Enter: Hour 42!

Apologies for the extended layoff last week; as I've said before, I don't really have a use for the season. The days leading up to the new year, though, I enjoy a lot more -- it's always better to look ahead.

With that in mind, I wanted to give everyone a heads-up about Hour 42, the new podcast hosted by my longtime friend Peter Pixie and my alter-ego good friend El Secreto. The show covers, quite simply, superheroes -- the ones we read about, the ones we watch, and the ones living among us. Best of all, it's totally interactive -- you can call and join in the fun toll-free each and every episode. The premiere, sure to become a collector's item, is next Sunday night at 8pm PST.

Mr. Pixie says he came up with the idea last year, in concurrence with the formation of L.O.C.A.L 42 -- the League of Costumed Activists Local 42. L.O.C.A.L 42 aims to represent RLSHs (Real Life Superheroes) in the 316 area code.

Yes, I said Real Life Superheroes. Ordinary people who, from what I've read so far, go out and do charitable endeavors (not necessarily "crime-fighting") in costumes of their own creation. Rolling Stone looks like it's taking a pot-shot at the idea of RLSHs in its' latest issue. RS might've given the two guys featured in the excerpt the cover story, but alas, they weren't wearing Fall Out Boy t-shirts. RS has to protect its' journalistic integrity, y'know. It's not like other subcultures are capable of good deeds, right?

Short story long, I'm not an RLSHer myself, but I think the idea brings up some good questions, and hopefully, the show will be able to explore those with a sense of fair play -- and provide some all-around geeky fun, besides. So, here's to hoping you give it a shot in a few days. Stay tuned, True Believers ...