From the press release:
Corgi USA, the leading brand in the die-cast scale model collectible market, has acquired a license from Marvel Entertainment, Inc. to produce limited quantity, high end metal figurines of some of the hottest characters in the comic book world.
Initial products in the Marvel line, to be introduced at the American International Toy Fair in February, 2006, will include Spider-Man, Captain America, Hulk and Thor, as well as other heroes and villains made famous in Marvel comics.
Unlike the resin-only figures of these characters currently on the market, Corgi's 1/12th scale (approx. 6 in.) metal figures will be designed to stand the test of time. Produced in very limited quantities, these highly detailed metal miniatures will encourage consumers to collect the complete line.
Each Marvel character will be sculpted in 3D. Alter ego figures and adversarial characters will allow collectors to build a comprehensive collection.
See the Best Marvel Comics Sites on the Web.
Quick hits
Comics Continuum has some details on the "Justice League Unlimited" version of Supergirl.
The Bob Dylan documentary, "No Direction Home," is possibly Martin Scorsese's most current film and, possibly "the best film about anybody," critics say. The film is available on DVD and airs in two parts on PBS tonight and tomorrow evening.
Donate $100 to Hurricane Katrina relief, get a phone call from Brian Wilson.
Dial B for Blog celebrates Hour Man.
The Bob Dylan documentary, "No Direction Home," is possibly Martin Scorsese's most current film and, possibly "the best film about anybody," critics say. The film is available on DVD and airs in two parts on PBS tonight and tomorrow evening.
Donate $100 to Hurricane Katrina relief, get a phone call from Brian Wilson.
Dial B for Blog celebrates Hour Man.
Electric Tiki's "Flash Gordon" statue
Nice lookin'.
From the press release:
Electric Tiki Presents the 3rd statue in its Classic Heroes Collection, the Interplanetary Space Adventurer, Flash Gordon. Throughout many years since his creation by the Legendary artist Alex Raymond, loyal fans have explored the stars with him and few comics have captured readers' imaginations like Flash Gordon, who helped set the standard for science fiction adventure. An all-american athlete, kidnapped from Earth and thrust into the middle of a raging war on the distant planet Mongo, where he battled wits with Ming the Merciless, self-proclaimed emperor of the universe.
At app. 12" tall here we have Flash in all his glory, eyes looking towards outer space, poised and ready with his laser gun. He is standing on asteroids which surround the planet Mongo. Authentically detailed and a must for all Flash Gordon fans young and old. Includes Certificate of Authenticity and comes in a special decorated collector box!
Designed and sculpted by Ruben Procopio. Strictly limited to 500 statues. SRP $150.
From the press release:
Electric Tiki Presents the 3rd statue in its Classic Heroes Collection, the Interplanetary Space Adventurer, Flash Gordon. Throughout many years since his creation by the Legendary artist Alex Raymond, loyal fans have explored the stars with him and few comics have captured readers' imaginations like Flash Gordon, who helped set the standard for science fiction adventure. An all-american athlete, kidnapped from Earth and thrust into the middle of a raging war on the distant planet Mongo, where he battled wits with Ming the Merciless, self-proclaimed emperor of the universe.
At app. 12" tall here we have Flash in all his glory, eyes looking towards outer space, poised and ready with his laser gun. He is standing on asteroids which surround the planet Mongo. Authentically detailed and a must for all Flash Gordon fans young and old. Includes Certificate of Authenticity and comes in a special decorated collector box!
Designed and sculpted by Ruben Procopio. Strictly limited to 500 statues. SRP $150.
Top film scores of all time
The American Film Institute has done another of its polls, this one listing its choices for 25 best film score ever.
