Watch/Listen: Stan Lee speech in animated Black Panther show

Stan's final performance in the onscreen Marvel Universe.


Coming Up: James Warren, Empire Of Monsters - The Man Behind Creepy, Vampirella and Famous Monsters


Out March 19. Pre-order from Amazon now.

Details:

This heavily illustrated biography features eye-opening ― often outrageous ―anecdotes about Warren, a larger-than-life figure whose ability as a publisher, promoter, and provocateur make him a fascinating figure. In addition to Forrest J. Ackerman’s Famous Monsters of Filmland, he published Help!, a magazine created by MAD’s Harvey Kurtzman, which featured early work by John Cleese, Gloria Steinem, Terry Gilliam, Robert Crumb, and Diane Arbus; Creepy and Eerie magazines, with covers by painter Frank Frazetta and comics art by Steve Ditko, Wallace Wood, Bernie Wrightson, Al Williamson, and many others. His most famous co-creation, the character Vampirella, debuted in her own magazine in 1969, and continues to be published today.


Time Capsule: Ella Fitzgerald on "Hollywood Palace," Jan. 11, 1969



Pop Culture Roundup: Stan Lee; Big Jim; Tolkien

ITEM! Stan "The Man" Lee raps with Marvelmaniacs at James Madison University, 1982.


ITEM! (Via Plaid Stallions) Big Jim playsets. I owned that Kung-Fu studio!


ITEM! An extensive display of memorabilia, manuscripts and artwork by J.R.R. Tolkien is the subject of a new exhibit in New York.



Coming Up: Ringo Starr's "Bad Boy" album out Jan. 25 in new vinyl edition


Ringo's 1978 album "Bad Boy" will be out in a new vinyl edition Jan. 25 from Friday Music. You can pre-order it now from Amazon.

Details from Friday Music (I doubt most folks agree that this is one of Ringo's finest albums, nor one of the finer LPs of 1978):

Often considered one of his finest works since the classic "Ringo" album from 1973, "Bad Boy" would become one of the Ringo Starr’s most loved ventures and one of the finer rock recordings of 1978. Featuring the hit single "Heart On My Sleeve", "Bad Boy" would be the centerpiece of his critically acclaimed television special "Ringo."

Whenever the legendary Ringo Starr makes a record, there’s always a little help from his superstar friends like producers Vini Poncia and arrangers James Newton Howard, who all contributed their studio expertise into making "Bad Boy" the stellar work that it is.

More Ringo classics like "Who Needs A Heart" kicks the Lp into high gear, followed up by his remake of the Naomi Neville hit "Lipstick Traces (on A Cigarette)" and Sir Richard Starkey's interpretation of The Supremes' smash "Where Did Our Love Go"...all truly making this a splendid time for all!

Friday Music is very pleased to announce the first time 180 Gram Translucent Blue & Black Swirl audiophile vinyl release of the Ringo Starr classic "Bad Boy." Mastered impeccably by Joe Reagoso at Friday Music Studios and Capitol Records in Hollywood, CA and pressed at R.T.I., for a super limited time, this super fine Ringo Starr Lp will also be housed in a striking gatefold cover which also includes rare photos and lyrics from the inner sleeve artwork, plus a 12" x 12" poster insert to enhance your Ringo Starr listening hours. 


Video: Happy Birthday, Tintin!


Coming Up: Swamp Monsters (Chilling Archives of Horror Comics)


Out April 16. Pre-order from Amazon now.

Details:

Something's out there in the mad, murky depths of the fear-filled, sinister swamp...  some... swamp... THING is coming for you! And it's out for mud!

The terror team that brought you Zombies, Return of the Zombies, and the petrifyingly popular, hit series, Haunted Horror, take you on an excursion of evil into the dankest, lagooniest corners of your nightmares, and dredge up over 240 pages of icky, drippy, slimy, grimy beasts from the grungy bottom of the Pre-Code comics' bog. See the art of these full color classic comics  by mire monster masters Bob Powell, Lou Cameron, Hy Fleishman, Lin Streeter, the Iger Shop, and marshy more! Swamp Monsters Includes a fascinating introduction by comics legend, the acclaimed artist of Swamp Thing, "Swampy" Stephen Bissette!



New action figure: Marvel Legends six-arm Spider-Man

When two arms aren't enough.



They made these: Marvel Comics tea pots



Coming Up: Justice League of America - The Bronze Age Omnibus Vol. 3


Out May 28. Pre-order from Amazon now.

