This Sunday is Father’s Day, an actual holiday, dedicated to selling neckties to the fathers, uncles, grandfathers, big brothers, godfathers, and paternal role models in people’s lives.
And while most dads (or paternal figures) are likely happy with an afternoon in their man cave or an uninterrupted bowel movement, here are some of our unique suggestions to help celebrate these special relationships by giving them presents!
And no neckties or paperweights for the celebrants in your life.
Here’s what we’re digging…
The Last Action Heroes: The Triumphs, Flops, and Feuds of Hollywood’s Kings of Carnage
By Nick de Semlyen
The Last Action Heroes opens in May 1990 in Cannes, with Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone waltzing together, cheered on by a crowd of famous faces. After years of bitter combat—Stallone once threw a bowl of flowers at Schwarzenegger’s head, and the body count in Schwarzenegger’s Commando was increased so the film would “have a bigger dick than Rambo”—the world’s biggest action stars have at last made peace.
In this wildly entertaining account of the golden age of the action movie, Nick de Semlyen charts Stallone and Schwarzenegger’s carnage-packed journey from enmity to friendship against the backdrop of Reagan’s America and the Cold War. He also reveals fascinating untold stories of the colorful characters who ascended in their wake: high-kickers Chuck Norris and Jackie Chan, glowering tough guys Dolph Lundgren and Steven Seagal, and quipping troublemakers Jean-Claude Van Damme and Bruce Willis. But as time rolled on, the era of the invincible action hero who used muscle, martial arts, or the perfect weapon to save the day began to fade. When Jurassic Park trounced Schwarzenegger’s Last Action Hero in 1993, the glory days of these macho men—and the vision of masculinity they celebrated—were officially over.
Drawing on candid interviews with the action stars themselves, plus their collaborators, friends, and foes, The Last Action Heroes is a no-holds-barred account of a period in Hollywood history when there were no limits to the heights of fame these men achieved, or to the mayhem they wrought, on-screen and off.
Queen All the Songs: The Story Behind Every Track
By Benoît Clerc
Filled with fascinating photographs and juicy behind-the-scenes details, Queen All the Songs illuminates the unique recording history of a mega-bestselling and hugely influential rock band—album-by-album and track-by-track.
A lovingly thorough dissection of every album and every song ever released by the beloved rock group, Queen All the Songs follows Freddie, Brian, Roger, and John from their self-titled debut album in 1973 through the untimely passing of Freddie, all the way up to their latest releases and the Oscar-winning film, Bohemian Rhapsody.
The writing and recording process of each track is discussed and analyzed by author Benoît Clerc, and page-after-page features captivating and sometimes rarely seen images of the band. Queen All the Songs delves deep into the history and origins of the band and their music. This one-of-a-kind book draws upon decades of research and is a must-have for any true fan of classic rock.
Raw Dog: The Naked Truth About Hot Dogs
By Jamie Loftus
Hot dogs. Poor people created them. Rich people found a way to charge fifteen dollars for them. They’re high culture, they’re low culture, they’re sports food, they’re kids’ food, they’re hangover food, and they’re deeply American, despite having no basis whatsoever in America’s Indigenous traditions. You can love them, you can hate them, but you can’t avoid the great American hot dog.
Raw Dog: The Naked Truth About Hot Dogs is part investigation into the cultural and culinary significance of hot dogs and part travelog documenting a cross-country road trip researching them as they’re served today. From avocado and spice in the West to ass-shattering chili in the East to an entire salad on a slice of meat in Chicago, Loftus, her pets, and her ex eat their way across the country during the strange summer of 2021. It’s a brief window into the year between waves of a plague that the American government has the resources to temper, but not the interest.
So grab a dog, lay out your picnic blanket, and dig into the delicious and inevitable product of centuries of violence, poverty, and ambition, now rolling around at your local 7-Eleven.
Batman/Superman Vol. 1: World’s Finest
By Mark Waid and Dan Mora
The Dark Knight. The Man of Steel. They are the two finest superheroes that the world has ever known…and they’re together again in an epic new series.
In the not-too-distant past, Superman’s powers are super-charged from a devastating chemical attack by the villain Metallo…and the only ally that the ultra-powerful Man of Tomorrow can turn to in this turbulent hour is Gotham’s own dark vengeance: the Batman. A nearly fatal burst of power drives Bruce Wayne to his own extreme measures to help his friend…enlisting none other than the Doom Patrol for aid. It’s the world’s greatest superheroes from the world’s greatest comic book talent in an epic comic book experience that kicks off the next big events in the DCU.
