1960s Batman TV section covers

Comic book cover deja vu

Comics shipping July 23, 2008

Here's a look at new comics for July 23, 2008. Click the links to order discounted titles from Amazon.

DARK HORSE COMICS

MAR080020 BERSERK TP VOL 24 (MR) $13.95
MAY080065 STAR WARS LEGACY #26 $2.99
MAY080051 USAGI YOJIMBO #113 $2.99

DC COMICS

MAY080148 AMBUSH BUG YEAR NONE #1 (OF 6) $2.99
APR080270 ARMY @ LOVE TP VOL 02 GENERATION PWNED (MR) $12.99
APR080255 AUTHORITY PRIME TP $17.99
MAY088147 BATMAN #676 RIP 3RD PTG $2.99
MAY080173 BATMAN GOTHAM AFTER MIDNITE #3 (OF 12) $2.99
MAY080188 BRAVE AND THE BOLD #15 $2.99
Countdown to Adventure
Author: Adam Beechen; Buy New: $12.23
Diana Prince Wonder Woman Vol. 2
Author: Dennis O'Neil; Buy New: $13.59
MAY080259 DMZ #33 (MR) $2.99
APR080277 EXTERMINATORS #30 (MR) $2.99
APR080288 GON VOL 05 $5.99
Green Arrow/Black Canary Road to the Altar
Author: J. Torres, Nicola Scott; Buy New: $12.23
MAY080195 GREEN LANTERN CORPS #26 $2.99
MAY080168 JOKERS ASYLUM SCARECROW #1 $2.99
MAY080199 JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #23 $2.99
APR080289 KIICHI AND THE MAGIC BOOKS VOL 02 $9.99
MAY080197 LEGION OF SUPER HEROES #44 $2.99
MAY080266 MADAME XANADU #2 (MR) $2.99
MAY080245 NUMBER OF THE BEAST #8 (OF 8) $2.99
APR080189 ROBIN #175 RIP $2.99
MAY080233 SCOOBY DOO #134 $2.25
MAY080249 SECRET HISTORY THE AUTHORITY HAWKSMOOR #5 (OF 6) $2.99
MAY080202 SPIRIT #19 $2.99
MAY080227 SUPER FRIENDS #5 $2.25
MAY080161 SUPERMAN #678 $2.99
MAY080251 SUPERNATURAL RISING SON #4 (OF 6) $2.99
MAY080143 TRINITY #8 $2.99
MAY080172 TWO FACE YEAR ONE #1 (OF 2) $5.99
JUN080285 X-FILES SPECIAL #0 $2.99

IMAGE COMICS

MAY082192 ALETHEIA #3 (OF 3) $3.50
American Flagg Definitive Collection
Author: Howard Chaykin;
FEB082188 ART OF WITCHBLADE $19.99
MAY082180 ASTOUNDING WOLF MAN TP 01 (RES) $14.99
MAY082228 BROKEN TRINITY #1 ROSS CVR B $2.99
MAY082227 BROKEN TRINITY #1 SEJIC CVR A $2.99
MAY082199 DEAD SPACE #5 (OF 6) $2.99
NOV072040 ELEPHANTMEN #13 $2.99
JUN082224 IMAGE MONSTER PILE UP #1 $1.99
DEC072092 INVINCIBLE #51 $2.99
MAY082175 LIBERTY COMICS A CBLDF BENEFIT BOOK (ONE SHOT) (MR) $3.99

Madman Atomic Comics Volume 1 Author: Mike Allred, Laura Allred;

MAY082172 NOCTURNALS CARNIVAL OF BEASTS (ONE SHOT) $6.99
MAY082212 PROOF #10 (MR) $2.99
APR082181 SCUD THE DISPOSABLE ASSASSIN THE WHOLE SHEBANG HC $99.99
APR082180 SCUD THE DISPOSABLE ASSASSIN THE WHOLE SHEBANG TP $29.99
APR082156 WAR HEROES #1 $2.99
FEB082169 YOUNGBLOOD #4 $2.99

