* my blogging betters: The writer and comics historian Mark Evanier has unearthed an article on Al Capp by one of his former assistants. Blogger Prime Neilalien digs up a Mr. A parody by Dave Sim.
* "I'm the best there is at what I do and what I do is -- BWA-HA-HA-HA!"
* the writer and cultural historian Jeet Heer produces a preview of the historical material in the new Little Orphan Annie collection. Jeet's writing on Little Orphan Annie is the only comics scholarship my mom follows.
* as promised, Ben Morse has listed his five favorite Avengers. No one that was a member of the Fantastic Four before issue #200 is a second-stringer by any measure, Ben.
* the writer and sage advice-giver of the Internet Kurt Busiek talks up The Hero Initiative. Ironically, it may be their limitations in how much help they can provide that may have granted them a second look from a lot of people. Not Kurt, though -- he was there since the beginning.