Pop Culture Safari!

Classic Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer TV special honored with U.S. postal stamp

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Rankin/Bass "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" TV special and the U.S. Postal Service has issued a new stamp in commemoration.

Info here.

BBC adapts Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell

BBC TV has produced a seven-part adaptation of Susanna Clark's popular and fun "Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell." It's sort of a "Harry Potter" for grownups.

No word on an airdate, or if it will air in the U.S.

Here's a quick peek:

Bob Dylan sings Sinatra

Bob Dylan's next album features 10 songs associated with Frank Sinatra, reports Paste.

“It was a real privilege to make this album,” he wrote. “I’ve wanted to do something like this for a long time but was never brave enough to approach 30-piece complicated arrangements and refine them down for a 5-piece band. That’s the key to all these performances. We knew these songs extremely well. It was all done live. Maybe one or two takes. No overdubbing. No vocal booths. No headphones. No separate tracking, and, for the most part, mixed as it was recorded.”

Dylan went on to differentiate these covers from other tributes. “I don’t see myself as covering these songs in any way. They’ve been covered enough. Buried, as a matter a fact. What me and my band are basically doing is uncovering them. Lifting them out of the grave and bringing them into the light of day.”

Elves coming to MTV in "Shannara" adaptation

Not sure how this is music television, but MTV has announced an adaptation of Terry Brooks' fantasy series, "Sword of Shannara." Capitalizing on the popularity of HBO's "Game of Thrones," I guess.

Based on the sprawling book series by Terry Brooks, “Shannara” will follow Austin Butler as Wil Ohmsford, who is half elf. When he learns that he is the last of the magical Shannara family, he must set out to find the Druid who holds the key to his future. “Shannara” takes place centuries after Earth’s current civilization destroyed itself in a nuclear holocaust. MTV’s take on the saga will begin with the second book in the series, “The Elfstones of Shannara.”

Merry Christmas from Bogie and Becall

Vintage Mego layout from Christmas wish book

New comics Dec. 10, 2014: Ditko; Star Trek; Superman; Thor

Click the links to order discounted items from Amazon.

Ditko's Shorts
Ditko's Shorts is a fun and incredibly fascinating compilation of short comics one, two and three pages in length. Only a brilliant master could tell a dramatic, compelling tale in such compact form. You'll thrill as Ditko walks this exciting high-wire act without a net! The many stories contained in this hardcover are fast-paced and sport terrific, compelling artwork as only Steve Ditko can draw it! The genres show the artist's great range. There's horror, fantasy, science fiction, western, and even humorous stories. Taken from rare comic books from a who's who of publishers, all the comics are meticulously restored and printed in a beautiful, large-format book. Insightful introductions by punk-rocker and comics historian Fester Faceplant and Eisner Award-winner Craig Yoe. Don't miss Ditko's Shorts - sure to be a much loved and talked about Ditko treasure!

Star Trek New Visions Made Out of Mudd
STAR TREK NEW VISIONS MADE OUT OF MUDD IDW PUBLISHING (W/A/CA) John Byrne John Byrne continues his new Star Trek photonovel adventures with "Made Out of Mudd" - Harry Mudd has gotten under Jim Kirk's skin before, but never quite like this... alien artifacts, Klingons, and a mad man's schemes add up to headaches for the Captain and his crew. All that, plus Tribbles!!

Superman The Silver Age Newspaper Dailies Volume 3: 1963-1966
The third volume of the Superman Silver Age daily newspaper strips presents the never-before reprinted stories from November 1963 through the series' conclusion in April 1966. Wayne Boring provides the classic artwork, and once again, Superman co-creator Jerry Siegel scripts adaptations of stories that first appeared in comic books. Siegel and Boring offer alternate versions of now classic stories originally written by Siegel himself, Leo Dorfman, Otto Binder, Robert Bernstein, Edmund Hamilton - and drawn in comic books by Curt Swan, Al Plastino, Kurt Schaffenberger, and Pete Costanza. Stories include "Lex Luthor, Daily Planet Editor," "Superman's Sacrifice," "The "Man Who Stole Superman's Secret Life," "Lois Lane's Love Trap," "Clark Kent in the Big House," and "The Goofy Superman," among others. More than 750 daily strips - over two years worth of stories - from Earth-N (for Newspapers) that comic book fans have not previously seen. Edited and designed by Dean Mullaney, Introduction by Sid Friedfertig, and cover drawing by Pete Poplaski.

Marvel Masterworks: The Mighty Thor Volume 13
Prepare to behold one of the greatest sagas in the annals of Asgard when the Mighty page of boasts, battles and broken bones as the two titans fight their way into Pluto's underworld to save the lovely Krista. And that's not all we have in store for you: Thor, Sif and Balder's journey across the cosmos to stop the mysterious Black Stars from destroying the Rigellian homeworld; the unstoppable Destroyer returns; Galactus' herald Firelord makes his debut; and the

COLLECTING: Thor (1966) 217-228, Marvel Treasury Edition (1974) 3