Pop Culture Roundup Oct. 15, 2007
How unfun is Fox TV? Well, we already now from their "news" programming that they're pretty much the spawn of Satan. But now they go and put the kibosh on sing-along screenings of the classic "musical" episode of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer."
Lawyers for Twentieth Century Fox Television, a division of Rupert Murdoch's News Corp., told a licensing company that had given the green light for the sing-along events that it had gone beyond limits of the show's licensing agreements.
All future engagements of the show, including a three-night run scheduled to start Friday in St. Louis, have been canceled.
Chris Alexander, a spokesman for the studio, said that "significant payments" would have to be made to Hollywood unions for the show to be screened in movie theaters, which is a highly unusual arrangement anyway and usually reserved for situations like one-time charity events.
You suck, Fox.
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The Led Zeppelin catalog is going digital Nov. 13.
The digital release program is timed to coincide with the release that day of the 24-track, two-CD Atlantic/Rhino compilation "Mothership," which spans the band's 12-year career.
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Copies of Ray Davies' second solo album will be given away free with the Oct. 21 edition of London's Sunday Times newspaper.
In a statement, Davies claimed that his decision to give away the album was "about reaching as many people as possible. I'm incredibly proud of this LP and am truly excited that 1.5 million copies will be distributed to people who'll hear it organically, the way it was intended. It's an exciting opportunity I couldn't resist."
---------------------------------
The Aquaman Shrine interviews comics scribe/historian Bob Rozakis.
AMS: Your stories have a decidedly lighter tone than Aquaman was used to, especially since this was very soon after Black Manta murdered his child in Adventure Comics. Was this a conscious effort on your part to lighten him up a bit?
BR: I think I took a lighter approach to pretty much everything I wrote. There have been too many angst-filled heroes in comics. Surely there had to be some among them who were actually happy!
------------------------------
January 2008 DC Comics Solicitations will be posted here later today.
Lawyers for Twentieth Century Fox Television, a division of Rupert Murdoch's News Corp., told a licensing company that had given the green light for the sing-along events that it had gone beyond limits of the show's licensing agreements.
All future engagements of the show, including a three-night run scheduled to start Friday in St. Louis, have been canceled.
Chris Alexander, a spokesman for the studio, said that "significant payments" would have to be made to Hollywood unions for the show to be screened in movie theaters, which is a highly unusual arrangement anyway and usually reserved for situations like one-time charity events.
You suck, Fox.
-----------------------------
The Led Zeppelin catalog is going digital Nov. 13.
The digital release program is timed to coincide with the release that day of the 24-track, two-CD Atlantic/Rhino compilation "Mothership," which spans the band's 12-year career.
------------------------------
Copies of Ray Davies' second solo album will be given away free with the Oct. 21 edition of London's Sunday Times newspaper.
In a statement, Davies claimed that his decision to give away the album was "about reaching as many people as possible. I'm incredibly proud of this LP and am truly excited that 1.5 million copies will be distributed to people who'll hear it organically, the way it was intended. It's an exciting opportunity I couldn't resist."
---------------------------------
The Aquaman Shrine interviews comics scribe/historian Bob Rozakis.
AMS: Your stories have a decidedly lighter tone than Aquaman was used to, especially since this was very soon after Black Manta murdered his child in Adventure Comics. Was this a conscious effort on your part to lighten him up a bit?
BR: I think I took a lighter approach to pretty much everything I wrote. There have been too many angst-filled heroes in comics. Surely there had to be some among them who were actually happy!
------------------------------
January 2008 DC Comics Solicitations will be posted here later today.
The Fred Hembeck Archives Omnibus is a'comin!!!!
And now the best comics news of the year...!
Over the past several months, our pal Fred Hembeck has been working on a massive tome collecting pretty much all of his superhero 'toons from the past three decades. He was keeping the project semi hush-hush... until somebody spotted it in Amazon's upcoming books listings this past weekend and let the cat out of the bag.
I just want to go record, though, and say that I KNEW ABOUT IT MONTHS AGO!!!! SO THERE!!!! I was waiting until Fred was ready to provide official details and now, apparently, is the time! So, here you go, in Fred's own words:
Come February, 2008, Image Publishing will be gearing up to release THE NEARLY COMPLETE ESSENTIAL HEMBECK ARCHIVES OMNIBUS, featuring over 900 (!) pages of material written and drawn by cartoonist Fred Hembeck (who, in this particular instance of shameless self-promotion, is the actual individual typing in these very words), culled from the past three decades.
And all of this fun stuff will cost you (get ready) LESS THAN TWENTY FIVE BUCKS!!
