Pop Culture Roundup: Little Orphan Annie; Bob Powell; Halloween; Gil Kane

When Little Orphan Annie stood up against book bans.


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Comics artist Bob Powell parodies jazz mag Down Beat in 1965.

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Goldarnit! It's nearly time for some good Halloween fun!


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Original Lone Ranger comic book art by the great Gil Kane.


Be decent! A message from Stan Lee

Jim Flora's "Grandpa's Ghost Stories" re-printed for Halloween

Jim Flora was a groovy illustrator of books and jazz LP covers back in the day. He also published numerous kids books of his own. A favorite is "Grandpa's Ghost Stories," out Oct. 19 in a new edition just in time for Halloween.

You can order a copy here.

Jim Flora's fantastically illustrated books captivated kids throughout the 1960s and 70s, so much so that secondhand copies sell for exorbitant sums. Grandpa's Ghost Stories has been the most sought-after of his children's books, and Feral House is pleased to announce the first reprint since its original publication in 1978. These ghoulish and amusing stories and wildly inventive illustrations will keep readers shivering. Perhaps better known for his brilliant and madcap illustrations that graced the covers of hundreds of jazz and classical record albums in the 1940s and 50s, Jim Flora also wrote and illustrated seventeen popular books for children. In this book, Grandpa comforts his grandson during a fierce thunderstorm by telling him stories about far scarier things, including a hungry werewolf and an evil witch who turns boys into spiders. The illustrations bring the tall tales to life with Flora's incomparable humor and wit. Grandpa's Ghost Stories is a spooky (and silly) delight for all ages. This edition includes an introduction by writer, radio personality and cultural historian Irwin Chusid, who has published several books of Flora's artworks and illustrations, and also runs JimFlora.com.


New "Thor: Ragnarok" trailer

New trailer: "How to Talk to Girls at Parties" based on Neil Gaiman story

Philip K. Dick’s Electric Dreams – Official Trailer

Via Amazon Video:

From the mind of the prolific sci-fi author, comes the new anthology series Philip K. Dick’s Electric Dreams. With 10 standalone episodes and a sweeping all-star cast, each epic story will explore fantasy, humanity, and a future we’ve only begun to imagine.

Based on the short stories from one of science fiction’s most prolific authors, Philip K. Dick's Electric Dreams explores humanity in 10 standalone episodes. From 5 to 5000 years in the future, each story in the anthology will question what it means to be human in uniquely ambitious, grounded, yet fantastical worlds.

Vintage pic: Humphrey Bogart