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 gives us a potpourri of comments on recent comics news:

Usually I like to have a general theme for these things, but on a series of completely unrelated notes….

It seems to have gone unnoticed in our little corner of the Internet but I've discovered some political websites have begun to use the phrase "McDuckism."  I can't find a definitive definition online and while it also seems to mean something said by Scrooge McDuck in this context it's used as a derogatory term for extreme capitalist boosterism.  While it's nice knowing the character is still in the zeitgeist I consider the association an ill-informed slur.  Sure Scrooge may be an unparalleled capitalist but as Carl Barks often reminded us he made his fortune square; i.e. he stayed well clear of politics.

As expected there was quite a bit of reaction to DC's upcoming Earth One series of hardcover graphic novels; most memorable was this comment from Heidi MacDonald's The Beat:

It's either a huge vote of confidence for Random House's sales team (RH is DC's distributor to the book trade) or a tacit admission that the pamphlet is no longer a way to grow the audience, as the current generation of readers greys up and moves on.

While that's undoubtedly true I also think there's an automatic assumption that self contained, easily accessible material just isn't what the "Hobby market" (as Marvel Publisher Dan Buckley recently called it in his ICv2 interview) wants.  That is, at least not in sufficient numbers to be commercially viable, hence the more expensive format and emphasis on bookstore distribution.  In the past I've asked if sales of foreign reprints of current American superhero comics, what with their emphasis on never ending epics, have suffered in markets where comics generally come with a middle, beginning and end.  No one has answered me but it is interesting to note the format and page count of the Earth One graphic novels are suggestive of the European album, and hard not to speculate this material might be designed (at least in part) with foreign markets in mind.

But anyone out there who does want self contained, easily accessible comics that also feature old fashioned (i.e. pre-Bendis) all-ages superhero material should definitely check out Marvel's newish Web of Spider-Man comic.  These kinds of anthology titles piggybacked on a brand name character usually have pretty short lives but along with some surprisingly strong short stories this one has the continuing adventures of Spider-Girl going for it.  Of course Marvel seems to be doing its best to keep this bit of news top secret as we're up to issue three and so far there hasn't been so much as a cover blurb announcing the fact.

Well they announced the Gold Sponsor comics for Free Comic Book Day 2010 and it's good to see both Marvel and DC taking it seriously enough to provide not just comics with original material but the first installment of impending epics.  Marvel is keeping coy, just saying "a major new direction for the Marvel Universe kicks off HERE," while DC gives us War of the Supermen #0.  Dave Brzeski of The House on the Borderland has already express all of my cynicism concerning this project leaving me no choice but to be guardedly optimistic.  It'll be nice seeing Superman back where he belongs, that is if DC takes a page from the TV series The West Wing and decides to "Let Superman Be Superman."

Otherwise we've got even more licensed kids comics, which in my FCBD experience is for the good.  As much as I'd personally like to see independent publishers publish something other than licensed titles we get a lot of kids coming to Super-Fly Comics for FCBD and having a solid assortment of age appropriate material featuring characters they know (Shrek, The Penguins of Madagascar, etc.) is undoubtedly a good thing. 

For men in their 30's wondering where their youth has gone there's G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero #155-1/2 from IDW, taking up exactly where Marvel (or more appropriately Larry Hama) left off fifteen years ago.  I know lots of people who are going to be really excited by this one; hopefully efforts will be made to let all of those JOE fans no longer with us know that it exists.  And, finally, against my will I find myself made slightly hopeful at the prospect of new Doctor Solar/Magnus comics written by Jim Shooter.

And I can barely believe this myself but Marvel will start publishing Girl Comics again, this time as a three issue anthology series not unlike their recent Strange Tales comic featuring an all-star female cast of creators.  I know I should keep my expectations at reasonably low levels but I've love to see Carla Speed McNeil try her hand at a revamp of Sherry the Showgirl.

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.