MARVEL COMICS

MAY082333 ANGEL REVELATIONS #3 (OF 5) $3.99
MAY082306 AVENGERS INITIATIVE #15 SI $2.99
MAY088146 AVENGERS INVADERS #1 DIRECTORS CUT $3.99
APR082261 BLACK PANTHER #38 $2.99
MAY082267 DAREDEVIL #109 $2.99
APR088191 HALO UPRISING MUST HAVE $5.99
MAY082277 IMMORTAL IRON FIST #17 $2.99
APR088318 IMMORTAL IRON FIST #17 AJA VAR (PP #822) $2.99
APR088267 IMMORTAL IRON FIST #17 DRAGON LOGO VAR (PP #820) $2.99
MAY088144 INCREDIBLE HERCULES #118 2ND PTG SANDOVAL VAR $2.99
MAY082286 MARVEL ADVENTURES FANTASTIC FOUR #38 $2.99

Marvel Adventures Fantastic Four Volume 9 Author: Paul Tobin, David Hahn; Buy New: $7.99

MAY082283 MARVEL ADVENTURES SUPER HEROES #1 $2.99
MAY082299 MARVEL COMICS PRESENTS #11 $3.99
Mini-Marvels
Author: Chris Giarrusso; Buy New: $9.99
MAY082305 NEW AVENGERS #43 SI $2.99
MAY082315 NEW WARRIORS #14 SI $2.99
MAY082317 SHE-HULK 2 #31 SI $2.99
MAY082319 SKRULLS ONE-SHOT SI $4.99
MAY082316 THUNDERBOLTS #122 SI $2.99
MAY082257 ULTIMATE X-MEN #96 $2.99
MAY088173 UNCANNY X-MEN #500 DODSON SKETCH VAR $3.99
MAY088170 UNCANNY X-MEN #500 DODSON VAR $3.99
MAY082324 UNCANNY X-MEN #500 MD $3.99
MAY088172 UNCANNY X-MEN #500 TURNER SKETCH VAR $3.99
MAY088171 UNCANNY X-MEN #500 TURNER VAR $3.99
MAY082339 UNCANNY X-MEN 500 ISSUES POSTERBOOK $6.99
MAY082384 UNCANNY X-MEN GREG LAND PANORAMA POSTER $15.99
MAY088127 WOLVERINE #66 2ND PTG MCNIVEN VAR $2.99
MAY082338 WOLVERINE FIRST CLASS #5 $2.99
MAY082326 X-MEN LEGACY #214 $2.99

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COMICS

MAY084059 APOCALIPSTIX VOL 1 GN (RES) $11.95
MAY083602 ARCHIE #587 $2.25
APR083705 BATTLESTAR GALACTICA ORIGINS #8 $3.50
MAY083607 BETTY & VERONICA DIGEST #186 $2.49
MAY083609 BETTY & VERONICA SPECTACULAR #84 $2.25
Bone: Stupid Stupid Rat-Tails
Author: Jeff Smith;APR084018
CAPTAIN ACTION FIRST MISSION LAST DAY ONE SHOT $3.99
MAY084180 DAN DARE #7 (OF 7) (NOTE PRICE) $5.99
MAR083649 DEMONWARS VOL 02 DEMON SPIRIT #2 (OF 3) GOPEZ CVR B $9.50
MAR083648 DEMONWARS VOL 02 DEMON SPIRIT #2 (OF 3) SEELEY CVR A $5.50
MAR083645 DRAGONLANCE LEGENDS TIME OF THE TWINS #1 (OF 3) MOYANO CVR A $5.50
MAR083646 DRAGONLANCE LEGENDS TIME OF THE TWINS #1 (OF 3) WALPOLE CVR $9.50
FEB083690 DRAGONLANCE TP VOL 04 DRAGONS SPRING DAWNING 2 $18.99
NOV073503 FORGOTTEN REALMS DARK ELF TRILOGY TP VOL 01 HOMELAND (NEW PT) $18.99
MAY083673 FUTURAMA COMICS #38 $2.99
APR083617 GEARZ #1 $3.99
MAY083527 GLAMOURPUSS #2 $3.00
APR084242 GRIMM FAIRY TALES PIPER #4 (OF 4) $2.99
APR084243 GRIMM FAIRY TALES SPECIAL PHOTO COVER COLL ED #2 $7.99
MAY084038 HOVERBOY ONE SHOT $3.99
APR083618 INSANE JANE #4 (OF 4) (MR) $3.99
MAY083610 JUGHEADS DOUBLE DIGEST #142 $3.69
JUN084267 KORGI GN VOL 02 COSMIC COLLECTOR $10.00
MAY084061 MAINTENANCE TP VOL 03 $9.95
APR083539 NHS SHIDOSHI PKT MANGA TP VOL 03 $12.95
JUN083615 NIGHTMARES & FAIRY TALES TP VOL 04 $14.95
APR083750 NINJATOWN #1 ADVENTURES OF WEE NINJA $6.50
MAY084190 PROJECT KALKI #3 (OF 4) (MR) $2.99
APR083619 RAY HARRYHAUSEN FLYING SAUCERS VS EARTH #3 (OF 4) $3.99
MAY083559 SERENITY ROSE TP VOL 01 WORKING THROUGH THE NEGATIVITY (O/A) $12.95
MAY083674 SIMPSONS CLASSICS #17 $3.99
MAY083615 SONIC X #35 $2.25
MAY083785 SPOOKS TP VOL 01 $18.99
MAY084185 STRANDED TP VOL 01 $14.99
APR084240 STRAW MEN #1 (OF 12) (MR) $2.99
MAY083931 TEMPLAR ARIZONA GN VOL 02 MOB GOES WILD (MR) $17.00
MAY084063 WASTELAND #19 (MR) $3.50
MAY084160 YAM TP $10.00

