Yes, I’ve changed the template again, partly because I think this one’s a little bit easier to read. It also has a section in the sidebar for links, which the other didn’t.

Of course, I’m not in possession of mad HTML skillz, so if you find that one of the links sends you someplace entirely unexpected, please let me know. There are still sites I want to add to the links, but that first batch almost cost me my sanity (or what remains of it).

So, announcements of things that are nakedly obvious to the most casual observer aside, I got nothin’. Fortunately, there are people like Steven at Peiratikos who can offer cogent observations.

Preview pages of Avengers #502 are up at Pop Culture Shock. Shrugging ensues at Fanboy Rampage. Spoilers crop up across the Internet like kudzu. (They also lurk in the comments section at the Rampage, so be warned.)

Some retailers of note have gotten their hands on preview copies of the issue. They skip the spoilers and manage to contain their enthusiasm. My favorite assessment thus far comes from Highway 62:

“No amount of punchy dialogue will top the impact of a dramatic demise. No amount of expertly-drafted and computer-colored-to-the-point-of-being-overdone artwork can suprass the looming shadow of a hero’s mortality. Enjoy the cover and all the dread that it inspires.”

(Notes to Matt: Yes, you did spell “schadenfreude” properly. To hear it sung properly, click here. And, if the Dread Dormammu wants to review Identity Crisis, how dare a puny mortal stand in his way?)

Usenet wonders if Brian Bendis is being unfairly criticized for his Avengers run. In other corners, haters be hating (with spoilers). Ambidexterous at Silver Bullet Comics responds to the perceived Bendis Backlash thusly:

“Apparently, Bendis has just become too big for people recently, and it[‘]s sparking an Internet campaign, proclaiming his creative doom. If we’re going to use this little community as a place that engenders discussion, and as the staging point for pushing the industry forward, we have GOT to stop wasting webspace on stuff like this.”

I disagree that evaluation of the work of a high-profile creator isn’t worthy of discussion. Is the suggestion here that the only worthwhile discourse is positive discourse? I’m not sure I understand.

The New York Times has a short piece on Identity Crisis in its Sept. 15 Arts Briefing column. Writer George Gene Gustines updates the plot so far (neatly avoiding the potential indignity of typing “Elongated Man” and seeing it run in the Times under his byline), runs some quotes from writer Brad Meltzer, and touches on some of the various reader responses. I’m guessing there’s much rejoicing over in DC’s publicity offices.

Johanna has already linked to George Grattan’s comments on DC’s publicity priorities. George wonders if DC might not expend some energy on titles that might actually need it:

“I say, let’s give the books that have a shot at drawing in and *retaining* new readers whatever cross-media exposure we can; whatever way presents itself to speak outside of the direct-market, comic shop ghetto, take it and hold on tight—especially for books that can attract those readers.”

At Near Mint Heroes, Shane wonders if the readers detecting misogyny in IC aren’t indulging in some fallacious logic. It’s certainly possible that some are. On the other hand, I think that, after noticing a large number of trees in one location (rape, murder, attempted murder, menacing), it’s fair enough to wonder if they might not constitute a forest.

Silver Bullet Comics looks at the first three issues, and writer Dave Wallace comes to this conclusion:

“Uneven it may be (there’s been something of an action deficit so far, Deathstroke being the only full-on superhero fight), and overwhelming for the uninitiated it can certainly feel, but when you compare what’s being done here to the comparatively lacklustre Avengers storyline – which Marvel are clearly hoping will buoy their summer takings – there only looks like being one runaway success. And for once, it isn’t Brian Michael Bendis.”

(In other SBC news, there is no Bendis backlash. Scroll down for it.)

There’s a Usenet thread talking about appliance-related mayhem in Green Lantern. In it, Ken from Chicago opens my eyes to the possibilities of product placement in comic books with this line:

“Kenmore fridge, big enough to stuff an ENTIRE human body inside.”

