DVD new releases Jan. 25, 2011

Glee: Season 2, Volume 1


Zorro: The Complete Series


She-Ra: The Complete Series


Zorro: The Complete Season Three


Zorro: The Complete Season Four


Zorro: The Complete Season One


Zorro: The Complete Season Two


The Flash: The Complete Series

New vinyl, download, CD releases Jan. 24, 2011

Kiss Each Other Clean Iron & Wine


The Party Ain't Over  Wanda Jackson


The Love EP Corinne Bailey Rae


Content  Gang of Four


Bill Frisell & Vinicius Cantuaria


Bing Sings the Sinatra Songbook


Radio Sessions Bing Crosby & Rosemary Clooney

  
Pure Desmond  Paul Desmond



Hear Me Howling! Blues, Ballads, & Beyond: The Arhoolie 50th Anniversary Boxset



Southern Memoir Bing Crosby


 
Concierto (CTI Records 40th Anniversary Edition) Jim Hall


 
Sunflower (CTI Records 40th Anniversary Edition) Milt Jackson



Easter Everywhere 13th Floor Elevators

Wonder Woman series IS a go -- on NBC

After most everyone turned it down, a pitch for a Wonder Woman TV series pilot has been picked up by NBC.

The project is described as a reinvention of the iconic D.C. comic in which Wonder Woman -- aka Diana Prince -- is a vigilante crime fighter in L.A. but also a successful corporate executive and a modern woman trying to balance all of the elements of her extraordinary life.

Archie Comics drops code too

As reported yesterday, DC Comics has followed Marvel's lead of several years ago in dropping the Comics Code Authority Seal of Approval from its covers. Now kid-friendly Archie Comics is following suit.

The code was created nearly 60 years ago as a way for the comics industry to self-police itself in light of pressure from those who felt funny books were a menace that led to juvenile delinquency. It's no doubt that the code has outlived its relevance. But, as I've mentioned before, I'm hopeful that comic book publishers will make an effort to clearly identify the intended audience for their titles. In can spare a lot of parental confusion and annoyance, and will help ensure titles that aren't kid-friendly don't fall into tiny hands.

Marvel has been pretty unsuccessful in developing and following its own clear ratings system. I hope DC does better. In the case of Archie, they've done a pretty good job over the years in staying true to the original intent of their characters. Ratings probably aren't necessary for them. As Archie President Mike Pellerito puts it:

"The code never affected us editorially the way I think it did other companies," he said. "You know, we aren't about to start stuffing bodies into refrigerators or anything. We have to answer to Archie fans."

Currently, everything Archie Comics publishes is "all ages." And Pellerito said that, if Archie comic ever skews to an older audience, the publisher will let the readers know.

Fantagraphics announces Prince Valiant Vol. 3 1941-42

I need to catch up on these annual collections of Hal Foster's legendary comic strip. They look glorious. Here are details on the latest volume, out next month:

With this volume, Foster reaches (by common critical consensus) the peak of his drawing and storytelling prowess – a peak at which he will remain for most of the run of this glorious strip.

Almost the entirety of 1941’s strips feature a single ten-month epic entitled “Fights for the Singing Sword,” a globetrotting adventure fueled by Valiant’s obsessive search for his bride-to-be Aleta throughout Northern Africa, with stops in Jerusalem, the Arabic deserts, and, inevitably, a harem which Val must infiltrate. Then finally, in “The Misty Isles” Valiant meets Aleta face to face but upon learning that she has had his crew killed (deservedly so, actually, but still), he flees in anger, vowing never to see her again.

“Homeward Bound,” Valiant continues his travels, with stops in Athens (where he meets the boisterous Viking Boltar, who will become his friend for life), North Africa, and Gaul (where Valiant liberates Gawain), before finally returning to Camelot. But his joyous return is short-lived as an alliance of Picts and Vikings threatens Britain’s security, and thus Valiant must journey forth with, as his ultimate destination, “The Roman Wall.”

The final pages of this volume boast a special feature: a gallery of images that were censored for being too sexy or violent (or subject to other editorial interference) prior to publication, plus another gruesome example of Foster's art being altered for publication, all with commentary by series editor Kim Thompson.