Straight from the marketing department, according to MK creator, Ed Boon. & I have to say, that is not a great start for creativity, but since it is internet fashion to beat up on MK, I'll leave that alone. & Boon told me, "We've been making MK games since 1992, which is a long time. & At some point around MKIV, we talked about & 'wouldn't it be cool if we made a versus game with one of our competitors?'" & He mentioned Street Fighter and Virtua Fighter, but ... there's a game called Street Fighter, there's a game called Virtua Fighter, and we thought it would be cool." & That would actually be pretty cool. & But I imagine the corporate war that would ensue would be bloodier than anything in the MK universe. & And, according to Boon, that project "never really panned out." &

Most public libraries have as part of their mission the duty to collect popular materials for their patrons. All it takes is a quick walk through any chain bookstore to see that graphic novels are popular. If they weren't, stores wouldn't devote so much shelf space to them and teens wouldn't be sitting in the aisles reading the newest releases. With the increasing popularity of graphic novels, librarians have had to educate themselves on the format, its history, industry trends, publisher idiosyncrasies, binding quality, and more, to make sure we are collecting the right books. By including graphic novels in library collections, librarians are seeing an increase in traffic from teens and twenty-somethings who may have previously felt libraries were no longer relevant to their lives or their interests.

Last time he came by the Con he treated audiences with a song. This time there was no singing but he snuck in some footage of the new Wolverine movie that looked pretty cool.

Immediately, everyone stood up and cameras started flashing. Comics legend Stan Lee

He had just flown in and Miramax was piggybacking its

Comic-Con favorite Neil Gaiman took time at the 2007 convention to reflect on the changes the Con has gone through and about his first introduction to singer Tori Amos. Amos will be at the Image Comics panel Saturday, July 26,11:30-12:30 (Room 6B). & She's there to talk about

But it doesn't stop here, oh no! If it was just the current administration, we could just hope this amendment to law is postponed until after the elections. But it seems that John McCain is also in on this little diatribe. It all started last week when Carly Fiorina, McCain's advisor, brought up the rather valid point that

The State of California says it can't afford to make Medi-Cal payments to community clinics until a new budget is approved. Officials say an emergency fund used to cover Medi-Cal costs has run out of money. KPBS Reporter Kenny Goldberg has more.

About one in three family farmers and ranchers in California don't have access to low-cost group health insurance. A new report from the California Endowment says farmers' out-of-pocket expenses and premiums average more than 88-hundred dollars a year. KPBS Reporter Kenny Goldberg has more.

Lieutenant Governor John Garamendi says a detailed report on trash in the ocean is on the right track to toughen state laws to clean-up the state's waterways and beaches. Garamendi was in San Diego this morning to promote a ban on plastic bags. KPBS Environmental Reporter Ed Joyce has more.

It's not easy for people in the armed forces to shift from combat duty back to civilian life. That's particularly true with those who've been injured in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. A special team in San Diego's V-A medical system helps veterans make the transition. KPBS Health Reporter Kenny Goldberg has the story.

Sunday afternoon, federal officials will answer a wish many of us have made while stuck in line at the border. Customs and Border Protection officials will open four more lanes to vehicle traffic at the Otay Mesa Port of Entry. KPBS Reporter Amy Isackson has details.

Legislation aimed at rescuing the nation's struggling housing industry easily passed the House yesterday, and appears headed for approval by the Senate and President Bush within the next few days. Plus, the head of the Southeastern Economic Development Corp., Carolyn Y. Smith, was forced out of her job after it was revealed that she and other SEDC staffers were giving themselves hidden bonuses. And, reports of murders and kidnappings south of the border are hurting the tourism business in Baja California.

After needlessly crossing the length of downtown -- at the brilliant suggestion of a friend of mine -- we showed up to our first press party of the evening at 9:30 p.m. & The company throwing the party shall remain nameless. & But suffice it to say, I hope their new video game will be better produced than the party they threw last night. & I counted nine people in the bar. & It still makes me hurt inside.

I am happy to say that I am officially no longer a die-hard collector.

The similarities between the radio program and the cartoon are few and far between. The unmistakable voices of Click and Clack are there, but the cartoon follows the guys out of the recording studio and into the Good News Garage on a series of crazy misadventures. Callers have been replaced with wacky Good News mechanics, young PBS producer Beth Totenbag, and ZuZu the dog.

Soto is based in L.A., and his work falls squarely in the pop surrealism movement, sometimes called lowbrow, most associated with the art magazine