It was 40 years ago: TIP's special Sgt. Pepper edition

Hand-painted Fisher-Price Little People, found on eBay.

Forty years ago today (in Britain) and tomorrow (in the United States), the Beatles released what many consider their magnum opus: Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.

As with any other milestone, the LP is subject to much debate (see the "Is Sgt. Pepper Overrated?" post below). But, whether or not you agree that it's the best album of all-time, or even the best Beatles album, there's no denying it's among the most influential pop LPs ever--and one worth talking a bit about.

So, check out the posts here this weekend and form your own opinions about where the album belongs on the "all-time best" lists. And consider giving the album a commemorative spin, trying to put yourself in the frame of mind of what it must've sounded like for the first time, all those years ago.

Is Sgt. Pepper overrated?

It's the subject of so much discussion and hyperbole, it's no wonder some people seem to hate Sgt. Pepper. Or at least hate that the album is so frequently cited as the "first" or "best" in various categories.

But does that really mean the album is overrated? Or does it just mean that some people are tired of hearing about it?

My own point of view: The LP is not overrated. It had a significant impact on our music and culture--a greater impact than any pop record before or since.

But I also think this: It's not the best Beatles album. Look at it song-by-song as a collection, and I don't feel it contains as many great songs as Rubber Soul or Revolver, or even A Hard Day's Night.

I also don't think it's the Beatles' most innovative album. I'd give that honor to Revolver, which--in terms of new recording techniques and experimentalism--was the band's real artistic breakthrough. "Tomorrow Never Knows" from that album is far more complex and experimental than anything on Pepper.

Geoff Emerick, who took over as the band's recording engineer on Revolver deserves a lot of the credit for helping the Beatles' attain innovative new sounds in the studio. And it's his and the band's technical breakthroughs on Revolver that paved the way for Sgt. Pepper. Not to mention the open mindedness and musical know-how of Beatles producer George Martin.

And, continuing on the topic of what Pepper's not, it's not a concept album. It gets the credit/blame for being the first of the sort, but consider the songs. There's no story or big idea connecting them. The only thing tying them together is the "Sgt. Pepper" theme at the start of the record and its reprise near the end--as if all the songs on the record are being performed by the mythical band in the album's title. But, really, it's a collection of separate songs, just like any other LP.

Real concept albums had been around for a long time before Pepper. Consider Frank Sinatra's series of albums built around thematic concepts (In the Wee Small Hours, Come Fly with Me, Songs for Swinging Lovers) or even the Beach Boys' Pet Sounds from 1966, a huge influence on Revolver. The songs on Pet Sounds share an overarching theme: It's a record about alienation, loneliness, growing up and loss of innocence. And, although not a full concept album, The Kinks included three thematically related songs ("A House in the Country," "Most Exclusive Residence for Sale," and "Sunny Afternoon") on their 1966 Face to Face album.

What Pepper succeeded in doing, however, was to create its own sound world. The Beatles' imaginative use of lyrics, orchestration, recording wizardry and sound effects brings the listener into a rich and eclectic audio scape that's at turns whimsical ("Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite"), surreal ("Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds"), poignant ("She's Leaving Home"), philosophical ("Within You Without You") nostalgic ("When I'm 64") and abstract ("A Day in the Life"). Using an abundance of musical styles--from straight-out guitar-based rock to chamber music, Indian classical, 30s jazz and avant garde symphonic music--along with studio trickery such as multi-tracking, vari-speeding, "flanging," the band created something captivating and uniquely their own.

And the whole world seemed to notice.

It can be argued that earlier recordings should've been hailed as the first LP to transform pop into "art" (the fact that both critics and U.S. listeners pretty much ignored Pet Sounds when it was first released is criminal), but the fact is that Sgt. Pepper was special, and it was immediately hailed as such.

The album led mainstream publications to publish serious pieces about pop music and cemented the Beatles' position as cultural leaders.

Time magazine, for example, carried a piece praising "Strawberry Fields"/"Penny Lane"--the double A-side single the preceded Pepper--saying:

From the first mewings of "I Want to Hold Your Hand," the Beatles have developed into the single most creative force in pop music. And where they have gone in recent months, not even the ardent supporters would have dreamed of. They have bridged the heretofore impassable gap between rock and classical, mixing elements of Bach, Oriental and electronic music with vintage twang to achieve the most compellingly original sounds ever heard in pop music.

And, in its Sept. 22, 1967, issue Time used Pepper as a springboard for a five-page cover story about the Beatles--describing the group as "messengers from beyond rock'n'roll."

They are creating the most original, expressive and musically interesting sounds being heard in pop music. They are leading an evolution in which the best of current post-rock sounds are becoming something that pop music has never been before: an art form.

The magazine even called in experts to vouch for the music's importance:

Ned Rorem, composer of some of the best of today's art songs, says: "They are colleagues of mine, speaking the same language with different accents." In fact, he adds, the Beatles' haunting composition, "She's Leaving Home"--of 12 songs in the Sgt. Pepper album--is "equal to any song that Schubert ever wrote." Conductor Leonard Bernstein's appreciation is just as high; he cites Schumann. As musicologist Henry Pleasants says: "The Beatles are where music is right now."

