New and upcoming action figures Feb. 22, 2007

Complete List of Marvel Legends Action Figures
Complete List of DC Direct Action Figures

Here's a look at action figures available via your local comics shop or via the TIP!-supporting links below:

DC Direct Action Figures

Alex Ross JLA series 5 action figures
--Brainiac
--Lex Luthor
--Green Arrow
--Martian Manhunter
--Red Tornado
--Translucent Martian Manhunter

Batman Through the Ages
--Box Set

Batman/Superman Series 4
--Batzarro
--Bizarro
--Superwoman
--Batwoman
--Batman Beyond
--Kryptonite Batman

DC Direct Reactivated Action Figures
--Batman
--Wonder Woman
--Lobo
--Superman

DC 13-inch Figures
Deluxe Edition 13-inch Green Lantern
Deluxe Edition 13-inch Lex Luthor
Deluxe Edition 13-inch Two-Face
Deluxe Edition 13-inch Superman
Deluxe Edition 13-inch Shazam
Deluxe Edition 13-inch Flash

Elseworlds Action Figures Series 2
--Red Son Batman
--Red Son President Superman
--Kingdom Come Jade
--Kingdom Come Spectre and Norman McKay
--Gotham By Gaslight Batman

Elseworlds Action Figures Series 3
--Supergirl
--Batgirl
--Nightstar
--Kingdom Come Aquaman
--Red Son Green Lantern

First Appearance Series 4
--Blue Beetle translucent
--Blue Beetle
--Brave New World Atom
--Warlord
--Brave New World Martian Manhunter
--Brave New World Aquaman

Infinite Crisis Action Figures Series 1
--Powergirl
--Omac
--Mongul
--Earth Prime Superboy
--Alexander Luthor

JSA Action Figures
--Mr. Terrific
--Hawkgirl
--Dr. Midnite
--Hourman
--Golden Age Atom 2-pack

Hanna Barbera Series 2 Action Figures
--Captain Caveman
--Fred Flintstone and Dino
--Johnny Quest
--Magilla Gorilla
--Penelope Pitstop and Muttley
--Tom and Jerry
--Yogi Bear
--Flintstones at the Drive-In

Hanna Barbera Series 3 Action Figures
--Fred Flintstone Quittin' Time
--Twinkle Toes Fred Flintstone
--Great Grape Ape
--Huckleberry Hound
--The Jetsons
--Secret Squirrel
--Snagglepuss

McFarlane Lost series 2 action figures
--Crash site box set
--Sawyer
--Jin
--Sayid
--Desmond
--Sun
--Mr. Eko

Marvel Figure Factory Sets
--Angel
--Beast
--Black Costume Spider-Man
--Deadpool
--Invisible Woman
--Silver Surfer

Marvel Legends Action Figures

Hasbro Marvel Legends Figures Series 1
--Emma Frost
--Ultimate Iron Man
--Movie Beast
--Planet Hulk
--Banshee
--Hercules

Hasbro Marvel Legends Action Figures Series 2
--Wolverine
--She-Hulk
--Yellow Jacket
--Quick Silver
--Lord Asgard Thor
--Magneto Xorn
--X3 Jean Grey
--First Appearance Storm

Marvel Legends Icons 13-inch Action Figures Series 3 Action Figures
--Spider-Man
--Spider-Man Variant
--Beast
--Beast Variant

Hasbro Marvel Legends Icons 13-inch Series 1 Action Figures
--Wolverine
--Thor

Marvel Legends Masterworks Sets
--Spider-Man Vs. Green Goblin
--Fantastic Four Vs. Mole Man
--Hulk Vs. The Thing
--Galactus Vs. Everybody

Marvel Select Figures

Best of Marvel Select Figures
--Grey Hulk
--Thanos
--Ultimate Spider-Man
--Green Goblin
--Mephisto

NECA 7-inch John Lennon action figures
--Color
--Black and white

NECA Grindhouse action figures--Quentin Tarantino as soldier
--Dakota
--Cherry

Pop Artifacts! Marvel Flyers



Vintage Aurora models ad

Pop Culture Roundup Feb. 21, 2007

Via BoingBoing: A Max Fleischer cartoon about the 1939 World's Fair.

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Fred Hembeck helps Neato Coolville celebrate Stretch Monster Week.

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New from Rhino Handmade, The Complete Warner Bros. Buck Owens, featuring the recordings the country star made after the death of brilliant Buckaroos guitarist Don Rich.

Video: The Music of Lennon and McCartney

Here's a clip from the 1965 British TV special that really oughtta be on legit DVD.

More Spider-Man 3 pictures









Tonight on Lost preview

Go here for a slightly spoilerish teaser about tonight's episode.

Also see:
The "Lost" Season 3 Episode Guide.
The Best "Lost" Sites on the Web.


And come back here tomorrow for a full roundup of clues and observations from tonight's show.

Comics shipping Feb. 21, 2007

See complete lists:
DC Archives
DC Showcase
DC Trade Paperbacks
Marvel Masterworks
Marvel Essentials
Marvel Trade Paperbacks
Upcoming Trade Paperbacks - Graphic Novels


Comics shipping Feb. 21, 2007

DARK HORSE COMICS

JAN040039 BERSERK VOL 3 TP (MR) $13.95 $11.16 at Amazon
JUL050052 BERSERK VOL 9 TP (MR) $13.95 $11.58 at Amazon.
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DEC060016 CRIMINAL MACABRE TWO RED EYES #3 (OF 4) $2.99
STAR20336 HELLSING VOL 1 TP $13.95 $11.58 at Amazon.
JUN040053 HELLSING VOL 4 TP $13.95 $11.58 at Amazon.
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NOV060184 CATWOMAN THE REPLACEMENTS TP $14.99 $10.19 at Amazon.
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MAY050299 PREACHER VOL 4 ANCIENT HISTORY TP NEW EDITION (MR) $14.99 $10.19 at Amazon.
MAY060224 PROMETHEA BOOK FIVE TP $14.99 $10.19 at Amazon.
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DEC060238 SPIRIT #3 $2.99
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NOV060248 TEEN TITANS TITANS AROUND THE WORLD TP $14.99 $10.64 at Amazon.
DEC060308 TESTAMENT #15 (MR) $2.99
DEC060288 TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE #4 (MR) $2.99
OCT060231 WONDER WOMAN #4 (RES) $2.99

