Last Friday was Georgia’s sixth birthday, and after spending the morning enduring Chuck E. Cheese’s, we returned home to abuse the SpongeBob SquarePants pinata that Georgia had insisted we buy.

Georgia and her cousins each took turns whacking at the thing with an old kendo sword left over from my college days, doing a fair bit of damage along the way.

When everyone had taken a few turns and the pinata had stubbornly refused to give up its bounty of candy and trinkets, the adults took turns, with Allison finally delivering the coup de grace.

Then the kids all gathered around to feast on his innards.

If you’ve got seven minutes to kill and you want to see the last moments of a pinata’s life, here’s a full video of the event. Warning: contents may be disturbing for those upset by images of graphic human-on-paper-mache violence.

(via) This looks well worth checking out, and I hope I get a chance to see it soon.

The fine folks at “Transmissions from Beyond,” the podcast of TTA Press, have posted two little goodies with my name attached to them.

First up is a reading of my story “Metal Dragon Year,” originally published in Interzone, read by David Rees-Thomas. And if that weren’t enough, they’ve also posted an 8-minute video interview with me conducted the year before last at the WorldCon in Denver.

What the heck is this?

Cyndi Lauper singing the theme song to Electra Woman & Dyna Girl, obviously, but… When? Where? Why?

(Apparently there was some TVLand tribute to Sid & Marty Krofft. Anybody know where I can find the rest of it?)

Sadly only a “fake animatic,” at this point, but we can dream, can’t we?

Over at the Vertigo blog, Graphic Content, Pamela Mullin has been kind enough to post the entirety of “Trick or Treat,” the iZombie prequel story from last fall’s House of Mystery annual.

The pages are posted below in the form of jpgs, but if you’d prefer a different reading experience I’ve also put together both a .cbr format and a .pdf format for download.

There’s a little something in the May 2010 solicitations from DC Comics that I felt was worth pointing out.

I, ZOMBIE #1
On sale MAY 5
32 pg, FC, $1 US
MATURE READERS
Written by CHRIS ROBERSON •Art and cover by MICHAEL ALLRED
1:10 Variant cover by DARWYN COOKE
Gwen Dylan is a gravedigger in an eco-friendly cemetery…and a zombie detective. Once a month, she has to eat a human brain – both to keep from going all “Night of the Living Dead,” and to keep her own memories intact. As a result, Gwen’s mind is crowded with the dead person’s thoughts. And lately, she feels compelled to fulfill their final requests. Torn between a mysterious mummy and a dashing young monster-hunter, Gwen is set for adventures beyond imagination! A were-terrier, a swinging ’60s ghost and a pack of paintball blasting vampires complete the cast of I, ZOMBIE.
Written by World Fantasy Award finalist Chris Roberson (CINDERELLA: FROM FABLETOWN WITH LOVE) with art by Eisner Award-winning superstar artist Michael Allred (X-Statix, Madman), I, ZOMBIE is a monster of a tale with razor-sharp prose and powerful pop artistry.
Don’t miss this special debut issue launching Vertigo’s next monster hit, priced at just $1.00!
Retailers please note: This issue will ship with two covers. Please see the Previews Order Form for more information.

Did you catch that, internets? iZombie #1 will be priced at one thin dollar. How can you resist?

In the latest “Comics Critics” strip from writer Sean Whitmore and artist Brandon Hanvey, one of the characters outlines his dream lineup for the Justice League of America. (click to embiggen)

Your mileage may vary, but I would totally buy that book.

Remember that variant cover for iZombie #1 I mentioned? Well, here it is, courtesy of the Vertigo blog, by none other than the man himself, Darwyn Cooke.

Sexy, no?

Behold the awesomeness that is Mike Allred’s cover for the first issue of iZombie, from the Vertigo blog.

And what’s this about a variant cover, I wonder…?