Meanwhile, a review in Newsweek on June 26, 1967, said "A Day in the Life":

...is the Beatles' "Waste Land," a superb achievement of their brilliant and startlingly effective popular art."

And writing in The Saturday Review on Aug. 18, 1967, critic Peter Schrag said:

Sgt. Pepper, undoubtedly, is music; but surely it is also literature and criticism, a kind of selective filtering back from one generation to another. The comments that the record offers were grown in contemporary social thought and literature. Certainly the Beatles did not come upon them on their own. But in England and America they have now become the folklore of a generation.

And writing in The Village Voice on June 22, 1967, critic Tom Phillips said:

I must say that I think the Beatles have scored a genuine breakthrough with Sgt. Pepper. Specifically I think they've turned the record-album itself into an art form, and a form that works.

The album earned these accolades--they weren't the result of record company hype but were the genuine reactions of critics. And the record was a popular success, as well, topping the U.S. album charts for 15 weeks and the U.K. album charts for 27 weeks.

You (and I) may prefer other recordings, but it's hard to deny--or overstate--Pepper's impact.

Have you heard the "real" Sgt. Pepper?

I've got a few different Sgt. Pepper albums around here:

* An old Capitol pressing from the 70s and another, more recent Capitol pressing to replace that one because it wore out.

* A "half-speed mastered" high-fidelity version from Mobile Fidelity Soundlab.

* And, of course, the CD that came out 20 years ago.

But none of those is the real Pepper. That I have on vinyl, too, in 1967 Capitol pressing. Why is it more real than the others? Because it's in mono.

That the mono version of Sgt. Pepper is any more genuine or even more desireable than the stero version may seem odd. Afterall, don't all the way-out sounds of this record sound groovier in stereo?

And, yeah, I've got to agree the stereo mix sounds pretty darn good. But, the thing is, the mono version is the album as the Beatles intended. And it sounds quite different. It's punchier throughout. The bass comes through stronger. The "Sgt. Pepper Reprise," especially, comes through more aggressively--it rocks more. And the songs that use sound effects, such as "Good Morning, Good Morning," are mixed quite differently. In short, it's a much different listening experience and one that should be enjoyed. If you can snag a vintage mono LP, or find a homemade CD copy of the mono mix, I heartily recommend it.

And, since Apple Corps/EMI so badly dropped the ball on giving us a 40th anniversary edition of the album, let's hope they're working right now on such a project--one that will include both the stereo and mono mixes of the album.

A little more Pepper?

Learn more about the Beatles and Sgt. Pepper from these TIP!-recommended books:


The Complete Beatles Chronicle By Mark Lewisohn

With a Little Help from My Friends By George Martin with William Pearson


It Was Twenty Years Ago Today By Derek Taylor


The Beatles Anthology DVD set


The Beatles Anthology Book


Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band CD

The Pepper package

Along with it's sound, Sgt. Pepper also made a visual impact. The stunning cover by pop artist Peter Blake depicted the Beatles--decked out in brightly colored band uniforms--standing in a crowd of political, religious and pop culture icons (including their earlier selves in the form of wax dummies from Madame Tussuad's). To see who all was included, check out this annotated chart. There's also more information on each of the figures featured here.

The album cover also featured a gatefold photo of the band and, inside the sleeve, a cardboard sheet with cutouts of military shoulder stripes, a mustache, Sgt. Pepper badges and a portrait of Sgt. Pepper himself. The record came in a pop-artish LP sleeve with pink "blobs" on it created by Dutch designers the Fool and a cardboard sheet of cut-outs.



Perhaps most notably, the lyrics for every song appeared on the back cover--a rarity for the time period.

Here's a video of designers talking about Blake's cover design:

Wouldn't you like to be a Pepper too?

Lots of records--some good, some ok, some wretched--have been cited as the next Sgt. Pepper, but here are some of the most significant LPs that followed in the Beatles' wake:

The Rolling Stones' ill-advised flirtation with psychedelia, Their Satanic Majestie's Request, is likely the most frequently mentioned Pepper wannabe. Though it yielded an ok song or two and is better than most people give it credit for, this type of music wasn't the Stones strong suit and they soon returned to bluesy, rocking form, releasing a series of albums between 1968 and the early 1970s that turned out to be the best of their career.

An album recorded at Abbey Road soon after Pepper and engineered by Geoff Emerick to boot, the Zombies' Odessey and Oracle is a very strong LP featuring some excellent songs, including the gorgeous "Brief Candles" and the hit "Time of the Season." It's not a concept album and it doesn't sound much like Pepper but, like the Beatles, this was a band working at the top of its game.

Pink Floyd were an innovative, experimental singles band before Pepper came out, but their first LPs A Piper at the Gates of Dawn and Saucerful of Secrets (as well as those that followed later in the 1960s and in the 1970s) shared Pepper's same spirit of adventure

Love's Forever Changes is another example of a LP that holds together extremely well as a long-form statement, blending lovely horn and string arrangements with traditional rock instrumentation.