IMAGE COMICS

MAY061721 ART OF GREG CAPULLO HC $29.95
NOV061857 BRIT VOL 1 TP OLD SOLDIER $17.99 $12.23 at Amazon.
DEC061880 ELEPHANTMEN #7 $2.99
JUL061707 JACK STAFF #13 $3.50
NOV061874 NEGATIVE BURN #9 (MR) $5.99
DEC061886 NIGHTLY NEWS #4 (OF 6) $2.99
DEC061887 NOBLE CAUSES #27 $3.50
DEC061914 REVVED GN $9.99
OCT061882 STRANGE GIRL #14 $3.50
DEC061866 STRONGARM #1 $2.99
NOV061884 TRUE STORY SWEAR TO GOD IMAGE ED #4 $2.99
OCT061885 WALKING DEAD #35 (MR) $2.99
DEC061901 WITCHBLADE TAKERU MANGA GONZO CVR C #1 $2.99
DEC061900 WITCHBLADE TAKERU MANGA GOSSETT CVR B #1 $2.99
DEC061899 WITCHBLADE TAKERU SUMITA CVR A #1 $2.99

MARVEL COMICS

SEP062082 AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #538 CW $2.99
DEC068077 AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 2ND PTG GARNEY VAR #537 CW $2.99
NOV068214 ANITA BLAKE VH GUILTY PLEASURES 2ND PTG #3 (OF 12) $2.99
NOV068213 ANITA BLAKE VH GUILTY PLEASURES 3RD PTG #1 (OF 12) $2.99
DEC062341 CABLE DEADPOOL #37 $2.99
SEP062101 CIVIL WAR #7 (OF 7) $2.99
SEP062102 CIVIL WAR TURNER VAR #7 (OF 7) $2.99
DEC062283 DAILY BUGLE MARCH NEWSPAPER (BUNDLE OF 50) PI
DEC062353 HELLSTORM SON OF SATAN #5 (OF 5) (MR) $3.99
NOV062299 IMMORTAL IRON FIST #3 $2.99
DEC062323 LEGION OF MONSTERS WEREWOLF BY NIGHT #1 $2.99
DEC062325 MARVEL ADVENTURES AVENGERS #10 $2.99
DEC062390 MARVEL ADVENTURES FLIP MAGAZINE #22 $4.99
DEC062391 MARVEL HEROES FLIP MAGAZINE #22 $4.99
NOV062309 NEW AVENGERS ILLUMINATI #2 (OF 5) $2.99
SEP062161 POWERS #23 (MR) $2.95
DEC062332 PUNISHER WAR JOURNAL #4 $2.99
DEC068052 PUNISHER WAR JOURNAL 2ND PTG OLIVETTI VAR #2 CW (PP #751) $2.99
DEC062333 SHE-HULK 2 #16 $2.99
DEC062379 SHE-HULK VOL 4 LAWS OF ATTRACTION TP $19.99 $13.59 at Amazon.
DEC062334 SILENT WAR #2 (OF 6) $2.99
DEC062294 SPIDER-MAN FAMILY #1 $4.99
DEC062287 ULTIMATE FANTASTIC FOUR #39 $2.99
DEC062384 UNIVERSE X VOL 2 TP NEW PTG $29.99 $19.79 at Amazon.
DEC062382 X-FACTOR VISIONARIES PETER DAVID VOL 2 TP $15.99 $10.87 at Amazon.
DEC062351 X-MEN FIRST CLASS #6 (OF 8) $2.99

WIZARD ENTERTAINMENT

DEC063199 WIZARD ANIME INSIDER BLEACH CVR #42 (NOTE PRICE) $4.99

COMICS

NOV063632 A G SUPER EROTIC ANTHOLOGY #51 (A) $4.99
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NOV063641 ANTIQUE GIFT SHOP VOL 4 GN $10.95
DEC063309 ARCHIE & FRIENDS #107 $2.25
STAR14530 BAD ART COLLECTION $1.95
OCT063326 BATTLESTAR GALACTICA #6 $2.99
OCT063329 BATTLESTAR GALACTICA CYLON SILVER FOIL CVR #6 PI
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JUN063364 BUZZBOY SIDEKICKS RULE #2 $2.99
STAR16060 CAT WITH REALLY BIG HEAD ONE OTHER STORY THAT ISNT AS GOOD $2.95
OCT063346 CLASSIC BATTLESTAR GALACTICA #4 $3.50
NOV063636 COMIC VOL 2 GN $10.95
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JUL063566 GRIMM FAIRY TALES #11 (MR) $2.99
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DEC063324 TALES FROM RIVERDALE DIGEST #18 $2.49
DEC063644 TRANSFORMERS PRIME DIRECTIVE MOVIE PREQUEL #1 $3.99
DEC063648 TRANSFORMERS PRIME DIRECTIVE MOVIE PREQUEL #1 B&W VAR $3.99
DEC063968 WALK-IN #3 $2.99
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MAGAZINES

JAN074732 GAME TRADE MAGAZINE #85 PI
DEC064032 NEWTYPE ENG ED MAR 2007 $12.98

RELATED MERCHANDISE

JAN070002 MARVEL PREVIEWS MARCH 2007 EXTRAS PI
DEC063948 MODERN MASTERS VOL 11 CHARLES VESS SC $14.95
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JAN070003 PREVIEWS VOL XVII CONSUMER ORDER FORM #3 PI
JAN070004 PREVIEWS VOL XVII CONSUMER ORDER FORM EXTRAS #3 PI
JAN070008 PREVIEWS VOL XVII RETAILER ORDER FORM EXTRAS #3 PI

Pop Artifact! Marvel Comics "superhero club" buttons

Vintage Aurora models ad

Pop Culture Roundup Feb. 20, 2007

Datajunkie scored a buncha cool "Man from U.N.C.L.E." paperbacks.

