Pop links

Golden Age Comic Book Stories features a nice selection of art from Edgar Rice Burroughs novels. Part 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6.

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The Horrors of It All presents a great Jack (Plastic Man) Cole-illustrated spook story.

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Pappy's Golden Age Comics posts a nice Basil Wolverton story.

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Eccleston still on for Prisoner remake? Plus McGoohan to guest!

Sounds like former Doctor Who actor Christopher Eccleston is still the leading candidate to play Number 6 on a British remake of "The Prisoner" TV series.

And--even bigger news--the star of the original show, Patrick McGoohan, may make a guest appearance.

The programme will be filmed in the village of Portmeirion, north Wales, where the original series was shot. A spokesman for Portmeirion said it was "very good news" adding: "The Prisoner is an important part of Portmeirion's heritage."

The drama will be brought up to date by the makers ITV, who want to emulate the science fiction success of the BBC's Dr Who. But the white "Rover" balloons which hold the prisoners captive will still be part of the show.

More Incredible Hulk movie photos

Here ya go:

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Comics shipping April 30, 2008

Here's what's new in comic book shops today. Click highlighted links to order discounted items from Amazon.

DARK HORSE COMICS

JAN080092 BPRD TP VOL 08 KILLING GROUND $17.95
JAN080085 BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER OMNIBUS TP VOL 04 $24.95
DEC070067 COMPLETE GREEN LAMA FEATURING ART OF MAC RABOY HC $49.95
DEC078154 DAYAN COLLECTION HC VOL 01 DAYANS BIRTHDAY (PP#803) $9.95
DEC078155 DAYAN COLLECTION HC VOL 02 THURSDAY RAINY PARTY $9.95
DEC078156 DAYAN COLLECTION HC VOL 03 WHITE EUROCKA (PP #803) $9.95
DEC078157 DAYAN COLLECTION HC VOL 04 CHIBIKURO PARTY (PP#803) $9.95
JUN070038 FACTS I/T CASE O/T DEPARTURE OF MISS FINCH HC (RES) $13.95
MAR080079 MINDSTYLE BROM STICKMEN SERIES 1 SET B PUMPKIN $99.99
FEB080142 STAR WARS REBELLION #13 SMALL VICTORIES PART 3 (OF 4) $2.99
JAN080064 TALES O/T FEAR AGENT TP $14.95
FEB080100 USAGI YOJIMBO #111 $2.99

DC COMICS

FEB080212 ACTION COMICS #864 $2.99
NOV070222 ADAM STRANGE ARCHIVES HC VOL 03 $49.99
FEB080217 BLUE BEETLE #26 $3.50
FEB080266 CARTOON NETWORK BLOCK PARTY #44 $2.25
MAR080123 DC UNIVERSE ZERO $0.50
JAN080266 GON VOL 04 $5.99
FEB080222 GREEN LANTERN #30 $2.99
FEB080229 JSA CLASSIFIED #37 $2.99
OCT070283 JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA HEROES POSTER $7.99
OCT070285 JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA VILLAINS POSTER $7.99
FEB080232 LEGION OF SUPER HEROES #41 $2.99
JAN080205 MYSTERY IN SPACE TP VOL 02 $17.99
SEP070309 NEW GODS DARKSEID ACTION FIGURE PI
SEP070307 NEW GODS LIGHTRAY ACTION FIGURE PI
SEP070308 NEW GODS ORION ACTION FIGURE PI
JAN080209 SHOWCASE CHALLENGERS OF THE UNKNOWN TP VOL 02 $16.99
DEC070253 SUPERMAN BATMAN HC VOL 06 TORMENT $19.99
JAN080238 SUPERNATURAL ORIGINS TP $14.99
FEB080188 TEEN TITANS #58 $2.99
FEB080264 TEEN TITANS GO #54 $2.25
FEB080189 TEEN TITANS YEAR ONE #4 (OF 6) $2.99
FEB080197 UNCLE SAM AND THE FREEDOM FIGHTERS #8 (OF 8) $2.99

