Occasionally the rest of the world DOES recognize great work!

I hadn’t planned on any more non-review posts today, but this article on ICV2 caught my eye. Apparently YALSA (the Young Adult Library Services Association) named their list of the best graphic novels for teens and young adults. I couldn’t believe how many great books are on there! Highlights include Atomic Robo, The War at Ellsmere, The Umbrella Academy, Joss Whedon’s run on Runaways, Ed Brubaker’s incredible Captain America volumes, Gwen Willow Wilson’s Cairo, Mat Johnson’s Incognegro, Jessica Abel’s Life Sucks (which I’d like to read, one of these days!), both Invincible and Astounding Wolf-Man by Robert Kirkman, Geoff Johns’ incredible Green Lantern: The Sinestro Corps War, Gail Simone’s sleeper hit Welcome to Tranquility, as well as tons more stuff I didn’t recognize and the obligatory volumes of Naruto (which must be at least halfway decent since it sells a bazillion copies a month!) This is very exciting, and I hope that more young readers will check out these works and discover that comics aren’t just for fanboys anymore.

The Hits Just Keep On Coming!

As if today’s comic geek news couldn’t get any better, Disney has announced that they’ll be releasing the 1990s X-Men cartoon on DVD this Spring! This was the series that got me interested in Marvel comics all those years ago (followed quickly by the FOX Spider-Man animated series), and is in many ways how I will always think of the characters. Much as I love actors like Scott McNeill and Hugh Jackman, I’ll always imagine Wolverine speaking with Cal Dodd’s characteristic raspy gruffness. It will be interesting to see how well the show has held up over time, especially from a visual standpoint, but I honestly cannot imagine being disappointed by this release. It’s a good thing they’re putting it out on a new format, too, because I’m pretty sure I wore out my old Pizza Hut episode tapes (remember that promotion? I think it was the last time I went to a Pizza Hut, back in ‘94.)

COMICS: John’s Wednesday Winners for 1/28/09

Hey, everybody! It was a light week for me at the ol’ comics shop this week, so this will be a fairly short post. Let’s get things started!

THE MIDDLEMAN IS COMING TO DVD THIS SUMMER!!!!! WOOOHOOO!!!!!

That’s right, folks. According to The Middleblog, my favorite TV show of 2008 is finally getting the DVD treatment it deserves! Get ready for more fantastic fun from the Middlegang (Middlecrew? Middleteam? You get the idea) this summer, and pick up a copy of The Middleman: The Collected Series Indispensability (now back in stock at most comic shops) in the meantime!

My day, my week, and even my month are officially made. Hooray!