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Listen: The BBC presents a audio documentary on The Small Faces, hosted by Billy Bragg.

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Fred Hembeck pays tribute to late comics artist Bob Oksner.

Cartoon Modern: Style and Design in 1950s Animation

Out now from Chronicle Books, this tome looks at a very hip period of American animation. There's also a blog dedicated to the topic.

Info:

Between the classic films of Walt Disney in the 1940s and the televised cartoon revolution of the 1960s was a critical period in the history of animation. Amid Amidi, of the influential Animation Blast magazine and CartoonBrew blog, charts the evolution of the modern style in animation, which largely discarded the "lifelike" aesthetic for a more graphic and often abstract approach. Abundantly found in commercials, industrial and educational films, fair and expo infotainment, and more, this quickly popular cartoon modernism shared much with the painting and graphic design movements of the era. Showcasing hundreds of rare and forgotten sketches, model boards, cels, and film stills, Cartoon Modern is a thoroughly researched, eye-popping, and delightful account of a vital decade of animation design.

The book is available for $26.40 from Amazon.

DVD new releases Feb. 20, 2007

The Prestige

Babel (Widescreen Edition)

Flushed Away (Widescreen Edition)

Alias Smith & Jones - Season One

Gandhi (25th Anniversary Collector's Edition)

Voyage to the Bottom of Sea - Season 2, Volume 2

Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children (Limited Edition Collector's Set)

Family Ties - The Complete First Season

Penn & Teller - Bullsh*t - The Complete Fourth Season

Keeping Mum

49th Parallel - Criterion Collection

The Alice Faye Collection (That Night in Rio / Lillian Russell / On the Avenue / The Gang's All Here)

When a Woman Ascends the Stairs: Criterion Collection

A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints

What's New, Scooby-Doo? - The Complete First Season

CD new releases Feb. 20, 2007

We All Love Ennio Morricone by Various Artists

Charlie Louvin by Charlie Louvin

1945-1950 by The Five Blind Boys of Mississippi

Can Cladders by The High Llamas

Rome: Music From the HBO Series by Jeff Beal

To Go Home by M Ward

High Coinage: Songwriter Collection 1960-1976 by Jackie Deshannon

John B. Sebastian by John Sebastian

The Four of Us by John Sebastian

Tarzana Kid by John Sebastian

Welcome Back by John Sebastian

Out of the Blue by Electric Light Orchestra

Out of the Blue: 30th Anniversary Edition (W/Book) by Electric Light Orchestra

Third by Soft Machine

Six by Soft Machine

Roots of by Sly & Robbie

Controller by Jonny Greenwood

All Tomorrows Parties - Nico Live by Nico

Every Good Boy Deserves Favour by Moody Blues

Seventh Sojourn by Moody Blues

Tipplers Tales by Fairport Convention

Bonny Bunch of Roses by Fairport Convention

More Upcoming CDs

Pop Artifact! Thor superhero club button

Vintage Aurora models ad

Pop Culture Roundup Feb. 19, 2007

The great comics artist Bob Oksner has passed away. Comics historian/writer Mark Evainer has more.]

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Cartoonist Jay Stephens has info about and pics from his upcoming animated series, "The Secret Saturdays," airing on the Cartoon Network next season. Looks kinda fun.

Jay Stephens has created a new comedy/action series, in which Doc, Drew and Zak Saturday are a family of world-saving adventure scientists called The Secret Saturdays. Living in a hidden base, they are part of a network of scientists who protect against all the hidden and terrifying things in this world. To The Saturdays, ordinary folktales aren’t just legends -- they are real-life mysteries and adventures. Traveling from the hot Gobi Desert to the icy Marianas Trench, they explore ancient temples and bottomless caves and tangle with twisted villains like the masked madman V.V. Argost and his half-human/half-giant spider.



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Datajunkie has a nice selection of Aurora model ads. We'll be posting some this week here, too.

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The two-thirds of The Jam who aren't Paul Weller are reuniting.

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You can see preview pics from episode 17 of "Heroes" here.

Best "Heroes" Sites.

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It's Stretch Monster Week at Neato Coolville!

Lost March 7 episode preview

Scroll over hidden text for slight spoilers:

"Enter 77" - Locke, Sayid and Kate investigate a strange structure and its mysterious inhabitant. Meanwhile, Sawyer competes in a ping-pong competition to get back his belongings, on "Lost," WEDNESDAY, MARCH 7 (10:00-11:00 p.m., ET), on the ABC Television Network.

"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, Dominic Monaghan as Charlie and Terry O'Quinn as Locke.

Guest starring are Mira Furlan as Danielle Rousseau, Rodrigo Santoro as Paulo, Kiele Sanchez as Nikki, April Grace as Ms. Klugh, Andrew Divoff as Mikhail Bakunin, Francois Chau as Dr. Marvin Candle, Shaun Toub as Sami, Anne Bedian as Amira, Taiarii Marshall as waiter and Eyad Elbitar as Arabic man.

"Enter 77" was written by Carlton Cuse & Damon Lindelof and directed by Stephen Williams.


See the Best "Lost" Sites on the Web.

Pop Artifact! Captain Marvel buzz bomb toy

Vintage DC Comics house ad

Pop Culture Roundup Feb. 16, 2007

Fred Hembeck corners Superman about a rather disturbing episode from the first season of the Man of Steel's 1950s TV show.

