Summer Heat (Win a Hot Prize!)

Here in the sweltering heat of summer, there's no better way to pass the lazy, hazy days than by getting your nose in a good book.

An excellent choice for the hammock or beach-blanket would be Comic Books 101 by Scott Tipton and Chris Ryall (which includes several illustrations by Yours Truly), and I'm giving YOU a chance to win a copy! Weighing in at nearly 300 pages and retail-priced at $23, this is definitely a book you're going to want for your bookshelf...regardless of whether you're a comic book rookie or veteran.

Okay, here's the deal: I've rounded up 33 comic book characters who:

• (A) have the word "fire" in their name 
• (B) emit flames 
• (C) can generate or manipulate heat and flame, or
• (D) all of the above.

Your challenge is to correctly identify as many characters in the gallery below, then email your answers to me (be sure to use the corresponding numbers for each name).

Whoever gets all of the names correct, or the most names correct by Wednesday, July 15th (whichever comes first) will win their very own copy of Comic Books 101. Oh, and to make it a bit more challenging, I'll be turning off the comments for this post so nobody "borrows" the answers of others. The winner (and the answers) will be posted on Thursday, July 16th.

So...mop that sweat from your brow, grab yourself a Gatorade or an ice-cold adult beverage, and see if you can take the heat!