Tattoos, grains of rice, multiple rapid-fire marriages. Artist Alix Lambert tackles an unpredictable variety of topics, and Matthew Moyer regains his faith in performance art.

Some superheroes are busy saving the world, while others are more intent on desecrating graves to secure drug paraphernalia. Matthew Moyer is kinda leaning towards the latter these days.

Who was the Blue Beetle? Matthew Moyer finds that the back story for this overlooked superhero contains more mystery and intrigue than Charles Foster Kane’s. Rosebud? Scarab?

Devil’s Blues (Shrimper). Review by Matthew Moyer.

Triple Burner (Madrona Records). Review by Matthew Moyer.

The Soft and the Hardcore (K Records). Review by Matthew Moyer.

Okay (Bluesanct). Review by Matthew Moyer.

Breath Of Fire (K Records). Review by Matthew Moyer.

May I Meet My Accuser (Imaginary Conflict). Review by Matthew Moyer.

Before the Design Republic, before even 4AD’s Vaughan Oliver / v23, there was Peter Saville and Factory Records. The history of music and design is filled with intersections, and Matthew Moyer considers none to be as seminal as this.

There’s Nothing I’d Like More Than To See You Dead (Swami Records). Review by Matthew Moyer.

Penitentiary Blues (Shout! Factory). Review by Matthew Moyer.

Brightblack Morning Light (Matador Records). Review by Matthew Moyer.

She Wants Revenge (Geffen/Flawless Records). Review by Matthew Moyer.

Diabetics beware: Owly’s sweet nature and silent do-gooding is not to be taken lightly. Not even black-hearted Matthew Moyer could insulate his frozen countenance against Andy Runton’s warm, thick lines.

Somewhere between comic fandom and pop culture research lives this exhaustive (but not exhausting) look at the first superhero club, the Justice Society of America. Matthew Moyer ponders the membership.

Some may claim that Wieringo’s induction as a “modern master” may be premature. Matthew Moyer disagrees, and he’ll wave this book in your face to prove it.

Lights From The Wheelhouse (4AD). Review by Matthew Moyer.

Tom Waits for no one… and he’s not talking either. Which might give a lesser biographer pause, but as Matthew Moyer happily discovers, Jay Jacobs is more than up to the task.

Only Braniac could keep tally on all the twists, turns, allies and villains that Superman has encountered in this half-century of comic history. Make that Braniac and the people behind this tome, as Matthew Moyer discovers.