MERCHANDISE

The Flash Companion Author: Keith Dallas, Carmine Infantino, Ros...; Buy New: $26.95

Jack Kirby Checklist Gold Edition
Author: Twomorrows; Buy New: $11.66

Modern Masters Volume 18: John Romita Jr. Author: Eric Nolen-Weathington, George Khour...; Buy New: $14.95

Comic book cover deja vu

DVD new releases July 22, 2008

Spaced The Complete Series
Buy New: $34.99

Vampyr - Criterion Collection
Buy New: $27.99

CD new releases July 22, 2008

U2 Deluxe Edition Box Set [Amazon.com Exclusive]
Buy New: $63.99

CSNY/Deja Vu Live
Buy New: $12.99

David Bowie - Live in Santa Monica '72
Buy New: $24.99

U2- Boy remastered expanded
Buy New: $27.99

U2 - War remastered expanded
Buy New: $29.99

U2 - October remastered expanded
Buy New: $29.99

Paul Weller - 22 Dreams
Buy New: $12.99

X-Files - I Want to Believe
Buy New: $12.99

Dr. Dog - Fate
Buy New: $13.99

Batman - Gotham Knight
Buy New: $14.99

My Morning Jacket - It Still Moves
Buy New: $10

Teen Titans Trouble in Tokyo
Buy New: $16.98

Chris Difford - The Last Temptation of Chris
Buy New: $14.98

Comic book cover deja vu

Pop links

Dial B for Blog explores 1960s Batmania in the pages of 16 Magazine. This is part of a 16 Days of Batman series over there, which promises to be awesome. Stick around here in coming days, too, as Pop Culture Safari presents various Bat-artifacts in our daily posts.

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A film exploring John Lennon's troubled childhood is in the works.

Entitled 'Nowhere Boy', the film will be written by Michael Greenhalgh, who adapted the late Joy Division singer Ian Curtis' wife Debbie Curtis' autobiography, 'Touching From A Distance', for last year's film 'Control'.

The Lennon film will cover the story of late Beatle's childhood in Liverpool, where he was brought up by his aunt Mimi after his mother Julia died in an accident involving a police car...

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Musicologists have saved a cache of endangered tapes by electronic music pioneer--and "Doctor Who" theme creator--Delia Derbyshire.

...the collection, which comprises 267 tapes, correspondence and scores, was entrusted Mark Ayres, the Radiophonic Workshop.

The material had languished unheard for 30 years until it was passed to Manchester University’s School of Art, Histories and Culture to catalogue and preserve. The material, in poor condition, had to be played on a 1960s Studer A80 tape machine lent by the BBC’s Manchester studios before it could be digitised.

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Pappy presents a rare Walt Kelly tale from 1949.



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Today in sharity:

Does the world really need a Watchmen movie?

It's always sort of exciting to see comic book characters you've known for years fleshed out in live action movie posters, pics and trailers, even though--90 percent of the time--I never end up going to the films being advertised.

Usually the movies are bad. Or the portrayal of the characters is so far off the mark for my tastes. I don't know, for example, if I'll see "Batman: The Dark Knight," despite all the great reviews it's generated. I've lived with dark Batman for 20-some years now and, frankly, I liked him a lot more the way he was before. The best-ever on-screen take of the character for me was "Batman: The Animated Series." And his high water mark in comic books was when Denny O'Neill and Neal Adams chronicled his adventures, not that I don't love the Fox/Finger/Sprang stories or the Haney/Aparo "Brave and Bold" years just as much.