(A single solitary penny less, true, but still, I'm thinking, a pretty gosh-darn good deal!...)
So, what exactly do we have to offer you in this massive volume?
Well, how about every single Dateline:@#$% strip EVER?
That's how this whole thing started out, y'see--my old buddy (and veteran comics embellisher) Al Gordon's suggested I put together a collection of each and every one of those old cartoons, including all the ones that had never been reprinted in a more permanent format previously. Al then proceeded to get his pal--and Image Publisher--Erik Larsen interested in the notion, and once things got rolling along, Erik encouraged me to expand the scope of the book to include a wide variety of additional material as well, some of which had never been seen before and some of which had turned up only in the most obscure of places.
So, divided into seven sections--each with a specially written explanatory introduction by yours truly--here's a quick rundown of the contents of THE NEARLY COMPLETE ESSENTIAL HEMBECK ARCHIVES OMNIBUS (or TNCEHAO for short, or maybe just THE HEMBECK OMNIBUS...):
Section One: "Little Freddy: Growing Up In The Silver Age of Comics". This is the shortest chapter--12 measly pages--but inasmuch as it best offers an origin story of the tome's main protagonist (again, that'd be me), it seemed like a good jumping off point for any uninitiated readers we manage to rope in.
Section Two: All seven of my early eighties Fantaco books, 276 pages worth: HEMBECK: THE BEST OF DATELINE:@#$%; HEMBECK 1980; ABBOTT AND COSTELLO MEET THE BRIDE OF HEMBECK; THE HEMBECK FILES; BAH, HEMBECK; JIMMY OLSEN'S PAL, FRED HEMBECK, and DIAL H FOR HEMBECK. People have been asking me for years for a reprint collection of these long out of print magazines--now, finally, those seven people will get their wish! Hey, we aim to please!...
Section Three: This is a hodge podge section bringing together all the Dateline:@#$% strips that failed to make the cut for the Fantaco collections, as well as ones that were done in the mid-eighties following the final Fantaco collection; work for other fanzines such as THE COMIC READER, COMICS SCENE and the like; some early commissions and spot illos, and all of my contributions to the once annual AMAZING HEROES SWIMSUIT SPECIAL (including The Thing in a thong!)--124 pages of art!
Section Four: A carefully selected 60 pages of material drawn from my four plus years as a member of the legendary comics apa, CAPA-alpha, back in the early eighties, including a few lengthy strips showcasing Cartoon Fred in a manner rarely seen in his other venues! Crazy stuff...
Section Five: Fifteen strips, ranging from a single page all the way up to ten, mostly--but not entirely--featuring original characters. Old favorites like The Dog and Mr. Mumbo Jumbo share these 80 pages with never before seen epics like 1985's 9 pager, "A Date With History" (a time travel farce) and "Chancy Encounter", a three pager done for a never published charity collection from around the turn of the millennium. Lotsa fun here, you betcha!
Section Six: The mid-nineties return of Dateline:@#$%! 210 pages collecting ALL the strips done during that period for THE COMICS BUYERS GUIDE, COMIC BOOK ARTIST, COMIC BOOK PROFILES, a special four pager done for AMAZING HEROES #200, and as many of the quarter page cartoons done especially for the CBG Fan Award winners as I could find!
Section Seven: From the nineties to today, another catch all, 64 page collection of goodies: Holiday cards, sketchbook strips, a few pages of KIDZ, several examples of my Classic Cover Redos, commissioned illos, internet art, and even three pages of nature illustration!
And besides all that, there's a Foreword by none other than Stan Lee, an Introduction by Jim Salicrup, and an Afterword by Al Gordon!! Now I ask you--isn't that worth almost twenty five dollars? (Although to paraphrase Jim S--do NOT attempt to read the whole thing in a single sitting, as your head will most surely explode!!)
You can pre-order the book now for $16.49 now from Amazon. However, Fred adds:
Those of you interested in getting a signed copy will be happy to know that I'll have copies for sale at cover price (plus a yet to be determined Postage and Handling fee), and likewise I'll be offering the option of purchasing a copy including an original, fully-inked, illustration of the character of your choice on an inside page for a fair (but also as yet to be determined) fee--more details as the publication date looms ever closer.
(And if you'd like to check out a larger scan of the book's front cover--as well as an alternate color scheme and the black and white version, follow this link...)
Needless to say, I'm pretty darn excited at the prospect of holding a copy of this massive collection in my sweaty little palms, and I'm sure hoping some of you out there are at least mildly thrilled with the idea as well!
