Author: Rudy Panucci (Page 77 of 581)

DC Goes to War
by Robert Kanigher and various
DC Comics
ISBN-13 : 978-1779500151
$39.99

This is a pretty decent hardcover compilation of great War comics. From the 1950s to the 1980s DC’s War comics boasted some of the top creators in the company’s history, and this hardcover collection includes work by Joe Kubert, Joe Simon & Jack Kirby, Alex Toth, Russ Heath, Mort Drucker, John Severin, Garth Ennis, Eduardo Baretto and more.  In my original review I complained about how much this book overlaps with a previous compilation, but that doesn’t change the fact that it’s a newly-printed collection of terrfic war comics.

Four of the stories collected in DC Goes To War were not included in the previous collection, and only three of those were published in the ensuing forty-plus years since that first collection. One of those newer stories, an excellect Enemy Ace mini-series from 2001, written by Garth Ennis, takes up the last 100 pages of this 352-page collection. It’s a great story and well deserving of a reprint.

DC Goes To War includes the first notable appearances of Blackhawk, Hop Harrigan, Sgt. Rock, The Haunted Tank, The Unknown Soldier, Capt. Hunter, Gunner and Pooch, Mlle. Marie and Enemy Ace. This book makes for a good overview and introduction to the vast pantheon of DC’s classic war comics.

Since DC shut down their war comics in the mid-1980s, there haven’t been many memorable war comics published by them. Many of the better recent stories are already collected in hardcover or paperback form.

As I said, DC Goes To War is a terrific collection, if you don’t already have the 1979 book, America at War: The Best of DC War Comics. It’s a good introduction to DC’s war comics, and the production is pretty decent. You can order it from any bookseller by using the ISBN code, or you can get it at a discount from Amazon.

Highly recommended for fans of well-crafted comic books, thrilling war adventures, or high-quality art.

Tears For Fears
The Seeds Of Love [4CD/Blu-ray Box Set]
CD

This is my favorite album by Tears For Fears.

When it was originally released in 1989, I was not really a big fan of the band. This was a game-changer, with every track a strong song, powerful guest vocals by Oleta Adams, and a bit of a psychedelic gloss sprayed over the album, particularly on the title track, that parked this right in my wheelhouse.

This edition contains not only the original album, but a new 5.1 mix by Steven Wilson which was done in conjunction with Roland Orzabal, as well as all the relevant B-Sides, alternate mixes and around 60 minutes of previously unheard demos and live rehearsals. The set is housed in a shoe box style box (similar to the band’sprevious two deluxes reissues) with an extensive booklet, with new interviews by Super Deluxe editor Paul Sinclair with the band and other players on the album. Also contains the tour program.

The demos and rehearsals give you a peek behind the curtain at how this very expensive and long-gestating album was recorded, and the new mix by Steven Wilson brings a new clarity to the music that wasn’t always there in previous digital releases.

Recommended for fans of Tears For Fears, fans of 1980s music and fans of quality psychedelic sounds. Available from Amazon in a variety of configurations, this link will take you to the most deluxe of the lot.

Check out that glorious title track…

The Empty Hearts “The Second Album”
Vinyl/CD/Download

Even though The Empty Hearts band features members of Blondie, The Cars, Chesterfield Kings and The Romantics—as well as being christened by Little Steven Van Zandt from his super-secret list of unused band names—this is no cynically constructed super group.

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame drummer Clem Burke, two-time Grammy nominee and MTV Video of the Year Award winning guitarist Elliot Easton, bassist Andy Babiuk and lead singer/rhythm guitarist Wally Palmar have parlayed a combined lifetime of rock ‘n’ roll into new kind of garage rock, a sterling collection of influences that include ‘50s American roots rock ‘n’ roll, ‘60s British Invasion and ‘70s garage-punk that is anything but retro, rather a refreshing return to core musical values.

The band’s newly released, The Second Album is loaded with great rock ‘n’ roll, and features 13 tracks of skillfully-crafted pop/rock music. Ringo Starr guests on drums on one track, and that’s a heck of an endorsement.

