YACB Miscellany

A few miscellaneous items:

ITEM: If, like me, you get your weekly comic fix from DCBS, you'll be disappointed to hear that their entire overnight shipment was lost this week. Diamond had to send them an emergency shipment though, and packages are starting to go out now.

ITEM: Tomorrow morning I'm giving a presentation at our Librarians' Forum annual show-and-tell: "Why I Love Comics". I'll be talking to a bunch of university librarians about my history of comics collecting, why I like comics, what kind of comics are out there, and then I'll booktalk a bunch of good comics. I can talk about comics for hours, but alas I only have 20-30 min., which is proving to be rather challenging...

ITEM: Of course, we're forecasted to get 5-8" of snow tonight, so I'm guessing that maybe 5 people will show up at 9am for my presentation.

ITEM: The Comics Webblog Update-a-Tron 6000 XP is back up and running today, so we can all get our hourly comic blog fix. A big thanks to the operators there for linking to my CBLDF Fund Drive, prominently up at the top.

ITEM: Also providing linkage are: Johanna, David, Dorian, Gordon, Graeme, TangognaT, and Scott. Thanks all! (Did I miss anyone--it wasn't intentional if I did!)

ITEM: Alas, response so far has been very underwhelming. So far, zero people have come forward with their support. Come on people--there are no ads on this blog, I give away free comics in May and free graphic novels in August--This is all I ask of you! Once a year, give a tax-deductable donation to a worthwhile comic-related cause, and I'll match your giving. 'Tis the season for giving, you know! I should point out that, unlike last year, you don't have to be a first-time member to count towards the goal. Current CBLDF members can renew and/or give an extra $25 donation, and that counts too.

YAFL: Week 13 Results

Here are the results from week 13 of Yet Another Fantasy League:


www.rickgebhardt.net 70
Kickers Inc. 44

Inferior 5 plus 6 65
The Inferior Five 89

Nine Pound Hammers 71
Moon Knights 59

Danger Unlimited 63
B.P.R.D. 59

Secret Six 42
Power Pack 43

The Maxx Squad 67
Tomorrow Syndicate 24



Current Standings:

   Team                 W-L-T  Pct   Pts  Streak
   -------------------  -----  ----  ---  ------
*1.Power Pack          10-3-0  .769  814  W-2
*2.Nine Pound Hammers   9-4-0  .692  786  W-5
*3.B.P.R.D.             8-5-0  .615  833  L-3
*4.Kickers Inc.         8-5-0  .615  770  L-1
 5.www.rickgebhardt.net 7-6-0  .538  684  W-1
 6.Inferior 5 plus 6    6-7-0  .462  853  L-7
 7.Danger Unlimited     6-7-0  .462  818  W-2
 8.Secret Six           6-7-0  .462  818  L-1
 9.Tomorrow Syndicate   6-7-0  .462  803  L-1
10.The Maxx Squad       5-8-0  .385  692  W-1
11.The Inferior Five    4-9-0  .308  714  W-1
12.Moon Knights        3-10-0  .231  645  L-2

Week 14 Games:

Moon Knights
vs.
Kickers Inc.

www.rickgebhardt.net
vs.
The Inferior Five

vs.
Nine Pound Hammers
vs.
B.P.R.D.

Danger Unlimited
vs.
Power Pack

Secret Six
vs.
Tomorrow Syndicate

Inferior 5 plus 6
vs.
The Maxx Squad


This is the last week of the regular fantasy season, and there are still 4 playoff slots remaining. Should be exciting!


In my other Fantasy Leagues it was bad news all around. I lost my fourth straght in my friends & family league, getting creamed 76-26 (3-9-1, down to ninth place, and just half a game out of last place); lost 85-72 in my public league (6-7-0, still in seventh place); and scored a pathetic 170.20 points in my Pass & Kick league, which kept me in fifth place. In Fantasy Basketball I lost 3-5-0 and drapped back down to seventh place (17-21-2 overall).

Christmas Covers - December 8

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 Liberty Meadows #29, with Brandy & Oscar drawn by Frank Cho.

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


Just 17 more 'get-ups' until Santa!


