5. Barcelona, Spain
The thing you need to know about Barcelona is that it’s simultaneously very much a Spanish city and very much a Mediterranean city. Like hot inland towns, Barcelona closes down in the middle of the day, but stays awake late into the night. It’s an active, vibrant city with an incredible amount to see and do. You can lounge on the beach and admire some of the most beautiful people in Europe, or you can schlep around the city taking in the incredible architecture (Though still unfinished, Gaudi’s Sagrada Familia is one of the most incredible things I’ve ever seen). Of course, it doesn’t hurt that Barcelona is the culinary home to my favorite dish of all time, Paella.

4. Kauai, Hawaii
For many years, my parents owned a timeshare on the island of Kauai. We’d go just about every other year, and I never grew tired of it. I’m told that of all the islands, Kauai is the least overtly tourist-driven. I can say that it certainly is the most beautiful, without having even seen any of the others. White sandy beaches are there in abundance, sure. However, Kauai offers a lot more: Waimea Canyon is simply striking (the “Grand Canyon of the Pacific” on such a small island), and the Na Pali Coast will take your breath away. Oh yeah, this is also the place where they’ve filmed movies like Jurassic Park and Indiana Jones, so there’s no shortage of lush, green jungle.

3. Jackson, Wyoming
I suppose I’m cheating here a little bit. The town of Jackson, quaint diners and nice people aside, isn’t really so remarkable. What’s remarkable is the Grand Teton National Park that completely surrounds the town. When you’re in the middle of the town, you’re standing in a valley between the largest mountains on the continent. I mean, look! Plus, it’s an incredible drive to get there.

2. Chicago, Illinois
The Greatest American City, it is! A lot of people who have never been to California are in love Los Angeles, and lot of people who come from sleepy towns are wooed by New York City’s insomnia. But, if you want a huge, vibrant city that’s populated by normal people, go to Chicago. Have you ever moved somewhere and though, “Man, I love this new city, but I wish I could bring all of my friends here with me?” You’ll never have that thought in Chicago — all the people are friendly and welcoming. There’s no defensive sense of “get the hell out of MY city!” Plus, for my money, Chicago’s got the best skyline in America.

1. Heidelberg, Germany
Bet you never saw this one coming — a German City. It’s not a huge city (only about 150,000), and its resident castle isn’t in fabulously preserved condition (in fact, it’s quite obviously in ruin). It’s quaint, European, and not pretentious. Tourists forget about Heidelberg, even though it’s an old city with a deep history. In Germany, Heidelberg is known as the city for lovers. It’s beautiful, and the entire city feels cozy. Narrow walkways are everywhere, and people are extremely friendly. And the university! I don’t think my imagination could design a more beautiful school. Seriously, if you’re ever in Europe at all, make a stop in Heidelberg, even if just for a day or two. Send me a postcard.

I’ve also decided that in the next few weeks I’m going to begin recording my own podcast. I still have yet to hash out a name for the show (JollyCast?), but I know there are additional topics I want to explore. PODmination has gotten a lot of positive feedback, and while I’m really excited to help John with the show, I will always consider it his show, and it will always fit his format. As a result, there are things that I know some of our listeners want me to talk about that don’t fit PODmination’s format (for example, I’ve been asked to talk about my weight loss, and I’ve gotten requests to go geekier). I want to create an outlet for that discussion and have a rotating stock of guests.

That new project most likely won’t be launched for some time (late July – early August). It will be hosted right here at jollyandy.com, much like PODmination was when it first started out.

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Only, the comic book industry is unique in that even with all it has going for it in the brick-and-mortar realm, shops are struggling to get by, small publishers are closing up shop left and right, and creative decisions are becoming more and more business-driven. Unlike music or books, the comic industry desperately needs digital distribution to be a success. An in-store comic book purchase will run you $3-$4, with a good chunk of that going to delivery, distribution, publication, and a fraction to the shop owner (who is likely the guy behind the counter). Profit margins are slim, and there’s little room for the price of a comic to go up (are you going to pay $8 for 40 pages of pictures?). Then consider what the publisher gets from digital distribution: there are no delivery trucks, there’s no ink, there’s no paper. There’s only $2 of profit going right to the publisher’s pocket. Pay the artist, pay the writer, keep the rest. This models opens up a new world for the publisher, and the possibility of a return to profitability. Not only are they going to get more income per sale, they’re going to bring in those buyers who were too lazy or otherwise unwilling to venture to a comic shop. It could bring in a whole new market.

The lingering question is whether or not comics will survive the digital threshold. With the move to digital distribution, comics instantly loses all the things that make it special as a piece of media. Though I could easily subscribe over mail to the comic books I read and get them delivered to my home like I could a magazine, I choose to stop by my local comic shop and get my titles. I choose to browse the shelves, and I choose to pick up impulse purchases. I choose to talk to the shop owner about the cool things they’ve read, and what other people are saying about what they’re reading. I choose to buy plastic protectors and cardboard inserts, so I can keep these comics over time — not as an investment, but as a treasure. Adopting digital media comics would force me to lose all of these things; frankly, things I don’t think I could enjoy comics without.

This past weekend Marvel Comics announced their iPad application, where the publisher seeks to sell digital copies of its comic books, retailing each issue at the cost of $1.99. The application also allows access to motion comics, like Bendis’s Spider-Woman. It’s a more complete multimedia experience. But it doesn’t have a storefront, and it doesn’t have a community of people you can talk to face-to-face about your mutual obsessions. While I have to root for the success of this model so that business like Marvel Comics can maintain their print publications and possibly return to profitability and make more decisions based on creative talent and direction instead of necessary profit, I don’t have to like it. I’d rather everybody who went and saw the superhero movies of the past decade go to their local comic book shop and pick up a subscription. But the future of comics just may march on without me.