Pepper likely had a big impact on the Who, which went on to record their Who Sell Out and Tommy concept albums afterwards and the Kinks, who went to work on Village Green Preservation Society and Arthur.

The Moody Blues put out Days of Future Passed, which blended classical and rock, and the Small Faces released Ogdens' Nut Gone Flake, which featured a side-long fairy tale set to music.

The Pretty Things did a concept album, S.F. Sorrow, in 1968 that's Pepper-inspired, and the Beach Boys' Brian Wilson was in the midst of working on his super-ambitious Smile album when Pepper was released and took the wind out of his sails. He was so overwhelmed by the Beatles' masterstroke that he lost confidence in himself. Smile songs creeped out here and there (most notably on the Smiley Smile album, Surf's Up and the 1990s Good Vibrations) box set, but it took until 2003 for Wilson to finally put out Smile in complete, newly recorded form.

Pepper pics

Today's videos: "Penny Lane" and "Strawberry Fields"

While not on the Sgt. Pepper album, these two groundbreaking songs were recorded during the same sessions and released on a double A-side single in advance of the Pepper LP. These promotional films are pretty groundbreaking, too, paving the way for the music videos of the 1980s and 1990s.

Pop Artifact! Rowan and Martin Maltese Bippy movie poster

Pop Culture Roundup May 31, 2007

Rock'n'roll pioneer Bo Diddley is showing signs of improvement following his recent stroke.

...the 78-year-old singer, songwriter and guitarist was transferred on Thursday from a hospital in Omaha, Nebraska, to a facility near his home in Gainesville, Florida, and had been receiving speech and occupational therapy since Friday.

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Dial B for Burbank presents the secret origins of pulp heroes. First up: The Hooded Shadow.

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A live-action Teen Titans film is in the works.

It is not known which heroes will be used, but Nightwing is said to be in the mix.

The film's producer, Akiva Goldsman, said the tone will be consistent with such recent Warners' comic book fare as "Batman Begins," "Superman Returns" and the upcoming "Watchmen."

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Will the current "Doctor Who" series end after its fourth season?

Boss Russell T. Davies has decided to axe the BBC1 sci-fi drama and concentrate on other projects.

He and senior staff have hatched a plot to hand in a group resignation in summer 2008.

A source said: “The heavy workload — nine months of 16-hour days every year — has started to take its toll.

“It was decided the best thing for the show was go out at the top next year.”

Even more DC comics graphic novels / collections announced

After announcing what's coming up in October and November, DC now tells what's up for December:

THE ALL NEW ATOM: FUTURE/PAST TP
Writer: Gail Simone
Artists: Mike Norton, Eddy Barrows, Andy Owens and Trevor Scott
Collects: THE ALL NEW ATOM #7-11
$14.99 U.S., 128 pages

BATMAN/SUPERMAN: SAGA OF THE SUPER SONS TP
Writer: Bob Haney
Artists: Dick Dillin, Tex Blaisdell, Vince Colletta, Henry Scarpelli, Murphy Anderson and John Calnan
Collects: Stories from WORLD'S FINEST COMICS # 215, 216, 221, 222, 224, 228, 231, 233 and 238
$19.99 U.S., 192 pages

THE BRAVE AND THE BOLD VOL. 1: LORDS OF LUCK HC
Writer: Mark Waid
Artists: George Pérez & Bob Wiacek
Collects: THE BRAVE AND THE BOLD #1-6
$24.99 U.S., 160 pages

DCU: WORLD WAR III TP
Writers: Geoff Johns, Grant Morrison, Greg Rucka, Mark Waid, Keith Champagne and John Ostrander
Artists: Justiniano, Jack Jadson, Tom Derenick, Pat Olliffe, Andy Smith, Walden Wong, Norm Rapmund, Rodney Ramos, Drew Geraci and Ray Snyder
Collects: 52 WEEK 50, WORLD WAR III PART ONE: A CALL TO ARMS, WORLD WAR III PART TWO: THE VALIANT, WORLD WAR III PART THREE: HELL IS FOR HEROES and WORLD WAR III PART FOUR: UNITED WE STAND
$17.99 U.S., 128 pages

THE FLASH: THE FASTEST MAN ALIVE: FULL THROTTLE TP
Writers: Danny Bilson & Paul DeMeo, Marc Guggenheim and Jon Boothby
Artists: Andy Kuhn, Ron Adrian, Art Thibert, Paco Diaz, Giuseppe Camuncoli, Tony Daniel, Rob Lea, Alex Lei and Lorenzo Ruggiero
Collects: THE FLASH: THE FASTEST MAN ALIVE #7-14 and a story from the DC INFINITE HOLIDAY SPECIAL #1.
$12.99 U.S., 208 pages

