah, and a little reunion between John Stewart and his long deceased wife Katma Tui. Yep, not a whole lot going on in this book.

New Avengers #56: I gave up on New Avengers after the Dark Reign stuff started, partly due to economics and mostly due to just blah stories. But in reading the solicitations for this issue, I have to say, my curiousity has been peeked by one sentence: “A very important DARK REIGN issue. Something big happens. Not going to tell you what it is but it happens on page 17, panel 4.” Look, I’m a nosy person by nature, and when I see something like this, I just have to know what it is. I’m really hoping that Marvel is starting to head toward the endgame for Dark Reign and maybe this will be it. I guess we’ll find out on Wednesday.

While these are the books that I’m looking forward to (or just plain curious about), there’s still a ton of other great stuff coming out this week. It really is a great time to be a comic book fan, that’s for damn skippy! Here’s the list of what’s coming out from Dark Horse, DC, Image and Marvel (for the complete list of all books shipping, visit www.diamondcomics.com):

DARK HORSE COMICS

JUN090013 CITIZEN REX #2 (OF 6) $3.50
JUN090067 CREEPY LOGO EMBROIDERED PATCH $4.99
JUN090070 CREEPY ZIPPO LIGHTER $34.99
FEB090061 GANTZ TP VOL 06 (MR) $12.95
JUN090076 I HEART CREEPY MENS T/S LG $19.99
JUN090075 I HEART CREEPY MENS T/S MED $19.99
JUN090077 I HEART CREEPY MENS T/S XL $19.99
JUN090078 I HEART CREEPY MENS T/S XXL $19.99
JUN090073 I HEART CREEPY WMN T/S LG $19.99
JUN090072 I HEART CREEPY WMN T/S MED $19.99
JUN090071 I HEART CREEPY WMN T/S SM $19.99
APR090065 OH MY GODDESS RTL TP VOL 33 $10.95
JUN090015 PREDATOR #2 (OF 4) $3.50
APR090138 REELART DOC SAVAGE STATUE $249.00
APR090139 REELART SHEENA QUEEN OF JUNGLE STATUE $179.00
JUN090020 REX MUNDI DH ED #19 (OF 19) $2.99
MAR090090 STAR WARS DARK TIMES #14 BLUE HARVEST PT 2 (OF 5) $2.99
JUN090061 STAR WARS LEGACY #39 TATOOINE PT 3 (OF 4) $2.99
MAR090095 STICKY NOTEBOOK TOKIDOKI $8.99
JUN090080 TOKIDOKI GOLD CAT ZIPPO LIGHTER $39.99
JUN090081 TOKIDOKI SKULL HEART ZIPPO LIGHTER $39.99
JUN090039 USAGI YOJIMBO #122 $3.50
JUN090021 ZERO KILLER #4 (OF 6) (RES) $2.99

DC COMICS

MAY090217 AUTHORITY WORLDS END TP BOOK 01 $17.99
JUN098418 BATMAN AND ROBIN #2 2ND PTG $2.99
JUN090146 BATMAN AND ROBIN #3 $2.99
JUN090225 BATMAN THE BRAVE AND THE BOLD #8 $2.50
JUN090143 BATMAN WIDENING GYRE #1 (OF 6) $3.99
JUN090226 BILLY BATSON AND THE MAGIC OF SHAZAM #7 $2.50
JUN090129 BLACKEST NIGHT TITANS #1 (OF 3) $2.99
JAN090300 COVER GIRLS OF THE DCU ZATANNA STATUE $99.99
MAY090255 CRAYON SHINCHAN VOL 09 (MR) $7.99
JUN090148 DETECTIVE COMICS #856 $3.99
JUN090138 FINAL CRISIS AFTERMATH INK #4 (OF 6) $2.99
MAY090153 FLASH REBIRTH #4 (OF 6) $2.99
DEC080250 GOLDEN AGE FLASH 1/6 SCALE FIGURE $99.99
JUN090151 GOTHAM CITY SIRENS #3 $2.99
JUN090131 GREEN LANTERN #45 (BLACKEST NIGHT) $2.99
DEC080267 HISTORY OF THE DCU SER 2 AQUAMAN AF PI
DEC080269 HISTORY OF THE DCU SER 2 BLACK LIGHTNING AF PI
DEC080266 HISTORY OF THE DCU SER 2 CREEPER AF PI
DEC080268 HISTORY OF THE DCU SER 2 FLASH AF PI
JUN090184 JUSTICE SOCIETY OF AMERICA #30 $2.99
JUN090244 KILLAPALOOZA #4 (OF 6) $2.99
JUN090189 LAST DAYS OF ANIMAL MAN #4 (OF 6) $2.99
JUN090269 MADAME XANADU #14 (MR) $2.99
JUN090175 RED CIRCLE THE SHIELD #1 $2.99
MAY090191 REIGN IN HELL TP $19.99
MAY090247 SCALPED #31 (MR) $2.99
MAY090194 SECRET SIX UNHINGED TP $14.99
MAY090192 SHOWCASE PRESENTS ECLIPSO TP $9.99
JUN090163 SUPERMAN #691 $2.99
JUN090164 SUPERMANS PAL JIMMY OLSEN SPECIAL #2 $4.99
JUN090198 TEEN TITANS #74 $3.99
MAY090196 TRINITY TP VOL 02 $29.99
JUN090271 UNKNOWN SOLDIER #11 (MR) $2.99
JUN098463 UNWRITTEN #2 2ND PTG (MR) $2.99
JUN098460 WEDNESDAY COMICS #1 (OF 12) 2ND PTG $3.99
JUN098461 WEDNESDAY COMICS #2 (OF 12) 2ND PTG $3.99
JUN090142 WEDNESDAY COMICS #8 (OF 12) $3.99
JUN090236 WILDCATS #14 $2.99
JUN090200 WONDER WOMAN #35 $2.99
APR090254 WORLD OF WARCRAFT HC VOL 02 $19.99
MAY090231 WORLD OF WARCRAFT TP VOL 01 $14.99