Details:

One of the greatest eras in the history of the Justice League of America is collected here in Justice League of America: The Bronze Age Omnibus Vol. 3. These cosmic tales turned the Justice League of America into the legends of the DC Universe that they are today, and are gathered in this expansive collection.

The beginning of the 1970s saw the heroes of the JLA trading in their secret New England cave hideout for the Earth-orbiting Satellite HQ. Plus, the League started expanding its lineup to include even more characters, such as the Elongated Man and the Red Tornado! Throw in team-ups with the classic Justice Society of America and the returned Seven Soldiers of Victory, and it's easy to see why these stories became fan-favorite epics.

Collects Justice League of America #147-181.


Cool Stuff: DC Comics "Hot Properties" sets

Some of the hottest real estate in the DC Comics universe: The Batcave, Wayne Manor and Daily Planet. More info.


New Comics Day: Ms. Marvel Epic Collection; Anti-War Comics; Dick Tracy; Philip K. Dick bio

Our picks this week. Click the links to order discounted items from Amazon.

The year was 1977 and Marvel was set to debut its latest and greatest new super heroine. NASA Security Chief Carol Danvers' life had long been intertwined with the alien Kree's interventions on Earth. But now it was time for this new woman in a new era to take on a new persona all her own-Ms. Marvel! As editor of Woman magazine, Danvers must contend with the Marvel Universe's biggest blowhard, J. Jonah Jameson, while discovering her identity and origins as a super hero. Chris Claremont, continuing the series begun by Gerry Conway, brings to bear all the craft and character development of his renown X-Men run, while Jim Mooney, John Buscema and John Byrne supply some of the most stunning art of the era.
COLLECTING: MS. MARVEL (1977) 1-14, MARVEL TEAM-UP (1972) 61-62 AND DEFENDERS (1972) 57

An action-oriented medium, comics have long used wars--real and fictional--as narrative fodder, often with a strong message attached. Buried in rare comics published during the Cold War were powerful war, fantasy, and sci-fi stories that strongly condemned war and the bomb, boldly calling for peace.
While a few comics of the time portrayed the horrors of war, the more blatant anti-war stories were largely unappreciated or so cloaked in metaphor that they went unnoticed by contemporary audiences. Today, we can more fully appreciate the efforts of the fine writers and cartoonists who were crying out for peace in their--and our--time. Journey back with us now, and discover the secret, surprising history of anti-war comics with this marvelously curated collection.

Dick Tracy closes out the 1960s by moonlighting-literally! The master sleuth takes a part-time second job as Head of Security and Law Enforcement for Diet Smith's operations based on the moon. Soon Tracy learns that an international crime syndicate, the Apparatus, has infiltrated Smith's organization on the lunar surface.
Two other major characters are also introduced. First is cartoonist Vera Alldid, who comes looking for his step-uncle B.O. Plenty and instead finds himself enamored with B.O. and Gravel Gertie's daughter Sparkle. The second is Groovy Grove, fresh from prison after serving twelve years for a crime he didn't commit. All this and more in these classic Chester Gould comic strips, from April 3, 1969 to December 23, 1970.


One of the greatest writers in science fiction history, Philip K. Dick is mostly remembered for such works as Blade Runner, Minority Report, and Total Recall. His dark, fascinating work centered on alternate universes and shifting realities in worlds often governed by monopolistic corporations and authoritarian governments. His own life story seems a tussle with reality, cycling through five marriages and becoming increasingly disjointed with fits of paranoia and hallucinations fueled by abuse of drugs meant to stabilize him. His dramatic story is presented unvarnished in this biography.

Pop Artifact: Star Wars movie program



Coming Up: Flamin' Groovies "Gonna Rock Tonight: Complete Recordings 1969-1971"


Out March 1 from Grapefruit.

Details:

Irrespective of musical direction, sales figures or personnel changes, The Flamin' Groovies have always had greatness attached to their name. Cyril Jordan's mid-Seventies revamp of the band was certainly a huge influence on entire generations of skinny-tied power poppers, but the Groovies took their first tentative steps on the long and winding road to cult stardom back in the late Sixties, when lead singer, original band leader and rock'n'roll aficionado Roy Loney battled for the upper hand with young pup and Beatles obsessive Jordan. After the tentative, privately-issued 10" mini-album debut Sneakers, the Groovies made the transition from San Francisco also-rans to genuine contenders with a trio of peerless albums - Supersnazz, Flamingo and the particularly magnificent Teenage Head - for major labels (Columbia's Epic imprint and Buddah subsidiary Kama Sutra). Bolstered by sundry outtakes, alternative versions and single mixes, those three albums now appear under one roof for the first time with Gonna Rock Tonite!, a complete anthology of the band's studio work during the pivotal 1969-71 timeframe: halcyon days that ended in late 1971 when Loney abruptly quit the group he'd formed just a few short years earlier. Bursting with creative tension, wilful diversity and absurdist wit, Gonna Rock Tonite! Climaxes with the classic album Teenage Head, a brazen attempt to out-Stone the Stones that saw one critic describe it at the time of it's mid-1971 appearance as "close to being the best hard rock album ever released by an American group". The definitive issue of these definitive recordings, Gonna Rock Tonite! #is a 3-CD set taken from the masters and housed in a striking clamshell box. It includes a 20-page booklet that features a new 7,500 word essay on the band.


