EVERYTHING BUT IMAGINARY #191: HAPPY THANKSGIVING -- AND CAST YOUR VOTES!

[Blake Petit]

It’s that time of year again, friends. Tomorrow we’re all going to sit down with our family and friends, carve up the turkey, get a nice, thick slice of pumpkin pie, pile up the mashed potatoes, dole out the cranberry sauce, scoop up the stuffing—

Ahem. Sorry. I’m a little hungry. Anyway, tomorrow is Thanksgiving, the day when Americans all, to quote Garfield the cat, celebrate having food by eating as much of it as possible. But more important than that, it is a day we set aside to show gratitude for all the blessings we have in our lives. For the people we love, for the prosperity we enjoy, for our health, for the fact that they’ve discovered a way to deep-fry a Twinkie… whatever it is you’re thankful for, tomorrow is the day that we celebrate it.

But as comic book fans, we’ve got other things to be thankful for. And since that’s what our little Comixtreme home is about, this is a good time to share those things in the comic world we’re grateful for. So no complaining, no moaning, no negativity this week. Today we’re here to celebrate the good things. Let’s do that. I’ll go first.

•I’m thankful that DC Comics has finally realized the way to make their core titles a success is to put the best possible creators on them. Richard Donner, Geoff Johns and Adam Kubert on Action Comics, Kurt Busiek and Carlos Pacheco on Superman, Grant Morrison and Andy Kubert on Batman, Paul Dini and a cavalcade of artists on Detective Comics, Brad Meltzer and Ed Benes on Justice League of America and Allan Heinberg and Terry Dodson on Wonder Woman. All of these titles, creatively, are at the top of their game right now. (I’ll be a little more grateful, though, when Wonder Woman starts coming out on a more regular basis.)

•I’m thankful that Mike Allred is bringing back his signature property, Madman, with a new series to be launched next year at Image Comics. If Madman Atomic Comics has the same sort of wit and depth that the earlier series in this character’s past, it will soon become one of the best books on the market. Hopefully we'll see plenty more of Frank Einstein, his friends in the Atomics and all the other crazy, zany and yet surprisingly profound characters in Allred's universe. And here's hoping a more affordable version of the hardcover Madman Gargantua (collecting every issue of his previous titles) will also be on the way.

•I’m thankful that the guys at DC found the way clear to give Manhunter a new lease on life. The tale of Kate Spencer, Los Angeles prosecutor who gets fed up with criminals beating the system, is a fantastic one. This is one of the best, most original comics on the racks, and it deserves another chance to find its audience. And for all you people out there who said they wished they’d given Manhunter a chance the first time around, it comes back next month. Time to put your money where your mouth is and buy this comic!

•I’m thankful for shows like Heroes, which are bringing bits of our comic book culture to the masses. Aside from being a great show, and aside from being the top-rated new show of the 2006 fall TV season, it’s a show that’s rife with comic book references.The imprint of comic books on that show is undeniable, right down to using prolific amounts of artwork from the great Tim Sale. What we really need now is a way to segue this sudden spotlight on superheroes into new readers. Ten cool points to whoever comes up with the best way to do that.

•I’m thankful that Marvel Comics has the guts to try a lot of different comics aimed at kids. Aside from their Marvel Adventures line, they’ve got a great string of Power Pack miniseries and Franklin Richards one-shots that are perfect comics to give to the younger reader that you’re looking to get into comics. Now only if they would bring back the Mini-Marvels, the circle would be complete.

•I’m thankful that Gemstone Comics continues to kick butt. Aside from their great monthly Disney comics (Uncle Scrooge, Walt Disney’s Comics and Stories, Mickey Mouse and Friends and Donald Duck and Friends), they’re putting out great collections like The Life and Times of Scrooge McDuck Companion and Walt Disney Treasures: 75 Years of Disney Comics, and the fantastic graphic novel Walt Disney’s World of the Dragonlords. And as if that wasn’t enough, now they’re entering into the Archives race with the EC Comics Archives. They started with Weird Science and they’re marching on with Two-Fisted Tales, Shock SuspenStories and the legendary Tales From the Crypt. More Archives are always great, and I can’t think of titles more deserving than the EC library.

•And finally, and most of all, I’m glad that comics can continue to bring geeks like us together. From the dozens of you I’ve gotten to know and be friends with here at Comixtreme to those real-life geeks that came together last June for the premiere of Superman Returns to the cool cats I chat with at my Local Comic Shop to the fine industry professionals I’ve struck up an acquaintance with through these columns and my reviews, and especially for my girlfriend Erin, who first caught my eye online because she had a comic book screenname (Harley Quinn) at a Stephen King message board. I’ll shout it from the rooftops, friends. The greatest people in the world? They’re geeks.

So now it’s your turn. What are you thankful for? What comic books get you racing to the shop every Wednesday? What trends are you glad to see progressing? What creators and comic book lines charge you up? And if you’re up for it, tell us what you’re really thankful for this Thanksgiving – be it a nice, juicy turkey or the people you love.

Happy Thanksgiving, all! And stay tuned now for an…

EVERYTHING BUT IMAGINARY SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT!

There’s just over a month left in 2006, friends, and you know what that means. It’s time once again to start casting your ballots for the EVERYTHING BUT IMAGINARY AWARDS! For those of you new to Comixtreme this year, this is the exclusive, ONLY award show in comics voted on by the people who read my column. All of you. But this year, I’m changing things up a little. In the past, I’ve held the voting wide open – vote for whoever you want, top vote getter winds. Several people indicated to me last year, though, that they’d be more inclined to vote if they had a ballot of nominees to choose from. Now I don’t want to pick the nominees myself, as that would rather defeat the purpose of letting you guys vote, but I think I’ve found a compromise – something that will let the die-hards have their say, but still allow people who want a little help to have something to pick from. So follow this link to the official EBI Awards Thread for a complete list of rules and categories, and happy voting!

Blake M. Petit is the author of the superhero comedy novel, Other People's Heroes, the suspense novel The Beginner and the weekly “Think About It” humor column at Think About It Central. His new comic, Evertime, is coming soon from Tightlip Entertainment. E-mail him at Blake@comixtreme.com and visit him on the web at Evertime Realms.

[Adam Chapman]

Thanksgiving in November...

Weird.

[Blake Petit]

Hey, just because you Canadians can't get your calendar straight...

[Adam Chapman]

Originally Posted by Blake Petit

Hey, just because you Canadians can't get your calendar straight...

Heh, I've already stuffed my belly full of turkey, said my thanks, and spent days wishing I hadn't eaten so much turkey after all. I like to get it all over before the first snowfall (which, by now, has already occurred).

I admit as a child I didn't understand that Thanksgiving was in November in the US, so I was always really thrown off when all the animated shows would celebrate Thanksgiving a month and a half late, which just seemed ridiculous (as if Life with Louie needed to be more ridiculous).

[Blake Petit]

But to do it before Halloween? Blasphemy.