Marvel’s brand-new video series “Marvel Super Heroes: What The–?!” premieres on Marvel.com today. Similar to Robot Chicken, “Marvel Super Heroes: What The–?!” continues Marvel’s tradition of comic book satires as made popular in the Marvel comic book series “NOT BRAND ECHH” and the 1990s version of “What The–?!”.

In today’s Giant-Size Premiere, Iceman loses his powers and decides to play his luck at being a late night talk-show host. Will he be as good as Jimmy Fallon? You decide!

Girl Gang vs. Zombie Web Comic Celebrates First Birthday

This month marks the first anniversary of The Black Cherry Bombshells on Zuda.com. The girl-on-zombie action comic premiered in March 2008 against stiff competition to be award a publishing contract from DC Comics.

To celebrate, the creators are debuting never before seen sketches, scripts and Easter Eggs on their production blog throughout March.

The month long milestone kicks off with a photo retrospective covering 2008’s submission process to NY Comic Con 2009, the series of images capturing the dizzying experience of entering the comic book industry.

Here is a list, cross-posted at the Friends of Lulu blog, of some of the comics for kids released this week.

Please note: some of these comics may not be appropriate for very small children. What’s right for a 10-year-old may not be right for a 6-year-old. Please take a moment in the comic shop to make sure a certain comic is right for your child. Also, some publisher websites will list the suggested age range for the individual issues.

Archie Comics:

Archie & Friends #129

$2.50

By: Alex Simmons & Fernando Ruiz

The Cartoon Life of Chuck Clayton, Part 4
Tony Messina is a troubled kid, always getting into mischief. When he gets caught spreading graffiti in his neighborhood, his mother decides it would be best if Tony learned how to use his artistic abilities in a more positive way and enrolls him in Chuck’s class. But there’s a reason Tony’s painted the walls in his town, and when Chuck finds out why, he decides to take action. What reason could Tony possibly have to deface property? Can Chuck find a solution beneficial to everyone? It’s a poignant tale you won’t want to miss, brought to you by children’s educator Alex Simmons.

Archie Digest #252

$2.49

By: George Gladir, Mike Pellowski, Tim Kennedy, and various

The local paper is sponsoring a contest to see who can go out on the most frugal date; don’t they realize that in ‘A Cheap Date Contest’ that Archie is the certain winner? Then, Archie enters his modified lawn mower in a special race for former clippers - after all, they get great ‘grass mileage!’ Plus, other new and classic tales, puzzles, pin-ups, and more! Plus: other new and classic stories.

Sonic the Hedgehog #198

$2.50

By: Ian Flynn & Renae De Liz

The countdown to the epic Sonic the Hedgehog #200 continues! Sonic leads the fully assembled Freedom Fighters and Chaotix on an invasion of Dr. Robotnik’s city, but the doctor unleashes a terrifying new weapon that may make their fight a short one! Don’t miss all the egg-plosive action!

DC Comics:

Cartoon Network Action Pack #35

$2.50

By: Charlotte Fullerton, Jim Alexander, Tom Warburton,

Min S. Ku, Ethen Beavers and Maurice Fontenot

It’s a new Ben 10: Alien Force adventure featuring the return of Albedo! Plus, Samurai Jack faces a deadly challenge, and the Kids Next Door get spanked!

Scooby Doo #142

$2.50

By: Robbie Busch, Darryl Kravitz, John Rozum,

Robert Pope, Scott Gross, Mike DeCarlo, and Scott McRae

Zombies, zombies, zombies! The gang’s got their work cut out for them, with two tales of zombie mayhem. Plus, a group of rival mystery-solvers falls on their tails!

Super Friends: For Justice TPB

$12.99

By: Sholly Fisch, Dario Brizuela, Joe Staton, Stewart McKay, Horacio Ottolini, Phil Moy, Mike DeCarlo, and J. Bone

The first seven SUPER FRIENDS issues unite in a new collection of stories inspired by the red-hot line of action figures from Mattel! Filled with exciting, all-ages adventure, this volume features the Justice League facing some of their greatest foes, including Amazo and Gorilla Grodd!