THE LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES: AN EYE FOR AN EYE TP
Writers: Paul Levitz and Keith Giffen
Artists: Keith Giffen, Steve Lightle, Joe Orlando and Larry Mahlstedt
Collects: THE LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES #1-6
$17.99 U.S., 160 pages

SHOWCASE PRESENTS: JONAH HEX VOL. 2
Writers: Michael Fleischer, John Albano and David Michelinie
Artists: George Moliterni, Bill Draut, Luis Dominguez, Ernie Chua, José Luis García-López, Oscar Novelle, Tony DeZuñiga, Romeo Tanghal, Vicente Alcazar, Danny Bulanadi, Rich Buckler, Dick Giordano and Val Mayerik
Collects: JONAH HEX #1-22 and stories from WEIRD WESTERN TALES #34-38
$16.99 U.S., 528 pages

SHOWCASE PRESENTS: TEEN TITANS VOL. 2
Writers: Mike Friedrich, Bob Haney, Neal Adams, Steve Skeates, Marv Wolfman and Robert Kanigher
Artists: Gil Kane, Neal Adams, Nick Cardy, George Tuska, Carmine Infantino, Sal Amendola, Dick Dillin, Jim Aparo, Wallace Wood and Joe Giella
Collects: TEEN TITANS #19-36, THE BRAVE AND THE BOLD #83 and 94 and WORLD'S FINEST COMICS #205
$16.99 U.S., 520 pages

THE SPECTRE: TALES OF THE UNEXPECTED TP
Writer: David Lapham
Artists: Eric Battle, Tom Mandrake and Prentiss Rollins
Collects: TALES OF THE UNEXPECTED #4-8
$14.99 U.S., 128 pages

THE SPIRIT ARCHIVES VOL. 23 HC
Writer/Artist: Will Eisner
Collects: SPIRIT stories from July 1, 1951, through December 30, 1951
$49.99 U.S., 204 pages

SUPERMAN: CAMELOT FALLS VOL. 2 HC
Writer: Kurt Busiek
Artists: Carlos Pacheco & Jesus Merino
Collects: SUPERMAN #662-664 and 667-668
$19.99 U.S., 128 pages

SUPERMAN: KRYPTONITE HC
Writer: Darwyn Cooke
Artist: Tim Sale
Collects: SUPERMAN CONFIDENTIAL #1-6
$24.99 U.S., 160 pages

TALES OF THE BATMAN: TIM SALE HC
Writers: Alan Grant, James Robinson and Darwyn Cooke
Artists: Tim Sale and Jimmy Palmiotti
Collects: BATMAN LEGENDS OF THE DARK KNIGHT #32-34, BATMAN: SHADOW OF THE BAT #7-9 and stories from SOLO #1, SHOWCASE '94 #3-4 and BATMAN: BLACK AND WHITE VOL. 2
$ 29.99 U.S., 240 pages

TALES OF THE MULTIVERSE: BATMAN - VAMPIRE TP
Writer: Doug Moench
Artists: Kelley Jones & John Beatty
Collects: BATMAN & DRACULA: RED RAIN, BATMAN: CRIMSON MIST and BATMAN: BLOODSTORM
$19.99 U.S., 296 pages

WONDER WOMAN: AMAZONS ATTACK TP
Writer: Will Pfeifer
Artist: Pete Woods
Collects: AMAZONS ATTACK #1-6
$24.99 U.S., 160 pages

VERTIGO titles scheduled to arrive in stores in December include:

HELLBLAZER: BLOODLINES TP
Writer: Garth Ennis
Artists: Will Simpson, Steve Dillon, Mike Hoffman, Mike Barreiro, Kim DeMulder and Stan Woch
Collects: HELLBLAZER #47-50, #52-55 and #59-61
$19.99 U.S., 296 pages

LOVELESS VOL. 3: BLACKWATER FALLS TP
Writer: Brian Azzarello
Artists: Danijel Zezelj and Werther Dell'Edera
Collects: LOVELESS #13-20
$14.99 U.S., 192 pages

WILDSTORM titles scheduled to arrive in stores in December include:

DANGER GIRL: BODY SHOTS TP
Writer: Andy Hartnell
Artists: Nick Bradshaw & Jim Charalampidis
Collects: DANGER GIRL: BODY SHOTS #1-4
$12.99 U.S., 96 pages

WELCOME TO TRANQUILITY VOL. 1 TP
Writer: Gail Simone
Artists: Neil Googe
Collects: WELCOME TO TRANQUILITY #1-6
$19.99 U.S., 160 pages

CMX titles scheduled to arrive in stores in December include:

EMMA VOL. 6
Writer/Artist: Kaoru Mori
$9.99 U.S., 192 pages

THE EMPTY EMPIRE VOL. 6
Writer/Artist: Naoe Kita
$9.99 U.S., 200 pages

FROM EROICA WITH LOVE VOL. 11
Writer/Artist: Yasuko Aoike
$9.99 U.S., 208 pages

GO GO HEAVEN!! VOL. 4
Writer/Artist: Keiko Yamada
$9.99 U.S., 192 pages

MOON CHILD VOL. 9
Writer/Artist: Reiko Shimizu
$9.99 U.S., 192 pages

PIECES OF A SPIRAL VOL. 10
Writer/Artist: Kaimu Tahibana
$9.99 U.S., 192 pages

TOWER OF THE FUTURE VOL. 9
Writer/Artist: Saki Hiwatari
$9.99 U.S., 192 pages

THE YOUNG MAGICIAN VOL. 10
Writer/Artist: Yuri Narushima
$9.99 U.S., 192 pages

Marvel Superheroes found on DVD in UK

We were promised a DVD box set collecting Marvel's 1960s toons a long, long time ago, but it's still not out. Here.

