Via Screen Rant, DC comics is going to begin renumbering all — or, at least, 52 (I don’t know how many comics they publish now) — of their comic books, in an attempt to “reboot” their entire “universe.”

On Wednesday, August 31st, DC Comics will launch a historic renumbering of the entire DC Universe line of comic books with 52 first issues, including the release of JUSTICE LEAGUE by NEW YORK TIMES bestselling writer and DC Entertainment Chief Creative Officer Geoff Johns and bestselling artist and DC Comics Co-Publisher Jim Lee. The publication of JUSTICE LEAGUE issue 1 will launch day-and-date digital publishing for all these ongoing titles, making DC Comics the first of the two major American publishers to release all of its superhero comic book titles digitally the same day as in print.

DC Comics will only publish two comic books on August 31st: the final issue of this summer’s comic book mini-series FLASHPOINT and the first issue of JUSTICE LEAGUE by Johns and Lee, two of the most distinguished and popular contemporary comic book creators, who will be collaborating for the first time. Together they will offer a contemporary take on the origin of the comic book industry’s premier superhero team.

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Tags: art & entertainment, books & writing by Ricky Sprague
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And so it comes to a close, at least for now. The Congressman bows out after a few weeks of endless humiliation. Was it the porn star? Was it the cross-dressing, vintage though it was? Was it simply, as the gentleman early on implied, merely that his name was ripe for bawdy jokes? The question is pertinent because, as we all know, what he actually did was scarcely an infraction of any sort (excepting his marriage vows) especially compared to the man he was compelled to apologize to publicly, one Bill Clinton.

Of all the gall Tony now must swallow, certainly this is the most bitter cup. As Jon Stewart put it so well, what is he apologizing to Clinton for? Copyright infringement? [Read more →]

Tags: politics & government, trusted media & news by Ken Watson
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If you’re thinking of going to the time, trouble, and expense of attending the new “Green Lantern” film, you should probably read the comic below, in preparation. Not to be melodramatic, but if you don’t, you won’t know what’s really going on:

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Tags: books & writing, movies by Ricky Sprague
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Heads You Losestarts with a very clever idea: crime novelist Lisa Lutz asks ex-boyfriend David Hayward, a published poet, to collaborate on a mystery novel with her. Lisa writes the first chapter and sends it to David; he writes the second chapter and sends it back. They alternate, odd and even chapters, and manage to write a funny, interesting crime novel with some great twists and turns. The story is good, but the interaction between the two co-authors (their footnotes on each other’s chapters and their emails between chapters) is better. [Read more →]

Tags: books & writing, Lisa Reads by Lisa Hura
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To start, I’d like to congratulate LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and the rest of the Miami Heat for doing something that only a few generations ago would have been unthinkable: making the world root passionately for an unstoppable German. That said, as the Dallas Maverick’s star Dirk Nowitzki celebrates his first NBA Championship and revels in confirming his place as one of the league’s greats it’s also worth taking a moment to think of Robert “Tractor” Traylor. Traylor was drafted in 1998 and immediately traded for fellow draft pick Dirk (Traylor was drafted higher, so Pat Garrity was thrown in to balance the scales). [Read more →]

Tags: sports by Sean Cunningham
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If, say, Descartes were to come back from the grave and host a talk show, I would watch it, daily. I would also occasionally watch an episode of Jerry Springer, but I would never watch Oprah, may her show rest in peace.

