The Electric Grandmother

When a family survives the loss of their grandmother, a tangible gap is left. Then comes the day that a helicopter drops packets inscribed with the names of the three children. When properly aligned, they form a golden heart. An advertisement for Fantoccini electronics, he family is drawn to the unlikely warehouse to find that their beloved grandmother can be returned as a robotic simulacrum. But when the electric grandmother is delivered in a golden sarcophagus, it is clear that it is the memory of the woman and not the person herself who has returned. But… is that a bad thing?

First adapted for the Twilight Zone, this version was distributed to public schools in the US. Starring veteran actress of stage and screen Maureen Stapleton, the program is saturated in whimsy and fantasy. It’s interesting to see science fiction concepts such as robotics presented in a manner more becoming of a children’s fable. The film’s science mainly consists of weird lights and sounds, but when you are dealing with a story in which robots are custom-made and delivered by helicopter… where do you draw the line?

I have nothing against Ray Bradbury, but as I was bombarded with his writing during my childhood, his material has never really held any strong pull for me. I can recognize his importance, but I’d rather read some Philip K Dick or Mick Farren, to be honest. The sincerity of this story makes me feel like I’m from another planet. The world seems to begin and end with the grandmother. I miss my own grandma, but I just can’t see deifying her in this way. The robotic simulation can produce hot cocoa at a moment’s notice from her finger tip and play back any event through a speaker concealed in her palm. But none of these abilities can convince the young Agatha that this apparent resurrection is anything other than a sham.

The purpose of the Electric Grandmother is almost cryptic as it defies the purpose of grief and instead offers up a miraculous cure all that neither withers nor wanes. It’s so sweet and sincere that you can’t fault it for much, even the vagueness of several details is also weird but again fitting with the tone.

All but forgotten, I was able to catch a special showing of this and two other short films at the local natural science museum. It was heartening to experience so many people enjoying these oddities, almost as one. It’s an amazing accomplishment of the work that it was able to appeal to such a varied audience amid the glamour of big budget sci-fi epics.

This week at your comic shop – 3/21/2012

For the complete list of this week’s comics, click here.

Not sure where your local comic shop is? Try comicshoplocator.com!

(note: all information including ad copy is from the publisher)

If you can’t make it to the shop, just click on any of the images below to be taken to an online retailer. I don’t get any referrals for these sales, I’m just doing my bit to spread the word on some neat products.

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Who Is The Doctor Unofficial Guide To Dr Who

Who Is The Doctor Unofficial Guide To Dr Who
The handbook explores all facets of the six most recent seasons of Doctor Who, providing an essential companion for the show’s avid fans and casual viewers alike. The history of everything related to Doctor Who is touched upon, from Daleks and Cybermen to the eight Classic Series Doctors. Delving into a top-rated series that has made stars out of its actors, gained fame internationally, and encompasses the genres of horror, science fiction, comedy, action, and historical adventure, this all-inclusive guide also features behind-the-scenes tidbits and in-depth analyses of the series’ latest installments.
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Avengers X-sanction #4 (of 4)

Avengers X-sanction #4 (of 4)
By: Jeph Loeb, Ed McGuinness
As the final hours tick down, Cable must take down a berzerker Wolverine and a wisecrackin’ web-head to ensure a deadly future does not come to pass! Sets the stage for Avengers vs. X-Men!
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Invincible Iron Man #514

Invincible Iron Man #514
By: Matt Fraction, Salvador Larroca
Tony Stark is called out for his actions during Fear Itself! The Mandarin on American soil! Has Bethany Cabe found the mole, or has the mole found Bethany Cabe?
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Star Trek/Legion Of Superheroes #6 (of 6)

Star Trek/Legion Of Superheroes #6 (of 6)
By: Chris Roberson, Jeffrey Moy, Phil Jimenez
It’s all been building up to this. Captain Kirk, Cosmic Boy, and the rest of the timelost Legionnaires and Starfleet officers have reached the end of the line, and are confronted with the powerful forces which have unwritten their respective histories. But with half of their teams stranded in the past and the other half held prisoner in the future, what chance do they have of overcoming the odds and restoring the worlds they once knew?
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Uncanny X-Men #9

Uncanny X-Men #9
By: Kieron Gillen, Carlos Pacheco
Prison break! Featuring the Avengers!

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Batman #7

Batman #7
By: Scott Snyder, Greg Capullo
Batman may have survived the Court of Owls’ first strike (barely), but even as he recuperates, the Court is preparing to launch its most deadly and sweeping attack yet.

Plus: The secrets revealed in this issue will change Batman’s world forever! You won’t want to miss the issue everyone will be talking about!

This issue is also offered as a special combo pack edition, polybagged with a redemption code for a digital download of this issue.
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Venom By Rick Remender TPB Vol. 01

Venom By Rick Remender TPB Vol. 01
By: Rick Remender, Tony Moore, Joe Quesada
A new Venom for a new era! Flash Thompson is Spider-Man’s biggest fan. That hero worship inspired him to enlist in the Army, where he became a decorated veteran and war hero. And though he lost his legs, Flash never lost his dignity – or his desire to serve.

