Waiting for Wednesday, Volume 3, Issue 9

It's getting to the point where I mark time in relation to when I sit down to write this column. And then, when I hit that beautiful, orange PUBLISH POST button down on the screen there, it means that my week is just about half-over.

Yes. I know. I'm weird.

I'm also pretty stoked about the comics that are shipping this week, but the new release that's got me most excited actually happened yesterday, as the second book in Patrick Rothfuss' Kingkiller Chronicles, The Wise Man's Fear, hit stands.
This is one of the most anticipated fiction releases of the year (as of this writing, Wise Man's Fear is ranked number 2 on Amazon's Top 100 list), and if that empty display at my local Barnes & Noble is any indication of how this book will fare, it's a good bet that Rothfuss has a mega hit on his hands.

And I couldn't be happier.

The first book in the series, The Name of the Wind (which I've talked about here, here, and here), is one of my favorite reads of the past decade or so, and since picking up my copy just about a year ago, I've anxiously awaited the second part of the story.

And now, finally, it's arrived, and I can't wait to crack it open this weekend.

Before that, though, there are plenty of new comics to buy, so let's get right into this week's haul. First up, from Image, is issue one of a new series called, Carbon Grey.
Like most books I order these days from Image, I go by the solicitation blurb found in Previews and the cover image, and I have very little else to base my choices on. But Image is in the middle of, in my opinion at least, their best year-plus run of new titles since I've been reading comics. And after picking up issue one, I've followed through on each series.

So I plan on giving Carbon Grey that same chance. Here's the blurb from Image:

To a noble family twins are born: Mathilde and Giselle, the Sisters Grey. For generations the Sisters have protected and counseled the Kaiser, ruler of Mitteleuropa.

But this is a different time. At the birth of the industrial age a great war is raging. When the Kaiser is assassinated, Giselle is accused. Pursued by her sisters and hunted by the enemy, Giselle must unravel the prophecy of the Carbon Grey before history itself is rewritten.

RETAILER WARNING: MAY NOT BE SUITABLE FOR ALL AGES

Sounds cool. The art looks cool. I'm gonna give it a shot. Next up, we have the second big Image release, Herculian, issue one, from writer/artist/publisher Erik Larsen.
Another title that I'm unfamiliar with, Herculian seems to be a collection of some of Larsen's lesser-known works. There's a good interview with Larsen over at Comic Book Resources, where he talks a bit about the book. And here's the solicit info, from Image:

Erik Larsen's stunning 24-hour comic in full color!

Artist ERIK LARSEN unleashed! All of Erik's odd but entertaining Popgun strips are collected, along with his 24-hour comic "Guy Talk," in this handsome volume! Herculian! Punchin' Judy! Bacon Mummy! Mickey Maus! Reggie the Veggie! Cheeseburger-Head! Lotta Malarky! It's pretty much everything you love about comics all in one affordable 48-page bundle of awesomeness! Not to be missed!

It's another book I'm looking forward to trying out. And, finally today, we have Takio, a major all-ages release from Marvel, written by Brian Bendis and illustrated by frequent collaborator Mike Oeming.

This book was announced last year at New York Comic Con, and there's been plenty of buzz surrounding the title. Bendis and Oeming have, obviously, enjoyed big-time success with Powers, their other creator-owned endeavor, and from some early reviews, it appears that Takio will be as highly regarded.
And, at $9.95, this hard cover is a tremendous value in today's market. Here's the blurb from Marvel:

The Story: Created by Brian Michael Bendis, Michael Avon Oeming and Olivia Bendis. Takio is the first all ages graphic novel series from Marvel’s Icon imprint and the first new creator owned book by Brian Michael Bendis and Michael Avon Oeming since their award-winning, long-running Powers.

Takio tells the story of two sisters in a multiracial, adoptive family who are driving each other insane!!! Their overprotective mother makes them walk to school together, eat lunch together, and play together. They can’t get away from each other!!

But when a one-of-a-kind, once-in-a-lifetime accident gives them real-life superpowers, these two sisters become the first actual superheroes in the entire world. And it is awesome!!

Now the sisters have to learn to get along so they can save the world and get home by six...or they are so grounded. This fast-talking, whip smart new graphic novel series will thrill fans of Bendis’ Ultimate Spider-Man!

Don't know about you, but this week is shaping up to be pretty expensive for me. I should get back to work, to earn those dollars, then. But before I do...what are you Waiting for?

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Oh, and also. From The Daily What: