It's like punching a hole in the fabric of time

This week is the CMJ Music Marathon, meaning hundreds of rock shows all over New York that need to be seen and written about and hyped and/or dismissed as overhyped. So I've been out late more or less doing these things, cramming comics in when I can. I didn't even get to the store until today, so I had them all in my bag, grabbing a few pages here and there.

Tonight I saw an amazing earlyish set by the Extra Lens, a collaboration between John Darnielle of the Mountain Goats and Franklin Bruno of the Human Hearts, and I highly recommend you do this thing should it come up in your general vicinity. Anyway, I have a brief bus ride from the subway to my house, so I plunked down in the virtually empty bus and pulled out this week's Hulk #26 by Jeff Parker and Gabriel Hardman. I'm pretty behind on the whole Hulk thing right now, but I'm taking third chair on iFanboy tomorrow night, and it will be discussed, plus I feel like I should get off my ass in re: anything those guys are putting out.

A stop after the one I get on, three dudes got on, probably early to mid-20s. They took a few steps in and then kind of froze in a line, like they'd accidentally walked in on a knifing. Then without warning, they were sitting two in the seats behind me, one in the seat in front of me. Dude behind me clears his throat and is all "Excuse me, I'm sorry to bother you, but what exactly are you reading?" I flipped the cover closed, and they all looked at each other like I'd shown them a baby dinosaur in my purse. "Oh WOW," says the talker. "I was just wondering because, see, I very rarely see any women reading graphic novels or anything of that nature."

So first of all: I'm reading Hulk #26. You don't need to pull out the "graphic novel" talk, you and I both know I'm reading a comic book.

Second, and I feel this is important: You really jumped the gun in immediately launching into a loud, practiced discussion amongst yourselves about your respective statuses in World of Warcraft. I realize that maybe a grown woman reading that week's Hulk book on her commute is sort of unusual, but it really didn't constitute a challenge to the order of the universe. I don't know the first thing about WoW and/or its classes of dragon, and while I could flatter myself that you assumed this alternate topic was something we could share, I'm inclined to think it was something else. Maybe if you'd asked me what else I'd read this week, or who some of my favorite writers are, or something like that, we could have been friends for that five minute bus ride. As it is, looking over my shoulder and whispering "Iron Man" didn't really seal any bonds.

I know you were in shock, and I apologize for forcing you to improvise under stress. But hopefully this experience will prepare you for future double rainbows, or urban tornadoes, or girls reading comic books in public.

THAT'S FUNNY, SHE DOESN'T SAY ANYTHING ABOUT SWIMMING??

(Click to enlarge)

Glad to see that DC is committed to clarity and quality control where it concerns diverse new legacy characters.

Rise of Arsenal

There's a fine line between the worst and best things:

Awesomed By Comics: officially better than This American Life

From the letters page of this week's Amazing Spider-Man #615, which editor Stephen Wacker wrote the week before Thanksgiving, wherein he lists the things he is most thankful for:

For the record, I am a professional music critic and think both Adam Lambert and George Michael are extremely talented and dynamic performers.

But anyway, what company, huh? From the bottom of our hearts, a real honor sir. Especially given the delightfully varied reviews we've given certain members of your book's creative team over the past year-plus. But the highs have been quite high indeed.

ABC Podcast, Episode #61 and visual aids

This episode of Awesomed By Comics is brought to you by the block-rockin' beats of a certain indestructible mutant MC who stepped up to throw down in our rap battle with the poseur zeroes at the War Rocket Ajax podcast. Breathe his hype man's rarefied air and suck it. Winners this week include Echo, Incredible Hercules, and Power Girl's kitty. Hey now. Also, come see us this Thursday night at MOCCA on a panel about Comics and the Press.

Download/subscribe to the show here or in the right sidebar, and leave an iTunes review! Tell us what you think in the comments, or visit our show forum.

