Pressing question that I'm too lazy to Google

Despite that fact that I was totally the shit in science in like eighth grade (seriously I was totally that girl until calculus got involved), I don't know the answer to this: is an "energy signature" a legitimately useful thing, or is it ubiquitous comic book schmiency bullshit? Or C), is it a sometimes legitimately useful thing in specific situations that is used by comic book writers in bullshitty ways all the damn time? I'm guessing that one. Anyway, your insight is welcome.

It's really cold in here and my socks are wet

So the election is a week from today, and eight days from right now I'll either be elated, or suicidal, or homicidal, or fleeing the riot-torn streets, or feasting on Swiss Miss and Kraft Dinner in the name of delicious celebration or dire comfort food because either way everyone's still broke. And that led me to think about the economic crisis and how everyone's worried about their jobs whether they have supportable reason to be or not, and then about how if everything else went to hell, it would be so nice if we could all just relax and work in comic book stores. I imagine that those of you who own/work in comic book stores probably find that laughable for any number of reasons, but cut me some slack, I really needed to get my stream of consciousness away from the macaroni and cheese.

ABC Podcast, Episode #20 and visual aids

This week's Awesomed By Comics is sponsored by whinging Chinese ghosts, because Two and a Half Men jokes are so pre-economic crisis. We celebrate this 20th episode with a brutal Twenty Questions smack-down, and big event comics are anything but. Aaron oh-so-unpredictably finds a hero in Top Shelf's The Man Who Loved Breasts, and then frames Evie for a rude sound. Make sure you're registered to vote.

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Cover(s) of the Week

Aaron's Pick: Noble Causes #57, cover by Ryan Ottley



Evie's Pick: Runaways #3, cover by Humberto Ramos



Panel(s) of the Week

Evie's Pick: from She-Hulk #34 by Peter David and Vincenzo Cucca



Aaron's Picks: from Noble Causes #57 by Jay Faerber and Yildiray Cinar



And from The Man Who Loved Breasts by Robert Goodin

He's a complicated man, but no one understands him but his woman

Anyone else hearing blaxploitation disco hooks in the background of Final Crisis: Submit? No? Just me?

Like Catwoman, but more uptight

So this is rather interesting news, that there will be a new Black Panther, and that she will be a lady. It's especially interesting because a new Black Panther cartoon is starting on BET next year, presumably starring T'Challa, and Reginald Hudlin doesn't seem to be concerned about the crossover mismatch. It's especially especially interesting because DC has just canceled Manhunter and the Minx line, and Marvel is actually replacing a popular male superhero with a female, at least for as long as it holds. This isn't the same as the girl Kraven or Lady Bullseye that just showed up, because a) they're villains, and b) they're not really replacing their male counterparts as much as being probably short-lived vehicles for something or other. But the Black Panther identity is sort of divinely hereditary by design, so all signs point to the unidentified female successor as being much more than a copy cat (uh, no pun and all that).

The Black Panther series lately has been pretty decent, and Jason Aaron's Secret Invasion crossover run was lovely (unlike, you know, Secret Invasion). But I certainly won't be joining in any choruses of protest against this move, because Storm has recently returned to the X-Men in Astonishing, and I'm cool with that, and maybe this means she'll stay and T'Challa will, like, come be their spiritual adviser or something. Also, duh, lady Black Panther. Rawr.

ABC Podcast, Episode #19 and visual aids

This episode of Awesomed By Comics is brought to you by The Happiness of Fish, and trust us, we know. A lackluster week is made shinier by Image and Dark Horse standouts, and made sadder by the lead sack of lead balls that is Mighty Avengers. Evie has now caught up with Aaron age-wise, and they celebrate with Lego Batman, at least in theory.

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Cover of the Week

Evie and Aaron's Pick: Amazing Spider-Man #573, variant cover by Joe Quesada



Panel(s) of the Week

Aaron's pick: from Astonishing X-Men #27 by Warren Ellis and Simone Bianchi



Evie's pick: from The Flash #245 by Alan Burnett and Carlo Barberi

Hobnobbing with crooks = Palling around with terrorists

If you missed Wednesday's debate, here it is pretty much word for word:

O hai, I'm a million years old

A very happy 21st birthday to Cannonball, and also to me. Except that when he was born I was old enough to have a bowling party, and get the "Straight Up" cassingle.

So I guess that would make Sarah Palin Frankie Ray

From ThinkProgress.org's debate live blog:

9:48: McCain said we had to fight the first Gulf War to prevent Saddam Hussein from threatening our “world supply.” Presumably he meant “oil supply.” Alternatively, perhaps McCain is Galactus and needs to devour worlds to survive.

Three dollars and a Vs. System promo card of the Herald of your choice for the best artistic rendering of this concept.

