McCartney to perform at royal wedding

Paul McCartney has reportedly been asked to perform at the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton in April.

Paul, 68, is said to have confided in pals that he feels "privileged" after receiving the invitation a few weeks ago.

Complete Pogo set for release

Fantagraphics' long-awaited, long-delayed reprinting of Walt Kelly's complete daily and Sunday Pogo strips is finally set for release this fall.

Early reviews of The Cape: Not too bad

The superhero show debuts Sunday on NBC. May be worth a look. From Variety:

If the premise sounds cheesy and busy, the execution is crisp and efficient -- and manages to sell dialogue like, "Together, we can take this city back," which often sounds better in a word balloon. Even the music (by Bear McCreary) brings to mind Danny Elfman's "Batman" theme.

Can "The Cape" take flight with more than just the cultish adoration of fanboys and kids? Ah, now that's a formidable challenge -- especially with the show residing Mondays in what was "The Event's" timeslot after this Sunday preview to capitalize on NFL football.

At this point, the Herculean task of turning NBC around looks like a job for Superman. Still, "The Cape" overpowers most of the fall's development through sheer energy and wit, thus qualifying as a welcome step -- maybe even a bold leap -- in the right direction.

And Entertainment Weekly:

The show is melodramatic, sure, but its sincerity takes it far: I felt a kid's thrill when the Cape sewed his own mask and tied it on for the first time. It's probably doomed to cult status, but The Cape is primal fun.

DC's Batman Beyond digital comic follows same release dates as paper version

DC's new Batman Beyond title, which premiered yesterday, will continue to be released on the same day digitally, at the same price of $2.99.

It will be interesting to see how this plays out. You'd think offering the digital comics at a lower price might provide readers with incentive to migrate to screen, vs. paper comics. But I suppose if publishers can pull off this trick without reducing revenue, they'll go for it. Ultimately, if paper comics go away, or largely go away, the publishers stand to make greater profits, since they won't have to contend with costs of printing, distribution, etc.

Personally, I have a hard time seeing myself making the transition as a reader. I like tangible books, comics, albums, etc. But I find myself downloading more and more music these days rather than buying CDs.

How to get thousands of comics for pennies on your iPad

Well, I personally don't own an iPad, but maybe I need one

Via MacEinstein:

My daughter has recently gotten very into the Archie comics, primarily for Betty and Veronica (and who can blame her?). So when the Archie comics app for the iPad came out, I picked it up, downloaded some free issues, then downloaded some pay issues, then, realizing this was still getting expensive, I went the eBay route, picking up lots of old Archie’s 50 at a time in lots. While this was a nice savings, it still was costing about a buck an issue, so when I saw Amazon had a lightning deal on a DVD of “Golden Age” Archie comics in PDF form for $3.00, I decided to take a risk, and I’m glad I did.

Each DVD has about a decade worth of comics on it, and we’re talking the ENTIRE ORIGINAL comic, including the ads for Sea Monkeys...

The cool thing is, it isn’t just Archie you can do this with. Many comics are being sold this way, on Amazon from X-Men and Avengers to the entire 50 years of MAD Magazine (for only $18.60), all at ridiculous savings compared to per issue paper or regular digital downloading.

BBC re-airs McCartney concert

Listen to Macca's 2006 Electric Proms concert in London here.

New comics Jan. 5, 2011

DC Direct Cover Girls of the DC Universe: Batgirl Statue
DC Direct Cover Girls of the DC Universe: Batgirl Statue

DC Direct DC Universe Online Statue: Batman
DC Direct DC Universe Online Statue: Batman


DC Direct DC Universe Online Statue: Catwoman
DC Direct DC Universe Online Statue: Catwoman

Complete Little Orphan Annie Volume 6
Complete Little Orphan Annie Volume 6

Fantastic Four: Resurrection of Galactus (Fantastic Four (Graphic Novels))
Fantastic Four: Resurrection of Galactus (Fantastic Four (Graphic Novels))

The Mighty Thor Omnibus, Vol. 1
The Mighty Thor Omnibus, Vol. 1

Women of Marvel: Celebrating Seven Decades
Women of Marvel: Celebrating Seven Decades

The Land That Time Forgot (Campfire Graphic Novels)
The Land That Time Forgot (Campfire Graphic Novels)

The People That Time Forgot (Campfire Graphic Novels)
The People That Time Forgot (Campfire Graphic Novels)

