Watch Lost tonight!
Visit the Lost Season 5 blog for previews and spoilers. Then, go back there in the morning for a full rundown of what happened!
New comics April 8, 2009
Items of interest this week. Click title links to order discounted books from Amazon.
HARVEY COMICS CLASSICS VOL 5 HARVEY GIRLS Featuring various girls named Little: Little Audrey, Little Dot, and Little Lotta. This is one of those things that I'm not into and won't buy, but am glad exists anyway. It means there are more classic comics back in print, where they belong. 480 pages in color.
BATMAN BATTLE FOR THE COWL #2 (OF 3) I read the first ish of this and must admit to be entertained, even though it's all a part of one of those grand, huge crossover events that I think have destroyed superhero comics. I don't know why. I guess I'm just a fanboy at heart. I love the whole Batman mythos, even though Batman's not even in this.
BATMAN CONFIDENTIAL #28 This one, on the other hand, I recommend without shame. Just a fun, straight-ahead, old school Batman story with wondergful art by Jose Garcia-Lopez.
SUPERGIRL COSMIC ADVENTURES IN THE 8TH GRADE #5 I've been reading this one with my 5-year-old daughter, who loves it and has developed a real interest in comics as a result. Good job DC! Now all you need to do is make this an ongoing series.
WARLORD #1 I enjoyed Mike Grell's original series. He's writing, but not drawing, this one, which makes it somewhat less interesting to me. I'll skim through it and decide whether or not to buy.
SHOWCASE PRESENTS THE DOOM PATROL VOL 1 This is a must-have, of course. Unless you already have the in-color Archives reprints.
HARVEY COMICS CLASSICS VOL 5 HARVEY GIRLS Featuring various girls named Little: Little Audrey, Little Dot, and Little Lotta. This is one of those things that I'm not into and won't buy, but am glad exists anyway. It means there are more classic comics back in print, where they belong. 480 pages in color.
BATMAN BATTLE FOR THE COWL #2 (OF 3) I read the first ish of this and must admit to be entertained, even though it's all a part of one of those grand, huge crossover events that I think have destroyed superhero comics. I don't know why. I guess I'm just a fanboy at heart. I love the whole Batman mythos, even though Batman's not even in this.
BATMAN CONFIDENTIAL #28 This one, on the other hand, I recommend without shame. Just a fun, straight-ahead, old school Batman story with wondergful art by Jose Garcia-Lopez.
SUPERGIRL COSMIC ADVENTURES IN THE 8TH GRADE #5 I've been reading this one with my 5-year-old daughter, who loves it and has developed a real interest in comics as a result. Good job DC! Now all you need to do is make this an ongoing series.
WARLORD #1 I enjoyed Mike Grell's original series. He's writing, but not drawing, this one, which makes it somewhat less interesting to me. I'll skim through it and decide whether or not to buy.
SHOWCASE PRESENTS THE DOOM PATROL VOL 1 This is a must-have, of course. Unless you already have the in-color Archives reprints.
Pop links: Giant Dalek, superhero supplies, Johnny Craig, Len Wein, Bud Shank, Green Lantern
Giant Dalek invades Belfast!
The stunt comes ahead of a charity convention for fans of Doctor Who and a number of other sci-fi TV series at the Europa hotel in Belfast.
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I need to check out the Brooklyn Superhero Supply Company.
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Pappy pays tribute to the late, great Johnny Craig.
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Sad news: The home of legendary comics scribe (and co-creator of Wolverine, among other things) Len Wein has burned down. I haven't seen that there are any efforts afoot to help Len out financially, etc., in the wake of this terrible event, but will definitely post info if/when I do.
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The great West Coast jazz saxophonist Bud Shank died late last week. The New York Times remembers.
Mr. Shank, whose career spanned 60 years, was a versatile player, both as a sideman and bandleader, in a wide variety of musical arenas, from big band swing to symphonic to pop, with a wide variety of collaborators. He played with the Stan Kenton big band in the early 1950s; in the 1960s he accompanied the sitarist Ravi Shankar, and he recorded with the Mamas and the Papas, playing the flute solo on their hit “California Dreamin.’ ” In 1985, he was the featured soloist with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra on a recording of a concerto for alto sax and orchestra.
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See a teaser for the upcoming, direct-to-DVD Green Lantern film.
The stunt comes ahead of a charity convention for fans of Doctor Who and a number of other sci-fi TV series at the Europa hotel in Belfast.
-----
I need to check out the Brooklyn Superhero Supply Company.
-----
Pappy pays tribute to the late, great Johnny Craig.