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Booksteve presents an anti-drug public service ad drawn by the great Frank Frazetta.

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"Lost" continues to suffer in the ratings, despite this week's episode being by far the best of the season.

Wednesday's episode of the Emmy-winning drama pulled in the smallest audience for a new episode in its history, a relatively scant 12.8 million viewers when compared with its 20 million-strong heyday.

Despite ABC's best efforts to protect Lost from the ravages of American Idol and the encroaching threat of Criminal Minds by moving it to 10 p.m., the flashback-happy show instead lost about 1.7 million of those who tuned in for Lost's big comeback last week after a three-month hiatus.


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Aaron Eckhart will star as Harvey Dent (the Gotham City district attorney who becomes Batvillain Two-Face) in the next Batman flick.

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Sigourney Weaver and director James Cameron are reuniting for another sci-fi film.

"Avatar" is shooting entirely in 3-D. Weaver will play a veteran interplanetary explorer who serves as a mentor to Jake Sully (Worthington), a wounded ex-Marine thrust unwillingly into an effort to explore and exploit an exotic planet rich in biodiversity. Ultimately, he crosses over to lead the planet's indigenous race in a battle for survival.

Cameron wrote the script from an idea he nurtured for over a decade while working on the 3-D technology necessary to realize its wholly imagined world. Pic will be released in both 3-D and 2-D.

Fantagraphics announces Complete Pogo books

Fantagraphics, already at work publishing the complete runs of "The Peanuts" and E.C. Segar's "Popeye," has officially announced a project to do the same with Walt Kelly's "Pogo."

Info:

The first volume of Fantagraphics' POGO will appear in October, 2007, and the series will run approximately 12 volumes, reproducing roughly two years of dailies and Sundays per volume.

Each Pogo volume will be designed by Jeff Smith, the award-winning cartoonist and creator of the Bone graphic novel, and a lifelong admirer of Walt Kelly.

Walt Kelly (born Walter Crawford Kelly Jr.) was born in 1913 and started his career at age 13 in Connecticut as a cartoonist and reporter for the Bridgeport Post, his local newspaper. In 1935, he moved to Los Angeles and joined the Walt Disney Studio, where he worked on classic animated films, including 'Pinocchio,' 'Dumbo,' and 'Fantasia.' In the mid 1930s, he drew his first comics work for the future DC Comics. Kelly left Disney in 1941 rather than take sides in their bitter labor strike. He moved back east and began drawing comic books for Western Publishing Company and the Dell line of comics.

It was during this time that Kelly created the character Pogo Possum. The character first appeared in Dell's Animal Comics as a secondary player in the 'Albert the Alligator' feature. It didn't take long until 'Pogo' became the comic's leading character. After the Second World War, Kelly became artistic director at the New York Star, where he turned Pogo into a daily strip. When the Star folded in 1949, the Hall Syndicate took 'Pogo' into syndication, so that the strip soon appeared in hundreds of newspapers. Until his death in 1973, he produced a feature that has become widely cherished among casual readers and aficionados alike as a classic comic strip.

Kelly blended nonsense, poetry, and political and social satire in making POGO an essential contribution to American "intellectual" comics. As the strip progressed, it became a hilarious platform for Kelly's scathing political views in which he skewered national boogeymen like Joseph McCarthy, J. Edgar Hoover, George Wallace, and Richard Nixon. Kelly was considered a sufficient threat that his phone was tapped and the US Government corresponded with a newspaper reporter who claimed that the eccentric patois Kelly created was a secret Russian code.) Pogo is well known for its elaborate and ornate lettering and for Kelly's distinctive use of language and lush brushwork. It is one of the few comic strips that succeeded in blending humor and politics into an uncompromising and entertaining whole.

The consecutive run of Pogo has never before been systematically collected into book form. (Fantagraphics published a series of 11 softcover volumes reprinting five-and-a-half years of the strip in the '90s.) This will be the definitive series collecting all of his Pogo strips from 1949 to 1973. "Walt Kelly is unquestionably in the pantheon of great newspaper strip cartoonists," said Gary Groth, President & Publisher of Fantagraphics Books. "Our Pogo books will present Kelly's work the way it should be published -- in a beautifully designed hardcover format, with careful attention paid to reproduction quality, and with knowledgeable introductory material."

"I am very excited that Fantagraphics has chosen to publish Pogo in such wonderful books," said Carolyn Kelly, Walt's daughter. "For many years people have been telling me how much they want to own this series, and I am thrilled that Pogo will now be so carefully compiled and available to us. Ol' Walt would be proud."

"This collection has been a long time coming," said Jeff Smith, "I've been waiting for it ever since I was nine. I'm very happy to be helping the Kelly family and Fantagraphics bring this comic strip masterpiece to a new audience."

Top 10 graphic novels, DVDs, CDs, action figures Feb. 16, 2007

Comics/Graphic Novels

1. 300 by Frank Miller $17.99
2. American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang $11.53
3. Watchmen by Alan Moore $13.59
4. Lost Girls by Alan Moore $43.50
5. Astonishing X-Men Vol. 3: Torn by Joss Whedon $10.64
6. Penny Arcade Volume 3: The Warsun Prophecies by Jerry Holkins $10.75
7. Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood by Marjane Satrapi $10.36
8. Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic by Alison Bechdel $13.57
9. Those Left Behind (Serenity) by Joss Whedon $9.95
10. V for Vendetta by Alan Moore $13.59

DVDs

1. The Departed (Two-Disc Special Edition) $20.49
2. Casino Royale (Widescreen Two-Disc Special ... $15.99
3. Flags of Our Fathers (Widescreen Edition) $17.99
4. An Inconvenient Truth $19.99
5. Cinderella III - A Twist in Time $19.99
6. Little Miss Sunshine $17.99
7. Borat - Cultural Learnings of America for M... $15.99
8. Babel $17.99
9. The Illusionist (Widescreen Edition) $16.99
10. The Guardian $16.99