I’ve been playing tracks form this record on Radio Free Charleston for a few weeks now, and it’s a breath of fresh air in a year really needed one.

You can order this album on vinyl, or CD from their website, or you can find it on most streaming services.

It’s the perfect gift for fans of good old rock ‘n’ roll. Just give it a listen…

The AIR is in reruns until Friday so that your PopCulteer can iron out all the bugs in The 2020 PopCult Gift Guide. We will be connecting our programming with some of the gift suggestions, though, and we’ll mention those as those items come up. In order to hear these special encore presentations, you simply have to point your cursor over and tune in at the website, or you could just stay on this page, and  listen to this convenient embedded radio player…

At 10 AM and 10 PM Tuesday we will bring you an episode of Radio Free Charleston from a few weeks ago. This show opens with The Empty Hearts, a supergroup made up of members of The Cars, The Romantics, Blondie and The Chesterfield Kings. I’ll tell you more about them later today.

Tuesday at 1 PM we shine the spotlight on Forbidden Broadway, on a recent episode of Curtain Call. 

2 PM Tuesday it’s time for Psychedelic Shack, hosted by Nigel Pye. This episode opens with Tears for Fears, and you can look for them in the gift guide later Tuesday, too.

Wednesday will be Beatles Day on The 2020 PopCult Gift Guide. We will replay our recent episode of Beatles Blast at 2 PM Wednesday that brought you highlights from Lennon’s GIMME SOME TRUTH boxed set, which will also be featured in the gift guide.

Friday we’ll have new shows on The AIR, and the plan is to have all-new programming next week. In the meantime, check out The 2020 PopCult Gift Guide. Tuesday’s posts will start before noon.

RAZZMATAZZ–IDKHOW
CD/Vinyl/Download
Available HERE

I DONT KNOW HOW BUT THEY FOUND ME, or iDKHOW is a new project led by Dallon Weekes (Panic! At The Disco). Earning press acclaim, their debut EP hit #1 on Billboard’s Top Heatseekers Chart and was recommended last year in The PopCult Gift Guide.

IDKHOW initially had a curated storyline, believed to have been a decades-old band that never got a big break until 2017, when an anonymous donor released recovered video footage that hints otherwise, leading fans, music historians and conspiracy theorists to debate.

There debut full-length album, RAZZMATAZZ, is available on vinyl or CD from the band’s website, and you can find a load of related apparel there, too.

The music is pure New Wave retro bliss. I have been known to dub this style of music “blippy, farty music,” but that doesn’t mean that it isn’t near and dear to my heart. Highly recommended for fans of New Wave Music, or just clever, intelligent and catchy post-punk pop-rock.

Check out this video to see what’s so cool about IDKHOW…

Murder on Staunton Road
by Charlie Ryan & Mitch Evans
Sycamore Tree
ISBN-13 : 978-0578723624
$29.99 (plus shipping)

Our first local offering in the Gift Guide this year is a potboiler of an unsolved murder that happened right here in Charleston. Murder On Staunton Road is a fast paced narrative of a sensational unsolved homicide that captured the attention of the nation in 1953. It’s a perfect gift for folks interested in unsolved mysteries and local political intrigue.

On the night of August 21, in the haute monde neighborhood of South Hills in Charleston, West Virginia, Juliet Staunton Clark was savagely beaten to death. She was the owner of The Charleston Daily Mail, the capital city’s prosperous afternoon newspaper. Her murder set off a flurry of investigation under the direct supervision of Charleston’s flamboyant Mayor “Jumpin” John Copenhaver.

Accusations flew as the investigation swept through the city. Many charged then, and some repeat the charge today, that there was manipulation to protect prominent Charlestonians who were being questioned as possible persons of interest in the Clark murder. The Charleston Daily Mail, The Charleston Gazette, and newspapers throughout the country reported every detail of the fascinating story of the brutal beating of the esteemed socialite. Nationally prominent investigators traveled to the “Rose City” to apply the newest forensic physiological test to probe criminal suspects—the polygraph machine, known as the “Lie Detector”.

