Rules of Good Comics Pt. 1: Don't mess with a great logo

I don't know if this will be an ongoing series of posts, although a "rules of good comics" list might not be a bad idea. Send me your suggestions.

Anyway, I was moved to comment when Marvel Comics released this peek at the "new logo" for it's Fantastic Four title:



Now, for starters, it's not that new. It looks quite a bit like this logo from around the time I first started reading the FF back in the 1970s:



But the main thing is, it's a pretty danged boring logo and not nearly as cool as the FF's original nameplate, which is one of the coolest comic book logos of all time. It totally captures the fun, adventure and humor on display in the original Lee/Kirby run:



Oh well, the new logo isn't as bad as this one:



Or this one:



The most recent FF logo is somewhat better than those, though still a little dull:



I realize you need to make some changes to jazz things up every once in a while. But, truly, there's also a lot to be said for knowing a good thing:

Trailer for Marvel's Planet Hulk animated DVD

Here's a first look at Marvel's next direct-to-DVD flick: "Planet Hulk."



More on Tom Baker's return to Doctor Who

As mentioned here a while back, Tom Baker is returning to the role of Doctor Who for an upcoming audio adventure. Here's more info from the BBC:

For the first time in 28 years, Tom Baker is returning to his role as the Fourth Doctor in a series of five thrilling audio adventures from BBC Audiobooks. Doctor Who: Hornets' Nest is written by the acclaimed Paul Magrs and stars Tom alongside a cast including Richard Franklin as Mike Yates, Susan Jameson as Mrs Wibbsey and Rula Lenska as the Hornet Queen.

The brand new series sees the Doctor on fighting form as he comes up against an enemy of unimaginable power and horrific intent. The first story, The Stuff of Nightmares, will be available to buy from 3rd September 2009 priced at £9.78, with the remaining four stories due for release on:

2. The Dead Shoes – 8th October
3. The Circus of Doom – 5th November
4. A Sting in the Tale – 3rd December
5. Hive of Horror – 3rd December

The series will also be available as a download from www.audible.co.uk.

Baker is often voted as the most popular Doctor by fans. Commenting on his performance, writer Paul Magrs said, "This is the first adventure with the Tom Baker Doctor since Logopolis. And it feels fantastic to write for him. I would say he's a brilliant mixture of everything the Fourth Doctor ever was. He's dark and sombre at times; other times he's gleefully macabre and mischievous."

Fans eager to engage with the series before the release date should check out www.bbcshop.com/hornetsnest, where a dedicated page for the series will launch on 10th August. The page will contain exclusive content and material such as a Q&A with Tom Baker, photographs from the recordings, audio clips and a poll on Tom’s best moments as the Doctor.



Disneyland complimentary main gate admission

New comics July 29, 2009

New comics of note this week. Click the highlighted links to order discounted books from Amazon.


BATMAN THE BRAVE AND THE BOLD #7 Batman and the Doom Patrol, animated style! Seems like a sure recipe for fun.


BILLY BATSON AND THE MAGIC OF SHAZAM #6 As with the above, another great DC title for kids and other folks who enjoy their superhero comics with a dash of whimsy.


WEDNESDAY COMICS #4 Another ish of DC's fun, tabloid-size anthology. I love it, quite honestly. I like some strips more than others, naturally, but it's a title well worth picking up. I particularly like the Metamorpho, Kamandi, Flash and Adam Strange strips, which seem to be making the most of the format. Batman, Supergirl and Sgt. Rock (with huge, huge art by Joe Kubert!) are also pretty good. The art on Wonder Woman strip is lovely, but I find the storytelling a bit hard to follow. Not a fan of the art on Superman. And Teen Titans doesn't seem to offer much different than you'd find in a standard supertitle.


JUSTICE SOCIETY OF AMERICA #29 First ish by the new creative team of Bill Willingham (FABLES) and Matthew Sturges (BLUE BEETLE). Possibly worth checking out.


ESSENTIAL PETER PARKER SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN VOL 4 A big, black-and-white slab of bronze age Spidey comics. Collecting PETER PARKER, THE SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN #75-96 and ANNUAL #4.


