Holy Bat-memorabilia!

Here's a batch of found-on-Ebay Batproducts.

Batphone!



Batwatch!


Batmug!




Batgarbage can!

New comics Jan. 16, 2008

Here's what's new in comic shops this week:

DARK HORSE COMICS

SEP070030 DARK HORSE HEROES OMNIBUS TP $24.95
OCT070112 DISNEY PIRATES O/T CARIBBEAN PIN GACHA PI
JUL070074 DISNEY PRINCESS FIGURES SER 7 GACHA CAPSULE PI
SEP070031 DOCTOR GRORDBORTS CONTRAPULATRONIC DINGUS DIRECTORY HC $12.95
OCT070011 FEAR AGENT #18 HATCHET JOB (PT 2 OF 5) $2.99
NOV070044 GRENDEL BEHOLD THE DEVIL #3 (OF 8) $3.50
SEP070037 GROO HELL ON EARTH #3 (OF 4) $2.99
SEP070100 KOTOBUKIYA ROYAL GUARD VINYL MODEL KIT $125.00
NOV070141 NINTENDO ANIMAL CROSSING CHARM FIGURE SER 2 GACHA CAPSULE PI
AUG070181 SIMPSONS DIORAMA #3 MOVIE GACHA CAPSULE PI
NOV070047 UMBRELLA ACADEMY APOCALYPSE SUITE #5 (OF 6) $2.99
SEP070134 WTP PEEK A POOH SER 15 GACHA CAPSULE SCHOOL PI
NOV070138 WTP PEEK A POOH SER 15 GACHA CAPSULE SCHOOL (O/A) PI
OCT070106 WTP PEEK A POOH SER 15 GACHA CAPSULE SCHOOL (O/A) PI

DC COMICS

JUN070286 AME COMI BATGIRL VINYL FIGURE $39.99
JUN070287 AME COMI CATWOMAN VINYL FIGURE $39.99
NOV070200 BIRDS OF PREY #114 $2.99
NOV070183 BOOSTER GOLD #6 $2.99
NOV070193 CATWOMAN #75 $2.99
SEP078087 CATWOMAN #75 VAR ED $2.99
NOV070204 CHECKMATE #22 $2.99
OCT070223 CIPHER VOL 10 $9.99
NOV070203 COUNTDOWN SPECIAL THE NEW GODS $4.99
NOV070166 COUNTDOWN TO FINAL CRISIS 15 $2.99
OCT070251 DOOM PATROL TP VOL 06 PLANET LOVE $19.99
NOV070205 FLASH #236 $2.99
NOV078069 FREDDY VS JASON VS ASH #1 (OF 6) 2ND PTG $2.99
SEP070219 HARLEY QUINN PRELUDES AND KNOCK KNOCK JOKES HC $24.99
OCT070224 I HATE YOU MORE THAN ANYONE VOL 03 $9.99
NOV070208 JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #17 $2.99
NOV070247 LEGION OF SUPER HEROES IN THE 31ST CENTURY #10 $2.25
NOV070267 PROGRAMME #7 (OF 12) $2.99
NOV070189 ROBIN #170 $2.99
NOV070252 SCOOBY DOO #128 $2.25
NOV070217 SHADOWPACT #21 $2.99
NOV070264 WILDSTORM REVELATIONS #2 (OF 6) $2.99
NOV070272 WORLD OF WARCRAFT #3 $2.99

IMAGE COMICS

NOV072010 76 #1 (OF 8) $2.99
AUG071997 AMORY WARS #5 (OF 5) $2.99
NOV072012 CEMETERY BLUES #1 $3.50
MAY071848 FELL #9 $1.99
OCT072010 GRAVESLINGER #3 (OF 4) $3.50
OCT072011 HAWAIIAN DICK #2 $2.99
JUL071960 SPAWN #174 $2.95
OCT072021 STEVE NILES STRANGE CASES #3 $2.50
SEP072029 WITCHBLADE BASRI CVR B #113 $2.99
SEP072028 WITCHBLADE CHOI & OBACK CVR A #113 $2.99

