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June 2011 DC Comics solicitations

Upcoming items of note from DC in June:

SHOWCASE PRESENTS: THE TRIAL OF THE FLASH TP
Written by CARY BATES and JOEY CAVALIERI
Art by CARMINE INFANTINO, DENNIS JENSEN and others
Cover by CARMINE INFANTINO and KLAUS JANSON
Following the murder of The Flash’s wife by The Reverse-Flash, the two foes are locked in a round-the-world battle that ends in the death of the evildoer. Collected from THE FLASH #323-327, 329-336 and 340-350.
On sale JULY 20 • 592 pg, B&W

DC UNIVERSE: LEGACIES HC
Written by LEN WEIN
Art by SCOTT KOLINS, ANDY KUBERT, JOE KUBERT, GEORGE PEREZ, J.H. WILLIAMS III and others
Cover by ANDY KUBERT and JOE KUBERT
Acclaimed writer Len Wein chronicles the DC Universe’s epic history in this title spanning five generations of heroes, from the dawn of the Mystery Men before World War II through the present day, starring Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, The Justice League of America, The Teen Titans and more. Collecting the ten-issue series!
On sale AUGUST 24 • 336 pg, FC

FIRESTORM: THE NUCLEAR MAN TP
Written by GERRY CONWAY
Art by AL MILGROM, GEORGE PEREZ, KLAUS JANSON and others
Cover by AL MILGROM
For the first time, the stories that introduced Firestorm are collected from issues #1-5 of his 1970s series, plus stories from THE FLASH #289-293. After Ronnie Raymond is tricked into nearly blowing up a nuclear reactor, he and Professor Martin Stein are caught in a nuclear incident. Their personalities merge, forming the being called Firestorm!
On sale JULY 20 • 176 pg, FC

THE NEW TEEN TITANS OMNIBUS VOL. 1 HC
Written by MARV WOLFMAN
Art by GEORGE PEREZ, CURT SWAN, ROMEO TANGHAL and others
Cover by GEORGE PEREZ
In 1980, writer Marv Wolfman and artist George Pérez introduced a timeless team including Robin, Kid Flash, Wonder Girl, Cyborg, Changeling, Raven and Starfire – young heroes with great powers and strong personalities who learned their way in the world through the strength of their friendship and the adventures they shared.
This first omnibus edition collects the team’s debut in DC COMICS PRESENTS #26, plus the first sixteen issues of their smash-hit monthly series, including the first appearances of foes including Deathstroke and Trigon, as well as a confrontation with The Justice League of America.
On sale AUGUST 24 • 464 pg, FC

LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES: THE CURSE DELUXE EDITION HC
Written by PAUL LEVITZ • Art by KEITH GIFFEN, LARRY MAHLSTEDT and others • Cover by KEITH GIFFEN
It’s a new helping of 1980s Legion epics from LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES #297-313 and ANNUAL #2-3, including the return of the seemingly dead Invisible Kid, the showdown between the heroic Lightning Lad and the evil Lightning Lord and more.
On sale AUGUST 31 • 7.0625” x 10.875”, 544 pg, FC

THE STEVE DITKO OMNIBUS VOL. 1 STARRING SHADE THE CHANGING MAN HC
Written by STEVE DITKO, MICHAEL FLEISHER, PAUL LEVITZ and others
Art by STEVE DITKO, WALLACE WOOD and others • Cover by STEVE DITKO
DC collects Steve Ditko’s 1970s comics SHADE, THE CHANGING MAN #1-8 and STALKER #1-4, along with stories from STRANGE ADVENTURES, PLOP, HOUSE OF MYSTERY, HOUSE OF SECRETS, WEIRD WAR TALES, SECRETS OF HAUNTED HOUSE, TALES OF THE UNEXPECTED, TIME WARP, GHOSTS and MYSTERY IN SPACE!
On sale AUGUST 3 • 464 pg, FC

THE SECRET SOCIETY OF SUPER-VILLAINS HC
Written by GERRY CONWAY, PAUL LEVITZ and others • Art by Various
Cover by RICH BUCKLER and JACK ABEL
Sinestro, Gorilla Grodd, Captain Cold and more star in stories from SECRET SOCIETY OF SUPER-VILLAINS #1-15, DC SPECIAL #27, DC SPECIAL SERIES #6, SUPER-TEAM FAMILY #13-14, JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #166-168, CANCELLED COMICS CAVALCADE #2 and THE AMAZING WORLD OF DC COMICS #11.
On sale AUGUST 17 • 208 pg, F

More details on Beach Boys SMiLE release

Here's a new press release from Capitol Records:

THE BEACH BOYS’ LEGENDARY ‘SMiLE’ ALBUM SESSIONS TO BE RELEASED THIS YEAR BY CAPITOL/EMI

Never-Before-Released Original 1966-’67 Album Sessions Compiled for 2CD and Digital Packages and Deluxe, Limited Edition Box Set

Hollywood, California - March 14, 2011 – Between the summer of 1966 and early 1967, The Beach Boys recorded, in several sessions, a bounty of songs and drafts for an album, SMiLE, that was intended to follow the band’s 1966 masterpiece, Pet Sounds. The sessions were ultimately shelved, and The Beach Boys’ SMiLE has never been released. With the full participation of original Beach Boys Al Jardine, Mike Love, and Brian Wilson, Capitol/EMI has collected and compiled the definitive collection, ‘The SMiLE Sessions,’ for worldwide release this year in multiple physical and digital configurations.

