Richard Newman of Pet Shop Comics and Collectibles in Lousville , Kentucky saw WizKids' response to broken street dates on ActionClix and says that early release crowds hobby retailers out of the market.

Paul Stock of Astro Books in Montreal, Quebec has been reading commentary on pricing and profits and says that retailers setting prices is a function of competition in a free market.

Heroes: Origins will feature episodes written by some of Hollywood's top writer/directors including Kevin Smith, Eli Roth, and Michael Dougherty.

Joe Krolik of Comics America in Winnipeg , Manitoba saw John Riley's column on pricing and profit and sees a related issue in brick and mortar stores.

A Paid Advertisement . Mike Baron's horror graphic novel The Architect , illustrated by Andie Tong, will get a re-listing in Diamond's October Previews catalog, according to publisher Big Head Press.

A teacher in Guilford , Connecticut resigned after being suspended because he gave an Eightball graphic novel to a high school freshman.

A Thor figure based on JMS's new ongoing series is due from Marvel Select in March.

One-time cheesehead and long-time comic industry insider Tom Fassbender has joined Boom Studios as Vice President of Publishing.

Sharpening the Sword is a regular column by retailer John Riley of Grasshopper's Comics, a 1300 square foot comic and games store in Williston Park , New York . This week, Riley talks about minimum pricing and Internet retailers.

The telecast of the season finale of Triple-A baseball will continue Marvel's relationship with the league with a giveaway at the game and TV coverage.