Linko! XXXIII

* I know Ben doesn't like to re-post a lot of stuff from Marvel.com on this blog so he doesn't come off as too much of a shill, so I'm going to be the one who points out that the two features with Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige and publisher Dan Buckley are very much worth reading. I know that in the rush to talk about Marvel's doubtlessly incredible bounce back from the brink over this decade, a lot of people have pointed to Avi Arad and Bill Jemas as turners of the status quo (and they did a lot), but Feige and Buckley have certainly done a lot to cement Marvel's current position in the entertainment landscape, and hearing their take on the decade in Marvel, even as part of an official company release, is worthwhile reading to anyone interested in how the company works and views itself today.

* Also really interesting for totally different reasons: David Uzumeri returns to blogging by theorizing on the true identity of Dr. Hurt in Batman & Robin. I can't say I'm 100% behind the theory, but it's a great reminder of how much Grant Morrison's work with the Dark Knight can feel like a crazy interactive mystery even when it isn't.

* Dress like Sean T. Collins! Buy this T-Shirt!


* Thank God for Ada Price, and her amazing listing of classic literature currently being adapted into graphic novel form. Do you have any idea how many of these things I see in a regular basis in book stores only to ask, "Who in the fuck did this?!?!" I foresee me looking back to this link much in the future.

* Important Lesson Link: Graduate School: DON'T DO IT!

* I'm leaning towards doing an entire Linko! dedicated to how much "Best of the Decade" posts about manga are helping me fill in the gaps in my manga knowledge, but for now I'll just link to another similar story on an area of comics I need to learn more about in 2010: the Comix Talk web comics roundtable!

* This story about how Swedish people celebrate Christmas by watching a Donald Duck special is:

A) Super fucking fascinating.
B) Something I found via Tom Spurgeon.
C) Something I'm posting mostly for Brian Warmoth.
D) All of the above!

U Decide.

* Let's face it: so far the design and management of the new Comics Journal website has been nothing short of a total fucking mess, but there is still some good content going up there if you're willing to look for it. Example: the nerd in me dug this review of Dark Horse's Green Lama Archives by Rich Kreiner.


* Speaking of goofy old superhero bullshit, this post on the forgotten Silver Age heroes of Bob Powell's Magazine Enterprises work on Comics Should Be Good! provided me with one of those "proud to not really know every bit of useless comics info" moments.

* This NY Times story about breaking up in the age of the "Digital Fishbowl" loses points for using a phrase like "Digital Fishbowl" but it also hit me in a weird way.

* On one hand, this list of Michigan-themed literature from the past decade you should read (published by Lansing City Pulse, the true alt-weekly of my college days) was pretty good. On the other hand? No Charles Baxter? Fucking bullshit.

* Dave Press pointed me towards this older review of "T2" by David Foster Wallace which, as he points out, pretty much predicts "Avatar."

* Finally, follow this i09 link to a rad site of "Star Trek" design art and other behind the scenes goodies.