Buy This! - February 29th, 2012

Every Monday Seth picks out three items that are due to ship on Wednesday and directs you toward your best bets for a quality purchase. Some times it's a single issue of a comic, other times a massive omnibus edition of a beloved series, and occasionally a figure or shiny bauble that caught his eye. Read on to find the three items you shouldn't leave your comic shop without this week.
These light shipping weeks are killing me. I mean, this week is so light that my pull list is going to contain a meager three titles. I'd be more irritated by this if not for the fact that I still haven't managed to pick up my pulls after returning from vacation and counting this Wednesday's books I'll be up to three weeks of stuff waiting for me. I guess this couldn't have happened at a better time.

There is still plenty of stuff out there worth picking up this week. Though I'm not adding it to the list, (it's already made at least one prior appearance) The Shade #5 ships this week. Seriously, if you aren't picking this book up you're doing yourself a disservice. Particularly #4 which has my early pick for issue of the year. I've already raved about it here and on the podcast but that single issue perfectly captured everything that makes James Robinson's Starman and the characters therein so special.

Invincible #89:

They've been hyping this particular issue of Invincible for almost two years now. You know, it's the one with the black Invincible on the cover. I'm not necessarily excited about the possible attempt at social commentary but if Kirkman decides to go another route with the story and merely tells a fun story about someone else stepping into the role I'm all for it. This book has lost quite a lot of steam in my opinion and I've been flirting with dropping it for the last few months. The only thing keeping me onboard lately has been Ryan Ottley's pencils, honestly. But this could be the start of something new and different. Dare I say it may even make me care about this book again? Time will tell...

Punisher vol 1 HC:

I adore Greg Rucka's work, particularly when he's handling gritty, street level superhero-but-not-really titles like this one. I've been anxiously awaiting picking this book up in hardcover. See, my favorite book of Rucka's is easily Gotham Central and strangely enough that's the book I keep hearing this one compared to. I love the idea of a Punisher book that focuses more on the beat cops and detectives dealing with the aftermath of his killing sprees than on the character himself. From here it seems like that is a concept rife for years of exploiting and I'm hopeful that it'll live up to the expectations I've set for it.

Uncanny X-Force: Dark Angel Saga volume 2 HC:

Rick Remender's Uncanny X-Force is, alongside Waid's Daredevil and Aaron's Wolverine and the X-Men, the book I keep pointing to as proof that Marvel is still in the business of putting out great books alongside all the tie-ins, crossovers and mega events. This book closes out the 18 issue Dark Angel story arc that began at the books relaunch under Remender's hand. It's probably the most action-packed, heart wrenching superhero storyline of the last few years, and though I follow it in trade and can't speak from experience, I hear wonderful things about the way it all wraps up. If you haven't already done so, go out and buy the three trades or hardcovers that lead up to this book. Or wait for the inevitable omnibus and get the trades from the library to tide you over like I do...