Sure, the brightest lights of Marvel and DC have already whored themselves for Hostess, but I’m talking about unobtrusive, in-narrative advertisements. For instance, perhaps in an upcoming issue of Birds of Prey, we could hear the following:

Oracle: It’s going to be an all-nighter, tracking these leads, Dinah.
Black Canary: Let me grab you a Yoplait Low-Fat Yogurt from the fridge, Babs.
Oracle: Great idea. The calcium will be just the boost I need.
Huntress: And since it’s low-fat, I don’t need to worry about looking like a cow in this crop-top.

Or in an upcoming issue of Uncanny X-Men:

Storm: How do you manage it all, Logan? A life of your own, three X-Men squads, and membership in the New Avengers?
Wolverine: (Tosses her a small, electronic device.) Palm Pilot, darlin’.
Storm: By the Goddess, it’s so slim!

Even in Daredevil:

Foggy: Hey, Matt, you seem kinda…
Matt: What?
Foggy: I dunno, sort of… different.
Matt: Different?
Foggy: Yeah.
Matt: Different how?
Foggy: How?
Matt: Yeah.
Foggy: Well, less… I dunno… down.
Matt: Yeah?
Foggy: Yeah.
Matt: Huh.
(During this exchange, the camera angle tracks to Matt’s medicine cabinet, where we see prescription Zoloft.)

Franklin Richards could always be shown happily enjoying a Fruit Roll-Up or playing with a developmentally appropriate toy from PlaySkool. Captain America could playfully switch the beer Wolverine usually drinks for something with a lower alcohol content. An ugly spat could erupt at Titans Tower over the last Eggo waffle.

Think about it, Marvel and DC! Then, send me a cut.

At least the way Marvel does it. Solicitations for December, found here on Usenet, boggle the mind. It’s hard to pinpoint the nadir, but the following did stand out as uniquely agonizing:

“MARVEL WHAT IF? WHAT IF THERE WERE SEVEN MORE COMICS YOU HAD TO BUY?? What if we could say, “due to popular demand” and mean it? Well, True Believer, we ain’t lyin’! You wanted the craziest, most far-out What If extravaganzas we could find, so we sent some interns up to the attic of this old House of Ideas and we never heard from them again! So, we warned the industry’s BEST CREATORS we’d send THEM to the attic next if they didn’t come through. And they did! Look at this all-star lineup, gang, and you’ll notice the only What If missing is the one about Forbush Man becoming EIC!”

The tortured syntax, the artificial chumminess, the abundance of inviting straight lines, the whole “Bad Stan Lee Tribute Band” quality of it… these things are supposed to make people actually want to buy the comics, aren’t they?

For more eye-rolling, stop by Fanboy Rampage.

It would be “eember.” And who would that serve?

Anyway, DC’s December solicits are up at the Comics Continuum. Ian Brill takes a delightfully stern look at what the future holds. I don’t really have anything to add, except to say that this cover is too little, too late. (Write your own dialogue: “Die, Dark Mary Sue! DIE!”)

But you know what? Tomorrow comes sooner than December, so it must be time for my traditional crawl through this week’s comics.

Nice to see that there’s a collection of Grant Morrison’s Doom Patrol out, though I probably won’t buy it right away. (Crippling manga expenses, don’t you know.) I’ve got the individual issues, but I really recommend the second Marvel Age Runaways Digest for anyone who missed them. Ultimate Global Planetary… er… Nightmare #2 arrives.

So, in other words, it’s not going to be a big week for me. The highlight will most likely be Madrox #1 (of five), with Peter David following up on characters from his splendid X-Factor run. (The Ninth Eight like the cut of its jib, too.) Another point in this mini’s favor is that it’s set in Mutant Town, the neighborhood used to such interesting effect in District X.

Oh, and for those of you who just can’t wait to begin the next round, there are some preview pages from Identity Crisis #4 up at Newsarama. Reasoned discourse shall surely flood the land, as the comic arrives tomorrow to teach us how to love. (Oh, and if it seems like ID is popping up all over in the media, it’s really just one Associated Press story that’s being picked up by a number of different outlets.)

There are no X-Axis reviews this week, but Paul O’Brien makes up for it with his column at Ninth Art. He looks at pre-judging comics based on solicitation material and evaluating individual chapters of an ongoing story. Good points abound.

