Hope that everyone had a swell Independence day, filled with fun, sun, and limited injury. And as much fun as that may have been, there is some bad news...new comics won't be arriving until Thursday this week. I'm not sure how a holiday that fell almost a full week before could impact shipping by a whole day, but that's the deal.

MOVIE MANIA: We're up to our back-fat in summer movie season! Two of the biggest comic book movies of the year are right around the corner...HELLBOY 2 opens this week and The much anticipated THE DARK KNIGHT follows on the 18th! What a fine time to be alive.

US STUFF: Check out http://www. richmond. com/local-life/24701 to see Patrick struggle to come up with 20 answers to 20 questions, the move right along and check out this weeks new issue of Brick Weekly, which features a swell profile of Team 8 press major domo Spencer Hansen. He mentions the super sweet Team 8 Minicomics I've been telling you about...the limited edition ones which are on sale now but going fast. You know, those.

WIN 100 BUCKS WORTH OF FREE COMICS: As good as that sounds, available data suggests that this must be the most undesirable offer ever in the history of humanity, because so few of you have managed to put down your asthma inhalers long enough to DRAW BATMAN VS ???. The deadline is July 17th, which is coming up pretty soon. Seriously, you want Nick Arcaro's cut-paper piece to win? I mean, I do, but I thought maybe someone out there, maybe even one of the supposed 'Illustrators' among you, might have some other idea.

PICKS

CAPTAIN AMERICA WHITE #0 - Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale bring their singular magic to this tale of Cap's early days. Can they possible recapture the epic heights of DAREDEVIL: YELLOW? or the lateness of either of their individual projects? Only time can tell!

FINAL CRISIS REQUIEM - This official tie-in is presented by the same team that done brung ya last years awesome BLACK ADAM mini-series, Pete Tomasi and Doug Mankhe! Examining the last days of the big name character that died in the first issue of FINAL CRISIS. You know, that guy.

GODDESS OF WAR # 1 - Much hyped indy comic by the great Lauren Weinstein, following the adventures of (get this) THE GODDESS OF WAR.

HALO & SPROCKET VOL 2 - The second volume of Velocity CEO Patrick Godfrey's much beloved robot comic. More then meets the eyes.

I KILL GIANTS #1 - Once upon a time, writer JOE KELLY launched the much beloved DEADPOOL ongoing. And now he's doing this. See what all the talk WILL BE about!

