Comment: The Comics Blogiverse

The myriad comic book-related blogs that have sprung up over the past couple of years run the gamut from unpretentious reviews and commentary by enthusiastic fans to jaded bile and snark by agenda-driven wannabes looking to break into the industry. The Comic Weblog Linkatron 5000 links to them all without prejudice so I thought I'd offer up quick takes on some of my favorites, all linked (and newly updated) in the left-hand column under Comic Blogs.

The Beat
Heidi MacDonald is the real deal, an industry veteran covering the news of the day with an occasional dose of intelligent snark. Only downside is comicon.com's unpredicatble server.

The Comics Reporter
The closest thing to comics journalism online, it's the NY Times to NEWSarama's NY Post.

Comics Should Be Good
A group blog featuring intelligent reviews and insightful commentary, including the fun "Comic Book Urban Legends Revealed" column.

Comics Worth Reading
The blog is actually Cognitive Dissonance, but it's always best to stop at Johanna's main page first to make sure you're not missing anything. Her tips on reviewing are a must-read for any comics blogger.

Dave's Long Box
Always entertaining reviews of seemingly random comics pulled from his collection, he was deservedly spotlighted in Newsweek (or one of those magazines) a while back.

Dial B for Blog
I'm at a bit of a loss to describe this one, but it's fun and always worth checking out.

Fanboy Rampage
A mix of news and excerpts from various message boards, it's one-stop shopping for fanboy idiocy and holier-than-thou snark.

Gelatometti
The artists of Wildstorm's group blog, including Jim Lee, their Iron Chef sketch-offs are always fun.

Glyphs
Spotlighting the "color" in the 4-color world of comics, Rich Watson focuses on creators and characters of color.

Gordy's Blog
Though not updated recently, it's Bumperboy's best friend Gordy's blog.

Hannibal Tabu's BUY PILE
One of the first online reviewers I came across when I got back into comics, while our tastes don't always intersect, Tabu covers a nice range of mainstream comics every week.

The Pickytarian
One of the better individual blog sites, mostly reviews and occasional commentary.

a store called RIOT!
The ongoing adventures of a guy opening a comic book shop in PA. Fascinating stuff.

Shrew Review
Great reviews, especially of DCU titles.

Zilla and the Comics Junkies
Great new blog by a recent returnee to comics.