It’s the last week of August, which means things are really starting to pick up. The next few weeks will see a flood of quality TV-on-DVD products, followed by an October surge of action, horror, and thriller titles, before the Christmas push starts in November. This week not only sees the start of the TV product, but it’s a great week to be a (20-something) animation fan.

First, the genre releases:

• Astro Boy, Set 2: Ultra Collector’s Edition: This is the original series.
• The Castle of Cagliostro – Special Edition: Directed by Miyazaki
• Crisis Angel Mindfreak – Halloween Special
• Darkwing Duck, Volume 1: He is the terror that flaps in the night. He is the rain that falls on your parade. He is Darkwing Duck! Man, did I ever love this show when I was a teenager.
• Lord of the Rings Trilogy: This box set includes both the theatrical and the extended editions together. Also available individually.
• Mystery Science Theater 3000 Collection Vol. 10: With “The Giant Spider Invasion,” “Godzilla vs. Megalon,” “Swamp Women” and “Teen-Age Strangler.”
• South Park – The Complete Season Eight
• TaleSpin, Vol. 1: Another Disney series. Not bad, but not Darkwing.
• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Vol. 5: Is this a great week for nostalgia animation, or what? And the best is yet to come…
• The Tick vs. Season One: This release was originally titled “The Belated 10th Anniversary Edition,” but they renamed it to avoid fears that it’s just a best of collection.

Now, the non-genre releases:

• Akeelah and the Bee: That’s a spelling bee, not an insect.
• The Andy Griffith Show – The Complete Seventh Season: The show ran for eight years.
• Arrested Development – Season 3
• Atomic Bomb Collection
• Desperate Housewives – Season Two: Complete with a storyline cut from the broadcast.
• Father of the Bride: The Vincente Minnelli original.
• For Me and My Gal: The Bubsy Berkeley musical.
• Fourteen Hours: A Fox Film Noir movie.
• Jewel of the Nile (Special Edition)
• The Leading Ladies Collection: A Warner collection including “Dial M For Murder,” “Mildred Pierce,” “Father of the Bride,” “Now, Voyager,” and “For Me And My Gal.”
• Lonesome Jim
• nip/tuck – Complete third season
• Pretty in Pink (Everything’s Ducky Edition)
• Romancing the Stone (Special Edition)
• Seduced and Abandoned (Criterion Collection)
• Shock: Fox film noir
• Some Kind of Wonderful
• The Third Movie: Certainly a good movie, but why buy this when there’s a Criterion Collection edition?
• Vicki: Fox film noir
• Will and Grace – Season Five

Finally, the pick of the week.
I’ve got to go with The Tick vs. Season One. (Note: it only contains 12 of the 13 episodes from that season. There’s a legal dispute of some kind over the last episode, but they’re trying to get it on a future release.) This was even funnier than the subsequent live action incarnation. How can you not love it? SPOOOOOOOOOON!