“It really is hard to avoid the impression that this book exists for no other reason than that it currently makes just slightly more money than it loses”: Tim O’Neil can’t stop reading DC’s The Outsiders, a book he finds fascinating. He reviewed the first Dan DiDio/Philip Tan issue here, wondering at its very existence (Same goes for Deadpool: Merc with a Mouth and J. Michael Straczynski’s Brave and the Bold run). Speaking of the new Outsiders, Tucker Stone finishes off his Comics of the Weak column this week by taking a look at the art and arriving at a conclusion that just plain made me sad. Oh super-comics, you depress me so…

“You’ll be able take the Bif Bam Pow out of your own ear before you criticize it in another’s”: Speaking of comics breaking one’s heart, did everyone already read Tom Spurgeon’s excellent essay about some of the obvious (but apparently not thought about often enough) comics have changed in our lifetimes? If not, it’s not too late to do so!

“Old comics return in ‘Blackest Night’”: When DC announced their clever “undead” Blackest Night tie-ins, I wondered if the mainstream, not-comics media would find zombie comics about zombie characters an interesting enough hook for coverage. I haven’t seen much of that, but here’s an article from West Virginia University’s student paper at least using that angle in the headline for a story about the series/event.

“I’ll buy a few things, or possibly nothing. Because it’s less about consumption than ritual”: Jacob Lambert writes an opinion piece meditating on the changing nature of Philadelphia’s South Street for Philadelphia Weekly, at one point discussing one of the reasons he goes there weekly—to visit his local comic shop, whether or not he actually buys new comics there or not.

Billy Ray Cyrus, Marvel?: Maxim magazine lists “11 Celebrity Comics Books We Can’t Believe Exist.” I have to admit that while I can believe these all exist, there were a couple I didn’t know existed, like Marvel’s Billy Ray Cyrus comic (Hey, doesn’t his daughter have her own comic yet?) or Jackie Joyner-Kersee’s. (Oh, and this seems like as good a time as any to say, Hey DC! How about some Adventures of Jerry Lewis and Adventures of Bob Hope trades? Preferably of the Showcase Presents variety…?)

Reason #658 That Cliff Chiang Rules: Check out Chiang’s Imperial propaganda art for an set of Star Wars trading cards. Almost makes me want to take up arms against the rebel scum…

I guess they don’t call it a comic “strip” for nothing!: Josh Fruhlinger on yesterday’s Spider-Man newspaper strip: “Congratulations, Spider-Man! You have produced the most gratuitous and pointless instance of a lady taking her shirt off in the comics in the long history of that particular art form.” I guess you don’t need to pay for Marvel Comics if you wanna see MJ in her underwear anymore. Also on the subject of Frulinger and Spider-Man, Monday the comic strip commentator noted a typical act of heroism by the newspaper version of ol’ Webhead.

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