Regular readers here know I love Joelle Jones’ art. You’ll also probably know I love Joss Whedon. So Joelle Jones character sketches for Dr. Horrible comics? WIN.

You can get Phonogram vs. The Fans, the limited-edition Phonogram fanzine that I wrote about here, on Etsy for the low, low price of $5. You want this.

Gail Simone, good and pissed about the EA Games “booth babes” debacle.

Racialicious has a review from the first Asian American Comic Con.

Johanna Draper Carlson talks Girlamatic, which I’d somehow missed out on, so read what she has to say.

One of my favorite bloggers, Renegade Evolution, talks about girls and gaming: “Hey baby, why all the aggro?”

Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan have a cool Op-Ed in the New York Times about “why we need vampires.” Lately I’ve been doing a good bit of thinking about why vampire stories seem to appeal to a teen girl demographic in particular, so this fit right in.

And via BUST, Johnny Depp is set to play a vampire in yet another Tim Burton-helmed picture, Dark Shadows.

Stephenie Meyer, author of Twilight, is set to test the theory that fans are really just out for the hot boys at Comic-Con–she’s going to star in her own Female Force comic. (Can I mention yet again that the name “female force” creeps me out? Referring to women as “females” sounds so animalistic to me…)

Finally, on that note, an interview with Francesca Lia Block on her new vampire young adult novel, Pretty Dead. Since one of the things I’m interested in is why the vampire romance always seems to be older male vampire and young mortal girl (Angel/Buffy, Edward/Bella, etc.) I’m especially intrigued with Block’s book since it reverses that dynamic.

If you’ll excuse me, I think I’m off to watch Angel…

How did I not know about this site already? Since the financial crisis blew up in my face, I’ve been giving myself a crash course in economics. I listen to NPR’s Planet Money podcast regularly, and wade through wonky articles by people far smarter than me about subjects that I used to avoid like the plague. Fiscal policy is no longer a phrase that makes me run for the hills, but instead makes me dig in and want to learn more. (Yes, I’m a nerd. Shut up.)

And so when the venerable Ana Marie Cox tweeted about Ecocomics, I was shocked that I hadn’t discovered this blog yet. Combining, yes, economics and comics blogging with a healthy dose of snark, Ecocomics may be my new favorite blog.

Sample post titles: What are the Recession Proof Industries in Comic Books?

1) Purple pants manufacturers. The Hulk will always need them. And for the Hulk, 1 pair equals 1 use. He is a market unto himself.

[snip]

Silk Cuts. John Constantine’s personal brand of tobacco will never go out of business.

There’s also a post about health care in the Marvel universe, and one about the economics of Incognito’s flying car. You know you want to know. Come on. Join me in combining two forms of epic geekery…

(psst. they’re also on Twitter.)

One scene from a few clips shown of Matthew Vaughn’s Kick-Ass got a standing ovation during its panel at Comic-Con in San Diego. To get a standing ovation is suppose to be a rare thing at Comic-Con and that is a sign that this adaption of a Mark Millar (Wanted) creator-owned comic book has legs and will ultimately find a distributor.

Whether or not your taste is for the ultra-violent, is something to consider. Vaughn admits that part of the problem with finding a distributor is that “the script broke every taboo known to man.” But it sounds like this film about teenagers who want to be superheroes is going to turn out to be pretty cool.

Keep in mind, Matthew Vaughn, the co-writer and director of Kick-Ass, also produced Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels in 1997 and that was a fun ride. Is this something you’re looking forward to? I think I’d give it a try. It is Mark Millar after all.

Here’s a quick rundown on some of the other things I did at Comic-Con International in San Diego starting out with some photos. Here we’ve got some shots of the con, the Heroes panel, the Pop Candy Meetup, Jennifer Daydreamer, Henry Chamberlain, Popcultour, Paul Pope, and live art by Jim Mahfood, Josh Blaylock and Scott Morse:

Here is a lineup of stuff including things to come and look out for:

Anthony Zuiker Presents The Digi-Novel, Level 26: The creator of the CSI franchise was very kind to take some time to speak with me about his new project, Level 26. I will have that interview for you to check out later.