IMAGE COMICS

MAR082138 DARKNESS LEVELS READER SET $10.99
AUG072007 ELEPHANTMEN WAR TOYS #3 (OF 3) $2.99
FEB082134 FRANK FRAZETTAS DEATH DEALER DELUXE HC $49.99
FEB082158 NOBLE CAUSES #33 $3.50
MAR082140 TOP COW SUMMER READING SET $10.99
FEB082168 URBAN MONSTERS #3 $3.50
MAR082068 WILDGUARD INSIDER #1 (OF 3) $3.50
FEB082181 WITCHBLADE DEVI #1 BASALDUA CVR B $3.99
FEB082180 WITCHBLADE DEVI #1 LAND CVR A $3.99
JAN082109 WITCHBLADE TAKERU MANGA 7-12 SET $15.99
FEB082191 WITCHBLADE TAKERU MANGA TP VOL 01 $19.99
JAN082092 YOUNGBLOOD #3 $2.99

MARVEL COMICS

FEB082218 AVENGERS INITIATIVE #12 $2.99
MAR082284 AVENGERS INVADERS ROSS POSTER $7.99
FEB082302 BLACK PANTHER TP LITTLE GREEN MEN $10.99
FEB082221 DAREDEVIL BLOOD OF THE TARANTULA $3.99
FEB082304 FANTASTIC FOUR TP BEGINNING OF THE END $12.99
FEB082246 GIANT SIZE AVENGERS INVADERS #1 $3.99
FEB082224 IMMORTAL IRON FIST #14 $3.99
FEB082234 MARVEL ADVENTURES IRON MAN #12 $2.99
FEB082239 MARVEL COMICS PRESENTS #8 $3.99
FEB082195 MARVEL ILLUSTRATED MOBY DICK #3 (OF 6) $2.99
FEB082244 NEW AVENGERS #40 SI $2.99
FEB082248 NEW WARRIORS #11 $2.99
FEB082293 OFF HB MARVEL UNIV A TO Z PREM HC VOL 02 $24.99
FEB082255 ORDER #10 $2.99
FEB082291 PUNISHER PREM HC CIRCLE OF BLOOD $19.99
FEB082292 PUNISHER PREM HC CIRCLE OF BLOOD DM VAR ED VOL 11 $19.99
FEB088127 SECRET INVASION #1 (OF 8) 2ND PTG YU VAR SI $3.99
FEB082257 THOR AGES OF THUNDER $3.99
JAN082208 THOR BY J MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI PREM HC VOL 01 $19.99
FEB082201 ULTIMATE HUMAN #4 (OF 4) $2.99
FEB082203 ULTIMATE X-MEN #93 $2.99
FEB082284 X-MEN HC MESSIAH COMPLEX $39.99
FEB082262 X-MEN LEGACY #210 DWS $2.99

WIZARD ENTERTAINMENT

FEB083386 HULK #1 ONLINE EXC KEOWN VAR CVR CGC 9.8 PI
MAR083359 HULK #1 QUESADA SGN PI
MAR083350 WIZARD MAGAZINE #200 PLATINUM 200 GREATEST CHAR CVR $5.99
MAR083349 WIZARD MAGAZINE #200 PLATINUM MARVEL JAM CVR $5.99
FEB083385 X-FORCE #1 BLOODY VAR CVR CGC 9.8 PI
MAR083361 X-MEN M COMPLEX #1 WWT SILVESTRI SGN VAR SKETCH CVR PI