But in Britain a box is due out June 11. And already out are two-disk sets collecting the animated Iron Man, Thor, Captain America and the Sub-Mariner.

Here's the cover art for each. You can click to order any of them from Amazon UK. The disks are in PAL format so you'll want to check that your machine will play them.

Vintage comic book ad

Today's video: Beatles-"George must save John from certain doom"

Coming tomorrow: A TIP! tribute to Sgt. Pepper.

New and upcoming action figures May 31, 2007

Complete List of Marvel Legends Action Figures
Complete List of DC Direct Action Figures

Here's a look at action figures available via your local comics shop or via the TIP!-supporting links below:

DC Direct Action Figures

Superman Last Son Action Figures
--Last Son Superman
--Ursa
--Bizarro
--Zod

Shazam Action Figures
--Dr. Sivana
--Captain Marvel Jr.
--Mary Marvel
--Billy Batson and Hoppy
--Captain Marvel

Superman Vs. Doomsday
Doomsday
Lex Luthor and Robot
Solar Suit Superman
Superman

Batman and Son
Batman
Ninja Man-Bat
Robin and Daimin
The Joker

52 Weeks
Animal Man
Batwoman
Booster Gold
Supernova

DC Direct Reactivated Action Figures
--Batman
--Wonder Woman
--Lobo
--Superman

DC 13-inch Figures
Green Lantern
Lex Luthor
Martian Manhunter
Catwoman
Nightwing
Classic Batman
Batgirl gray costume
Batgirl black costume

Elseworlds Action Figures Series 2
--Red Son Batman
--Red Son President Superman
--Kingdom Come Jade
--Kingdom Come Spectre and Norman McKay
--Gotham By Gaslight Batman

Elseworlds Action Figures Series 3
--Supergirl
--Batgirl
--Nightstar
--Kingdom Come Aquaman
--Red Son Green Lantern

First Appearance Series 4
--Blue Beetle translucent
--Blue Beetle
--Brave New World Atom
--Warlord
--Brave New World Martian Manhunter
--Brave New World Aquaman

Infinite Crisis Action Figures Series 1
--Powergirl
--Omac
--Mongul
--Earth Prime Superboy
--Alexander Luthor

JSA Action Figures
--Mr. Terrific
--Hawkgirl
--Dr. Midnite
--Hourman
--Golden Age Atom 2-pack

DC Direct Wonder Woman Series 1 Action Figures
--Wonder Woman
--Agent Diana Prince
--Circe
--Donna Troy as Wonder Woman

Fantastic Four Rise of the Silver Surfer action figures
Battle Stretch Mr. Fantastic
Fire Blast Human Torch
Raging Thing
Silver Surfer

Hanna Barbera Series 3 Action Figures
--Fred Flintstone Quittin' Time
--Twinkle Toes Fred Flintstone
--Great Grape Ape
--Huckleberry Hound
--The Jetsons
--Secret Squirrel
--Snagglepuss

McFarlane Lost series 2 action figures
--Crash site box set
--Sawyer
--Jin
--Sayid
--Desmond
--Sun
--Mr. Eko

McFarlane Lost series 3 action figures
--Sayid
--Desmond
--Claire
--Ben/Henry

Marvel Figure Factory Sets
--Angel
--Beast
--Black Costume Spider-Man
--Deadpool
--Invisible Woman
--Silver Surfer

Marvel Legends Action Figures

Hasbro Marvel Legends Action Figures Series 2
--Wolverine
--She-Hulk
--Yellow Jacket
--Quick Silver
--Lord Asgard Thor
--Magneto Xorn
--X3 Jean Grey
--First Appearance Storm

Hasbro Marvel Legends Figures Series 3
--Bucky Barnes
--First appearance Captain America
--Marvel Girl Rachel Grey
--Heroes for Hire Black Knight
--Hydra Soldier
--X-3 Colossus
--Astonishing X-Men Cyclops
--Danger

Hasbro Marvel Legends Icons 12-inch Action Figures
--The Punisher
--Doctor Doom
--The Human Torch
--The Silver Surfer

Marvel Legends Masterworks Sets
--Spider-Man Vs. Green Goblin
--Fantastic Four Vs. Mole Man
--Hulk Vs. The Thing
--Galactus Vs. Everybody

Marvel Select Figures

Best of Marvel Select Figures
--Grey Hulk
--Thanos
--Ultimate Spider-Man
--Green Goblin
--Mephisto

Marvel Sideshow Toys Figures
--Venom
--Black costume Spider-Man
--Spider-Man
--White Queen
--White Queen Exclusive

Pop Artifact! Night of Dark Shadows movie poster

Pop Culture Roundup May 30, 2007

Deal alert: Get the Marvel Legends Young Avengers and Monster gift packs for $14.99 each.

