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Sad news: Comics Buyer's Guide calls it quits

After an amazing 1,699-issue run over a 42-year history, the Comics Buyer's Guide will cease publication. Sad news about a publication that did so much to build and inform comics fandom.

Here's the press release:

January 9, 2013 – Krause Publications, a division of F+W Media, Inc., announced today the closure of Comics Buyer’s Guide effective with the March 2013 issue. The Company cited general poor market conditions and forces working against the title’s sustainability including the downturn in print advertising and the proliferation of free content available online for this highly specialized industry.

“We continuously evaluate our portfolio and analyze our content strategy to determine how well we are meeting consumer and Company goals,” said David Blansfield, President. ”We take into consideration the marketplace we serve and the opportunities available for each of our magazine titles. After much analysis and deliberation, we have determined to cease publication of Comics Buyer’s Guide.”

Current subscribers to the magazine will receive a two-for-one conversion to CBG sister publication Antique Trader: a biweekly that has served the antiques and collectibles community since 1957. (For every issue of CBG remaining in a subscription, subscribers will receive two issues of Antique Trader.) The www.CBGXtra.com site and its Facebook page will exist as an archived resource administered by Antique Trader.

BBC Radio this week: Stream drama, comedy and music documentaries

Click the links to hear the following programs.

Doctor Who The Doctor and his companion visit a prison planet themed on the works of Edgar Allan Poe.

The Goon Show Min is counting rain drops, but why is everyone so wet? Is royalty to blame? From 1958.

Ray Bradbury: A Sound of Thunder A safari into the prehistoric past sparks unexpected results. Ray Bradbury's famous yarn.

Olympic Records: The Music and Musicians of the 2013 Games Elbow, Chemical Brothers, Coldplay, Public Enemy, Underworld, Muse, The Who and Two Door Cinema Club were just some of the bands who scored and soundtracked the 2012 Olympic Games. Nemone looks at the music which featured in the opening and closing ceremonies and how the alternative music community played their part in the greatest show on earth.

Original art: Milt Caniff Terry and the Pirates Sunday strip

Sir Alec Guiness thought Star Wars was "fairytale rubbish"

He also thought Harrison Ford's first name was "Tennyson."

Business Insider shares a few funny anecdotes from the great actor's letter as published in his 2003 official biography:

"I have been offered a movie (20th Cent. Fox) which I may accept, if they come up with proper money. London and N. Africa, starting in mid-March. Science fiction – which gives me pause – but is to be directed by Paul [sic] Lucas who did "American Graffiti, which makes me feel I should. Big part. Fairy-tale rubbish but could be interesting perhaps."

.... new rubbish dialogue reaches me every other day on wadges of pink paper – and none of it makes my character clear or even bearable ... I must off to studio and work with a dwarf (very sweet – and he has to wash in a bidet) and your fellow countrymen Mark Hamill and Tennyson (that can't be right) Ford. Ellison (? – No!) – well, a rangy, languid young man who is probably intelligent and amusing. But Oh, God, God, they make me feel ninety – and treat me as if I was 106. – Oh, Harrison Ford – ever heard of him?"

New comics Jan. 9, 2013: Superman by Gil Kane; Showcase Presents Weird War Tales; Ka-Zar Masterworks; Zorro by Alex Toth, more!

Click the links to order discounted items from Amazon.

Conan Volume 13: Queen of the Black Coast HC

Absolute Batman & Robin: Batman Reborn

Adventures of Superman: Gil Kane

The Batman Chronicles Vol. 11

Showcase Presents: Weird War Tales Vol. 1

Essential X-Men - Volume 11

Marvel Masterworks: Ka-Zar - Volume 1

Alex Toth's Zorro: The Complete Dell Comics Adventures

Very limited-edition Dylan box set is all about copyright protection

An interesting article in the UK Guardian details how a new box set of Bob Dylan demos, limited to only 100 copies, is a tactic to provide copyright protection for the material, which otherwise could be freely boolegged in Europe.

The gist is, by "officially" releasing it now, Dylan's label can prevent bootlegging of the songs and release them more widely at a later date.

Although the European Union has extended copyright terms from 50 years to 70 years, the extension only applies to recordings that have been released during the 50 years after they were made. Sony was therefore forced to release these songs – albeit in limited form – before the end of 2012, when their half-century was up.
"This isn't a scheme to make money," a source explained to Rolling Stone. "The whole point of copyrighting [this material] is that we intend to do something with it at some point in the future. But it wasn't the right time to do it right after [Dylan] released Tempest."

Vintage photo: Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers

Rare color pics of Beatles' 1964 tour up for auction

A group of 65 color slides from the Beatles' 1964 American tour are going up for bid.

They were taken by award-winning physicist Dr Robert "Bob" Beck.

Ernie Sutton from the British Beatles Fan Club said:

"New photographs that emerge of The Beatles are always of interest to the fans, but with the majority of photographs from this tour in black and white, it is a delight to see colour photographs from that historic tour."

Dr Beck's slides also feature close-up portraits from the Las Vegas Sahara Hotel press conference, the Las Vegas Convention Centre gig, plus shots of a private party at the Beverly Hills mansion of the then president of Capitol Records, Alan Livingston.