If you were keeping track of such things, DC Comics' latest Batman Day was this past Saturday. By all accounts, things went really well for comics retailers, who seem to have sold out of this week's Marvel Comics' Deadpool/Batman #1 inter-company crossover issue.

*ahem* "Clear to whom."

Yes, you read that right: The book was published by Marvel, not DC. It has been literally decades since competitors DC and Marvel agreed to put their intellectual properties in the same comic book, but, whether I agree with it or not, it is a fact of life that nothing is more important in 2025 America than the Almighty Dollar. Printing a comic with Deadpool and Batman in it is functionally the same as printing money, so of course they did.

Demand was unnaturally high for this, even considering the enduring appetite that some readers have for these two characters. I hear secondhand reports that a significant portion of buyers were new customers drawn in based on their familiarity of these characters' movie appearances. I cannot tell you how rarely that actually happens. Less surprisingly, many of these new customers bought multiple copies for speculation purposes. Comic companies have learned from past experience, and there were 20 covers to choose from. Too bad those speculating customers haven't learned from past experience the truth that few if any of those copies will outpace inflation in investment value. They'd be better off investing their money in crypto. (The currency, not the dog.)

I have no idea how many copies of Deadpool/Batman were printed. Publishers do everything they can to keep those numbers a secret these days because they're usually shockingly low, often (much) fewer than 15,000 copies. (If you want to follow along at home with a calculator, know that the average cover price is $3.99 with something near a 50/50 split between retailer and publisher.) But the recent relaunch of Batman #1 (cover price $4.99) is widely reported to have sold through half a million even before starting a second printing. Of course, that book also has 56 different covers (starting at $5.99), counting the many retailer incentive variants and event exclusives in addition to the open order and blind bag alternates. (If all those terms boggle you, please stay away from the comic book market. It's not safe for you. Frankly, It's not safe for anyone who values their pocketbook or their sanity.)

Don't worry that you might have missed out, though. There is a follow up coming from DC in November, naturally called Batman/Deadpool #1. That way they both get to be number ones! (Which they say will sell more. If They say it, who am I to question?) And this one will also have 20 covers. Isn't comic collecting fun?

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I spent this past weekend at a fine art opening in the Miller Gallery, located in the picturesque Hyde Park region of Cincinnati, Ohio. But before you congratulate me, let me say that it wasn't my opening. I was a tagalong. (The proverbial "third wheel," not the tasty Girl Scout Cookie.) This event was for real artists, not graphic/web designers. So what if I can write scripts in php so elegant that you could cry? You don't code with a paint brush. (If you did, it'd be really hard to see the monitor.)

Painters are a funny lot. On the whole, I don't suspect that we are any different than the rest of the population. Sure, most of us are driven by a desire to flee typical social conventions. And maybe more than our share have a fear of soap and water. But by and large, artists are exactly the same as anyone else: put enough of them in a room, and you'll get the spontaneously occurring artist's version of the pissing contest. With artists, it's always whose theory is best. The problem with this, of course, is that unlike the traditional pissing-contest arbitration method of comparing sexual conquests, which can be qualified and quantified, artists are forced to prove whose figurative brush is biggest by comparing their lifestyles: "I'm more artistically countercultural than you are!"

At a rather posh dinner this weekend one artist bragged that he didn't watch television, as it drained his creativity just as it does the millions of huddled masses who spend hour after hour on the couch. (He said this wearing a shirt that looked as though it had never seen an iron.) Not to be one-upped, another questioned everyone else's integrity by challenging their satisfaction and drive. (The only way to nirvana is through suffering. Not selling enough $2,000 paintings, it would seem, counts as very painful.) A third complained/boasted that long hours in the studio led to excessive loneliness. (Though you wouldn't have any idea that he was friendless based on the number of patron names he was dropping.)

If this sounds stupid, that's because it is. All of these artists are fantastically talented. However, having great technique is like having the most expensive car in your neighborhood: everyone knows, but that's not going to stop you from bragging.

Meanwhile, I spent most of the weekend trying to stay out of their way to intermediate degrees of success. Still, every day is a learning opportunity, and following is a short list of information gathered while I was out of pocket:

• If a Cinicinnatian offers to let you swim in their pool, do it. It's really the path of least resistance.
• Speaking of Cincinnatians, word to the wise: they don't think that WKRP jokes are funny.
• Chicks dig robots and doughnuts with sprinkles.
• Unlike Paul Newman, if you're going to deface a parking meter, wait until after midnight and act like you know what you're doing.
• Bicycle racing is like poetry: it's created only for the enjoyment of the writer/rider and is really, really boring to everyone else.

So a good time was had by all. Unlike most gallery owners, everyone associated with the Miller Gallery is a gem of a human being. (Read: Buy their art.) I'll have to go back one day soon, as I didn't find out until after the trip that Cincinnati's Union Terminal Train Station was the inspiration for the Super Friends' Hall of Justice. Sightseeing fail!

By the way, If you're an art fan, you may wish to check out the work of artists Jessica Hess, Eric Joyner, and Otto Lange. Be sure not to judge them by their web sites, though. After all, while they're fantastic painters and really great people, they're not graphic/web designers.

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I love Jeopardy!, but I'm becoming a bit disenchanted by host Alex Trebek's attitude. Each episode, in my least favorite part of each show, Alex responds to almost every contestant's story with what amounts to a pissing contest about how much bigger, better, stronger Alex's life is than the contestant's.

Yes, Alex, you're no doubt much more learned than all but the most hardcore trivia buffs. Yes, Alex, your status as the television icon of the trivia elite has no doubt provided you with many great experiences. And yes, Alex, your family and lifestyle have created many enriching moments to fulfil your grandest hopes.

But, Alex, when a contestant tells you that she prefers Batman comic books, there's simply no need to respond with, "that's too bad, I like Sub-Mariner."

And just like that, Alex found a way to insult the contestant, Batman, and Aquaman in a single snide comment. You'll pay for this, Trebek.

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