For comics shipping 06.17.09 or The Week The Watcher Went To Wizard World Philly. 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.

There's a decent amount of regular issues coming out this week, but the trade paperback selection was so overwhelming, I had to devote an entire week getting you caught up on all the great stories you missed in single issue form.

DARK HORSE COMICS

Empowered, Volume 5 - $14.95

After saving much of the superhero community from certain doom, costumed crime fighter Empowered is dismayed to find that, in the suspicious eyes of her caped colleagues, she's gone from being merely a "pair of training wheels for supervillains" to possibly being a closeted supervillain herself! Worse yet, she's wrestling with envy and resentment that her roommate Ninjette and boyfriend Thugboy are now more popular in masks-and-tights circles than she is! Meanwhile, our stressed-out superheroine must also unravel an alien-spawned body-image conspiracy, overcome "cosplay" dress-up disasters at work and in bed, and try to survive a potentially lethal confrontation with her teammate Sistah Spooky!

DC COMICS

The Question: The Five Books of Blood - $14.99

Collecting the 5-issue CRIME BIBLE! A Monk of the Dark Faith is moving through the DCU, seeding evil in his wake as he prepares for a final, potentially devastating act. Trailing him is The Question, who seeks to save the life of the author of a best-selling expose about the Dark Faith.

Sleeper: Season One - $24.99

"SLEEPER could hold its own against any noir, from any medium...Brubaker is without a doubt the best crime fiction writer in comics today. " - Ain't It Cool News.com

From the award-winning Criminal team of writer Ed Brubaker and artist Ed Brubaker comes SLEEPER, the story of Holden Carver and the secret criminal organization he must infiltrate, now back in a new edition collecting SLEEPER SEASON 1 #1-12. With his contact at the agency in a coma, Carver must live one day at a time in a deadly game of cat and mouse he plays with its leader, Tao.

IMAGE COMICS

Body Bags: Father's Day - $14.99

The sold-out origin story is back, with an all new printing and never-before-seen extras! The action begins when a rival ‘body bagger’ goes after Mack (a.k.a. Clown Face) the best ‘bagger’ in the business. Fuel is quickly added to the fire with the sudden arrival of Panda, Mack’s estranged daughter. How will the baddest man in Terminus, GA handle a teenage girl determined to follow in her daddy’s footsteps? Can this ‘Daddy/Daughter’ team stop fighting each other long enough to survive the trouble headed their way? Find out for yourself in this all-new collection!

The Mice Templar: The Prophecy - $17.99

Before their fall, the Templar preserved the order of the natural world, maintaining the balance of life and death for all creatures. But an ideological dispute pitted the noble brotherhood against itself, where they destroyed themselves in a vicious civil war. Chaos descended in their wake, where predatory and scavenger creatures now reign supreme bringing anarchy to the night world of the Shadow Time.

Yet the young mouse Karic receives visions from the gods that their creator Wotan has chosen him to challenge the imbalance and restore the order of the fallen Templar. But before he can even comprehend his supernatural calling, his home is destroyed by vicious rat marauders, and his family is taken into slavery. Karic soon learns of an ancient prophecy that one mouse will be chosen to recreate the heroic exploits of the past, and thereby save his family and his people. But Karic's calling soon makes him both a target of his enemies, and a tool to be exploited by those seeking to use the savior of all for their own schemes.

And thus begins the first chapter in an extraordinary adventure of magic and wonder, faith and valor, and of one small mouse whose destiny might change the entire world.

MARVEL COMICS

The Irredeemable Ant-Man - $34.99

When a low-level S.H.I.E.L.D. agent gets a hold of Hank Pym’s new Ant-Man suit, you know the Marvel Universe is in trouble. He’s not concerned with saving the world or helping others. He’s concerned with getting through the day and getting a leg up on life. He’s not going to use his powers responsibly, he’s going to use them for the betterment of himself. He’s Ant-Man, a new “hero” for the modern world. But it also costs money to be on the run from the law. Luckily, Damage Control is on the lookout for someone who can safely sift through rubble for survivors. Don't worry, though – he'll still have plenty of time to spy on the ladies like the despicable human-being that he is. If you thought Robert Kirkman pushed the boundaries of what could be in a Marvel Comic with MARVEL ZOMBIES, just wait until you see what he does in here!

 

That'll do it for this week. If you're heading to Wizard World Philly, maybe we'll run into you. If not, be sure to check TheQuarterbin.com for updates live from the convention floor.

See you next time.