By special guest Johnny Bacardi!

The comic blogosphere seems to grow larger every day and just like comics, sometimes it’s pretty easy to get a little lost. “Meanwhile…” will act as your map pointing out what interesting discussions are happening out there while you’re reading Blog@Newsarama.

Does anybody else imagine the Phantom Stranger intoning that statement? Anyway, it is now time to “Follow me into weird worlds … for I am … Johnny Bacardi!” Of the never duplicated, rarely imitated mostly-comics blog The Johnny Bacardi Show. In my secret identity as David Allen Jones, humble blogger, graphic artist and wannabe media pundit, I fight the never-ending battle to entertain my readerbase, enlightening them to stuff that I think is kinda kewl in not only the world of comics but movies, music and TV. And now, my most daunting challenge of all–attempting to fill the linkblogging shoes of Shane Bailey, who is a past master at pointing everyone in fascinating new directions. I don’t know who J.K. has in mind to take over the column, but he or she will have a hard act to follow. And I don’t mean this week’s column, either.

Actually, the ol’ Comics Blogosphereiverse has been kinda quiet, as far as I can tell, as everyone basks in that post-Comic-Con glow. But it’s not like everyone stopped writing, oh no! Here are some links that I found interesting:

You can usually always find, in their parlance, “teh crack” over at the LJ community scans_daily…sometimes the snark threatens to overwhelm those of us who are allergic to it, but there are usually always a lot of interesting scans from a lot of comics I can’t/won’t/don’t buy there. One poster, who goes by grunge_hamster, posted this great old Eisner and Co. Spirit story, Rat-Tat, the Toy Machine Gun. That’s some classic Denny Colt, kids–amusing and whimsical, but still full of adventure, great characterization and even a little drama when you least expect it.

The Photoshop wizard who goes by Robby Reed and showcases his mad skillz daily at Dial B for Blog , fresh off a great week-long look at a guilty pleasure comic of mine, Swing With Scooter, has launched a new contest in which readers are invited to send in their own candidates for rejection by the Legion of Super-Heroes. I like my suggestion, Booger-Eater Lad … we’ll see how it goes. Back to Scooter, at one point on the message board the great Mark Evanier revealed that one of my favorite comics artists, Jerry Grandenetti, ghosted many issues of Swing With… for credited illustrator Joe Orlando, effectively blowing my mind and making me want to get some of those back issues now even more than ever! If you wish to dig the groovy experience that is/was Swing with Scooter, go here for part one, and proceed accordingly!

Steven Padnick of The Roar of Comics discusses the infamous Hypertime concept of just a few short years ago, which has been all-but-officially swept under the cosmic DC rug. I had wondered myself about if this concept had been totally forgotten, or if I had just overlooked it in my less-than-regular mainstream DC reading…

Jog of Jog-the-Blog fame is the gold standard for online comics criticism, if I do say so myself (and I do say so). He also makes me sick with envy when I compare it to my own feeble efforts. This week’s cases in point: his review of the latest AiT/PlanetLar release, Shatter, Casanova #2, and personal favorite Meat Cake, #15 of which has just come out from Fantagraphics.

Sleestak of Lady, That’s My Skull celebrates his one-year blogoversary by giving us … The Hal Jordan Head Injury Project! Apparently, in ’60s DC, one thing was as sure as Superdickery and Go-Go Checks … Green Lantern receiving multiple head trauma … and Sleestak aims to demonstrate. Worth checking back on.

Rodrigo Baez has resurfaced with this account of John Byrne once more sparring with posters at his message board over comments made by Neil Gaiman about Jack Kirby’s Eternals, as well as the King’s late 70’s Marvel tenure in general. I make no judgments one way or the other, but I do encourage everyone to check Rodrigo’s page so he’ll be encouraged to do more!

Mag over at the Comics Treadmill has been devoting some of his blogspace to an appreciation of the old Daredevil adversary the Stilt-Man. Or is that Stilt Man? Stiltman? Anyway, I’ve always had a soft spot for ol’ Stilty since Daredevil 8 was one of the first comics I ever owned, so I was amused to see this.

Congratulations to Heidi Meeley of Comics Fairplay for her two year blogoversary. Blogoversaries are important, you know.

It’s the Avengers vs. Joe Quesada! (2 Guys Buying Comics)

Everybody loves Comic Book Urban Legends Revealed, especially poor linkbloggers trying to fill space, and I am no exception! Here’s #63 in the series.

Here’s another Shatter review from that estimable Pop Culture Gadabout, Bill Sherman.

World-famous Dave Campbell chips in with a look at one comic I didn’t like at all many years ago, The Punisher Kills the Marvel Universe, and one I kinda did when I borrowed it from my friend and former co-worker Chris Tucker (No, not THIS Chris Tucker): The Incredible Hulk: Future Imperfect.

The always highly linkable Mike Sterling gives us this post on several subjects, all interesting … and you gotta love the casual Sergio Aragones name-drop: “Oh, Sergio came in this afternoon just to say ‘Hi!’” ho hum.

Chris Tamarri has a look at eight or so recent issues of Batman and Detective, written by James Robinson. Chris, just an aside: Robinson only co-scripted the last couple of Starman arcs, with David Goyer, I do believe.

Beaucoup Kevin Church gives us some quick thoughts on Rob Vollmar’s Bluesman and the new Gilbert Hernandez effort, Sloth. I’m not the biggest Gilbert fan out there, so I probably will pass on the latter … but I just finished reading the former and thought it was a satisfying, if somewhat far-fetched, resolution. In my opinion. Kevin’s is somewhat different.

Scipio of The Absorbascon keeps giving us more reasons to buy Manhunter, and I am down with the message, yo. Of course, all of you out there reading this are the converted that we’re preaching to, right? RIGHT?

I’m a bit surprised that there hasn’t been more discussion about the Eisner Award winners around the ‘Sphereiverse. Link courtesy of the Beat, which has been on a small hiatus of sorts over the last couple of days. Just my luck. Chuffed, as out U.K. friends say, to see Ramona Fradon and elected to the Hall of Fame. ‘Bout time. Jim Steranko, too- can’t believe he’s not already in! Now how about Jerry Grandenetti next year?

Heh. Two Jerry Grandenetti namechecks in one column! Heh heh.

I think by now everybody’s seen Tim (Comics Foundry) Leong’s SDCC video blogs, but just in case you haven’t, here’s thefirst two.

Leave it to Dorian to find the funny in an otherwise awful old Wonder Woman 1970’s story.

Finally, since Shane did it and it’s traditional or something, here’s the Illustration Site of the Week: The Pants Press Sketchblog! Pants Press is made up by several outstanding young illustrators who are now beginning to make their mark in animation as well as in anthologies such as Flight, and they are as follows: the amazing Vera Brosgol (I’ve been championing her stuff for over three years now, and I regret nothing, do you hear? Nothing! It’s Vera’s world, and we’re all living in it), the equally amazing Jen Wang, Clio Chiang, Erika Moen, Dylan Meconis, and last but certainly not least Bill Mudron. It’s always a treat to see a Pantsketch entry pop up on my LJ friends page.

Alrighty then, that’s all I got. A million thanks to John Parkin (Say that name a few times with a Jamaican accent, and you’re instantly caught up in a wave of Buckaroo Banzai nostalgia! Well, I am anyway…) for the opportunity to stand in for Shane (whom I now have even more admiration for–this linkblogging thang is hard), and I hope I haven’t bored anybody too much!

This entry was posted on Tuesday, August 1st, 2006 at 12:50 pm and is filed under Meanwhile.... You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.