MARVEL COMICS

NOV072132 AMAZING SPIDER-GIRL #16 $2.99
OCT072078 AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #547 BND $2.99
NOV072134 AVENGERS CLASSIC #8 $2.99
NOV072189 CABLE DEADPOOL #49 $2.99
NOV072234 ESSENTIAL CAPTAIN AMERICA TP VOL 01 NEW PTG $16.99
NOV072233 ESSENTIAL MARVEL SAGA TP VOL 01 $16.99
NOV072215 FANTASTIC FOUR AND POWER PACK DIGEST TP $7.99
OCT072187 HEROES FOR HIRE TP VOL 03 WORLD WAR HULK $13.99
NOV072208 HOUSE OF M HC $29.99
NOV072212 HULK PREM HC THE END $19.99
NOV072213 HULK PREM HC THE END DM ED VOL 8 $19.99
OCT072100 IMMORTAL IRON FIST #12 $2.99
OCT072102 INCREDIBLE HERCULES #113 $2.99
OCT078499 INCREDIBLE HERCULES #113 VAR (PP #796) $2.99
NOV072148 IRON MAN POWER PACK #3 (OF 4) $2.99
NOV072158 MARVEL ADVENTURES AVENGERS #20 $2.99
NOV072156 MARVEL ADVENTURES SPIDER-MAN #35 $2.99
NOV072159 MARVEL ADVENTURES TWO-IN-ONE #7 $4.99
NOV072161 MARVEL COMICS PRESENTS #5 $3.99
NOV072117 MARVEL ILLUSTRATED ILIAD #2 (OF 8) $2.99
NOV072193 NEW EXILES #1 $2.99
NOV072194 NEW EXILES #1 GOLDEN VAR $2.99
NOV072168 NEW WARRIORS #8 $2.99
NOV072183 NEW X-MEN #46 MC $2.99
OCT072101 PENANCE RELENTLESS #4 (OF 5) $2.99
NOV072225 THUNDERBOLTS BY ELLIS VOL 1 FAITH IN MONSTERS TP $19.99
OCT078510 ULTIMATES 3 #1 (OF 5) 2ND PTG WRAPAROUND VAR (PP #796) $2.99
NOV078021 UNCANNY X-MEN #493 2ND PTG VAR $2.99
NOV072188 WOLVERINE ORIGINS #21 $2.99
NOV072152 WORLD WAR HULK AFTERSMASH WARBOUND #2 (OF 5) $2.99
NOV072214 X-FACTOR PREM HC MADROX MULTIPLE CHOICE $19.99
NOV078022 X-MEN #205 2ND PTG VAR $2.99