THE NEARLY COMPLETE ESSENTIAL HEMBECK ARCHIVES OMNIBUS--ask for it by name!
And then stop and take a much needed breath...
Having grown up reading Fred's strips in my favorite DC and Marvel titles (yeah, Fred, you are that old... And so am!), this collection should be a blast. Along with the original Batman/Beatles Hembeck piece on my office wall, it'll have pride of place in my collection.
Visit Fred's site to stay up on the latest details.
Over the past several months, our pal Fred Hembeck has been working on a massive tome collecting pretty much all of his superhero 'toons from the past three decades. He was keeping the project semi hush-hush... until somebody spotted it in Amazon's upcoming books listings this past weekend and let the cat out of the bag.
I just want to go record, though, and say that I KNEW ABOUT IT MONTHS AGO!!!! SO THERE!!!! I was waiting until Fred was ready to provide official details and now, apparently, is the time! So, here you go, in Fred's own words:
Come February, 2008, Image Publishing will be gearing up to release THE NEARLY COMPLETE ESSENTIAL HEMBECK ARCHIVES OMNIBUS, featuring over 900 (!) pages of material written and drawn by cartoonist Fred Hembeck (who, in this particular instance of shameless self-promotion, is the actual individual typing in these very words), culled from the past three decades.
And all of this fun stuff will cost you (get ready) LESS THAN TWENTY FIVE BUCKS!!
(A single solitary penny less, true, but still, I'm thinking, a pretty gosh-darn good deal!...)
So, what exactly do we have to offer you in this massive volume?
Well, how about every single Dateline:@#$% strip EVER?
That's how this whole thing started out, y'see--my old buddy (and veteran comics embellisher) Al Gordon's suggested I put together a collection of each and every one of those old cartoons, including all the ones that had never been reprinted in a more permanent format previously. Al then proceeded to get his pal--and Image Publisher--Erik Larsen interested in the notion, and once things got rolling along, Erik encouraged me to expand the scope of the book to include a wide variety of additional material as well, some of which had never been seen before and some of which had turned up only in the most obscure of places.
So, divided into seven sections--each with a specially written explanatory introduction by yours truly--here's a quick rundown of the contents of THE NEARLY COMPLETE ESSENTIAL HEMBECK ARCHIVES OMNIBUS (or TNCEHAO for short, or maybe just THE HEMBECK OMNIBUS...):
Section One: "Little Freddy: Growing Up In The Silver Age of Comics". This is the shortest chapter--12 measly pages--but inasmuch as it best offers an origin story of the tome's main protagonist (again, that'd be me), it seemed like a good jumping off point for any uninitiated readers we manage to rope in.
Section Two: All seven of my early eighties Fantaco books, 276 pages worth: HEMBECK: THE BEST OF DATELINE:@#$%; HEMBECK 1980; ABBOTT AND COSTELLO MEET THE BRIDE OF HEMBECK; THE HEMBECK FILES; BAH, HEMBECK; JIMMY OLSEN'S PAL, FRED HEMBECK, and DIAL H FOR HEMBECK. People have been asking me for years for a reprint collection of these long out of print magazines--now, finally, those seven people will get their wish! Hey, we aim to please!...
Section Three: This is a hodge podge section bringing together all the Dateline:@#$% strips that failed to make the cut for the Fantaco collections, as well as ones that were done in the mid-eighties following the final Fantaco collection; work for other fanzines such as THE COMIC READER, COMICS SCENE and the like; some early commissions and spot illos, and all of my contributions to the once annual AMAZING HEROES SWIMSUIT SPECIAL (including The Thing in a thong!)--124 pages of art!
Section Four: A carefully selected 60 pages of material drawn from my four plus years as a member of the legendary comics apa, CAPA-alpha, back in the early eighties, including a few lengthy strips showcasing Cartoon Fred in a manner rarely seen in his other venues! Crazy stuff...
Section Five: Fifteen strips, ranging from a single page all the way up to ten, mostly--but not entirely--featuring original characters. Old favorites like The Dog and Mr. Mumbo Jumbo share these 80 pages with never before seen epics like 1985's 9 pager, "A Date With History" (a time travel farce) and "Chancy Encounter", a three pager done for a never published charity collection from around the turn of the millennium. Lotsa fun here, you betcha!
Section Six: The mid-nineties return of Dateline:@#$%! 210 pages collecting ALL the strips done during that period for THE COMICS BUYERS GUIDE, COMIC BOOK ARTIST, COMIC BOOK PROFILES, a special four pager done for AMAZING HEROES #200, and as many of the quarter page cartoons done especially for the CBG Fan Award winners as I could find!
