We make a regular practice at ComicsAlliance of spotlighting particular artists or specific bodies of work, as well as the special qualities of comic book storytelling, but because cartoonists, illustrators and their fans share countless numbers of great pinups, fan art and other illustrations on sites like Flickr, Tumblr, DeviantArt and seemingly infinite art blogs that we’ve created Best Art Ever (This Week), a weekly depository for just some of the pieces of especially compelling artwork that we come across in our regular travels across the Web. Some of it’s new, some of it’s old, some of it’s created by working professionals, some of it’s created by future stars, some of it’s created by talented fans, awnd some of it’s endearingly silly. All of it is awesome.

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One the things that I definitely look forward to every year at San Diego's Comic-Con International is the display of Marvel Universe action figures at the Hasbro booth. It's  the kind of thing that I dreamed about creating when I was a kid, and

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The last year of Cartoon Network's Regular Show has brought some pretty huge changes to the lives of everyone's favorite park groundskeepers who just happen to be a raccoon and a bluejay. The departure of Margaret and the reintroduction of CJ, the secret origin of Skips and the introduction of Thomas the Intern have all shaken up life around the park, and it doesn't seem like it's going to stop any time soon.

To find out more, I went to San Diego Comic-Con and spoke to J.G. Quintel (show creator and the voice of Mordecai), Sean Szeles (writer and director), Matt Price (writer), Bill Salyers (Rigby), Minty Lewis (storyboard artist and the voice of Eileen) and Roger Craig Smith (Thomas) at Comic-Con International. Find out more about Eileen's rise to prominence, hear hints about Thomas's upcoming role in the spotlight, and witness J.G. Quintel's reaction when I tell him how upset my 63 year-old mother was when Skips' girlfriend died in that flashback. Seriously.

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DC Comics' upcoming Gotham Academy by Becky Cloonan, Brenden Fletcher and Karl Kerschl is one of those ideas that's so good that it's amazing that it took a full 75 years of Batman comics for it to actually happen. Set in a prestigious private school in the middle of Batman's hometown, Gotham Academy will debut this October following the adventures of two young students at a private school in a city known mostly for its truly staggering population of supervillains.

One assumes that hijinks will ensue, but to find out more, ComicsAlliance's Juliet Kahn spoke to Cloonan, Fletcher and Batman group editor Mark Doyle at San Diego Comic-Con.

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Here at ComicsAlliance, we're already pretty excited about Jim Zub and Steve Cummings' Wayward. The story of a girl who moves from Ireland to Japan after her parents divorce, only to find herself in a world that's not only culturally different, but also full of supernatural monsters that want to murder her right there on the streets of Tokyo hits that perfect combination of adolescent metaphors and comic book action that I'll always love as a reader.

If, however, you still need convincing before the book's Final Order Cutoff date on Monday, then have a look below for a five-page preview that provides a gorgeous showcase of Cummings' art as Rory arrives in Tokyo. And maybe, if you're good, I might throw something else in for good measure.

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Director James Gunn's Guardians Of The Galaxy is a big gamble for Marvel Studios. It's an unknown quantity even to most comic fans. It's a space opera at a time when non-Lucasfilm space operas don't perform well. It's a movie with a talking raccoon at a time when even Disney princess movies don't have talking animals.

Of course, all of Marvel's movies have been gambles. Iron Man wasn't a household name, despite how we think of the character now. Thor was a sci fi fantasy movie -- what could be worse? Captain America seemed an impossible sell for overseas markets. Bringing those franchises together for Avengers? Insanity. Marvel Studios' safest bet was probably Hulk -- a household name and a proven quantity -- and that's been the studio's weakest performer. So it looks like the big gambles are where Marvel excels. If Guardians Of The Galaxy is the studio's biggest gamble to date, it makes a weird kind of sense that it's also one of the studio's most delightful successes.

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Saga co-creator Fiona Staples is one of the best cover artists in the industry, so it's no surprise that Marvel should want to borrow some of her magic for their new Thor series, by Jason Aaron and Russell Dauterman. And it's no surprise that the result is awesome, with the new Thor wielding the mighty Mjolnir to smash a frost giant right in his big frosty face.

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Mile High Comics did not have a great San Diego Comic-Con this year. According to a report written by company president Chuck Rozanski, Mile High stood to lose about $10,000 just by having a booth (technically, seven booths) at this year's show.

That's a massive amount of money for a retailer, even one as huge as Mile High. The loss was so big that Rozanski threatened to never come back to Comic-Con again. Ultimately, Rozanski decided that he will come back next year as an "emotional response" to an outpouring of support from fans and comics pros, but his major problem with the show remains the same: Publisher exclusives.

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As you know from our weekly Best Cosplay Ever feature, we are big fans of cosplay at ComicsAlliance. The comics, sci-fi, gaming and fantasy communities’ talents for homemade disguises, craftsmanship, and sartorial superheroics are definitely on display this weekend at San Diego Comic-Con, and in addition to the great photography of Pat Loika, we availed ourselves of the film crew shared by CA and our sister sites ScreenCrush and Arcade Sushi to capture some cosplayers on film, showing off their work and talking about what this increasingly popular and influential hobby -- or art form, if you like -- means to them.

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With the still-can't-believe-they-actually-made-this-one Guardians of the Galaxy opening this weekend, it’s time again to break down the convoluted history of comics in the recurring feature we call Comics, Everybody! Courtesy of cartoonist Chris Haley of Let’s Be Friends Again and colorist Jordan Gibson, the subject of this edition has an uncommonly strong claim to the title of unlikely hero. Or at least, unlikely movie star. That's right, we're talking about Star-Lord, the Marvel Comics space hero created by Steve Englehart and Steve Gan.

Whether you’re new to Guardians and Star-Lord and curious to learn more about his ridiculous history or you’re a hardcore Marvel nerd looking to Um-Actually this feature into oblivion, you’ll be sure to enjoy this special tribute to the galaxy's newly famous nobody.

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