Now, the government has offered him a chance to be a hero once again – to don the alien symbiote that grants its wearer powers similar to those of Spider-Man, but also puts them at risk of permanently bonding with the parasitic creature.

Flash Thompson is Venom, the government’s most lethal special operative – sent into the hottest of hot zones against the worst enemies of the state. He’s fought tough foes before, but the toughest opponent he faces may just be himself.

This title collects
Venom (2011) #1-5

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Flashpoint World of Flashpoint The Flash TPB

Flashpoint World of Flashpoint The Flash TPB
By: Sean Ryan, Ig Guara, Ardian Syaf
This is not a dream, not an imaginary story, not an elseworld. This is Flash Fact: When Barry Allen wakes at his desk, he discovers the world has changed. Family is alive, loved ones are strangers, and close friends are different, gone or worse. It’s a world on the brink of a cataclysmic war – but where are Earth’s Greatest Heroes to stop it?

This title collects
Grodd of War #1, Kid Flash Lost #1-3, Legion of Doom #1-3, Reverse Flash #1, Citizen Cold #1-3
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Amazing Spider-Man #682

Amazing Spider-Man #682
By: Dan Slott, Humberto Ramos
Part one of “Ends of the earth,” the next big Spider-Man event! The Doc Ock story you’ve waited 50 years for! Doctor Otto Octavius holds the entire earth hostage with his dying breath. What price will Spider-Man have to pay to buy the whole world one more day? Special appearance by the Avengers!
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Legion Of Super Heroes #7

Legion Of Super Heroes #7
By: Paul Levitz, Francis Portela, Chris Sprouse
Marooned in a lake of fire, Element Lad, Chemical Kid and Sun Boy face an ecological disaster of 31st-century proportions! And Dragonwing’s got troubles of her own–with her sister’s claws at her throat!

Meanwhile, at the edges of United Planets space, the Dominators haven’t forgotten their humiliation at the Legion’s hands . . . and the next stage of their plan is about to explode!
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Art Of Daniel Clowes Modern Cartoonist HC

Art Of Daniel Clowes Modern Cartoonist HC
By: Alvin Buenavaentura, Daniel Clowes
Throughout his 25-year career, alternative cartoonist/screenwriter Daniel Clowes has always been ahead of artistic and cultural movements. In the late 1980s his groundbreaking comic book series Eightball defined indie culture with wit, venom, and even a little sympathy. With each successive graphic novel (Ghost World, David Boring, Ice Haven, Wilson, Mister Wonderful), Clowes has been praised for his emotionally compelling narratives that reimagine the ways that stories can be told in comics. The Art of Daniel Clowes: Modern Cartoonist is the first monograph on this award-winning, New York Times-bestselling creator, compiled with his complete cooperation. It includes all of Clowes’s best-known illustrations as well as rare and previously unpublished work, all reproduced from the original art.
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Annihilators Earthfall TPB

Annihilators Earthfall TPB
By: Dan Abnett, Andy Lanning, Tan Eng Huat, Timothy Green Ii, Alex Garner
From the fallout of ANNIHILATION and the end of the Guardians of the Galaxy, an all-too-familiar cosmic threat has returned, this time with Earth as his beachhead.

His followers span a thousand worlds, awaiting only the word to begin new wars in his name…unless Gladiator, Quasar, Ronan, Ikon and Beta-Ray Bill – the all-new Annihilators – can silence him first!

So why are the Avengers standing in their way, and what are the true stakes if either side fails? Plus: It’s Mojo versus Rocket Raccoon and Groot onstage for a high-stakes campy cosmic free-for-all!

This title collects
Annihilators: Earthfall #1-4

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Batman Beyond Unlimited #2

Batman Beyond Unlimited #2
By: Adam Beechen, Norm Breyfogle, Dustin Nguyen
The excitement continues in this oversized title chronicling the adventures in the Beyond Universe and making their print debut here!

One of Batman’s most explosive villains is back! In an effort to regain his status in the criminal underworld, however, he loses the one thing he loves best . . . and now all of Gotham may pay the price!

The new Justice League Beyond adventure continues, as the League goes in search of AWOL member Micron–who may or may not have gone native while investigating Kobra!

A larger, darker secret is about to be revealed . . . and it could spell doom for Earth!
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Nightwing #7

Nightwing #7
By: Kyle Higgins, Eddy Barrows, J. P. Mayer
Nightwing vs. Saiko! The truth about Haly’s Circus! A tribute show for the Flying Graysons! They’re all in this amazing issue! Of course, there’s no way they could be related…right?

Plus: As the answers regarding Haly’s Circus are revealed, what do they mean for Dick Grayson’s future in Gotham City? And more important, his future as Nightwing? Be here to find out!
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Flashpoint World of Flashpoint Green Lantern

Flashpoint World of Flashpoint Green Lantern
By: Pornsak Pichetshote, Marco Castiello, Felipe Massafera
This is not a dream, not an imaginary story, not an elseworld. This is Flash Fact: When Barry Allen wakes at his desk, he discovers the world has changed. Family is alive, loved ones are strangers, and close friends are different, gone or worse. It’s a world on the brink of a cataclysmic war – but where are Earth’s Greatest Heroes to stop it?

