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:

The Nerd Beat

I've had a number of people ask when I'll be reviewing Watchmen on the blog, and the truth is that I have read so many Watchmen reviews, I'm kind of oversaturated with the concept. However, Aaron and I did do a dedicated bonus podcast about it yesterday, which is less than 30 minutes, so I recommend downloading that (right sidebar) as a substitute. But here's the once sentence: We enjoyed it a lot, but thought it maybe didn't quite communicate its many messages to people who hadn't read the book and therefore might have seemed crazy and bad to anyone unprepared for the onslaught.

For something a little different, though, I did write a track-by-track of the soundtrack for Billboard.com, which includes context and history of each song, as well as its significance to the original book (if applicable). And, because in between business stories and Morrissey reviews I've naturally taken over the nerd niche at the magazine, here's a review of They Might Be Giants' "Flood" show last weekend.

ABC Podcast, Episode #37a and #37b (bonus Watcmen episode), and visual aids

This episode of Awesomed By Comics is brought to you by Meat Twister, left hand pork cutlet, right hand tripe! We leave the Watchmen jibber jabber for a separate bonus show, and celebrate the fact that while a mixed bag, none of this week's comics screamed for Crap of the Week. Watery books like Submariner: the Depths and Spider-Man Human Torch: Bahia de los Muertos float to the top, as does Abnett and Lanning's start on War of Kings, which breaks Aaron and Evie's hearts on behalf of Ronan the sad, sad Accuser.

Download/subscribe to the show in the right sidebar, and be sure to get both Episode #37a and Bonus Watchmen Episode #37b! Tell us what you think in the comments, or visit our show forum, and please leave an iTunes review!

Cover(s) of the Week

Aaron's pick, from Daredevil #116, cover by Marko Djurdjevic:


Evie's pick, from Echo #10, cover (and everything else) by Terry Moore:

Panel of the Week

Aaron and Evie's pick, from War of Kings #1 by Dan Abnett, Andy Lanning and Paul Pelletier:

OH MY GOD YOU GUYS

IT'S HERE, we're going to see Watchmen tonight, hurm hurm hurm n stuff! We didn't do the Thursday midnight or opening night thing because Aaron works a late shift and also we are lazy and would never wake up in the morning. So it's tonight, at a nice, reasonable, 9:15pm in a sprawling Jersey shopping center. They have an awesome Stop and Shop there.

Anyway, I'm going to say something: I don't care how good it is. Seriously. I've read the book, how awesome or crappy it is does absolutely nothing to change the book, and I don't know why people seem to act like it does. I know we don't want regular people to get a wrong or incomplete picture of OUR ART!! or anything, but who cares. I've read enough about the movie to know I'll enjoy it in some way, and it won't be a waste of money, or at least completely. See you on the other side!

(I will add here though that the incompetency of the film adaptation of The Golden Compass gave me a near aneurysm, but that's neither here nor there.)

We would have gotten away with it too, if it weren't for that meddling squid

Sorry it's been a busy week kids, so I need to pilfer content several degrees removed... but I promise you'll thank me, if you've not yet seen Saturday Morning Watchmen. The bit about Dr. Manhattan is particularly awesome.

(via Heidi)

SO OKoffkoffhackhookkaffAY!

O HAI. So the Con-SARS/plague/crud/deathbeast/whatever hasn't gone away, but I was back at work today, and after a few gallons of Starbucks Berry Chai (good tip, Heidi) and several dozen rounds of "Sunny" on repeat (seriously, it's like 2 minutes and 43 seconds of DayQuil a pop), I'm ready to share some tales!

1) My official round-ups of several Marvel/DC panels are here, the second, third and fourth news bullets. They're briefer than the Newsarama/CBR play-by-plays, but it's a different audience. And you've probably already read those. I'm not going to go into them here, beyond what I already said about DC Nation below, which has so far been the universal assessment. Marvel pretty much won this one hands-down, except I will say for the news that the Rucka/Williams Batwoman comic I was so worried would be some kind of placating mini is actually going to be a big long starring run in Detective Fucking Comics. So let's all raise a big hallelujah to that action.

2) The beard has definitively replaced the goatee in fanboy facial fashion. Which of course was replaced by bare skin in non-fanboy facial fashion about ten years ago, but you know whatever. Ok I take this back. With heightened awareness I did a little anthropological observation on my commute today, and unless 85% of the 25-42 year-old males in Manhattan read comic books, beards are apparently making quite a comeback in general.

3) Did I mention the Wonder Woman movie? Yeah, go buy it on March 3. It's tremendous.

4) The Beat's Art of Storytelling panel on Sunday was fascinating, especially for those of us who consider ourselves creative in some ways but do not at all get the kind of ideas that come to the minds of gifted creators (note I am speaking for myself, not Aaron--he gets those ideas all the time, he just needs to write one down some day). Moderated by Heidi MacDonald, it featured Marv Wolfman, Jim Lee, Carla Speed McNeil, Ben Templesmith and Terry Moore, so you know, people with big, crazy, awesome story brains.

5) Alright Lost is on now and I'm coughing up my spleen, so I'll give you the rest in some not-very-artful pictures:

Who chalks the Chalkmen!


The endlessly prolific Greg Rucka giving an interview to iFanboy's Ron Richards (whom I've spent more time talking with about Morrissey worship than comics, which is saying something)

Yeah you know I had to get Firestar's picture for Aaron, stat. She even has a Ms. Lion doll! (And did you hear? Ms. Lion is going to be a Pet Avenger!)

Hey, aren't pictures of panels the best? Greg Pak and Joe Quesada agree.

The girl in the Jessie outfit handmade these Team Rocket costumes (even though Team Rocket doesn't have a Furrett), and they made my day.


If you're going to go to karaoke at Sing Sing, get there early so your song wait time isn't three hours, which is too much. Laura knows this, and well. (From left: Popgun Vol. 3 co-editor Adam Knave, a girl whose name I didn't catch so sorry, the ubiquitous Jeff Newelt who took a knock-out turn on Shaggy's "Angel," Laura Hudson of Publishers Weekly/Comic Foundry/MTV.com/etc., Laura's friend Valery which I keep wanting to type as Valkyrie, Popgun co-editor Mark Andrew Smith, oh hi, Image Comics PR/Marketing emperor Joe Keatinge, who came down with the plague that Aaron and I are just now getting over about an hour after this picture was taken on Thursday).