Confessions of a Comic Book Guy is a weekly column by Steve Bennett of Super-Fly Comics and Games in Yellow Springs, Ohio.  This week Bennett looks at year-end news, including the FCBD Silver Sponsors, Comic Shop, and more.

Well here we are, half way through the week before Christmas and things seem to be moving in slow motion, though to be fair that's probably because I've been avoiding all contact with the retail world, both personally and professionally.  After weeks of intense anticipation we seem to be coasting towards the day itself, whiling away the hours writing and reading the kind of the Best of/Worst of/Top 10/Year In Review pieces that used to keep us busy during the week between Christmas and New Year's.  I'm not much of a list maker but I have found a couple of things to write about.

Like they've announced the Free Comic Book Day 2011 Silver Sponsors; there's some strong titles among them, like Fantagraphic Books’ Mickey Mouse and Marvel's Thor & Captain America: The Mighty Avengers, done by Roger Langridge and Chris Samnee, the creative team behind the lamented and soon to be late Thor the Mighty Avenger.  But most interestingly Liquid Comics is giving us the origin of The Silver Scorpion, the character created by disabled American and Syrian kids (see "Confessions of a Comic Book Guy--For Truth, Justice and Understanding").  The announcement came with a quote from President Bill Clinton given at the 2010 Clinton Global Initiative; "The comic book will help to establish trust and understanding between cultures, to empower young people with disabilities."  I can hardly wait to find out how something as positive and well meaning as this will be misinterpreted into something sinister.

And WizKids is giving out a DC HeroClix Green Lantern figure, which is nice and all but if DC (and it's parent company Time-Warner) doesn't provide retailers with free power rings they'll be definitely missing out on a shooting fish in a barrel type promotional opportunity I try to never take the review copies I receive for granted but I have to admit when a copy of Comic Shop from Brent Frankenhoff and Maggie Thompson of Comics Buyer's Guide arrived in the mail I didn't fully appreciate it at first.  It looked nice but I didn't do much more than look at it because  I didn't know if the market really needed, let alone could bear, yet another comic book price guide, but after a couple of days I discovered why they were calling it "the only price guide you'll read."  It can lay comfortably flat without breaking the large trade paperback's spine and not only does it have text large enough it can be comfortably read by a man that needs trifocals there’s also plenty to read; each page has several informative pieces on individual titles.  There's also plenty of color illustrations, both large and small, and while I can't tell you how it works as a price guide I can say that it's already become a useful resource for me and I plan to keep it within easy reach on my desk.

Just last week I wrote about Archie's Life With Archie magazine (see "Confessions of a Comic Book Guy--Going and Coming").  Well things are going to get even worse for poor alternative universe Archie Andrews.  In #6, shipping on December 29, in the story "Farewell" by Paul Kupperberg and Norm Breyfogle he has to deal with the death from cancer of his old high school teacher Mrs. Grundy.  We haven't seen Mr. Flutesnoot in a while; I sure hope someone has been checking in on him.

This I did not know: Lee Aronsohn, co-creator and executive producer of The Big Bang Theory, is one of us; he used to own the comic shop Trade A Tape Comic Center in Lincoln, Nebraska which is still in operation.  He was also responsible for writing the episode of The Love Boat that gave us Captain Stubing's illegitimate daughter Vicki, but I'm prepared to look the other way.

Oh and for the record I read Kendall Swaffords latest Talk the Talk, Walk the Walk column concerning my comments that Superman's costume may have outlived it's usefulness (see "Confessions of a Comic Book Guy--Go Ahead, Tug On Superman's Cape").  Believe me, I was just being sarcastic, I love his outfit and hope I'm wrong but when there's a perception you can attract a wider audience without it I'm afraid Time-Warner is likely to follow the money.

On her last Christmas I went to escort my elderly, fragile aunt from her tiny assisted living apartment to our family dinner and upon seeing some random strangers passing by she said in her heavily accented English, "Merry Christmas, You People."  It's something I've held on to and often repeated over the years so, for those applicable, Merry Christmas, You People.

The opinions expressed in this column are solely  those of the writer, and do not necessarily reflect the views of the editorial staff of ICv2.com.