Chris is off on a curling adventure, giving us the opportunity to fill the 11 O'Clock fort with all sorts of alcohol-fueled frivolity featuring Comic Art Magazine #3 and Savage Pencil, Annililation + Conquest + War of Kings, La Mano del Destino by the awesome Jason (J.Gonzo!) Gonzalez, Dark Horse's Vampire Boy by Carlos Trillo and Eduardo Risso (By way of the Venture Imprint and Video Noire), Vampirella #1 from Dynamite!, She-Hulks by Stegman and Wilcox, Pak and Van Lente's upcoming Herc, Xombi #1 from Rozum and Irving, Alpha Flight, Chaos War, a re-evaluation of Fables, Erik Larsen's Herculean, Machine Man by Defaclo, Trimpe, and Barry Windsor-Smith, Excalibur, Artifacts from Top Cow, the Image Explosion (50 Girls 50, Witch Doctor, Graveyard of Empires, Shinku, Butcher Baker, Marijuanaman, and more!), Oddville from Jay Stephens and AdHouse, Incognito: Bad Influences and Val Staples, Ultimate X from Art Adams and Jeph Loeb, and a whole mess more!

We wrap up this year's C2E2 in static-drenched style, incorporating talk on All Star Superman Vs. The Dark Knight Returns, Kyle Latino, John Siuntres, sketchbooks and original art, Lance Kizer, Gil Kane, LEGO minifigs, Spongebob, Mahmud Asrar, andy Jewett, HERO Initiative, Steve Bryant, Geoff Darrow, God Hates Astronauts, Cliff Chiang, Jeremy Haun, Adam Hughes, Jason Howard, Jamal Igle, Mike (Battlepug) Norton, Chris Burnham, Batman Inc., Hilary Barta, Fred Van Lente and Ryan Dunlavey, Will Pfeifer, back issue dealers, Robert Atkins and G.I. Joe, Richard Corben, Brian Stringer, Skottie Young and Deadpool Team-Up, Yildiray Cinar, Stuart Immonen, Halcyon from Image Comics, Tardi, Chris Samnee, and a whole mess more!

Excitement levels run high as we whittle away the days until this weekend's C2E2:2 with -- What else? -- comic talk, this time targeting Brian Michael Bendis, the first pair of issues of Jennifer Blood from Dynamite!, Tyrannosaurus Rex from Image, Fantagraphics' forthcoming 21: The Story of Roberto Clemente from Wilfred Santiago, Sigil #1 and Leonard Kirk, Butch Guice, Carbon Grey #1, Bad Dog #4 (Right...), Venom #1 by Remender and Moore, The Intrepids #1, Snyder and Jock's Detective Comics, Matthew Allison's Calamity of Challenge webcomic (CANKOR!), Dark Knight Returns Vs. Year One (and Ronin), socially relevant comics, Captain America and political groups, Mars Attacks! from Topps Comics (Keith Giffen, Charlie Adlard, Tom Sutton, Len Brown, Earl Norem, and more!), Who is Jake Ellis #2, Takio, and a whole mess more!

Sandwiched between a meaty look at Erik Larsen's long-running Savage Dragon, we take long looks at Comic Book Comics #5 from Fred Van Lente and Ryan Dunlavey, Miracleman/Marvelman, Bleeding Cool and the Kirby depositions, Generation Hope and Akira, Larry Lieber, Vertigo's Finals from Will Pfeifer and Jill Thompson, more on Annihilators #1, Bongo Comics (Simpsons, Futurama, Hilary Barta, and more...), Plastic Man, Paul Pope, Zatanna by Paul Dini and company, John Byrne's landmark Alpha Flight, Heavy Metal, Bendis' Powers, Young Justice, Marineman, and a whole mess more!

One of us runs off at the mouth a little bit too much as we back-and-forth about Terry Moore, Carl Potts, Avatar's Crossed: Psychopath #1 from David Lapham and Raulo Caceres, Starship Troopers, Harbinger, Mike Mignola's B.P.R.D.: Plague of Frogs volume one (Guy Davis, Ryan Sook, Geoff Johns, Scott Kolins, Dave Stewart, and more), series formats, Annihilators #1 by DnA and company and Marvel cosmic, Jim Starlin's forthcoming Breed series from Image, Rocketeer Adventures #1 out of IDW, Brian Wood's DMZ volume nine, Fantastic Four #588, Daffodil from Marvel Soleil, Silver Surfer #1, Iron Man 2.0 #1, Morning Glories, John K's Science Addiction, Axe Cop, Spongebob Comics, Freak Angels, and a whole mess more!