Welcome once again to Can't Wait for Wednesday, our weekly look at what you can expect to find in your local comic shop tomorrow. To see what Kevin, Chris and I have to say about this week's comics, read on ...



Kevin Melrose's pick of the week: The Weird World of Jack Staff #1

Britain's Greatest Hero returns in a much-anticipated monthly series that creator Paul Grist promises will prominently feature Jack Staff's wonderfully offbeat supporting cast, among them Tom Tom the Robot Man, the investigators of Q branch, and Becky Burdock, Vampire Reporter. The new series also will see the return of Charlie Raven, the greatest escapologist of the Victorian Age -- "No door is locked to him! No chains can bind him! No trap can hold him!" -- and Lynda Jones, Calendar Girl! Good, or at least weird, times ahead for John Smith & Co. (Image Comics)

JK Parkin's pick of the week: 45



A journalist finds out his kid might be born with super powers, so he decides to do some research into what exactly that means by conducting 45 interviews with super-powered folks and their loved ones. This probably falls more into the "book" category than the "comic" category, as each interview is presented as text with an accompanying illustration. But that doesn't take anything away from what sounds like a fun project that should appeal to fans of the super hero genre. It also doesn't hurt that the project includes artwork by 45 different comic artists, including Fiona Staples, Charlie Adlard, Gary Erskine, Jock, Sean Phillips and many more. For more information, check out my interview with writer Andi Ewington about the book from back in November. (Com.X)

Chris Mautner's pick of the week: Dodgem Logic Magazine #1



If, for whatever reason, you haven't been able to get your hands on Alan Moore's latest project -- an "underground" magazine featuring work by folks like Kevin O'Neill and Savage Pencil, you no long have any excuses as Top Shelf has seen fit to make the bloody thing available to comic book shops across North America. Even though it only features a smidgin of comics, and is no doubt very specific to Great Britain and Moore's home of Northhampton, serious fans of the Magus will no doubt want to snap this up as speedily as possible. Here's a review by Craig Fischer for the curious. (Top Shelf)

Jet Scott, Vol. 1

Kevin: I'm not sure how I've gone this long without being aware of this early-1950s science fiction-adventure comic strip by Sheldon Stark and the legendary Jerry Robinson. I mean, the title character works for an agency known as the Office of Scientifact. What a perfect name. You can see a preview here. (Dark Horse)



The Kurosagi Corpse Delivery Service, Vol. 10

Kevin: If you're a fan of quirky horror and you're not reading this series by Eiji Otsuka and Housui Yamazaki ... well, what's wrong with you? It's funny, disturbing and fantastic. (Dark Horse)

Batman And Robin #9

Chris: Cameron Stewart wraps up his three-issue run on the series with this comic. Next up: Andy Clarke and Scott Hanna. (DC Comics)

Blackest Night #7

JK: The penultimate chapter in DC's successful crossover series hits this week, promising to reveal what the big bad, Nekron, is really up to. (DC Comics)



Northlanders #25

Viking #5

Kevin: It's twice the Norse drama as Brian Wood's Vertigo series Northlanders reaches its 25th issue -- the fifth part of "The Plague Widow" story arc, with artist Leandro Fernandez -- and Ivan Brandon and Nic Klein's Viking concludes its first "season." (Vertigo & Image Comics)

Image United #0

JK: Image's big crossover series take a bit of a break from its main storyline to offer a prelude featuring the Savage Dragon and Fortress, the new hero Whilce Portacio created for the event. (Image Comics)



Jack Staff, Vol. 4: Rocky Realities

Kevin : It's a double-dose of Jack Staff as, in addition to the new monthly series, this week sees the release of this trade paperback, which collects Issues #13-20 and the Jack Staff Special #1. (Image Comics)

Strange Girl, Limited Edition Slipcase Collection

Kevin: This limited-run hardcover -- only 1,000 copies were printed -- collects all four volumes of the post-apocalyptic action series by Rick Remender, Eric Nguyen & Co. about a world populated by demons and their human slaves. (Image Comics)