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COMICS

FEB083981 2000 AD #1581 $4.50
FEB083982 2000 AD #1582 $4.50
FEB083989 ABYSS #4 (OF 4) $2.95
FEB083968 ADVENTURES OF TYMM ALIEN CIRCUS #1 (OF 3) $5.95
MAR083587 AGE OF INSECTS VOL 02 NOT HUMAN $5.99
FEB083482 ARCHIE #584 $2.25
FEB083485 ARCHIE DOUBLE DIGEST #188 $3.69
DEC073842 ATLANTIS RISING #5 $3.99
FEB083660 AVENTURA GN VOL 02 $10.95
FEB083969 BIG AMOEBA ONE SHOT $4.95
JAN083439 BLACKBEARD LEGACY #3 (OF 4) $3.99
FEB084103 BUDDHA STORY OF ENLIGHTENMENT #2 $2.99
MAR088060 CALIBER #1 STANLEY LAU CLOSEUP CVR B $1.00
MAR088061 CALIBER #1 STANLEY LAU FULL BODY CVR A $1.00
MAR088062 CALIBER #1 WILKINS CVR C $1.00
FEB083846 COMPLETE DICK TRACY HC VOL 04 $29.99
FEB084107 DEVI #19 (RES) $2.99
FEB083727 DF AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #555 SGN ED $19.99
MAR083696 DF MAY 08 BIG BANG STARTER SET $20.08
FEB083934 DO WHATEVER YOU WANT GN VOL 02 (OF 6) $9.99
MAR083577 DONDI TP VOL 02 $24.95
FEB084008 DREADNOUGHT INVASION SIX #2 (OF 4) $3.95
OCT073217 GARGOYLES BAD GUYS #2 $3.50
FEB083391 GLAMOURPUSS #1 COMICS ED $3.00
FEB083392 GLAMOURPUSS #1 FASHION ED $3.00
JAN083345 GOLD DIGGER TANGENT #4 $2.99
JAN083297 GREEN LAMA MAN OF STRENGTH #1 $6.95
JAN083356 GRUNTS TP $14.95
MAR084085 GUMBY TP VOL 01 (O/A) $12.95
FEB083966 GUNPLAY GN $14.99
FEB083459 HELEN KILLER #1 (OF 4) $2.99
MAR088058 HERCULES #1 ADMIRA CVR B $1.00
MAR088059 HERCULES #1 STERANKO CVR A $1.00
JAN083840 HOT SHOT & MIGHTY GIRL GN $14.99
MAR083920 I WAS KIDNAPPED BY LESBIAN PIRATES OUTERSPACE #1 (OF 6) $0.99
NOV073337 IRON & THE MAIDEN BB&C #1 FRANCIS MANAPUL SIGNED ED $19.99
NOV073338 IRON & THE MAIDEN BB&C #1 MICHAEL TURNER SIGNED ED $29.99
NOV073402 JASON & THE ARGONAUTS KINGDOM OF HADES #3 (OF 4) $3.99
FEB083628 JFH JUSTICE FOR HIRE #3 (OF 12) CVR A $3.99
FEB083629 JFH JUSTICE FOR HIRE #3 (OF 12) CVR B $3.99
FEB084023 KINGDOM HEARTS CHAIN OF MEMORIES BOX SET GN $14.99
MAR083579 LEONARD STARRS MARY PERKINS ON STAGE TP VOL 04 $24.95
MAR083752 MAGIC PICKLE GN $9.99
FEB083421 MORBID MYTHS TP $11.95
NOV073466 NEW BATTLESTAR GALACTICA SEASON ZERO #7 $2.99
FEB083937 OPERATION LIBERATE MEN GN VOL 03 $9.99
MAR083882 ORDINARY VICTORIES GN (O/A) $15.95
FEB083605 OZ WONDERLAND CHRONICLES JACK & CAT SPECIAL $3.50
FEB084106 RAMAYAN 3392 AD RELOADED GUIDEBOOK (RES) $2.99
MAR083885 REMEMBRANCE THINGS PAST PT 2 VOL 01 BUDDING GROVE (O/A) $10.95
MAR083883 REMEMBRANCE THINGS PAST PT 3 TP VOL 01 SWANN IN LOVE $10.95
FEB083938 ROMANCE PAPA GN VOL 02 (OF 8) $9.99
FEB083492 SONIC THE HEDGEHOG SELECT TP VOL 01 $11.95
FEB083839 SPEED RACER RACER X TP ORIGINS COLLECTION TP $19.99
MAR083918 SUPER LARRY GN $14.95
FEB083495 TALES FROM RIVERDALE DIGEST #28 $2.49
FEB084108 TALL TALES OF VISHNU SHARMA #4 (OF 5) PANCHATANTRA (RES) $2.99
FEB084093 TEZUKA DORORO GN VOL 01 $13.95
FEB083793 THOREAU AT WALDEN HC $16.99
MAR083755 VAMPIRE KISSES GN VOL 01 BLOOD RELATIVES (OF 3) (O/A) $7.99
OCT073221 WONDERLAND #6 $3.95