Lucky Man At Heroes Panel: I think the very best moment was towards the end of the Q&A when a quite smitten young man asked if he could see Hayden Panettiere up close after a quest to meet her that began four years ago. Hayden smiled and said, “When this is adjourned, will you meet me over there?” This was immediately followed by a warning not to get any ideas. “Too many brothers up here,” quipped Hayden.

Whitney Matheson’s Pop Candy Meetup: Talk about a very mellow and fun get-together Saturday evening. Whitney was totally charming and accessible. I highly recommend Whitney’s coverage of Comic-Con among other pop candy treats. I enjoyed a cocktail with my sweetie, Jennifer Daydreamer, as we took in the view and later on got into a comics discussion with James Sime.

James Sime’s Favorite Geek Out Moment: JamesSime, the proprietor and driving force behind Isotope Comics, had this to say: “It was during the Eisner Awards ceremony. Suddenly, there’s Leonard Starr at the podium making a presentation. He’s well known for his legendary comic strip, Mary Perkins, On Stage. It hasn’t been in print for so long. So, it was a deer in the headlights moment for me to see him.”

Paul Pope at Popcultour: I think the theme of the night was “accessible” since, after Whitney’s party, it was also great to see Paul Pope later that night at another party. Paul was open to do a little meet and greet as the opening DJ for an event to benefit the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund. A live art performance featured Jim Mahfood, Josh Blaylock and Scott Morse.

Alfonso Ruiz: Cartoonist Alfonso Ruiz, a very talented young man is well on his way. I bought one of his original pages and I will need to keep my eye on what he’s up to. He loves the fact that he’s involved with a lot of great comics talent which includes a lot of great Mexican artists. We’ll hear more from him soon.

Rum For Comics: I was speaking with someone waiting in line for the Popcultour event. He said he never spends money on comics. He simply trades it for some of the best rum you’re ever going to find. I believe that would be Puerto Rican but I didn’t catch the name. Email if you read this!

DC Comics Talent Search: As many of you are aware, SDCC is a great place to try your luck at being discovered by DC Comics. The best advice I can offer, having gone through the orientation process but sadly not chosen for a portfolio review, is to take this very seriously and go in with your best work. That said, keep in mind that this is highly competitive and only five or six of the hundreds who submit each day are chosen for a closer look. It really doesn’t hurt to go through the process and you will learn something about your work.

Lark Pien Debuts New Book: A big name in the small press is Lark Pien. So, to see her first published book, Long Tail Kitty, is such a beautiful thing. She’s published by Blue Apple Books and distributed by Chronicle Books. Keep an eye out for it or ask for it at your local bookseller. I’ll have a review and more info about it later.

Be Good And This Won’t Happen To You: I will leave you with a disturbing image to ponder. We were waiting near the train tracks overlooking the Gaslamp District as we were about to walk over to Comic-Con, when a police officer asked us all to stop. Well, this guy, probably about fifteen, really wanted to join his friends who had already gotten across. In a panic or just plain stupid, he began to push his way past the officer. Maybe he figured since this was a female officer that he’d get away with it. Wasn’t long before two fellow officers frog marched our little friend back to the curb. They did an excellent job of it too. I know I was inspired to be extra courteous to everyone around me after that scene.

It struck me this week that one of my favorite bits of the Phonogram comics is the extra content at the back. I love the glossary of music referenced in the issue, the ramblings, the little view inside of the creators’ heads. I realized that several of my other favorite comics include this bit of backmatter–Local, any number of Warren Ellis books. The Vertigo Voices in the back of the Vertigo books are great fun.

It’s almost like the liner notes on a CD–one of the reasons I still buy CDs in solid format is the little booklet that comes along with it, with lyrics and pictures and other little treats. It’s a reason to still buy the solid artifact. The whole package. In a digital age, when there’s any amount of free media available on the Web, buying something you can hold in your hands has to have extra value. I get annoyed at CDs that come packaged in a simple cardboard folder and go buy the songs on iTunes instead–I don’t need the clutter if it’s not really worth having (I live in a studio apartment!).