Immortal Weapons trade paperback

Kevin: The five-issue miniseries starring the Immortal Weapons was supposed to provide a break of sorts for The Immortal Iron Fist monthly comic, which was definitely not canceled. But the miniseries has come and gone, and now the collection is here, and still no Iron Fist. (Marvel)

Avengers Korvac Saga Premiere Hardcover

JK: I remember going through the back-issue bins looking for this one. Korvac, a.k.a. Michael, is a villain from the future who flees from the Guardians of the Galaxy and sets up shop in a quiet neighborhood. The Guardians and the Avengers team up to stop him before he can ... um, do something really bad. I don't really remember what his master plan was, I just remember the brutal battle he had with a few busloads (literally) of Avengers in his suburban home. I will probably pick this up at some point for nostalgia's sake. (Marvel)



Ms. Marvel #50

JK: The last issue of Ms. Marvel features a cover homage to Jim Starlin's classic Death of Captain Marvel graphic novel. And it's probably small consolation to her fans, but this time around Carol Danvers at least made it to a respectable issue 50; backk in the '70s, she only made it to issue #23. (Marvel)

Airfighters #1

Kevin: Airboy and others high-flying action heroes of the era -- Skywolf, Flying Dutchman, Black Angel and Iron Ace, among them -- return in this 72-page black-and-white issue by a slew of creators that includes Chuck Dixon, Tom DeFalco, Chris Mills, Kerry Talbot and Rick Burchett. (Moonstone)



Bart Simpson Comics #52

Chris: If you enjoyed last year's Simpson's Halloween Special, which featured a bevy of alt-comix folk like Kevin Huizenga and Ben Jones, then you'll want to check out this month's issue of Bart Simpson, which includes work by Gilbert Hernandez (Love and Rockets), Carol Lay (Now Endsville), and Chris Yambar (Mr. Beat). All this plus Sergio Aragones! (Bongo)

Captain Swing and the Electrical Pirates of Cindery Island #1

JK: Warren Ellis kicks off another mini-series at Avatar, this one with art by Raulo Caceres and set in 1830s London. Ellis calls it "An Electrical Romance of a Pirate Utopia Thwarted." I just really like the title. (Avatar)



Garfield From The Trash Bin Rescued Rejects & Outrageous Outtakes TP

Chris: This comic strip equivalent of a B-side compilation collects a host of rejected material featuring the fat feline and outtakes "sure to offend just about everyone" according to the ad copy. Unless Jim Davis has been taking pointers from Johnny Ryan, I somehow doubt that's true. (Ballentine Books)

Panic X Panic Vol. 1

Chris: Here's a new shojo series from Del Rey about childhood rivals who find they both have magic powers and must join forces to save the world from demons. Why is it always demons, anyway? Why can't they ever save the world from something less ordinary, like ... I dunno ... locusts? (Del Ray)



The Splendid Magic of Penny Arcade: The 11 1/2 Anniversary Edition

Chris: Serious Penny Arcade fans will definitely want to check out this hardcover celebration of all things Gabe and Tycho related. The book features interviews with creators Mike Krahulik and Jerry Holkins, info on their history and significant events like the creation of the PAX video game expo, and some of the pair's favorite strips. (Del Rey)

Star Trek Movie Adaptation #1

JK: IDW adapts JJ Abrams' Star Trek film from last summer into a comic, promising "new scenes and moments cut from the movie." (IDW Publishing)

Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea: The Complete Series, Vol. 2 hardcover

Kevin: This collects Issues 7-14 of the 1964-1970 Gold Key comic tie-in to the Irwin Allen science fiction-adventure TV series (itself based on the film of the same name). The 224-page hardcover includes essays, the original covers and pin-ups. (Hermes Press)



We Will Bury You #1 (of 4)

Kevin: Heroes actress Brea Grant and her brother Zane team with artist Kyle Strahm for a four-issue miniseries about a zombie outbreak in 1920s New York City and the two unlikely heroines who survive to battle the walking dead. Or flapping dead, maybe. (IDW Publishing)

What else is coming out this week? See Diamond's website for the complete list.