“You can’t read everything, and you probably don’t want to. That means you have to choose between the books. And whatever criteria you use to choose between them, it won’t be the actual quality of the issue in question. It can’t be – you haven’t read it yet. Instead, you’ll be making your choice based on the likely quality of the issue.”

And on the subject of evaluating works in progress:

“No writer seriously produces a story in which the reader is expected to delay all reaction until the whole thing is finished. You’re meant to react as you go along. In the context of a serial, you’re ideally meant to react by deciding to buy the next issue. If you react the other way and decide that the story looks terrible, then that’s entirely legitimate.”

In a moment of synchronicity, Ninth Art also offers The Forecast for this week’s books. (The verdict? Buy Madrox.)

Also, Tim O’Neiil at The Hurting shares a preview copy of the Guide to Comprehensive Aesthetic Judgement. To whet your appetite:

“Many have traditionally regarded aesthetic criticism as a deeply subjective field, but we here at CGC have spent many long hours devising a foolproof numerical formula to aid in the process of aesthetic judgements.”

Borders is having a manga and graphic novel sale. Buy three, get the fourth free. (Okay, so I didn’t really need four more volumes of the stuff to read, but fiscal responsibility crumbed in the face of 25% off Fake, Imadoki, Iron Wok Jan, and Kindaichi Case Files.)

It was a good weekend for reading manga, too. I spent some very enjoyable time with Sgt. Frog Vol. 4 (James Schee has reviewed it at Reading Along). I also sat down again with Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind, and I realized that Christopher Butcher is right. A second, more meticulous reading heightened everything I liked the first time and brought everything together more clearly. (Christopher is also right about Iron Wok Jan, so he must be right about Paradise Kiss, too. The manga industry might as well just hold me upside-down and shake me until all my money is gone.)

My partner teaches design and has come across a series of books he really likes. One of them looks at manga, so I’m hoping I can con him into buying it as research material.

Aquaman #22 has caused a serious malfunction in the parts of my brain that govern suspension of disbelief. Why? Well, it’s embarrassing, but I’ll just come right out and admit it.

It’s the sushi.

For those of you not following the title, a portion of San Diego has fallen into the sea. Its citizens have been converted against their wills into water-breathers (which is better than drowning, they admit, but it’s an adjustment). And, as this issue indicates, their diet now consists largely of sushi.

Sushi. Bite-sized combinations of fish, rice, and vegetables. Prepared underwater.

Now, parts of this hang together. Obviously, raw fish is an entirely reasonable foodstuff for people who live underwater. It’s abundant, it’s easily obtained, and it provides a good deal of nutritional value. The uncooked presentation also spares the Sub Diegans from having to worry about things like directional heat or developing stoves and ovens that function underwater (without electrocuting anyone or losing any worthwhile cooking heat to a significantly colder, heavier “atmosphere,” or heating the surrounding water to such a degree that it actually cooks the cook). Sushi is often wrapped in nori, a processed form seaweed, and seaweed would also be abundant if used in its unprocessed state. (Nori would actually just reconstitute and fall apart if left in water for too long, I would think.)

But, on the very first page of the issue, some of the sushi on Lorena’s plate seems to have rice in it. How, precisely, would someone prepare rice underwater? I would think the individual, uncooked grains would drift everywhere, even if there were a reliable way to transfer them from an air- and water-tight container into a cooking vessel, and then you’ve still got the whole functional stove question. Even if you prepared the sushi rice on the surface, then transported it underwater, the sticky consistency would be compromised by the sea water. You wouldn’t be able to shape it. (I told you this was an embarrassing train wreck of thought, didn’t I?)

My clearly fevered brain goes on to wonder about the logistics of getting a plate of sushi – small bites of fairly light food – from the food preparation area to the diners. Okay, the plate would become essentially a fixed object subject to the forward motion of the server carrying it. The sushi, as best as I can figure, would still be subject to the resistance of the medium – salt water at high pressures – through which it moves (unless you fixed it to the plate somehow, which doesn’t sound particularly appetizing). The same problems would apply to the method of preparation, chopping the individual components into small pieces. They’d drift all over the place. I’d lose my mind. (For those of you who just started a thought with “Um, dude, hate to break it to you, but”, I already know.)