The double features in the backs of comics are a great little bit of added value as well. I’m enjoying the resurrection of Manhunter in the back of Streets of Gotham, and the B-sides in Phonogram are fun as well. They can be experiments with shorter stories, or complete in themselves, or just choppier fragments of an ongoing tale, but they’re mostly just an added value to something you’re already buying.

As print becomes rarer, people are going to expect more and more for their money, and they’re going to expect something that won’t be the same in digital form. All these additions are a good start to experimenting with this idea.

Good morning, ‘rama readers. For those of you, like me, stuck at home while your friends and colleagues get into trouble at enjoy Comic-Con, I bring you a whole bunch of linkage that has nothing to do with Comic-Con! Well, mostly.

From the New York Times, a piece on India’s sliding comics industry, and its turn to animation to save its fortunes.

Inside Out, at Girl-Wonder.org, wants Marvel to can the lip gloss and make real products for women.

Via Comics Worth Reading, Classics Rock!, a blog about songs based on books, is focusing on comics this week. So far we have Green Lantern, Ghost Rider, Magneto, and more.

Blog@’s own David Pepose sent me this to giggle at, and I’m sharing it with you: Twilight-themed tattoos. Actually, some of them aren’t bad, but I feel for the person living their life with a portrait of Robert Pattinson as Edward Cullen inked on their arm. But hey, some people I’m sure think my tattoos are ridiculous too…

NPR’s Marketplace interviews Joshua Dysart about comics.

Finally, in case you are going to SDCC, Racialicious has some recommendations for panels to hit, and will no doubt have some thoughtful coverage of the whole shebang once it’s over.

In a surprising move just days before the San Diego Comic Con, David Elliot, the former editor in chief of Radical Comics, has sued parent company Blatant Entertainment.

The co-founder of the Radical Comics, Elliot said that he was terminated in April, and alleges he was not given his full salary from Blatant.

Elliot also claims that he was not credited some Radical Comics finds such as Aladdin, City of Dust, Caliber, and Hercules; that he was not compensated for acquiring Hotwire, Cholly & Flytrap, and Lords of Misture; and that other projects that he owns part of the copyrights have been exploited by the company without his consent. You can read the complaint in full here.

Another interesting quote, from THREsq.com: “Blatant’s management failed to have any of its employees sign work-for-hire agreements and/or assignments of copyrights, thereby clouding title to all of Blatant’s projects, and making it impossible for Blatant to provide proper chain of title documents and guarantees to investors, production companies, studios, and insurers, to the detriment of its shareholders.” If this is true, this a whole new can of worms for the comics-to-film venture company.

Radical Comics, which hit the scenes last year, has teamed up with figures ranging from Jim Steranko to Steve Niles to Nick Simmons.

Robot 6 has an excellent roundtable up about girls and fandom and the drama over Twilight “invading” comic-con. I’m posting a few excerpts here, with my thoughts, but you really should read the whole thing.

Robin Brenner: I find it especially distressing that the SDCC crowd, made up of fans who have been typically dismissed and marginalized by the larger culture including comics fans, fantasy fans, and sci-fi fans, seem to think it’s perfectly warranted to dump on fans who you would think they have a lot more in common with than traits to divide them.

I’ve seen this over and over again, though, in groups gathered around everything from punk rock to politics. When you’re marginalized from the larger culture, in part by choice but in a much larger part than we’d like to admit, not by choice, it’s easy to try to police your boundaries. Maybe it even gives you a better sense that you ARE different because you choose to be and not because your peers don’t understand your passion for the Misfits/Dennis Kucinich/Superman/Twilight. In other words, maybe enforcing the “no girls allowed” clubhousey nature of certain parts of comic fandom makes comic fans feel more special. Groups often define themselves by what they aren’t, after all.

Kate Dacey: The other thing that bothers me about these statements is that many of the folks dissing Twilight have never read it or watched the movie, yet they feel perfectly qualified to assess its merits solely on the basis of who likes it. Teen girls love it, ergo it must be junk.

