Hey folks, Harry here... I've been so busy with the AICN TV Show Preparations and then we had some cross-looped email format hell for the columns this week, but fear not.... Finally, they are all here and spiffy to boot. First up is Premium Pulp... the column that The Sexiest Man In Comics and The Amazing Mutant Fanboy have made famous started... See what to grab this week at a counter near you.....

SMIC: If this be Monday…

AMF: …then it’s time for yet another installment of your favorite look at this week’s upcoming comic book fare with your favorite comic book pundits, myself, the Amazing Mutant Fanboy, and that snatcher of snatch, the bandit of bootie, the one, the only SEXIEST MAN IN COMICS.

SMIC: Thank you, AMF. Welcome to Premium Pulp kids. We’ve got four comics this week that are worth taking a look at when they hit the stores Wednesday, June 20, 2001. In this batch is a new Sandman Presents book, as well as one of the latest installments of the Our World’s At War event. But let’s start out with an Oni Press tale that’s sure to delight many, and cause others to try and figure out exactly what we’re smoking over here.

AMF: Jay Stephens’ "Jetcat Clubhouse #2" looks like just another kids book. Based on characters from Nickelodeon, there is a simplicity to the story lines and art, that might turn readers of the usual comic book fare (like myself) away very quickly. However, SMIC forced me to read his preview copy of this book, and I have to say that I was ultimately quite charmed. It reminded me of some of the "kiddie" fare that WB Animation put out in the late 80’s-early 90’s with Tiny Toons and Animaniacs. The humor in this book is all ages, yet most of it can certainly appeal to adults, as with side jokes about the difference between Wizard of Oz the movie and Wizard of Oz the book.

SMIC: There are four stories altogether in this book, with the first showing the lads at the clubhouse finding new and interesting ways to keep cool using a lemon tree and feces. Another story in the book features one of Jetcat’s classmates taking on a school project to interview a super villain. Readers of this book might compare it to Powerpuff Girls in its parody of superheroics, but such a comparison is a little shortsighted as although there’s certainly parody here, it’s much more subtle, and there is less in joking about the superhero clichés. All in all, this book is worth a look, and certainly worth picking up and giving to your favorite niece or nephew to get a younger market back into the comic book world.

AMF: Next up on the list is a big shout out to all those fans of Sandman out there, cause we’ve got a Sandman Presents title that really lives up to the Gaiman heritage. "Sandman Presents: Deadboy Detectives #1" features one of those creative teams to die for with Ed "Aren’t you glad they canned Hama" Brubaker doing the words, and Brian "I can draw anything" Talbot and Steve "I can trace anything" Leiahola doing some eerie, yet pretty pictures. It’s basically the story of two boys, Edwin and Charles (who you’ll probably remember vaguely from "Sandman: Season of Mists") who run a detective agency in a treehouse outside a haunted mansion. Of course, the kicker is that these two gumshoes are, well, deceased.

SMIC: While I’ve been a fan of Brubaker on his take in the Batman book, I’m really a huge supporter of this guy now with this book, my PULP OF THE WEEK. Brubaker is able to give these kids a somewhat disturbing charm, with their clueless antics of chasing down the bad guys. Although these kids are quite old, they still have yet to actually "mature," and their banter back and forth makes these kids much more enjoyable to read about than the Hardy Boys. If there’s a studio out there listening, start the negotiations to take these characters to screen now! There’s certainly a kid’s TV show in this concept somewhere, just don’t mess it up like you’ve done with Sandman, OK Hollywood?

AMF: Yeah, it’d be great to see the Sixth Sense kid and Anakin Skywalker go out together and fight crime all dead and shit. Oh, and for you comic book journalist groupies, you’ll find that there are a ton of references to some of our favorite reviewers in this book. Sadly, no mention of me or SMIC, which is why from now on I will be intentionally shunning Brubaker at various Comic Conventions. You’ve been warned, Ed.

SMIC: *Sigh*…anyway, next up on our look at comics this week, is a close second in my mind to the Deadboy Detectives with "Peter Parker: Spider-Man #32."

AMF: You know you’ve got a favorite Spidey moment in your head, don’t you? Is it the scene where he rises from the grave after being buried alive by Kraven? Maybe it’s Spidey’s catching a limp Gwen Stacey or his subsequent killing of Green Goblin? Most of you will probably pick the scene with Spidey lifting a shitload of machinery off his back after a major battle, only to go on and battle again. Well, folks, in this, my PULP OF THE WEEK, I’m telling you all to save space in your memory banks for this issue, which will certainly go down as a Spidey classic.

SMIC: When this issue starts out, Spider-Man is paralyzed. His neck has been broken, and he fears he will never walk again. Beaten and broken, he is forced to continue to be pummeled by Fusion, and of course listen to his supervillain drivel. What makes this book so strong though is the amount of attention given to Spider-Man’s wrestling with his own fate. He wonders what his friends are doing at that point and how they’ll react. He is faced with going from one of the world’s biggest superheroes and protectors to a lifetime confined to a wheel chair. Jenkins handles this conflict well, underscored deftly by some top-notch panel layout by Buckingham.

AMF: This issue is one of those that you buy five copies of. One to read, two to cut out all the pages and shellac them on a poster to hang them in your room, one to share with your friends, and a final copy to get professionally graded and locked up in an acid-free environment that will withstand the Holocaust so that future generations may read this book!

SMIC: Finally this week, we have the latest core installment into the big-ol’ summer blockbuster that is Our World’s at War with "Superman: Man of Steel #115." Now I’m a sucker for crossovers, and I’m pretty easily hooked into buying every issue that ties into these deals, but more often than not, I am vastly disappointed with the story overall.

AMF: It’s kind of picking up Azrael: Agent of the Bat. How can a concept that cool suck so hard?

SMIC: Anyway, that having been said, I really have high hopes for this crossover, and I’m definitely encouraged by the stories we’ve gotten so far from the Superman crew. It feels almost natural and unforced, unlike most crossovers of the past.

AMF: So the story starts out with the entire town of Metropolis waking up in some sort of alien space craft. Yeah, the entire fucking town, Clark, Perry, Lois and Jimmy included. It doesn’t take Clark too long to realize something’s up (of course, alien abductions will do that too you) and he puts Lois in charge while he tries to figure out what’s going on. On this journey, he meets up with Maxima, Adam Strange and some other familiar alien types, who try to impress upon the Man of Steel that he needs to trust what’s going on, and that it’s for the good of the universe and all that jazz.

SMIC: What’s great about these stories is that Superman is really being put through the ropes here. You’d expect him to be the key player in this crossover, but it’s obvious that others are going to be pulling his strings throughout the summer, most notably Darkseid and Luthor. It’s an interesting way to start out this crossover, and with each tale, I’m a little more hooked.

AMF: Well, I think that’s it for this week.

SMIC: I do too. Thanks for stopping by again, and I’ll be back later in the week with the second installment of "Soliloquies" which will take a look at the universe of online comics.

AMF: I’m the Amazing Mutant Fanboy…

SMIC: and I’m the Sexiest Man in Comics, reminding you to order your comics early…

AMF: …and buy comics often.

NOTE: IN THIS SPACE LATER TONIGHT, HARRY'S REMEMBER WHEN WILL APPEAR!!!