Somebody's bright idea: Batman, Superman "leg lamps"

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Somebody's bright idea: Star Trek Captain Kirk Apron

Just in time for fall barbecue season.


Sherlock action figures on the way

These upcoming "Sherlock" figures from Big Chief Studios look pretty spiffy.


Details on new Thunderbirds are Go! TV series

Actress Rosamund Pike will voice Lady Penelope in an update of Gerry Anderson's supermarionation "Thunderbirds" series set to air on British TV in 2015.
Other leading roles are taken by Thomas Brodie-Sangster (Game of Thrones, Love Actually) as brothers Gordon and John Tracy, Rasmus Hardiker (Saxondale, Lead Balloon) as Alan and Scott, with fifth Tracy brother Virgil played by David Menkin.

Master villain The Hood will be voiced by Andres Williams (M.I. High, Foyle's War). New characters include Tracey brothers' friend Kayo, played by Angel Coulby (Merlin, Dancing on the Edge) and Colonel Casey voiced by Adjoa Andoh (Invictus, Doctor Who).

...Made by ITV Studios and New Zealand-based Pukeko Pictures, the 26-part series will feature a mixture of CGI animation and live-action miniature sets.

The Weta Workshop, the special effects studio behind Lord of the Rings, King Kong and Avatar, will also be working on the new series.
 

Video find: Herge draws Tintin




Music new releases Oct. 1, 2013

Click the links to order discounted CDs, vinyl LPs and downloads from Amazon.


Need Your Love by Steve Marriott


Mondo Zombie Boogaloo - Various Artists


Longing for the Past: 78 Rpm Era Southeast


Kassidat: Raw 45s From Morocco


DVD and Blu-ray new releases Oct. 1, 2013: Little Mermaid; Wizard of Oz; Mod Squad, more!

Click the links to order discounted DVDs and Blu-rays from Amazon.


The Little Mermaid


The Wizard of Oz: 75th Anniversary Edition


The Mod Squad Season Four Volume One


The Mod Squad Season Four Volume Two


Mccartney, Paul - Going Underground: McCartney, The Beatles And The UK Counter-culture


Pop focus: Jim Steranko - Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.

This week saw the TV debut of "Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D." and I thought it was not so bad. Nice to hear some zippy Joss Whedon dialogue on the small screen again, and -- at least so far, the show seems much better-realized than Whedon's what-the-hell-were-you-thinking "Dollhouse." Hopefully, S.H.I.E.L.D. will last for a bit.

But we're not here to talk about Joss Whedon, but the man who made his mark on the original Marvel Comics Nick Fury: Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. strip: cartoonist, writer, escape artist, raconteur and blower-of-minds, Mr. Jim Steranko.

Steranko took over art chores on the Nick Fury strip in 1966, initially penciling over Jack Kirby's layouts, but he was soon adding his own touches to the strip -- innovative stuff in comics for the days, with lots of op-art experimentation that really added to the title's 1960 spy movie feel. The images below will give you a feel for what an impact this comic had back in its day. Even now, it's a lot more imaginative and fun-to-look-at most new comics.

Along with S.H.I.E.L.D., Steranko is noted for his excellent two-part, tabloid-size "Steranko's History of Comics" books, which were great early examples of American comic book history, documenting the medium's most influential creators and characters. A real-life escape artist and magician in his younger years, Steranko was also the model for Kirby's "super escape artist" Mister Miracle, who, in turn, inspired the Escapist character in Michael Chabon's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, "The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay."

Steranko also has a very engaging Twitter feed and is reviewing episodes of the new S.H.I.E.L.D. series (he didn't like the first ep).

Let's celebrate his impact and art, below.