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More deal alerts: Amazon has the Lego Star Wars V-Wing Fighter on sale for $9.99, plus assorted other Lego deals. Plus, there are deals on model cars from Shyne Rodz and Road Signature.

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You can check out a couple of interesting new audio documetaries on the BBC: "Star Wars 30th Anniversary," "The Traveling Wilburies Revisited."

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Via the Hollywood Animation Archive: A remembrance of cartoonist Milt Caniff by his nephew Harry Grant Guyton.

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What will the new Hulk film be about (other than, you know, not wanting to hulk out, but hulking out anyway and then destroying lots of stuff)? Here's a plot preview.

New Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer poster

Upcoming DC Comics graphic novels - collections

In addition to the stuff announced last week, DC has the following coming up in November. Click the links to pre-order from Amazon:

52 VOL. 4 TP
Writers: Geoff Johns, Grant Morrison, Greg Rucka and Mark Waid
Artists: Keith Giffen, Chris Batista, Giuseppe Camuncoli, Darick Robertson, Dan Jurgens, Mike McKone, Justiniano, Joe Bennett, Eddy Barrows, Jamal Igle, Pat Olliffe, Rodney Ramos, Dan Green, Norm Rapmund, Drew Geraci, Lorenzo Ruggiero, Jack Jadson, Belardino Brabo, Andy Lanning and Walden Wong
Collects: Lead stories from 52 WEEK 40-52
$19.99 U.S., 304 pages

THE BATMAN ARCHIVES VOL. 7 HC
Writers: Bill Finger and others
Artists: Bob Kane, Dick Sprang, Jim Mooney and Charles Paris
Collects: Stories from DETECTIVE COMICS #136-154
$49.99 U.S., 256 pages

BATMAN: RULES OF ENGAGEMENT HC
Writer: Andy Diggle
Artists: Whilce Portacio & Richard Friend
Collects: BATMAN CONFIDENTIAL #1-6
$24.99 U.S., 160 pages

BATMAN: DEATH IN THE CITY TP
Writers: Paul Dini, Stuart Moore and Royal McGraw
Artists: Don Kramer, Andy Clarke and Wayne Faucher
Collects: DETECTIVE COMICS #827-834
$14.99 U.S., 192 pages

GREEN ARROW: ROAD TO JERICHO TP
Writer: Judd Winick
Artists: Scott McDaniel & Andy Owens
Collects: GREEN ARROW #66-75
$17.99 U.S., 240 pages

GREEN LANTERN CORPS: DARKER SHADE OF GREEN TP
Writers: Dave Gibbons and Keith Champagne
Artists: Patrick Gleason, Dave Gibbons, Prentiss Rollins and Christian Alamy
Collects: GREEN LANTERN CORPS #7-13
$12.99 U.S., 168 pages

HAWKGIRL: HAWKMAN RETURNS TP
Writer: Walter Simonson
Artists: Walter Simonson, Renato Arlem and Joe Bennett
Collects: HAWKGIRL #57-60 and JSA CLASSIFIED #21-22
$17.99 U.S., 144 pages

JACK KIRBY'S FOURTH WORLD OMNIBUS VOL. 3 HC
Writer: Jack Kirby
Artists: Jack Kirby & Mike Royer
Collects: THE NEW GODS, MISTER MIRACLE, THE FOREVER PEOPLE and SUPERMAN'S PAL JIMMY OLSEN
$49.99 U.S., 396 pages

JLA: ULTRAMARINE CORPS TP
Writer: Grant Morrison
Artists: Ed McGuinness, Val Semeiks, Dexter Vines, Kevin Conrad and Ray Kryssing
Collects: JLA CLASSIFIED #1-3 and JLA/WILDCATS
$14.99 U.S., 144 pages

JONAH HEX: ORIGINS TP
Writers: Jimmy Palmiotti & Justin Gray
Artists: Jordi Bernet, Val Semeiks and Phil Noto
Collects: JONAH HEX #13-18
$12.99 U.S., 144 pages

ROBIN: TEENAGE WASTELAND TP
Writers: Adam Beechen
Artists: Freddie Williams II and Frazer Irving
Collects: ROBIN #154-162
$17.99 U.S., 208 pages