Finally a post about politics AND comics

...except it's still sort of cheating in the "fresh, new blog content" department. Anyway, please visit this article I wrote for this week's Publishers Weekly Comics Week, about some of the comic industry's contributions to Campaign '08. By which I mean politically themed projects, not secret 527 money.

Anyway, sorry I've been such a bad blogger. I've been sick and stupid, with all remaining firing synapses directed at things like the article above. I will eat some spinach tonight.

ABC Podcast, Episode #18 and visual aids

This week's Awesomed By Comics is sponsored by Two and a Half Men, known as a poet, calligrapher, and instigator of a probable death toll in the tens of millions. Secret Six, X-Men and Hal Jordan stand out relative to a slow week, and Obama and McCain square off in the age-old invisibility vs. flight debate. Word of caution: Evie is very sick, and totally sucks in this episode.

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Cover(s) of the Week

Evie's picks: Wonder Woman #25, cover by Bernard Chang


Spider-Man Loves Mary Jane #3, cover by Terry Moore


Aaron's pick: Final Crisis: Revelations #3, variant cover by Philip Tan


Panel(s) of the Week

Aaron's picks: From Green Arrow and Black Canary #13 by Judd Winick, art by Mike Norton (note: context is that Mia has just told Dodger she is HIV positive, figures he won't be interested anymore)



From Secret Six #2 by Gail Simone, art by Nicola Scott



Evie's pick: From Secret Six #2 by Gail Simone, art by Nicola Scott

Horsies FTW

This is delightful. My favorite:



Some requests, should anyone who can draw for anything (i.e. not me) be so inspired:

Marvel Bratz
Marvel Luchadores
Marvel Drummers
Marvel Gingerbread Men
Marvel Dentists
Marvel Trannies

Oh bloody hell

Since interviewing Greg Rucka, I've been catching up on his work that I hadn't read yet, both comics and prose--and in case you want to accuse me of not thoroughly preparing beforehand, well, he's written a fucking lot, so I'd still done pretty well. Anyway, because of what I'd already read and the order that I found stuff, I've been kind of doing it back-asswards, thereby spoiling things for myself in both the Queen & Country timeline and the Atticus Kodiak novels. And now Rucka has posted the first three chapters of the forthcoming Kodiak novel, Walking Dead, on his blog--and like a total fucking idiot I started to read it, and within a paragraph, I've already spoiled an important outcome (to me anyway) of the most recent book Patriot Acts, which I was going to buy when it comes out in paperback next month.

Anyway, I'm still damn sick so don't know what the point of this is except to say that if you haven't read his books and are considering it, don't read those preview chapters. Do read the books though, IN ORDER, because they are some of the best in breath-holding suspense.

Oliver Clark for Secretary of Blood and Thunder

You may have noticed that I have an ongoing dilemma regarding whether to double-post some non-comics-related tidbits on both this blog and the one they belong on. So as to be not quite so neurotic, I'll just go ahead and link over there instead of totally reposting. So here, ok, happy We can has more Dows? Armageddon Day.

Hack

Like a lot of the rest of the world, I'm sick. In the virus way, not the homicidal way, not yet. I'm annoyed because I was going to go to the Comic Foundry issue release party tonight, but at least I got my comics yesterday--including the two Presidential Materials biographies from IDW, the writers of which (Jeff Mariotte and Andy Helfer) were conveniently signing the books at Forbidden Planet, which is equally conveniently two blocks from my office. So there you go, there's two comic-related recommendations for you so I don't feel like all I wrote was that I couldn't think of anything to write because I'm sick. Oh, and make sure you're registered to vote.

ABC Podcast, Episode #17 and visual aids

This episode of Awesomed By Comics is brought to you by the Today is Aaron's Birthday Company! And also John Cafferty and his Superhero Knock-Knock Jokes and Karaoke, Inc. Evie gives accolades to green-costumed man-on-man action, and Aaron totally has a thing for submarines. Several new indie series impress, and Vixen proves that she can still be awesome after a rough year.

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Cover(s) of the Week

Aaron's Pick: Vixen--Return of the Lion #1, cover by Cafu (or Joshua Middleton?)


Evie's Pick: Supergirl #34, cover by Joshua Middleton


Panel(s) of the Week

Evie's Pick: from DC Universe: Decisions #2, by Judd Winick and Bill Willingham, art by Howard Porter


Aaron's Pick: From Sub-Mariner--The Depths #2, by Peter Milligan and Esad Ribic

Suckers

To all the people who claim not to be at all confused by Batman RIP because obviously its an ingenious homage to 60 years of character history and a deeply calculated depiction of the toll Batman's life has taken on his psyche, I have a message from Grant Morrison:



(Panel from Batman #680)

Sarah Palin Prepares for Tonight's Debate at the Fortress of Solitude, Jor-El Hologram Not Much Help

(photo via)