The Lost Continent (Campfire Graphic Novels)
The Lost Continent (Campfire Graphic Novels)

The Master of the World (Campfire Graphic Novels)
The Master of the World (Campfire Graphic Novels)



Doc Savage Double-Novel Pulp Reprints Volume #43: "Spook Hole" and "Three Times a Corpse"
Doc Savage Double-Novel Pulp Reprints Volume #43: "Spook Hole" and "Three Times a Corpse"

The Shadow Double-Novel Pulp Reprints #44: "Atoms of Death" and "Buried Evidence"
The Shadow Double-Novel Pulp Reprints #44: "Atoms of Death" and "Buried Evidence"

Flaming Lips to release song per month in 2011

That's their New Year's resolution, anyhow. According to singer Wayne Coyne:

"With this new thing, we're going to spend a lot of time recording at our houses or wherever we are at. We'll try to release a song a month and document the song in the making, whether it takes us three or five days or a week. It's gonna be, 'We're working on a song and it's gonna be up by Friday.' We just want to [release material] some other way."

Previewing The Cape

NBC has a new superhero-themed show premiering this Sunday. Will it be good? Will it not? We'll have to see. Here are the basics:

"The Cape" is a one-hour drama series starring David Lyons ("ER") as Vince Faraday, an honest cop on a corrupt police force, who finds himself framed for a series of murders and presumed dead. He is forced into hiding, leaving behind his wife Dana (Jennifer Ferrin, "Life on Mars") and son, Trip (Ryan Wynott, "Flash Forward"). Fueled by a desire to reunite with his family and to battle the criminal forces that have overtaken Palm City, Vince Faraday becomes "The Cape" - his son's favorite comic book superhero - and takes the law into his own hands.

Rounding out the cast are James Frain ("The Tudors") as billionaire Peter Fleming, The Cape's nemesis who moonlights as the twisted killer Chess; Keith David ("Death at a Funeral") as Max Milani, the ringleader of a circus gang of bank robbers who mentors Vince Faraday and trains him to be The Cape; Summer Glau ("Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles") as Orwell, an investigative blogger who wages war on crime and corruption in Palm City; Dorian Missick ("Six Degrees") as Marty Voyt, a former police detective and friend to Faraday; Martin Klebba ("Pirates of the Caribbean") as Rollo, member and unassuming muscle of the circus gang of bank robbers; and Vinnie Jones ("Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels") as Scales, resident thug and cohort of The Cape's nemesis Chess.

More details here.

French mag spills beans on new Captain America film

If you don't like spoilers, be warned: L'Ecran Fantastique has revealed a whole mess of details about the upcoming film. Translated here.

Vintage Comics Journal interview with Zany Bob Haney

Here's the first of a five-part interview with one of my favorite comics writers as a kid. Haney was known for turning in off-beat scripts, often for off-beat characters such as Metamorpho. And, of course, he had a long run on one of my favorite titles of my youth,  Brave and the Bold.

Set photo of Peter Parker and Gwen Stacy in new Spidey pic

Via Superhero Hype, a shot of Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone in the upcoming big screen Spider-Man reboot. Dude needs to comb his hair....

Free download of new Marianne Faithfull song

"Why Did We Have to Part," the first track of Faithfull's new album is available here, courtesy of Mojo mag.

The new album is titled Horses and High Heels, out March 7. According to Mojo:

The album was recorded in New Orleans with local musicians led by Meters bassist George Porter Jr. The record is made up of eight covers and four original songs and features contributions from Lou Reed, Dr. John and Wayne Kramer .

Doctor Who marries "daughter"

Not as twisted as it sounds, but still convoluted: Former "Doctor Who" David Tennant is marrying Georgia Moffett, who played the doctor's lab-grown daughter opposite Tennant a couple seasons back. But, not only that, Moffett is the real daughter of Peter Davison, who played the Doctor back in the 1980s.

In addition:

Moffett's mother is Davison's ex-wife, American actress Sandra Dickinson, who split from the actor when Georgia was ten years old.

And she too has starred in Doctor Who - Sandra played the character Maggie in the 1996 radio serial The Ghosts Of N-Space.

Doctor Who channel ebuts on YouTube today

The channel features clips from the series debut in 1963 through today and will be updated regularly.