This title collects
Hal Jordan #1-3, Abin Sur #1- 3, Frankenstein and the Creatures of the Unknown #1-3, Green Arrow Industries #1
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DC Superhero Chess Figure Coll Mag #1 Batman White King

DC Superhero Chess Figure Coll Mag #1 Batman White King
The DC Superhero Chess Figure Collector Magazine brings your favorite DC Comics characters to life in a stunning chess-piece collection, complete with a 16-page magazine providing detail on the character as well as instructions on how the piece operates on the chess board! Each official figurine is cast in metallic resin and individually hand-painted.

Get your collection started this month with the first four figures of this amazing set: Batman White King (#1), Robin White Bishop (#2), Joker Black King (#3), and Commissioner Gordon White Pawn (#4)!

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Green Lantern Corps #7

Green Lantern Corps #7
By: Peter J. Tomasi, Fernando Pasarin, Andy Kubert
In the aftermath of the bloody first arc of the series, John Stewart must bring the body of a fallen Lantern back to his family. But how can John tell them the truth: that he caused this Lantern’s death!
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Gonzo A Graphic Biography of Hunter S Thompson

Gonzo A Graphic Biography of Hunter S Thompson
By: Will Bingley, Anthony Hope-Smith
The great American writer, the great American iconoclast, the great American hedonist – however you choose to view him, Hunter S. Thompson remains the high-water mark for all social commentators worldwide, and a truly fearless champion of individual liberties.

This is his story, the story of a troubled kid from Louisville who went on to become an international icon. A story that plumbs the darkest depths of American society and charts the now legendary adventures that birthed Gonzo Journalism, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, and a lifestyle beyond imagination.
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Zorro Rides Again #9 (of 12)

Zorro Rides Again #9 (of 12)
By: Matt Wagner, John K. Snyder
Covers: Matt Wagner Writer: Matt Wagner Artist: John K. Snyder III The one and only Matt (MAGE, GRENDEL) Wagner is in the home-stretch of his epic story of Zorro! Zorro is not alone as another swashbuckler sword expert joins the fray. Who is this person? And what does it mean for Zorro? These are thrilling times ahead as ZORRO RIDES AGAIN with issue #9 from Dynamite Entertainment!
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Justice League #7

Justice League #7
By: Geoff Johns, Jim Lee
Now that the team’s origin story is complete, starting with this issue we shift to the present-day Justice League! What has changed? Who has joined the team since?

Featuring artwork by Gene Ha, the story also reintroduces the team’s greatest champion: Steve Trevor! Also starting in this issue: “The Curse of Shazam!” featuring a story by Geoff Johns and art by Gary Frank!

Discover Billy Batson’s place in DC Comics – The New 52 as we reveal his all-new origin story! This issue is also offered as a special combo pack edition, polybagged with a redemption code for a digital download of this issue.
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Planet Of The Apes #12

Planet Of The Apes #12
By: Daryl Gregory, Carlos Magno
When the Lawgiver was assassinated by a human freedom fighter, the world plunged into chaos. Sullivan, now free from Alaya’s clutches, takes humanity’s fight for freedom to the next level, in a devastating gambit for ape and human alike! Writer Daryl Gregory and artist Carlos Magno continue their critically acclaimed run and end this arc on a cliffhanger that you have to read to believe!
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New Mutants #39

New Mutants #39
By: Dan Abnett, David Lopez, Leo Fernandez
Trapped on an island consumed by a super virus, the New Mutants fall one by one to the monstrous infection . . . and begin to change. Can Warlock keep the virus in check, even if it means going against his friends?
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Kirby Genesis Silver Star #4

Kirby Genesis Silver Star #4
By: Jai Nitz, Johnny D., Alex Ross
What if the Silver Star had never existed? Tracy Coleman wakes up from her decades-long slumber to find a utopian world full of Kirby superheroes, but Silver Star isn’t among them. Tracy is the only person who remembers the most powerful superhero ever, and she is hunted for her forbidden knowledge. Can Tracy survive when everyone in the superpowered world is out to get her? And what happens when she finally finds the powerless Morgan Miller? Alternate universe action in the Kirby tradition, brought to you by Jai Nitz and Johnny D!
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Peanuts #3 (of 4)

Peanuts #3 (of 4)
By: Charles M. Schulz, Vicki Scott
From the newspaper strips to the animated specials, Charlie Brown, Snoopy, and the Peanuts gang have held a special place in America’s heart since their first appearance in 1950. Let that young reader in your household discover these beloved characters like they were brand new! Peppermint Patty and Marcy join the series in ‘School Daze,’ and Charlie Brown dons his Manager’s cap for another year of Spring Training. Includes classic Sunday strips from Charles Schulz and a special Linus ‘First Appearance’ variant cover!
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Thunder Agents Vol. 2 #5 (of 6)

Thunder Agents Vol. 2 #5 (of 6)
By: Nick Spencer, Wesley Craig, Frazer Irving
The amazing Mike Choi (X-Force) contributes a sequence in the latest chapter of the miniseries that has everyone talking! The jaw-dropping twists continue, as true intentions come to light, enemies and allies thought long gone return, and the death toll continues to rise . . .
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X-Men First to Last TPB

X-Men First to Last TPB
By: Chris Yost, Paco Medina, Dalibor Talajic, Ed Mcguinness
The Evolutionaries have arrived to save mutantkind. All it will cost is the lives of all seven billion human beings on Earth! Charged with aiding emerging species and helping ensure their survival, the Evolutionaries have judged that mutants are genetically superior to humans.