WIZARD ENTERTAINMENT

NOV073221 WIZARD ANIME INSIDER NANA CVR #53 $4.99

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COMICS

NOV078042 ANGEL AFTER THE FALL #1 3RD PTG (PP #797) $3.99
NOV078120 ANGEL AFTER THE FALL #2 2ND PTG (PP #798) $3.99
NOV073636 ANGEL AFTER THE FALL #3 $3.99
NOV073320 BETTY #171 $2.25
OCT073464 BLOODRAYNE AUTOMATON CVR A $3.99
OCT073465 BLOODRAYNE AUTOMATON CVR B $3.99
NOV073422 BONE COLOR ED HC VOL 07 GHOST CIRCLES $19.99
NOV073421 BONE COLOR ED SC VOL 07 GHOST CIRCLES $9.99
OCT073700 BONEYARD #27 $2.95
OCT078534 BTX GN VOL 14 (OF 16) (PP #796) $9.99
OCT073912 CASE CLOSED GN VOL 21 $9.99
NOV073272 CHUMBLE SPUZZ GN VOL 01 KILL THE DEVIL $10.95
SEP073889 CLASSICS ILLUSTRATED DELUXE HC VOL 01 WIND IN THE WILLOWS $17.95
SEP073888 CLASSICS ILLUSTRATED DELUXE SC VOL 01 WIND IN THE WILLOWS $13.95
OCT073455 CRUSHING LOVE GN $12.95
NOV073535 DF GRIMM FAIRY TALES #1 ALT CVR $10.00
JUN073584 DISNEYS DUCKTALES BY MARV WOLFMAN SCROOGES QUEST TP $15.99
OCT073354 DOMINION #4 (OF 5) (RES) $3.99
OCT073542 EC ARCHIVES CRIME SUSPENSTORIES HC VOL 1 $49.95
SEP073280 FEMFORCE #142 $6.95
AUG073352 FINAL GIRL POCKET MANGA VOL 01 (MAR078373) $15.95
SEP073903 FURRLOUGH #178 $3.99
NOV073706 GRAPHIC UNIVERSE HC ALI BABA $26.60
NOV073707 GRAPHIC UNIVERSE HC GUAN YU $26.60
NOV073708 GRAPHIC UNIVERSE HC HERO TWINS $26.60
NOV073709 GRAPHIC UNIVERSE HC PEREUS HUNT FOR MEDUSAS HEAD $26.60
NOV073711 GRAPHIC UNIVERSE HC TRISTAN & ISOLDE $26.60
NOV073712 GRAPHIC UNIVERSE SC AMATERASU RETURN OF THE SUN $8.95
NOV073713 GRAPHIC UNIVERSE SC ATALANTA RACE AGAINST DESTINY $8.95
NOV073714 GRAPHIC UNIVERSE SC DEMETER & PERSEPHONE $8.95
NOV073715 GRAPHIC UNIVERSE SC JASON QUEST FOR GOLDEN FLEECE $8.95
NOV073716 GRAPHIC UNIVERSE SC ROBIN HOOD OUTLAW OF SHERWOOD FOREST $8.95
NOV073717 GRAPHIC UNIVERSE SC YU THE GREAT CONQUERING THE FLOOD $8.95
NOV073516 HEROES ARE EXTINCT GN VOL 03 $12.95
AUG073692 HIKKATSU VOL 2 GN (MAR078244) $10.99
SEP073637 INSOMNIA #3 $7.95
NOV073325 JUGHEAD AND FRIENDS DIGEST #26 $2.49
OCT073904 KAMIKAZE GIRLS NOVEL $9.99
NOV073540 KNOWLEDGE IS POWER THE WORLD ASKEW #4 (OF 4) $2.95
NOV073698 LADY DEATH #0 SUPERNATURAL EDITION $11.99
OCT073506 LAST MUSKETEER SC $12.95
OCT073596 LIFELIKE HC $19.99
OCT073739 LOVE BYTES GN $9.95
NOV073776 MANGA BIBLE SC FROM GENESIS TO REVELATION $12.95
NOV073601 MIKI FALLS GN VOL 04 WINTER $7.99
OCT073509 MOME GN VOL 10 $14.95
OCT073732 NANCY DREW HC VOL 12 DRESS REHEARSAL $12.95
OCT073731 NANCY DREW SC VOL 12 DRESS REHEARSAL $7.95
OCT073242 NINJA HIGH SCHOOL #156 $2.99
OCT073707 OPERATION LIBERATE MEN GN VOL 02 $9.99
NOV073327 PALS N GALS DOUBLE DIGEST #118 $3.69
SEP078073 RUROUNI KENSHIN VIZ BIG ED GN VOL 01 (OF 9) $17.99
NOV073407 SIMPSONS COMICS #138 $2.99
NOV073329 SONIC THE HEDGEHOG #184 $2.25
NOV073632 ST TNG INTELLIGENCE GATHERING #1 (OF 5) $3.99
OCT073874 STRANDED #1 $2.99
OCT073585 TRANSFORMERS DEVASTATION #4 $3.99
AUG073869 TREASURY VICTORIAN MURDER VOL 2 JACK THE RIPPER SC NEW PTG $9.95
OCT073362 TWO GUNS #5 (RES) $3.99
AUG073774 ZOMBIES VS ROBOTS VS AMAZONS #2 (OF 3) $3.99

