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A pawn is the lowliest payer on the chess board. But why are they called pawns? Today I’m going to talk about four words pawn. In some ways they all have to do with the lowly. When people are desperate for cash they sometimes pawn their valuables. Thankfully I’ve never been forced into this position but the basic arrangement is that you hand over your diamond tiara and the pawnbroker hands you a stack of bills. You agree to pay him back with interest in a certain time period or else he gets to keep and sell your tiara. The reason the gentleman now in possession of your jewelry is called a pawnbroker, and the act is called pawning is that this agreement between the two of you is a kind of pledge and about 600 years ago a French word for “pledge” pan made its way into English. The second word pawn I want to talk about today refers to people who are used as tools in other people’s schemes. This usage is almost as old as the “pledge” pawn although it comes from a different source. Before I explain why someone who is being manipulated in this way is called a pawn I’ll jump to the third word pwn. Pwn is a fairly recent development. It means “to dominate.” This new pwn is a word that could only come about in the internet age because it is a typo-word among internet gamers who intended to type own but since the key for the letter “p” is right beside the “o” key, own all too often came out pwn.  One gamer might claim to “own” another when he or she dominates them in games. It seems to me that the coincidental similarity in meaning and form between pwn and pawn could be one reason why the new word caught on. Now to why that abused individual might be called a pawn. Someone who is merely a pawn is so called because they are being used like the lowliest piece in a game of chess. The name of the chess piece in turn came about because in real life the lowliest soldiers were those who fought on foot and when the Norman Conquerors arrived in England with their French a paun meant “a walker” based on the Latin root word for foot.

Pete gets a little choked up over Green Arrow Black Canary #4. Find out why! The Twelve is called "The Novel of Tomorrow", so why is it set in the 1940s? Then we check out the "last" issue of The Spirit written by J Bone and Darwyn Cooke. We really liked this issue and highly recommend picking it up. In the speed round, we give our quick thoughts on The Foundation #1, The Mighty Avengers #7, Northwind #1, Hulk #1, and Jenna Jameson's Shadow Hunter #0 (which might actually be good!). Then we answer a viewer question about superheroes who have had their pasts changed the most.Thanks to Atomic Madhouse for the great shirts. Next week, we're giving them away!

THREE Newsarama Sneak Reviews in this show. See the review before these books hit the stands. In Penance #4, Penance takes on Dr. Doom. The Immortal Iron Fist #12 is a mythology-based book that most of us are really enjoying. Watch the show and find out who's the dissenting voice. And Alex calls The Incredible Herc #113 "the best depiction of Hercules in comics". Then in the speed round: BPRD 1946 #1 with Mignola, Green Lantern Corps #20, Teen Titans Lost Annual #1, Maintenance #7, Friday the 13th Badland. And, we've got Nick Douglas (from Wired and Valleywag) with his top three online comic picks. Check them out at: Dinosaur Comics Wondermark Scary Go Round

The controversial retroactive continuity (retcon) decision for Amazing Spider-Man will be making waves in the comic book community for the foreseeable future. We wanted to give this important event a little more attention, so we sat down and talked it out. Also, thanks goes out to YouTube user Erislaughs who submitted the great video response in this episode. Thanks for watching The Stack. Tell your friends!

Today we've got a really fun show for you. In between fits of laughter, we review Batman Detective Comics #840, Teen Titans: Year One #1 and The End League. Then, in the speed round we give you the buy or pass on Metal Men #5, Doktor Sleepless #4, Omega the Unknown, Exiles: Days of Then and Now One Shot, and Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 8. In our viewer mail we talk about superheroes we can personally relate to.

We're all enjoying the Messiah Complex crossover in Uncanny X-Men. However, we've got a couple of gripes. Watch this episode to find out what they could be doing better. Then, in our Newsarama Sneak Review, we check out Youngblood #1 and Nightwing #140. In Youngblood, we think the story line sounds a little familiar. Watch the show and see what we mean. We spoil the "big" reveal at the end of Nightwing #140, so be warned.Then in our speed round we check out Thunderbolts #118, Northlanders #2, Shark Man #1, Wildstorm Revelations #1, and Gravel #0.In our viewer mail we talk about how we'd feel if by this time next year, Marvel has undone the end result of "One More Day".

Some of our viewers don't just read comics, they MAKE them. Sometimes they send them in to us. We picked some of our favorites for this episode of The Stack. Unbeatable: an original graphic novel featuring some stunning artwork and a strong story. Redball 6: a detective comic set in an urban version of hell. DOSE: a collection of short comic pieces, done up Mad Magazine-style and written by people like Evan Dorkin and Alex Segura. In the speed round, we get back to the mainstream with The Brave and The Bold #9, X-Men #206, Thor #5, Crossing Midnight #14, and Drafted #4. In our viewer mail: Writers or artists? Who is more important?