But since humanity has hunted mutants to near-extinction, all humans must now die so mutantkind can live. And so must Cyclops, an unfit leader who doesn’t share the Evolutionaries’ vision. Does the X-Men’s past hold the key to their future – and that of humanity, as well?

This title collects
X-Men (2010) #12-15, X-Men Giant-Size #1

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Incredible Hulks World War Hulks HC

Incredible Hulks World War Hulks HC
The Hulks go to war! Everything Bruce Banner knows has been turned upside-down – and everything he’s ever desired may be just a heartbeat away. Don’t miss the insane action as Skaar faces his most brutal battle, and Bruce his greatest temptation – and the identity of a certain scarlet smasher is finally revealed!

Plus: Brace yourself for the coming of Hulkpool! And see what the other hulked-out heroes are up to as the gamma-god of thunder and a not-so-friendly neighborhood Spider-Man tear up Washington, D.C., and Wolverine and Bucky Barnes square off!

And what path has led the Savage She-Hulk called Lyra the Wizard’s Frightful Four?

This title collects
World War Hulks #1, Fall of the Hulks: Savage She-Hulks #1-3, Hulked-Out Heroes #1-2, World War Hulks: Spider-Man Vs. Thor #1-2, World War Hulks: Captain America vs. Wolverine #1-2, Incredible Hulk (1968) #312, #609-611
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Avengers West Coast Lost Space Time Prem HC

Avengers West Coast Lost Space Time Prem HC
By: Steve Englehart, Al Milgrom
The West Coast Avengers find themselves flung throughout time in this classic tale featuring everything from Marvel’s Wild West to ancient Egyptian despots!

Witness the ‘Wackos’ as they find themselves face-to-face with such legends as the Two-Gun Kid, the Phantom Rider and the Rawhide Kid – along with the time-tossed villainy of Rama-Tut and Immortus.

With the Fantastic Four and Dr. Strange along for the ride, what other help could the West Coasters need to set things straight? How about Marvel’s modern-day Western heroes, the Texas Rangers!

This title collects
West Coast Avengers (1985) #17-24, Fantastic Four (1961) #19, Doctor Strange (1974) #53
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Axe Cop Volume 3 TPB

Axe Cop Volume 3 TPB
By: Malachai Nicolle, Ethan Nicolle
Axe Cop returns with a collection of new, exciting, and unpredictable stories! Written by the endlessly inventive six-year-old Malachai Nicolle and drawn by his Eisner Award-nominated thirty-year-old brother Ethan Nicolle, Axe Cop joins his comrades Uni-baby, Bat Warthog Man, and Dinosaur Soldier to fight bad guys and restore justice for kids–and grownups–everywhere!

* Foreword by Lost scribe Damon Lindehof!

* Axe Cop Volume 1 has sold over 12,000 copies to date!

“Fun with a capital F.” -Ain’t It Cool News
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Captain Atom #7

Captain Atom #7
By: J. T. Krul, Freddie E. Williams, Stanley Lau
This issue’s got all the answers! Why did Nathaniel Adam sign up for Megala’s experiment? How did he become Captain Atom? Do his powers have any limits? And what’s the deal with those numbers? It’s time to explore the past, present, and future of Captain Atom as he tries to stop a catastrophic event even though he’s already too late!
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Deadpool #52

Deadpool #52
By: Daniel Way, Salva Espin, Nick Bradshaw
‘Pool’s epic “Dead” storyline continues! Deadpool wants to die . . . can he make it happen? Will X-Force stop him . . . or pull the trigger?

Deadpool Pencil Cup Desk Accessory

Deadpool Pencil Cup Desk Accessory
A Gentle Giant Release! Ooh. That’s got to hurt. Inspired by the violent and comedic mutant anti-hero Deadpool, Marvel’s incredibly popular ‘Merc With a Mouth,’ the Deadpool Pencil Cup is the first of Gentle Giant’s line of exciting Marvel desk accessories and is sure to be a conversation starter. Cast in high-quality polystone, this unique piece comes with two shuriken-shaped erasers and a soft plastic arrow fletching cap so you can ‘weaponize’ your favorite pen or pencil!

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Doctor Who Char Building 11 Doctor Mini Figure Set

Doctor Who Char Building 11 Doctor Mini Figure Set
Imported from the UK! The ultimate Doctor Who mini-figure set! This box features all eleven incarnations of the Doctor as highly-detailed mini-figures presented in an impressive TARDIS display box. Each mini-figure includes a Doctor Who display base.

