Pieces, Particles IV
The following media-related stories recently spotted in print publications -- and now online -- might be worth a look. Heads and decks, only. Heads and decks.

Comic-Book Clubs, by Don Allen, Comics & Games Retailer, June 2002
Start your own literary discourse on comics

The Girls at the Front, by Evgenia Peretz, Vanity Fair, June 2002
The handful of female war correspondents whose beat is whatever hellhole leads the news -- Christiane Amanpour, Janine di Giovanni, et al. -- are as tough as any of the guys. But there's a difference in how they work, the way they love, and the risks they run

Homer's Odyssey, by Casey Seijas and the Wizard staff, Wizard, May 2002
And the rest of the family too, as Wizard gathers the best comics references to appear on "The Simpsons"

Old Salts, by John Gould, Maine Boats & Harbors, June/July 2002
There's a lot to be learned on the obit desk of a small-town newspaper.

The People's Party, by Chris Wright, Boston Phoenix, May 31, 2002
Once simply a forum for expression, protests are more often becoming the greatest shows on earth

Romancing the C.E.O., by Suzanna Andrews, Vanity Fair, June 2002
Talented, seductive, and ambitious, Suzy Wetlaufer took the reins of the venerable Harvard Business Review a year and a half ago, at age 41. Today she's jobless -- and famous for all the wrong reasons. Her liaison with Jack Welch, G.E.'s idolized former C.E.O., is a case study in ethics and the price of passion

Six Degrees of Speculation, by Karen Wright, Discover, June 2002
Even in a small world, there's room for disagreement

U.S. Confidential, by James Wolcott, Vanity Fair, June 2002
The tabloid age began in the 50s with Generoso Pope's gore-splattered National Enquirer, and his obsession with Jackie O. touched off a celebrity hunt that would culminate in Princess Diana's death. But through mayhem and martyrdom, the scandal sheets have reflected America's gamy id, breaking news from the national gutter