You know, a lot of great comics come out every week. As many of you are fellow die-hard comic book fans (and speaking of “die-hard”, if you didn’t get the new Die Hard comic last week, pick it up this week. It was a good read!), you know this about comics.

Well, what about those people out there who are more casual fans? In this day and age, with our economy like it is, not everyone has the money to spend on buying separate issues of the comics they love every single week. Heck, I don’t have the money most of the time (although that usually doesn’t stop me). Some people have to rely solely on trade paperbacks or maybe even a hard cover collection or two to get their rare-but-glorious comic fix.

A friend of mine lent me the hard cover collection of Final Crisis this weekend since I was leaning heavily in the Marvel direction and giving DC no love whatsoever at the time that it was released. As I began to read the first few pages, it occurred to me that maybe this week I should dedicate my Quick Pick to trades and collections. Things that you might not have picked up before but are well worth picking up now that they’re being released in a TPB or HC edition. So, without making this any longer than it already is, let’s move on to this week’s picks!

1. 30 Days Of Night Collectors Set – Collecting all three parts of the original 30 Days of Night trilogy, this set comes with a sleek (and pretty awesome-looking) slip cover case. 30 Days of Night is one of the ultimate horror stories, one of the few truly scary series out there. If you’ve never read any of this trilogy before, this is a great opportunity to add it to your collection.

2. Beta Ray Bill Godhunter TPB – I had the opportunity to meet the author of this series, Kieron Gillen, after having originally read the first two parts of the story. What a gentleman, and a great and creative mind! If you’re a fan of Bronze Age comics, pick this trade up; Mr Gillen does a fantastic job of bringing this Bronze Age character into the modern day with a fantastic story where Beta Ray Bill goes toe-to-toe with none other than Galactus himself.

3.  Essential Ghost Rider TPB Vol. 03 – I’m a big fan of the “Essential” books. Some of the most amazing stories that you might have otherwise missed because they were published at a time when you didn’t read comics or weren’t into a specific title (or maybe you weren’t even born yet, you kids and your crazy rap music) can be found in the Essential books. If you’re a fan of the Hellfire Hero, then this is a must have for your collection!

4. Farscape HC Vol. 02 Strange Detractors – Calling all Sci-Fi geeks! Calling all Sci-Fi geeks! If you love Sci-Fi, then you more-likely-than-not know about the very awesome (and sadly very short lived) series Farscape. Well, over the past year or so, we’ve seen some really great continuations of the TV series in the form of comic books. Strange Detractors was the second story told taking place directly after the series and, man, it’s a good one.

5. X-Men Noir GN TPB – This list was unintentionally Marvel-heavy, I swear. However, that fact aside, I have to admit to having a strange love for Marvel’s series of “noir” comics. X-Men Noir, in particular, was a pretty great story. An interesting twist on the X-Men, none of the characters in this book have superpowers. Instead, they are a group of sociopathic teenagers taken in to a school for problem children by psychiatrist Charles Xavier. I won’t go into it any more than that in case you haven’t read, but it really is a compelling story, one worth reading — especially if you’re into noir-style comics!

BONUS! Sherlock Holmes Hound Of the Baskervilles GN – I’m a big fan of classic literature (you know, that stuff they force you to read in school that you kids and your rap music (oops, I said that already. Now I feel doubly old) read the Cliff’s Notes for), and they don’t come any more classy than Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Sherlock Holmes. The great thing about graphic novel adaptations like this is that you get the story in a form that’s enjoyable for people who don’t enjoy more difficult, older versions of the English language — or those who just don’t have time to sit down and read a book. One of the great things about comics based on literature such as this is that a lot of the description can be translated into beautiful imagery, leaving room for enjoying the plot of the story without having to wade through too much filler. If you’ve read The Hound of the Baskervilles before, and if you like Sherlock Holmes, then definitely add this to your collection. If you’re interested in a fantastic story, but have never read any of Holmes’ adventures, this is a great way to start. Heck, if you know nothing about Sherlock Holmes but are a fan of Gregory House from the TV show House, M.D., then pick up this graphic novel and take a look; Greg House is based quite a bit upon the character of Sherlock Holmes.

Anyway, that’s it from me for this week. Hopefully there’s at least one TPB or HC I’ve mentioned this week that catches your eye and piques your interest. If not, then, well, there’s always next week!