Waiting for Wednesday, Volume 2, Issue 15

It's been a whirlwind last couple of weeks, let me tell you.

Lots of stuff happening here at Exfanding HQ--so much, in fact, that I haven't seen Nathaniel in about a month. With his exactly 3.5 minutes of free time every week, it's been kinda difficult getting together, or even emailing for more than a couple dozen words at a time.

Really. Most of our online conversations go something like this:

ALEX: How're things?

NATHANIEL: Meh.

ALEX: I'll post tomorrow, do u have time 2 post Friday?

NATHANIEL: K

ALEX: Later, man.

NATHANIEL: Buh.

So, yeah. We're still a couple syllables away from flat-out grunting at each other, but still. There's only so many things that can be said in 3.5 minutes. And I think Nathaniel spends 2.3 of those 3.5 weekly minutes watching a single movie trailer online, just so he's caught up on the latest happenings.

Or, you know, sleeping.

A comics shop run is long overdue, and I hope to rectify that in the coming days. We'll just have to be sure we keep it under 3.5 minutes.

As for me, I've had a Very Good week so far, and I just learned that I will be heading back to work, full time, starting Monday. I'm incredibly happy to be going back to publishing, and to have the chance to work for my soon-to-be employer.

It's an exciting opportunity, and it was fun spending a day smiling.

I've had a great couple of months working with family and a group of new friends, and as it always is, saying goodbye is tough. Someone said to me this morning that, in an ideal world, when you leave a job--even if you're going to a new job that you want very badly--it should still feel bittersweet.

Which makes a lot of sense to me.

But my calling is in the publishing industry, and like I said, this new place has me kinda jittery with the excitement. So, yeah. Six months of searching, and taking on freelance assignments, and now I am quite happy to be heading home.

High hopes, great expectations, and all that.

Additionally, with steady work also comes the possibility that my (many) side projects can resume, so here's hoping I can get some original product out in the near future.

For the moment, though, I'm going to take a day or two to recharge and get ready for the next adventure.

And buy pants. I am woefully low on pants.

But first things first--tonight after my last day of work, I will be heading to the comics shop. And for me, this week will be a straight-up mainstream list of new books, which is very strange.

There's always a handful (and, many times, more than that) of indy titles on my pull list, but today it's filled with good, old fashioned, costumed guys punching costumed guys comic bookery.

And leading things off is the most comic book-y of comic books to grace the shelves this week. From DC and writer/editor/Grand Poobah of the DCU, Geoff Johns, Brightest Day launches with issue number one.
Spinning out of the hugely popular Blackest Night event, this issue marks the beginning of a new direction and story arc for the DC Universe and its biggest players.

Here's the blurb from the publisher:

The biggest event in comics continues as BRIGHTEST DAY burns back the BLACKEST NIGHT from the writing team behind GREEN LANTERN and GREEN LANTERN CORPS – Geoff Johns and Peter J. Tomasi!

And don't miss the exciting DC Comics debut of red hot cover artist David Finch (New Avengers, Ultimatum)! The effects that the already classic BLACKEST NIGHT will have on the DC Universe will be felt for years to come and this issue not only sets the stage for the new ongoing biweekly DC Universe book BRIGHTEST DAY, but also the next exciting era of the DC Universe!

I'm not a huge fan of the weekly or biweekly comic--aside from 52, which, in my opinion, was, is, and will continue to be the pinnacle of that particular format--and I didn't really care for DC's previous weekly books.

But I have pretty high hopes for Brightest Day, pretty much because of the fact that Johns is in charge of it.

Next up, we take a walk to the other side of the street. From Marvel, the Siege: Captain America one-shot hits today, and the creative team has me kinda psyched for this.
Written by Christos Gage, with art by Federico Dallocchio, and with a cover by the incomparable Marko Djurdjević, this book has huge potential. Sure, it's a one-shot, but the price is right at $2.99.

Here's the (vague) blurb from the publisher:

In Siege: Captain America, from Christos Gage and Federico Dallocchio, learn more about the role of Bucky Barnes and Steve Rogers in this war and how it will define their relationship!

And here's a preview from Marvel's site. The book looks good, the writing looks great, and for one issue, I'll be hopping on board.

Finally today, we have another Marvel book. Sure, this one's due partly to pandering towards the Iron Man 2 movie crowd, but it's a book that from all accounts seems like a winner.
The new on-going Black Widow series starts today, and here's hoping it'll actually manage to stick around for a nice little run. The Paul Cornell-written mini-series, Deadly Origin, was met with critical acclaim and a fair amount of fan love, so I think Marvel is hoping this new title (written by Marjorie Liu and with art by Daniel Acunahas) has some legs.

Here's the blurb from the publisher:

The Story: The deadly super-spy from IRON MAN 2, INVINCIBLE IRON MAN and CAPTAIN AMERICA in her own ongoing series! Natasha Romanoff is not a super hero. She’s not psychic. She doesn’t fly. And yet as the Black Widow, she manages to hold her own against a world of incredibly powerful enemies...and allies.

But now someone has tried to kill Natasha…and almost succeeded. Injured gravely, almost beyond her ability to recover, Black Widow sets out to find her attacker...with no suspects and no leads. Who could be deadly enough to get the drop on Natasha? And what connections do they have to some of her closest super hero friends...? Plus, a backup detailing the deadly history of the Black Widow!

There are a bunch of variant covers, including a "movie variant," so yeah, Marvel's trying to squeeze out every last drop.

And that's it from me today, folks. Before I go, though, what are you Waiting for?