Pop culture roundup: Stan Lee and Jack Kirby; Ira Schnapp; Roy Thomas

A previously unpublished Nick Fury story by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby is set to appear in an upcoming issue of Marvel's current S.H.I.E.L.D. title in celebration of the series 50th anniversary.
S.H.I.E.L.D. #9 answers a question half a century in the making. A mystery that lies at the heart of the origins of S.H.I.E.L.D. – who is the “Man Called D.E.A.T.H.”?! Written by Mark Waid with art by Lee Ferguson – this special, oversized anniversary issue features a never before published S.H.I.E.L.D. sequence penciled by Jack Kirby and inked by Jim Steranko! Plus – Al Ewing brings you a second story featuring the return of Dum Dum Dugan and the birth of the new Howling Commandos! Along with the very first S.H.I.E.L.D. story from 1965 and the original sequence that inspired S.H.I.E.L.D.’s creation.


Also on the horizon from Marvel this September are a S.H.I.E.L.D. by Stan Lee & Jack Kirby: The Complete Collection trade paperback and the S.H.I.E.L.D.: Complete Collection Omnibus.

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Speaking of Stan: The 92-year-old comics creator is collaborating with Colleen Doran (creator of the independent sci-fi series "A Distant Soil") on a graphic novel format autobiography. Writer Peter David is also helping. The book is set for October release.

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Comics historian Arlen Schumer pays tribute to legendary DC Comics designer/letterer Irwin Schnapp.
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See more than 100 examples of J.R.R. Tolkien's Middle Earth-inspired art.

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Roy Thomas tells his local paper about creating Ultron, the Vision and his take on the new Avengers movie.
Thomas has enjoyed the recent Marvel character movies and gives “Age of Ultron” a thumbs-up review. It’s slightly less accessible than the first Avengers movie because it has so many character, he said, but “I always love a good movie, and this is one.”

Read more here: http://www.thestate.com/entertainment/celebrities/article19750173.html#storylink=cpy

Fab Friday: Vintage Beatles pics

See more Beatles posts at the Glass Onion Beatles Journal!










Pop artifact: 1970s Mego Batmobile in box!



New comics April 29, 2015: Dick Tracy; Alex Raymond; Avengers Epic Collection; Fantastic Four Omnibus; Mad's Greatest Writers, more!

Click the links to order discounted items from Amazon.


Complete Chester Gould's Dick Tracy Volume 18
The 1950s just about came to a close in Volume Eighteen as Chester Gould introduces one character after another whose crimes start off as relatively petty, but who end up trapped in larger and more deadly conspiracies. New characters include the gamecock queen Miss Egghead, Cuban secret serviceman Wunbrow, the tragic Headache, and bizarre Popsie and her mother. Throw in a wacko named Pantsy, a cross-country chase after a million dollars of hidden heist loot, Tracy left for dead on a deserted island, a couple more million in slot machine coins, and a throwback to the 1940s in the Mole-lookalike named Rhodent, and it's clear that Chester Gould is definitely not resting on his laurels. Included are all strips from December 15, 1957 through July 11, 1959.


Secret Agent X-9: By Dashiell Hammett and Alex Raymond
When Secret Agent X-9 premiered in January 1934, King Features could proudly boast that its new adventure strip was written by the world's most famous mystery writer - Dashiell Hammett, the man who virtually invented the hard-boiled detective in such novels as The Maltese Falcon, The Thin Man, and Red Harvest. The artist chosen was less well-known - at this point, Alex Raymond was merely an uncredited assistant on Tim Tyler's Luck and the humor strip Blondie - but 1934 was the turning point in Raymond's career. From that cold January forward, Alex Raymond would become as famous as Hammett, thanks to his Sunday comics double-header, Flash Gordon and Jungle Jim. The Secret Agent X-9 strip was a dailies-only serial. This volume collects the complete Hammett/Raymond strips, plus the subsequent stories by Raymond and Leslie Charteris, famous himself for "The Saint" novels, as well as the Charteris stories drawn by Charles Flanders. Included are strips from January 22, 1934 through October 31, 1936.


Avengers Epic Collection: Behold… the Vision
Prepare yourself for one of the most stellar creative periods in Avengers history! Roy Thomas, John Buscema, Gene Colan and Sal Buscema raise Earth's Mightiest Heroes to unheard-of heights with the debut of the Vision, an all-out battle with Ultron, and the introduction of Yellowjacket and an all-new Goliath! Then, Kang the Conqueror drops in from the 41st century, pitting our heroes against the Squadron Sinister in a cosmic chess match! As if one set of adversaries from across time wasn't enough, the Avengers must also battle the Captain America, Sub-Mariner and Human Torch of 1941! Also featuring the Black Panther vs. the Sons of the Serpent, the return of Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch, and barbarian Arkon the Magnificent!
COLLECTING: Vol . 4 ; Avengers (1963) 57-76, Marvel Super -Heroe s (1967) 17

Under Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, FANTASTIC FOUR earned the tagline "The World's Greatest Comic Magazine." And there's no doubting it when you read the adventures they have in store for you in their third Omnibus collection! It's one history-making hit after another -the first appearances of the Kree, Annihilus and "Him" (a.k.a. Adam Warlock); team-ups with the Inhumans and Silver Surfer; and the birth of Franklin Richards! Add in classic enemies Dr. Doom, the Mole Man and Galactus - and Crystal's first outing as a member of the FF.
COLLECTING: Fantastic Four (1961) 61-93, Annual (1963) 5-7, Not Brand Echh (1967) 5-7

The Avengers assemble again in Marvel Studios' follow-up to the record-breaking Marvel's The Avengers. Robert Downey Jr., Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson and Jeremy Renner reprise their roles as world-saving heroes in an adventure like no other. In this new collectible volume, go around the world with the Avengers in page after page of stunning concept art, production design, visual effects, revealing set photography, and commentary from cast and crew, including writer/director Joss Whedon and producer Kevin Feige. Marvel's Avengers: Age of Ultron takes Marvel's Cinematic Universe to new heights in yet another silver-screen triumph.

For over fifty years Frank Jacobs has been one of MAD’s premiere writers, working with virtually every important MAD artist including Al Jaffee, Jack Davis, Mort Drucker, Sergio Aragones, and Paul Coker. He has been responsible for almost all of MAD’s humorous verse and song parodies and appears in more than 300 issues with over 575 credits to his name, more than any other writer or artist.
In the first installment of our new MAD’s Greatest Writers series, Frank Jacobs personally selects highlights from his long and influential career. The book also includes an exclusive interview with Jacobs conducted by long-time MAD editor Nick Meglin, discussing the art of parodying verse, as well as a foreword by the multi-award winning musician, “Weird Al” Yankovic.