MAGAZINES

NOV073947 ALTER EGO #75 $6.95
NOV073948 BACK ISSUE #26 $6.95
NOV073984 CINEMA RETRO #10 $11.99
NOV073961 COMICS BUYERS GUIDE #1639 MARCH 2008 $5.99
NOV073983 CSI MAGAZINE #2 $6.99
NOV074616 DARK REALMS MAGAZINE #29 $6.00
OCT073969 FANGORIA FEB 2008 #270 $8.99
NOV073970 GIRASOL PULP DOUBLES SPIDER VOL 6 MASTER OF MEN $14.95
NOV073988 HEROES MAGAZINE #2 NEWSSTAND ED $6.99
NOV073989 HEROES MAGAZINE #2 PX ED $6.99
OCT073958 LEES TOY REVIEW JAN 2008 #183 $5.95
NOV073963 LOCUS #564 JANUARY 2008 $6.95
NOV073990 PRISON BREAK MAGAZINE #8 $6.99
NOV073993 SCARY MONSTERS MAGAZINE #65 $8.95
OCT073881 SHOJO BEAT FEB 08 $5.99
NOV073995 STAR WARS INSIDER #99 NEWSSTAND ED $5.99
NOV073996 STAR WARS INSIDER #99 PX ED $5.99

Details on Lost season 4 opener

UPDATED: SEE a full roundup of the season 4 opener HERE!


Highlight the hidden text below for details on the Jan. 31 season premiere of "Lost."

The ep will follow an hour-long clip fest refreshing us on what happened, ages ago, during season 3. And, if you want even more of a flashback, tune into ABC Jan. 30 for a rerun of the two-hour season 3 climax, "Through the Looking Glass."

Awarded the 2005 Emmy and 2006 Golden Globe for Best Drama Series, "Lost" returns for its fourth season of action-packed mystery and adventure -- that will continue to bring out the very best and the very worst in the people who are lost -- THURSDAY, JANUARY 31 (9:00-10:02 p.m., ET) on the ABC Television Network.

After Oceanic Air flight 815 tore apart in mid-air and crashed on a Pacific island, its survivors were forced to find inner strength they never knew they had in order to survive. But they discovered that the island holds many secrets, including a mysterious smoke monster, polar bears, housing and hatches with electricity and hot & cold running water, a group of island residents known as "The Others" and a mysterious man named Jacob. The survivors have also found signs of those who came to the island before them, including a 19th century sailing ship called The Black Rock, the remains of an ancient statue, as well as bunkers belonging to the Dharma Initiative -- a group of scientific researchers who inhabited the island in the recent past.

In the season premiere episode, "The Beginning of the End," feeling that their rescue is close at hand, the survivors don't know whether to believe Charlie's final message that the people claiming to liberate them are not who they seem to be.

The band of friends, family, enemies and strangers must continue to work together against the cruel weather and harsh terrain if they want to stay alive. But as they have discovered during their 90-plus days on the island, danger and mystery loom behind every corner, and those they thought could be trusted may turn against them. Even heroes have secrets.

"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 Mira Furlan as Danielle Rousseau, Sam Anderson as Bernard, L. Scott Caldwell as Rose, Tania Raymonde as Alex, Blake Bashoff as Karl, Marsha Thomason as Naomi, Michael Cudlitz as Mike Walton, Lance Reddick as Matthew Abbadon, Grisel Toledo as orderly, Steven Neumeier as Lewis, Billy Ray Gallion as Randy, Jeremy Davies as Daniel Faraday and John Terry as Christian Shephard.

"The Beginning of the End" was written by Damon Lindelof & Carlton Cuse and directed by Jack Bender.

We're back!

Hello new and old readers!

This is John, publisher of Pop Culture Safari and the This is Pop Culture! Web site.

Rather than continuing to operate both sites, I've opted to redirect This is Pop Culture! visitors here to my daily blog, Pop Culture Safari.

There will be lots of news and views on various aspects of pop culture here, plus you can search through the entire TIPC! archives as well.

If you're really looking for a nugget of info and can't find it, send me a note. Maybe I can help out.

Thanks for reading!

James Bond stamps go on sale in UK

A series of stamps commemorating the 100th birthday of James Bond creator Ian Fleming has gone on sale in Britain.