I’ve taken this on myself, and I still believe it’s true. Listen, ain’t no one arguing you have to like Twilight. But if you haven’t read the damn thing, how do you know it’s crap? It sounds entirely too much like the people who go “You read COMIC BOOKS?” at my day job(s).

Eva Volin: The librarian half of my brain wants to sit the fanboys down and explain to them about the birds and the bees, about brain development, and the statistics on reading patterns and buying habits of girls vs. boys. To remind them that teenage girls have expendable incomes, too, and ask if they’d really rather the girls spend that money somewhere else, like at a chain bookstore, or Hot Topic, or on eBay. Or at the booths in the dealers rooms where they sell cell phone charms of Naruto characters or the twins from Ouran High School Host Club. The librarian half of my brain wants to reason with people who would rather stomp their feet than get with the program and embrace this new generation of fan—a generation who, if encouraged, could save the comics industry.

Um, what she said.

Volin, cont’d: That because I have two X chromosomes I need to have sequential art explained to me in small words and if I’m in a comic book shop it must be because I’m there to buy books for my son or nephew. And to all of that I say, “Bite. Me.”

I’m going to SDCC. I’m going to line up to see the panels I’m interested in. I’m going to cheer for the artists whose work I enjoy. I’m going to ask questions and get autographs and maybe even do a little cosplaying. And I’m going to spend money at booths that have the merchandise I’m interested in. Lots of money. And if you don’t want my business, don’t worry. Call it women’s intuition, but I’ll be able to tell. And I’ll remember. And I’ll take my business, as well as my nieces’ and their friends’ business, to someone else’s booth.

Exactly this. Over the years, I’ve grown exceptionally good at navigating comic shops and the varied reactions of the employees/owners. And I remember each clerk who was condescending, who was rude, and I took my money elsewhere. I’m still here, reading and writing about comics, because I love them and I believe in the medium AND the industry. I am quite certain there’s a place for me in this world. But I’d be lying if I didn’t say that some of the most overt sexism I’ve ever dealt with in my life has come my way through comics. And I don’t mean Wonder Woman’s costume.

So, con-goers and fans, think about all of this when you’re at SDCC and you roll your eyes at the squealing teenage girls (and trust me, I don’t like listening to squealing either). Those girls have money and just as much right to be there as you do. And it couldn’t hurt to be nice to them.

Can even the vaunted Super Soldier serum save the Captain America movie from it’s biggest foe — international audience ambivalence?

MTV sat down with Kevin Feige, and gave an interesting bullet point list of Captain America news, including the fact that Will Smith — one of the most bankable stars in Hollywood, who has conquered the 4th of July numerous times with films like Hancock and Independence Day — is still in the running for Captain America, as well as some of the Thor runner-ups.

Now, the thing that’s interesting for me is the fact that based on these notes, it’s clear that Marvel is really nervous about parading a guy in the Stars and Stripes in the current world climate. Indeed, the film won’t even be marketed as “Captain America” abroad, but as “The First Avenger” — and they’re ditching the typical route of searching for an “unknown” to play the lead character (which worked so spectacularly with Hugh Jackman as Wolverine) in order to bring in someone who they know will bring in the money.

And to be honest, who else would be on that list? Will Smith is exceedingly bankable — but Feige says that if Smith were cast, Kyle Baker’s “Truth” storyline, which repositioned the Super Soldier Project as a Tuskeegee-like experiment on unsuspecting African-American troops, would not be used. Tom Cruise, once the most bankable star in Hollywood, is still clawing his way back to respectability after his public weirdness made him a tabloid target. That said, Forbes has an interesting list of bankable celebrities (granted, Will Smith is at the top of that list), with Brad Pitt, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Matt Damon all on the list — and after rewatching the Departed the other night, I could definitely see Damon nailing this.

But in my opinion, I think Marvel is really selling the cultural cache of one of its most heroic characters short. It did a surprisingly effective job with teasing the Super Soldier program in the most unlikely of films — the Ed Norton remake of the Incredible Hulk:

But even more importantly, Captain America doesn’t serve politicians or administrations — as Frank Miller once said, he serves the Dream.