IMAGE COMICS

APR090352 ABSURD ADVENTURES OF ARCHIBALD AARDVARK TP (MR) $14.99
JUN090415 DARKNESS PITT #1 KEOWN CVR A $2.99
JUN090416 DARKNESS PITT #1 SEJIC CVR B $2.99
JUN090379 DYNAMO 5 #24 $3.50
APR090332 FRANK FRAZETTAS SORCERER FRAZETTA CVR A (ONE SHOT) $3.99
APR090333 FRANK FRAZETTAS SORCERER MEDORS CVR B (ONE SHOT) $3.99
FEB092446 IMPALER #4 $2.99
JUN090330 INVINCIBLE PRESENTS ATOM EVE COLLECTED ED $5.99
JUN090353 KILLER OF DEMONS TP $12.99
JUN090324 KING CITY #1 $2.99

MARVEL COMICS

MAY090428 ANITA BLAKE LC NECROMANCER #4 (OF 5) (MR) $3.99
JUN090518 AVENGERS INITIATIVE #27 $2.99
JUN090624 AVENGERS INITIATIVE PREM HC DISASSEMBLED $24.99
JUN090522 BETA RAY BILL GODHUNTER #3 (OF 3) $3.99
JUN090639 CABLE TP VOL 02 WAITING FOR THE END OF THE WORLD $14.99
JUN098217 CAPTAIN AMERICA #601 2ND PTG COLAN VAR $3.99
JUN098213 DARK AVENGERS #7 2ND PTG LUKE ROSS VAR $3.99
JUN090486 DARK AVENGERS #8 DAX $3.99
MAY090453 DARK REIGN ELEKTRA #5 (OF 5) DKR $3.99
JUN090498 DARK REIGN SINISTER SPIDER-MAN #3 (OF 4) DKR $3.99
JUN090443 DARK TOWER THE FALL OF GILEAD #4 (OF 6) $3.99
JUN090491 DARK WOLVERINE #77 DKR $2.99
JUN090482 DARK X-MEN BEGINNING #3 (OF 3) DAX $3.99
JUN090593 DEADPOOL #14 $2.99
JUN090532 FANTASTIC FOUR #570 $2.99
JUN098389 FANTASTIC FOUR #570 CASSADAY SKETCH VAR $2.99
JUN098413 FANTASTIC FOUR #570 EAGLESHAM MR FANTASTIC VAR $2.99
MAY090600 GHOST RIDER TRIALS AND TRIBULATIONS TP $12.99
JUN090571 GUARDIANS OF GALAXY #17 $2.99
JUN090438 HALO HELLJUMPER #2 (OF 5) (MR) $3.99
JUN090515 HULK #14 $3.99
JUN098397 HULK #14 MCGUINNESS DEADPOOL VAR $3.99
JUN090633 IMMORTAL IRON FIST PREM HC VOL 05 ESCAPE FROM EIGHTH CITY $24.99
JUN090539 INCREDIBLE HERCULES #133 $2.99
JUN090541 INCREDIBLE HULK #601 $3.99
JUN090635 LORDS OF AVALON HC KNIGHT OF DARKNESS $19.99
JUN090551 MARVEL ADVENTURES SPIDER-MAN #54 $2.99
JUN090474 MARY JANE AND FRIENDS POSTER BOOK $5.99
JUN090611 MMW INCREDIBLE HULK TP VOL 01 $24.99
JUN090612 MMW INCREDIBLE HULK TP VOL 01 DM VAR ED 8 $24.99
JUN090507 MS MARVEL #44 DKR $2.99
JUN090510 NEW AVENGERS #56 DKR $3.99
JUN090583 NEW MUTANTS #4 $2.99
JUN090573 NOVA #28 $2.99
MAY090429 RIFTWAR #3 (OF 5) $3.99
JUN090564 RUNAWAYS 3 #13 $2.99
JUN090560 SECRET WARRIORS #7 $2.99
MAY090473 SKRULL KILL KREW #4 (OF 5) DKR $3.99
JUN090544 SON OF HULK #14 $2.99
JUN090466 SPIN ANGELS #1 (OF 3) US CHAN VAR (MR) $5.99
JUN090465 SPIN ANGELS #1 Of (3) (MR) $5.99
JUN090563 TIMESTORM 2009 2099 #4 (OF 4) $3.99
JUN090642 ULTIMATE X-MEN ULTIMATE COLLECTION TP VOL 03 $29.99
JUN090641 UNCANNY X-MEN SISTERHOOD TP $14.99
JUN090594 WOLVERINE FIRST CLASS #18 $2.99
JUN090601 WOLVERINE MAGAZINE #3 $6.99
JUN090581 WOLVERINE ORIGINS #39 $2.99
JUN090575 X-FORCE #18 $2.99
JUN090617 X-FORCE CABLE MESSIAH WAR HC $39.99
JUN090640 X-FORCE TP VOL 02 OLD GHOSTS $14.99
JUN090599 X-MEN FOREVER #6 $3.99