For comics shipping 01.19.11 or The Week Buffy Ended. Again. Every week I’ll check Diamond’s shipping list to see what you absolutely, positively need to spend all your hard earned cash on at the Local Comic Shop.

DARK HORSE COMICS

Buffy the Vampire Slayer #40 – $2.99

Say what you will about “Season 8,” but I’ve enjoyed a greater percentage of the Vampire Slayer’s revival than I’ve disliked. Sure, there were moments where I thought that Joss and team were stretching the mythology a bit too far, but the ride has been immensely fun. Through it all though, Georges Jeanty has been a rock of consistency, and his storytelling skills really shined arc after arc. I don’t know how long we’re going to have to wait for “Season 9″ to start, but I’ll likely have enough time to sit down and re-read the entirety of “8″ in one sitting to really take it all in.

DC COMICS

Northlanders #36 – $2.99

Thirty-six issues/months in, you’d think I’d be running out of nice things to say about Brian Wood’s ever-evolving comic about Vikings, but you’d be wrong. With a rotating artist on every arc, Northlanders is a fresh experience nearly every month, and Wood has made sure that his tales never run on too long. Even the longer stories like “Plague Widow” never seem to linger past the point of being interesting. This brief two-parter that reunited Wood with frequent, and talented, collaborator Becky Cloonan is not only solid storytelling, but it serves to show just how brilliant the creators are when they team together. I look forward to many more months of hyping this book to you. It’s just that good.

IMAGE COMICS

Morning Glories #6 – $3.50

I am extremely late to the Nick Spencer party, but thanks to the digital versions of Morning Glories available on the Image Comics app, I’ve been able to catch up on an intelligent and intriguing new comic that blends the supernatural with high school life. There’s a great conspiracy and mysteries about at Morning Glory Academy. The characters are well-realized, and every issue ends in a cliff-hanger that will have you clamoring for the next issue immediately. This issue marks the beginning of a new arc, which should be perfect for those of you, who like me, missed out on this book when it first began. A trade is coming, but for now, you’ll just have to jump on the bandwagon. Better hurry before it passes you by once more.