New documentary on The Replacements

Before Nirvana and grunge, the Replacements blended punk, pop, glam and heavy metal into a wonderfully chaotic tuneful racket. Great lyrics, too.

One of my favorite bands during my college years, they don't get the credit they're due. Maybe this new documentary, out on DVD Nov. 20, will help.



The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey pics

















Pop culture roundup: Goon Show; Bonzo Dog Band; Marvel Comics

The Goon Show was a hilarious BBC radio program of the 1950s that helped introduce the world to the many talents and voices of Peter Sellers. The group, which also featured Harry Secombe and Spike Milligan (the writer/genius behind it all) was a huge influence on Monty Python and beloved by the Beatles.  The program was at once satirical, surreal and silly.  You can still hear old episodes regularly on the Beeb here.

But, that's the background, the news here is this nifty Goons print, available on the ClareIllustrated Etsy site. Very nice work of the trio as they might have appeared on a cover of Britain's Radio Times magazine. Cool!


-----

Via the fabulous Dangerous Minds, here's another great British institution: The Bonzo Dog Band in its first TV performance on the BBC's "Blue Peter."


-----

Sean Howe, author of the upcoming "Marvel Comics: The Untold Story," has a great Tumblr site where he's sharing stuff like this:


 -----



26-page preview of Fantagraphics' "Spacehawk" by Basil Wolverton collection

Yes! I'll take one of these please!

"Spacehawk by Basil Wolverton" is a 272-page hardcover collecting all the 1940-42 adventures of Wolverton's sci-fi character. Lots of crazy awesome art in this handy free preview.

More details:
Basil Wolverton is one of the greatest, most idiosyncratic talents in comic book history. Though he is best known for his humorous grotesqueries in MAD magazine, it is his science-fiction character Spacehawk that Wolverton fans have most often demanded be collected. The wait is over, as Spacehawk features every story from Spacehawk’s intergalactic debut in 1940 to his final, Nazi-crushing adventure in 1942.

Spacehawk is the closest thing to a colorfully-costumed, conventional action hero Wolverton ever created, yet the strip is infused with Wolverton’s quintessential weirdness: controlled, organic artwork of strangely repulsive aliens and monsters and bizarre planets, and stories of gruesome retribution that bring to mind Wolverton’s peer, Fletcher Hanks. Spacehawk had no secret identity, no fixed base of operations beyond his spaceship, and no sidekicks or love interests. He had but one mission in life: to protect the innocent throughout the Solar System, and to punish the guilty. He was a dark — yet much more visually playful — counterpart to Buck Rogers and Flash Gordon.

Spacehawk also includes the character’s final and rarely-seen Earthbound adventures. As the U.S. became involved in World War II, Spacehawk returned to 20th Century America to join the United States’ efforts in defeating fascism, which he does by patrolling the Earth’s stratosphere, looking for wrongdoing.



Marvel Comics December 2012 solicitations

Highlights from Marvel's December releases. Note the "last" issue of Amazing Spider-Man. Marvel is doing a DC-style reboot, so it looks like this title will get a new name. Hopefully Dan Slott will remain on scripts. His long run on Spidey has been great fun.

AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #700
DAN SLOTT (w) • HUMBERTO RAMOS (a)
Plus stories by JM DeMatteis & Giuseppe Camuncoli and Jen Van Meter & Stephanie Buscema
COVER BY MR. GARCIN
Steve Ditko (Unused Amazing Fantasy 15 Art) Variant Cover
ASM 50TH ANNIVERSARY VARIANT - Marcos Martin
Martin Variant
WRAPAROUND VARIANT - Humberto Ramos
COIPEL VARIANT
QUESADA VARIANT
LAST ISSUE!
All New! 104 PGS./Rated T+ ...$7.99

