Sometimes, your standard family tree just doesn’t cut it. Sure, there are marriages, siblings, offspring — but what about clones? And nemeses? Joe Stone’s got it covered in this infographic that maps the relationships in The Avengers universe. No, there are no names. In fact, the only caption we get is “Gross Old People Sex.” And if you don’t get it, Stone (who has already created similar X-Men and Fantastic Four charts) has some advice: “Read more comics.” [via SlashFilm]

There are plenty of ways people are getting in touch with their inner Irishmen or -women today, from wearing green to day drinking to, uh, more wearing green and day drinking. As much as we love looking like giant blades of grass and getting seriously sloshed while the sun’s still up, we’re thinking of trying out something slightly different.

After the jump, we’ll be celebrating St. Patrick’s Day by rounding up some of the coolest Irish art on the Internet. Check out our top picks, from graphic novels to sketches to comics, after the jump.

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Cartoonist Aaron Renier, author of Spiral Bound and The Unsinkable Walker Bean, has created a wonderful homage to Roald Dahl’s Matilda, imagining her as she might exist in our current (and future) age of multi-media e-readers for kids. Matilda’s evil, plaid suit sporting father gives the literature-loving Matilda an “iSwindle” and chastises her for wanting to use anything as low-tech as her imagination. Click through to see Matilda get her e-reader – and then fight back.

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In these times of mash-up mayhem, when publishers are rallying around such titles as The Meowmorphosis, even the most nonsensical literary crossovers fail to surprise. Be that as it may, we were still awestruck to see the art from a newly released comic book called Steampunk Palin, which was announced back in August.

According to the folks at Comics Alliance, who have posted an in-depth review declaring that the book is “so bad it’s good,” it takes place “in the near future, in the immediate aftermath of a war that has destroyed all the Earth’s oil. A new power source is needed, and Sarah Palin steps forward to suggest steam power as a replacement. A conglomerate consisting of big oil and nuclear power interests makes a counterproposal by blowing her up with a bomb at the meeting where she suggests this.” We’re not sure what’s funnier — the idea of Palin as an anti-big business activist or the fact that a third of the book is devoted to Palin pin-ups. Check out some panels from the comic after the jump.

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When we saw Vulture’s post on the top 10 comics of 2010, we were surprised that many of our favorites didn’t make the cut. But obviously, a person’s taste in comic books can be extremely subjective. Forget the battle between DC and Marvel, some people only read graphic novels while others are devoted to manga. That’s why we thought it would be interesting to talk to Gabriel Fowler, owner of Desert Island in Williamsburg, about which new work created the most excitement among his regular customers this year. To be clear, this is not based on sales numbers, just the first 10 releases that came to his mind when we asked. And while you should consider the entire list required reading (or in certain cases, viewing) it’s in no particular order. Enjoy!

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In Sophie Crumb: Evolution of a Crazy Artist, the daughter of Robert Crumb showcases her talent for irreverence and skewed idealism — both inherited and individualized — from age two to 28.

The book is as delightfully weird as one would expect from the progeny of the underground comix icon — who helped edit the collection — but the youngest Crumb is not ultimately stuck in her father’s shadow. A trained circus performer and former tattoo artist, she proves her artistic pedigree with offbeat sketches, cartoons, studies, and doodles, all of which closely chart the growth of the artist’s creative explorations over many years.

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Based on a popular graphic novel, Tamara Drewe is a colorful comedy of manners that chronicles a young woman’s sexual misadventures at a bucolic writers’ retreat in England.

Posy Simmonds’ original comic was also serialized in The Guardian, with a story inspired by Thomas Hardy’s novel Far From the Madding Crowd. The big-screen version is directed by Stephen Frears, maker of modern indie classics such as Prick Up Your Ears, High Fidelity, and The Queen.

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Cartoonist Dash Shaw has a thing for the reality TV show Blind Date — and now he has adapted two episodes into comics. As Shaw explains in a blog post on his website, he’s fascinated with the simple story structure of the show, featuring people who obviously know they’re on TV, but don’t have a script to go from.

As an example, he points to a scene in the first episode where a man suggests that he and his date should venture into the hot tub because “it’s the best thing for the lower back.” Shaw explains, “Obviously, he knows that he’s on Blind Date and people on Blind Date go into hot tubs. She knows this too. But, he has, himself, improvised his reason for going to the hot tub in the date that he’s performing for us. Of course, she agrees.”

Shaw also cites the improvised camera angle as an inspiration for his drawings. Click through to check out panels from Blind Date 1, which appeared in Mome, a comic anthology.

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It was announced yesterday that a forthcoming issue of Archie will feature President Barack Obama and Sarah Palin. In Archie #616: Campaign Pain Part 1, which will be released this December, Obama and Palin become involved in an “out of control” campaign for student government between Archie and Reggie. And yes, a second part comes out a month later in which Riverdale becomes “the center of a national crisis” that somehow involves the Secret Service. Of course this isn’t the first time a politician has made a cameo in a comic book. Click through for more examples, including an earlier appearance by President Obama.

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Recently, we’ve been surveying readers and staff, and cluing you in to some of our favorite indie shops around the country. First we did bookstores, then we moved on to record stores. Both lists generated healthy debates, and lots of suggested additions. Now, we’ve asked our Facebook followers (along with some expert friends) to tell us about their favorite comic shops. The top 10 we’ve come up with is certainly skewed by our own prejudice for stylish, wide-ranging stores that also stock indie comics and graphic novels, rather than old-fashioned places that only cater to superhero devotees. And we’d much rather see a small, well-curated store than a big one that stocks the same stuff as every other big one. Page through our list after the jump and weigh in with your picks in the comments.

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