I have nothing against Oprah as a person. I have plenty against Jerry Springer as a person and, aside from the annoyingly mathematical miseries he caused for me in my younger days, I have no opinion whatever about Descartes as a dude.  But here’s my problem: If I watch TV, I want either brilliance or absolute melt-into-the-couch drivel — Cops, or World’s Dumbest, for instance. I can’t be bothered with middle-of-the-road quality in a TV show. Oprah is arguably a genius, in a lot of ways, but her show is pretty run-of-the-mill, on the intellectual scale. Not delightfully bad, not intellectually stimulating . . . just . . . there. [Read more →]

Tags: artistic unknowns by Chris Matarazzo, television by Chris Matarazzo
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I write about my son Jack in this blog all the time. It’s hard not to, he provides entertainment, I am proud of him, and to be honest, it’s fun to write about him. I am amazed how a three foot tall, thirty-five pound person consumes so much of my life. But this week I would like to pay homage to my girlfriend Cailin. She is my best friend, a great drinking buddy, a fun concert mate, and most importantly- she my baby mamma. I love her, and I love her name; it matches her personality in that both are very unique. She definitely keeps me on my toes and I appreciate that along with a million other things about her. [Read more →]

Tags: family & parenting, Marty digs by Marty O'Connor
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For a country that prides itself on the fact that its citizens enjoy freedom of speech, there seem to be a lot of instances where speech seems far less than free. In the world of sports, we are regularly reminded of the fact that speaking one’s mind can have all kinds of consequences. Whether it is criticizing refs, celebrating touchdowns with a bit too much gusto, or throwing gay slurs at fans, there are many different ways that an athlete can end up on the dark side of this basic freedom. Occasionally, the penalty for one of these violations has a direct result on the outcome of the event, which really puts a focus on the fairness (or lack thereof) of the punishment. [Read more →]

Tags: bad sports, good sports by Alan Spoll
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10. A honeymoon bed with handrails

9. A defibrillator

8. A subscription to Penthouse

7. That new STD iPhone app

6. A copy of Kama Sutra for the Infirm

5. A collection of naked TSA photos

4. A tuxedo with a built-in adult diaper

3. A Viagra Pez dispenser

2. A Playboy calendar with only May and December in it

1. A Rascal scooter with a “Just Married” sign and tin cans tied to the back
 

Bob Sullivan’s Top Ten Everything appears every Monday.

Tags: Bob Sullivan's top ten everything, getting older, trusted media & news by Bob Sullivan
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The amount of knowledge and ability a smartphone offers on the move ranks it as one of the most influential breakthroughs since the internet. But, in a stunted economy, has anyone considered that maybe smartphones are too good, versatile, and convenient? [Read more →]

Tags: money, technology by Tyler Samien
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I never wanted anyone to take care of me.

I can’t say that I never needed care, just that I never felt much of a need for it. Maybe I didn’t allow myself a desire for it? Hmm.

In childhood it was available in spurts, the care. My father was absent of the ability, or desire. My mother tried her best, but struggled with depression and her ability to care for herself. Maybe that is saying too much about her, or giving her too little credit. Good thing she doesn’t really understand the internet. [Read more →]

Tags: family & parenting, square one by Van McCourt by Van McO
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Leonid McGill is a former thug, trying to go straight. He was a bad guy who worked for bad guys, but he doesn’t want to be that guy anymore. Unfortunately for Leonid, there are too many ties to his past and no one — from organized crime kingpin Harris Vaartan to honest cop Carson Kitteridge — is willing to let him forget it in Walter Mosley’s When the Thrill Is Gone.

When a beautiful woman tells a detective she needs his help, he’s almost obligated to rescue her (at least in the fiction aisles). Even though McGill knows that Chrystal Tyler is lying to him, he takes her case. She’s got a stack of cash, he needs the money and he has problems of his own: a cheating wife, a son with a budding criminal career, and a best friend with not long to live. What are a few lies with all that on his plate? [Read more →]

Tags: books & writing, Lisa Reads by Lisa Hura
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Ever since Barack Obama was elected, a lot of pundits have asked: who will run against him in 2012? They do that because they’re paid to of course, but as the election draws nearer perhaps we should take the matter a little more seriously. Here, therefore is an E-Z cut out n’keep list of possible Republican candidates for next year’s presidential race. [Read more →]