In this case, the dream of a better world. While having a World War II epic is certainly within Marvel’s prerogative, I feel like Captain America’s best quality is the fact that he is a man out of time — in short, he’s a human time capsule of all the nobility and selflessness of a bygone era, and I think it would be interesting to see him wrestle with the post-9/11, post-Enron, post-Operation Paperclip era, where America has teamed up with the enemy, and clasped new ones to its breast, but still strives for greatness. (In other words, Richard Donner’s Superman meets Austin Powers, but played straight.) It’s this sort of story that could confront the rest of the world’s ambivalence to the U.S. head-on, and would really give some solid allegorical weight to a prequel that may otherwise be written off as an action flick.

What say you, Rama readers? Do you think Will Smith could be the One? Is there another bankable star you think would be ideal? Tell us what you think about “The First Avenger: Captain America”!

Click through for a 5-page preview of Phonogram 2.4. Because Jamie McKelvie, Kieron Gillen, and I all love you.

Happy Monday.

A couple of weekends ago, a friend and I wandered down to the New York City Zine Fest in Brooklyn. Like me, my friend is a journalist and a product of the 90s punk-rock/riot grrl scene in which making zines was, in those dark pre-blog days, what you did with your angst and anger and more importantly, your sheer love of the music that kept you sane.

The zine fest featured a surprising number of comic creators–surprising to me at first, anyway, though when I thought about it, it made sense. Comics still work best in print, despite some good innovation in the digital forum. Zines, meanwhile, seem completely archaic–they were always artfully not-artful, badly photocopied, self-consciously printed in that same retro-obsessed typewriter font (Courier) even though few people made them on typewriters. Meanwhile, the Internet can assure faster distribution of and greater connection through ideas The zines we saw at this fest were no different than the ones we used to read in the 90s, which says something about the death of the medium. They seemed more an attempt to cling to a period in time that is past, an attempt to find a community that no longer exists. The point of the zine was the ideas, the community, not the medium itself.

So whither a zine about a comic?

(more…)

Via Warren Ellis, click for full size. By John Cassaday, natch.

Posy Simmonds’s critically-acclaimed, Eisner-nominated comic Tamara Drewe will be turned into a movie by director Stephen Frears, The Guardian reports.

The director of The Queen and The Grifters is reported to have cast former Bond girl and St Trinian’s graduate Gemma Arterton as the title character, a newspaper columnist whose recent nose job transforms her into a seductive flirt, to the chagrin of the quiet village’s womenfolk. Tamsin Greig and Roger Allam are also said to be attached to the project.

Simmonds’s strip ran in the Guardian’s Review section between September 2005 and October 2007 before being collected in a graphic novel. The tragicomic story was inspired by a piece of classic fiction – Thomas Hardy’s Far from the Madding Crowd; likewise her earlier serialised cartoon, Gemma Bovery, took Flaubert’s Madame Bovary as its template.

Frears’ most recent project was also based on a popular work of French literature: Colette’s Chéri novels, which he turned into a film starring Michelle Pfeiffer and Rupert Friend.

Frears was nominated for an Oscar for The Queen and The Grifters and has shown admirable range as a director. Just another indication, I suppose, that the words “comic book movie” don’t have to be synonymous with “big dumb blockbuster,” but can also be linked to “serious film with art-house creds.” If The Dark Knight didn’t completely kill those stereotypes, perhaps a Tamara Drewe movie will put another nail in their coffin.

Those attending the upcoming San Diego Comic-Con would serve themselves well to check out a party happening over that weekend. Fresh off a website overhaul, pop culture headmistress (and longtime Newsarama supporter) Whitney Matheson is hosting her Pop Candy Comic-Con Meetup. Held poolside at the Hilton San Diego Bayside (next to the convention center), most anything Ms. Matheson arranges promises to be a fun, sexy time.

Go to this link for details on this gathering Saturday, July 25th!

The question: Can you really enjoy Blackest Night if you’re outside the fanbase?

I think so.

While I don’t see myself as part of the base, I feel that I’ve thrown myself into a different orbit than I’m used to and I’m not sure where I’ll end up. I’ll explain and I will offer up some other questions to which you, my friends, are welcome to offer back whatever insight you like.

