IN THE HALLOWED PAGES of this week’s Portland Mercury, I wrote a story about the Apocalypse. Along with this post’s title, the above image—which took me more time to Photoshop than I will admit here—sums up the thing with a surprising level of thoroughness. That said, should you have a few moments to waste—and should you be curious about what Ragnarök has in store for you—then WELCOME TO THE APOCALYPSE!

Now seems as good a time as any to narcissistically round up a few recent and semi-recent Mercury pieces, actually: Elsewhere in this week’s issue, I wrote (briefly) about Mark Millar and Steve McNiven’s Old Man Logan (which, though it’s a very different book, might stand alongside Brian K. Vaughan and Eduardo Risso’s Logan as my favorite comic starring Marvel’s feral cash cow); over the past month or so, I’ve also cranked out reviews for, among other things, the films  A Serious Man, Gentlemen Broncos,  2012, The Men Who Stare at Goats, The Box, and Ong Bak 2.

For the last chunk in this uncommonly Mercury-centric post, I offer you a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity: a glimpse inside the Mercury offices. A few weeks ago, photographer Leah Verwey photographed the paper’s environs and inhabitants; due in no small part to my chronic unphotogenic-ness, I spent much of the time she was clicking around anticipating the worst, but it turns out she’s quite good. (I particularly like her portrait of Olive, everyone’s favorite member of the Mercury editorial staff; you can see that one below.) Verwey’s photos are here.

Bonus points if you spot Kato Kaelin’s autograph. He once visited us, and it was the grandest day of all of our lives.