MARVEL MASTERWORKS X-MEN VOL. 2 An affordable paperback, in color, reprinting the silver-age X-MEN #11-21.


COMPLETE CHESTER GOULD'S DICK TRACY VOL 8 COMPLETE PEANUTS VOL 12 1973-1974 For the funny papers fans.

Sneak preview of AMC's Prisoner remake

Here's a look at the new "Prisoner" series set to air on AMC later this year:



Disneyland Steam Boat Mark Twain ticket

Two more pics from Sherlock Holmes

Here are a couple of new pics from "Sherlock Holmes" with Robert Downey Jr. and Rachel McAdams.



Images from Disney's Rapunzel

Here are a couple of images from Disney's upcoming "Rapunzel," due out next year.



Deal alert: Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea seasons 1-3 plus season 4 pt. 1 DVDs for $83

Today only on Amazon you can buy the season 1-3 plus season 4 pt. 1 of "Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea" for $82.99, a savings of $126.87 over the regular price of $209.86.

Action figures: DC Universe Classics series 11 lineup

Here's the lineup for wave 11 of Mattel's DC Universe Classics action figure line:

Cyborg Superman
Deadman
John Stewart
Katma Tui
Question
Shark
Steppenwolf (Green)
Steppenwolf (Red)

Pop links: Caprica air date! Dollhouse details! Time Tunnel comics! Batman TV mags! Jimmy Olsen on dating! Jack Cole's Fuzzy! Toy Robot Museum!

"Caprica," Syfy's new "Battlestar Galactica" prequel series, will debut Jan. 22, the network says.

"Caprica" storyline predates "Battlestar" by 58 years and stars Esai Morales, Eric Stoltz, Paula Malcomson and Polly Walker.

The pilot -- written by Ronald Moore and Remi Aubuchon, helmed by "Friday Night Lights" house director Jeffrey Reiner and completed last year -- is two hours. Syfy has ordered an additional 20 hours and it's unknown whether they'll be split into two seasons.




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Joss Whedon and Eliza Dushku discuss season 2 of "Dollhouse." Sorry guys, I just don't dig it and likely won't be watching.



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Check out some stories from Charlton Comics' Time Tunnel series, based on the Irwin Allen TV show.





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See a whole slew of "Batman" TV show-related magazine covers.



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Jimmy Olsen's dating dos and don'ts.



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See some of Jack Cole's one-page gag strips featuring the happy hobo, Fuzzy.



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Pay a visit to the Toy Robot Museum.

CD new releases July 28, 2009: Elvis! Stones! Blur! Iggy and Ziggy! More!

New CDs of interest this week. Click the links to order discounted titles from Amazon.



Battlestar Galactica: Season 4


From Elvis in Memphis


The Rolling Stones Box Set [Amazon.com Exclusive]


The Stripped Mixes by Michael Jackson


O'o by John Zorn


Midlife: A Beginner's Guide to Blur by Blur


Castles In The Sand by Quicksilver Messenger Service


Iggy & Ziggy: Cleveland '77 by Iggy Pop


The Very Best of the Coasters by Coasters


We're Gonna Change the World! The 60's Chicago Garage Sound of Quill Productions by Various Artists


Contribution/Second Contribution by Shawn Phillips

DVD new releases July 28, 2009: Battlestar Galactica! Dollhouse! Doctor Who! Torchwood! Green Hornet! Green Lantern! Spider-Man! More!

New releases of note this week. If any of these items are of interest to you, please consider clicking the titles and ordering them from Amazon, as part of the proceeds help support this site!


Battlestar Galactica: Season 4.5


Battlestar Galactica: The Complete Series


Torchwood: Children of Earth


Doctor Who: Planet of the Dead


Dollhouse: Season One


Green Lantern: First Flight (Single-Disc Edition)


Green Lantern: First Flight (Two-Disc Special Edition)


Repulsion- Criterion Collection


Spectacular Spider-Man: Complete First Season


Life On Mars: Series 1 (U.K. version)


The Green Hornet (serial)


The Green Hornet Strikes Again (serial)


Island of the Fishmen


The 10th Victim