And then there's "The Watchmen." The limited series came out 20 years ago and, along with Frank Miller's "The Dark Knight," and changed the super-hero genre completely. Maybe forever. And, in my opinion, for the worse.

These were groundbreaking comics at the time: Dark takes on the super-hero mythos. And they were fascinating to read. But I think anything provocative they had to say has been diluted by the influence they had on every other super-hero comic that followed. The genre has become one of unrelenting darkness with nary a spot of humor or whimsy to be seen.

And, in recent years, super-hero movies have followed suit. From what I've seen and read of it, "Batman: The Dark Knight" is what it is because of "The Watchmen" and Frank Miller's Batman comics. "Spider-Man 3" was fairly dark. Same with "The Incredible Hulk." Those movies, along with "Iron Man" and others aren't appropriate for children--the audience the characters were originally created to entertain--even though there's still plenty of toys and other related merchandise from those movies being marketed to kids.

So, I'm wondering, will "The Watchmen" film have any sort of impact in the wider culture--that which exists outside the walls of comic book shops? Seems like the general public may likely say "Dark superheroes. Seen it." And, unlike Batman and the Hulk, none of these characters has any name brand recognition. People may go because it looks cool and it has superheroes in it. But will they come away feeling any of the shock and awe present in the Alan Moore-David Gibbons comic series?

It may well be "just another super-hero film," where "The Watchmen," at the time, was anything but "just another super-hero comic."

Entertainment Weekly sports Watchmen cover

Here's the cover of the new Entertainment Weekly, spotlighting the "Watchmen" film adaptation.



You can see a trailer for a movie on the movie's official site here.

New pics from The Spirit

Here are three new pics from Frank Miller's "The Spirit," based on the Will Eisner comics character.


Eva Mendes as Sand Saref


Jaime King as Lorelei Rox


Scarlett Johansson as Silken Floss

Comic book cover deja vu

Pop links

Anatomy of a No-Prize.

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Black Canary Barbie has generated a bit of controversy in the UK.

Makers Mattel say Black Canary Barbie, out in September, is based on a DC comic superhero of the same name.

But religious group Christian Voice said: “Barbie has always been on the tarty side and this is taking it too far.



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Ray Davies is writing a musical based on his old Kinks' hit "Come Dancing."

The musical...will be performed for the first time at the Theatre Royal Stratford East in the autumn and rumours are rife that Davies will appear in the show – but as a narrator rather than a singer.

Batman: Dark Knight review roundup

The consensus seems like this one's supposed to be quite good. Personally, I'm not so sure I like my Batman and Joker so dark, but...that's just the way things have gotten, I guess.

Chicago Courier News
Oppressive but never overwrought, it's a comic-book adaptation in which there will be blood.

Paul Thomas Anderson's fuming There Will Be Blood, an Oscar runner-up this year, is not too lofty a comparison (neither, really, would be the tragedies of Shakespeare). Both pictures employ staggering cinematic artistry to explore the pursuit of power and the way it can corrupt even the most well-meaning men.

... The Dark Knight takes us deep into madness, albeit the pop variety. It's a comic-book adaptation with real weight.

Most superhero movies make you slightly envious of the out-of-this-world characters and their powers. After watching The Dark Knight, you'll be relieved to be normal.

Buffalo News
Welcome to one of the most remarkable “comic book movies” ever made.

“The Dark Knight” is the best “Batman” movie since Tim Burton’s remarkable first one in 1989. It is, in every way, so far above anyone’s sensible expectations for a comic book movie that it stands a good chance of being the great movie of summer 2008 (and one of the great movies of the year).

“The Dark Knight” is such a deep, dark, dire meditation on heroism, evil, social class and urban corruption that you realize just how very far beyond a “comic book” this movie goes.

San Jose Mercury News
In his final performance — not counting an unfinished role in Terry Gilliam's "The Imagination of Doctor Parnassus" — Ledger turns the iconic character into a truly frightening villain, possibly the genre's scariest ever. The patchy, clown makeup barely hides his character's facial scars, adding a ghoulish tint to his off-hand malevolence.

San Francisco Chronicle
With its frenetic pace and its many concessions to blockbuster formula, "The Dark Knight" is by no means a complete success. But the more it reveals its dark heart, the better it gets, and at times it seems just a step away from achieving something extraordinary. In the end, it's no leap forward, but it's certainly a step in the right direction: an action blockbuster extravaganza that's sadder than sad and never pretends otherwise.

Comic book cover deja vu