Tags: politics & government, trusted media & news by Daniel Kalder
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I have known some stinky, sweaty, rude, intolerable, brutish, self-absorbed, pimple-faced, neurosis-addled musicians in my time and out of all of those cats, not one of them ever had a problem getting a date. Why? Because they are musicians. Because they close their eyes and soar over a fretboard and pour their souls into microphones. Because they do what everyone else in the room wishes they could do. (It works for girls, too, but my gentlemanly mien prohibits such arguably critical assessments, lest my readers begin suspect me of being both judgmental and rude.) [Read more →]

Tags: artistic unknowns by Chris Matarazzo by Chris Matarazzo
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Summer is finally upon us! After a winter full of shoveling snow, freezing my ass off, and cursing Al Gore, the warm weather and good times are here. To me, summer is all about barbecuing, going to the beach, getting sunburned, swimming, and according to Will “The Fresh Prince” Smith, it’s about hustling to the mall to get a short set. (Even though I still don’t know what the hell a short set is) But my favorite summer event is a good summer concert. There are few things I love more than packing up a car with beer and barbecue gear, tailgating with my friends, and seeing a good show on a warm summer night. But I am sad to say that this summer’s lineup is a massive disappointment. [Read more →]

Tags: art & entertainment, Marty digs by Marty O'Connor
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The foundations are shaking in the land of the Buckeyes. The Ohio State football program, which has dominated the Big Ten and been a regular member of the top ten rankings over the last decade, is facing an uncertain future. Jim Tressel, head coach at the school since 2001, has resigned his position, effective immediately, after the tattoo scandal he certainly hoped was behind him continued to make news in new and fascinating ways. Sports Illustrated had a story that came out on Monday that revealed that the issues went far deeper than had been previously believed. [Read more →]

Tags: bad sports, good sports by Alan Spoll
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10. Your play about General Schwarzkopf is called The Book of Norman

9. At least twice a week, another Spidey stuntman is maimed or killed

8. Trying to cash in on jukebox musicals like Mamma Mia and Movin’ Out, your new musical is called Ice Ice Baby

7. The marquee reads “Pauly Shore Is Jean Valjean”

6. Your Feydeau farce features Arnold Schwarzenegger and Dominique Strauss-Kahn chasing the French maid

5. No matter how good it is, your fifth-grade production of Death of a Salesman is not eligible

4. Instead of “Author! Author!” audience shouts “Boo! Kill!”

3. All the dialogue has been translated into Portuguese, because it loses something in the original

2. Your choreographer is straight

1. Your one-man show dealt mainly with your tiger’s blood, Adonis DNA, and fire-breathing fists

Bob Sullivan’s Top Ten Everything appears every Monday.

Tags: art & entertainment, Bob Sullivan's top ten everything, television by Bob Sullivan
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While people are scrambling and plotting about how to pay for their children’s education, PayPal cofounder Peter Thiel has offered up a different idea: He is offering 24 people $100,000 not to go to college.

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Tags: education, virtual children by Scott Warnock by Scott Warnock
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The sending of photos of one’s genitalia to the object of your affection is a beautiful expression of love, desire, and trust. By exposing yourself, you are opening yourself completely to another person. There is nothing so gratifying. There is nothing so perilous. “Here I am, in all my glory,” you are saying. “Accept me, please.”

It takes strength, courage, and genuine affection to express yourself so forthrightly. [Read more →]

Tags: his & hers, politics & government by Ricky Sprague
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How do you transfer a comedy routine to the printed page? It’s not easy and it is bound to lose something in the translation. For some comedians, the joke is in their body language, or their facial expressions. Or their voice.

In the case of Rubber Balls and Liquor, it’s pretty simple: if you find Gilbert Gottfried’s comedy entertaining, you’ll probably enjoy the book. Lots of self-deprecating humor, a lot of dick jokes, lots of jokes about being Jewish, and some good celebrity stories. I thought it would be a pleasant change to get the funny stuff without the annoying, grating voice, but it didn’t really matter. I heard the voice in my head anyway.

(Check out the end of this review for a chance to win an autographed copy of the book.)

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Tags: books & writing, Lisa Reads by Lisa Hura
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