Marvel Comics:

Franklin Richards: Not So Secret Invasion Digest

Rated: All-Ages

$9.99

By: Marc Sumerak & Chris Eliopoulos

Marvel Adventures: Spider-Man #49

Rated: All-Ages

$2.99

By: Marc Sumerak, Sanford Greene, and Francis Tsai

Every student at Midtown High knows that Flash Thompson is numero uno at every game he plays…and that rule applies to more than just varsity sports. Flash’s video gaming skills are the stuff of legend, and they just got him noticed by a super-villain looking to test a brand new arcade machine — one that could destroy all of New York City! Will Peter Parker be able to swing into action and save his high school arch-nemeis before it’s too late…or will this finally be ‘game over’ for the spectacular Spider-Man?! Insert 12 quarters to find out…

Marvel Adventures: Superheroes #9

Rated: All-Ages

$2.99

By: Paul Tobin, Jacopo Camagni, Roger Cruz

In a time long gone, the Ancient One fought a tremendous battle against the Dread Dormammu, ultimately banishing the ruler of the Dark Dimension back to his own reality by power of a mystically binding contract. Unfortunately for Dr. Strange, that mystical contract is hundreds of pages long, and the Dread One has now found himself one nasty lawyer, and a whole lot of loopholes. Dr. Strange is going to need all the mystical might he possesses, along with the legal prowess of one Mr. Foggy Nelson, Attorney At Law, in order to send Dormammu packing, or maybe just to stay alive!

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz #4

Rated: All-Ages

$3.99

By: Eric Shanower and Skottie Young

So you want to see the Wizard? Be careful what you wish for–or you’ll find yourself blackmailed into murdering an old woman in order to get what you want. At least that’s Dorothy’s experience when she and her friends finally reach the Emerald City. And who or what is this Wizard really–a disembodied head, a blazing ball of fire, or something stranger still?

About Friends of Lulu:

Friends of Lulu is a national nonprofit organization whose purpose is to promote and encourage female readership and participation in the comic book industry. The “FoL” motto is “comics are for everyone,” and the organization also promotes all-ages comic book material.

The inclusion of an official “Graphic Books” Top Ten list in The New York Times was truly a momentous event — however late — for the comic book industry. Did the “Watchmen Effect” have anything to do with pushing NYT in this direction? Or, after serializing various comix in their Sunday magazine, was this the next logical step?

But most pressing on my mind, as I look at the books listed in both the softcover and hardcover editions, is that the criteria I have been lazily relying upon to determine whether a comic book title was a success or not is not enough anymore. (Oh, I’m sure others have figured this out before me. But allow me to experience a few moments of wide-eyed satori, won’t you?)

Case in point: The Incredible Hercules.

According to the standard Diamond Top 100 chart for January 2009, upon which “Herc” clocks in at #54, this book is sorta middle-of-the-road. By looking at some comparative sales analysis with other months, one could even say, it “seems to be bleeding readers with no end in sight.”

But then look at the New York Times graphic book sales list. The hardcover collection of the latest Incredible Hercules arc, “Love and War,” is at eighth place. That means a whole lot of customers plunked down $19.95 for a collected edition of a story arc that *just* finished. What does this tell us? And how does this compare with “Herc’s” showing on the direct sales Top 100?

How many readers, I have to wonder, liked this title so much that they decided to skip the floppies altogether and go straight for the (relatively affordably priced, in my opinion) hardcover? I mean, it wasn’t like there was a big wait between the floppies and the collected edition release.

In this case, we absolutely cannot judge the success of Incredible Hercules based solely on direct market numbers, nor can we do so based solely on floppy sales. The sales of the collected edition of the latest story arc — from the direct market, bookstores, and Amazon.com — should be taken into consideration, as well.

This is a far cry from the way things were when I was working in the editorial side of the comic book industry six years ago. Then, we lived or died by those Diamond numbers. They were The Numbers.

It’s important to note that the NYT rankings are based from a number of sources, including both bookstores and the direct market.

I love this article from the LA Motherhood Examiner on children and “superhero & weapons play” — it provides, I think, a very balanced viewpoint on the subject, both recognizing its importance (calling it a “natural phase of development”) and gently suggesting boundaries:

“Superhero and weapon play make it possible for preschoolers to do some sorting by making distinctions between good and evil, right and wrong, power and powerlessness, good guys vs bad guys. The power and wit of superheroes are attractive to young children who feel they have few of these qualities.”

Among the suggestions provided by writer Kimberley Clayton Blaine:

• “Take opportunities to talk about how the evil villain might have otherwise solved his problem.”
• “State the rules, such as, “Use your body and words without hurting others, yourself or property.”"
• “Help the children rotate roles so that everyone can be the “good guy” and the “bad guy” equally.”

Many fond memories of playing “Batman” when I was a small child…hair dryers (paradoxically) made good Mr. Freeze guns.

Aspen Comics, much like Top Cow, seems to exist in a sphere where the sensuality and eroticism of their characters are a given. There doesn’t appear to be fans of Fathom, for instance, who actively lobby and harangue the publisher to have her show less skin and be “taken more seriously.”

