Pop Culture Safari!

Pop Culture Roundup Jan. 25, 2006

I agree with Datajunkie, we do need more jumpsuit-wearing, karate-chopping action girls in the mediascape. To wit...

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Good news: The fire that raged through director Nick Park's warehouse last fall destroying hundreds of character models doesn't spell the end of Wallace & Gromit, Park says.

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Endless Mike shares three disks of bossa nova bliss.

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From Dial B for Blog: The Fantastic Four in Italian.

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Xtabay shares ultra-rare space-age pop.

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TV Guide gets in the inside dope from Dominic Monaghen of "Lost."

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Sugartown justly celebrates the sublime Blossom Dearie.

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More "Lost," Sci Fi Wire chats with Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje (thank God this isn't a podcast, cuz I can't say that name).

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Review: All-Star Superman 2

After a promising but somewhat underwhelming first issue (not much action, stiff but pretty artwork), this series is starting to look like it'll be a lot of fun.

This second issue is much stronger than the first. It looks as if writer Grant Morrison may be successful in his mission to inject some offbeat fun back into the Superman mythos.

This time out we get to see Superman flying Lois Lane (in her car) to the Fortress of Solitude, which is replete with trophies, including the original Titanic, plus a whole platoon of Superman robots.

Nutty ideas are to the fore. For example, we see that Superman has replaced the giant key to the Fortress with a normal-sized one. The catch is that the new one is made of "super-dense dwarf star material" weighing half a million tons and only he can lift it.

The Man of Steel's purpose for inviting Lois to his secret hideout isn't immediately clear but, by issue's end, we understand that this incarnation of Superman is a big, dopey, lovestruck kid at heart--a true innocent. Lois is Lois, just how you'd want her: Pretty, smart, suspicious and resourceful (even in an evening gown).

What we're getting is something that seems impossible: a 1950s-era Superman--complete with all the goofy, sci-fi trimmings--placed in a modern, but refreshingly unironic, context. The result is a fun comic, plain and simple.

So far, Morrison hasn't seen need to darken things up or twist them around in effort to poke fun at what makes Superman the iconic character he's supposed to be. It's a refreshing approach.

The art, by Frank Quitely, is much improved over the first issue. There's better flow of action and some genuinely funny scenes. His faces and figures are fantastic and the computer-rendered art by Jamie Grant manages to be impressively vivid without destroying the line work.

Still, the visuals sometimes seem a little stiff and quiet. It's a pity sound effects in comics seem verboten these days. The action scene up above is nice, but it'd be even better with a big "zap!" or "pow!" over it. Some motion lines would make it clear that Lois is jumping or being thrown up into the air from the recoil of the raygun. Instead, it looks as if she's floating gently in space. Are creators these days embarassed by such storytelling conventions? It's a pity if that's the case, because the comics are suffering for it.

In terms of story content, not a ton happens, but the issue doesn't really seem padded. I'll keep buying the monthlies instead of waiting for a trade. It looks as if things may heat up action-wise next issue. I'm looking forward to it.

See the Best Superman Sites on the Web.

"Lost" preview Jan. 25, 2006: Season 2, episode 12

Read ABC's teaser copy for tonight's show.

Listen to the most recent offical "Lost" podcast.

Watch a preview for tonight's show.

See promo pictures from the episode.

See the Best "Lost" Sites on the Web.

New comics Jan. 25, 2006

Available now at yer local comics shop or via This is Pop!-supporting links:

Batman Ras Al Ghul Year One TP

Bone Vol 3 Eyes Of The Storm Color Ed HC

Bone Vol 3 Eyes Of The Storm Color Ed SC

Captain Universe Universal Heroes TP

Dawn Vol 1 Lucifers Halo Supplemental Book TP

Fantastic Art Of Arthur Suydam HC

GI Joe Vol 8 Rise Of The Red Shadows TP

Godland Vol 1 Hello Cosmic TP

Golden Age Flash Archives Vol 2 HC

JLA Vol 18 Crisis Of Conscience TP

Marvel Masterworks Atlas Era Tales to Astonish Vol 1 Ltd Ed HC (#57)

Marvel Masterworks Atlas Era Tales to Astonish Vol 1 New Ed HC

Marvel Milestones Death Of Phoenix Statue

Marvel Universe Thor Bust

New Avengers Vol 2 Sentry Premiere HC

Powers Vol 1 HC

Premiere Coll She Hulk Statue

Star Wars Tales Vol 6 TP

Uncle Scrooge #350

X-Men Black Panther TP

X-Men Dark Phoenix Saga Colossus Med Statue

ACTION FIGURES
Secret Files: Unmasked

Martian Manhunter (Order from CmdStore)

Batman (Order from CmdStore)

Batgirl (Order from CmdStore)

Superman (Order from CmdStore)

Red Hood (Order from CmdStore)

See a Complete List of New Comics Shipping This Week.

Pop Artifact! James Bond pillowcase

Educational Comics

Doctor Who action figures unveiled

Action Figure.com has details and pics on this British line of action figures based on the revived sci-fi series. Perhaps we'll see them on this side of the Atlantic if the series becomes a hit on the Sci Fi Channel later this year.

Pop Culture Roundup Jan. 24, 2006

Bedazzled points to a couple of blogs dedicated to Best DJ Ever John Peel. If you're interested in Peel, be sure also to check out the Perfumed Garden and the great man's posthumously published autobiography.

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Via Boing Boing: Here's a PDF link for the 8-page comic cartoonist Joe Sacco did for the UK Guardian about two Iraqis accusing US troops of torture.

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NPR reports on a new CD box set featuring Miles Davis' late 1960s sessions at the Cellar Door.

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Xtabay continues to share his Top 10 Exotic albums.

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Rumor afoot: Neal Adams may followup Jim Lee as penciler for the All-Star Batman series. Now all they need to do is a get a good writer.

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Nice: Dial B for Blog presents some black-and-white DC Comics house ads.

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Comics writer Steve Englehart and artist Marshall Rogers who teamed up on last year's great Dark Detective Batman mini-series are joining forces again, this time for a one-shot featuring Marvel Comics' western hero the Black Rider. According to Comics Continuum there will be a second Batman project this year from Englehardt and Rogers, plus two JLA Classified arcs written by Englehart.

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"Superman: Brainiac Attacks" is a direct-to-DVD animated film due out later this year.

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