The series depicts classic James Bond book cover art. Here's a pic from Bond fansite MI6:

Super vans!

Bat-Blog's posting of Mego's Batman and Joker vans yesterday inspired me to put these up: Spider-Man's Mobile Crime Lab and the Hulk Van. It seemed like, in the 70s, every hero had a van! The idea of the Hulk driving one, though, cracks me up.

DVD new releases Jan. 8, 2008

3:10 to Yuma (Widescreen Edition)


Gunsmoke - The Second Season, Vol. 1


The All-New Superfriends Hour: Season One, Vol. 1


Cary Grant 4-Disc Collector's Set (Indiscreet / Operation Petticoat / The Grass Is Greener / That Touch of Mink)

CD new releases Jan. 8, 2008

Juno Original Soundtrack

The Wire: And All the Pieces Matter - Five Years of Music from the Wire

Liverpool 8 [Single] by Ringo Starr


In the Vaults Volume 4 by The Ventures


Rock 'N' Skiffle - Brit Beat Beginnings by Various Artists

Vintage Marvel Comics buttons

More great Marvelmania:

Pop links

"Asterix at the Olympic Games," the third live-action film based on the popular series of French comic albums, is one of the most-expensive movies ever produced in Europe, reports Variety. It premieres Jan. 13 overseas. How come none of these films are available in the U.S.?



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Via Bat-Blog: Nah, nah, nah, nah, nah, nah, nah, nah Batvan!



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From Booksteve: What is the Penguin's sinister plot?

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Today in sharity:



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British actress Gemma Arterton is the latest Bond Girl.

Arterton will play Fields in the Marc Forster-directed movie, which is still known only as ''Bond 22'' and is currently filming in London for Columbia and MGM for a Nov. 7 release.



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Thanks Fred Hembeck for the kind words about this here blog! As a teaser: Fred has promised me an interview about his upcoming new book. Look for it here in coming weeks!

Mighty Marvel merchandise!

Ads for various Marvel Comics products from the company's glory era. I had that cool "Here Comes the Hulk" t-shirt...

Merry Marvel Marching Society ad

To go along with the Stan Lee post below.

When Marvel mattered--in defense of Stan Lee

I spent the past weekend reading and enjoying immensely the latest issue of Alter Ego, one of my favorite mags and one I wholeheartedly recommend for anyone fascinated by comic book history.



I enjoy pretty much every issue of this Roy Thomas-edited mag a lot, but this issue was special, being a tribute to Marvel Comics' publisher/editor/scribe Stan Lee, who celebrated his 85th birthday a few weeks back.

Now Stan, somewhat rightly, gets criticized for being a shameless huckster and self-promoter and most new interviews with him reveal essentially nothing--he trots out the same old stories and anecdotes time and time again.

But, perhaps realizing all that, this Alter Ego yields some fascinating interviews with Stan--the difference being that these are all vintage chats from the late 1960s and early 70s when he and Marvel were at their peak.

Stan, with the considerable and too frequently overlooked contributions of artists Jack Kirby, Steve Ditko and others, had helped revitalize the superhero genre.

The new approach--dynamic, powerful art, superheroes that argued with one another and who had "real" problems--plus Stan's hyping of such was generating lots of outside-the-genre interest, yielding coverage in the mainstream media. These more sophisticated comics were attracting not just young kids, but college-age readers, too. And Stan was getting invitations to speak on campuses nationwide.

It was a pretty remarkable time, and these interviews--mostly from comics fanzine and hippieish alternative mags of the period--do a great job of capturing it.

I'm an instinctive defender of underdogs so, typically, I'm one of those people who immediately starts touting the contributions of Kirby, Ditko, et. al., any time Stan's name comes up. Too often, he gets sole credit for the creation of multi-million dollar-generating characters others had an equal share in creating--the Fantastic Four, the X-Men, Spider-Man, the Hulk, etc. And it's important that people speak up to put the record straight.