CDs

1. Not Too Late by Norah Jones $9.99
2. West by Lucinda Williams $9.99
3. Continuum by John Mayer $9.99
4. Corinne Bailey Rae by Corinne Bailey Rae $7.99
5. Taking The Long Way by Dixie Chicks $9.99
6. Wincing the Night Away by The Shins $9.99
7. 2007 Grammy Nominees by Various Artists $9.99
8. Children Running Through by Patty Griffin $11.99
9. Daughtry by Daughtry $9.99
10. Begin to Hope by Regina Spektor $6.99

Action Figures

1. DC Comics Ultra Blast Batman $34.99
2. Ultimate Powers Superman Figure $23.13
3. Transformers Deluxe Classic Bumblebee Figure $10.57
4. Avatar Airbending Aang $2.49
5. Transformers Voyager Classic Megatron Figure $14.99
6. Transformers Voyager Classic Optimus Prime ... $26.99
7. Avatar Spirit Aang $2.99
8. Transformers Optimus Prime 20th Anniversary... $64.99
9. Transformers Cybertron Supreme Class Cybert... $45.75
10. Transformers Deluxe Classic Astrotrain $7.99

Pop Artifact! Captain Marvel watch

Vintage DC Comics house ad

New Spider-Man 3 pictures







See the Best Spider-Man Sites on the Web.

Pop Culture Roundup Feb. 15, 2007

From Mark Evanier: An animated bug-killer ad by Tex Avery.

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Speaking of Tex, all of his "Droopy Dog" theatrical 'toons will be out on two-disk DVD set May 15. You can pre-order Tex Avery's "Droopy: The Complete Theatrical Collection" for $20.19 from Amazon.

Lost Clues: "Flashes Before Your Eyes" Ep. 8, Season 3

Synopsis:

Desmond's ability to see the future surfaces again as he somehow realizes Claire is in danger from drowning in the ocean and rushes off to save her. Hurley and Charlie are suspicious but amazed and get Desmond drunk, hoping that he'll open up and tell them more.

We see Desmond having what may or may not be a flashback after the Hatch explosion. He's certain that his visions aren't just his life "flashing before his eyes," but that he's actually been transported back into time, back to London, where he's planning to ask his girlfriend Penelope to marry him, before he goes on the round-the-world sailing trip that landed him on the island.

It's like he's trapped in a time loop and he's convinced, if he changes things, he can end up with Penelope and not on the island. He sees Charlie in the flashback/forward, but Charlie thinks he's crazy, like they've never met. And maybe they haven't...yet. When trying to buy an engagement ring for Penelope, a woman in a jewelry shop tells Desmond he can't go through with the purchase, he's supposed to have second thoughts, so he'll end up on the Island, pushing the button. We don't learn who this woman is or how she knows what she does, or even if she's real, not a figment of Desmond's imagination. The flashback ends with Desmond being knocked unconcious and then awaking after the Hatch explosion.

He also tells Charlie that he wasn't just saving Claire from drowning. In his vision of the future, Desmond saw Charlie drowning trying to save Claire. So Desmond went instead. Earlier in the season, when Desmond erected a golf club lightning rod to save Claire's shelter from getting zapped, it was also because he had a vision of Charlie dying. Desmond gives Charlie the warning that, ultimately, fate will catch up with him. Charlie's days seem numbered.

Clues, observations, speculation:

* The episode touches on the same "what's fate, what's in my control, what if I'd done this instead" themes present throughout the series. Was it the various choices made by the characters that has resulted in them being on the island? Was it fate or happinstance?

* Busking on the London streets, Charlie is singing "Wonderwall" by Oasis, which contains the line "maybe you're going to be the one who saves me."

* The sign on Charlie's guitar case identifies him as "Charlie Hieronymus Pace." "Hieronymus" means "holy name." Also, Hieronymus Bosch was a Dutch painter whose works depicted sin and human moral failings. More.



* Maybe more interestingly, this site details the life and work of a researcher/engineer named T.G. Hieronymus who "studied plants and minerals and their relationship with different forms of energy, including the emanation of energy from these materials" in the 1930s and developed theories about eloptic energy: "Eloptic energy radiates from or is is in some manner given off from, or forms a force field around, everything in our material world under normal conditions at ordinary room temperature and with out any treatment of any kind. The energy radiated from each element differs from every other element in frequency, thus we have a means to determine the contents of a material without disturbing the material or having to excite it in any way...Hieronymus concluded that, Eloptic energy can be used to analyze any material, even from a photograph, and it can be used to alter the material, treat it, disintegrate it. Plants , animals, humans, chemicals, drugs, everything...." "Eloptic" is a contraction of the words "electromagnetic" and "optical". Google around a little and you'll see references to Hieronymus' work and ESP, alternative reality, UFOs and more, plus lots of references to the Hieronymus Machine. Seems like the kinda wacky, weird stuff that might inspire the writers of "Lost."

* Desmond's last name is "Hume." The philosopher David Hume believed "all human knowledge comes to us through our senses." More.

* A painting in Widmore's office shows a polar bear, an upside down Buddha (an image remiscent of Ben hanging upside down in one of Rosseau's traps) and the Buddhist greeting "namaste" (used in the Dharma orientation films) spelled backwards. Namaste means The painting is similar to those seen in the Hatch.



* The digital clock in Desmond's home reads "1:08," reminding of us of the counter inside the Hatch.

* A delivery man in Widmore's office building mentions an "8:15" delivery. The plane that crashed on the island was Oceanic 815.

* The microwave buzzer in Desmond's place sounds like the computer alarm in the Hatch.

* In the pub, the jukebox twice plays "Make Your Own Kind of Music," by Mama Cass, a tune we first hear Desmond spin on the turntable in the Hatch.

