New pics from The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug











Marvel Comics October 2013 solicitations

Highlights from Marvel's October releases:

MARVEL MASTERWORKS: THE SUB-MARINER VOL. 5 HC
Written by ROY THOMAS with ALLYN BRODSKY
Penciled by SAL BUSCEMA with ROSS ANDRU & FRANK SPRINGER
Cover by SAL BUSCEMA
Brace yourself for one of the most epic eras in the history of Prince Namor, the Sub-Mariner! Roy Thomas and Sal Buscema have prepared for you a string of classics that have defined the Atlantean’s life forevermore — and lucky you, the Marvel Masterworks are bringing them to you in one sweet package! Featuring team-ups with Hercules and Captain Marvel, gladiator battles against Triton and Stingray, the return of Attuma and Prince Byrrah, the founding of the Titans Three — who would soon become none other than the Defenders — and oh, did we forget the Red Raven? But the heart of the drama is Namor and Lady Dorma’s wedding, and the scheming Lemurian Llyra’s plans to destroy it all! Collecting SUB-MARINER (1968) #25-38 and KA-ZAR (1970) #1.



Marvel Masterworks: Sgt. Fury Volume 1

Written by STAN LEE
Penciled by JACK KIRBY & DICK AYERS
Cover by JACK KIRBY & MICHAEL KELLEHER
Wa-hooo! It’s time for Marvel’s first-ever war Masterworks with the tales of Sgt. Nick Fury and his Howling Commandos! Prepare yourself for drama, intrigue, humor and action galore! Sgt. Fury, Dum Dum Dugan and the rest of the Howlers battle more Nazis than you can shake a bayonet at, team up with Captain America and Bucky, battle the nefarious Barons Strucker and Zemo, and set out to capture Adolf Hitler himself! Brought to you by Sgt. Stan Lee, with art by Infantryman Jack Kirby and Cpl. Dick Ayers, Fury’s World War II exploits are so explosive you’d better wear a helmet while you read this one. So get off your duff and reserve your copy today, goldbrick! That’s an order! Collecting SGT. FURY (1963) #1-13.


MARVEL’S THOR: THE DARK WORLD — THE ART OF THE MOVIE SLIPCASE HC
Written by STUART MOORE & MARIE JAVINS
Continuing their popular ART OF series of movie tie-in books, Marvel presents its latest blockbuster achievement! Featuring exclusive concept artwork, behind-the-scenes photographs, production stills, and in-depth interviews with the cast and crew, THE ART OF THOR: THE DARK WORLD provides an insider’s look into the making of the highly anticipated film directed by Alan Taylor and starring Chris Hemsworth!



Thor: The Warriors Three: The Complete Collection

Written by STAN LEE, GARY FRIEDRICH, LEN WEIN, ALAN ZELENETZ, TOM DEFALCO, WALTER SIMONSON, BILL WILLINGHAM & MORE
Penciled by JACK KIRBY, MARIE SEVERIN, JOHN BUSCEMA, CHARLES VESS, HERB TRIMPE, JOE BARNEY, DEODATO STUDIOS, NEIL EDWARDS & MORE
Cover by JOE BARNEY
The Lord of the Sword, the Master of the Mace and the God of Girth! A romance-seeking rogue, a somber soldier and a fumbling family man: They’re one odd trio, but they’re the God of Thunder’s closest comrades — and even without him, they remain Asgard’s finest! Watch the Warriors Three face down Loki, Ulik, the Enchantress, the Destroyer and more! And when the fearsome Fenris Wolf returns, the Warriors Three undertake a quest to discover the secret of his defeat! Collecting THOR ANNUAL #2, INCREDIBLE HULK (1968) #102, MARVEL SPOTLIGHT (1971) #30, MARVEL FANFARE (1982) #34-35, JOURNEY INTO MYSTERY (1952) #-1, WARRIORS THREE #1-4 — and material from TALES TO ASTONISH (1959) #101; MARVEL FANFARE (1982) #13 and #36-37; THOR (1966) #400, #410 and #415-416; MARVEL COMICS PRESENTS (1988) #66; THOR ANNUAL #17; and MARVEL SUPER-HEROES (1990) #15.
 
