Imagine if you were rooting around your attic, came across an old wooden cup, brought it to a resale shop and then had the proprietor of said shop inform you it was the Holy Grail. We imagine George Toman felt much the same way when he showed up to Chimera Comics in La Grange with a box full of old comics, one of which was an original 1962 copy of Amazing Fantasy #15 ... including the very first appearance of Spider-Man. In mint condition that particular comic can sell for up to $1.2 million, but Toman's was in shabbier shape so it's only valued at $12,000. Not bad for cleaning out your attic, huh? more ›

Presented without comment. more ›

In an upcoming Issue #666 (totally not kidding about this) in the Amazing Spider-Man comic book series, Spider-Man will save our very own Chicago Comics from destruction. more ›

With the Spider-Man musical being revamped, an unlikely actor throws his hat into the ring for consideration in the title role. more ›

Mat Devine is headed to Broadway. No, we can't believe it either. more ›

• The state budget doomsday is nigh: Gov. Quinn - in a speech to the General Assembly today - promised to veto the "half-baked" budget proposal that's most likely going to be sent to him before tonight's midnight deadline.
• A judge sentenced a corrupt former cop to 11 years in prison and exclaimed, “In this city, it seems to me we are bombarded by stories and cases and prosecutions of police misconduct."
• Spider-Man, Spider-Man, stealing whatever a Spidey can.

• Juan Rivera was found guilty for a third time in the 1992 rape and murder of Holly Staker despite the fact DNA evidence did not match Rivera.
• Always one with the classy wisecracks, upon being led - shackled - into court today, Drew Peterson told reporters, "Look at this bling...Three squares a day and this spiffy outfit. How can I complain?’’ Peterson's arraignment was set for Monday, May 18.
• Lawyers representing ex-governor Rod Blagojevich have agreed to take the reduced, court-appointed fee of $110 an hour.

Now we've seen everything. In honor of Barack Obama's inauguration, Marvel Comics is publishing an issue of The Amazing Spider-Man in which Spider-Man helps prevent an evil plot against the President-Elect. Photographer Peter Parker knows something's up when, while taking pictures at the inauguration, he spots an evil twin Obama and employs basketball skills as a way to detect which Obama is the real one. No, we're not making this up. The issue, Amazing Spider-Man #583, hits shelves next Wednesday, January 14 ($3.99). Joe Quesada, Marvel's editor-in-chief, said the issue was to give Obama, who has talked about how he used to collect Spider-Man comics growing up, a "shout-out back." Quesada elaborated, "How great is that? The commander in chief to be is actually a nerd in chief. It was really, really cool to see that we had a geek in the White House. We're all thrilled with that." While this does seem kind of silly, we admit we still think it's kind of awesome. The best part? When Obama and Spidey share a terrorist fist jab. more ›

Scott Meherg, of Des Plaines, has been indicted on two counts of forgery and two counts of theft for using a forged check to buy a rare 1963 Spider-Man comic book for $980 from Graham Crackers Comics in Naperville. It was the second-ever issue in the original series of the Marvel comic. Meherg allegedly used a forged LaSalle Bank check to purchase the comic in December 2007; he faces up to five years in prison if convicted. Also? The Trib uses Wikipedia as a source. more ›

While some comic books still strive stylistically for the muscled-up, spandex-wearing men and women of comics' heyday, the image of heroes is beginning to change—in lots of ways. more ›

Now that Spidey 3 and Transformers have opened and iPhone mania is starting to subside, it’s time to find a new place to direct all that geek-out energy. Enter Chicago Tap Theatre’s latest storybook show, The Hourglass in the Stop-Time Chronicles, a CTT collaboration with comic-book artist Andrew Pepoy. Fans of the genre don’t need to be reminded that local boy and Loyola grad Pepoy has inked Spiderman, Superman, Batman, and The Simpsons comix, among... more ›

Having stayed up last night to watch the midnight showing of with all the other nerds, we enjoyed ourselves but came away feeling more than a little nostalgic for the good ole days of paper comics. more ›

We're guessing most of you are hungover from St. Patrick's Day. We are too. But still, we're going to muddle on through our green haze and give you (drum roll please...) this Week In -ists. We start with SFist which broke the -ist record for comments with nearly 500 comments on a post about our Mayor's girlfriend. She responded back on charges that she's not a "girl's girl" and, whoo boy-- the floodgates? They... more ›

» The Chicago Roll, sure to be a new sushi trend, has all the ingredients of a chicago-style hotdog » Ikea is adding another Chicagoland store » Rock n' Roll McDonald's is closing » A rundown of Chicago's food websites » "Da Coach," Mike Ditka, may be running for senate » On how the El runs through Gotham in the new Spiderman movie » Debate over whether "Motel Row" should be destroyed » Dan McNeil... more ›

We don't know about you, but Chicagoist absolutely can not wait for this long holiday weekend to begin!! We've tried to round up everything that's going on in Chicagoland, but if there's something we've missed that's sure to be a good time feel free to add it in the comments. Happy Fourth of July! more ›

With all the attention surrounding Fahrenheit 9/11 and Spiderman 2 (released today and yes, we really want to see it, too) a sure-to-be-great small movie may get lost in the fold. That movie is Before Sunset, the aptly titled sequel to Richard Linklater's Before Sunrise, one of the best romantic films (or films period, really) of the last ten years. So simple and so beautiful, the original follows two people (Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy, neither of them better before or since) as they stroll around nighttime Vienna until having to depart the next morning. Like an American Eric Rohmer movie, it's full of smart, witty dialogue and, like a Richard Linklater movie (see: Waking Life), it's full of rambling, confused and confusing post-graduate monologues. But unlike the director's Slacker – which will be released on an incredible Criterion DVD this August – the movie isn't one big conversation spread amongst a hundred people, but one focused discussion centered around two complete characters. We watch them first get to know each other, then slowly fall in love – all just through the magic of talking. more ›