MAGAZINES

MAR084108 ALTER EGO #77 $6.95
MAR084109 BACK ISSUE #28 $6.95
JAN084069 DANGEROUS INK MAGAZINE #3 $6.00
FEB084192 DOC SAVAGE DOUBLE NOVEL VOL 16 $12.95
FEB084206 DOCTOR WHO SPECIAL #19 $11.99
FEB084196 GIANT ROBOT #53 $4.99
MAR084132 GIRASOL PULP DOUBLES THE SPIDER VOL 07 $14.95
MAR084150 HORRORHOUND #11 $6.95
FEB084185 JUXTAPOZ VOL 15 #5 MAY 2008 $4.99
FEB084202 SCRYE #121 JUL 2008 $5.99
FEB084212 SFX #169 $9.70
FEB084195 SHADOW DOUBLE NOVEL VOL 17 $12.95
OCT073957 WEIRD TALES MAGAZINE #348 $6.99

Pop links

Welcome back Datajunkie! Good to have you back and blogging!

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Pappy's Golden Age Comic Books remembers Captain Video.

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Read a Vietnamese Batman comic. Or look at it anyway.

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Dial B for Blog
has posted a multi-part look at the secret origins of Iron Man.

New sleestaks revealed!

And they look refreshingly like old sleestaks! Not that I'm necessarily looking forward to see another cheesy nugget of my youth remade into a film that misses all that was charming about the original. But I'm probably not dreading it as much as our bloggin' friend Sleestak over at Lady, That's My Skull.

USA Today reports:

The Land of the Lost film is now shooting on multiple sound stages at Universal Studios, and the Sleestak surface in a temple where Ferrell's character and his two companions (comedian Danny McBride, Pushing Daisies' Anna Friel) are hoping a giant crystal will return them to their own dimension.

The plot involves three adults (not a dad and two kids as on TV) accidentally thrust into a realm ruled by dinosaurs, monkey-men called Pakuni and the murderous Sleestak.

Director Brad Silberling (Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events) says he fought to keep the human shape of the Sleestak from Sid & Marty Krofft's original production, and not give into the urge to render them as spindly computerized beings.


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Original Witch Mountain kids return in new film

Kim Richards and Ike Eisenmann, who appeared in Disney's original "Escape to Witch Mountain" and "Return from Witch Mountain" back in 1975 and 1978, respectively, will appear in the studio's upcoming "Race to Witch Mountain," which is inspired by the original films.

According to the Hollywood Reporter:

...the studio's re-imagining of the adventure tales...will star Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson.

Tom Everett Scott, Chris Marquette, Billy Brown and Cheech Marin also are joining the production, which is filming under director Andy Fickman. Andrew Gunn is producing.

In a nod to the original movies, Eisenmann plays a sheriff and Richards plays a waitress at a roadhouse called Ray's in a town called Stony Creek. They help a cabbie (Johnson) and his two paranormal-powered passengers (AnnaSophiacq Robb and Alexander Ludwig).


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I loved that first "Witch Mountain" flick when I was a kid, but "The Rock"?!!!