 



Amazing Spider-Man Epic Collection: Cosmic Adventures
Volume #20 In the Amazing Spider-Man Epic Collections

Written by DAVID MICHELINIE, GERRY CONWAY, STAN LEE & MORE
Penciled by COLLEEN DORAN, ERIK LARSEN, TODD MCFARLANE, SAL BUSCEMA, ALEX SAVIUK, GIL KANE, STEVE DITKO & MORE
Cover by SAL BUSCEMA
With great power comes great responsibility, but what happens with unlimited cosmic power?
When a science experiment goes wrong, Peter Parker’s spider-powers are enhanced to an unbelievable degree! And the timing can’t be beat — because with a cabal of deadly villains unleashing unpredictable attacks on Marvel’s heroes, Spider-Man will need all his newfound might just to survive! But who or what is the real force behind Spidey’s cosmic empowerment? And what battle is he destined to fight? Plus: Spider-Man teams up with the Punisher, deals with the return of Venom and battles the shrunken Psycho-Man in a totally tiny adventure! Guest-starring the Hulk, Magneto, Dr. Doom, the Frightful Four and more! Collecting AMAZING SPIDER-MAN (1963) #326-333 and ANNUAL #24, SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN (1976) #158-160 and ANNUAL #10, and WEB OF SPIDER-MAN (1985) #59-61 and ANNUAL #6.


 
Essential Daredevil Volume 6

Written by MARV WOLFMAN, BILL MANTLO, JIM SHOOTER, CHRIS CLAREMONT & ARCHIE GOODWIN
Penciled by BOB BROWN, JOHN BUSCEMA, JOHN BYRNE, SAL BUSCEMA, GIL KANE & GEORGE TUSKA
Cover by RICH BUCKLER
The adventures of the Man Without Fear continue! Hornhead takes on the Torpedo, but is he friend or foe…or both? After a disastrous court case involving Man-Bull, Matt Murdock opens a storefront legal clinic! The lethal Bullseye makes his deadly debut, and proves himself a force to be reckoned with! Daredevil teams with a real-life psychic to battle Mind-Wave! The Jester frames Daredevil for murder! DD joins Iron Man to battle the alien Blood Brothers! And Karen Page makes her long-awaited return in a calamitous crossover with Ghost Rider! Plus: the riotous returns of Gladiator, Beetle, Cobra, Mr. Hyde, Man-Bull and the Owl! Daredevil’s in for the fight of his life! Guest-starring Black Panther, the Sub-Mariner and Nova the Human Rocket! Collecting DAREDEVIL (1964) #126-146 and ANNUAL #4, IRON MAN (1968) #88-89, and GHOST RIDER (1973) #20.

Video find: Sergio Mendes & Brasil 66 - Mas que nada (introduced by Eartha Kitt)



Today's best thing ever: Sharknado!


New pic: Spider-Man and Jamie Foxx as Electro square off on Entertainment Weekly cover

Here's the new Comic-Con-themed cover to Entertainment Weekly, featuring an early look at Andrew Garfield and Jamie Foxx from the second "Amazing Spider-Man' film, due out in April 2014.

Beatles' "Love Me Do" coming on heart-shaped vinyl

Spotted this on Amazon UK, not on Amazon US, yet.

Out July 26:

Red coloured heart shaped 7 inch vinyl. SIDE ONE - Love Me Do SIDE TWO - PS. I Love You Limited to 500 copies worldwide.

 Price averages out to a little over $24 American.


UPDATE: If you check the Amazon UK listing, you'll see that this releases comes from the appropriately named label, "Mischief Music," not EMI, which is the Beatles' official label. The earliest Beatles recordings are no in a gray out-of-copyright area in Britain, allowing releases like this. I'm sure we can expect many more non-EMI releases of Beatles music in all sorts of configurations given this free-for-all scenario.

BBC radio this week: Sherlock Holmes; The Lost World; Martin Beck; Goon Show and more!

Click the links to hear the following programs:

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes: The Noble Bachelor When a missing bride's clothes appear in a lake, the sleuth is bound to investigate.

Arthur Conan Doyle: The Lost World Professor Challenger sets out to find a lost race of creatures in the heart of the Amazon. 

The Martin Beck Killings Beck is called to Malmo, when an industrialist is shot at the city's best hotel.

The Goon Show Classic material from one of the all-time radio comedy greats.

The Man in Black A creepy raconteur, played by Mark Gatiss, introduces spooky tales.
 
Stuart Maconie's Freak Zone Strange, surprising Sunday evenings, the perfect journey to the Freakier Zone.

Summer comics: DC annuals of the 1960s

Giant-size annuals became a summer tradition for DC through the early 1960s, allowing readers to catch up with stories about their favorite character's reprinted from years past. Without the big Showcase and Archives collections today, it was the only way beside rare back issues for younger readers to see some of these adventures. In the1970s, the tradition continued with various "giant-size" formats.

Here's a collection of covers from those 60s annuals. Images from the Grand Comics Database: