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Next week is going to be nuts for me! Needless to say, I have a lot of nice things to say about a lot of books that you may not have heard of, but are nevertheless hitting the shelf next week, so be sure you read through the entire massive list!

We're got out tickets for the Yankees and Orioles game tomorrow night, and while I'm disappointed that the Yankees have let a 10 game lead in the AL East slip away from them, I'm excited to see a game that means a lot to both teams. And I can't wait for Griffin and Riley to see my start freaking out anytime anything happens.

Even with baseball and comics in the mix, I find I'm most looking forward to all of the food we'll be eating, and as I was sitting around thinking about junk the other day, I realized that I've always been that way. It's not just Buzz & Ned's ribs in Richmond or Phillip's seafood in Baltimore. Or Katz's Deli in New York or Lou Malnati's in Chicago.

It was stopping at the Dan'l Boone Inn in Boone on the way to NASCAR races at Bristol with my family in the spring and fall. It was chili dipped burgers at Martinsville Speedway. My grandma's home cooking. And the list could go on.

I need to get to a gym.

I'm seriously considering reading all New 52 #0's. Not because I'm really interested in where all of the new characters came from and how their origins differ from those we knew pre-reboot. Just to remind myself of the agony of trying to cram in another 6-10 books into the week, just like last September when the #1's were coming through. In many cases, that would be the first time I'd read an issue of those series since the first issues. #firstworldproblems

Spending the afternoon at home working on a super secret Acme project that could change the face of the next year completely! I won't be playing it close to the vest for too long though, so make sure you're checking in on Twitter and Facebook this afternoon for word!

Beyond that, next week is one of the strongest "fifth week" Wednesdays we've seen since the New 52 began a year ago! Justice League floats over, Phantom Lady debuts, National Comics shines it's second spotlight on the Looker and you get not one, not two, but three annuals for Detective Comics, Flash and Green Lantern!

Locke & Key returns in single issues with the Grindhouse one-shot, Spaceman wraps up and Debris rolls on!

Lots to do today, including two of the best and biggest meetings of my life!

Next week is "Book Rush" at Addam's University Book Store on Tate St., where Carly is the manager and I encourage all returning UNCG students to buy your books. It's their busiest time of the year, and it's not uncommon for Carly to spend 14 hours a day explaining to people that they can't return their books without a receipt, they can't accept financial aid because they're not the on-campus book store, and they don't have used copies of the books they're looking for because they were required to ship them to a larger university store because that text book manager hadn't properly prepared for the semester.

Lately I've been thinking a lot about the fact that both Carly and I base the entire livelihood of our household in print media retailers despite the fact that print is "dying". I'm giving two talks in the next month about digital comics, how the industry is adapting and where I think it's heading. While iPads and other tablets continue to become more prevalent, I don't think we're going anywhere. I know we're not going anywhere any time soon.

Because there are still stores like the one above, Tokyo's Tokyo, a labor of love that transcends the covers of the book to infect the surroundings.

Because there are still customers, readers, fans and friends like you guys, on the Winning Team.

Many of you spoke up and our friends at Lost Ark Video Games have listened! Beginning next week, stop by 2823 Spring Garden Street to try out the brand-new '90s inspired X-Men Pinball Table!

That's not all! Lost Ark will be running a high score challenge, wrapping up on Saturday, and the winner will walk away with a prize worth in excess of $100 provided by us! And next Wednesday, August 8th, after picking up your new books, bring your Acme Comics receipt into Lost Ark to receive two FREE Plays on X-Men!

I got to try out the new table along with Jermaine and Riley out at San Diego, and let me tell you, it's full of nostalgia, variant back glass and plenty of tricks courtesy of the Master of Magnetism himself!

I don't want to go into it again, but I had an experience at the store late last week and really opened my eyes to the way things work out in the world. A part of that experience was a customer handing back a few copies of Journey into Mystery, saying he didn't have money to spend on the more "out there" titles like that.

"Out There"? You mean that book starring Loki, God of Mischief, from the Thor and Avengers movies? Ok, got it.

But that's how most shops view comics. If it's not Thor, Captain America or Iron Man's name on the book, it doesn't get ordered because that's not what people want. And then those customers don't even have a choice.

No more Iron Man 2.0. No more Cap & Bucky. No more Journey into Mystery.

It's been one of my favorite books since Kieron Gillen took over and the title changed with #622. I think it's been endearing and fun, the way comics should be. Journey isn't part of Marvel NOW! But it's nice to know that some people loved it as much, and even more, than me.

Jermaine is back in town and all is right with the world!

As I type I'm over Salt Lake City at 25,000 feet. Disappointing, because I had a great "I don't know/ Idaho" pun all planned out.

It's been an insane 24 hours.

We go into it with a ton of details on this week's Acmecast #85, but next week is HUGE! Everyone is putting out everything you've been waiting for just in time for San Diego Comic Con International! Remember how two week's ago I was complaining about picking up 27 floppies? Try 37! TSA is going to be looking at me like I'm NUTS!