​Jules Feiffer, the cartooning legend who won a Pulitzer Prize in 1986 for his work at the Voice (and many other kudos over the years!), will receive another prestigious accolade in April: the 2012 John Fischetti Lifetime Achievement Award, given by Columbia College Chicago.

Feiffer is also an Obie-winning playwright, celebrated screenwriter, and the first cartoonist commissioned by the New York Times' for its op-ed page. He has taught at colleges across the U.S., and now calls Southampton home.

Runnin' Scared took a sec to catch up with Feiffer and chat about his win, changes in the cartoon world, and his current projects: Hint -- a graphic novel is in the works!

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​The New York Comedy Festival has arrived. The festival turns eight this year, and will hopefully celebrate with humor children of that age can't understand. While always a showcase for chuckles, the first day of the festival has a higher purpose: supporting injured soldiers through the Bob Woodruff Foundation.

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We could only make it about a minute into this thing, but perhaps you'll have better luck? The Tea Party apparently has comedians now, including this guy Eric Golub. Sample quote: "The left should love Sarah Palin. She has a beautiful, adorable special needs child... For that reason alone, the left should worship Sarah Palin and adopt her as one of their own. Because the leftist haters are an entire political ideology of special needs children." ...Ha. Who is he, though?

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Art by the great George Perez, courtesy of DC Comics.

Killing off redundant Kryptonians.

​With D.C. Comics launching the new 52 this week, with "rebooted" versions of all their best-known heroes, the Voice though it was high time to hear from Marv Wolfman, the legendary writer and editor who created Blade, the Teen Titans and, of course, Crisis on Infinite Earths.

Crisis, the epic 1985 12-part "maxi-series," was intended as the comic book of equivalent of Noah's flood. At a time before massive summer crossovers and "retcons" had become comic book staples, it hit hard, using the deaths of major characters like Wonder Woman, Supergirl, and the Flash* to usher in a new world cleansed of 50 years of continuity breaches. It worked: The DCU ever since has been divided among those who care about such things into the pre- and post-Crisis worlds.

Wolfman spoke with the Voice about why he hasn't read the Crisis sequels, "event fatigue" in the comic book world, and the trouble with continuity: it "holds the best writer hostage of the worst."

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All art from DC Comics

​Tonight marks the launch of DC Comics' "The New 52" -- a reimagined series of 52 classic comics, starting with "Justice League #1," which goes on sale at midnight at Midtown Comics in Times Square and features favorites including Superman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, Aqua Man, and Batman. Comic book icons Geoff Johns and Jim Lee of DC Comics will be there, as will an array of superheroes, and, of course, fans. "Flashpoint #5," the final issue in Geoff Johns and Andy Kubert's bestselling series, will also be for sale. The remaining 51 titles to be launched reflect an array of comic book genres, from western to horror to detective, and will be released 13 editions a week through September.

DC Comics has a history of reinventing the thousands of stories and characters created in their 70 years of existence. This happened in the '50s and '60s, and again in the '80s. With this current initiative, DC Comics co-publisher Dan DiDio told us, they're trying to bring a more youthful feel to the characters, making them not seasoned heroes but novices still learning what they're doing, thereby upping the antes of danger and adventure.

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via Zach Baron

​Firefighters have responded to a fire on 11 St. Marks Place, between Second and Third avenues. They are currently at the scene of the fire, which was reported at 1:32 p.m. The Fire Department informs us there was a 21-unit response. The first responders arrived at 1:34 p.m.

The fire occurred in the basement of the five-story building that houses St. Marks Comics, as well as a back and foot rub and acupuncture studio. A witness said the FDNY had to knock through the wall of St. Marks Comics to reach the fire's source. There are no reported injuries. Let's hope all the Silver Surfers and Wonder Womans are safe, too!

via

​The internet gave a collective ACK! in August when it was announced that the 34-year-strong comic strip "Cathy" would be ending its one-note run. Far from a cultural touchstone and even further from a feminist hero, upon the announcement the New York Times called the Cathy character -- based loosely on creator Cathy Guisewite -- "slightly overweight, somewhat insecure and perpetually single." The end of the series, then, seen above, is in some ways a total shocker! Then again, come on.

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​Following in the wake of self-loathing gay-baiter/gay-hater Republican strategist Ken Mehlman coming out of the closet, an Archie character has emerged from the cocoon of illustrated repression to fully embrace his homosexuality. Three questions:

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via Cleveland Plain Dealer

​Harvey Pekar has died at the age of 70. As Rob Harvilla writes on Sound of the City,

Comic book icon, brief Hollywood star (via 2003's American Splendor, coming soon to thousands of Netflix queues near you), thoughtful jazz critic (here he is on free-jazz deity and fellow Cleveland native Albert Ayler), and Voice contributor, Pekar was the living embodiment of that most durable of American archetypes: the Lovable Curmudgeon. He was found dead by his wife, Joyce Brabner, early this morning; an autopsy is pending, though it's hard not to note -- as does the Cleveland Plain Dealer's excellent, thorough obit -- that their signature artistic collaboration was called Our Cancer Year.

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​Important New York superhero Spider-Man will no longer be portrayed in movies by Tobey Maguire, because Spider-Man 2 was so goddamn amazing it just didn't really matter, is why. No Spider-Man movie with Tobey Maguire in it was going to get any better. So now, they're restarting the franchise, and we've got this guy.

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