Get ready, it’s time to soar.
David Bowie All the Songs: The Story Behind Every Track
By Benoît Clerc
Album by album and track by track, this first-of-its-kind catalog of David Bowie’s entire 50-year and 27-album career tells the story of one of rock’s all-time greatest artists.
A lovingly thorough dissection of every album and every track ever released by David Bowie over the span of his nearly 50 year career, David Bowie All the Songs follows the musician from his self-titled debut album released in 1967 all the way through Blackstar, his final album.
Delving deep into Bowie’s past and featuring new commentary and archival interviews with a wide range of models, actors, musicians, producers, and recording executives who all worked with and knew the so-called “Thin White Duke”, David Bowie All the Songs charts the musician’s course from a young upstart in 1960s London to a musical behemoth who collaborated with everyone from Queen Latifah and Bing Crosby, to Mick Jagger and Arcade Fire.
This one-of-a-kind book draws upon years of research in order to recount how each song was written, composed, and recorded, down to the instruments used and the people who played them. Featuring hundreds of vivid photographs that celebrate one of music’s most visually arresting performers, David Bowie All the Songs is a must-have book for any true fan of classic rock.
The Venture Bros: The Complete Series DVD
Join clueless, would-be action hero teens Hank and Dean Venture; their hapless scientist father, Dr. Thaddeus Venture; and violence-happy bodyguard Brock Samson as they battle sinister supervillains, space phantoms and ghost pirates (or is it pirate ghosts?), in this hilarious spoof of Jonny Quest and other animated adventure series.
For the first time in the history of the world, every single episode of The Venture Bros. ever created! Stuffed full of your favorite evil nemeses, and larger-than-life heroes, plus a few smaller-than-life ones. It’s never not a great time to watch your favorite episode from any season, followed by any other episode from any other season. From “Dia de los Dangerous” to “The Saphrax Protocol” it’s all in one place! It’s the Complete Series Venture Bros. Box Set, twenty years in the making. Including all the bonus materials that have been lovingly created over the years, and carefully curated for you now.
Across seven seasons and 82 episodes and packed with extras, The Venture Bros. is a must have for any pop culture, comic book loving role model!
Elton John All the Songs: The Story Behind Every Track
By Romuald Ollivier and Olivier Roubin
Organized chronologically and covering every album and song that Sir Elton Hercules John has ever released, Elton John All the Songs draws upon years of research to tell the behind-the-scenes stories of how each song was written, composed, and recorded, down to the instruments used and the people who played them. Spanning more than fifty-years of work from Elton and his longtime collaborator, Bernie Taupin, this book details the creative processes that resulted in seminal albums like Goodbye Yellowbrick Road, Madman Across the Water, and Tumbleweed Connection, as well as Academy Award wins for 1995’s Lion King and 2020’s Rocketman. Newer work like The Lockdown Sessions, which released in 2021, is also featured alongside Billboard stats, tour dates, producing and mixing credits, and other insider details that will keep fans turning pages. Starting with the artist’s early days working as a studio musician in London, and featuring interviews with actors, musicians, collaborators, and confidantes, Elton John All the Songs offers readers the most detailed portrait of the artist and his creative process that has ever been produced. Featuring hundreds of vivid photographs that celebrate one of music’s most visually arresting performers, Elton John All the Songs is the authoritative guide to one of rock ‘n roll’s greatest stars.
Doctor Strange: Folio Society Special Edition
Selected and Introduced by Roy Thomas
Take a trip to the outer reaches of comic-book consciousness with Doctor Strange. Marvel’s Master of the Mystic Arts celebrates his 60th anniversary with this kaleidoscopic collection from Folio. Former Marvel Editor-in-Chief Roy Thomas selects and introduces 14 of the Sorcerer Supreme’s most dazzling exploits, created by comic-book legends including Stan Lee, Steve Ditko, Brian K. Vaughan and Jason Aaron. Every tale in this truly eldritch edition has been scanned directly from original comics. It also includes a stunningly accurate replica of Strange Tales #115, the 1963 Marvel anthology in which the Doctor reveals his startling origin story. Multiple-award-winning Doctor Strange artist Marcos Martín provides original cover art for this edition, as well as designing hypnotic blue and purple endpapers, and a sulphurous yellow slipcase bearing the esoteric Super Hero’s iconic Seal of the Vishanti. Following previous volumes in Folio’s Marvel Heroes series — Captain America, Spider-Man, Hulk and Thor — Doctor Strange will spirit you away to some of the most bizarre corners of the Marvel Multiverse.