Cover(s) of the Week

Aaron's pick, from Spider-Woman #1, cover by Alex Maleev:


Evie's pick, from Power Girl #5, cover by Amanda Conner:


Panel(s) of the Week

Evie's pick, from Detective Comics #857 by Greg Rucka and JH Williams III (click to enlarge):


Aaron's picks, from Power Girl #5 by Jimmy Palmiotti, Justin Gray and Amanda Conner (click to enlarge):


and from Guardians of the Galaxy #18, by Abnett and Lanning and Wesley Craig:

It's a world of laughter, a world of fear

Yeah, so Disney bought Marvel today. The crossover jokes are already flying across the world like the Scarlet Witch on Angela Lansbury's enchanted bed, so you better get yours in before they're all used up.

If any artists out there want to whip me up a sketch of the iconic "Lady and the Tramp" spaghetti scene with Lady and Wolverine, I will pay you 500 Disney Dollars.

Which Bat are you again?

I could not even begin to tell you why in a hundred million years, because it's so not worth any of our time, but I have some stuff to say about Batgirl #1. However I have much work to do before I can do that, so I just wanted to send up a flare. You can either come back later, or vow not to come back for a week, depending on whether you're the type that slows down for highway pile-ups.

NOTHING SUCKS, AS YOU WERE PLEASE!!

Gee whiz, us comics fans, you know? We jump to conclusions at the slightest provocation. We see a solicitation from one of the Big Two that suggests a fan-favorite comic has been downgraded from an ongoing to a back-up, or canceled all together, and we assume this to be the case. This is because it is usually the case.

HOWEVER. Please disregard my kvetching post below. Straight from the golden typing fingers of Jeff Parker himself, I received confirmation that the Agents of Atlas ongoing is NOT CANCELED, that the team is "going to be doing a bunch of specials and a Volume 3, to try to lure in new readers. Help me get that message across pleeeeez."

So, my faith in humanity is restored, please spread the word, get people to buy both Incredible Hercules AND Agents of Atlas, and all will be well.

Well, this sucks

As Sandy just urgently DM'd me, Marvel's solicitation for the Assault on New Olympus one-shot, out November 4, includes the announcement that "the iHerc team proudly welcomes our new INCREDIBLE HERCULES on-going back-up feature... THE AGENTS OF ATLAS, written by fan favorite scribe Jeff Parker!"

Wow yay, my two favorite Marvel series in the same book! WAIT A MINUTE--Agents of Atlas BACK-UP feature? FANTASTIC. So Agents of Atlas is canceled. As another friend exclaimed when I gave him the unconfirmed news, WHY DO YOU PEOPLE HATE FUN?

Anyway, trying to find out whether this is true, but I can't see how it isn't. Dammit, comics-purchasing hordes. Why do you people hate fun.

Once upon a time there was a scientist named Henry Pym

Last week we warned you that we were going to Boston over this past weekend, and may not be able to do the podcast. What we should have obviously known is that our car, which you may have now come to think of via past events as Ultron, would not make it all the way to Massachusetts and would instead just stop running while we were driving 80 on I-95 in Connecticut. As it is wont to do.

After a bunch of fun with AAA and Pep Boys and whatever, we did make it back home on Saturday (no Boston or friend visits or Ponyo for us, boooo), but then everything else we own started falling apart, like our furniture, and our will to live, so there was a lot of time spent at Home Depot, and Carvel. Back next week, pinky swear.

Ain't Nuthin but the Greatest Idea Ever

I'm sure most to all of you are in some way familiar with Chris Sims, author of the Invincible Super-Blog, Woman of A.C.T.I.O.N. comics and other smart and funny things on Comics Alliance and elsewhere. Anyway, I was at work late last night, stressing over some edits, when the IM window below pops onto my screen. Chris's 27th birthday is tomorrow, you can all start ordering the strippers now.

Chris:
Evie I had the best idea.
The BEST.

Evie:
oh yes?

Chris:
You know those shirts?

Evie:
which ones?

Chris:
The ones that are based on the Beatles one?
The one that goes:
John &
Paul &
George &
Ringo

Evie:
yes yes
yup

Chris:
OKAY.
I want one that says:
Like This &
Like That &
Like This &
Uh

Drama League: Bitch and Moan for Justice

Hey, can someone who's really good at Illustrator or something whip me up a green-tinged hard-light construct that resembles a cheese wheel? I think Hal Jordan needs something to go with that whine.

