The weekend’s here. You’ve just been paid, and it’s burning a hole in your pocket. What’s a pop culture geek to do? In hopes of steering you in the right direction to blow some of that hard-earned cash, it’s time for the Quick Stop Weekend Shopping Guide – your spotlight on the things you didn’t even know you wanted…
Time is flying by – I can not believe we’re already to the penultimate volume of the full-color Bone volumes from Scholastic, Treasure Hunters (Scholastic, Softcover-$9.99 SRP, Hardcover-$19.99 SRP). As Jeff Smith’s already-classic tale of the Bone cousins and their travels, trials, and tribulations in the mysterious valley come to a close (for the second time), I gotta admit – I want more adventures in that world. If you haven’t been buying these releases, do so. Now.
Have you ever been on an airplane, or a trip, or just simply not near a power outlet or batteries when your cell phone goes dead? Or a camera? Or any other important portable device in your life? Well, you need a monkey. Nor a real monkey, silly – a PowerMonkey ($49.99)! This little silver charger holds power for up to a year, and provides instant electrical nourishment for more devices than you can shake a stick at. Get this. You know you need it.
While it’s by no means their weakest season, the eleventh season of South Park (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$49.99 SRP) certainly felt like a slip from the incredible satiric heights of the past few seasons. In many ways, it felt more like a return to the storytelling of earlier seasons. However, it also included a high water mark for the series as a whole – the incredible “Imaginationland” trilogy. The 3-duisc set features all 14 episodes, plus the regular clutch of mini-commentaries with Trey Parker & Matt Stone.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – When it comes to chronicling comic book history – and the men and women that made it – Twomorrows has mastered the fine art of mixing equal parts scholarship, objectivism, and a palpable love of the medium. They’ve also now become the go-to source for tomes detailing the published exploits of a given character or superhero title with their “Companion” series, the latest of which is The Flash Companion (Twomorrows, $26.95 SRP). As you can guess, its focus is the scarlet speedster himself – in fact, all four of the characters to hold that title, going back to Jay Garrick and on down to Bart Allen – and the creators who shaped him. There’s also a very nice tribute to the late Mike Wieringo.
Far too soon, The Wire (HBO, Not Rated, DVD-$59.99 SRP) comes to an explosively sublime close with the DVD arrival of the fifth and final season, as everything turns a bit meta when it looks at how the media portrays the issues it’s presented over the years. The 4-disc set features all 10 episodes, plus 6 audio commentaries, a retrospective on the first four seasons, and a documentary on the role of the media.
The BBC is dipping it’s toes ever-so-gingerly into the Blu-Ray waters with the release of The BBC High Definition Natural History Collection (BBC, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$179.98 SRP) – containing the specials Planet Earth, Galapogas, Wild China, and Ganges – as well as the first season of Robin Hood (BBC, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$99.98 SRP). Here’s hoping some of their classic comedy – and Doctor Who – are not too far behind.
Combine the space age with the rise of the hippie movement, and you’ve got the design and living spaces lovingly collected in the immense Spaced Out: Crash Pads, Hippie Communes, Infinity Machines, and Other Radical Environments of The Psychedelic Sixties (Rizzoli, $65.00 SRP). It’s a massive tome illustrated with hundreds of photographs of structures that are both fascinating and structurally unsound.
Often abbreviated to JRJR, John Romita, Jr. gets the Modern Masters (Twomorrows, $14.95 SRP) treatment – which means the usual in-depth interview, scads of artwork spanning his career, and a must-have place on your shelf. Yes – you heard me. Get it already!
For anyone who thought that a move to the big American network would ruin the low-rent, brutal one-upsmanship of Kenny Vs Spenny (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$26.98 SRP), have no fear – it’s every bit as combative, awkward, and wonderfully off-putting as it ever was in its original Canadian form. See for yourself on the complete first season set, sporting all 8 episodes, plus a pair of bonus episodes, deleted scenes, a featurette, and audio commentaries.
First printed in 1926, Up & Down New York (Universe, $19.95 SRP) is a love letter to the architecture, people, and places of Manhattan in the roaring twenties, illustrated by Tony Sarg. It’s a wonderful time capsule that has, thankfully, been reprinted in this new edition.
Climb aboard the second volume of The Love Boat‘s first season (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$36.98 SRP), featuring plenty of soapy awkwardness and c-list celebrities (and Annette!), all setting sail for love. The 4-disc set features 12 episodes, plus episode promos and the movie of the week The New Love Boat.
The animation is borderline unwatchable and the writing is subpar, but there’s quite the crappy charm remaining in the cartoons featured in the DC Comics Super Heroes: The Filmation Adventures (Warner Bros., Not Rated, DVD-$24.98 SRP). The 2-disc set features 18 episodes, plus a featurette on the legacy of Filmation Studios (never thought I’d see that).
After the delightfully bizarre Night Court, Harry Anderson starred as the fictionalized version of columnist Dave Berry in the tepid but amiable family sitcom Dave’s World (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$44.99 SRP). It’s certainly a watchable series, but doesn’t hold a candle to the Court. The 3-disc first season set features all 23 episodes.
Another month, and another batch of classic Doctor Who adventures come to disc, starting with a 2-disc 25th Anniversary Edition of The Five Doctors (BBC, Not Rated, DVD-$34.98 SRP), featuring audio commentaries, documentaries, interviews, featurettes, and more. Also available is Black Orchid (BBC, Not Rated, DVD-$14.98 SRP), from the Peter Davison years, and the William Hartnell era The Time Meddler (BBC, Not Rated, DVD-$24.98 SRP) – both of which are equally loaded up with extras.
The title pretty much explains it all – DC Comics Covergirls (Universe, $39.95 SRP) is a loving look at almost 75 years worth of women gracing the covers of the venerable comics company, from superheroines and girlfriends to damsels in distress and villains. Written by longtime editor an scribe Louise Simonson, the book features an intro from everyone’s favorite “good girl artist”, Adam Hughes.
It’s kind of sad when composer Kevin Kiner’s score for Star Wars: The Clone Wars (Sony Classical, $18.97 SRP) is in some ways better than what John Williams gave us in the prequels. Give this disc a spin and hear for yourself.
If you’ve ever had the desire to see mouse & cat duo Tom and Jerry engage in a slew of x-treme sports, you’ll find plenty of cartoons with the theme in the 5th volume of Tom and Jerry Tales (Warner Bros., Not Rated, DVD-$14.98 SRP).
Kiddie fare (sure to entertain my nephews) this week include a pair of new Nickelodeon titles – Go Diego Go: Great Dinosaur Rescue and Ni Hao, Kai-Lan: Super Special Days (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$16.99 SRP each). Bonus features include music videos and galleries.
Honestly, the only reason I gave Caroline In The City (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$44.99 SRP) the time of day in those halcyon, preppie 90’s was because of the perennially cute Lea Thompson, who played the titular neurotic New York cartoonist on the lookout for love with a batch of wacky friends at her side. The 3-disc first season set features all 24 episodes, plus episode promos.
I’ve said it before, but I’m a big fan of Medicom’s line of vinyl Disney figures. The sculpts are always fantastic, they capture the character perfectly, and they put all of our domestic licensees to shame (at least until Electric Tiki’s line of Disney mini-maquettes kicks in). Here’s one of Medicom’s latest – the Roen Crown Mickey ($44.99). Check out the pic below…
So there you have it… my humble suggestions for what to watch, listen to, play with, or waste money on this coming weekend. See ya next week…
-Ken Plume
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