Because of this reason, I find any attempt by me (and, frankly, by others) to go into reviewing a comic like Executive Assistant Iris #0 with the usual gripes about the voluptuous and impossible poses of its female characters to be pointless.

Executive Assistant Iris #0 is a fast-paced read, the only dynamism it lacks being the expressionless stone-face of the title character. I don’t believe it’s much of a spoiler to point out that the masked, black-garbed assassin we see on page one is the very same silent woman in a suit serving tea a few pages later.

Iris seems to be made in the mold of Hope & Mercy from the Superman comics, as well as the pretty-but-deadly molls of the James Bond villains (think “May Day”). I also couldn’t help but think of the TV show “Dollhouse.” We don’t learn a lot about Iris in this issue — whether she is solely motivated by an intense loyalty to her boss, or if it is all purely a business arrangement to her, rendering her services to whomever pays her the most.

It is this last point — sort of — that is brought up in this issue without a resolution. To put it bluntly, is one of Iris’ executive assistant duties sleeping with her boss? When an opponent tauntingly asks her if she is a whore, Iris replies (after breaking his wrist), “The proper term is Executive Assistant.”

Now, if she is sleeping with Mr. Ching, her boss, this is quite extends the erotic fantasy element from merely “Beautiful But Deadly Assassin” and “Serious Businesswoman Is Secretly A Wild Hottie” to “My Secretary Has Sex With Me.” Oh, and not only will have sex with you — but will kill for you.

Judging by the quirkiness of the comic book’s premise, and the overall slickness of the package, I think Executive Assistant Iris will probably sell pretty well. Iris will inevitably become another character in that stable of erotically-drawn superheroines — Witchblade, Lady Death, Fathom, etc. — who, outside of their sphere, are largely not taken seriously because they are “too hot.”

Here is a list, cross-posted at the Friends of Lulu blog, of the comics for kids released this week.

Please note: some of these comics may not be appropriate for very small children. What’s right for a 10-year-old may not be right for a 6-year-old. Please take a moment in the comic shop to make sure a certain comic is right for your child. Also, some publisher websites will list the suggested age range for the individual issues.

Archie Comics:

Veronica #193

$2.50

By: Various

“Stuck in the ’80s”: Break out the spandex and hair spray - the Archies are about to go all-out ’80s for a special Riverdale High concert and Battle of the Bands contest celebrating the decade! Hopefully Jughead won’t get replaced by a drum machine!

Betty and Veronica Digest #192

$2.49

By: Various

“Culture Shock”: Archie, Betty and Jughead get a crash course in Japanese culture at Kumi’s house… and we do mean “crash!” Plus: other new and classic stories.

Jughead’s Double Digest #148

$3.99

By: Various

“A Tip of the Hat”: Jughead begins to think his trademark crown cap may be too recognizable and decides he’d like a change of pace in his headwear. Will Jughead’s look be changed forever, or is this merely a detour for Riverdale’s “crown” prince of mirth? Also includes other new and classic stories.

Sonic the Hedgehog Archives #10 TPB

$7.95

By: Various

Volume 10 presents issues #37 through #40 of Sonic’s ongoing comic book series in a special 5 x 7 & ½ inch edition. Each story is meticulously restored and printed on high-grade paper, so you can feel like you’re zipping right alongside the cobalt champion as he saves Knothole Village!

DC Comics:

Looney Tunes #172

$2.50

By: Various

A super-silly spy issue of LOONEY TUNES.

Shazam!: The Monster Society Of Evil TPB

$19.99

By: Jeff Smith

Jeff Smith, the award-winning creator of BONE, tells the story of young orphan Billy Batson who finds himself transformed into the World’s Mightiest Mortal whenever he says the magic word “Shazam!” In this new trade paperback edition collecting the acclaimed 4-issue miniseries at DC’s standard trim size, Billy must use these extraordinary abilities to face an invasion of alien creatures as well as stop mad scientist Dr. Sivana and his Monster Society of Evil from taking over the world!

Supergirl: Cosmic Adventures in the 8th Grade #4

$2.50

By: Landry Walker & Eric Jones

A little orange cat with a big attitude shows up on the scene, but is he friend or foe? And Lena makes a discovery that may change her friendship with Linda forever.

Marvel Comics:

Spider-Man & The Human Torch in Bahia De Los Muertos

Rated A (for children ages 9+)

$3.99

By: Tom Beland and Juan Doe

The Fantastic Four are going back to Puerto Rico! And this time, the Human Torch is bringing his good buddy Spider-Man along for the ride! Off the coast of Puerto Rico, the small, paradise-like island of Vieques is home to plants, animals, people, and the world’s most beautiful glowing waters. But what deadly secret has turned the tranquil bay into – a giant radioactive monster?! And what unlikely ally turns out to be the only one who can help our heroes now?

