Fresh Loaf

1. Trackside Tavern destroyed by fire (In a sad day for horny drinkers on the prowl, Decatur’s beloved dive bar and hook-up spot was gutted.)

2. Dr. Lowery’s inaugural benediction riffs on the blues (Weird how few media outlets picked up on Lowery’s inaugural nod to Big Bill Broonzy’s “Black, Brown and White.”)

3. Killing what’s left of the press (A legislative proposal that would decimate small-town newspapers. As if the print industry needs any more bad news.)

4. 2009 Georgia General Assembly struggles with budget, gridlock (You think YOU’RE broke? The state is $2 billion in the hole!)

5. Readers can’t keep up with Spidey and Barack (Comic book featuring America’s favorite superhero flies off the shelves. Spider-man is pissed.)

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WEB SITE: Oxford Comics' Zack Overton flips through the special-edition comic.

Inaugural Obama-mania extends to our nation’s comic book stores as the retailers can’t keep enough copies of The Amazing Spider-man #583, which features Barack Obama on the cover and a six-page story in which the 44th president plays a supporting role. Oxford Comics proprietor Mike Van Houten said that retailers didn’t pre-order enough copies and demand “went nuts,” until first editions were selling for $75 a piece when they went on sale on Jan. 14. Van Houten says that more than 500 customers reserved copies of the second printing, which went on sale today, and that more than 2,000 copies of the third printing will be due in the store next week.

The story, incidentally, finds photographer and Spider-man alter ego Peter Parker attending the inauguration where he sees two Barack Obamas — one of which is longtime Spider-foe the Chameleon, a master of disguise. According to the AP:

Parker decides “the future president’s gonna need Spider-Man,” and springs into action, using basketball to determine the real Obama and punching out the impostor.

I know Barack loves the game, but basketball? Really? The first African-American president has to use basketball to prove his real identity? Oh well, I guess there are worse stereotypes they could have.

(Photo by Joeff Davis)

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