But that said, Marvel wouldn't have been Marvel without Stan. Just as much as Kirby or Ditko's art, his dialogue and over-the-top narration and cover blurbs made those comics come alive. His Bullpen Bulletins and Stan's Soapbox columns and Marvel's fan clubs--first the Merry Marvel Marching Society and later F.O.O.M.--made readers feel like they were part of a movement to make comics more meaningful and fun.

While Stan may have not solely created the Marvel characters, I believe he should get credit for creating the Marvel Universe.

Sure, it was on one level shrewd cross-promotion with the aim of selling more comics, but by establishing that all the Marvel heroes inhabited a shared world and that they regularly encountered one another in each other's titles and were living out a shared history was pretty cool.

For many years, that imaginary, imaginative world was a pretty special place to visit. Unfortunately, like the real world, it's lately become over-populated, chaotic and confusing, but it was great while it lasted. And Stan deserves the credit for creating it.

So, happy late birthday Stan! And thanks!

Underrated pop groups of the 60s: The Move

Born in Birmingham, UK, in the 1966, The Move started out mod, drifted into psychedelia and eventually became a forerunner to power pop. There was also some prog and chamber pop mixed in there as well.

Led by vocalist/songwriter Roy Wood, other members of the band included vocalist Carl Wayne, bassist Chris "Ace" Kefford, guitarist Trevor Burton and drummer Bev Bevan. Former Idle Race singer/guitarist Jeff Lynne joined the band in the early 1970s, following a personnel shakeup.



Notable tunes included the 1812 Overture-quoting "Night of Fear," a #2 UK hit in 1967; the mod/psych "I Can Hear the Grass Grow" (#5 UK hit 1967); the lovely "Flowers in the Rain," (#2 UK hit 1967) and the Beatlesque "Blackberry Way" (#1 UK hit, 1969).

Later on, the band charted with the rocking pop of "California Man" (#7 UK hit, 1972), which was eventually covered by Cheap Trick.

Right around the time that song was released, however, the band split up, with Wood, Lynne and Bevans leaving to form the Electric Light Orchestra.

ELO fans may be interested to know that band's hit "Do Ya," was originally recorded during the Move years and then remade in 1976 by Lynne and company, becoming a major hit.

The Move's original UK albums were recently remastered and expanded and are well worth checking out.

The Move CDs


The Move


Something Else...Plus


Shazam


Looking On


Message from the Country

The Move on YouTube

The Move - California Man

THE MOVE - Night Of Fear

THE MOVE - I Can Hear The Grass Grow

the move - blackberry way

Move - Flowers in the rain

The move - Tonight (German TV 1971)

The Move - Down On The Bay

Pop links

Cartoonist John Byrne is doing a couple of Star Trek comics for IDW Publishing. Newsarama has pics and an interview.



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Golden Age Comic Book Stories presents a whole buncha beautiful Tarzan comics pages by Burne Hogarth.



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The Guardian profiles "Doctor Who" companion Billie Piper.



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The Associated Press spotlights the new (and last) season of the best TV show in the history of mankind, "The Wire." Really, if you haven't seen it, you need to...

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Eric Clapton, Pete Townshend and Ringo Starr played a secret charity gig together on New Year's Eve.

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Deal alert: Amazonis doing a "buy-one, get-one-free" deal TV on DVD box sets, including "Seinfeld," "Bewitched," "I Dream of Jeannie" and more.

Upcoming DVDs of interest

Here are some items of interest to pop culture fans with as much info as I could scrape up.


Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Academy Awards Animation Collection

Out Feb. 12
3 DVDs

The Best of Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Academy Award Winning and Nominated theatrical animated shorts.

Franchises include Warner Bros., Hanna-Barbera, MGM, Max Fleischer etc. 41 of the most celebrated cartoons of their time, including 15 award winners...plus over 60 minutes of special features! This collection has something for everyone with characters such as the Looney Tunes, Tom & Jerry, Droopy, Superman, Popeye, Dot, Line & Squiggle, Tex Avery's Little Johnny Jet, Chuck Jones' High Note, and Nelly's Folly (the singing Giraffe) and Hubie Bertie & Cat Claude.