Lastly, in the dreaded sushi panel at the bottom of page one, I cannot possibly see what I think I see. That surely isn’t a bowl of soy sauce for dipping beside Lorena’s platter of food, is it? Because that would be just plain stupid. It would work in, say, Spongebob Squarepants, which is supposed to be charmingly absurdist, but… it’s an open bowl of liquid surrounded entirely by liquid! (Brain… hurts… so… much…)

Sometimes, Aquaman asks reasonably interesting questions about how humans would adapt to life underwater. There’s the interesting bit about the illegal drug trade developing designer drugs to cater specifically to Sub Diegans who can’t rely on the traditional means of ingestion (such as smoking and snorting).

This sushi thing is moronic, though. And it forces me into public displays of total geekery. Again. Some more.

(Comments contain spoilers.)

The Pulse has gotten off to a bit of a slow start, introducing its cast and establishing its premise in the first five-part arc, “Thin Air.” This issue’s conclusion is a rewarding wrap-up, though, blending action and character development with a promising focus on the book’s newspaper setting.

Jessica Jones, failed super-hero and private investigator, has joined the staff of the Daily Bugle as a consultant for its new special section on super-heroes. Jones and Bugle reporters Kat Farrell and Ben Urich are investigating the murder of one of their colleagues, following leads on the victim’s last story.

It’s a fraught situation, not simply because a co-worker has died violently. The trio’s inquiries lead back to Norman Osborne, a powerful corporate figure and the psychotic Green Goblin. Previous investigations of Osborne, including Urich’s expose of his villainous secret, have led to a serious reversal of fortune for the Bugle. The stakes are high, both personally and professionally.

Most of the issue is devoted to Osborne’s deadly meltdown. With his secrets exposed, he goes on the offensive, forcing Spider-Man to intervene. Jessica, believing the attack has caused her a terrible personal loss, goes on a bit of a rampage of her own. Her lover, Luke Cage, picks up where she left off. It’s a sequence of action set pieces, and it plays to artist Mark Bagley’s strengths.

As solid as all that is, the meat of the issue is the closing sequence at the Bugle. Having worked as a reporter and editor at daily and weekly newspapers, I’ve been eager to see how that setting plays out in The Pulse. Its role in the title is satisfyingly complex and reflects contemporary issues in a satisfying way.

Conceived as a muckraking thorn in Spider-Man’s side, Bugle publisher J. Jonah Jameson gets a much more layered portrayal here. He’s still a bit of a dinosaur, but he’s clearly portrayed as having the public’s interests in mind. It galls him to pander to public fascination with super-heroes by creating the special section, but a changing business landscape for dailies forces him to adapt or fail. And the sting of Osborne’s crippling lawsuit against the paper lingers, especially since he knows the Bugle got the story right.

As the newsroom gathers to watch television coverage of Osborne’s capture, Jameson springs into action. He reminds his staff (and readers) of the things that a daily newspaper can still do in the face of twenty-four-hour cable networks and Internet outlets. Hopefully, the commitment to depth and complexity of coverage that Jameson espouses here will continue to be a part of the fabric of the tile; it could open up a whole range of interesting stories, much in the way Alias did with private investigation and Gotham Central does with the police procedural.

Writer Brian Michael Bendis does a very nice job of creating individual voices for his characters. Jameson has his trademark bluster but without some of his traditional excesses. Spider-Man’s customary quips fly, and Cage is suitably tough and taciturn. Supporting characters like Jessica’s doctor and Osborne’s lawyers get vivid, personalized dialogue. The variety gives great texture to the storytelling.

I’m still not entirely sold on Bagley’s pencils. His action sequences are terrific, as I said, but the quieter moments can seem a little static. I’m glad to see that his rendering of Jessica is matching up a bit better with Michael Gaydos’s design from Alias. She’s getting some of her rougher edges back and losing some of the pretty princess sheen she had in earlier issues.

If The Pulse continues to fold the challenges and complexities of contemporary journalism into its stories, this could become one of my favorite titles. With the carefully established Bugle setting, it can give an interesting perspective on the Marvel Universe.