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DC Universe Online Legends #26

DC Universe Online Legends #26
By: Marv Wolfman, Howard Porter
The battle that DCUO Legends has been building to for over a year is finally here: Brainiac versus The Man of Steel! But will even Superman be powerful enough to stop this universal evil? And what stunning role will Lex Luthor play in the events? Find out in the stunning series conclusion!
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Dark Shadows TPB Vol. 01

Dark Shadows TPB Vol. 01
By: Stuart Manning, Aaron Campbell, Francesco Francavilla
Cover: Francesco Francavilla Writer: Stuart Manning Artists: Aaron Campbell Television’s original reluctant vampire is back! Barnabas Collins is re-adjusting to life under his vampiric curse. Haunted by terrifying dreams of his age-old lover and nemesis, Angelique, and fighting his bloodlust, Barnabas fears that danger lies ahead for all who live at Collinwood. Meanwhile, Barnabas’ ally and trusted friend Dr. Julia Hoffman is harboring secrets of her own… Collecting the first four issues of Dynamite’s Dark Shadows series, along with a complete cover gallery!
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Fear Itself Fearless #11 (of 12)

Fear Itself Fearless #11 (of 12)
By: Cullen Bunn, Mark Bagley, Arthur Adams
Valkyrie stands alone against the terrifying power of the D.O.A., while Sin brings her earth-shattering plans to completion! This deadly plot brings in a host of Marvel’s Mightiest Heroes, as a universe fights for survival! Valkyrie faces a shocking fate as the final sleeper awakens on the road to the pulse-pounding climax of The Fearless. Don’t miss it!
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Big Book Of Kolchack Night Stalker TPB

Big Book Of Kolchack Night Stalker TPB
By: Stuart M. Kaminski, Dennis Calero, Cortney Skinner
This tome collects the first two long out-of-print Kolchak trade paperbacks, all in one affordable package! Contains seven complete stories: ‘The Night Stalker’, ‘Get of Belial’, ‘Fever Pitch’, ‘Mask of Moment’, ‘Pain Most Human’, ‘Pain without Tears’, and ‘Devil in the Details’!
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Hellblazer #289

Hellblazer #289
By: Peter Milligan, Giuseppe Camuncoli, Simon Bisley
After another season of hell-raising, John Constantine finally makes it home again. But this time home might be the death of him. Meanwhile, his niece recovers from a brutal attack while his wife goes on the warpath.

Ghostly visitations, bloody decapitations, and a spot of potential fratricide await in “The Unquiet Grave.”
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Hoax Hunters #0

Hoax Hunters #0
By: Michael Moreci, JM Ringuet, Steve Seeley
‘GETTING AWAY WITH MURDER’ Cryptids. Aliens. Monsters. All the world’s bizarre secrets–what if they were real? Their existence would be debunked by a reality TV show! HOAX HUNTERS is that show, publicly disproving all variety of lore. But their real goal is the opposite: as the world’s dark corners surface, the HOAX HUNTERS cover them up. When a mysterious astronaut made of crows appears in Russia, the HOAX HUNTERS are on the case.
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Dead Mans Run #2 (Cover A - Parker)

Dead Mans Run #2 (Cover A – Parker)
By: Greg Pak, Tony Parker
From acclaimed ‘Hulk’ writer Greg Pak, legendary ‘Walking Dead’ producer Gale Anne Hurd, and Tony Parker, artist of the Eisner-nominated ‘Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep’, comes the biggest blockbuster series of the new year – DEAD MAN’S RUN! What does a dead man do when he discovers that Hell is the world’s most horrific maximum-security prison on the planet? If you’re cartographer Sam Tinker, you plan your escape — by pulling together a team of Hell’s most terrifying inmates. Discover how far a good man will go to save his innocent sister, and get ready for an unbelievable supernatural action-packed thriller, as Aspen Comics proudly presents its newest hit series, DEAD MAN’S RUN!
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DC Universe Presents #7

DC Universe Presents #7
By: Paul Jenkins, Bernard Chang, Ryan Sook
What do you do when death wears the face of the one you loved? That’s what June Robbins must deal with, as the one person who didn’t survive last issue’s crash, Ace, returns in a monstrous new form, determined to end the lives of June and the Challengers of the Unknown! Get ready for a globe-hopping, reality-warping thrill ride from Dan DiDio and Jerry Ordway!
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Howard Lovecraft & Undersea Kingdom GN

Howard Lovecraft & Undersea Kingdom GN
By: Dwight MacPherson, Thomas Boatwright
An all-ages H.P. Lovecraft story! Howard Lovecraft’s family has been imprisoned on a far-flung alien planet, Spot hopelessly captured, and he is slowly becoming a mindless Fishman.

Accompanied by his insane father, a pistol-packing constable, and his hungry cat, they must face the all-powerful ruler of the Outer Gods, a revengeful old enemy, an army of deadly monsters, and a lethal world called Yuggoth, to save the day.