* Widmore is a mean bastard.

* Is the lady in the jewelry shop the same as this woman who appears in the teaser for next week's show? I don't think so.



* The red tennis shoes sticking out from a pile of rubble seems like a joking reference to the "Wizard of Oz."

* "Admiral MacCutcheon," founder of Widmore's favorite whisky, is a character in Jules Verne's "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea."

* The lady in the jewelry shop's last name is "Hawking," perhaps another reference to Stephen Hawking.

* There are ads for Oceanic Air and Apollo candy bars on the soccer field as Desmond watches the game on the pub TV.

New and upcoming action figures Feb. 15, 2007

Complete List of Marvel Legends Action Figures
Complete List of DC Direct Action Figures

Here's a look at action figures available via your local comics shop or via the TIP!-supporting links below:

DC Direct Action Figures

Alex Ross JLA series 5 action figures
--Brainiac
--Lex Luthor
--Green Arrow
--Martian Manhunter
--Red Tornado
--Translucent Martian Manhunter

Batman Through the Ages
--Box Set

Batman/Superman Series 4
--Batzarro
--Bizarro
--Superwoman
--Batwoman
--Batman Beyond
--Kryptonite Batman

DC Direct Reactivated Action Figures
--Batman
--Wonder Woman
--Lobo
--Superman

DC 13-inch Figures
Deluxe Edition 13-inch Green Lantern
Deluxe Edition 13-inch Lex Luthor
Deluxe Edition 13-inch Two-Face
Deluxe Edition 13-inch Superman
Deluxe Edition 13-inch Shazam
Deluxe Edition 13-inch Flash

Elseworlds Action Figures Series 2
--Red Son Batman
--Red Son President Superman
--Kingdom Come Jade
--Kingdom Come Spectre and Norman McKay
--Gotham By Gaslight Batman

Elseworlds Action Figures Series 3
--Supergirl
--Batgirl
--Nightstar
--Kingdom Come Aquaman
--Red Son Green Lantern

First Appearance Series 4
--Blue Beetle translucent
--Blue Beetle
--Brave New World Atom
--Warlord
--Brave New World Martian Manhunter
--Brave New World Aquaman

Infinite Crisis Action Figures Series 1
--Powergirl
--Omac
--Mongul
--Earth Prime Superboy
--Alexander Luthor

JSA Action Figures
--Mr. Terrific
--Hawkgirl
--Dr. Midnite
--Hourman
--Golden Age Atom 2-pack

Hanna Barbera Series 2 Action Figures
--Captain Caveman
--Fred Flintstone and Dino
--Johnny Quest
--Magilla Gorilla
--Penelope Pitstop and Muttley
--Tom and Jerry
--Yogi Bear
--Flintstones at the Drive-In

Hanna Barbera Series 3 Action Figures
--Fred Flintstone Quittin' Time
--Twinkle Toes Fred Flintstone
--Great Grape Ape
--Huckleberry Hound
--The Jetsons
--Secret Squirrel
--Snagglepuss

McFarlane Lost series 2 action figures
--Crash site box set
--Sawyer
--Jin
--Sayid
--Desmond
--Sun
--Mr. Eko

Marvel Figure Factory Sets
--Angel
--Beast
--Black Costume Spider-Man
--Deadpool
--Invisible Woman
--Silver Surfer

Marvel Legends Action Figures

Hasbro Marvel Legends Figures Series 1
--Emma Frost
--Ultimate Iron Man
--Movie Beast
--Planet Hulk
--Banshee
--Hercules

Hasbro Marvel Legends Action Figures Series 2
--Wolverine
--She-Hulk
--Yellow Jacket
--Quick Silver
--Lord Asgard Thor
--Magneto Xorn
--X3 Jean Grey
--First Appearance Storm

Marvel Legends Icons 13-inch Action Figures Series 3 Action Figures
--Spider-Man
--Spider-Man Variant
--Beast
--Beast Variant

Hasbro Marvel Legends Icons 13-inch Series 1 Action Figures
--Wolverine
--Thor

Marvel Legends Masterworks Sets
--Spider-Man Vs. Green Goblin
--Fantastic Four Vs. Mole Man
--Hulk Vs. The Thing
--Galactus Vs. Everybody

Marvel Select Figures

Best of Marvel Select Figures
--Grey Hulk
--Thanos
--Ultimate Spider-Man
--Green Goblin
--Mephisto

NECA 7-inch John Lennon action figures
--Color
--Black and white

NECA Grindhouse action figures--Quentin Tarantino as soldier
--Dakota
--Cherry

Pop Artifacts! Captain Marvel picture puzzle

Vintage DC Comics house ad

Pop Culture Roundup Feb. 14, 2007

Via World of Kane: A "Man from U.N.C.L.E." image gallery.

----------------------

Sharity:


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Lynda Carter of "Wonder Woman" fame will guest-star as Chloe Sullivan's mother in the April 12 episode of "Smallville."

-----------------------

Speaking of Wonder Woman, will we ever tire of her wonderfully wacky Golden Age adventures?



-----------------------

Datajunkie shines the spotlight on Jack Kirby's wonderfully bizarre "OMAC" comics series.

-----------------------

DC Direct has a slide show of upcoming items unveiled during this year's Toy Fair convention. Here's one I might save my pennies for: the 13-inch-tall Batman figure in old-school costume.



Newsarama also has a DC Direct Toy Fair report with pics.

Complete list of DC Direct Action Figures.

------------------------

Mike Sterling lists another 100 things he loves about comics.

------------------------

A three-DVD box set including the "Doctor Who" adventures "The Keeper of the Traken," "Logopolis" and "Castrovalva" will be released June 5. The "New Beginnings" box marks the transition from fourth Doctor Tom Baker to fifth, Peter Davison.

Best Doctor Who Sites.

-------------------------

NPR has a feature on cartoonists Robert and Aline Kominsky Crumb.

