The Politics and Prose downtown also has a couple events of note this week. Christopher Caldwell will speak at 7 p.m. Tuesday about the issues facing Muslim immigrants in European countries that he discusses in his book “Reflections on the Revolution in Europe,” and at 7 p.m. Thursday, Jonathan Tropper drops by to promote his latest, “This Is Where I Leave You,” about a parenting expert mom and her four kids bringing their dysfunctional family together at the funeral of the fam’s patriarch.

With the big news of Disney buying Marvel Entertainment for a cool $4 billion, turning the comics world on its head, people are now worried about Scrooge McDuck and the Thing team-ups. Who knows what will happen, but Mickey Mouse needs to turn “Luke Cage Noir” into a flick, stat! Northern Virginia artist Shawn Martinbrough’s astounding illustrations are only part of what is making this miniseries great, and the second issue features Tombstone, a nasty Spider-Man villain and albino gangster who’s reimagined here as, well,  an albino gangster who’s back to rough up Harlem ex-con Luke Cage.

Also out this week: Reston native Steve Niles’ collection of his Batman series “Gotham After Midnight”; the debut of the new monthly “Magog,” spinning out of “JSA”; “Absolute V For Vendetta,” for all you Alan Moore completists out there; and Jeff Lemire’s “Sweet Tooth,” possibly Vertigo’s newest hit series starring a boy with deer antlers and only costing a buck for its first issue.

What books have leaked from your summer reading list into your fall one? Let me know in the comments.

The great Kevin Smith, filmmaker and fanboy extraordinaire, found success (and met deadlines!) with his recent Batman miniseries, “Cacophony,” and he throws the Caped Crusader in more trouble in the interestingly titled “Widening Gyre.” Somebody should have had him write one of the new “Blackest Night” miniseries! Another one rises this week, this one starring the Titans,  as its members are forced to go one on one with Black Lantern versions of their deceased friends and loved ones. One of the oldest superhero teams, the Fantastic Four, gets a new creative team in writer Jonathan Hickman and artist Dale Eaglesham in its 570th issue, and if you’re a fan of Dan Brown, you may dig “Spin Angels,” the new series that crosses Mafia hitmen and a black-ops unit that works for the Vatican.

What superhero (or villain) do you most want to see come back as a Black Lantern during “Blackest Night”? Let me know in the comments.

Those who are interested in breaking down fiction, or even just writing some, may want to stop by Politics and Prose downtown at 7 p.m. Wednesday, when James Wood will be chatting about his collection of essays, “How Fiction Works.” The store also hosts local author Eugenia Kim at 7 p.m. Tuesday when she’ll be there promoting her debut novel “The Calligrapher’s Daughter,” about her mother’s struggles in Japanese-occupied Korea.

There’s been all these shakeups in Gotham City lately, with a new Batman and Robin and the town going to heck with Arkham’s finest running amok, so why not add a new Batgirl to the mix? She makes her debut this week in her own monthly title, and the Man of Steel’s got one heck of a problem in the form of Black Lantern Superman when the ring-bearing corpse shows up in Smallville in “Blackest Night: Superman.” Daredevil celebrates his 500th issue by continuing his arc with Kingpin and Lady Bullseye, “Punisher Noir” (written by the fantastic Frank Tieri) looks great with the gun-toting vigilante targeting Dutch Schultz, and the first two books from the Vertigo Crime line debut: Ian Rankin’s “Dark Entries” (starring John Constantine) and Brian Azzarello’s “Filthy Rich.”

“The Time-Traveler’s Wife” debuted in theaters on Friday, so if you’ve seen it, what’s better: the movie or the book? Let me know in the comments.

The debut issue of “Blackest Night” last month was fantastic, and so should the second issue be this week. It’s getting pretty crazy with the Martian Manhunter, the Dibnys and (possibly) Hawkman and Hawkgirl being turned into Black Lanterns. Who’s next? I can’t wait to see, because Geoff Johns is writing some magnificent stuff. Batman gets his own “Blackest Night” miniseries, and he’s teaming up with Deadman to deal with some resurrected people from his own past. Also debuting is “Adventure Comics” featuring Superboy and Starman from the Legion of Superheroes, and “The Marvels Project,” a series breaking out of Marvel’s 70th anniversary this year that tells the origins of the Marvel Universe.

