Pop Culture Roundup May 3, 2007

Here's a new costume shot from the new Iron Man film. Looks pretty spiffy.



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Deal alert: Amazon is offering the Elvis Costello Collector's Box Set, featuring all the latest remasterings of Costello's 1977 to 1986 albums plus the new compilation Rock and Roll Music for $128.98 (reg. $167.76).



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Here's an interview tracing the history of those freebie comics at Big Boy restaurants.

In 1956, Timely Comics, the forerunner of Marvel, created a comic for the Big Boy restaurants. It was written by—are you ready for this?—Stan Lee! And it was drawn by Bill Everett, the artist who created The Sub-Mariner in comic’s Golden Age. Lee and Everett were, of course, the team that created Daredevil.

Another notable artist on the book was Dan DeCarlo, who beautifully drew Betty and Veronica [of the Archie comics] for a number of years. Dan’s rendition of Big Boy’s girlfriend, Dolly, looks not unlike a young Betty Cooper!

Additional fact: Lee's Spider-Man co-creator Steve Diko drew an Big Boy issue in 1997.

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Fred Hembeck celebrates his 100th column by chatting with the Hulk.