(Normally I would save the Crap of the Week pot-shots for the podcast, but the internet is already alight at the spectacular groanfest that is Justice League: Cry for Justice #1. Brilliant Take Down of the Century most assuredly goes to Caleb Mozzoco, who realized that Hal's little piss parade is really just one big Danzig quote). OK, UPDATE: Cheryl Lynn's Superman-what-has-had-it-up-to-here-with-that-asshat just made me weep awesome sauce.

Comic Relics of Yore and Stuff

Last weekend, we made a semi-spontaneous trip to Baltimore to see an Orioles game (they blew it in the ninth, naturally) and visit the Geppi Entertainment Museum next to Camden Yards, which, if you haven't visited, is well worth the $1 game-day admission price (and even worth the $10 on non-game days, if you're in the geek-out zone). It is a veritable children's treasury of comics paraphernalia and WTF delights, so I thought I'd share a few faves in picture format. Do enjoy:

The comics room. Overheard here, by a dad to his toddler son in front of the early issues of Action: "That comic is worth more than your organs!"

So it HAS been done before! Presidential Material 1.0!


And, uh... yeah.

As if there isn't enough grit in Hell's Kitchen.

If I could own any classic #1, it might be this one.


Yeah, that's right Bendis. This is where the first issue of Powers goes in a museum. Deal.

This cover improves my mood every. Single. Time. I. See. It.

Ooo, win my own pony!! Wait what the hell is that?

Guns. For Pez. PEZ GUNS.


Superman, in the pocket of Big Wheat.


GAAAAAHHH! DO NOT WANT.


Funny, this was the theme of my 16th birthday party.


.........


Ok, so there was this amazing display of Barbies in evening gowns, and I have to admit I was kind of in awe and drooling a little at all the pretty pretty dolls in their dresses. And then there was this, one of the limited editions celebrating Barbie's 50th. I want you to just look hard at this, and think about it for a few minutes, until you can't think about it any more.

Imperius Text

I promise a real post before I die, but for the moment I just wanted to let you know that Prince Namor has started microblogging from the deep, so if you have a Twitter feed, you really need to start following @NamorSubMariner immediately.

It's April, Fools

It's April 1st, which means the internet today is filled with HILARITY. Not really though, because pulling an elaborate stunt today is actually pretty hack. I did consider it for about 45 seconds though, before I had coffee, so here I give you some rejected ideas for How to Hoodwink ABC Readers, for Laffs:

- Awesomed By Comics changing to Awesomed By Bella Sara Online Princess Horse Community.
- Introducing guest column by Grant Morrison, who thinks we're hilarious.
- We've decided to boycott comics for the foreseeable future, because of Jesus.
- I'm humbly asking for donations because I lost my job. Not because of the terrible media climate in which half the people in my line of work are getting laid off, but because in a rage I called my boss a Poozer.
- Introducing guest column by Rob Liefeld, who thinks we're hilarious.
- Regretfully have to shut down the podcast, due to cease and desist letter from Charlie Sheen, Jon Cryer, and some precocious child.
- Militant feminist rant about the underrepresentation of Wolverine in mainstream comic books.
- Blog and podcast going on hiatus while in counseling--caught Aaron dressed as Firestar, rolling around in a bathtub full of ice cubes.

Financial Tip of the Week

I saw this on 14th St., and just thought I'd mention that, if you were considering it, I'd recommend against this purchase:

It's like after Stonewall, or something

I take a short bus ride (the ride is short, not the bus, meanies) from the train to my house after work, and tonight's trip was a bit shocking. The guy on my left was reading Y: The Last Man, I was reading Love & Rockets, and the couple on my right was flipping through Wizard (or something) and talking about Rick Remender and Walking Dead. This was a half-full public bus, driving through Jersey City. Is this what it means to be in a post-Watchmen-movie world?

OH COME ON

This is PREPOSTEROUS. And three times? This is the laziest porn ever, Billy Tan.

Oh right, I forgot

Best line overheard on convention floor:

"Hey, let's go over to that place I was telling you about, Don Henley's Universe or whatever."

Huh?

I have a sneaking suspicion that Grant's going to have to join us on the podcast this weekend to explain exactly what the hell just happened.