Disc 1:

Academy Award® winning shorts featured on the DVDs:

1) The Milky Way (MGM),
2) Yankee Doodle Mouse (MGM, Tom & Jerry),
3) Mouse Trouble (MGM, Tom & Jerry),
4) Quiet Please (MGM, Tom & Jerry),
5) The Cat Concerto (MGM, Tom & Jerry),
6) Tweetie Pie (WB),
7) The Little Orphan (MGM, Tom & Jerry),
8) For Scent-Imental Reasons (WB, Pepe Le Pew),
9) So Much for so Little (a special educational Warner Brothers short),
10) Two Mouseketeers (MGM, Tom & Jerry),
11) Johann Mouse (MGM, Tom & Jerry),
12) Speedy Gonzales (WB),
13) Birds Anonymous (WB, Tweety & Sylvester),
14) Knighty-Knight Bugs (WB, Bugs Bunny)
15) The Dot and the Line (Chuck Jones classic MGM cartoon, first time on DVD).

Discs 2 & 3:

Academy Award nominated shorts featured on the DVDs include
1) Popeye The Sailor Meets Sinbad The Sailor (Paramount/Fleischer)
2) Superman (Paramount/Fleischer)
3) Walky Talky Hawky (WB, Foghorn Leghorn)
4) One Droopy Knight (MGM, Droopy)
plus 12 more un-announced titles.


Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Academy Awards Animation Collection 15 winners

Out Feb. 12
Same as disk 1 above.


The Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm Show - The Complete Series

Out March 18
2 DVDs


Invisible Man: The Complete Series

Out Feb. 26
4 DVDs

H.G. Wells' classic tale of suspense and intrigue from the 1950s. A highly secret laboratory experiment that goes awry turns Dr. Peter Brady into the Invisible Man! Unable to return to a visible state, Brady is enlisted as the ultimate British secret agent.

For years, the identity of the Invisible Man was a well-kept secret. More than one actor portrayed the physical character, while another supplied the voice. The special effects (advanced for their time) ran the gamut from making objects float gracefully through the air to creating a riderless motorcycle.

Invisible Man Ultimate Collection includes 26 remastered episodes.


Steve Canyon (Special Edition)

Out March 18
1 DVD

4 full half-hour television episodes featuring the famed comic strip hero created by Milton Caniff, complete with original commercials, network promos and more! Not seen in the U.S. in more than 45 years -- episodes of STEVE CANYON are so rare they have been highly sought after and prized by film collectors the world over! In glorious black and white, remastered from the original 35mm broadcast materials!

Unhinged! Wild Captain America comic book covers!

The first issue of Captain America famously shows the superhero giving Adolf Hitler a much-deserved sock on the chin.


Art by Jack Kirby

It's a classic, iconic image. But, when the comic first hit the stands back in December 1940, the cover caused a stir. After all, Pearl Harbor was still a year away and the United States was keeping very intentionally to the sidelines as the Nazis rolled through Europe. Cap's creators Joe Simon and Jack Kirby even got some threatening mail from isolationists and Nazi sympathizers who said the cover was over the top.

Ha!

If anything, Kirby and his fellow artists upped the ante with all the covers that followed. The earliest issues of the series feature some of the wildest, most manic imagery ever to grace a comic book cover. Each cover was crowded from corner to corner with hyper-exaggerated action and the most devilish Nazis imaginable. On nearly every cover, there's a woman in bondage or peril or both. Oftentimes, Cap's young sidekick, Bucky, is in trouble too.

This is pure propaganda, and Simon and Kirby--both proud Jewish Americans--made no bones about it. Unfortunate stereotypes, particularly of Japanese people, on the covers became more and more extreme as the war progressed. But this was a much different, more fearful time.

I'm taking a less serious take on the covers here, which are presented for their sheer over-the-topness. Enjoy--if that's the right word for it.


Art by Jack Kirby


Art by Jack Kirby


Art by Jack Kirby


Art by Jack Kirby

Art by Al Avison


Art by Al Avison


Art by Syd Shores


Art by Alex Schomburg