Pop Culture Safari!

Watch: "His Dark Materials" trailer

Starts Nov. 4 on HBO.

Details:

"His Dark Materials" stars Dafne Keen, James McAvoy, Ruth Wilson and Lin-Manuel Miranda.

Adapting Philip Pullman’s award-winning trilogy of the same name, which is considered a modern masterpiece of imaginative fiction, the first season follows Lyra, a seemingly ordinary but brave young woman from another world. Her search for a kidnapped friend uncovers a sinister plot involving stolen children, and becomes a quest to understand a mysterious phenomenon called Dust.

As she journeys through the worlds, including our own, Lyra meets Will, a determined and courageous boy. Together, they encounter extraordinary beings and dangerous secrets, with the fate of both the living — and the dead — in their hands.

Coming Up: Jimi Hendrix - Songs For Groovy Children: The Fillmore East Concerts

Out Nov. 22. Order now from Amazon.

Details:

Songs For Groovy Children assembles all four historic debut concerts by Jimi Hendrix's newly assembled Band of Gypsys at New York's Fillmore East on New Years Eve 1969 and New Years Day 1970.

Presented in their original performance sequence and encompassing 43 tracks across 5 CDs or 8LPs, the set boasts over two dozen tracks that have either never before been released commercially or have been newly remixed plus the full extended versions of songs originally released on the 1970 Band of Gypsys album.

Measured alongside his triumphs at Monterey Pop and Woodstock, Hendrix's legendary Fillmore East concerts illustrated a critical turning point in a radiant career filled with indefinite possibilities.

Earlier in 1969, The Jimi Hendrix Experience had closed a musical chapter and the guitarist assembled a new trio dubbed Band of Gypsys, consisting of Hendrix, his longtime friend Billy Cox, on bass, whom he had befriended when both were serving with the 101st Airborne Division Cox and Electric Flag drummer Buddy Miles, who would also contribute occasional lead vocals.

Hendrix was inspired by his collaboration with Cox and Miles and this creative renewal drove the development of promising new material such as "Power Of Soul," "Burning Desire" and the extraordinary "Machine Gun."

By the end of January 1970, the band was history, but the blend of funk, rock and soul pioneered by the trio had a profound impact. Notable devotees include funk pioneers Parliament-Funkadelic, Curtis Mayfield, the Isley Brothers and Bootsy Collins, extending all the way forward to hip-hop.

Newly mixed and restored in sequence without edits, fans can finally hear Hendrix, Cox and Miles blast through their genre-defying sets that included freshly written songs like "Earth Blues" and "Stepping Stone," as well as supercharged Experience favorites inclusive of "Foxey Lady," "Voodoo Child (Slight Return)," "Wild Thing," "Hey Joe" and "Purple Haze." Additionally, exciting new versions of Howard Tate's "Stop," "Steal Away," by Jimmy Hughes and a searing "Bleeding Heart" by Elmore James highlighted the command that the trio had over blues & R&B music.

The lavish package is filled with unseen photos from talent such as Fillmore East house photographer Amalie Rothschild, Jan Blom (whose iconic, color saturated images provided the original artwork for 1970's Band of Gypsys) as well as Marshall Amplifier representative Marc Franklin, who had full access to the group in their dressing room backstage.

The booklet features remembrances from bassist Billy Cox and liner notes by author/journalist/filmmaker Nelson George. Songs For Groovy Children was produced by Janie Hendrix, Eddie Kramer and John McDermott - the trio that has overseen every project for Experience Hendrix since 1995. The box set was mastered by Grammy-winning engineer Bernie Grundman.

Lost 1960s "Doctor Who" Dalek episode airs on YouTube Oct. 9 - watch the trailer!

The BBC will air "Mission to the Unknown," a lost, standalone 1965 episode of the "Doctor Who" TV episode, on YouTube Oct. 9, 54 years after the original first aired.

Details:

54 years after its original BBC television broadcast, BBC Studios will premiere a new production of Mission to the Unknown, a missing Doctor Who episode that has been faithfully recreated by a team of students, graduates and staff of the University of Central Lancashire in the UK.

The project was masterminded by Andrew Ireland, Pro-Vice Chancellor of Digital and Creative Industries at the UCLAN, and brought together a dedicated group of students from a wide range of disciplines including film and television, acting, fashion, music, design and dance to recreate the episode from the original script as authentically as possible, carefully researching and reproducing 1960s production techniques to achieve the classic look of the series.

