New Arrivals: April 29, 2009

This is a tricky week for new comics because technically there are two new release days. Because Free Comic Book Day is this Saturday, comic book fans will get new comics on Wednesday as well as pretty decent books on Saturday (for free nonetheless). FCBD used to be a throwaway day for comic book shops to purge their back inventory with the lure of free comics. Most of the time though those comics weren't exactly the highest caliber. But now publishers are seeing the day is an excellent chance to get more readers in their proverbial doors. So I'll be making two picks this week, one paid and one unpaid. For Wednesday's releases, I'm picking Mad Magazine #500. Just reread that and say it to yourself for good measure. Number 500. The book that started as a rebellion against the backlash against comics has been around that long that it's at 500. Insane. Mad even. While the news is fabulous it does come with some negativity. The book will move to quarterly after 57 years of monthly (damn economy). $5.99 is a little pricey, and this isn't your typical comic book, but come on. This is a milestone here. For FCBD, I'm going to have to go with Blackest Night #0, which is the precursor to DC's massive Lantern battle this summer. The first issue doesn't officially hit until July, but this will help bridge a few gaps and get you primed to jump right into the story when it hits stores. Enjoy! New Arrivals: April 29, 2009