(And don't forget Polite Dissent's comic cover advent calendar; Love Manga's advent calendar manga give-away; or my own CBLDF Fund Drive.)

Christmas Covers - December 7

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.

"Are you pondering what I'm pondering?" Everyone's favorite lab mice try to take over Santa's job--and the world!--on the cover of Pinky and the Brain #19.

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


Just 18 more 'get-ups' until Santa!


(And don't forget Polite Dissent's comic cover advent calendar; Love Manga's advent calendar manga give-away; or my own CBLDF Fund Drive.)

New This Week: December 7, 2005

Based on the NCRL list for this week's comics shipping from Diamond, here are a few things to look for at the local comic shop tomorrow:


The Pick of the Week is Grant Morrison & Philip Bond's Vimanarama collection from DC/Vertigo. It's Bollywood meets Jack Kirby--big and bold and alternately funny and tragic.


In other comics:

Aardvark-Vanaheim & Win-Mill have a new issue of Following Cerebus (#6).

Abstract have a new issue of Strangers in Paradise (#78), as well as the fifth massive SiP Pocket collection.

AiT/PlanetLAR have the collection of Brian Wood & Becky Cloonan's Demo.

Dark Horse have a special 25 cent issue of Penny Arcade.

DC have the finale of David Lapham's "City of Crime" in Detective Comics #814; Showcase Presents: Justice League of America with lots of silver age super-hero fun; and new issues of Gotham Central (#38), JSA (#80), Jonah Hex (#2), Swamp Thing (#22), and Y, the Last Man (#40).

Drawn & Quarterly have a new issue of Adrian Tomine's Optic Nerve (#10).

Fantagraphics have a new edition of Charles Burns' El Borbah as well as a new issue of Love & Rockets (vol. 2 #15).

IDW have the return of Maze Agency and the first issue of the new Angel: Old Friends mini.

Image have new printings of the first two issues of Ellis & Templesmith's Fell--so if you missed them the first time, pilgrim, be sure to get these (as well as #3, which came out last week). And you can get the latest issue of Age of Bronze (#22) too.

Kyle Baker has the second issue of his Nat Turner bio-comic.

Marvel have new issues of Powers (#15), The Punisher (#28), Supreme Power: Nighthawk (#4), Ultimate Spider-Man (#87), and Ultimates 2 (#9).

Tetragrammatron Press have the first issue of something called Caveman Robot, which I know nothing about, but that sure is a cool title!

Top Shelf have a new issue of Surrogates (#3).

Viz have a new volume of Banana Fish (vol. 11) and the re-issue of Maison Ikkoku (vol. 14).


That just about does it. If you have any money left over, consider giving to the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund--I'll match your contribution if you join at the $25 level. Who knows--the comic you save may just be your own!

Christmas Covers - December 6

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 Spider-Man's Tangled Web #21. Artists Darwyn Cooke and J. Bone draw Spider-man with visions of something sweeter than sugar plums dancing through his head!

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


Just 19 more 'get-ups' until Santa!


(And don't forget Polite Dissent's comic cover advent calendar; Love Manga's advent calendar manga give-away; or my own CBLDF Fund Drive.)

Second Annual CBLDF Fund Drive

It's December, so it's time for YACB's Second Annual Comic Book Legal Defense Fund (CBLDF) Fund Drive.

It's styled on the matching-funds pledge drives that my local NPR station does (but without interrupting Car Talk six times in an hour...)

For the period between now and December 24, if 10 people join as CBLDF members at the $25 level (or higher) I will donate $250 to CBLDF.

(To donate, go to the CBLDF Website, click on the link across the top that says 'Membership', the scroll down to the join link.)

Just email me the confirmation email that you get from CBLDF when you make your donation. I'll post periodic updates until the goal has been met. (Please mention in your email if you'd prefer to remain anonymous.)

From the CBLDF site: "The Comic Book Legal Defense Fund was founded in 1986 as a 501 (c) 3 non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation of First Amendment rights for members of the comics community."

Update - December 23 We've reached our goal of 10 contributors. Thanks to everyone who participated!