Attendees of this year’s Baltimore Comic Con are privy to a pair of treats like no other. First off, Mark Wheatley and Robert Tinnell’s pulpy masterpiece, Lone Justice, will be on sale, with a special exclusive cover and signature plate for the con. Mark, Robert, and editor Mike Gold will be on hand to lend their John Hancock’s to the fifty limited edition copies that will be on hand. Make sure you’re one of the lucky ones to get a hold of this special book!

For those of you who know Lone Justice, know it’s prequel of course, EZ Street. But did you know EZ Street was itself a Harvey nominated Graphic Novel? Speaking of the Harveys (how’s that for a segue, ma!), this years award ballots are due Saturday, August 7th. The Harvey Awards will be unveiled Saturday, August 28th, at a banquet at the Baltimore Comic Con. This is the awards fifth year, hosted this time by webcomic creator extraordinaire Scott Kurtz, who’s really pushing for an award this year.

Final ballots are available online here. The final nominees for this year include JH Williams III, Frank Quitely, Guy Davis, Robert Crumb, Mark Waid, Robert Kirkman, Geoff Johns, and more. For a complete list of the nominees, simply click the link above, to go the Harvey Awards site directly.

We’ll see you in Baltimore!

Okay… there’s no real visuals. But we do have Samuel L. Jackson reading a Stan Lee caption that you’re probably going to mouth along with yourself, and… oh, just click play, already.

Imaginary Forces directed this with Ahmet Ahmet and Peter Frankfurt credited as Creative and Art directors respectively, and this was probably used as a placeholder reel to run on a loop at a licensing expo somewhere.

Hat tip: Comics Alliance and Bleeding Cool, who both beat us to the punch.

…and this XKCD cartoon got us thinking about the numerous ways websites get it wrong and occasionally right.

So we figured we better ask you, the people who use it, what you come here looking for and what you like about the site, and what things would you like to see added. Facebook integration? Comics previews? Birthday lists? Twitter directories? Convention coverage? Spoiler tags? More movie coverage? Video games? Trivia contests? Yaoi?

Let us know in the comments.

• after we finish with getting books out the door and covering the summer conventions.

First revealed at Comic-Con International, today, Warner Premiere formally announced the November 9 release of DC Showcase. Here are the details:

BURBANK, CA (August 5, 2010) – Warner Premiere, DC Entertainment, Warner Bros. Animation and Warner Home Video have expanded the realm of superhero storytelling beyond the popular DC Universe Animated Original PG-13 Movies with the introduction of the DC Showcase, a series of animated shorts featuring characters from the celebrated DC Comics vault. On November 9, 2010, Warner Home Video will distribute the DC Showcase Original Shorts Collection, the first quartet of animated adventures featuring the never-before-seen Superman/Shazam! The Return of Black Adam, as a Special Edition Blu-Ray™ for $29.99 (SRP) and single disc DVD for $19.98 (SRP).

DC Showcase animated shorts initially appeared as special bonus content on the 2010 slate of DC Universe Animated Original Movies. The 10- to 12-minute films include The Spectre, Jonah Hex and Green Arrow. All three titles will be presented in extended formats along with the first-ever release of Superman/Shazam! The Return of Black Adam. (more…)

Have you ever wondered why mad scientists are so intriguing? Many of us can’t help but be fascinated by this type of character. Frankenstein, Dr. Jekyll, Dr. Horrible — they are all brilliant, eccentric, and villainous. We know their experiments and actions are in terrible taste, but they’re so darn crazy that it’s fun to watch them work. They are like a train wreck, as in you know they’re bad but you can’t look away.

The infuriating yet lovable Dr. Herville Albert Schtein is among these mad scientists. This quirky genius is from Beckey Grundy’s webcomic “String Theory.” The story takes place in a late 2050’s alternate universe, where the Cuban missile crisis went horribly wrong. The story focuses on the laboratory in which Dr. Schtein and his fellow scientists work with plasma wave converters, super magnets, and fluffy test rodents.Very technical stuff. The webcomic begins soon after a deadly lab explosion, which leaves Schtein with two new things to look forward to: a pair of bio-mechanical eyes, and a replacement assistant. However, Schtein’s excessive jerkiness discourages people from staying in the same room with him, which is an obvious problem for his new assistant, Delia Osgood. Though Schtein is the best-of-the-best, his superiors are losing patience with his behavior. He must set aside his disdain for people if he doesn’t want to be canned, or worse, one-upped by his arch rival Professor Langstrom.

Schtein may be an ass, but we can’t help but want to see what will happen to him next. Grundy’s character-based story draws readers in, and does a great job of making an unlikable person, surprisingly, likable. The plot has interesting twists and turns, but this webcomic seems far from over. It feels like Grundy has quite a bit of story left to tell, and I am personally looking forward to every update. Mood wise, the plot goes up and down. There are comedic moments along with several sinister situations. Perhaps a better way to describe it is that the basic plot is serious and mature, but a layer of lightheartedness keeps it from getting overwhelmingly dark.

The first half of the story is in black and white, though some color was thrown in on occasion. The more recent pages have been in full color, which is lovely. Well, as lovely as the gloomy atmosphere allows. The character designs are great, and Grundy has a talent for making them distinct and fun. Emotions are captured very well through the character’s expressions and behavior, and they are a delight to watch in action.

If you’re looking to get a fix of mad scientist adventures, I’d recommend “String Theory” for your reading pleasure. I don’t envy this Schtein fellow, what with him being neurotic and disgruntled, but it sure is entertaining to watch his mind at work!

Alright all you wannabe Master Chiefs, it’s time once again to suit up, and raise your rifle against a slew of critters who’d like to eat you for dinner! If you didn’t receive your briefing in San Diego as we told you to, then just this once, we’re gonna give you the play back. Lucky for you Sgt. Bungie hosted the discussion, and gave an in-person look at the campaign mode… Are your eyeballs ready to absorb the pulse pounding goodness? I can’t hear you! Tennn-hut!