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Pop Culture Roundup Aug. 31, 2007

The beloved Dial B for Blog is BACK!

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Jimi Hendrix's complete set from the 1967 Monterey Pop Festival is coming to DVD Oct. 16. A CD and LP of the performance also will be released that day. Click the links to order any of the items (sorry, Amazon isn't currently listing the LP).

Tunes include:

Introduction by Brian Jones
"Killing Floor"
"Foxy Lady"
"Like a Rolling Stone"
"Rock Me Baby"
"Hey Joe"
"The Wind Cries Mary"
"Purple Haze"
"Wild Thing"

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Davros, creator or the Daleks, is set to appear in the fourth season of the revived "Doctor Who" series.

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Holy Bat sneakers!

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Why did DC Comics announce the postponement/cancellation of those Showcase Presents books the other day? The answer may boil down to dollars and cents, speculates Yet Another Comics Blog.

[The cancelled books] all come from a period (the late 70s through the mid-90s) when for various reasons the reprint rights aren't clear cut. My understanding is that because of the work-for-hire contracts in use at DC at the time the reprint rights must be renegotiated or else the costs of reprinting are so high as to make them unprofitable. This is why we see so few DC comics from that time frame collected; it's doable, just time consuming; and unless DC has a current good relationship with the creators it can get sticky.

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Two feature-length DVDs focusing on The Who will be out Nov. 6.

"Amazing Journey: The Story of the Who,"...chronicles the history of the band through fresh interviews with surviving band members Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey, rare concert footage, artist profiles and more.

The companion film, "Amazing Journey: Six Quick Ones" features four segments on the musical abilities of band members Townshend, Daltrey, bass player John Entwistle and drummer Keith Moon. A fifth part, "Who Art You," explores the Mod culture that spawned the band's visuals, while segment six, "Who's Back," chronicles the 2003 recording of "Real Good Looking Boy," the Who's first new studio recording in more than 20 years.


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USA Today looks at what's in store for "Heroes" season 2.

Educational comics

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Pop Culture Roundup Aug. 30, 2007

Hilly Kristal, founder of New York City's famed CBGBs club has died.

Kristal founded the club in 1973 to showcase bluegrass and country acts, but it quickly became known as a breeding ground for experimental and punk music. Throughout the 1970s and '80s, the club served as a launching pad for Blondie, the Talking Heads, Television, Living Colour, Patti Smith and the Ramones, among many others.

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Fred Hembeck has posted, and is selling, some great new Marvel Comics-based art.

Educational comics

New and upcoming action figures

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

DC Armory Action Figures
--Aquaman
--Batman
--Flamebird
--Nightwing

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

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

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

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

DC Direct New Frontier Series 2 Action Figures
--Batman
--Dr. Fate
--The Flash
--Martian Manhunter

Fantastic Four Rise of the Silver Surfer action figures
Battle Stretch Mr. Fantastic
Fire Blast Human Torch
Raging Thing
Force Field Invisible Woman
Silver Surfer
Lightning Attack Dr. Doom
Blast-off Human Torch
Super Strength Thing

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 3 action figures
--Sayid
--Desmond
--Claire
--Ben/Henry

Marvel Legends Action Figures

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
Series 4
--Cyclops
--Magneto

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

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Pop Culture Roundup Aug. 29, 2007

Marvel Comics editor Tom Brevoort shares some of his favorite Jack Kirby covers.

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A "monster" DVD set collecting all the James Bond movies is on the way.

The James Bond Ultimate Edition `Monster Box` DVD out Nov. 6 collects 21 films and extras on 42 disks.

The set is available for pre-order now from Amazon.

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The BBC has unearthed previously unseen Bob Dylan footage for a new 80-minute documentary.

"The Other Side of the Mirror — Dylan at Newport" is due to air on BBC 4 Oct. 14 — and will form the lynchpin of a themed night dedicated to Dylan and the Newport Folk Festival produced by award-winning arts documentary strand "Arena."

"Almost half of these Dylan performances have never been seen before," said "Arena" editor Anthony Wall.

He added: "It is fabulous, vintage Dylan collated from three Newports – '63, '64 and '65."

DC Comics announces World's Finest, Sgt. Rock and Supergirl Showcase volumes, delays others

It's good news/bad news time for fans of these big, beautiful, black-and-white comics reprints.

Good news first:

In a new press release DC has announced the release of:

* SHOWCASE PRESENTS: WORLD’S FINEST COMICS VOL. 1 on Oct. 17.
* SHOWCASE PRESENTS: SGT. ROCK VOL. 1 on Nov. 14.
* SHOWCASE PRESENTS: SUPERGIRL VOL. 1 on Nov. 28.

Also, DC announced new release dates for:

* SHOWCASE PRESENTS: METAL MEN VOL. 1 now out Sept. 26.
* SHOWCASE PRESENTS: TEEN TITANS VOL. 2 now out Oct. 31.

Now, bad news:

DC has canceled the following books, which will be "resolicited at a later date":

* SHOWCASE PRESENTS: CAPTAIN CARROT VOL. 1
* SHOWCASE PRESENTS: THE GREAT DISASTER FEATURING THE ATOMIC KNIGHTS AND HERCULES VOL. 1
* SHOWCASE PRESENTS: THE SUICIDE SQUAD VOL. 1
* SHOWCASE PRESENTS: SECRET SOCIETY OF SUPER VILLAINS VOL. 1
* SHOWCASE PRESENTS: JONAH HEX VOL. 2

Here are details on the newly announced Showcase volumes:

SHOWCASE PRESENTS: WORLD’S FINEST COMICS VOL. 1 collects stories from SUPERMAN #76 and WORLD’S FINEST COMICS #71-111, written by Edmond Hamilton, Alvin Schwartz, Bill Finger, Jerry Coleman and others with art by Curt Swan, Dick Sprang, John Fischetti, Stan Kay, Charles Paris, Ray Burnley, Sheldon Moldoff and others. 552 pages.

SHOWCASE PRESENTS: SGT. ROCK VOL. 1 collects stories from G.I. COMBAT #68 and OUR ARMY AT WAR #81-117, written by Robert Kanigher and Bob Haney with art by Joe Kubert, Jerry Grandenetti, Irv Novick, Russ Heath, Ross Andru and Mike Esposito. 544 pages.

SHOWCASE PRESENTS: SUPERGIRL VOL. 1 collects stories from
ACTION COMICS #252-281, SUPERMAN’S PAL JIMMY OLSEN #40, 44, 46, 51 AND 52, ADVENTURE COMICS #278, SUPERBOY #80, SUPERMAN’S GIRL FRIEND LOIS LANE 314, and SUPERMAN #123, 139, 140 and 144, written by Otto Binder, Jerry Siegel, Robert Bernstein and others with art by Al Plastino, Jim Mooney, Curt Swan, Dick Sprang, Kurt Schaffenberger, Wayne Boring and others. 528 pages.