With a big caveat that it has bugs. Lots of bugs.

Ooops. He has a serious bug phobia.

ita: yes.

Got 1602 #8 today. Thought it was pretty good and the ending was interesting. Also reserved a copy of Astonishing X-Men #1, whenever it comes out.

On Victor's rec, I got the first Outsiders trade.

I have just hit the point where Lex Luthor, being tortured by the Joker, taunts Joker about Batman liking Catwoman more. A: I think I like this. B: I think my jaw needs picking up off the floor. C: Joker in this really reminds me of Lorne.

Bone. Definitely.

Mmmmmmm, Bone. Good stuff. But be aware that it gets kinda dark around books 3-4. (And then lightens up again in 5, and then gets dark again.)

I'm fuming after seeing White Wolf freelancer Chris Kobar go off with an insulting, hateful rant against a fan for daring to ask a question of developer Justin Achilli a few days ago. (By contrast, Justin's previous response, while not informative, wasn't in any way disrespectful.)

As there may be some customers of White Wolf or other game companies in this thread, I thought I'd link to the relevant tirade and let you decide if, like me, you'll be happier not supporting this sort of hostility and ingratitude in the future:

chriskobar - 04/09/2004 10:14:36

Aspiring Bat-fans might want to take a look at Batman: The Ultimate Guide to the Dark Knight, which is a coffee-table book giving a fairly up-to-date info on the mythos.

Having read the rant, I'm kind of "Eh" about it. Yes, he was harsher than he needed to be but it doesn't fall into my "How could he say that?" category. It sounds to me like the reply of someone who's heard that question (or ones very much like it) a million times and lost their patience. Could he have used a lot more tact and lessons in customer service, definitely, but it's hardly a deal-breaker for me.

I think we're very lucky as fans that Joss, Tim and co. are so nice to us and have so much patience for some of our little quirks. Honestly, the fan's question seemed to be intended in the way Mr. Kobar interpreted it, a chance to settle debates with "Well, Justin said X." in much the same way we say "Well, Joss said X." The difference is, Joss has a clear vision for the Buffyverse and his word is essentially law. WW, on the other hand, encourages their fans to make their own worlds, using their books as inspiration.

Of course, Mr. Kobar could have gone about explaining this and the reasons behind Justin's non-answer in a much nicer way and probably should have, but I just see that as being rude rather than insulting. YIMV, of course.

Though it certainly proves that Joss, Tim and Co. are much cooler than the WW people.

ETA: Also, reading his later posts in the same thread, he restates his opinion a little (not a lot, but a little)more tactfully. It would have been nice if he'd added an apology for his earlier posting, but it gives me more of an inclination to see the first post as being a little more pissy than his usual.

For some reason, I thought 1602 #8 was out next week. Maybe I'm confusing it with The Escapist. Hmm. Must go to comic store at lunch.

On Robin, amych said that Spoiler is gonna take over (and be the first she-Robin in the main continuity).

When you say "main continuity," does that not include Dark Knight Returns? (Which I just finished last night, BTW.) Because -- what about Carrie? (Who is a little crazy, IMO.)

DKR is definitely not part of the main continuity. It would have been an "Elseworlds" title had such a thing existed when it was first published.