Section Seven: From the nineties to today, another catch all, 64 page collection of goodies: Holiday cards, sketchbook strips, a few pages of KIDZ, several examples of my Classic Cover Redos, commissioned illos, internet art, and even three pages of nature illustration!
And besides all that, there's a Foreword by none other than Stan Lee, an Introduction by Jim Salicrup, and an Afterword by Al Gordon!! Now I ask you--isn't that worth almost twenty five dollars? (Although to paraphrase Jim S--do NOT attempt to read the whole thing in a single sitting, as your head will most surely explode!!)
You can pre-order the book now for $16.49 now from Amazon. However, Fred adds:
Those of you interested in getting a signed copy will be happy to know that I'll have copies for sale at cover price (plus a yet to be determined Postage and Handling fee), and likewise I'll be offering the option of purchasing a copy including an original, fully-inked, illustration of the character of your choice on an inside page for a fair (but also as yet to be determined) fee--more details as the publication date looms ever closer.
(And if you'd like to check out a larger scan of the book's front cover--as well as an alternate color scheme and the black and white version, follow this link...)
Needless to say, I'm pretty darn excited at the prospect of holding a copy of this massive collection in my sweaty little palms, and I'm sure hoping some of you out there are at least mildly thrilled with the idea as well!
THE NEARLY COMPLETE ESSENTIAL HEMBECK ARCHIVES OMNIBUS--ask for it by name!
And then stop and take a much needed breath...
Having grown up reading Fred's strips in my favorite DC and Marvel titles (yeah, Fred, you are that old... And so am!), this collection should be a blast. Along with the original Batman/Beatles Hembeck piece on my office wall, it'll have pride of place in my collection.
Visit Fred's site to stay up on the latest details.
Pop Culture Roundup Oct. 12, 2007
Jon's Random Acts of Geekery displays some great found-on-eBay Super Friends items.
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Not surprisingly, Sleestak over at Lady, That's My Skull, is not happy about the upcoming "Land of the Lost" flick starring Will Ferrell.
----------------------
Why I hate modern superhero comics. Check out the silly, oversexualized, twisted women in jep image from this upcoming issues of Justice League of America. We get improbable female anatomy from three helpful angles. Art by Ed Benes & Sandra Hope.
-------------------------
Stereogum has posted a tribute to R.E.M.'s Automatic for the People album with tracks by the Meat Puppets, Blitzen Trapper, Dr. Dog and others.
--------------------------
Actor Fisher Stevens is joining the cast of "Lost." Spoilers may apply.
---------------------------
British comic Simon Pegg will star as Scotty in the new Star Trek film.
Pegg, 37, found fame in TV comedy Spaced and went on to find big screen success by writing and starring in Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz.
His other films include Run Fat Boy Run and the forthcoming How to Lose Friends and Alienate People.
Abrams and Pegg previously worked together on Mission: Impossible III, starring Tom Cruise.
----------------------------
Dial B for Blog re-presents a classic Vampirella tale.
---------------------
Not surprisingly, Sleestak over at Lady, That's My Skull, is not happy about the upcoming "Land of the Lost" flick starring Will Ferrell.
----------------------
Why I hate modern superhero comics. Check out the silly, oversexualized, twisted women in jep image from this upcoming issues of Justice League of America. We get improbable female anatomy from three helpful angles. Art by Ed Benes & Sandra Hope.
-------------------------
Stereogum has posted a tribute to R.E.M.'s Automatic for the People album with tracks by the Meat Puppets, Blitzen Trapper, Dr. Dog and others.
--------------------------
Actor Fisher Stevens is joining the cast of "Lost." Spoilers may apply.
---------------------------
British comic Simon Pegg will star as Scotty in the new Star Trek film.
Pegg, 37, found fame in TV comedy Spaced and went on to find big screen success by writing and starring in Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz.
His other films include Run Fat Boy Run and the forthcoming How to Lose Friends and Alienate People.
Abrams and Pegg previously worked together on Mission: Impossible III, starring Tom Cruise.
----------------------------
Dial B for Blog re-presents a classic Vampirella tale.
Suit up, Marvelites!
Choose your favorite Marvel Comics headgear now! If you've got the dough (and a partner/spouse who won't laugh you out of the house) you can pick from the original Iron Man helmet in classic silver or gold or Magneto's stylish helmet thingy.
BZZZT CHUNKA CHUNKA ZIKKIK ZIKKIK FWEEN ZOOKA ZOOKA!!!!! The Completely MAD Don Martin is coming!
