Gimme a second, I'll be with you in just a little bit. The next issue of ANIMAL MAN is about to off to the printer, and I need to make sure that it's got everything it should. Sheer, stark terror at overwhelming forces beyond human comprehension, depicted in ways that would give Caligula nightmares? Check. The requisite amount of complete and utter strangeness that leaves even the most jaded comic book readers slackjawed? Check. Enough domestic squabbling among the Bakers to make our fans feel like the time they spent with their own families during the holidays was totally kumbaya by comparison? Check. Yep, thumbs up. This one's ready to go!

Now I can get on the phone with Jeff Lemire and we can talk about the year ahead for the benighted Baker clan. Spoiler alert: it's looking too good. For them, that is. You, on the other hand, are in for the thrill-ride of your lives.

Moritat has put the finishing touches on his inspired art for the latest issue of ALL STAR WESTERN, and it's a gem, a beauty, a joy to behold. Just to tease: beyond the usual deft characterizations and architectural delights, the particular issue all boils down to location, location, location. Two words: "Bat Cave." If you've been avoiding this title because of the word "Western" in it, let me tell you, I used to feel the same way. Then I grew up. Take it from a guy who never starts a sentence with the word "seriously." Seriously, Jimmy Palmiotti, Justin Gray and Moritat have broadened the horizons of what you can expect from a comic book Western. It would be a shame if you missed this because of some unfortunate predisposition toward people in Stetsons. The frontier symbolized freedom for generations, and in our small way it represents a creative freedom that has made the book a trailblazer.

Kevin Maguire dropped by yesterday, and I promised him that I'd try to get everybody here to learn to count to 53. The unofficial fifty-third book, at least from my standpoint, is MY GREATEST ADVENTURE, strong accent on the word "GREATEST." Kev showed me the pages for the "Tanga" feature in the latest issue, and they're just as wild and uninhibited and imaginative as anything he's ever done. Have you noticed how he's become the master of facial expression? Have you been laughing at Kevin's way of giving Tanga just the right smart remark? Have you been checking out the amazing coloring by Rosemary Cheetham? She made me say that. Actually, no, she didn't at all, but I think you should see it, if you like looking at things that are amazing. The stuff just doesn't look like anything else out there, and that gladdens me. Other amazing things in the book are Matt Kindt and Scott Kolins' Robotman feature, and Aaron Lopresti's Garbage Man. They really shine. When you're at the comic book rack, flip through MY GREATEST ADVENTURE and see for yourself. It's "one louder."

Your pal,

Joey Cavalieri