All Howard has to do is surrender his father’s Book. But that would mean certain doom for all of mankind!
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Slaine Books Of Invasions TPB (s&s Ed) Vol. 01

Slaine Books Of Invasions TPB (s&s Ed) Vol. 01
By: Pat Mills, Clint Langley
The Sea Devils have risen against Tir Nan Og, the Land of the Young, and Slaine, once the first High King of Ireland, must protect his tribe against this new tide of evil.
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”]
Justice League: Doom [Blu-ray]
The world’s greatest superheroes face their ultimate challenge–the mind of the Batman–when the Darknight Detective’s secret plans to take down his Justice League colleagues should they turn against mankind fall into the hands of immortal villain Vandal Savage and a cabal of their deadliest enemies. Feature-length animated adventure stars the voices of Kevin Conroy, Tim Daly, and Nathan Fillion.
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Keep On Troopin T-Shirt

Keep On Troopin T-Shirt
Don’t let those weirdo Jedi hippies freak you out, man. Just grok the Sith’s groove so you don’t Force-choke…and keep on troopin’.
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Doctor Who Unit Green T-Shirt

Doctor Who Unit Green T-Shirt
Join the United Nations Intelligence Taskforce with this green t-shirt that features the logo of that iconic international military peacekeeping force!
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Star Wars Darth Vader Static Lightsaber Umbrella

Star Wars Darth Vader Static Lightsaber Umbrella
Be ready for any storm, as you wield your lightsaber umbrella against the elements. The handle is based upon the famous lightsaber used by the Dark Lord of the Sith, Darth Vader, while the shaft has been beautifully anodized in an iridescent red.The 100% black nylon canopy has the emblem of the Galactic Empire silk-screened on the sides. Comes complete with a sleek nylon carrying sleeve with adjustable shoulder strap. Measures 39″, in length, while the canopy measure 47″ across.
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Thor 1/4 Scale Statue

Thor 1/4 Scale Statue
In the cold wastes of Scandinavia, the Vikings lead a hard and ferocious life in a harsh land, and their gods they worshipped matched their ferocity. Among the gods they worshipped was Thor, a hammer-wielding god who commanded the thunder and lightning and served as humanity’s protector and a sign of virility. ARH Studios casts this thunder god as a 1/4-scale statue that stands 30″ tall. Wearing the rugged clothing of the Norsemen, his hammer is held high and his long red hair flows majestically.
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Universal Monsters Frankenstein Handbag

Universal Monsters Frankenstein Handbag
Available in Four designs: Frankenstein, Bride of Frankenstein, ‘We Belong Dead’, and Dracula.
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Superman 52.1 Symbol T-Shirt

Superman 52.1 Symbol T-Shirt
Three different Man of Steel-inspired shirts are coming at you this Month. Superman 52.1 Symbol shirt inspired by Superman new cape design, features the ‘S’ imprinted on a deep red shirt. Next we have the Superman: Raw T-Shirt featuring the pencil art by Jim Lee imprinted on a white 100% cotton shirt. Last (but certainly not least), we have the long-awaited return of one of our most-popular shirt ever…the Bizarro Superman II Symbol T-Shirt screenprinted on a eggplant-colored, 100% cotton tee. The myth of Superman continues.
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Thor Classic Action Statue

Thor Classic Action Statue
A Bowen Designs Sculpt! ‘I say thee nay!’ With these words, the Norse god Thor would unleash his havoc upon his many enemies, hurling his enchanted uru hammer Mjolnir at his foes or smashing it against the ground. This 18 1/2″ tall statue of Marvel Comics’ Thor brings to life the God of Thunder as only Randy Bowen can sculpt!
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Ridley Scott’s Prometheus

Blade Runner is one of my favorite films. A dystopian-noir future reality on the brink of collapse where the cities look like massive alien obelisks inhabited by no one. Ridley Scott took lots of liberties with the source material, Philip K Dick’s Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep, in bringing this world to life and crafted one of the most heartbreakingly beautiful films of the sci-fi genre. It’s a shame that science fiction flicks tend to be either 2001 or Escape from the Forbidden Zone, but what can you do?

In addition to Blade Runner, Scott of course directed Alien, a cross between horror and science fiction. A claustrophobic adventure set in deep space, it explored the pure terror of the unknown. After decades of depicting space as a wild place for action and excitement, Scott’s Alien was a haunting realm of the unknown.

Ridley Scott’s latest film, a return to science fiction, Prometheus, has been enthralled with rumor and secrecy since it was announced. The cast is very impressive, including  X-Men First Class’ Michael Fassbender as a synthetic robot, Noomi Rapace, Charlize Theron, Idris Elba, Guy Pearce and Ben Foster. Scott was hired to direct a prequel to his 1979 masterpiece Alien, set 30 years before the events of the Nostromo. He was quoted as saying that “The film will be really tough, really nasty. It’s the dark side of the moon. We are talking about gods and engineers. Engineers of space. And were the aliens designed as a form of biological warfare? Or biology that would go in and clean up a planet?”

The film is incredibly ambitious, with a massive price tag and Lost scribe Damon Lindelof hired to punch up the script. More recently, the ties to Alien have been removed from the film, yet it definitely seems to be set in the same universe and features a similar look, feel and even several iconic images and characters seen in the 1979 movie such as the Pilot of the crashed alien spacecraft.

