Reprinted courtesy of Guy LeCharles Gonzalez.

Free time is a precious thing. Don’t waste it reading bad comics out of habit!

Have you seen Ratatouille yet? Amazing! Brad Bird’s a genius, bringing more humanity to his CGI creations than most directors bring to their live action efforts. It’s Pixar’s best yet, beating out previous faves The Incredibles and Finding Nemo, in spite of the whole rat thing still not quite working for me. (Ick!) I had my doubts going in, thinking it might be their first bomb — relatively speaking, that is — but now I think it’s going to have the kind of legs none of the other summer sequels have had and end up posting some very nice box office numbers.

You know what ongoing comics are working for me like Ratatouille did these days? Very few. :-(

That said, here’s my weekly look at select comic books being released Thursday, 7/5/07. The full shipping list, as always, is available at ComicList.

[NOTE: Not all of these titles will actually arrive in all stores. If your LCBS offers a pre-ordering service, be sure to take advantage of it. If not, find another one; or try Khepri.com or MidtownComics.com]


PICK OF THE WEEK


GI Joe: Americas Elite #25 (Devil’s Due)

DEVILS DUE PUBLISHING
GI Joe Americas Elite #25, $3.50

It’s not that I’m tired of the “Big Event”, because I’m totally looking forward to “World War III” in the GIJU. The difference? It’s self-contained, it’s taking place within an ongoing series that I’ve already been enjoying, and it makes sense within the context of the series to-date. As long as Devil’s Due doesn’t get crazy with the spin-offs, I’m onboard for the full ride.

IMAGE COMICS
Dynamo 5 #5, $3.50

This new series continues to be one of the best superhero titles on the shelves these days, having quickly established its intriguing premise, appealing cast and distinctive identity, offering a worthwhile alternative to spandex fans looking for something new. Highly recommended!

MARVEL COMICS
Essential Defenders Vol 3 TPB, $16.99
Fantastic Four And Power Pack #1 (of 4), $2.99
Ptolus City By The Spire Vol 1 TPB, $14.99

I’ve always had a soft spot for the Defenders, and I’d much rather read their verbose, over-the-top adventures from back in the day than any of the new superhero teams running around in today’s Marvel Universe. Except, of course, for the Marvel Adventures stuff, which the Power Pack minis aren’t technically part of but really, they should be. *** Ptolus is apparently like the Absolute New Frontier of D&D, and I was intrigued by the Dabel Bros. imprint before they hooked up with Marvel, so this seems like something that’s right up my alley.

TOKYOPOP / VIZ COMMUNICATIONS

Seeing as I skipped my weekly pick-up last week since there wasn’t much of interest, and this week isn’t looking all that great, either, I’ve decided to pick up two new manga from among these choices: iD_eNTITY, Chrono Crusade, Bizenghast and Berserk (Dark Horse). Which one would you recommend most?

URBAN MINISTRIES INC
Genesis Five #3, $2.99
Joe & Max #3, $2.99
Seekers #2, $2.99

The Guardian Line’s bi-monthly schedule can apparently be interpreted as loosely as the whole God made everything in six days and chilled on the seventh. Nevertheless, my two favorites — Joe & Max and Seekers — have some real potential and I’m hoping they get on track sooner rather than later before retailers loose patience with them and they completely fall off of my radar. The direct market may not be their primary audience, but it’s the only place I’m likely ever going to be able to pick them up.