Changing times: I was going to retrace the steps in the Waid-Wieringo-Jemas-"Fantastic Four" saga, but it's too tiring. So, just read about the latest twist: news of Mike Wieringo's two-year exclusive agreement with Marvel.

"... there seems to be a real free creative feeling coming back to Marvel now -- which is really similar to the way it seemed just a couple of years back when Joe Quesada took over as EIC. They're trying new things -- seeing what works and what doesn't. And that's always an exciting feeling. The possibilities seem broad and promising -- so it feels good being at Marvel right now."