reported by Ivan Messier, FictionFanatic.com

Turns out, we aren't so scared of spiders after all.

According to a survey of U.S. consumers released today, Spider-man ranks as the most influential super-hero, edging two other heavyweight crime-fighters, Batman and Superman.

While Batman is the best-known super-hero among Americans, Spider-man is tops in terms of appeal, notice, and influence, according to the Davie Brown Celebrity Index (DBI), an independent index for brand marketers and agencies that determines a celebrity's ability to influence brand affinity and consumer purchase intent.

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reported by Sarah C. Drake, FictionFanatic.com

SIGGRAPH 2007 announced the selection of Scott McCloud as the next Featured Speaker at the 34th International Conference and Exhibition on Computer Graphics and Interactive Techniques, 5-9 August 2007 at the San Diego Convention Center in San Diego, California, USA.

McCloud has been writing and drawing comics since 1984. His book "Understanding Comics" was a New York Times notable book for 1994 and is available in 16 languages. His new book, "Making Comics" explores the art and craft of telling stories visually. He is well known throughout many industries. In fact, "Sin City" and "300" creator Frank Miller, called McCloud "just about the smartest guy in comics."

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reported by Jeremy Polin, FictionFanatic.com

In The Traitors' Gate, Newbery Medal-winning author Avi returns to Victorian London as the setting for a fast-paced adventure enriched by fascinating period detail. The novel was inspired by the life of the young Charles Dickens, whose father was put into debtor's prison while Charles was forced to make his way in the world. Avi, who is known for his successful exploration of diverse literary genres, believes that the Victorian novel's style is ideal for telling a story for young readers. The short chapters, cliff-hanger endings, and larger-than-life characters help to make The Traitors' Gate a suspenseful page-turner full of action and surprises.

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reported by Bob Sterling, FictionFanatic.com

Chris Meadows has interviewed fantasy author P.C. Hodgell on his live talk show podcast The Biblio File. The interview was recorded live, on Saturday, May 5th at 1 p.m. Eastern/10 a.m. Pacific time.

The interview, available at http://terrania.us/biblio/, cover many areas of Hodgell's academic and literary career, as well as the recent publication of her Kencyr series as ebooks through Baen's Webscription program and how she is affected by the recent news that publisher Meisha Merlin is closing its doors.

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reported by Brian Scott, FictionFanatic.com

For the first time since they began ravaging the New York Times bestseller lists 353 weeks ago, the books in A Series of Unfortunate Events are being released in paperback next Tuesday, May 8, 2007. If you know anything about Lemony Snicket's chronicles of the Baudelaire orphans, you know they are filled with treachery, misery, murder, legal research, kidnapping, hook-handed henchmen, and itchy clothing. Despite this, over 55 million copies of A Series of Unfortunate Events have been sold around the world.

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