Better fantasy epic: “Dune” or “The Lord of the Rings”? As always, let me know in the comments!

Being a comic geek, one of the events I’m most looking forward to is on Saturday, when the very talented Ben Templesmith stops by Laughing Ogre Comics in Lansdowne for a signing between 12 and 4 p.m. He’s one of the best horror comics around, co-creating “30 Days of Night” with Reston native Steve Niles and hatching both “Welcome to Hoxford” and “Wormwood: Gentleman Corpse,” which he writes as well. He also co-created and does the art for Warren Ellis’ fantastic “Fell.” His style is unmistakably detailed and colorful, so definitely be sure to check this out since he’ll be signing anything and everything.

And while you’re in the comics mood, be sure to pick up the debut issue of the new “Doom Patrol” series. The “world’s strangest superheroes” have gone through many different incarnations since 1963, but this time could be better than ever since the book’s courtesy of writer Keith Giffen. Also out this week: We fnd out what happened to the Masters of Evil when the Scarlet Witch went bonkers in a “House of M” special; “Luke Cage Noir,” featuring the great period art of Falls Church’s own Shawn Martinbrough; and everybody’s searching for Steve Rogers in the second issue of “Captain America: Reborn,” while Steve is doing his best “Lost” impression and is somewhere else in time.

It’s now August! What’s the one summer read you still need to get to before Labor Day? Let me know in the comments.

Go to: Sarah Dunant’s signing at Politics and Prose downtown at 7 p.m. Wednesday, July 29. She’s presenting “The Sacred Heart,” a 16th-century historical fiction revolving around a convent and perfect for anybody who was a fan of her “The Birth of Venus.”

Read: “Amazing Spider-Man” No. 600. It’s a milestone issue for Spidey, and to celebrate, Doctor Octopus is back! All eight of those mechanized arms will be in full effect, as will an appearance by Daredevil, a wedding the Webhead never saw coming and a return of someone we haven’t seen in a while. All that and Stan Lee, too.

Watch: One of three movies this week, depending on your interests (and age): the Disney family adventure “G-Force,” starring a bunch of guinea pigs who are crazy good at espionage; the chick flick “The Ugly Truth” pitting Katherine Heigl and Gerard Butler in a war of the sexes; or “Orphan,” a horror movie featuring one of the creepiest little girls since those twins in “The Shining.”

Buy: “Watchmen” Director’s Cut on Blu-ray. OK, you can get the standard edition, but this is the kind of thing that makes you upgrade your current home entertainment system. While the movie was good in the theater, Zack Snyder’s director’s cut is 30 minutes longer, features more stuff cut from the Alan Moore masterpiece, and looks INSANE in high definition. Seriously, go now. Turn off the computer. It’ll still be here when you get back.

What are your feelings on standard editions vs. super-duper extended extreme editions of movies on DVD? Let me know what you prefer in the comments, and here’s your video of the next two weeks:

The store also hosts another couple of events for those interested in world history: Seth Jones will be speaking at 7 p.m. Wednesday on his book about the many world powers that have tasted defeat by invading Afghanistan, “In the Graveyard of Empires,” and Matthew Aid stops by at 7 p.m. Thursday to chat about his chronicling of the National Security Agency, “The Secret Sentry.”

A little bit closer to home, popular chick-lit author Jennifer Weiner will be in town at 7:30 p.m. Thursday at the Baileys Crossroads Borders and signing copies of her new book, “Best Friends Forever,” a female-friendly story about two childhood pals reconnecting after years apart thanks to unforeseen circumstances.

Many movie and book fans have been awaiting this day for a while, and on Tuesday at midnight, “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” finally hits theaters. It was supposed to get released last November, but was pushed to this summer, much to fans’ chagrin.

The sixth book was by far my favorite of the J.K. Rowling series, as it delved deeper into Voldemort’s past and showed how Dumbledore was involved, introduced the all-important seven horcruxes, and allowed Harry and his pals to grow up a little bit more. If the new movie’s even half as good as the book, it’ll probably the best one yet. Director David Yates is back in the saddle, too, which bodes well for the movie franchise after doing a spot-on job with “Order of the Phoenix.” (Of course, I don’t think anyone’s going to come close to what Alphonso Cuaran did with the third film, “Prisoner of Azkaban.”)

