MightyWriters

“Hard Headed Woman,” Wanda Jackson, 1958

According to Newsarama.com, one of the sites that knows about such things, these are the top 10 comic book titles we should be on the lookout for in 2010:

1. “Siege,” by Brian Michael Bendis & Olivier Coipel. “… looks like the former Green Goblin is going to bite off more than he can chew as he takes on the mythical kingdom of Asgard, home of Thor and the Norse Gods…”

2. “Battling Boy,” by Paul Pope. “… centers on the son of a god, whose father pushes him to leave their lofty home to rid a city of a plague of monsters…”

3. “Flash,” by Geoff Johns & Francis Manapul. “… although several men have held the mantle of the Flash, the newly-returned Barry Allen will play the lead in the relaunch of this classic DC title.”

4. “Avengers: Children’s Crusade,” by Allan Heinberg & Jim Cheung. “… the Young Avengers title became a big hit for Marvel beginning in 2005…”

5. “Neonomicon,” by Alan Moore & Jacen Burrows. “… will feature Lovecraftian themes and racial politics….”

6. Batwoman by Greg Rucka & J.H. Williams III. “… chronicling of the new Batwoman from the pages of Detective Comics in this all-new solo series sometime in 2010. Buzz around their issues so far has been enormous, with many critics slotting their run as a shoe in come Eisner awards season. Detective Comics has launched the careers of many characters—Batman being chief amongst them—so this is the test to see if this new red-haired bat has her wings…”

7. “American Vampire,” by Stephen King, Scott Snyder & Rafael Albuquerque. “… writers King and Snyder will each write a story for each issue, with King’s first being that of the very first American vampire in the 1880s…”

8. “Image United.” “… foretold in last year’s Newsarama 9 as a series to watch, Image United has exceeded expectations and word filtering out of Image says that the surprises aren’t over yet…”

9. “Nemesis,” by Mark Millar & Steve McNiven. “The premise is simple: what if Batman were a bad guy?”

10. DC’s Earth One Titles. “… too soon to tell what exactly these will be, but the two launch titles of DC’s just announced ‘Earth One’ line of Batman and Superman could prove to be a whole new playing field and a redefinition of DC’s two main heroes in the modern age…”

Full-blown write-ups and titles that just missed the list here.

Plus: The Barack Obama commemorative issue of “Amazing Spider-Man“ was the comic book ordered most by comics shops in North America this decade.

In recent days, the battered and beleaguered publishing industry has been waxing deliriously about the rumored 2010 release of the Apple tablet (working name), a souped-up Kindle-plus-plus like-device that will reportedly sell for between $400 and $900 and offer e-books, TV programs, Internet access and other as-yet-unnamed bells and whistles.

Newspaper and magazine publishers have all but fallen on bended knee, praying that the Apple tablet will help them recapture the public’s interest in their products.

And in the case of the highly imaginative and innovative publisher, it just might.

In the video below, a Swedish media company imagines how a tablet-like device might change the reading experience for users. (Skip to the three-minute mark.)

And here, Terry McDonell, the editor of Sports Illustrated, shows us what reading his magazine might be like in the not-too-distant future.

But what has been conspicuously missing in all the overheated coverage and imagining of the Apple tablet experience is how the device could revolutionize the academic experience for school-age kids.

Could the tablet be the technological breakthrough that will finally allow kids to download e-textbooks? Think what it would be like to explore maps that not only teach geography but include videos that make the cultures of various African nations come to life? History books that not only tell of famous events, but show actual videos—the first walk on the moon, Dr. King’s March on Washington, President Obama’s swearing-in—of the events themselves?

It might be too expensive at the start, but surely equipping every kid with a tablet and the necessary e-textbooks would soon be cheaper for school systems than buying tens-of-thousands of textbooks that need updating every couple of years just to stay current.

Learning would become instantly energized and interactive.

And think of the freedom of mobility! The end of heavy backpacks!

But is Apple even eyeing up the school-kid market for their greatly ballyhooed futuristic device? Are the school systems?

Is anybody?

Best wishes to all our friends, volunteers, tutors and all our Mighty kids!

“Oh Holy Night,” Gladys Knight

“8 Days of Christmas,” Destiny’s Child

Bill Cosby to receive 2010 Marian Anderson Award.