Here's the rundown:
1 STAR WARS EPISODE IV: A NEW HOPE 1977 John Williams
2 GONE WITH THE WIND 1939 Max Steiner
3 LAWRENCE OF ARABIA 1962 Maurice Jarre
4 PSYCHO 1960 Bernard Herrmann
5 GODFATHER, THE 1972 Nino Rota
6 JAWS 1975 John Williams
7 LAURA 1944 David Raksin
8 THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN 1960 Elmer Bernstein
9 CHINATOWN 1974 Jerry Goldsmith
10 HIGH NOON 1952 Dimitri Tiomkin
11 THE ADVENTURES OF ROBIN HOOD 1938 Erich Wolfgang Korngold
12 VERTIGO 1958 Bernard Herrmann
13 KING KONG 1933 Max Steiner
14 E.T. THE EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL 1982 John Williams
15 OUT OF AFRICA 1985 John Barry
16 SUNSET BLVD. 1950 Franz Waxman
17 TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD 1962 Elmer Bernstein
18 PLANET OF THE APES 1968 Jerry Goldsmith
19 A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE 1951 Alex North
20 THE PINK PANTHER 1964 Henry Mancini
21 BEN-HUR 1959 Miklos Rozsa
22 ON THE WATERFRONT 1954 Leonard Bernstein
23 THE MISSION 1986 Ennio Morricone
24 ON GOLDEN POND 1981 Dave Grusin
25 HOW THE WEST WAS WON 1962 Alfred Newman
I would've put "Vertigo" at number one, personally.
Here's the rundown:
1 STAR WARS EPISODE IV: A NEW HOPE 1977 John Williams
2 GONE WITH THE WIND 1939 Max Steiner
3 LAWRENCE OF ARABIA 1962 Maurice Jarre
4 PSYCHO 1960 Bernard Herrmann
5 GODFATHER, THE 1972 Nino Rota
6 JAWS 1975 John Williams
7 LAURA 1944 David Raksin
8 THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN 1960 Elmer Bernstein
9 CHINATOWN 1974 Jerry Goldsmith
10 HIGH NOON 1952 Dimitri Tiomkin
11 THE ADVENTURES OF ROBIN HOOD 1938 Erich Wolfgang Korngold
12 VERTIGO 1958 Bernard Herrmann
13 KING KONG 1933 Max Steiner
14 E.T. THE EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL 1982 John Williams
15 OUT OF AFRICA 1985 John Barry
16 SUNSET BLVD. 1950 Franz Waxman
17 TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD 1962 Elmer Bernstein
18 PLANET OF THE APES 1968 Jerry Goldsmith
19 A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE 1951 Alex North
20 THE PINK PANTHER 1964 Henry Mancini
21 BEN-HUR 1959 Miklos Rozsa
22 ON THE WATERFRONT 1954 Leonard Bernstein
23 THE MISSION 1986 Ennio Morricone
24 ON GOLDEN POND 1981 Dave Grusin
25 HOW THE WEST WAS WON 1962 Alfred Newman
I would've put "Vertigo" at number one, personally.
Details on "Concert for Bangladesh" DVD
The George Harrison-organized 1971 benefit concert comes out Oct. 26 on a remastered, expanded DVD and CD set, both from Rhino Records.
Along with Harrison, the show featured appearances by Eric Clapton, Ringo Starr, Ravi Shankar, Billy Preston, Badfinger and Leon Russell.
According to Billboard:
Rhino's DVD restores the original 99-minute movie in 5.1 sound and tacks on a wealth of extras, including a rehearsal performance of "If Not for You" with Harrison and Dylan and a soundcheck take on "Come on in My Kitchen" with Harrison, Clapton and Russell, plus Dylan performing "Love Minus Zero/No Limit," an outtake from the theatrical release.
The DVD will also include a 45-minute documentary, "The Concert for Bangladesh Revisited 2005," which features interviews with Bob Geldof and United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan.
Also, Rhino is releasing a deluxe edition of the CD that will include a reproduction of Harrison's handwritten lyrics for "Bangla Desh," a postcard set, sticker and a print of the original show poster.
Here's the track list for both DVD and CD:
"Bangla Dhun"
"Wah-Wah"
"My Sweet Lord"
"Awaiting on You All"
"That's the Way God Planned It"
"It Don't Come Easy"
"Beware of Darkness"
Band Introduction
"While My Guitar Gently Weeps"
"Jumpin' Jack Flash"
"Youngblood"
"Here Comes the Sun"
"A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall"
"It Takes a Lot To Laugh, It Takes a Train To Cry"
"Blowin' in the Wind"
"Just Like a Woman"
"Something"
"Bangla Desh"
Along with Harrison, the show featured appearances by Eric Clapton, Ringo Starr, Ravi Shankar, Billy Preston, Badfinger and Leon Russell.