Disc: 1

  1. Love Have Mercy
  2. The Girl Can't Help It
  3. Laurie Did It
  4. A Part from That
  5. Rockin' Pneumonia and the Boogie Woogie Flu
  6. The First One's Free
  7. Pagan Rachel
  8. Somethin' Else/Pistol Packin' Mama
  9. Brushfire
  10. Bam Balam
  11. Around the Corner
  12. Rockin' Pneumonia and the Boogie Woogie Flu (Single Version)
  13. The First One's Free (Single Version)
  14. Somethin' Else (Single Version)
  15. Laurie Did It (Single Version)

Disc: 2

  1. Gonna Rock Tonite
  2. Comin' After You
  3. Headin' for the Texas Border
  4. Sweet Roll Me on Down
  5. Keep a Knockin'
  6. Second Cousin
  7. Childhood's End
  8. Jailbait
  9. She's Falling Apart
  10. Road House
  11. Shakin' All Over
  12. That'll Be the Day
  13. Louie Louie
  14. My Girl Josephine
  15. Around and Around
  16. Rockin' Pneumonia and the Boogie Woogie Flu
  17. Going Out

Disc: 3

  1. High Flyin' Baby
  2. City Lights
  3. Have You Seen My Baby?
  4. Yesterday's Numbers
  5. Teenage Head
  6. 32-20
  7. Evil Hearted Ada
  8. Doctor Boogie
  9. Whisky Woman
  10. Scratch My Back
  11. Carol
  12. Rumble
  13. Somethin' Else
  14. Walking the Dog
  15. Going Out (Version 2)

Pop Pic: Orson Wells


See three new "Captain Marvel" movie posters

Best Comics Covers of the Week

Review: "American Comic Book Chronicles: The 1990s"


Leafing through the pages of this latest hardcover entry in Tomorrow Publishing's comprehensive history of American comics, I kept thinking, "Man, I bought a lot of crappy comics in the 1990s."

Being mainly a reader of superhero titles, though, so, apparently, did everyone during that decade. The covers on display here made me wince at recollections of vacuous storylines; dumb characters;  exploitative crossovers; chromium-"enhanced" covers, and ugly, stiff, over-rendered artwork full of improbably grotesque and/or sexist anatomy. This stuff is so tacky it's a wonder we don't refer to this as the Spencer's Gifts Era of comics. Co-authors Jason Sacks and Keith Dallas deserve hazard pay for taking on this era, which they do with admirable objectivity.

Reading through the book, one sees that the 90s, comic book-wise, weren't all bad. Just mostly so. There was some good, interesting stuff going on -  "Batman: The Animated Series," "Bone" by Jeff Smith; "Madman," by Michael Allred; "Astro City" by Kurt Busiek; "Sandman Mystery Theater" by Matt Wagner; "Death" by Neil Gaiman; "Big Numbers" by Alan Moore and Bill Sienkiewicz - but also so much bad. The early Image Comics, Wizard magazine, the Spider-Man clone "saga," "Heroes Reborn," and stunt storytelling such as the death of Superman and Batman's broken back are all recounted here in cringe-inducing detail, with pictures that make it all even more embarrassingly painful.

Reading along, I realized that the business travails of the comics industry during this time stand out as far more interesting in my memory than any of the dreck I read from Image or the Big Two. This was the time of Marvel's bankruptcy, rampant speculation and manufactured "collectables." We see how the outsize egos and immaturity of people in the business, such as Image's cocksure founders, led to irresponsible practices that actually put comic book shops out of business.

I believe, and hope, that comics publishers and creators learned a lot during the 1990s. As a reader and fan, I learned quite a bit about what I value in comics (character, storytelling and imagination as opposed to "collectability," gloss and hype) that's me a brighter consumer more adept at seeking out and finding work of high quality. And, lest we forget, this excellent but painful history of American comics' ugliest era is recounted here to help us all remember.