The SMiLE Sessions presents an in-depth overview of The Beach Boys' recording sessions for the enigmatic album, which has achieved legendary, mythical status for music fans around the world. The SMiLE Sessions will be released in 2CD and digital album packages and a deluxe, limited edition box set.

Co-produced by Mark Linett and Alan Boyd, all of The SMiLE Sessions’ physical and digital configurations will include an assembled album of core tracks, while the box set delves much deeper into the sessions, adding early song drafts, alternate takes, instrumental and vocals-only mixes, and studio chatter. The SMiLE Sessions invites the listener into the studio to experience the album's creation, with producer, singer and bassist Brian Wilson's vision leading the way as he guides his fellow Beach Boys, singer Mike Love, drummer Dennis Wilson, lead guitarist Carl Wilson, rhythm guitarist Al Jardine, and newest member Bruce Johnston (who'd replaced Brian Wilson in the touring group during 1965), through the legendary sessions.

"I'm thrilled that The Beach Boys' original studio sessions for SMiLE will be released for the first time, after all these years,” says Brian Wilson. “I'm looking forward to this collection of the original recordings and having fans hear the beautiful angelic voices of the boys in a proper studio release.”

“One of my favorite songs from the SMiLE sessions is ‘Wonderful’,” says Mike Love. “The song truly lives up to its title, as do many of the tracks on SMiLE. Cousin Brian was at his creative peak during those sessions. I’m unaware of anything that comes close in pop music.”

“I recently played some of my personal acetates from the SMiLE sessions and they held up really well,” says Al Jardine. “We would come home from touring and go straight into the studio to record. Brian couldn't wait to show us his latest ideas. We were recording SMiLE and Pet Sounds material simultaneously, so the tracks and vocals all have the same great quality. Most of the vocals were done at Columbia Studios in Hollywood, across the street from Western Studios, where most of the tracking was done.”

“For me, it's always been about the way Brian Wilson brilliantly composed and 'voiced' his amazing chord progressions and melodies,” says Bruce Johnston. “SMiLE really made me smile!”

“Personally, I loved it,” the late Carl Wilson said in 1994 of the SMiLE sessions (from the Don Was-directed documentary, Brian Wilson: I Just Wasn’t Made For These Times).

“In my opinion it makes Pet Sounds stink - that's how good it is,” the late Dennis Wilson told a journalist in 1966 of the planned SMiLE album.

What Brian Wilson brought to the table, in his effort to maintain The Beach Boys' position among the top rock 'n' roll bands of the day, was beyond what anyone could have expected. Beginning with “Good Vibrations,” then into SMiLE, Wilson had begun to construct songs in a modular form, crafting individual sections that would later be edited together to form a coherent whole. In several intense bursts of creative energy, Wilson, drawing on the talents of the finest studio musicians in Los Angeles and utilizing the best studio facilities available on any given day, laid down dozens and dozens of musical fragments, all designed to fit together in any number of possible combinations. No one had done this in pop music, and Wilson had just created “Good Vibrations,” The Beach Boys’ best-selling record in a long string of hits, by using this method. His next endeavor would be an album-length version of this unique and luxurious songwriting parlance: SMiLE.

In 1965, Brian Wilson had met an up-and-coming session keyboard player and songwriter, Van Dyke Parks. Noticing Parks' conversational eloquence, Wilson felt that he could help to volley The Beach Boys’ songwriting into the wave of broader-messaged and socially-conscious rock 'n' roll that would come to define the '60s. They were soon collaborating on keynote songs for SMiLE, including “Heroes and Villains,” the band’s follow-up single to “Good Vibrations.” Wilson and Parks would also co-write “Surf's Up,” “Vegetables,” “Cabin Essence,” “Do You Like Worms,” “Wonderful,” “Wind Chimes,” and other bits and pieces of the SMiLE tapestry. Parks also introduced Beat-Pop artist Frank Holmes to create album sleeve art and a booklet interpreting the album’s James Joyce-mode lyrics.

The reason SMiLE did not see a release in early 1967 had more to do with back room business that obscured the creative side of the program than anything else. In late 1966, The Beach Boys formed Brother Records, initially to produce outside artists. Soon, however, The Beach Boys would become embroiled in a court action with Capitol Records with the goal to become the top-selling artists on their self-owned, independent label. The group withheld “Heroes and Villains” and announced they would instead release “Vegetables” – recorded with the band’s own money in April of '67 – on Brother Records. By July of 1967, Capitol Records and The Beach Boys had come to terms, with Capitol agreeing to distribute the band’s Brother Records, and it was agreed that SMiLE was no longer to be the band’s next album.

The SMiLE Sessions’ global release date, complete track lists, and artwork will be unveiled soon.

“Surf's up, aboard a tidal wave, come about hard and join the young and often spring you gave. I heard the word, wonderful thing ... a children's song... ”
– from “Surf's Up” (Brian Wilson/Van Dyke Parks)