According to Billboard:
Rhino's DVD restores the original 99-minute movie in 5.1 sound and tacks on a wealth of extras, including a rehearsal performance of "If Not for You" with Harrison and Dylan and a soundcheck take on "Come on in My Kitchen" with Harrison, Clapton and Russell, plus Dylan performing "Love Minus Zero/No Limit," an outtake from the theatrical release.
The DVD will also include a 45-minute documentary, "The Concert for Bangladesh Revisited 2005," which features interviews with Bob Geldof and United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan.
Also, Rhino is releasing a deluxe edition of the CD that will include a reproduction of Harrison's handwritten lyrics for "Bangla Desh," a postcard set, sticker and a print of the original show poster.
Here's the track list for both DVD and CD:
"Bangla Dhun"
"Wah-Wah"
"My Sweet Lord"
"Awaiting on You All"
"That's the Way God Planned It"
"It Don't Come Easy"
"Beware of Darkness"
Band Introduction
"While My Guitar Gently Weeps"
"Jumpin' Jack Flash"
"Youngblood"
"Here Comes the Sun"
"A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall"
"It Takes a Lot To Laugh, It Takes a Train To Cry"
"Blowin' in the Wind"
"Just Like a Woman"
"Something"
"Bangla Desh"
Quick hits
A batch of musicians are getting together to cover the Buzzcocks' "Ever Fallen in Love," one of John Peel's favorite tunes as a tribute to the late DJ. Participating: Pete Shelley, Robert Plant, Roger Daltrey, David Gilmour, Peter Hook from New Order and Jeff Beck along with the Futureheads, El Presidente and the Datsuns. Should make for an interesting racket.
The Disney adaptation of "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" is set to premiere in London.
The first Asterix book in four years is out Oct. 14.
A look at Neil Gaimin's new book.
Director Joss Whedon may squeeze in another film, a thriller titled "Goner," between "Serenity" and his take on "Wonder Woman".
Online promotion is underway for "Southland Tales," a sci-fi flick starring Sarah Michelle Gellar. A series of graphic novels tying into the film is also planned.
Mile High Comics has previews of DC's ABC A To Z: Tom Strong and Jack B Quick, Batman: Journey Into Knight #2, Jack Cross #2, Neil Gaiman's Neverwhere #4, Silent Dragon #3 and Vigilante #1 and Marvel's Amazing Spider-Man #524, Black Widow 2 #1, Cable/Deadpool #20, Daredevil #77, Defenders #3, Drax The Destroyer #1, Hulk: Destruction #3, New Warriors #4, Sentry #1 and Wolverine #33.
Via the Comics Reporter: This is the closest thing to an interview with "Calvin and Hobbes" creator Bill Watterson as you're likely to ever see. On the same front, Mark Evanier discusses one strip that was altered for the new "Complete Calvin and Hobbes" collection.
Dial B Blog proves you can't go wrong with evil twins.
The Disney adaptation of "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" is set to premiere in London.
The first Asterix book in four years is out Oct. 14.
A look at Neil Gaimin's new book.
Director Joss Whedon may squeeze in another film, a thriller titled "Goner," between "Serenity" and his take on "Wonder Woman".
Online promotion is underway for "Southland Tales," a sci-fi flick starring Sarah Michelle Gellar. A series of graphic novels tying into the film is also planned.
Mile High Comics has previews of DC's ABC A To Z: Tom Strong and Jack B Quick, Batman: Journey Into Knight #2, Jack Cross #2, Neil Gaiman's Neverwhere #4, Silent Dragon #3 and Vigilante #1 and Marvel's Amazing Spider-Man #524, Black Widow 2 #1, Cable/Deadpool #20, Daredevil #77, Defenders #3, Drax The Destroyer #1, Hulk: Destruction #3, New Warriors #4, Sentry #1 and Wolverine #33.
Via the Comics Reporter: This is the closest thing to an interview with "Calvin and Hobbes" creator Bill Watterson as you're likely to ever see. On the same front, Mark Evanier discusses one strip that was altered for the new "Complete Calvin and Hobbes" collection.
Dial B Blog proves you can't go wrong with evil twins.
Review: "Superman: Man of Tomorrow Archives Vol. 1"
The Fortress of Solitude! The Bottle City of Kandor! Super scavenger hunts and weird transformations! New super powers in every panel! Kryptonite of every hue everywhere!