Finally concrete details are coming through. A trailer was leaked, images posted in Entertainment Weekly and a possible summary of the film posted online.

~~~~~SPOILERS BELOW~~~~~

Joss Whedon’s Dollhouse

The man behind two of the biggest modern TV franchises in the past decade, Joss Whedon, has returned to the airwaves with a new program entitled Dollhouse.

DOLLHOUSE focuses on a secret organization that employs “Actives” — a group of operatives who have their memories and personalities wiped clean so they can be imprinted with new ones, allowing them to take on various missions for hire. DOLLHOUSE airs Mondays (8:00-9:00 PM ET/PT) this January on FOX.

Trailer

Doctor Who Peter Davison- 1981-84

Throughout its lifespan on the airwaves in its native United Kingdom and in many countries across the globe, Doctor Who has shown the hero triumph over many monsters from stars, from the bowels of the Earth, other dimensions and even living in the tear duct of the human body. Be that as it may, in 1978, Doctor Who had been beaten by one monster it had never anticipated as its ultimate foe.

Tom Baker’s ego.

The answer to a thousand prayers, Tom Baker brought an uncanny level of character and charisma to the part of the time-traveling stranger called the Doctor. A relative unknown, he exploded onto the screen in his first scene in the part and never stopped surprising viewers with his quirky behavior, boundless energy and non-stop flair. Be that as it may… six years on in the role and it seemed that Tom believed he was the Doctor… and nothing else mattered. He mugged to the camera, sleep-walked through scenes he didn’t like and bullied producers.

By his own admission many years later, Tom Baker had become impossible to work with.

Enter new Executive Producer John Nathan Turner. JNT (as he was called) was determined to reign Tom’s performance in and slowly fade his powerful glow to a glimmer in order to bring in a new star and restart the program that had frankly floundered from its original impetus. While the program in 1976 was a triumph, stories such as ‘The Horns of the Nimon’ were a chore to get through and looked far more enjoyable for Tom than anyone else, including the viewers.

29 year old Peter Davison was a household name to TV viewers as Tristam on ‘All Creatures Great and Small,’ a hit program for the BBC which JNT worked on as well.

Peter Davison brought something not seen on the program since its inception, innocence. While Pertwee was an authoritative entertainer, Troughton an accomplished character actor and Hartnell the hardest old man you’d ever come up against, baby-faced Davison was none of these things. Perhaps as a test to the strength of the character of the Doctor, the decision was made to make this fifth incarnation everything you’d never associate with the hero of the last 18 years.

Davison’s Doctor was fallible, distracted, blusterous, confused and even passionate about simple things like riding on a locomotive or enjoying a nice cup of tea. Surrounded by a youthful crew of misfits who flew into three separate direction at the earliest convenience, this Doctor was rarely helped by his companions and more often than not was trying to keep them out of trouble or even apologizing for their behavior. From the irascible Tegan, the distant scientist Nyssa, arrogant Adric and shifty Turlough, he was forever wondering just where they ran off to and if he’d have to spring them from any number of traps they had stumbled into.

From 1980 until 1983, the Doctor encountered the one thing that had become alien to him in his journeys; failure. The Doctor failed to stop the Master, Cybermen, Daleks and the combined forces of the Sea Devils and Silurians from massacring hundreds of innocents as he stood by awestruck and powerless. Perhaps most tragically, he failed to save the life of his teenage assistant Adric as he collided with the planet Earth in a time-traveling craft causing the end of the dinosaurs and the beginning of the age of Man (it’s complicated).

Yet this Doctor dueled with the forces of creation, was responsible for the big bang, outwitted the evil Mara on two occasions and even stood toe-to-toe against the greatest Time Lord of all, Omega. Never afraid to take arms against his enemies, this Doctor pulled guns, swords and even hat stands at his enemies (again, complicated).

While he was often out of breath, he was never out of conviction. In his final story, The Caves of Androzani, he saved the life of his assistant Peri. While they were both stricken with a strange sickness, he struggled to bring her the last of the cure and then collapsed from the effort, ready to die. His last words, ‘Is this death’ struck a chord with viewers as they watched a bizarre display of computer graphics and colors play over his dormant face.

After facing so much death and destruction, this Doctor seemed to have aged before the eyes of his fans. While at first an upbeat debonair hero, he had become a frazzled and desperate man. Was his hour up?

It’s difficult to explain given that we’ve doubled the number of Doctors since this story, but at the time it seemed like it could have been the end.

In a violent explosion of color, he finally sat up a changed man… but that’s another story altogether.

During the 1980’s Doctor Who enjoyed a boost in viewing figures and increased exposure overseas. With the Target line of novelizations (without VCR, this was the only way to relive many stories never replayed on TV), a role playing game by TSR and even a home computer game, it was a new golden age for the program.

Each Doctor clearly embodies the age in which he was on screen. Peter Davison‘s fresh face and colorful attire represented the optimism of the 1980’s as the world hurdled toward the era of the personal computer, compact disc and electronic club music. In short, we were becoming more sci-fi. Bearing that in mind, I often wonder if this was why so many terrible things happened to the Fifth Doctor to mirror the shattered hopes and dreams of the 1980’s.