------
Sad news: The home of legendary comics scribe (and co-creator of Wolverine, among other things) Len Wein has burned down. I haven't seen that there are any efforts afoot to help Len out financially, etc., in the wake of this terrible event, but will definitely post info if/when I do.
-----
The great West Coast jazz saxophonist Bud Shank died late last week. The New York Times remembers.
Mr. Shank, whose career spanned 60 years, was a versatile player, both as a sideman and bandleader, in a wide variety of musical arenas, from big band swing to symphonic to pop, with a wide variety of collaborators. He played with the Stan Kenton big band in the early 1950s; in the 1960s he accompanied the sitarist Ravi Shankar, and he recorded with the Mamas and the Papas, playing the flute solo on their hit “California Dreamin.’ ” In 1985, he was the featured soloist with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra on a recording of a concerto for alto sax and orchestra.
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See a teaser for the upcoming, direct-to-DVD Green Lantern film.
Beatles remastered! Stereo! Mono! Mini documentaries! Box sets!
The Beatles catalog has finally been remastered and is set for worldwide release Sept. 9. But there's still no info as to if/when the band's songs will ever officially be available for download.
What I do know is that I've gotta start saving some serious money right now.
Here's the band's official press release:
Apple Corps Ltd. and EMI Music are delighted to announce the release of the original Beatles catalogue, which has been digitally re-mastered for the first time, for worldwide CD release on Wednesday, September 9, 2009 (9-9-09), the same date as the release of the widely anticipated “The Beatles: Rock Band” video game.
Each of the CDs is packaged with replicated original UK album art, including expanded booklets containing original and newly written liner notes and rare photos. For a limited period, each CD will also be embedded with a brief documentary film about the album. On the same date, two new Beatles boxed CD collections will also be released.
The albums have been re-mastered by a dedicated team of engineers at EMI’s Abbey Road Studios in London over a four year period utilising state of the art recording technology alongside vintage studio equipment, carefully maintaining the authenticity and integrity of the original analogue recordings. The result of this painstaking process is the highest fidelity the catalogue has seen since its original release.
The collection comprises all 12 Beatles albums in stereo, with track listings and artwork as originally released in the UK, and ‘Magical Mystery Tour,’ which became part of The Beatles’ core catalogue when the CDs were first released in 1987. In addition, the collections ‘Past Masters Vol. I and II’ are now combined as one title, for a total of 14 titles over 16 discs. This will mark the first time that the first four Beatles albums will be available in stereo in their entirety on compact disc. These 14 albums, along with a DVD collection of the documentaries, will also be available for purchase together in a stereo boxed set.
Within each CD’s new packaging, booklets include detailed historical notes along with informative recording notes. With the exception of the ‘Past Masters’ set, newly produced mini-documentaries on the making of each album, directed by Bob Smeaton, are included as QuickTime files on each album. The documentaries contain archival footage, rare photographs and never-before-heard studio chat from The Beatles, offering a unique and very personal insight into the studio atmosphere.
A second boxed set has been created with the collector in mind. ‘The Beatles in Mono’ gathers together, in one place, all of the Beatles recordings that were mixed for a mono release. It will contain 10 of the albums with their original mono mixes, plus two further discs of mono masters (covering similar ground to the stereo tracks on ‘Past Masters’). As an added bonus, the mono “Help!” and “Rubber Soul” discs also include the original 1965 stereo mixes, which have not been previously released on CD. These albums will be packaged in mini-vinyl CD replicas of the original sleeves with all original inserts and label designs retained.
Sci Fi casts The Phantom, River World
Cast members have been named for TV movies based on Lee Falk's "The Phantom" comic strip and Philip José Farmer's "Riverworld" novels.
Ryan Carnes ("Desperate Housewives") has been cast as the Phantom and "Battlestar Galactica" veteran Tahmoh Penikett and "Smallville" supergirl Laura Vandervoort will star in "Riverworld."
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Penikett will play war correspondent Matt Ellman, who is killed along with his fiancee (Vandervoort) but awakens in a mysterious world populated by everyone who has lived on Earth.
In "Phantom," Carnes will play the well-known comic book hero, and Isabella Rossellini will guest star as the villainous Lithia, who is overseeing a mind-control experiment.
"Riverworld" and "Phantom" will air next year as four-hour movies on Sci Fi
Ryan Carnes ("Desperate Housewives") has been cast as the Phantom and "Battlestar Galactica" veteran Tahmoh Penikett and "Smallville" supergirl Laura Vandervoort will star in "Riverworld."
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Penikett will play war correspondent Matt Ellman, who is killed along with his fiancee (Vandervoort) but awakens in a mysterious world populated by everyone who has lived on Earth.