Andrew Ireland, Pro-Vice Chancellor of Digital and Creative Industries at the University of Central Lancashire, said:

“This project presented us with an exciting opportunity to address that, to explore a new way of bringing these missing slices of TV history to life, and in the process, help students learn their craft by comparing contemporary production methods with historical approaches. The project gave so many people great experiences, and it is wonderful to see the Daleks menacing a black and white jungle once more.”
Luke Spillane, Digital Publishing Manager for Doctor Who at BBC Studios, said:

“I’m delighted that we will be bringing the story of Space Security agent Marc Cory to our 1.3 million subscribers on the Doctor Who YouTube channel as it is such a fantastic recreation, made lovingly with real craft and expertise by everyone at the University of Central Lancashire. I hope audiences around the world can imagine that it’s tea time on the 9th October 1965 as they rather excitingly watch a black and white episode of Doctor Who premiere on their television sets, mobile phones and tablets.”
The recreation has been championed by several Doctor Who luminaries including Nicholas Briggs, who provided the Dalek voices for the recreated episode, and stars like Peter Purves, who played 1960s companion Steven Taylor, and Edward de Souza, who played Marc Cory in the original episode, who have visited the new set to lend their support.

Pop Pic: Solo, Sonny and Cher

New Comics Day: Man-Wolf; Marvel Art Of Star Wars; Sub-Mariner

Our picks this week. Click the links to order from Amazon.

Man-Wolf: The Complete Collection

When J. Jonah Jameson's astronaut son, John Jameson, brings a strange red gemstone back from the moon, he finds himself transformed into the macabre Man-Wolf! Becoming a lycanthropic creature on the loose, the Man-Wolf battles Spider-Man, Morbius, Kraven the Hunter and more - while investigator Simon Stroud comes ever closer to the Man-Wolf's true identity! Jameson soon discovers the truth behind the gem - but does his destiny lie in Other Realm wielding the sword of the Stargod? Or will the parasitic stone mean his destruction? Man-Wolf takes on Frankenstein's monster, She-Hulk and more - but can Spider-Man save him from a fate worse than death? Collecting AMAZING SPIDER-MAN (1963) #124-125 and #189-190; GIANT-SIZE SUPER-HEROES #1; CREATURES ON THE LOOSE #30-37; MARVEL PREMIERE #45-46; MARVEL TEAM-UP (1972) #36-37; SAVAGE SHE-HULK #13-14 and material from PETER PARKER, THE SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN ANNUAL #3.

The Marvel Art Of Star Wars

The Force is strong with the artists who have continued the adventures of Luke, Leia, Han and the rest since Star Wars returned to Marvel! This stunning volume celebrates the talents who have illustrated some of the finest covers and pages featuring the galaxy far, far away - including John Cassaday, Stuart Immonen, Leinil Francis Yu, Salvador Larroca and Mike Deodato Jr.! Filled with insights from many of the artists themselves, and those that have worked with them, and featuring never before seen behind-the-scenes artwork, this gorgeous HC spotlights all your favorites - including Lando, Chewbacca and, of course, Darth Vader - as well as brand new characters like Doctor Aphra, Sana Starros and the killer droids, Triple-Zero and Beetee!

Namor the Sub-Mariner by John Byrne and Jae Lee Omnibus

A radical reinvention of Namor, the Sub-Mariner by comics legends John Byrne and Jae Lee! First, Byrne writes and draws the iconic Marvel hero as Namor enters the cutthroat world of corporate intrigue! The Sub-Mariner faces the subtle threat of the diabolical Marrs twins, stands trial for his attacks on New York...and gets beheaded?! Namor reforges alliances with old friends the Invaders, battles long-forgotten foes from WWII and unravels the mystery behind the resurrection of the immortal Iron Fist! Then, as Jae Lee takes the artistic reins, crafting dark and moody visuals, Namor confronts Doctor Doom and Master Khan, struggles to regain his memory - and returns to Atlantis to face a foe unlike any other!
COLLECTING: NAMOR THE SUB-MARINER 1-40, ANNUAL 1-2; MATERIAL FROM INCREDIBLE HULK ANNUAL 18; SILVER SURFER ANNUAL 5; DOCTOR STRANGE, SORCERER SUPREME ANNUAL 2

This volume collects stories from EC Comics' most famous titles, featuring classic stories from the hands of legendary creators Al Feldstein, Harvey Kurtzman, Johnny Craig, Jack Davis, Wally Wood, and more!

Collects material from issues of Crime SuspenStories, Frontline Combat, Haunt of Fear, Impact, Shock SuspenStories, Tales from the Crypt, Two-Fisted Tales, Vault of Horror, Weird Fantasy, Weird Science, and Weird Science-Fantasy. Over 500 pages.