Classics Illustrated comic reprints going strong

Jack Lake Productions has already reprinted 52 of the famed Classic Illustrated and Classic Illustrated Jr. comic book adaptations of literary works and plans at least a dozen more over the next year, ICv2 reports.

Up next are Swiss Family Robinson, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, Black Beauty, and Treasure Island.

We asked Jarve how the company was choosing which titles to reprint. He said that they have access to the print runs from the original editions and can base some of their decisions on the popularity of the original releases. But input from schools and libraries, which are growing in importance to the company, are also considered. For example, Jarve said that the company will issue more Shakespeare titles in 2009, based on the response from that channel.


You can order the reprints from Amazon.

New Batman: The Dark Knight character posters

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Lost preview May 15 - season-ender pt. 1!

Highlight the hidden text for information about the May 15, part one of the season 4 conclusion!

And click here to see a teaser.

THE FACE-OFF BETWEEN THE SURVIVORS AND THE FREIGHTER PEOPLE BEGINS, ON ABC'S "LOST"
"There's No Place Like Home," Part 1 - The face-off between the survivors and the freighter people begins, on "Lost," THURSDAY, MAY 15 (10:02-11:00 p.m., ET) on the ABC Television Network.

"Lost" stars Naveen Andrews as Sayid, Henry Ian Cusick as Desmond, Emilie de Ravin as Claire, Michael Emerson as Ben, Matthew Fox as Jack, Jorge Garcia as Hurley, Josh Holloway as Sawyer, Daniel Dae Kim as Jin, Yunjin Kim as Sun, Evangeline Lilly as Kate, Elizabeth Mitchell as Juliet, Terry O'Quinn as Locke and Harold Perrineau as Michael.

Guest starring are L. Scott Caldwell as Rose, Nestor Carbonell as Richard Alpert, Jeremy Davies as Daniel Faraday, Ken Leung as Miles Straume, Rebecca Mader as Charlotte Lewis, Jeff Fahey as Frank Lapidus, Kevin Durand as Keamy, Anthony Azizi as Omar, Andrea Gabriel as Noor "Nadia" Abed Jaseem, Byron Chung as Mr. Paik, June Kyoko Lu as Mrs. Paik, Lillian Hurst as Carmen Reyes, Cheech Marin as David Reyes, Veronica Hamel as Margo Shephard, Michelle Forbes as Karen Decker, Susan Duerden as Carole Littleton and Noah Craft as Hendricks.

Also see:

Lost Season 4 Episode Guide
The Best Lost Sites on the Web
Lost: What we STILL don't know

CD new releases April 29, 2008

B0016HNOXQ Third Portishead
Buy New: $9.97

B0014KD46W Nine Lives Steve Winwood
Buy New: $7.99

B001502LOW Live At The Fillmore East New York Dolls
Buy New: $6.29

B000002LLR Into the Music remastered Van Morrison
Buy New: $10.99

B0015XL7SA Sing the Beatles Hits The Chipmunks
Buy New: $10.99

B000XUAYNA 5 Live Squeeze
Buy New: $25.98

DVD new releases April 29, 2008

B00005JPNY The Golden Compass
Buy New: $22.99

B0012Z361M The Red Balloon
Buy New: $9.99

B00104QSOC The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Buy New: $18.99

B0012EM5EC Cheers - The Complete Ninth Season
Buy New: $29.19

B0012EM5CY The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones, Volume Three - ...
Buy New: $69.99

B0012EBV88 I Spy - Season 1
Buy New: $12.99

B0012EBV8I I Spy - Season 2
Buy New: $14.99

B0012EBV8S I Spy - Season 3
Buy New: $14.99

B00125WAXM The Fall Of The Roman Empire
Buy New: $17.49

B0012RLXBU Saludos Amigos / Three Caballeros
Buy New: $14.99

B0012IWNSQ Dark Shadows
Buy New: $44.99

B00125WAYQ All Monsters Attack
Buy New: $11.89

B00125WAY6 Sabrina the Teenage Witch - The Complete Animated Seri...
Buy New: $19.99

Comic book cover conventions: Let's get tall!