In this episode of The Stack, we review The Amazing Spider-man 545 which is the last issue in the One More Day arc. Then, we take a look at Invincible presents Atom Eve the first of a two part miniseries. And we have a very special PREVIEW of Warren Ellis's Ultimate Human #1 which is scheduled to hit the stands on Jan. 4th. In the speed round we cover Legion of Super-Heroes #37, The Flash #235, Batman #672, Crime Bible #3, and Action Comics #860. And in our viewer mail, find out what we think about all these cross-overs.

The first issue of the new series The Incredible Herc hits the stores with characters based on Greek mythology. We think it's worth picking up, find out why. We were pretty critical of Special Forces #1, does Issue 2 show signs of this book getting better? Alex says The Order, written by Matt Fraction is the best bang for your buck on the stands today.Plus we've got Army @ Love, Wolverine: Firebreak and Angel: After the Fall and more in our speed round.Then, in our mailbag we answer a tough one: If we could only read only 3 titles each week, which three would we pick?

Happy Holidays from the Stack. Today we've got the Marvel Holiday Special, JLA 16 and the latest issue of Umbrella Academy. Sit down, pour yourself a big cup of egg-nog and get ready for this holiday edition of The Stack. We've got a speed round and a viewer question, too!

The Stack's 2007 Year in Comic Books. Today we're talking about the best in comics from 2007. Happy Holidays from The Stack and everyone at Pulpsecret.com.Join our forums to talk about your favorite comics of 2007.

We're talking about Fables and drop a few spoilers. Fables is a book we really like and we hope you'll pick it up. Then, we check out Astounding Wolf-Man. See if you should be reading it.We love Sergio Aragones, but do we love Bat Lash? We'll give you our thoughts. Then, in the speed round we talk about The Boys, New Warriors and more.And in our mailbag today, we talk about the dead superheroes that we think should be resurrected.

Need a few last minute gifts for your favorite comic book fan? If you're still working on your list for Santa, here are some great comic book gift ideas.

New episodes of THE STACK every Monday and Thursday. Today, we're talking about Green Lantern 25, Green Lantern Corps:Ion Special, Green Lantern Corps and The New Avengers Plus in the speed round, we whip through Punisher: War Journal, Ultimate Iron Man 2, X-Factor, DMZ and Fantastic Four .Plus we answer a veiwer video question. Keep your questions and comments coming!Join the fun on our new Pulp Secret forums

The Stack's 2007 Year in Comic Books takes a look back at the worst from the world of comics in 2007. Agree or disagree with our picks? Let us know in the comments!Next week watch for FOUR more episodes of the stack - Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.

New episodes of THE STACK every Monday and Thursday. Today, we're talking about these comic books: Avegers:The Initiative, Northlanders, Countdown:Arena.Plus in the speed round, we take on Justice Society, Uncanny X-men, Midnighter, Justice League and World War Hulk.Plus we answer a veiwer voice mailKeep your questions and comments coming!Join the fun on our new Pulp Secret forums

Today, we kick off our special holiday episodes: The Stack's 2007 Year in Comic Books. Here are ours and your picks for the top five indie comics of 2007. Let us know what you think! Talk back in the comments.

New episodes of THE STACK every Monday and Thursday. Today, we're talking about these comic books: Ultimates 3, Zombies vs Robots vs Amazons, and Countdown to Final Crisis.Plus in the speed round, we take on Atom, Invincible, Suburban Glamour, Buffy The Vampire Slayer and Black Summer. Keep your questions and comments coming!Join the fun on our new Pulp Secret forums

New episodes of THE STACK every Monday and Thursday. Today, we're talking about these comic books: Trials of Shazam, Marvel Zombies 2, and Crime Bible: Five Lessons of Blood.Plus in the speed round, we take on Fear Agent, Jack of Fables, World War Hulk, Crossing Midnight and First Born. Keep your questions and comments coming!Join the fun on our new Pulp Secret forums.

Now, catch THE STACK twice a week - Monday and Thursday. In this episode, we're talking and reviewing these comic books: - The Sensational Spider-Man, where Mephisto forces Spidey to choose between Mary Jane and Aunt May. - Hack / Slash who does a send-up of Archie Comics - And Green Lantern Corps. Plus, Blue Beetle, Teen Titans, Dan Dare, X-Men, and Madman Atomic Comics in the Speed Round. Then, we'll give you our take on the Heroes season finale. That's all in today's episode of THE STACK! Join our brand new forums!