While Marvel’s mutants carry on a fictional struggle for personal and public acceptance, it seems the issue of whether or not mutants are human is a done deal for Marvel. However, it’s not so much an issue of ethics, but something far, far more compelling: Tax law.

DC Comics has announced that it will no longer be submitting its issues to the notorious Comics Code Authority (CCA) for their approval as of January 2011. In a letter addressed to retailers, DC unveiled a rating system designed to inform comics consumers (or their parents) about the content of the issues. DC’s decision to leave the CCA come a full decade after Marvel’s decision to leave. This leaves Archie Comics and Bongo comics — famous for printing adaptations of the Simpsons and Futurama –  as the only publishers still seeking the once-ubiquitous CCA seal of approval for their comics.

With only two publishers left, the CCA seems even more unnecessary than ever. The advent of comic book shops and online marketplaces has all but eliminated the pressure on publishers to submit to the code. Moreover, there is more interest in the artistry of comics than ever before, which places almost no importance on preserving so-called moral values. Take, for example, Art Spiegelman’s award winning graphic novel Maus. It would have almost certainly been soundly rejected by the CCA and yet it has been enormously successful — critically and commercially.

With DC joining Marvel in using their own in-house rating system, this will hopefully be the death knell for this antiquated piece of comics history. Keep going after the jump for a little more history on the CCA, and some highlights from the original 1954 rules.

The main man of the House of Ideas will be getting a particular honor next week, when he gathers with guests to unveil his very own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

The Walk of Fame honors five different categories of the pop arts: motion pictures, television, audio recording, radio, and live theater.  Comic books are not among them, but it would be difficult to argue that Stan Lee‘s work hasn’t made significant contributions to the television and movie canons. It would seem that Lee has been nominated for the star on the strength of his television career, as the Walk of Fame press release takes pains to highlight it:

In 1981 Stan Lee transformed his Spider-Man and Hulk creations into Saturday morning and syndicated television cartoons. When Marvel Comics and Marvel Productions were acquired by New World Entertainment in 1986, Stan’s horizons expanded even further, giving him the opportunity to become more deeply involved in the creation and development of filmed projects for both the big and small screen. He supervised such diverse animated series as X-Men, Spider-Man and The Hulk. To date, Stan’s characters have populated over 24 separate television series, all of which continue in syndication around the world.

Exactly two weeks ago, Marvel comics announced that it would be cutting the price of “selected” titles debuting in January, but, unlike DC, Marvel’s price announcement didn’t mention specifically how many or which titles would be miraculously cheaper.

Eyebrows have risen regarding how closely Marvel’s price announcement followed DC’s. With only an hour between the two, many wondered whether Marvel had really planned on it, or if it was an emergency statement made so that they could say that they had it planned all along and totally weren’t scooped by DC, guys. Whether that is true or not is neither here nor there.

However, Marvel has now made public knowledge exactly which titles will go on sale for $3 instead of $4 this January, and, well. Turns out that “selected” means 3 out of 10.

How to explain why you’re not being as ambitious as your competitor by saying that you’re actually so much more awesome than them that you don’t have to be, oh and by the way what they’re doing is totally lame anyway why would you even want it:

I’m going to speak frankly: I think our characters are bigger than Marvel’s.

That was Geoff Johns, Chief Creative Officer at DC, speaking at New York Comic Con yesterday.

He said that he’d rather spend time building each character on his or her own rather than “smashing them together.”

Cool Dudes Talk About H.P. Lovecraft (Comic Book Resources)

They’re Making a Petz MMO?! (Massively)

This is What Happens When You Go Out To Eat With Jim Lee (Twitpic)

The Marvel Universe Goes Speed Dating (Comics Alliance)

Emma Stone is Mary Jane? (Bleeding Cool)

Fractal Cupcakes, Mmmmm (Evil Mad Scientist Laboratories)

Who is the Swedish Chef’s Wife? (ToughPigs)

(pic is P. Craig Russel‘s alternate cover to Action Comics #894 (you know, the one with Death), via Paul Cornell, click to embiggen.)

If you follow these sorts of things, you might know that Isaiah Mustafa (otherwise known as the Old Spice Guy) has been making a push to get picked as the actor to play Luke Cage, one of Marvel Comics‘ most well known African American superheroes.

This guest stint on the (yes, official) Marvel Super Heroes: What the–?! video series seems to indicate that his pleas are being heard.  We couldn’t be more happy.  Or more on-a-horse.

(via Comics Alliance.)

A group of comics fans going under the YouTube username of AvengersWeb have put together a series of videos (so far three) where the Avengers themselves sort through the thorniest issues of the day. First on the docket? Health Care Reform.

Not exactly an easy thing to work through when your empoloyees are citizens, non-citizens, and gods; some of them not only qualify for Medicare but were around when it was created; and pre-existing conditions include things like gamma radiation, alcoholism, and cryogenic freezing.

At least, somewhere, Spider-Man is excited about student loan reform, and Wolverine, as always, gets the best punchline. Watch it below.

D&D Themed Sports Team Shirts (Geeks are Sexy)

Biggest Diablo News Ever At BlizzCon (That Videogame Blog)

Soon Neptune Will Complete Its First Orbit Since Discovered (Discovery News)

The ABCS of Lame Marvel Villains (Comics Alliance)

A Deleted Scene From Neil Gaiman’s Dr. Who Episode (Neil Gaiman)

Korean StarCraft Addicts Treated With Drugs (Kotaku)

Space Food Over the Years (BoingBoing)

(picture via Game Informer: Portland Bike Lanes Power-Up With Mario Symbols.)

The LA Times has a poster and sneak peek of Marvel‘s new cartoon show The Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, coming out this fall to get kids interested in dragging their parents to the Avengers movie two years from now. You can watch it below, after our commentary.