Guest comics include real swinging guy

It's time for a new trio of guest comics, including a beloved superhero, a brilliant youngster and a bratty sheep.

Starting today atop our second comics page, and continuing Monday through Saturday until June 14, are the "Amazing Spider-Man," "The Brilliant Mind of Edison Lee" and "Deflocked." We look forward to hearing what you think about them.

Here are details:

• "Spider-Man" has been around for a while, of course, in newspapers, comic books, TV and films. We've heard from several readers that they'd like to see an adventure strip, so we thought we'd take Spidey for a spin. The current plot has Spider-Man fighting the flu and promising his wife, Mary Jane (yep, they're married now), that he won't fight crime until he's better. Of course, The Vulture is wreaking havoc, so it's unclear how long Spider-Man's promise will last.
• "Edison Lee" is a relatively new strip about a 10-year-old genius; his parents, Don and Carol; his grandfather, Orville: and his talking lab rat, Joules. In addition to science, young Edison also is obsessed with politics and society. Sounds like fun.
• "Deflocked" is a brand-new strip with a hefty comic pedigree. It's even endorsed by Larry David of "Curb Your Enthusiasm" and "Seinfeld" fame. The main characters are Mamet, an arrogant sheep who was kicked out of a petting zoo; Cobb, a morally responsible dog; Rupert, Cobb's not-so-bright canine brother; and Tucker, an 8-year-old boy who "teeters between the responsibility of Cobb and the 24-hour frat party that is Mamet."

Last month's three guests -- "Speed Bump," "Argyle Sweater" and "Daddy's Home" -- were all very well-received. They'll each be back for our final vote this summer.

Let us know what you think of the current guest comics by sending e-mail to comics@newsobserver.com or posting in the "Comics in the N&O" forum at forums.triangle.com. It's free to register and post, and it's fun to see the opinions of other readers.