The tale of sadistic murder follows the pioneer Staunton family roots from Nottingham, England to the banks of the Kanawha River in southern West Virginia. There, family members recall that fateful night of August 21, 1953, when a wave of blood flowed freely across a green carpet rug in a living room on Staunton Road.

You can read more about the book and find out how to order the book HERE.

Batman: Tales Of The Demon
story by Dennis O’Neil art by Neal Adams, Irv Novick and others
DC Comics
ISBN-13: 978-1401299439
$49.99 (Hardcover, less at Amazon)

This new collection (also available in softcover) brings together all the key 1970s stories of Batman and his major foe, Ra’s Al Ghul. Aside from the Steve Englehart/Marshall Rogers run on Detective Comics, these are my favorite Batman stories of all time.

Denny O’Neil and Neal Adams managed to rehabilitate Batman from the campy perceptions of the 1960s TV show and return him to his dark, pulp roots as an avenger of the night. Ra’s Al Ghul was a newly-created villain who, for the first time, was Batman’s match in terms of intelligence and personal integrity.

As the PR blurb explains…

Batman scales the side of the Statue of Freedom for a secret meeting with an informant inside the torch. During the meeting the informant is assassinated, leaving Batman with his final words instructing him to find a person called Darkk on the Soom Express. Finding and confronting Darkk Batman is assaulted, leaving him unconscious, and finds himself in a dungeon unmasked. There he meets the Daughter of the Demon, Talia who jump-starts his journey in finding the League of Assassins and it’s founder, Ra’s al Ghul.

This volume collects the earliest Ra’s al Ghul stories written by Dennis O’Neil and illustrated by artists Neal Adams, Michael Golden, Irv Novick, Bob Brown and Dick Giordano.

Collects Detective Comics #411, #485, #489-490, Batman #232, #235, #240, #242-244 and DC Special Series #15.

These stories are near the peak of comic book craftsmanship, with brisk, well-thought-out storytelling and excellent art. In addition to Adams, Dick Giordano, Bob Brown and Irv Novick we get to see early work by Don Newton, and Michael Golden.

This is the Batman I grew up reading, and it will be a revelation to anyone who’s only read the post-Frank MIller psychobabble Batman where it takes seventy-five issues to tell a story that O’Neil tells better in 22 pages. There’s a reason all the best Batman movies are based on stories that DC published in the 1970s.

These are, seriously, some of the best, most intelligent Batman stories ever told, and any fan of great superhero comics would love to add this to their collection.

Most of the last several years have seen us kick off the PopCult Gift Guide with that year’s HESS Truck, and this year we see no reason to change that.

The 2020 Hess Ambulance & Rescue is a heroic and versatile pair of first responder vehicles, designed to deliver aid wherever the need, clearing the way with nearly 100 lights (the most ever on a holiday Hess Toy Truck), 4 different emergency siren / flashing light combinations, and off-road wheelie-popping action.

The first-ever HESS Ambulance pays tribute to all first responders. The heavy-duty Type I truck-style medical transport includes an oversized passenger compartment that doubles as a carrier for its Rescue partner. Designed for high visibility, the bright, attention-grabbing red and white cab coloring is accompanied by an eye-popping 70 lights. For the first time ever, four different flashing light patterns are included; each activated in tandem with a unique siren sound via the four cab-mounted buttons. A switch under the chassis activates lights in steady mode and for the first time ever, a “Mute” mode is included to keep those amazing lights flashing without the accompanying siren sounds. The sparkling chrome accents add impressive detail to the heroic vehicle. A top-mounted button at the rear of the see-through passenger compartment releases the rear door which acts as a ramp for the Rescue.

The accompanying Rescue is a rugged on/off-roader pickup truck with a fold-down tailgate and a pull-back motor that can be revved-up and released to create fun wheelie-popping action! Its bright red color is complemented with sparkling chrome-look accents and another 26 lights that work in steady mode.

