Picks, Pans, and Pre-Reviews for the week of May 2, 2007.

Here’s Midtown’s shipping list for the week.
My commentary follows.

DC

52 Week #52 – That year went by way too fast for my liking. Could this be age and the attendant time-retrodilation creeping up on me? I’m onboard for at least the first month of Countdown, because I’m a sucker for Jimmy Olsen and Darkseid, and I hope that Dini being in charge means things will hang together better without a fourth-quarter Hail Mary pass in the shape of something like World War III.
SHAZAM: The Monster Society Of Evil #3 – Man, I’m going to be so, so bummed when this is over, especially considering how clumsy and “x-treme” the evolution of Mr. Mind ended up being. I wonder why DC feels the need to shoehorn Captain Marvel into their mainline universe instead of pulling a Spirit and having it kept discrete.
Showcase Presents The War That Time Forgot Vol 1 – GIs fighting dinosaurs. Yeah, that’s my idea of a near-perfect Silver Age comic.

IDW

Ashley Woods D’Airain Aventure #2 – I really, really enjoyed the first issue despite dismissing Woods in the past for his more… esoteric material. It looks like he’s found collaborators that match his storytelling instincts. I actually just ordered the upcoming Zombie vs Robot collection.

Marvel

Civil War: Young Avengers & Runaways – Do I want this? If I’ve only read through the second hardcover of Runaways (which ends on V2, issue 12), am I going to get spoilerated?
Fantastic Four Visionaries: Walter Simonson Vol 1 – Despite the fact that Simonson doesn’t take over pencils until the fourth issue, this manages to redeem itself nicely with a hilarious Acts Of Vengeance crossover and serviceable, if not stellar, art by Ron Lim and Rich Buckler.
Incredible Hulk #106 – With Apologies to Mark Millar. (No, not really…)

Marvel Illustrated: Last Of The Mohicans #1 – It’s so weird, watching Marvel try to re-establish a foothold into comics that aren’t part of its core universe. Icon all but amounts to a vanity imprint to satiate certain creators and the Dabel Brothers material appears to be aimed at the bookstore market, but only after half-heartedly flogging things out through a direct market that seems like it couldn’t care less.

AdHouse

Ancient Book Of Myth And War – Scott Morse, Lou Romano, Don Shank, and Nate Wragg all contribute art to this slick-looking package full of original art and designs related to, you guessed it, mythology and war.

BOOM!

I wrote about what’s coming out from my booze money providers over at BOOM! Studios Blog.

Top Shelf

Korgi Vol 1 – It’s a comic about Corgis that have adventures. The cuteness, it’s burning me with its intensity

Excuse me while I try to gouge out of my ears out after hearing a particularly horrible butchering of “Bizarre Love Triangle” in service to Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups.