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.
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.
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:
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:
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.
“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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
* 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
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.
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.
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.
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.
* 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
New Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull pictures
Here are some fresh pics from the upcoming Indiana Jones flick:
Pop links
"Lost" producers Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse talk about the remainder of season 4, including the two-hour season finale.
AVC: Do you both already know what's going to go on?
DL: Do we know the absolute end of the show? Yeah. We've had that in mind for quite some time. But can we hand you a script for the last episode of the show right now? No, because there are market fluctuations that we are unaware of at this point. Certain characters that you want to write more for sort of wear out their welcome sooner rather than later. New characters are introduced, and pop in unexpected ways. The essential nature of that last episode is more specifically about what the last three or four scenes are, and us working toward those has always remained pretty constant.
-------
Via On My Mind: BBC Radio 2 presents a documentary on Monkee Michael Nesmith.
-------
Via LP Cover Lover: It's cover girl Julie Newmar!
--------
Golden Age Comic Book Stories presents Frank Frazetta illustrations for "Tarzan at the Earth's Core" and "Tarzan and the Castaways".
Part 1, 2, 3, 4
AVC: Do you both already know what's going to go on?
DL: Do we know the absolute end of the show? Yeah. We've had that in mind for quite some time. But can we hand you a script for the last episode of the show right now? No, because there are market fluctuations that we are unaware of at this point. Certain characters that you want to write more for sort of wear out their welcome sooner rather than later. New characters are introduced, and pop in unexpected ways. The essential nature of that last episode is more specifically about what the last three or four scenes are, and us working toward those has always remained pretty constant.
-------
Via On My Mind: BBC Radio 2 presents a documentary on Monkee Michael Nesmith.
-------
Via LP Cover Lover: It's cover girl Julie Newmar!
--------
Golden Age Comic Book Stories presents Frank Frazetta illustrations for "Tarzan at the Earth's Core" and "Tarzan and the Castaways".
Part 1, 2, 3, 4
Marvel Superheroes 'toon finally coming to DVD in U.S.?
Will the 1960s Marvel Superheroes series finally be making it's way to DVD in the U.S.?
This is a step in the right direction: Liberation Entertainment Ltd. has signed a deal with Consumer Products to release Marvel animated programs over here.
Jetix has released a number of Marvel-based 'toons on DVD overseas, including DVD sets compiling the Marvel Superheroes show. Here's a look at what Jetix has released in the U.K.
Here's what the press release on the Liberation/Jetix deal says:
The deal gives Liberation Entertainment exclusive DVD distribution rights for popular Marvel character based animated series including Spider-Man, The Incredible Hulk, X-Men, The Fantastic Four, Silver Surfer and Spider Woman.
Jay Boberg, Liberation Chairman commented: "This deal expands our relationship with Jetix and continues to build Liberation’s ongoing partnership with Marvel. Liberation has already acquired DVD distribution and television sales rights outside the US to Marvel’s new animated Wolverine and the X-Men TV series, and as a result of this deal we will be able to bring the “crown jewels” in Marvel’s animated TV series - including Spider-Man and The Hulk to new audiences, as well as long-time fans. Aggregating these new and classic Super Hero animations will give us leverage in the marketplace to maximize sales.”
Spencer Pollard, Managing Director of Liberation Entertainment commented, “This catalogue represents a huge opportunity for Liberation and I am delighted that we have secured the distribution rights from Jetix Consumer Products. The catalogue has enormous potential – many people grew up with the original Spider-Man series as well as the rest of the catalogue and we believe it is hugely collectable, which will interest both children and adults alike”
This is a step in the right direction: Liberation Entertainment Ltd. has signed a deal with Consumer Products to release Marvel animated programs over here.
Jetix has released a number of Marvel-based 'toons on DVD overseas, including DVD sets compiling the Marvel Superheroes show. Here's a look at what Jetix has released in the U.K.
Here's what the press release on the Liberation/Jetix deal says:
The deal gives Liberation Entertainment exclusive DVD distribution rights for popular Marvel character based animated series including Spider-Man, The Incredible Hulk, X-Men, The Fantastic Four, Silver Surfer and Spider Woman.
Jay Boberg, Liberation Chairman commented: "This deal expands our relationship with Jetix and continues to build Liberation’s ongoing partnership with Marvel. Liberation has already acquired DVD distribution and television sales rights outside the US to Marvel’s new animated Wolverine and the X-Men TV series, and as a result of this deal we will be able to bring the “crown jewels” in Marvel’s animated TV series - including Spider-Man and The Hulk to new audiences, as well as long-time fans. Aggregating these new and classic Super Hero animations will give us leverage in the marketplace to maximize sales.”
Spencer Pollard, Managing Director of Liberation Entertainment commented, “This catalogue represents a huge opportunity for Liberation and I am delighted that we have secured the distribution rights from Jetix Consumer Products. The catalogue has enormous potential – many people grew up with the original Spider-Man series as well as the rest of the catalogue and we believe it is hugely collectable, which will interest both children and adults alike”
Lost is back!
The fourth season of "Lost" resumes tonight!
Read a teaser for tonight's show here. Then, come back to Pop Culture Safari tomorrow for a full run-down on what occurred.
Also see:
Lost Season 4 Episode Guide
The Best Lost Sites on the Web
Lost: What we STILL don't know
Read a teaser for tonight's show here. Then, come back to Pop Culture Safari tomorrow for a full run-down on what occurred.
Also see:
Lost Season 4 Episode Guide
The Best Lost Sites on the Web
Lost: What we STILL don't know
Steranko provides covers for new Hercules comics
Legendary comics artist Jim Steranko is doing two covers for issues of Radical Publishing's Hercules: The Thracian Wars series.
Details:
Radical Publishing is proud to announce that legendary, award winning artist Jim Steranko has provided covers for issue #1 and #2 of Hercules: The Thracian Wars. Steranko also designed the Hercules character and created the logo that is being used on all issues of Radical's *Hercules*. For issue #2 of Hercules: The Thracian Wars, Jim Steranko's cover is a homage to the popular 1968 Incredible Hulk King-Sized Special #1 cover.
In discussing his cover for issue #1 of Hercules: The Thracian Wars, Jim Steranko explains:
"The series' story takes place after the Labors, we felt the traditional action approach would be a cliche. The Radical version is different from all other comics' versions and I felt my cover should underscore that quality. So, instead of casting it in spine-cracking action, I did the opposite: I visualized a silently inert, fearsomely intense Hercules, a Hercules just before the storm, a moment crackling with tension! I deliberately hid his face in shadow--except for a slash of light across one eye that reveals his fierce, tortured, inner emotions."
Hercules: The Thracian Wars #1 is featured in March 2008 Diamond Previews catalogue and will ship in May of this year. The issue will ship with two covers, one by Jim Steranko for cover A and one by Admira Wijaya and Sunny Gho of Imaginary Friends Studios for cover B.
Hercules: The Thracian Wars #2 is featured in April 2008 Diamond Previews catalogue and will ship in June of this year. The issue will ship with three covers, one by Greg Broadmore of WETA Workshop, one by Admira Wijaya and Sunny Gho of Imaginary Friends Studios, and a limited edition cover by Jim Steranko.
Details:
Radical Publishing is proud to announce that legendary, award winning artist Jim Steranko has provided covers for issue #1 and #2 of Hercules: The Thracian Wars. Steranko also designed the Hercules character and created the logo that is being used on all issues of Radical's *Hercules*. For issue #2 of Hercules: The Thracian Wars, Jim Steranko's cover is a homage to the popular 1968 Incredible Hulk King-Sized Special #1 cover.
In discussing his cover for issue #1 of Hercules: The Thracian Wars, Jim Steranko explains:
"The series' story takes place after the Labors, we felt the traditional action approach would be a cliche. The Radical version is different from all other comics' versions and I felt my cover should underscore that quality. So, instead of casting it in spine-cracking action, I did the opposite: I visualized a silently inert, fearsomely intense Hercules, a Hercules just before the storm, a moment crackling with tension! I deliberately hid his face in shadow--except for a slash of light across one eye that reveals his fierce, tortured, inner emotions."
Hercules: The Thracian Wars #1 is featured in March 2008 Diamond Previews catalogue and will ship in May of this year. The issue will ship with two covers, one by Jim Steranko for cover A and one by Admira Wijaya and Sunny Gho of Imaginary Friends Studios for cover B.
Hercules: The Thracian Wars #2 is featured in April 2008 Diamond Previews catalogue and will ship in June of this year. The issue will ship with three covers, one by Greg Broadmore of WETA Workshop, one by Admira Wijaya and Sunny Gho of Imaginary Friends Studios, and a limited edition cover by Jim Steranko.
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