SHOWCASE PRESENTS: THE SECRET SOCIETY OF SUPER-VILLAINS VOL. 1 TP
Writers: Gerry Conway, David Kraft, Bob Rozakis and Paul Levitz
Artists: Pablo Marcos, Rich Buckler, Arvell Jones, Dick Ayers, Mike Vosburg, Ric Estrada, Bob Smith, Vince Colletta, Bob Layton, Joe Rubinstein, Bob McLeod, Jack Abel, Romeo Tanghal, Joe Orlando, Frank McLaughlin, Ernie Chua and others
Collects: THE SECRET SOCIETY OF SUPER-VILLAINS #1-15, DC SPECIAL #27, DC SPECIAL SERIES #6, SUPER-TEAM FAMILYI #13 and 14, JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #166-168 and a story from CANCELLED COMICS CAVALCADE #2
$16.99 U.S., 520 pages

SHOWCASE PRESENTS: SUICIDE SQUAD VOL. 1 TP
Writers: John Ostrander, Keith Giffen, J.M. DeMatteis and Paul Kupperberg
Artists: Luke McDonnell, Keith Giffen, Erik Larsen, Dave Hunt, Karl Kesel, Bob Lewis, Al Gordon and Malcolm Jones III
Collects: SUICIDE SQUAD #1-18, the DOOM PATROL AND SUICIDE SQUAD SPECIAL, and a story from JUSTICE LEAGUE INTERNATIONAL #13
$16.99 U.S., 528 pages

SUPERGIRL: IDENTITY TP
Writers: Joe Kelly, Jimmy Palmiotti & Justin Gray and Mark Sable
Artists: Ian Churchill, Amanda Conner, Joe Benitez, Alé Garza, Norm Rapmund and Victor Llamas
Collects: SUPERGIRL #10-19 and a story from the DCU INFINITE HOLIDAY SPECIAL
$19.99 U.S., 256 pages

TEEN TITANS GO!: TITANS TOGETHER TP
Writer: J. Torres
Artists: Todd Nauck, Mike Norton, Lary Stucker and Scott Iwahashi
Collects: TEEN TITANS GO! #26-32
$12.99 U.S. 144 pages

WONDER WOMAN: LOVE AND MURDER HC
Writer: Jodi Picoult
Artists: Drew Johnson, Terry Dodson & Rachel Dodson, Paco Diaz and Ray Snyder
Collects: WONDER WOMAN #6-10
$19.99 U.S., 128 pages

THE MAD ARCHIVES VOL. 2 HC
Writer: Harvey Kurtzman
Artists: Will Elder, John Severin, Harvey Kurtzman, Wallace Wood, Jack Davis, Basil Wolverton and Bernard Krigstein
Collects: MAD #7-12
$49.99, 224 pages

AMERICAN VIRGIN VOL. 3: WET TP
Writer: Steven T. Seagle
Artists: Becky Cloonan, Jim Rugg and Christine Norrie
Collects: AMERICAN VIRGIN #10-14
$12.99 U.S., 128 pages

TESTAMENT VOL. 3: BABEL TP
Writer: Douglas Rushkoff
Artists: Liam Sharp, Peter Gross and Gary Erskine
Collects: TESTAMENT #11-16
$12.99 U.S., 160 pages

EX MACHINA VOL. 6: POWER DOWN TP
Writer: Brian K. Vaughan
Artists: Tony Harris and Jim Clark
Collects: EX MACHINA #26-29 and EX MACHINA: INSIDE THE MACHINE
$12.99 U.S., 144 pages

MIDNIGHTER: KILLING MACHINE TP
Writer: Garth Ennis
Artists: Chris Sprouse, Karl Story and Glenn Fabry
Collects: MIDNIGHTER #1-6
$14.99 U.S., 144 pages

APOTHECARIUS ARGENTUM VOL. 3
Writer/Artist: Tomomi Yamashita
$9.99 U.S., 200 pages

KEY TO THE KINGDOM VOL. 2
Writer/Artist: Kyoko Shitou
$9.99 U.S., 176 pages

KING OF CARDS VOL. 2
Writer/Artist: Makoto Tateno
$9.99 U.S., 208 pages

MUSASHI #9 VOL. 13
Writer/Artist: Miyuki Takahashi
$9.99 U.S., 208 pages

ORFINA VOL. 1
Writer/Artist: Kitsune Tennouji
$12.99 U.S., 162 pages

THE PALETTE OF 12 SECRET COLORS VOL. 1
Writer/Artist: Nari Kusakawa
$9.99 U.S., 192 pages

SEIMADEN VOL. 10
Writer/Artist: You Higuri
$9.99 U.S., 180 pages

TENJHO TENGE VOL. 16
Writer/Artist: Oh! great
$9.99 U.S., 184 pages

VENUS IN LOVE VOL. 1
Writer/Artist: Yuki Nakaji
$9.99 U.S., 224 pages

Upcoming Doc Savage and Shadow reprints

See currently available Doc Savage and Shadow reprints.