ALSO SHIPPING THURSDAY

100 BULLETS #93 2.99
ACTION COMICS #867 2.99
AGE OF BRONZE #27 (MR) 3.50
AMAZING SPIDER-GIRL #22 2.99
AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #565 2.99
AMERICAN VIRGIN TP VOL 04 AROUND THE WORLD 17.99
ANITA BLAKE VH GUILTY PLEASURES TP VOL 01 14.99
ANNIHILATION CONQUEST HC BOOK 02 39.99
ARMY OF DARKNESS XENA WHY NOT #4 (OF 4) 3.50
BADGER SAVES THE WORLD TP 19.99
BATMAN #678 RIP 2.99
BATMAN AND SON TP 14.99 55.0
BATMAN CONFIDENTIAL #19 2.99
BATMAN STRIKES #47 2.25
BATMAN SYMBOL HOODIE LG (O/A) 39.95
BATTLESTAR GALACTICA ORIGINS #7 3.50
BERLIN #16 (MR) 3.95
BLOOD PLUS NOVEL VOL 02 CHEVALIER 8.95
BODY COUNT SC (MR) 16.95
BOOSTER GOLD #1000000 2.99
BPRD THE WARNING #1 2.99
CAPTAIN AMERICA WHITE #0 2.99
CAPTAIN BRITAIN AND MI 13 #3 SI 2.99
CAPTAIN STONEHEART & THE TRUTH FAIRY HC 19.99
CHRONICLES OF THE GRIM PEDDLER GN VOL 01 11.95
CHUCK #2 (OF 6) 2.99
CHUMBLE SPUZZ GN VOL 02 PIGEON MAN & DEATH SINGS T 12.95
CLASSIC TRANSFORMERS TP VOL 02 19.99
COLA MADNES TP (MR) 24.95
CRIMINAL TP VOL 03 DEAD AND DYING 11.99
DEAD SHE SAID #2 3.99
DETECTIVE COMICS #846 RIP 2.99
DEVI WITCHBLADE #1 LAND CVR 2.99
DEVI WITCHBLADE #1 SINGH CVR 2.99
DOCTOR WHO CLASSICS TP VOL 01 19.99
DR WHO MAGAZINE #397 7.99
DRAFTED #9 3.50
ESSENTIAL DOCTOR STRANGE TP VOL 01 NEW ED 16.99
ETERNALS #2 2.99
FAMILY GUY BLUE HARVEST STAR WARS 09 16 MONTH WALL 13.99
FART PARTY GN (MR) 13.95
FINAL CRISIS REQUIEM #1 3.99
FURRLOUGH #183 3.99
GENE SIMMONS ZIPPER TP VOL 01 19.99
GENEXT #3 (OF 5) 3.99
GENTLEMAN JIM HC 14.95
GIANT ROBOT #54 4.99
GODDESS OF WAR #1 (OF 4) 12.95
GOON #26 2.99
GOON #26 TOP SECRET ERIC POWELL VAR CVR 2.99
GREEN ARROW BLACK CANARY #10 2.99
GREEN LANTERN SER 3 BALANCED INNER CASE ASST
GREEN LANTERN SER 3 CYBORG SUPERMAN AF
GREEN LANTERN SER 3 SINESTRO AF
GUARDIANS OF GALAXY #3 2.99
HACK SLASH SERIES #13 GRAHAM CVR B (MR) 3.50
HACK SLASH SERIES #13 SEELEY CVR A (MR) 3.50
HALO & SPROCKET TP VOL 02 NATURAL CREATURES 8.95
HELLBOY ODDEST JOBS TP 14.95
HULK RED HULK MUST HAVE 4.99
HUNTRESS YEAR ONE #5 (OF 6) 2.99
I KILL GIANTS #1 (OF 7) 2.99
INDIANA JONES & TOMB OF THE GODS #1 2.99
INVINCIBLE IRON MAN #3 2.99
IRON MAN LEGACY OF DOOM #4 (OF 4) 2.99
JOKERS ASYLUM THE PENGUIN #1 2.99
JUSTICE SOCIETY OF AMERICA #17 2.99
JUXTAPOZ ILLUSTRATION HC 29.95
KIKAIDER CODE 02 VOL 07 (MR) 9.99
KYLE BAKER NAT TURNER HC 24.95
LAST DEFENDERS #5 (OF 6) 2.99
LEGION OF SUPER HEROES IN THE 31ST CENTURY #16 2.25
LOOKING FOR GROUP #4 2.95
LOST BOYS REIGN OF FROGS #3 3.50
MAGIC WHISTLE TP VOL 11 BODY ARMOR FOR YOUR DIGNIT 11.95
MARVEL ADVENTURES HULK #13 2.99
MS MARVEL TP VOL 04 MONSTER SMASH 14.99
NEIL GAIMAN CORALINE GN 18.99
NEW EXILES #8 2.99
NEW YORK FOUR 9.99
NORTH WIND TP VOL 01 15.99
NOVA #15 2.99
NUMBER OF THE BEAST #7 (OF 8) 2.99
PILOT SEASON URBAN MYTHS #1 3.99
POWER PACK HC VOL 01 (RES) 24.99
POWERS #29 (MR) 3.95
RED COLORED ELEGY HC (MR) 24.95
RUNAWAYS PREM HC DEAD END KIDS 19.99
RUNAWAYS PREM HC DEAD END KIDS DM ED 19.99
SECRET INVASION #4 MCNIVEN SKETCH VAR SI 3.99
SECRET INVASION #4 MCNIVEN VAR SI 3.99
SECRET INVASION #4 SI 3.99
SECRET INVASION #4 YU VAR SI 3.99
SHARK-MAN #3 3.50
SNAKED TP 17.99
SONIC THE HEDGEHOG #190 2.25
SPAWN #180 2.95
SPOOKS OMEGA TEAM #0 0.99
STEVE NILES STRANGE CASES #4 2.50
TALES DESIGNED TO THRIZZLE #2 4.50
TEEN TITANS SPOTLIGHT WONDER GIRL TP 17.99
THIRTEEN STEPS #5 3.99
TOYFARE #133 MARVEL SECRET INVASION CVR 4.99
TRANSFORMERS ALL HAIL MEGATRON #1 3.99
TRANSFORMERS MOVIE PREQUEL SAGA O/T ALLSPARK #1 3.99
TRANSFORMERS THE ARK TP VOL 02 19.99
TRINITY #6 2.99
ULTIMATE ORIGINS #2 (OF 5) 2.99
WILDGUARD INSIDER #3 (OF 3) 3.50
WITCHBLADE #119 ROSS CVR B 2.99
WITCHBLADE #119 SEJIC CVR A 2.99
WOLFSKIN ANNUAL #1 (MR) 4.99 50.0 2.4950 12.48
WOLVERINE TP DEATH OF WOLVERINE 14.99
WONDER WOMAN #22 2.99
WORMWOOD GENTLEMAN CORPSE VOL 1 TP (MR) 19.99
YOUNG LIARS #5 (MR) 2.99
YOUNG X-MEN #4 DWS 2.99

I'm a street-walking cheetah with a heart full of slim jims---
Tom Batten