--------------------------

ABC is really sweating the drop in ratings for "Lost," aren't they? First there was that "Lost Survivor's Guide" that tried to tell us the show was mainly all about the soap opera revolving around the Jack, Sawyer and Kate love triangle. Now, ABC.com announces that, starting today, will host "video back stories" to help new viewers learn about the aforementioned plus Locke.

I fear that if ABC continues along these lines, we'll see major simplifying of the show's mysterious storylines--the thing that makes the series unique. Remember the post Super Bowl Jennifer Garner-in-lingerie episode that dumbed down, and ruined, "Alias"? It could happen again.

Anyway, here's ABC's spin on this online "back stories":

ABC.com is giving "Lost" fans a Valentine's Day surprise with the first installment of four video back stories (Jack, Kate, Sawyer and Locke). Created to provide new viewers insight into the lives of the series' characters and to give fans an opportunity to see characters' back stories in chronological order, each video combines scenes from previously aired episodes. Every Wednesday four back story segments will debut on ABC.com until the end of the season (60 total).

Go to ABC.com for this season's previously aired episodes on its broadband video player. And as announced last week, ABC.com has also added several new features on its "Lost" site, including a new video podcast with executive producers Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse, which offers a special sneak peek at extra content from the series' Season Three DVD, to be released later this year. Additionally, visitors to ABC.com will find a new exclusive feature called "Writers' Rotation" that showcases the favorite music and listening selections of members of the "Lost" production team, plus an updated version of "Lost & Found," which highlights not-to-be-missed moments in upcoming episodes, as well as excerpts from the official Lost magazine, updated games, photos and video clips.

Lost preview Feb. 14, 2007

Click to see a slightly spoilerish synopsis of tonight's episode. And come back here tomorrow to read a summary of clues and observations.

Also see the Season 3 "Lost" Episode Guide and The Best "Lost" Sites on the Web.

Comics shipping Feb. 14, 2007

See complete lists:
DC Archives
DC Showcase
DC Trade Paperbacks
Marvel Masterworks
Marvel Essentials
Marvel Trade Paperbacks
Upcoming Trade Paperbacks - Graphic Novels


Comics shipping Feb. 14, 2007

DARK HORSE COMICS

DEC060060 BLADE OF THE IMMORTAL #122 (MR) $2.99
NOV060015 PERHAPANAUTS SECOND CHANCES #4 (OF 4) $2.99
NOV060034 STAR WARS LEGACY #8 $2.99

DC COMICS

DEC060199 52 WEEK #41 $2.50
DEC060180 BATMAN #663 $2.99
DEC060252 BATMAN STRIKES #30 $2.25
FEB050257 BATMAN THE GREATEST STORIES EVER TOLD VOL 1 TP $19.99
NOV060280 BOYS #7 (MR) $2.99
DEC060256 CARTOON NETWORK ACTION PACK #10 $2.25
DEC060286 FRIDAY THE 13TH #3 (MR) $2.99
DEC060273 GEN 13 #5 $2.99
DEC060216 GREEN ARROW #71 $2.99
DEC060221 GREEN LANTERN CORPS #9 $2.99
DEC060224 JLA CLASSIFIED #34 $2.99
DEC060229 JUSTICE SOCIETY OF AMERICA #3 $2.99
DEC060230 JUSTICE SOCIETY OF AMERICA VAR ED #3 $2.99
DEC060233 MANHUNTER #28 $2.99
DEC060232 MARTIAN MANHUNTER #7 (OF 8) $2.99
NOV060304 NEIL GAIMANS NEVERWHERE TP (RES) (MR) $19.99
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DEC068030 SANDMAN THE DREAM HUNTERS SC $19.99 $14.16 at Amazon.
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IMAGE COMICS

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MARVEL COMICS

DEC062295 AMAZING SPIDER-GIRL #5 $2.99
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WIZARD ENTERTAINMENT

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COMICS

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Pop Artifacts! Captain Marvel "magic eyes" kit

Vintage DC Comics house ad

Pop Culture Roundup Feb. 13, 2007

Today in stunt casting: Tom Cruise and Ben Stiller as grown-up Hardy Boys.

The long-in-development project sees the Hardy Boys grown up but not speaking to each other, having been estranged for many years. They are forced to overcome sibling rivalry when they reunite to solve a mystery.

Shawn Levy is attached to direct the film for 20th Century Fox, which is hoping for a shoot in 2008.


Sounds funny, but will it be? Such high-concept ideas usually tend to be low on laughs.

Best real Hardy Boys Sites.

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Paging Sam Spade: Somebody's heisted the original Maltese Falcon.

John Konstin, the owner of San Francisco's John's Grill on Ellis Street, said someone broke into a locked cabinet on the second floor of his establishment and took a signed reproduction of the Maltese Falcon -- one used for publicity stills for the movie -- along with several vintage and signed books by and about Maltese Falcon author Dashiell Hammett.

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While the Silver Surfer appears in the second Fantastic Four movie, we won't actually see the Surfer's boss Galactus, says Ioan Gruffudd, who plays Reed Richards.

...his presence is felt in the movie. He doesn't physically appear, no.

It's like peanut butter without jelly, Abbott without Costello, Laurel without Hardy if you ask me. No Galactus? What's the point?

Best Fantastic Four Sites.

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Actress Michelle Ryan, a star on the British soap "EastEnders," has been cast in NBC's "Bionic Woman" series pilot. Ryan had previously auditioned to replace Billie Piper as Doctor Who's companion but didn't get the part. She looks like this:



--------------------------

A backwards message played during the brainwashing scene in last week's episode of "Lost" reportedly says "Only fools are enslaved by time and space."

Best "Lost" Sites.

Lost Feb. 28 episode preview

Scroll over hidden text for mild spoilers.