Here's what's coming up from Nostalgia Ventures:


DOC SAVAGE DOUBLE NOVEL VOLUME 8: "The Sea Magician" & "The Living-Fire Menace"
The pulps' greatest superman returns in two of his most fantastic adventures. In The Sea Magician, the ghost of the legendary King John is terrorizing the English marsh country in an epic 1934 adventure by Lester Dent writing as Kenneth Robeson. Then, in a 1937 thriller by Harold A. Davis, the blazing death of government agent Z-2 sets Doc Savage and his Iron Crew on the trail of The Living-Fire Menace, a terrifying threat that transforms men into living human torches. These thrilling pulp adventures are reproduced with the classic color pulp covers by Emery Clarke and Walter Baumhofer, interior illustrations by Paul Orban and new historical articles by Will Murray (author of seven Bantam Doc Savage novels). (Sanctum Productions)
Softcover, 7x10, B&W, $12.95


DOC SAVAGE DOUBLE NOVEL VOLUME 9: "The Majii" and "The Golden Man"
The pulps' legendary superman battles evil in two exciting adventures by Lester Dent writing as Kenneth Robeson. In "The Majii" (1935), a living dead man lures Doc Savage into an Aladdin's cavern of horror. Then, "The Golden Man" tests the scientific wizardry of the Man of Bronze, exposing deep secrets of Doc Savage's strange origins. These classic pulp thrillers are reproduced with the original color pulp covers by Walter Baumhofer and Emery Clarke, interior illustrations by Paul Orban and historical articles by pulp historian Will Murray. (Sanctum Productions)
Softcover, 7x10, B&W, $12.95 Available May 31.


DOC SAVAGE DOUBLE NOVEL VOLUME 10: "Dust of Death" and "The Stone Man"
The legendary pulp superman battles evil in two expanded novels by Lester Dent and Harold A. Davis writing as Kenneth Robeson, incorporating never-before-published text from the original manuscripts. After Long Tom is arrested on spying charges, Doc Savage, Monk and Ham intervene in an Amazon jungle border war as they battle the mysterious Inca in Gray (in the novel that introduced Ham's pet ape, Chemistry). Then, the Man of Bronze and his Iron Crew journey to Arizona and discover a lost race and a strange mist that transforms men into stone. This pulp reprint showcases the classic pulp covers by Walter Baumhofer and Emery Clarke, all of Paul Orban's interior illustrations and historical commentary by Will Murray, author of seven Bantam Doc Savage novels. (Sanctum Productions)
Softcover, 7x10. B&W $12.95 Available June 27.


THE SHADOW DOUBLE NOVEL VOLUME 9: "Lingo" & "Partners in Peril"
The "Knight of Darkness" returns in two historic novels that gave birth to Batman. First, a powerful new underworld kingpin crosses swords with The Shadow in "Lingo," one of Walter Gibson's all-time masterpieces which inspired the 'Batarang.' In "Partners of Peril," by Theodore Tinsley, Lamont Cranston investigates chemical syndicate murders in the crime thriller that serves as the model for Batman's debut adventure in Detective Comics #27. This extra-long volume also reprints Tinsley's "The Grim Joker," a 1936 tale featuring a clown-faced crime boss called 'The Joker'! PLUS: Will Murray documents the "Shadowy" origins of The Batman, and Anthony Tollin chonicles how "Partners in Peril" was adapted as the first Batman story. Cover by George Rozen; illustrations by Tom Lovell. (Sanctum Productions)
Softcover, 144 pages, 7x10. B&W, $12.95


THE SHADOW DOUBLE NOVEL VOLUME 10: "The City of Doom" & "The Fifth Face"
"Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men? The Shadow Knows!" The legendary supersleuth returns in two action-packed pulp thrillers by Walter B. Gibson. The Voodoo Master returns from the grave and launches a series of terrorist attacks to enslave "The City of Doom." Then, the Dark Avenger battles the master of disguise known only as Five Face. Will "The Fifth Face" be the face of death? In a special bonus feature, The Shadow battles an million-year-old Neanderthal in a "lost" radio script by Hugo Award-winning science fiction author Alfred Bester. This instant collector's item leads off with a classic cover by George Rozen, and also includes all the original interior art by acclaimed illustrator Tom Lovell and Earl Mayan plus historical commentary on the origins of super-villains and DC's Vandal Savage by popular culture historians Will Murray and Anthony Tollin. (Sanctum Productions)
Softcover, 7x10, B&W, $12.95 Available May 31.


THE SHADOW DOUBLE NOVEL VOLUME 11: "The Road of Crime" & "Crooks Go Straight" "Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men? The Shadow Knows!"
Nostalgia Ventures' sales-smashing revival of Street & Smith's iconic pulp superheroes continues as the Master Avenger proves that "crime does not pay" in two of Walter Gibson's most intriguing mysteries. In "Road of Crime," a former criminal attempts to reform his life with some unseen help from The Shadow, in a 1933 tale of redemption. Then, a series of robberies and murders casts suspicion on two supposedly-reformed criminals. Did the Crooks Go Straight, or has one of them returned to crime? This classic pulp collection also features George Rozen's spectacular pulp covers, all the original interior art by acclaimed illustrator Tom Lovell and historical commentary by popular culture historian Will Murray. (Sanctum Productions)
Softcover, 7x10. B&W $12.95 Available June 27.