In "Phantom," Carnes will play the well-known comic book hero, and Isabella Rossellini will guest star as the villainous Lithia, who is overseeing a mind-control experiment.
"Riverworld" and "Phantom" will air next year as four-hour movies on Sci Fi
Green Lantern: First Flight animated DVD pictures
Here are a few images from the upcoming straight-to-DVD animated film "Green Lantern: First Flight."
CD new releases April 7, 2009
CDs of interest this week. Click the title links to order from Amazon.
Fork In The Road (CD/DVD) by Neil Young
A Positive Rage by The Hold Steady
Two Suns by Bat for Lashes
Life and Times by Bob Mould
The Place and the Time by Moby Grape
The Unreleased Recordings: Gospel Keepsakes by Hank Williams Sr.
Fork In The Road (CD/DVD) by Neil Young
A Positive Rage by The Hold Steady
Two Suns by Bat for Lashes
Life and Times by Bob Mould
The Place and the Time by Moby Grape
The Unreleased Recordings: Gospel Keepsakes by Hank Williams Sr.
DVD new releases April 7, 2009
Here's what looks interesting this week. Click the title links to order DVDs from Amazon.
The Tale of Despereaux
Day the Earth Stood Still (Two-Disc Widescreen Edition)
Pre-Code Hollywood Collection (The Cheat / Merrily We Go to Hell / Hot Saturday / Torch Singer / Murder at the Vanities / Search for Beauty)
Disney Animation Collection 1: Mickey & Beanstalk
Disney Animation Collection 2: Three Little Pigs
Disney Animation Collection 3: Prince & The Pauper
Cleopatra 75th Anniversary Edition (Universal Backlot Series) (1934)
Peanuts: Snoopy's Reunion
Max Fleischer's Superman: 1941-1942
The Tale of Despereaux
Day the Earth Stood Still (Two-Disc Widescreen Edition)
Pre-Code Hollywood Collection (The Cheat / Merrily We Go to Hell / Hot Saturday / Torch Singer / Murder at the Vanities / Search for Beauty)
Disney Animation Collection 1: Mickey & Beanstalk
Disney Animation Collection 2: Three Little Pigs
Disney Animation Collection 3: Prince & The Pauper
Cleopatra 75th Anniversary Edition (Universal Backlot Series) (1934)
Peanuts: Snoopy's Reunion
Max Fleischer's Superman: 1941-1942
Upcoming Marvel Comics hardcovers, trade paperbacks
Spotted on Amazon, a few upcoming Marvel Comics collections of interest. Wasn't that Subby Essential due out ages ago?
As always, click the title links to order discounted books from Amazon (and provide me with a little spending loot).
Astonishing X-Men By Joss Whedon & John Cassaday Omnibus
680 pages, hardcover
Now in one titanic tome: the entire chart-topping run of super-team Joss Whedon and John Cassaday! Winner of multiple prestigious Eisner Awards, Whedon and Cassaday's Astonishing X-Men was a smash hit with critics and fans alike from the very first issue - winning praise from dozens of top media outlets including Entertainment Weekly, Publishers Weekly, TV Guide, and New York Magazine, as well as racking up nearly every major comic-book industry award. Buffy the Vampire Slayer creator Whedon and Cassaday (Captain America, Planetary) assembled a tight cast - Cyclops, the Beast, Wolverine, and Emma Frost, joined by returning fan-favorite Kitty Pryde - and set forth a groundbreaking pace, from the opening pages of a Sentinel attack to the unexpected return of a beloved X-Man. Then, building on early momentum, they ratcheted up the danger and drama with a shocking second year, creating a must-read book that can truly be called "astonishing!" Collects Astonishing X-Men #1-24, and Giant-Size Astonishing X-Men #1.
Essential Sub-Mariner Volume 1
504 pages, paperback
Ten years after the last issue of the Golden Age's Sub-Mariner Comics, the Avenging Son finally claimed a monthly feature in Tales to Astonish, the entire run of which is presented here! Namor's on an undersea quest, braving the Seaweed Man, the Demon of the Diamonds, and other oceanic oddities for the power to protect his kingdom from his perennial would-be usurpers: Attuma, Byrrah, and Krang! But even if he reclaims his crown, Puppet Master and the Secret Empire want him as their puppet king! Plus: Namor learns secrets of his past, but does his future lead only to...Destiny? Guest-starring Daredevil, Iron Man, and the Hulk! Collects Daredevil #7, Tales to Astonish #70-101, Tales of Suspense #80, Iron Man & Sub Mariner #1, and Sub-Mariner #1.
