"Mac Owners Are Just Like, Well, the Mac Guy" Superior, for one thing.

In a review posted while we were in Phoenix, Midnight Fiction calls Death, Cold As Steel "a rousing cocktail that's part mystery, part espionage, part bioengineering, and all trouble."

Back from the Cactus Comicon — 7000 BC's best showing in Phoenix yet, helped along by Pete, Paul , and Jamie doing sketches on Sunday.

We didn't get to visit enough with Doc, caught up a bit with Nik, met some of the the Arizona-based creators at Indie Only Comics, a kind of 7000-BC like organization. I got a whole stack of books from Bandido Studios (including The Rachel Agenda, which I've been looking forward to since seeing the promo last year) and a great bear with guns print from Ben. Lisa and John from Pink Raygun stopped by and we caught each other up on recent news (and was it only at this time last year they were about to launch?). Our terrific neighbors were the folks from Steam Crow Press and Bad Karma Productions (including Val, a fellow [though much more recent] R.I.T. grad). Jonnie passed along some of his comics and some great advice and encouragement. And The Dude was kind enough to stop at our table to hear about the group and our activities.

Off to Phoenix for the weekend. See us at the 7000 BC table, F3 in the Small Press area. And then, before you know it, we're on to STAPLE!

By all accounts, last weekend's Counter Culture Festival was a big success — see for yourself in the video.

This weekend, we'll be at the Phoenix Cactus Comicon 2008 at the 7000 BC table, along with Pete and Paul; Jamie will be joining us on Saturday afternoon, and Chris will be around as well. We'll have Squirrels, Death, Muse, Funk and other assorted work from group members, including some brand-new comics.

We've finally completed the collection of 24 Hour Comics created in in Santa Fe and Albuquerque this past October

24 Hours in New Mexico, a 389-page PDF of the work produced that day, is available for download at MediaFire. If the file's too large, send an email and we'll mail it to you. You can also see the book at the 7000 BC ComicSpace page. Please note that the book contains some adult language and subject matter.

Richard Thompson, creator of Cul de Sac and Richard's Poor Almanack, and a favorite of us here at Squirrel Central, is the subject of today's Comics Reporter Sunday Interview. He discusses his process, how his strips got started, his authorship of Make the Pie Higher, Gene Weingarten, and what made Pogo so successful, among other things

Woah. This evening, finished off the first two volumes of The Exterminators, on loan from Michael (just got chairs for the fireplace room). Not perfect, but wildly imaginative and does many things really well, the kind of story that would never make it to TV or the movies, but has an ideal home in a regularly monthly series.

Precisely What the Author Had in Mind, typographically speaking. Making the rounds of the adblogs.

Poualie has quietly posted some terrific drawings; we can only hope it's the start of something more regular.

This Saturday, January 19th, our old friends at the DC Conspiracy will host the D.C. Counter Culture Festival III. There will be tables of local artists and creators with their wares, a full evening of live music, and assorted other goings-on. The past events have been successful and fun, and this will be an extra-special party — as Dr. Dremo's, the location for the Fest and for many DCC meetings, will be closing at the end of the month.

Unbeige's headline sums it up: "Graphic Novelists Eschew Term 'Graphic Novel'."

Well, I think it's kinda odd that the de facto official typeface of England is chosen as the identity for the Museum of American Finance. Plus, really, you gotta track out the Gill caps.

Looks like Mr. Big is up for a Day Prize at this year's SPACE. We'll be off at STAPLE that weekend, but we're pullin' for you, Matt!

At the local comic shop, talk has turned to best of 2007. Looking back, was reminded of a couple minicomics that I picked up at the in-so-many-other-ways unremarkable APE: Diary of a Catering Whore Year One by Sean Seamus McWhinny and Breeding Season by Tammy Stellanova. I went through them shortly after the show and wanted to do a more critical read-through and then write them up, but, y'know that pesky real-life stuff got in the way. So I recently dug them out and gave them each a re-read.

I remember that my initial criticism of Catering Whore had to do with how straight reportage sometimes gave way to more fantasy, or at least speculation. Reading again, its exactly that kind of flights (that were less common that I remembered) that really give these memoirs an extra something that showcases the creator's skill in observing others — and himself. There are also moments in the artwork where the caricature is spot-on, where the expression is perfect (especially in and around the eyes), and it just adds a whole 'nother level to the comic.

Breeding Season delivers a memoir (not autobiographical, as I've learned there's a distinction) comic about a few months observing elephant seals during, well, breeding season. There's plenty first-person narration, but interspersed with bits of dialog (and some spectacular seal sound effects) that keeps the story light and fast-moving, even with all the biology being explained. Stellanova doesn't spell everything out; there's plenty of reading between the lines. And speaking of lines, the artwork is lively and that kind of sketchy that still captures people (and the seals) perfectly.

Last one, for real this time. Marc sent along this link, with instructions on how to get the first episode of the fifth season on iTunes.

OK, just one more. It may not add much, but it's Tom Shales.

That's it. Since it's only gonna get worse once the show is actually broadcast. Back to comics later tonight/tomorrow with some overlooked minis.

"And it don't stop," notes Andy, sending this link to season five's opening montage, with music by Steve Earle. There's links to more articles in the writeup, including a few I missed: New York Magazine on Omar, Marlo, Bubbles, and, appropriately, all the coverage of The Wire over the past few months.

Wow. Turning into The Wire-o-rama this week. McSweeney's provides a link to Nick Hornby's interview with David Simon.

More on The Wire — featuring Meldrick. We're going to fire up the second DVD of season 4, once Roque wraps up the Independent Get Down on the Indie Stream.

Andy passed along along a link to this editorial on comics in the classrooms. And then a few emails later, I got a notification that another one of the DonorsChoose.org comic projects I contributed to got its complete funding. Most of the requests you'll see there mention the same reasons as the editorial.

The Gawker empire has launched a io9, a sci-fi oriented blog. Looks to be plenty of comics coverage. Via Unbeige.

On William Shatner and Priceline.

Ah, time again for the WaPo's annual In and Out list, which inevitably leaves me wondering "Who? What?" But scroll all the way to the bottom.