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Author/historian/statistician John Jackson Miller used his holiday very productively: to put some of the missing years of comics sales stats up at his...

Hey there! The Beat is back! The Beat never really left, but we figured that what with the server overload it was best to...

While he will be long remembered for his timeless, side-splitting, searing portrayal of Lt. Frank Drebin, we shouldn't forget Leslie Nielsen's earlier stint as a stolid, upright leading man that allowed his later send-ups of this same role to pack such punch. And of course, he was pretty memorable in FORBIDDEN PLANET, a classic '50s SF version of The Tempest that also introduced Robbie the Robot on a waiting world.

As many of you have noticed, the recent server shuffle has resulted in a loss of visual images.  The Beatrix herself is spearheading our crack team of technological troubleshooters, and we hope to restore normalcy soon. Normally, in situations such as this, we would run "classic" columns from before the advent of the World Wide Web.  Unfortunately, our tape archive was mistakenly recorded over with the 67th Academy Awards. So instead, we have reverted to ASCII mode.

We're still kicking the tires and adding air here at Stately Beat Manor with our new server. Unfortunately, The Beat is a large, complex,...

The Beat will be moving servers tonight, from the insanely expensive one to a slightly less expensive one. There will be no posting until our Operatives give the go-ahead and there might be some wonkiness in the morning, as well. As soon as everything is safe and sound in the new spot, we'll give you an earful on our hosting advice.

Has the pirate menace changed the creative business model for good? Most would say so, but some people are still fighting back. Up on The Hill, Colleen Doran launches a spirited counter attack on piracy:

After a delay due to a procedural matter, the Superman lawsuit is back on. This case is more complicated than a DC crossover event, but the bottom line is that depositions by the heirs of Siegel and Shuster -- Joanne Siegel, Laura Siegel Larson, Jean Peavy and Mark Peavy -- are now taking place.

In the proud tradition of Superman fighting landmines and other great didactic comics of the past, Marvel and the Mayor's Office of NYC have teamed for a comic book teaching New Yorkers about resources available for their job hunts. "Spider-Man, You're Hired" "features an unemployed Peter Parker starting his job search, is the Administration’s latest effort to connect out-of-work to New Yorkers to job training and placement services."

The 2011 Angoulême comics festival fast approaches, and they have just announced their official selections. Rather than nominate various books in different categories, these selections are a pool from which the Gran Prix and other prizes are given. A jury -- led this time by Baru -- will make final selections.

A horrible crime has been committed and the killer is still in the comic shop. Only YOU can stop him/her.