MARVEL MASTERWORKS: THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN VOL. 15
Written by GERRY CONWAY & LEN WEIN with ARCHIE GOODWIN
Penciled by ROSS ANDRU with GIL KANE & SAL BUSCEMA
Cover by GIL KANE
Peter Parker’s life has never been easy, but it’s hard to take a turn for the worse when your dead girlfriend shows up on your doorstep. Oh, then there’s that famous Parker luck, which means it does. It means, Spidey, you’ve been cloned! The Amazing Spider-Man launches into the storyline that shocked the comics world! The scheming Jackal takes our hero through the wringer as he not only must face one of his greatest personal tragedies, but also has to battle through the Scorpion, the Tarantula — and himself! You’ll also enjoy the blossoming of Peter and Mary Jane’s relationship, and even their first kiss, as well as the return of the Shocker and the Sandman — and more! Collecting AMAZING SPIDER-MAN (1968) #143-155 and material from MARVEL SPECIAL EDITION TREASURY #1.

NOVA CLASSIC VOL. 1
Written by MARV WOLFMAN & LEN WEIN
Penciled by JOHN BUSCEMA, SAL BUSCEMA & ROSS ANDRU
Cover by JOHN BUSCEMA
Struck by a ray of energy sent by a dying alien, ordinary high-school student Richard Rider has inherited the mantle of an intergalactic Nova Centurion — and all the headaches that come with it! And even the powers of a human rocket can’t help Richard outrun a rogues’ gallery that includes Zorr, Condor, Powerhouse, Diamondhead, the Corrupter, Megaman — and the dreaded Sphinx, who wants to claim a secret the newly minted Nova doesn’t even know he’s carrying! Can Richard balance schoolwork, a social life and a near-constant string of arch-villains? And if not, which will he lose first — his dreams or his life? Guest-starring Spider-Man in an amazing two-part murder mystery! Collecting NOVA (1976) #1-12 and AMAZING SPIDER-MAN (1963) #171.

GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY: TOMORROW’S AVENGERS VOL. 1
Written by ARNOLD DRAKE, STEVE GERBER, CHRIS CLAREMONT, GERRY CONWAY, SCOTT EDELMAN, ROGER SLIFER, LEN WEIN & ROGER STERN
Penciled by GENE COLAN, SAL BUSCEMA, DON HECK & AL MILGROM
Cover by AL MILGROM
A thousand years from now, Vance Astro, Yondu, Martinex and Charlie-27 — the Guardians of the Galaxy — rise to retake Earth from reptilian raiders! But they’re not just building on the heroism of past centuries — they’re recruiting from it! Captain America, Dr. Strange, the Thing, the Hulk and more join the star-spanning heroes in the greatest war the future ever saw! Then, as the Guardians help a planet in turmoil rebuild, threats rise from two other worlds: one of them living, the other gone mad! It’s cosmic action as you like it, as the Avengers of tomorrow face their baptism of fire! Featuring the introduction of Nikki and the origin of Starhawk! Guest-starring the Silver Surfer! Collecting MARVEL SUPER HEROES (1967) #18, MARVEL TWO-IN-ONE (1974) #4-5, GIANT-SIZE DEFENDERS #5, DEFENDERS (1972) #26-29 and MARVEL PRESENTS #3-12.

ESSENTIAL X-MEN VOL. 11
Written by CHRIS CLAREMONT, FABIAN NICIEZA, PETER DAVID & MORE
Penciled by JIM LEE, PAUL SMITH, ANDY KUBERT, TOM RANEY, WHILCE PORTACIO, KIRK JARVINEN, TERRY SHOEMAKER & MORE
Cover by JIM LEE
The X-Men reunite with Professor X, who asks them to help overthrow the Shi’ar tyrant Deathbird — but all is not as it seems, and the X-Men must deduce the truth before it’s too late! Meanwhile, sparks fly as Rogue and Magneto team up to save the Savage Land! Then, the X-Men and X-Factor unite to battle the Shadow King — but the price of their victory is more than Professor X can stand! And as a new team rises from the ashes of the old, Magneto draws a dangerous line in the sand to protect his fellow mutants — leading to an explosive finale, and the end of an era! Collecting UNCANNY X-MEN (1963) #273-280 and ANNUAL #15, X-FACTOR (1986) #69-70, X-MEN (1991) #1-3, and material from X-FACTOR ANNUAL #6 and NEW MUTANTS ANNUAL #7.