Batman edition!

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Mattel gets action figure rights to 3,000(!) DC Comics characters

Collect them all!

Mattel has signed a deal with DC allowing them to make action figures based on any of 3,000 of the publisher's characters as part of the toy manufacturer's DC Universe Classics series, as well as a new line of 3 3/4-inch figures called DC Infinite Universe.

"The Mattel team is extremely excited about the entire DC collection," Scott Neitlich, Mattel's associate brand manager for the DC Universe, told Playthings Magazine. "The many different heroes and villains present a wonderful opportunity to add a variety of new and favorite characters to our new DC Universe Classics (DCU Classics), Justice League Unlimited (JLU) and upcoming Infinite Heroes lines."

Infinite Heroes are new 3¾-inch figures-a first for DC in that scale-from the biggest DC crossover events. There will be more than 40 figures in 2008, including the already revealed Adam Strange, Black Adam, Black Hand, Guy Gardner, Shazam, The Atom and Zoom; additional figures will be announced at San Diego Comic-Con in July. The line will be one of Mattel's key DC Comics efforts in 2008, Neitlich says.

Exclusive figures will be available at Toys R US, Target, and Wal-Mart. Plans for the Infinite Heroes also include playsets.


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Jack Kirby "Dieties" portfolio reprinted by Twomorrows Publishing

Twomorrows, publisher of the excellent Jack Kirby Collector mag, has reprinted the King's 1971 Dieties portfolio, originally prepared for the 1971 Disneyland Convention of Nostalgia.

It's available for order online only via Twomorrows.

It looks as if a coding mishap on the Twomorrows site makes it impossible to click and get a larger-sized look at the portfolio, so all they have is this tiny image:

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McGuinn: More unreleased Byrds on the way

A 1971 of the Byrds live in London is due out next month on the Sundazed label, and it's just the first of several releases coming from the band's vaults, says Byrds singer-guitarist Roger McGuinn.

“We’ve carried these tapes around for 30-something years,” he said. “We just never paid much attention to them. [Sundazed’s] Bob Irwin came down, and he’s a genius at discerning these things. He could look at a box, and go ‘Oh, this is that, and so-and-so was there, this is wonderful.’”

Irwin has taken further tapes from McGuinn, with a view to further releases. “He’s gonna check them out,” said Roger. “There are tentative plans to put out good things we find, but I’m not sure what.”


You can pre-order The Byrds Live at Royal Albert Hall 1971 from Amazon now.

New Batman: Dark Knight poster

Here's yet another new poster for the upcoming Batman film.

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Lost clues: The Shape of Things to Come ep. 9, season 4

Episode summary:

Mercenaries from the freighter have arrived on the island, killed Karl and Danielle and taken Alex prisoner. They use her as a hostage when they arrive at the Others' settlement, killing numerous people there and blowing up Claire's house.

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Locke, Hurley, Sawyer, Miles, Claire (who survived the blast) and her baby and holed up inside Ben's house.

The soldiers use Alex as a bargaining chip: They'll let her live if Ben turns himself over. Ben thinks they're bluffing and refuses to surrender, but Alex is killed. Ben is very distraught--he says the soldiers have "changed the rules" on him.

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Ben goes through the hidden door in his home, goes to yet another hidden door--this one ancient-looking and made of stone and emerges a few moments later all sooty looking. He tells the rest in the house they need to get out fast and head into the jungle. Everything starts to rumble, the smoke monster is coming in a big way and it's attacking the soldiers, allowing Ben and the rest to get to safety. Somehow, Ben's going through the stone door has activated the monster.

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Ben and Locke are set on going to Jacob's cabin and demand that Hurley come along, since he's seen the cabin most recently and may be able to help them bring them there. Sawyer thinks they're crazy and heads for the beach with Claire, baby and Miles.

Back on the beach: Jack is in pain, he tells Kate it's some sort of stomach problem and he's shown taking pills of some kind.