The 2020 Hess Ambulance and Rescue is sold exclusively at HessToyTruck.com, for $36.99 plus tax. 6 Energizer® batteries and free standard shipping are included with this two-vehicle set.

This is a classic toy that appeals to both adult collectors and kids who love toy vehicles.

The Ambulance features 70 total lights, including super-bright LED headlights, 4-cab mounted buttons activate four realistic siren sounds, each with a different flashing light pattern, Steady “Lights On” mode, “Mute” mode to operate flashing lights without accompanying siren sounds, Button-activated back door/ramp release, Free-rolling wheels, and includes 3 Energizer® AAA batteries.

The Rescue vehicle has a pull back motor with tilt activated wheelie-popping capability, 26 total lights, Fold-down tailgate and comes with 3 Energizer® A76 button cell batteries. It fits inside the larger Ambulance for storage.

There’s a reason we always make the HESS Truck our first pick. This one is a winner!

This has been a most unusual, and some would say hellish, year, and your PopCulteer finds himself in a bit of a quandry. I’ve done a gift guide every year since I started PopCult back in 2005, and I always like to push folks toward shopping local, but this year, due to the pandemic, I’m not really comfortable suggesting that people go out and shop in person.

For the most part, I’m going to be suggesting things that can be ordered online, although I will make it easy for you to find them in person, if it’s possible.

Because of this, I’m ending the gift guide early this year. I’m going to wrap things up the day before Thanksgiving, and post the master list on what would have been Black Friday in a normal year. This should give everybody time to order stuff online and have it delivered in time for Christmas gift-giving.

This year I will skip the local shopping and dining suggestions, but I hope to make it up by plugging a few local online retailers, and plenty of books and music made by local creators.

I’m also planning to keep all gift suggestions under a hundred bucks this year. Times are tough, and big-ticket items may not be the best idea since we’re at least three months away from any further economic aid.

With all those disclaimers and warnings out of the way, welcome to The 2020 PopCult Gift Guide. I hope it gives you folks some good ideas to make this year more bearable. For the next twenty-four days you can come to PopCult for three or four gift suggestions–toys, music, movies, TV shows, comic books, magazines, cool online retailers and more–and we will kick it off in a traditional way in just a few moments.

This week we bring you the first of our month-long series of pieces of art created using MAX Build More bricks. You can read all about them HERE.

Today’s piece is a very timely message, created using the MAX bricks in a way that they weren’t really intended. I wanted to do a multi-colored “VOTE” logo, but these blocks are not specially-designed to form letters. Luckily, they are versatile enough for me to still be able to spell out my message in a three-dimensional construct. You can expect our November art to get more complex as we go along, because I’ve got all sorts of cool speciality pieces that I haven’t torn into yet.

If you want to see it bigger, just click on the image. Below you see an alternate view so you can tell where I cheated and where the letters were placed on the base. You can’t see it bigger, so don’t bother clicking on it.

Like this piece suggests, you should be sure to vote, if you haven’t already.

Also, check back with PopCult starting Monday at 10 AM EST for the start of The 2020 PopCult Gift Guide.

Meanwhile, Monday at 9 AM on The AIR, the Monday Marathon brings you six hours of Steven Allen Adams’ NOISE BRIGADE which follows the regularly-scheduled repeat of last weeks Big Electric Cat at 7 AM. Today’s marathon presents six episodes of Steven’s cool, biweekly punk/ska show, which will resume after the election season is over.

At 3 PM on Prognosis, Herman Linte brings us an edition of Prognosis, that brings you two hours of great prog-rock. That’s followed by a classic Prognosis and an evening with one more NOISE BRIGADE plus Radio Free Charleston. You can hear replays of Prognosis Tuesdays at 7 AM, Wednesdays at 8 PM, Thursday at Noon, and Saturday at 9 AM. 

You can listen to The AIR at the website, or on this embedded radio player…