Here are details on this whopper, which can be pre-ordered $94.50 for from Amazon. The list price is $150. The release date is Oct. 22.
The Completely MAD Don Martin from Running Press is the first of the "MAD's Greatest Artists" series. At over 1,000 pages, this complete, deluxe, two-volume slipcased set showcases every piece of art Don Martin ever published during his 30-year tenure at MAD Magazine.
Don Martin's immediately recognizable drawing style was filled with broad and daring slapstick and routinely broke new ground. Known for his wacky sound-effect words, bulbous noses, and legendary "hinged feet," Don Martin truly was the most recognized and best-loved artist of the iconic MAD Magazine.
In addition to Don Martin's art, The Completely MAD Don Martin features some of his original sketches and notes, rare photographs, plus commentary from famous fans Jim Davis (Garfield) and Steven Spielberg. It also includes fantastic letters, notes and memories from all of the top MAD personalities, including Jack Davis, Sergio Aragones, and Al Jaffee, as well as a foreword by Gary Larson (The Far Side).
A true collector's item and an object d'art in its own right, The Completely MAD Don Martin will be the season's must-have title for the millions of people whose childhoods - and subsequent adulthoods - would not have been the same without Don Martin and MAD Magazine.
Here's the cover and some interior pages from Amazon.
Don Martin was both awesomely hilarious and talented. This collection should be a gem.
P.S. My headline sound effects are from Doug Gilford's awesome Don Martin Dictionary.
The Completely MAD Don Martin from Running Press is the first of the "MAD's Greatest Artists" series. At over 1,000 pages, this complete, deluxe, two-volume slipcased set showcases every piece of art Don Martin ever published during his 30-year tenure at MAD Magazine.
Don Martin's immediately recognizable drawing style was filled with broad and daring slapstick and routinely broke new ground. Known for his wacky sound-effect words, bulbous noses, and legendary "hinged feet," Don Martin truly was the most recognized and best-loved artist of the iconic MAD Magazine.
In addition to Don Martin's art, The Completely MAD Don Martin features some of his original sketches and notes, rare photographs, plus commentary from famous fans Jim Davis (Garfield) and Steven Spielberg. It also includes fantastic letters, notes and memories from all of the top MAD personalities, including Jack Davis, Sergio Aragones, and Al Jaffee, as well as a foreword by Gary Larson (The Far Side).
A true collector's item and an object d'art in its own right, The Completely MAD Don Martin will be the season's must-have title for the millions of people whose childhoods - and subsequent adulthoods - would not have been the same without Don Martin and MAD Magazine.
Here's the cover and some interior pages from Amazon.
Don Martin was both awesomely hilarious and talented. This collection should be a gem.
P.S. My headline sound effects are from Doug Gilford's awesome Don Martin Dictionary.
Pop Culture Roundup Oct. 11, 2007
Deal alert: Just in time for Halloween, Amazon is offering 50 percent off hundreds of horror DVDs. Check out these categories:
* After Dark Horror Festival
* Asian Extreme & J-Horror
* Creature Features & Monster Movies
* Cult Favorites & Midnight Movies
* Gialli & Italian Horror
* Masters Of Horror(The Series)
* Slashers & Teen Terror
* Things that go bump in the night!
* Vampires Werewolves & Zombies (oh my!)
-----------------
Remember, it's never too early to start a kid drinking cola.
------------------
Whoa! That's super icky!
Doctor Who Dalek Voice Changer Mask
Best Doctor Who Sites.
-------------------
From Booksteve: An awkward moment for the Man of Steel.
--------------------
Paul McCartney and troubled British rocker Pete Doherty chat on the UK Guardian's music podcast.
---------------------
Comic Book Resources has pics from this weekend's upcoming episodes of "The Batman" and "Legion of Superheroes."
* After Dark Horror Festival
* Asian Extreme & J-Horror
* Creature Features & Monster Movies
* Cult Favorites & Midnight Movies
* Gialli & Italian Horror
* Masters Of Horror(The Series)
* Slashers & Teen Terror
* Things that go bump in the night!
* Vampires Werewolves & Zombies (oh my!)
-----------------
Remember, it's never too early to start a kid drinking cola.
------------------
Whoa! That's super icky!
Doctor Who Dalek Voice Changer Mask
Best Doctor Who Sites.
-------------------
From Booksteve: An awkward moment for the Man of Steel.
--------------------
Paul McCartney and troubled British rocker Pete Doherty chat on the UK Guardian's music podcast.
---------------------
Comic Book Resources has pics from this weekend's upcoming episodes of "The Batman" and "Legion of Superheroes."
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