Thor By Dan Jurgens & John Romita Jr. Volume 1
232 pages, paperback
Two of comicdom's classic creators collaborate as Thor returns from Heroes Reborn to find the gods of at least three pantheons against him! Plus: Who is the Destroyer, and who will be destroyed? Guest-starring Spider-Man, Namor the Sub-Mariner, and the Avengers! Collects Thor #1-8, and Peter Parker: Spider-Man #2.
As always, click the title links to order discounted books from Amazon (and provide me with a little spending loot).
Astonishing X-Men By Joss Whedon & John Cassaday Omnibus
680 pages, hardcover
Now in one titanic tome: the entire chart-topping run of super-team Joss Whedon and John Cassaday! Winner of multiple prestigious Eisner Awards, Whedon and Cassaday's Astonishing X-Men was a smash hit with critics and fans alike from the very first issue - winning praise from dozens of top media outlets including Entertainment Weekly, Publishers Weekly, TV Guide, and New York Magazine, as well as racking up nearly every major comic-book industry award. Buffy the Vampire Slayer creator Whedon and Cassaday (Captain America, Planetary) assembled a tight cast - Cyclops, the Beast, Wolverine, and Emma Frost, joined by returning fan-favorite Kitty Pryde - and set forth a groundbreaking pace, from the opening pages of a Sentinel attack to the unexpected return of a beloved X-Man. Then, building on early momentum, they ratcheted up the danger and drama with a shocking second year, creating a must-read book that can truly be called "astonishing!" Collects Astonishing X-Men #1-24, and Giant-Size Astonishing X-Men #1.
Essential Sub-Mariner Volume 1
504 pages, paperback
Ten years after the last issue of the Golden Age's Sub-Mariner Comics, the Avenging Son finally claimed a monthly feature in Tales to Astonish, the entire run of which is presented here! Namor's on an undersea quest, braving the Seaweed Man, the Demon of the Diamonds, and other oceanic oddities for the power to protect his kingdom from his perennial would-be usurpers: Attuma, Byrrah, and Krang! But even if he reclaims his crown, Puppet Master and the Secret Empire want him as their puppet king! Plus: Namor learns secrets of his past, but does his future lead only to...Destiny? Guest-starring Daredevil, Iron Man, and the Hulk! Collects Daredevil #7, Tales to Astonish #70-101, Tales of Suspense #80, Iron Man & Sub Mariner #1, and Sub-Mariner #1.
Thor By Dan Jurgens & John Romita Jr. Volume 1
232 pages, paperback
Two of comicdom's classic creators collaborate as Thor returns from Heroes Reborn to find the gods of at least three pantheons against him! Plus: Who is the Destroyer, and who will be destroyed? Guest-starring Spider-Man, Namor the Sub-Mariner, and the Avengers! Collects Thor #1-8, and Peter Parker: Spider-Man #2.
Pop links: Feldstein/Kamen Panic! Al Jardine goes solo! Iron Man toon! LSD!
Comics: Al Feldstein and Jack Kamen update "Little Red Riding Hood" in Panic #1
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Former Beach Boy Al Jardine is working on a solo album with help from Neil Young, Brian Wilson, Steve Miller, Stephen Stills, Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea and Glen Campbell.
Jardine described the album as a conceptual piece, "a travelogue for California. It actually takes you through the experience of being there in that environment and driving up Coast Route 1. It's kinda cool."
Stylistically he calls it "post-Beach Boy...easy listening. In the aftershock of what we've been through, it's gonna be real nice to get into that California feeling."
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Comics Continuum has details on the upcoming Iron Man animated series.
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Today in sharity.
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Former Beach Boy Al Jardine is working on a solo album with help from Neil Young, Brian Wilson, Steve Miller, Stephen Stills, Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea and Glen Campbell.
Jardine described the album as a conceptual piece, "a travelogue for California. It actually takes you through the experience of being there in that environment and driving up Coast Route 1. It's kinda cool."
Stylistically he calls it "post-Beach Boy...easy listening. In the aftershock of what we've been through, it's gonna be real nice to get into that California feeling."
-----
Comics Continuum has details on the upcoming Iron Man animated series.
-----
Today in sharity.
Paul and Ringo reunite
Here's footage from the former Fabs' reunion at David Lynch's Transcendental Meditation fundraising concert last Saturday.
Watch Spider-Man '67 online!
Marvel Comics is now streaming episodes of the 1960s Spider-Man cartoon on its site. Check 'em out here.
Harper's Island preview
This is a new show airing on CBS starting this Thursday, a mystery-type thing. Will it be any good? I have no idea. But you learn more and see a preview here.
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