The first thing that strikes me about Blackest Night #1 is how smooth it is. The story does not feel like it is trying too hard to explain itself which is a blessing if you’re coming to this, shall we say, cold and in the dark.

I felt welcome right from the start. Even more than I did by Green Lantern: Rebirth or The Sinestro Corps War. Maybe that has to do with the sense of urgency coming from all the talent involved, especially Geoff Johns, to finally deliver the goods. And yet it didn’t feel so much like a comics event as it felt like something that was working the way it should.

It didn’t matter to me anymore if I didn’t know every last detail and reference. It can be fun to go into this without any prior knowledge at all. But, I admit, the more you know, the more you’ll enjoy it. Just being able to refer back to the last issue of GL and reread the rise of Black Hand added something. And the same is true for going back to the now famous Free Comic Book Day Blackest Night #0. That special issue offered some interesting clues, I think, about how Bruce Wayne could hold the key to returning back to the light. This isn’t a spoiler, just my guess. Does that sound right?

I have to say that a little of the space opera aspect of GL goes a long way for my taste. I prefer character development, conversation and understanding motives. Growing up, I found the action scenes in Superman and Spider-Man to be cool but understanding what made them tick to be even cooler. Blackest Night is sensitive to this. For instance, I think the scenes with Hawkman are intriguing like when he goes into a rage over the phone with The Atom as he is attempting to shield him from harm. He tries to explain to Kendra why he must refuse The Atom’s wishes as we cut to a panel of a tiny speck of a superhero sitting on the edge of a gigantic desk, relative to his size, waiting by the giant phone. Hawkman saying, “She made The Atom feel small,” is corny and perfect in the spirit of Alan Moore.

Little moments like that add up nicely. But what about little continuity issues and the like? I just wonder what you all think about the many layers to the GL universe. On the one hand, I think it is fun to be challenged to follow the many paths in this narrative. On the other, this goes back to an older way of reading comics when you needed a program to follow the action not to mention a number of tie-in comics. Maybe it’s the best of all possible worlds since the flagship title is so strong you could do just fine to focus on it but, if you’re so inclined, you could also buy all the other related comics too.

So, why isn’t GL more popular? I mean, believe it or not, there are plenty of people inside the comics community who are not even dimly aware of what’s going on in the GL universe. When you have something as special as Blackest Night, people should pay more attention. I wonder if the problem with GL’s overall low profile goes back to its rather creaky origins. It’s only been after decades of development, that we find ourselves with something cool. GL simply does not resonate with people in the same way that Batman and Superman do. That may change. A major motion picture is no guarantee but we’ll have to wait and see.

Ironically, reading the retro version of GL in Wednesday Comics, all New Frontier style, was very refreshing to me. And I wouldn’t be surprised if something like that is what gets presented to the general public when the movie comes out.

Getting back to Blackest Night, the bottom line is that this series moves the ball forward considerably. In fact, if you really want to stir things up, forget about going back to Abin Sur, just make this into a movie and, if it’s done right, this would be your summer blockbuster.

Variety just sent out the breaking news that actor Ryan Reynolds last seen in Wolverine: Origins as Deadpool will play the title roll in the upcoming Green Lantern feature film.   Reynolds beat out “The Hangover” star Bradley Cooper, singer Justin Timberlake and Jared Leto.

You can read the full story here.

From G4, Blair Butler has a look inside Warren Ellis’s new Avatar series, Captain Swing and the Electrical Pirates of Cindery Island. I’ve been a wee bit obsessed with this title–because I mean, the title! What’s an Electrical Pirate?

Well, the preview doesn’t really answer that question, but it still looks cool.

I’m particularly happy that it’s Friday this week–I’ve got an exciting weekend planned. To kick things off right, though, here are some stories from around the web.

Splash Page is speculating about Twitter rumors that Nathan Fillion and Rainn Wilson had a meeting with DC Comics.

Daryl Cagle’s been posting videos from the Association of American Editorial Cartoonists Convention. This one’s an interview with Mikhaela Reid and Jen Sorenson, two female editorial cartoonists.