The carnage rose to an alarming roar with Davison‘s last season featuring the last survivors of the human race being turned into zombified workers for an alien race in Frontios, nuclear weapons being turned against humanity in Warriors of the Deep and the wholesale slaughter of Resurrection of the Daleks which featured the highest body count of any Doctor Who story seen up to that time.

Whatever the case, due to his age many viewers related to this new younger Doctor and proudly claimed him to be their Doctor over the outgoing tired Tom Baker. This is a common practice and no malice is ever meant by it.

In fact, many fans of one particular Doctor later realize that other Doctors are similar in certain ways and share qualities that drew them to whichever they chose to be their favorite.

In just a few days, Davison will be returning to the role to star opposite current Doctor #10 David Tennant in the November 16th Children in Need Special. It will be interesting to see how he plays the part after so long.

I have a feeling I’m not alone here.

Abrams’s Fringe

The (hopeful) savior of Star Trek and TV both, director JJ Abrams (Lost, Alias), has recently sold his first new TV series as part of a recent deal with Warner Bros.

Entitled Fringe, the series will be horror/sci-fi much in the same vein of the much lamented X-Files.

Seeing as how the war between reality TV programming and wacky contest shows is starting to result in a few experimental dramas, this could mean another step out of the cultural depression that has plagued TV since American Idol first gripped the throat of the viewing public… but I digress.

The two-hour pilot is budgeted at over $10 million.

More from the press:

The show’s main character is a young, female FBI agent (The Hollywood Reporter raises the possibility of Abrams’ “Felicity” star Keri Russell as potential casting) who has to work with a brilliant research scientist and his estranged son as she explores unexplained phenomena.

The trade papers reference the quirky FOX landmark “The X-Files,” early David Cronenberg films and Paddy Chayefsky’s “Altered States” as major influences.

OooooOoooo… Cronenberg and Altered States as influences? I might actually watch this.

Rom The Spaceknight

The most enduring comic book character of the 1970’s,  Parker Brothers’ Rom the Spaceknight remains one of the stranger cross-promotional projects from Marvel Comics (next to Dazzler, originally conceived as a deal with Columbia Records).

The mainly stoic and immobile protector of the space-ways arrived with a set of noise making electronic sound producing instruments that would assist him in his war against his enemies… not included. The story goes that Rom, a Lord of the Solstar Order, was on a life mission to seek out the shape changing wizards from another dimension, the Dire Wraiths. The trick was that the wizards were shape shifters capable of deceiving anyone of their true nature.

Luckily Rom had a device that could sniff them out with a gong sound, alerting him to quickly switch devices and zap the nasty wraith to nothingness.

Seeing as how there were no Dire Wraith action figures, it left Rom as a kind of exterminator sniffing out and hunting down your other toys as the devious shape shifting monsters they really were.

(many details about the Rom toy can be found here)

Rom sounds a little crazy, doesn’t he? Not a bad crazy, but… okay, maybe a bad crazy.

Created by Bing McCoy (interviewed here), the toy remains one of the most fascinating electronic action figures ever made. While the final product differs some from McCoy’s initial ideas, the Rom toy is something that I imagine many electronic music gurus had on their shelves at one point or another.

Marvel Comics, in participation with Parker Brothers, launched a long running comic book series that took Rom on deep space adventure. The series by Bill Mantlo and Sal Buscema remains one of the most commonly complete titles in any comic book fan’s collection. While you may meet a few fans with only a handful of Spider-Man or Batman comics, it usually falls that if a collector has one Rom comic book, he has all 75.

The fallout from Rom has not exactly been much. Marvel Comics assimilated the Dire Wraiths into their comics (they even appeared in Uncanny X-Men!) and attempted a relaunch of ‘the Spaceknights,’ but it didn’t really stick. Jim Krueger included an older distraught Rom in his Earth X trilogy where the one of Rom‘s devices was revealed to be an important cosmic power device.

According to a recent interview with Johnny Darrell at Halfsquatch, Bing McCoy is in the process of acquiring the rights to his creation, perhaps for a relaunch. That might be something to see.

In the meantime, we have this video below to marvel at:

ROM 1979 Toyfare promo video

Your own raygun? You bet!

From the folks at WETA comes this amazing and very limited line of handcrafted rayguns. I always wished for one of these fellas when I was twelve, but never imagined that a ‘real’ raygun would arrive at my doorstep in a velvet lined box complete with documentation.

The future is now!

Inhabited Island

First Nightwatch, now this!

I just read about this film on the AMC Sci-Fi Scanner, so now I’m passing on the news to you.

The 1971 satirical science fiction novel ‘Prisoners of Power’ by Arkady and Boris Strugatsky has been adapted into a feature length film, ‘Inhabited Island.’ The movie is breaking film attendance records in Russia and could lead to further adaptations of the rest of the ‘Maxim Trilogy’.

Keep your ears open so you don’t miss a chance to see this movie in the cinema.

Trailer