They may be powered by midichlorans, genetically-modified, or even just crossing over into our reality, but there's no mistaking the lure of those adorable superhumans. And, in this week's comics more than ever, they're everywhere.
Marvel Comics is all about the collections this week. There are some more Secret Invasion collections — don't forget, there'll be over twenty in the end, so it's not like you have to rush out and buy them this week to get the full story. Marvel is also putting out hardcovers of Mark (Wanted, Kick-Ass) Millar's Marvel 1985 series (in which Marvel characters cross over to the "real" world twenty-four years ago), Jeph Loeb's Ultimatum: March on Ultimatum prelude (in which various characters prepare for the end of the world, even if they don't know it) and X-Men: Original Sin (in which Marvel starts putting out product ahead of the Wolverine movie later this year).
DC isn't entirely letting Marvel corner the hardcover collection market this week; they're putting out the lengthily-titled DC Comics Classics Library: Superman — Kryptonite Nevermore, which collects the classic 1970s storyline where DC did the unthinkable and let Superman get over his weakness of Kryptonite... well, for a few years, at least. That's not the only thing of note that DC's releasing this week, however. In terms of single issues, the first issue of a tie-in to the amazingly enjoyable Batman: The Brave And The Bold and the final issue of confusing-yet-enjoyable Final Crisis are both arriving in stories tomorrow, and both will be worth your time.
That said, there are two books that really should be added to your shopping list no matter what; Jonathan Hickman and JM Ringuet's Transhuman finally makes it into collected form, allowing you to swallow the sly superhuman corporate satire in one sitting. And as a perfect chaser, Dark Horse's Star Wars: Vector Book One collects the first half of this 2008 crossover event, which follows one character through four different time periods in George Lucas' galaxy far, far away, and manages to make you not only a Star Wars fan again, but also kind of curious as to whether the Expanded Universe really is as exciting as it appears here.
If you're looking for a place to find your personal genetically-modified force, then the Comic Shop Locator is always a good place to start... And once you've found your nearest comic store, double check this week's shipping list to make sure that there's nothing you've forgotten. But remember: The force needs to be within your shopping basket. Always.