More dirt on the terrible idea know as The Crow remake, which maybe isn’t so much a remake? Um, what?

To celebrate the release of The Nobody, Jeff Lemire has some lovely art and linkage over at Standard Attrition.

Since Neil Gaiman is off to accept his Newbery Medal for The Graveyard Book today, check out video of him reading from the book on his tour.

Finally, if you have a spare $20,000 or so, you can get a second-tier Twilight star at your party. No Robert Pattinson or Kristen Stewart, sadly.

It appears that your favorite superheroine, Wonder Woman, is running for Mayor of Washington, DC. And she’s running against quite a slate of opponents: Superman, Green Lantern, Batgirl, and Batwoman are in the mix.

OK, it’s obviously not actually true, so what gives? The New Organizing Institute runs a boot camp for political organizers, and part of their project is to run a virtual campaign for office. The bootcampers have had to design a site and a campaign for their superheroes, and there will be an actual election.

I’m with Wonder Woman–how can you resist this?

Dear fellow DC Residents and allied Truth Seekers:

I made a cornerstone decision over fifty years ago. I had just defeated the alien forces of the Imperium and joined with the Justice League as its sole female member when I was given the opportunity to leave planet earth and become a princess in another realm.

After having seen the worst form of war imaginable, I could not leave planet earth without knowing that I had done everything I could to fight for peace. So, unsurprisingly, I am still here.

I have dedicated my life to pursuing the self-evident truths of democracy through transparency, to equality and empowerment of the underserved and to peace and security. I have helped women maintain their uniqueness while also gaining more equal rights as men. I have worked towards keeping our country safe and secure through promoting a more peaceful world, and most importantly, I have sought to fight the cynicism and apathy that has taken hold of DC citizens and asked them to join me in being WONDERful.

While aliens pose no threat to earth at this moment, many other things do: inequality, crime and injustice, war and genocide, rat infestation. But, most of all, we are threatened by an ominous cynicism that could crush people’s belief in super heroes. If people stop believing in super heroes, they stop believing in their own ability to change the world. And then, won’t need aliens to come to earth. But, we can fight this cynicism with hope, change a little booze, a little rock n’ roll and a whole lot of action.

This is why I am formally announcing my candidacy for the Mayor of DC.

Together, we can make DC Wonderful. We can re-build lives in DC with a Lasso of Truth that will help free peple of their fears and bring them back into society, gain equality for women and other underserved communities and ensure create a more secure city through promoting peace.

Join me. Plus, I show leg.

Yours in truth,

Wonder Woman

Check it out–it seems like a fun way to teach people how to run a campaign. Voting will be 7am EDT to 6pm EDT on Friday, July 10th. You can even follow Wonder Woman on Twitter!

Now, once she’s mayor, can we send her down to Congress with that lasso?

The return of Peter Milligan to Vertigo just keeps on getting better. His take on John Constantine is going to new and interesting places–not easy for a character as old as Constantine–and now with this first issue of a new ongoing series, Milligan’s teamed up with Davide Gianfelice for a nasty little tale rooted in Greek myths and stories.

Anyone familiar with the story of Oedipus will recognize the plot of this first issue, but there’s no need to bone up on your classics to enjoy this story. You do need a strong stomach and a taste for the perverse–but if you’re a Vertigo reader, you already knew that, right?

Eddie is just a kid looking for his mom, but that goes about as spectacularly wrong as it can possibly go, and he runs off to Greek Street, the part of town run by criminals and other lowlifes, and watched over by gorgeous strippers who know all the dirtiest secrets.

This first issue sets up a bunch of loose ends will probably only get more tangled before any of them get resolved, and just begins to set up its world and its rules. There’s magic here, but how much and of what kind and how it will be blended with the gritty, cruel criminal underworld we just don’t know.

What we do know is that it’s vintage Vertigo, with Gianfelice’s luscious art making even the most gruesome scenes beautiful and otherworldly and at the same time making the horror truly gripping, visceral. If this book lives up to this first issue, it’s going to be a hell of a ride.