Christmas Covers - December 4

For each day of December until Christmas I'm featuring a Comic Cover Advent Calendar. Just move your mouse over the image to reveal today's special Holiday comic cover. Click on the image to get a larger version.

Ty Templeton's cover to The Batman and Robin Adventures #3 features The Riddler setting a Christmas Tree on fire--doesn't he know that you're not supposed to use real candles?

Come back tomorrow, and every day this month, for a new Christmas cover.


Just 21 more 'get-ups' until Santa!

Other Christmas Covers

Over at Polite Dissent, Scott is doing a Comic Book Advent Calendar of his own, but his is more clever than mine, as he's using the issue number of each chosen comic to count down to December 25.

And I'm sure you're stopping in each day to Love Manga, where David & Immelda are using their advent calendar as a contest to give away a free manga volume every day until Christmas. Now that's getting in the holiday spirit!

Be sure to come back here to YACB on Monday as we debut a 'contest' of sorts of our own: our 2nd annual CBLDF fund drive.

Christmas Covers - December 3

For each day of December until Christmas I'm featuring a Comic Cover Advent Calendar. Just move your mouse over the image to reveal today's special Holiday comic cover. Click on the image to get a larger version.

Today's cover is from 1949: Marge's Little Lulu #18 features Lulu giving Santa a helping hand getting back up the chimney (perhaps he ate too many cookies?)

Come back tomorrow, and every day this month, for a new Christmas cover.


Just 22 more 'get-ups' until Santa!

YAFL: Week 12 Results

Here are the results from week 12 of Yet Another Fantasy League:



The Inferior Five 69
Kickers Inc. 73

Nine Pound Hammers 74
www.rickgebhardt.net 71

Danger Limited 85
Moon Knights 34

Secret Six 61
B.P.R.D. 45

The Maxx Squad 37
Power Pack 69

Inferior 5 plus 6 73
Tomorrow Syndicate 99


Current Standings:

   Team                 W-L-T  Pct   Pts  Streak
   -------------------  -----  ----  ---  ------
*1.Power Pack           9-3-0  .750  771  W-1
*2.B.P.R.D.             8-4-0  .667  774  L-2
*3.Kickers Inc.         8-4-0  .667  726  W-2
*4.Nine Pound Hammers   8-4-0  .667  715  W-4
 5.Inferior 5 plus 6    6-6-0  .500  788  L-6
 6.Tomorrow Syndicate   6-6-0  .500  779  W-2
 7.Secret Six           6-6-0  .500  776  W-1
 8.www.rickgebhardt.net 6-6-0  .500  614  L-1
 9.Danger Limited       5-7-0  .417  755  W-1
10.The Maxx Squad       4-8-0  .333  625  L-1
11.The Inferior Five    3-9-0  .250  625  L-4
12.Moon Knights         3-9-0  .250  586  L-1

Week 13 Games:

www.rickgebhardt.net (6-6-0)
vs.
Kickers Inc. (8-4-0)

Inferior 5 plus 6 (6-6-0)
vs.
The Inferior Five (3-9-0)

Nine Pound Hammers (8-4-0)
vs.
Moon Knights (3-9-0)

Danger Limited (5-7-0)
vs.
B.P.R.D. (8-4-0)

Secret Six (6-6-0)
vs.
Power Pack (9-3-0)

The Maxx Squad (4-8-0)
vs.
Tomorrow Syndicate (6-6-0)

Good luck to all!


In my other Fantasy Leagues, I continued my losing streak in my friends & family league, getting creamed 104-49 by my father (3-8-1, still seventh place); had another big loss in my public league (6-6-0, fell to seventh place); and scored a sad 248.95 points in my Pass & Kick league, which kept me in fifth place. In Fantasy Basketball I won 5-3-0 and moved up to fith place (14-16-2 overall).

Christmas Covers - December 2

For each day of December until Christmas I'm featuring a Comic Cover Advent Calendar. Just move your mouse over the image to reveal today's special Holiday comic cover. Click on the image to get a larger version.

Today's cover is from DC's Limited Collectors' Edition #C-43, a "Christmas with the Super-Heroes" tabloid. It features Superman filling in for Santa's reindeer, and an odd assortment of characters hitching a ride with Santa on the sleigh.

Come back tomorrow, and every day this month, for a new Christmas cover.


Just 23 more 'get-ups' until Santa!

Preview: Coffee and Donuts

Coffee and Donuts
by Max Estes
Top Shelf. $10.

Dwight and Jules are a couple of anthropomorphic junkyard cats, down on their luck. Tired of living onthe streets, they hatch a plan to rob an armored truck, but not being professional criminals it doesn't go well. Even worse, they run afoul of a couple of real criminals who were planning on robbing the truck themselves.

Truth be told, this is not exactly my cup of tea. The story is very straightforward: the things that happen, just happen. The book is over 100 pages long, but with just one or two panels per page it makes for a rather quick read. But even with that limited layout, Estes tells the story clearly and manages to get a lot of dynamism across. He uses a purposely crude drawing style, with thick lines and distorted proportions. It's the sort of thing that would fall into the Kochalka 'craft is the enemy' camp; if that's the sort of thing you're after, and want it in an all-ages way, then you'll probably want to give Coffee and Donuts a look. (It's in the current Previews for ordering now, and is scheduled to go on sale in February.)

Rating: 3 (of 5)

(A preview copy of Coffee and Donuts was provided by the publisher.)

Christmas Covers - December 1

Last year's Christmas Covers were a big hit, so we're doing it again: twenty-five more comic covers with a holiday theme, in our little virtual comic book advent calendar.

Hover over the image to reveal today's cover, and click on it to see the larger-sized version.

The first Christmas Cover of 2005 is by Bob Moore, from 1951's Walt Disney's Christmas Parade #3.

Come back tomorrow, and every day this month, for a new Christmas cover.


Just 24 more 'get-ups' until Santa!