X-Men: First Class: Finals #2

Rated: A (for children ages 9+)

$3.99

By: Jeff Parker, Roger Cruz, Amilcar Pinna, and Colleen Coover

Why are threats from the X-Men’s past coming back to haunt them, just as graduation looms? What kind of job could Cyclops hold out in the world? Why does Angel have to have costumes that his hair sticks out of nowadays? And does Professor Xavier even live here anymore? Come find more mysteries to ponder in the second part of FINALS!

Image Comics

The New Brighton Archeological Society TPB

$17.99

By: Mark Andrew Smith & Matthew Weldon

Out of the ashes of misfortune will rise the next generation of great adventurers! After their parents are lost on an archeological expedition, four children begin to unlock the secrets of their parents’ mysterious lives, discovering a hidden world of mystical artifacts, mythical creatures, and arcane knowledge. Soon they find themselves drawn into a conflict over a great library that has kept two kingdoms at war for centuries, the children must save an enchanted forest, the birthplace of magic itself. Join us as these children become the latest members of the fabled New Brighton Archeological Society, and take their first steps towards their true destiny!

Del Rey

Bakugan Battle Brawlers Vol. 2 Masquerade Ball

For all ages

$7.99

One day, cards began to fall from the sky and were picked up by kids all over the world. The cards featured different characters, different environments, and different powers. Kids created a popular battle game, not knowing that these cards actually corresponded to an alternate world called Vestroia - and that their game actually controls the fate of the universe! Illustrated with full-color manga-style screen grabs from the Bakugan Battle Brawlers cartoon itself, this manga will appeal to Bakugan’s legion of young fans!

Ben Ten Alien Force: Vol. 1: Ben Returns

For all ages

$7.99

The hit Cartoon Network series becomes a full-color graphic novel! Join Ben Tennyson and his friends as they strive to save Earth from a massive alien invasion! Ben 10: Alien Force is a blockbuster hit and is one of the most-watched animated series on television today. This new graphic novel features illustrations taken directly from the hit series!

Viz

Bakegyamon Vol. 1

For all ages

$7.99

By: Tamura Mitsuhisa

Sanshiro’s chances of having an adventure are slim to none in his tiny island hometown, until the day a mysterious stranger invites him to play a game… Without warning, Sanshiro is taken to a backwards universe to play BakéGyamon–a game pitting monsters against monsters.

About Friends of Lulu:

Friends of Lulu is a national nonprofit organization whose purpose is to promote and encourage female readership and participation in the comic book industry. The “FoL” motto is “comics are for everyone,” and the organization also promotes all-ages comic book material.

I haven’t followed this latest iteration of Youngblood long enough to really know what is going on here. The main story, by Joe Casey and Derec Donovan, is entertaining enough, I guess, in that sort of “hey, we’re all profesional superheroes” sort of way. It’s the sort of comic that fits in great with Invincible, Dynamo 5, etc.

The real shock comes when you turn the comic book upside-down and read the Rob Liefeld back-up, in which President Obama co-stars. The two stories presumably take place in the same “universe” — but they are radically different in every way. It is as if Image Past ran smack into the face of Image Present. The contrast is jarring.

The “plot” of the Liefeld story is a little cheesy — by Obama being “briefed” about each member of Youngblood, we are re-introduced to the characters. Not really a story, but more of an expository device. There is also a liberal use of statting involved here, with three identical Obamas on one page, and two on another.

But the next thing I’m going to write is key. I experienced more visceral excitement and interest in those six pages than I did reading the entire main story.

This is not a dig on Casey and Donovan, who did a great job. It’s just that as Jaded Comic Book Reader, I often want something different, something that is going to stop me in my tracks. I want a compelling reason to drop $3-4 on a comic I’ve never heard of before or a title I haven’t picked up in ages.

Call it nostalgia, call it flashbacks I need therapy for, call it what you will — the Liefeld story stopped me in my tracks. And while I cannot guarantee I will buy Youngblood #9, in which Liefeld starts “a new era” for the team — I can’t rule it out, either.

Stress getting to you at work? Blow off some steam & “Hulk out” by plugging this USB button to your computer. Hit the “SMASH” button and fly off into a gamma rage, and choose from 3 different interactive screen effects.

More info at the Dream Cheeky website.

Dave Perillo posts this delightful version of the ten doctors on his Montygog’s Art-O-Rama blog. I love how they either have smiley- or frowny-faces.

Hat-tip: Agent M