Suddenly, Bernard shouts out. A body has washed up on shore. It's the doctor from the freighter and his throat has been slashed. Daniel admits he knows the man. Jack wants to contact the ship, but the satellite phone isn't working. Daniel says it might be rigged to send morse code signals.

Later, the morse code system working, Daniel contacts the ship and hears back. He says those on board don't know anything about the doctor and that helicopters are on the way to rescue everyone. Bernard, who knows morse code, tells Jack and everyone else that Daniel is lying--no helicopters are coming.

In flash forward: Ben is shown regaining consciousness in Tunisia. We learn it's 2005, after the crash, and he seems to be looking for someone.

Later, he sees a TV news report showing Sayid--now famous as one of the Oceanic 6. Sayid's wife has been killed and her funeral is being prepared. Ben is later shown photographing the funeral and a man in the crowd. Sayid sees Ben and runs him down. Ben shows him an older photo of the same man he was photographing. He says this man was involved in the death of Sayid's wife, Nadia.

Ben later makes contact with the man and Sayid kills the man dead, telling Ben he has nothing else to live for now, he wants to work for Ben. Ben reluctantly agrees. But, then, as we see him walking away from Sayid, there's a smile on his face. Has he manipulated all this?

Also in flash forward: We see Ben turn up at Charles Widmore's apartment in the middle of the night. They know each other. Widmore asks if Ben has come to kill him, but Ben says "You know I can't do that."

Ben tells Widmore he will kill Penelope in revenge for what happened to Alex. Widmore says he wants the island, it belongs to him, but Ben says Widmore will never find it.

Questions/clues/observations:

* It the doctor dead on the island but alive on the freighter due to the time anomaly between the island and the rest of the world?

* How did Ben get to Tunisia? Teleportation? Quantum leap? Scotty beamed him down? He asks the hotel desk clerk in Tunisia what the date is, including the year, as if he had traveled through space and, possibly, time.

* Ben's arm is wounded when he arrives in the desert. What happened to him?

* Ben is wearing a Dharma coat with a new-to-us logo on it. Is it for the Orchid Station? The coat has the name "Halliwax" on it. This was one of Marvin Candle's names in the Dharma orientation films.

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* In an earlier flashback, Charlotte discovers a Dharma polar bear skeleton in the desert. Was this bear sent in an earlier teleportation experiment.

* When Ben checks into the hotel in Tunisia he says he hasn't been there for a long time. He identifies himself with a passport, telling the clerk his name is Dean Moriarty. This is the name of the Neal Cassady character in Jack Kerouac's novel "On the Road"--a beatnik proto-hippie. Professor Moriarty, of course, is also the name of Sherlock Holmes' arch nemesis.

* Is Ben's story to Sayid what really happened to Nadia? Or is Ben manipulating things? Did he kill Nadia?

* What does Ben mean when he says Widmore has changed the rules? Family members can't be killed in whatever conflict there is between them?

* Widmore says who knows who Ben is, what he is. What does this mean? What is Ben? We know Ben is a killer and a master manipulator. But we're still not sure, in the grand scheme of things, whether he's acting out of some sense of "good" or evil.

* Widmore tells Ben he's been keeping whiskey next to his bed ever since the nightmares started? What nightmares? What is causing them?

* There's a painting of the Black Rock ship in Widmore's bedroom.

* What is Widmore's claim to the island?

* What's the connection between Widmore and Ben? Why does Ben say he can't kill Widmore? Is this another "rule" to their game? How does Jacob figure in?

* What prevents Widmore from locating the island?

* Before the attack, Sawyer, Hurley and Locke are shown playing Risk. Hurley says "Australia is the key to everything." Australia is certainly important to the "Lost" story. And the Risk game seems to mirror what's going on between Ben and Widmore.

Also see:

Lost Season 4 Episode Guide
The Best Lost Sites on the Web
Lost: What we STILL don't know