So what’s your fave Potter book and movie, and do they match? Let me know in the comments.

As a newer fan of AMC’s great retro show “Mad Men,” I’ve been anxiously awaiting Tuesday’s DVD release of the second season. Who doesn’t love Jon Hamm’s oh-so-dapper Don Draper? And all the drinking and smoking that you can handle on your flat-screen. Now you’ve got the time to catch up before the third season premieres next month. Those who love sketch comedy and missed it in the ’90s will want to check out the complete series of MTV’s “The State.” Also on store shelves: the debut season of TNT’s “Leverage” with Timothy Hutton; the HBO movie “Grey Gardens” with Drew Barrymore and Jessica Lange; the World War II period drama “The Edge of Love,” starring Keira Knightley, Sienna Miller and Cillian Murphy; the Virginia Madsen horror flick “The Haunting in Connecticut”; the Dennis Quaid thriller “Horsemen”; and the Blu-ray debut of the 1974 disaster classic “The Towering Inferno.”

What’s your favorite war movie, you guys? Would you put “Platoon” over “Apocalypse Now? “The Dirty Dozen” over “Full Metal Jacket”? Let me know in the comments, and check out your video of the week:

Did you catch “Captain America: Reborn” at your comic shop last week? Get it now if you haven’t, especially if you like “Lost.” But this week is the time to start gearing up for “Blackest Night,” since the official prologue begins in “Green Lantern” No. 43. Black Hand has been a GL for years, and we start to discover his ties to all the upcoming hubbub as the first Black Lantern is unveiled — or unearthed, as the case may be. (And should we read into the fact that Black Hand is positioned around the grave of Bruce Wayne on the cover?) DC Comics tries something new with its “Wednesday Comics,” a weekly tabloid-size book that tells tales of your fave comics characters in the newspaper comic-strip segments. (Me, I kinda like consuming my comics in their normal state.) I’m going to have to get the 13th and last volume of “100 Bullets,” entitled “Wilt,” to complete my collection, the miniseries “North 40″ features the denizens of a small Midwestern town with all sorts of weird things creepin’ around, and “Dark X-Men: The Beginning” breaks down Emma Frost’s super team in a “Utopia” tie-in.

What’s your “great American novel”? Let me know in the comments section!

D.J. Gregory, an inspirational guy with cerebral palsy who walked with a different player during each PGA Tour event, talks about his experience and will sign copies of his book “Walking with Friends” at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Baileys Crossroads Borders. At the Politics and Prose downtown, John Pipkin comes to town at 7 p.m. Wednesday to promote “Woodsburner,” his debut tome about the Massachusetts residents affected by a fire inadvertently set by Henry Thoreau.

The big news in the comic book world these days is the return of the thought-dead Steve Rogers just in time for Independence Day, and the original Cap is back in “Captain America: Reborn.” Suck it, Red Skull! Another fan favorite — one who actually never dies — gets a new series with “Deadpool: Merc with a Mouth,” which finds the antihero in the Savage Land seeking out the dangerous severed head of the Marvel Zombies Deadpool. (It’s a lot cooler than it sounds.) Those “Sex and the City” girls have nothing on “Marvel Divas,” which brings together Black Cat, Firestar, Photon and Hellcat all in the same book. I loved the debut issue of Grant Morrison’s new “Batman and Robin” so I’m looking forward to the second issue that pits the revamped Dynamic Duo against the Circus of Strange and the mysterious Professor Pyg. Those getting ready for “Blackest Night” will want to pick up the “Rage of the Red Lanterns” collection, and Vertigo takes ancient gods and tosses them into the back alleys of London town with “Greek Street.”

Because of the holiday, Hollywood’s throwing out its movies early, but Wednesday brings a doozy: Michael Mann’s “Public Enemies.” Love gangster flicks? Love Johnny Depp? This flick is like peanut butter and chocolate, with Depp as legendary most-wanted man John Dillinger in his glory days as a bank-robbing Robin Hood-esque figure. Oscar winner Marion Cotillard as his love interest, Billy Crudup as head FBI guy J. Edgar Hoover and Christian Bale as crack G-man Melvis Purvis.

What are your Fourth of July plans? Let the rest of us know of anything cool brewing in the comments section. Check out this brilliant video of the week, and have a great holiday!