This site is updated Thursday at noon with a new article about an artistic pursuit generally considered to be beneath consideration. James Schellenberg probes science-fiction, Carol Borden draws out the best in comics, Chris Szego dallies with romance and Ian Driscoll stares deeply into the screen. Click here for the writers' bios and their individual takes on the gutter.

While the writers have considerable enthusiasm for their subjects, they don't let it numb their critical faculties. Tossing away the shield of journalistic objectivity and refusing the shovel of fannish boosterism, they write in the hopes of starting honest and intelligent discussions about these oft-enjoyed but rarely examined artforms.

All I Want For Christmas Is A Few Good Books

In the spirit of the season, here are ten, in alphabetical order by author.

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ONE TRILLION AND ONE LEANING TOWERS

1. Overture Island
On December 4, 2008, the future ended. The event that marked its end was the death of a 92-year old man from the not uncommon cause of heart failure. It would not have been an epoch-ending event save for one detail: the man’s name was Forest J Ackerman.

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Nobody Dies: The Eternal Return of LEGO Batman

I've written before that I was put off superhero comics by all the dying and resurrected X-Men—the eternal return and the attempts to escape it. You might have noticed that DC and Marvel's superhero titles have become a bloodbath. Sure, it started it with big crossovers and the death of Superman. Captain America's death at least seemed story-driven. But Blue Beetle, The Question, Martian Manhunter and maybe Bruce Wayne? In the midst of all the slaughter, it's a good thing we have a hero who never dies, LEGO Batman.

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Three sites for best of 2008 comics lists: Blair Butler (here and here), Jog the Blog and a million lists by a million artists.  Plus, Thought Balloonists' 2008 highlights. Spoiler: Love is strong for Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely's, All-Star Superman. ~Robert Heinlein took efficiency to whole new levels by having one reproduceable letter to respond to any inquiry. It's worth clicking through just to see the letter's checklist of responses. (via Occasional Superheroine and Cool Aggregator). ~The Shadow wouldn't have been The Shadow and pulp wouldn't have been pulp without Edd Cartier, who died at 94 on Christmas Day. People at Penciljack have posted art and links to his art. ~Surrounded on all sides by awesome monsters, monstruos and kaiju, Eegah, Tabonga and Rodan do the only thing they can. They make groovy mp3's sampling monster movie soundtracks from all over including Hammer, Toho, American International and anything a go-go or defeated by Santo. ~Radiographs from a Smithsonian exhibit reveal the austere and lovely architecture of fish. Potato Benevolence has 4 images and a response. ~
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