Billy Wyman rejoins Rolling Stones for tribute track

The Stones' retired bassist rejoins the band for a cover of Bob Dylan's "Watching the River the Flow," which features on a tribute album to the late Stones' keyboardist Ian Stewart. Wyman left the Stones in 1992.

The album, Boogie for Stu, which also includes performances by PJ Harvey and other artists, is out in March.

No rainbow bridge for these guys: Racists to boycott Thor movie

It'd be funny if it wasn't so hateful: The Council of Conservative Citizens has planned a boycott of Marvel's Thor movie. Why? Because the great actor Idris Elba, who played Stringer Bell on best show ever "The Wire," has been cast as Thor's fellow god Heimdall. And Elba happens to be black.

The CCC says:

It seems that Marvel Studios believes that white people should have nothing that is unique to themselves. An upcoming movie, based on the comic book Thor, will give Norse mythology an insulting multi-cultural make-over.

Hard to believe there are still folks around who see the world in such terms. And sad. But it makes me want to see Thor all the more, and movie adaptations of comics usually fill me with dread (but not for the same reasons as these loons).

Buffy turns 30!

Yikes! Guess we're all getting older...

Here's a press release from Dark Horse Comics:

Careful readers may have noticed that the release date of Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 8 #40 has been moved to January 19, 2011. The change in date is no accident. The final issue of the much-talked-about series will hit shelves on the birthday of Buffy Summers. In order to celebrate both the end of Season 8 and the birthday of the beloved character, Dark Horse is proud to announce six Buffy Birthday Parties across the country!

Dark Horse editor Scott Allie had this to say about the event: "It's been a long, strange ride to the end of Buffy's eighth season, and when we realized that her thirtieth birthday fell on a Wednesday, the day new comics go on sale, we realized we had to move our release date to coincide. We're excited to celebrate this landmark occasion and hope we can gather good crowds of Buffy readers and fans together to wish her well as she heads off for Season 9, a little bit older, her head hung low. . . . "

It's hard to believe the vampire slayer is another year older, but time and tide wait for no man, woman, or demon. If, while reading this, you notice your local comic shop is not listed as hosting a party, have the shop's owner contact Dark Horse, and we'll provide them with activity sheets to host their own event.

The following locations will have games, prizes, giveaways, and more for their Buffy Birthday Party! Details vary by location.

ATLANTA, GEORGIA
4:00 p.m.—7:00 p.m.
Oxford Comics Games & More
2855 Piedmont Road NE
(404) 233-8682
http://www.oxfordcomics.com

Special Guest: Georges Jeanty, artist, Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 8

PORTLAND, OREGON
5:30 p.m.—7:45 p.m.
Multnomah County Library
Central Library, US Bank Room
801 SW 10th Ave.
(503) 988-5123
http://www.multcolib.org/events/

Special Guests: Scott Allie and Sierra Hahn, Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 8 editors

*Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 8 comics will be available for sale at the event from Cosmic Monkey Comics.

MISSOULA, MONTANA
4:00 p.m.—6:00 p.m.
Muse Comics & Games
2100 Stephens Ave., Suite 107
(406) 543-9944
http://www.musecomics.com/

NEW YORK, NEW YORK
4:00 p.m.–6:00 p.m.
Midtown Comics Downtown
64 Fulton St.
(800) 411-3341 / (212) 302-8192
http://www.midtowncomics.com/

HURST, TEXAS
4:00 p.m.–7:00 p.m.
Lone Star Comics #6
931 Melbourne Rd.
(817) 595-4375
http://www.mycomicshop.com/ourstores/hurst

PLANO, TEXAS
5:00 p.m.–8:00 p.m.
Lone Star Comics #8
3100 Independence Parkway #318
(972) 985-1593
http://www.mycomicshop.com/ourstores/plano

Diary of a Wimpy Kid 2: Roderick Rules teaser

My son has breezed through every Wimpy Kid book and I've followed suit. They're really pretty danged funny and the first film was well done, too.


Stan Lee gets star on Hollywood Walk of Fame

The Marvel Comics writer/publisher, co-creator of Spider-Man, Hulk, Thor, etc., will receive his star today, a week after his 88th birthday.

"I'm pretty proud of the fact that some of the stories I wrote so many years ago are still being read and hopefully enjoyed by the public and people are making motion pictures based on them, and television series and even a Broadway show," Lee said.

Lee pays attention to everything, he said, including last month's accident that injured an actor in the Spider-Man Broadway show. "Not a sparrow falls but that I notice," he said.