On Saturday, fantastic Hayes Valley comic book store Isotope played host to Ed Brubaker, who's as hot a writer in the comics industry as anyone. Recently, a story of Brubaker's made headlines nationwide (and Colbert, of course): the death of Marvel Comics' icon Captain America. ...

Frankly, we sometimes find it hard to sign off on that whole Tough Guy motif that so many comic books shoot for. Yes, a surly squint, trusty sidearm, and simple machismo are familiar hero-ingredients, but after a while it can be a bit numbing and silly. Which is why we were pleased that Isotope Comics pointed us to The Annotated Mantooth, by Matt Fraction, Andy Kuhn, and Tim Fisher, in which the alpha-male dialogue is......