Not sure how this one got past us as it combines at least three of our favorite things (comics, coffee and sitting on our asses). Maybe its because a lot of the team has been going to Coffee Bean lately? Anyway, let’s get on with it.

Customers at Starbucks stores nationwide can get a bit more with their coffee these days thanks to a new deal announced last week between the company and online publishers like Marvel Digital Comics. Marvel currently offers more than 9,000 comics online, all of which will be available for free on the Starbucks Digital Network, a portal available at 6,800 U.S. Starbucks locations.

Before you get too excited, comics at Starbucks will be available to view, not download. What did you expect?

Don’t like comics but still want to read and sip a giant Frappuccino? Starbucks will also be adding finance news from The Economist, sports news from ESPN Inside Rumor Central, and media jobs search help from Mediabistro.

“Today we’re broadening the offering and will continue to develop the network’s channels with a spectrum of new content,” said Stephen Gillett, Starbucks chief information officer and executive vice president of Digital Ventures, in a statement.

After many years of happily reading John Romita Jr.’s work on Wolverine’s “Enemy of the State” Arc, Spider-Man and Kick-Ass, I was thrilled to be able to interview John Romita, Jr. (or JR. Jr.) for Marvel’s return to a bright, new day with the “Heroic Age.”

I caught up with the delightful John while he was working hard on the Avengers.  It seems this is one man who can draw and answer in-depth questions at the same time.

As always he was humorous, insightful, and well…in need of a nap.  Read on, true believers, and enjoy the latest from the desk of the modest legend himself.

The Flickcast: Marvel takes the entire Avengers line of titles into “The Heroic Age.” You’ve been paired up with Brian Michael Bendis on the core “Avengers” title; is your opening run contained to the first arc or two, or do you plan on being involved for the foreseeable future?

John Romita, Jr: In the first year I’m doing it [Avengers] for a minimum of 2 arcs and I’m enjoying myself.  If the book is still doing well, I’ll do it for a second year.  It’s so difficult, though, that I may not survive the first year— it’s intense work.

I have to finish 25 pages in the next 17 days.  So, after doing Avengers, I may want to sleep for a year.  But doing the Avengers with Bendis is an amazing experience.  If I get through the year and I’m still healthy enough, I will do another one.

TF: What are the benefits and challenges of drawing iconic characters like Thor, Spidey, Iron Man, Wolverine, and Captain America vs. drawing characters you create?

JR: Oh, that’s on a strictly selfish scale, it’s much more fun to do a character you create because you create them and there’s a lot of gratification for that, but working on iconic characters is like driving your father’s classic car, it’s spectacular and fantastic, but it’s better off when it’s your own.

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When you think of comics and comic history, one name probably comes to mind pretty quickly: Stan Lee. Having created or co-created some of the most famous and popular characters in comics history, his name has become synonymous with comics and Marvel, the company he helped put on the map.

Now, “The Man” is lending his talents to a new project for Marvel, the Marvel Digital Holiday Special. This four-part comic is available only online and features a story by Stan lee himself. For more info on the comic and where to get it, check out the official press release. And, be sure to check out some pages and a cover from the comic after the jump.

‘Tis the season to celebrate! And what better way to do so than with the 2009 Marvel Digital Holiday Special – an exclusive, four-part comic available only at Marvel Digital Comics Unlimited (www.marvel.com/digitalcomics). The legendary Marvel founding father Stan “The Man” Lee makes his Marvel Digital Comics Unlimited exclusive debut, penning a special Fantastic Four tale with art by Nick Dragotta that could only be called Marvel Digital Holiday Special: Rock of Ages. Check out a free preview right HERE!

The Thing teaches the rest of Marvel’s First Family all about Chanukah, and in turn, they impart some lessons of their own on some would-be street toughs. All this plus an art cameo by Lee’s FF co-creator Jack Kirby in a one-of-a-kind story that should not be missed!

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While XBox 360 users were given a three week jump on their time with Marvel vs. Capcom 2, Sony doesn’t want to leave their loyal fanboys in the dust. As a thank you for the patience of their fans they will be releasing an exclusive retail edition of Marvel vs. Capcom 2 through Gamestop. The exclusive packaging will contain a download code for the Playstation Network to download the game and be sold for $15.00. So then, people ask, why bother going to the retail store to pick up the game when they could just download it from home.

Included with every retail package of Marvel vs. Capcom 2 will be a voucher for a free one month subscription to Marvel Digital Comics (a $9.99 value). Marvel Digital Comics is Marvel’s online instant comics back issue service with literally thousands of issues of Marvel comics including everything from the first legendary one hundred issues of Amazing Spider-Man and Uncanny X-Men to obscure titles like Blink’s four issue 2001 miniseries with more titles being added all the time. Not a bad deal for a three week wait on the game as Playstation 3 owners get a $25 value for what it would have cost them to purchase Marvel vs. Capcom 2 regardless.

Marvel vs. Capcom 2′s exclusive retail edition with Marvel Digital Comic bonus for the Playstation 3 will be available on August 13th for $15 at Gamestop. The standard download only version of the game is currently available on XBox 360 through XBox Live Arcade for 1200 Microsoft Points ($15.00).