HURLEY DISCOVERS A WRECKED CAR ON THE ISLAND AND USES IT ON A
MISSION OF HOPE FOR BOTH HIMSELF AND A FELLOW SURVIVOR IN NEED
OF FAITH, AND KATE AND SAWYER REUNITE WITH THEIR FELLOW CASTAWAYS,
ON ABC'S "LOST"

"Tricia Tanaka Is Dead" - Hurley's discovery of an old, wrecked car on the island leads him on a mission of hope not only for himself, but for a fellow survivor in need of some faith. Meanwhile, Kate and Sawyer reunite with their fellow castaways, but Kate is still torn about leaving Jack behind with "The Others," on "Lost," WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 28 (10:00-11:00 p.m., ET), on the ABC Television Network.

"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, Dominic Monaghan as Charlie and Terry O'Quinn as Locke.

Guest starring are Mira Furlan as Danielle Rousseau, Rodrigo Santoro as Paulo, Kiele Sanchez as Nikki, Lillian Hurst as Carmen Reyes, Billy Ray Gallion as Randy, Cheech Marin as David Reyes, Caden Waidyatilleka as young Hurley, Suzanne Krull as Lynn Karnoff and Sung Hi Lee as Tricia Tanaka.

"Tricia Tanaka Is Dead" was written by Edward Kitsis & Adam Horowitz and directed by Eric Laneuville.

Marvel Comics May 2007 solicitations

See complete Marvel May 2007 solicitations here.

Highlights:


SILVER SURFER OMNIBUS VOL. 1 HC
Written by STAN LEE
Penciled by JOHN BUSCEMA with JACK KIRBY
Cover by JOHN BUSCEMA
Variant Painted Cover by ESAD RIBIC

Born by the hand of the world-devourer, Galactus, Norrin Radd sacrificed himself to save his home planet and his true love, Shalla-Bal, but the price of their lives was servitude to the mighty Galactus – as his herald, the Silver Surfer! Now, exiled upon Earth, he struggles to understand the beauty and humanity of mortal men, and nobly seeks to heal the rifts that separate man from his brothers.
Created by the titanic team of Stan Lee and Jack Kirby in the pages of FANTASTIC FOUR, the Silver Surfer went on to become one of the most-beloved characters in all comicdom. Embodying the mind-blowing concepts of Kirby and Stan’s socially conscious writing craft, the Surfer’s stories expressed their creative vision in staggering and unique tales. Another talent would touch the character, however, granting him a soul-wrenching humanity that helped define him to this very day: the one and only John Buscema! A master of the craft, Buscema’s Silver Surfer is considered by many to be the peak of comic-book art.
Now, the original adventures of the Silver Surfer are presented in one complete volume! Containing every story and letters page, restored and recolored to match the original issues, plus behind-the-scenes bonuses and critical essays, this book is the guaranteed way to get in on the character in the upcoming Fantastic Four film!
Collecting SILVER SURFER #1-18.
576 PGS./All Ages …$74.99
ISBN: 0-7851-2752-6


SPIDER-MAN NEWSPAPER STRIPS VOL. 1 HC
Written by STAN LEE
Penciled by JOHN ROMITA SR.
Cover by JOHN ROMITA SR.

What's black and white and red and blue all over? Long thought lost to avid arachnophiles, three years' worth of Spider-Man's newspaper adventures – from January 1977 to January 1980 – are collected in their entirety for the first time across two volumes! Spiderdom's top talents set the web-slinger up with daily doses of enemies old and new, from Kraven the Hunter to the Rattler!
464 PGS./All Ages …$34.99 Pre-order for $23.09 from Amazon.
ISBN: 0-7851-2393-8
Trim size: oversized

FANTASTIC FOUR VISIONARIES: WALTER SIMONSON VOL. 1 TPB
Written by WALT SIMONSON
Penciled by RICH BUCKLER, RON LIM & WALT SIMONSON
Cover by WALT SIMONSON

After a string of successes with THOR, X-FACTOR and AVENGERS, it's sensational Simonson storytelling for Marvel's First Family – starting when the FF's Congressional hearing is disrupted by dozens of vengence-seeking villains! After the famous foursome – plus Ms. Marvel – deal with the Capitol chaos, a time anomaly sends them to find the future's fate! But while Kang and Nebula take up their time, will the universe fall to Galactus? Guest-starring Thor, Iron Man and Death's Head! Collecting FANTASTIC FOUR #334-341.
192 PGS./Rated A …$19.99
ISBN: 0-7851-2758-5

ESSENTIAL FANTASTIC FOUR VOL. 6 TPB
Written by STAN LEE, ROY THOMAS & GERRY CONWAY
Penciled by JOHN BUSCEMA, ROSS ANDRU & JOE SINNOTT
Cover by JOHN BUSCEMA

From the Monster from the Lost Lagoon to the Overmind from beyond the stars, menaces from across time and space converge on Earth's most fabulous foursome! A space angel of death! Future warrior women! The horrors of the 1950s! Plus: Doctor Doom, Diablo and Dragon Man! Guest-starring the Inhumans! Collecting FANTASTIC FOUR #111-137.
592 PGS./All Ages …$16.99 $11.55 at Amazon.
ISBN: 0-7851-2697-X

CD new releases Feb. 13, 2007

Late Night Tales by Nouvelle Vague

Pirates of Caribbean: Swashbuckling Sea Songs by Various Artists

Christmass (Bonus Dvd) by Frank Black

O'valencia by The Decemberists

Sacred Language of Ascension by Alice Coltrane

Doctor Who - Original Television Soundtrack by Murray Gold and Neil Hannon

West by Lucinda Williams

Van Morrison At The Movies: Soundtrack Hits by Van Morrison

O'valencia by Decemberists

Rhythm & Blues at the Flamingo by Georgie Fame

Fame at Last by Georgie Fame

Window in the Skies by U2

Can Cladders by High Llamas

More upcoming CDs