All stuff you don't see in Superman comics anymore, but which you saw all the time back in the late 1950s when the tales in "Superman: Man of Tomorrow Archives Vol. 1" first appeared.
Barrel-chested, spit-curled and flying through the eternally pale blue skies of Metropolis, this is Superman at his most iconic--the incarnation many of us grew up with.
The character had been around 20 years already, but in many ways the legend begins here.
Starting with Action Comics 241, June 1958, Superman takes leave of any reality we might recognize and becomes enveloped in one that's uniquely his own--a Superverse.
This Superman rarely flies around catching bankrobbers and rescuing people from floods and earthquakes as he did back in the more "realistic" 40s. He deals with situations that could arise only in his own fictional world. The tales all hinge on aspects of this new reality--the antics of members of his supporting cast, including Lois Lane, Jimmie Olsen and Perry White; the wild surroundings of his arctic refuge, the Fortress of Solitude; adventures in Kandor, the shrunken city from native planet, kept in a bottle on his trophy shelf.
The first story reprinted here features Batman, who as a birthday present to Superman acts as an anonymous enemy, leaving messages in the Fortress of Solitude that threaten to expose Superman as Clark Kent. The idea is Superman will take pleasure in detecting who is to blame. An odd choice of gift!
In other stories, Jimmie Olsen dreams what might happen if Superman were president; the Man of Steel is transformed into a lion; aliens force him to live underwater; a criminal creates a city modeled after one on Krypton. And it gets weirder and weirder from there until all the causes and effects of this universe become completely self referential.
The Superverse has its own logic, which has nothing to do with the reality we inhabit. But once you get familiar with this weird world's dynamics it's fun to see and guess how the stories will play out. No doubt this is what made them such fun for children back in the 50s. Knowing the ins and outs of how things worked in Superman's world likely gave kids a feeling of mastery and power they couldn't experience in real life. They became young scholars of a new, emerging folklore.
It's said Mort Weisinger, editor of DC Comics' Superman titles, brainstormed all this stuff--the Fortress, Kandor, Superman robots, Brainiac, etc.--to tweak comic book sales following the end of the George Reeves' "Adventures of Superman" TV series. In the absence of regular promotion on television, the comics needed something "more" to give them a boost. Hence gimmick after gimmick. Not that it wasn't all a lot of fun.
But to give Weisinger sole credit--or even the majority of it--is unfair. Any number of books and articles on comic book history portray the editor as an ogre--a miserable guy to work for who consistently claimed credit for other people's ideas. Real credit should go to the writers of these tales, especially Otto Binder, who wrote most of the scripts in this Archive.
Before coming to DC, Binder was the most prolific of Fawcett's "Captain Marvel" writers. And the Superman stories reprinted here share much of the same whimsy and imagination displayed in Binder's "Marvel" tales. Without his contribution, the Silver Age Superman would have been considerably different.
Other creators featured on these Archive stories include scripter Jerry Coleman and a quartet of classic Superman artists: Wayne Boring, Al Plastino, Kurt Schaffenberger and (mainly on covers at this point in his career) Curt Swan. And while the book's index miscredits the story to Wayne Boring, "The Girl of Steel," from Superman #123, was drawn by Dick Sprang.
It all adds up to a lot of strange, strange fun and a reminder of the wild, imaginative potential of comics. For newcomers, nostalgic oldtimers or young readers, a trip to the Superverse is a uniquely entertaining experience.
A consumer note: The stories in this Archive (from Action Comics #241-247 and Superman #122-126) will all be included in the black-and-white collection "DC Showcase Presents Superman Vol. 1" out next week, which also includes Action #248-257 and Superman #127-133). While that collection lacks color, it'll be considerably cheaper and thicker.
Quick hits
MTV has info about an "Aeon Flux" comic.
Here's a teaser for the upcoming "Batman Vs. Dracula" straight-to-DVD film.
Here's Chris Ware's first cartoon for The New York Times Magazine.
The FBI reportedly thought John Lennon was too stoned to pose a security threat when it spied on him back in the early 70s.
Here's a teaser for the upcoming "Batman Vs. Dracula" straight-to-DVD film.
Here's Chris Ware's first cartoon for The New York Times Magazine.
The FBI reportedly thought John Lennon was too stoned to pose a security threat when it spied on him back in the early 70s.
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