Marvel, the comics publishing house behind almost every comic character and storyline that ever mattered, has finally made it much easier for you to create your own comic book hero, modeled after the hundreds of characters in the rich Marvel universe.

Our character? Supernerd who carries an iPhone and a Blackberry, wears glasses to conceal his true identity while at work, and a lights the way with his trusty torch, apparently.

Read more: Create your own Marvel superhero

After 60 years, Archie and the whole gang of Riverdale are finally getting an updated and modern look starting in 2007. Though they aren’t going down the putrid Manga style that Sabrina has taken, the new artist is going for a more contemporary, realistic style, I guess in an attempt to modernize the brand and perhaps attract older readers. In addition, the stories themselves will mature, with less short tales and more full-length stories.

Read more: Archie and the gang grows up

Heroes is without a doubt one of the most exciting shows of this newish television season. Now that Lost is beginning to fizzle out a little, Heroes is here to continue the charge, providing pounds of excitement and suspense every week as well as one of the coolest characters on television to date (HIRO!!!! Who else?). As a way of extending the story (and their advertising revenue), NBC is offering small Heroes graphic novels every week, which serve to push the storyline of each episode slightly farther, giving us a little more insight into the large amount of characters on the show. The novels are available to read over the web OR available as PDF downloads, which is of course the true way to read a comic folks!

Read more: Heroes online graphic novels

The Cover Browser just may be one of my favorite search engines. Collecting hundreds of comic book covers from the golden era of comics, Cover Browser collects cover images from some of the greatest Marvel and DC series every, from Wolverine, to Punisher, to Batman and Detective Comics.

Read more: Cover Browser – Explore comic book covers

Lost fans, get your wallets out and get ready to seem a little creepier to your normal friends. Spawn creator and comic superstar Todd McFarlane will be adding hand-painted ceramic Lost characters to his line of models featuring fringe television, movie and comic book stars. Featuring models of Jack, Kate, Locke, Hurley, Charlie, Shannon and a mock-up of the Hatch set, McFarlane’s 6-inch Lost figures come with a detailed base and a photographic backdrop, featuring an episode-specific moment. The figures are set for an November 2006 release to almost coincide with the start of Season 3 of Lost.

Read more: McFarlane Lost model figures and photos

On the verge of Comic-Con, Oni Press announced that among other new titles, they will be bringing Fox’s hit comedy, My Name is Earl to comic book form, to be guided by Hunter Covington, who is script coordinater and writer for the television show. Oni hasn’t announced any details yet, only hinting that many guest writers and actors will appear alongside Earl in his quest for karmic salvation. I wonder at what level Kevin Smith was involved with this news, seeing as Smith is quite a comic fan himself, I can imagine him appearing alongside Earl on the pages very soon.

[Oni Press announces line-up at CCI06 | Oni Press] (via TVtattle)