Created by Stan Lee and visionary artist Steve Ditko, Doctor Stephen Strange was once a gifted but conceited surgeon. His dextrous hands ruined in a car accident, Strange received both salvation and supernatural enlightenment from an enigmatic guru known only as the Ancient One. Originally featured in Strange Tales #115, this iconic origin story is included in the separate replica comic book that accompanies this collection. This stunning facsimile comes complete with vintage ads and original Silver Age back-up strips. The other classic tales selected for this collection reveal Doctor Strange as something of an occult Sherlock Holmes, complete with faithful assistant (the redoubtable Wong) and iconic real-world address (177A Bleecker Street, New York City). Steve Ditko’s hallucinogenic world was taken to ever more dizzying extremes by successive generations of artists including Gene Colan, Frank Brunner and Michael Golden, all featured in this collection. P. Craig Russell’s phenomenal Art Nouveau-style graphic novel, ‘What Is It That Disturbs You, Stephen?’ is also collected here in its entirety.
Armed with a crimson Cloak of Levitation and an endless array of spells at his fingertips, Doctor Strange adventures through worlds of astral projection, mind-merging and communion with cosmic entities, a phantasmagoria anchored by a vivid cast of recurring characters. In this collection, you’ll find the first named appearances of Strange’s mentor the Ancient One, as well as rival sorceress Clea. Other classic Doctor Strange characters including the evil Nightmare, the god-like Eternity and Strange’s alien apprentice Rintrah all make debut appearances. Stalwart Super Villains Baron Mordo and the dread Dormammu feature throughout, along with a guest spot from Dracula himself! Further bizarre encounters occur in the 1982 tale ‘To Have Loved… and Lost!’ in which Strange undergoes an out-of-body experience so extreme that he confronts his identity as a work of comic-book fiction. This is a universe where atmosphere and ideas triumph over earthly logic, in tales rendered by some of the most imaginative comic-book talents of all time. Doctor Strange is a spellbinding volume that literally unleashes the mystic arts of Marvel.
The Right Stuff: Folio Society Edition
By Tom Wolfe; Illustrated by Tavis Coburn and Introduction by Andrew Chaikin
‘What is it that makes a man willing to sit up on top of an enormous Roman candle, and wait for someone to light the fuse?’ In The Right Stuff, hailed as one of the greatest books ever written about space flight, Tom Wolfe sets out to answer the question, and lays bare the mindset and motivations of the first American astronauts to risk life and limb to beat the Soviets into orbit. He blows apart the mythology of the Mercury Seven – Deke Slayton, Gus Grissom, Alan Shepard, Wally Schirra, John Glenn, Scott Carpenter and Gordon Cooper – and the forerunner of them all, supersonic test pilot Chuck Yeager. Dazzlingly written, this is a thrilling account of men who ‘pushed the edge of the envelope’ at work and play, all to prove they possessed the quality that Wolfe famously christened the right stuff. Opening with a new introduction by space historian Andrew Chaikin and featuring Tavis Coburn’s striking retro-styled graphic illustrations, this is an exceptional edition of a 20th-century classic from the Folio Society.
This is the ultimate edition of Tom Wolfe’s most celebrated non-fiction book. To produce it, the Folio Society tapped into the expertise of Andrew Chaikin, author of A Man on the Moon– the definitive account of the Apollo space programme, published in its own lavish Folio edition in 2021. Chaikin worked closely with Folio and illustrator Tavis Coburn on the visual look and feel of the book, which takes its cue from 1940s comic art and Soviet posters of the time. The illustrations portray the astronauts as Cold War heroes, and Coburn’s beautiful retro-futurist cover design perfectly captures the aesthetic and spirit of the early Space Age. Andrew Chaikin’s new introduction explores the origins of the book, and its uncanny ability to get inside the mindset of the Mercury astronauts: ‘Wolfe seemed to have found his way into their high-octane psyches and spilled their secret, innermost thoughts… they became three-dimensional human beings.’
Star Wars: A New Hope Title Crawl Printed Area Rug
Cue the John Williams music, and look up at the starfield as a Star Destroyer overtakes a blockade runner. And then look down and under your feet you’ll find the iconic scroll of first Star Wars film…
This area rug measures approximately 26 x 77 inches and is made of 100% polyester pile, this area rug features black edge binding for extra durability and is a must have for any fan of the Saga.
Drowning: The Rescue of Flight 1421
By T.J. Newman
Flight attendant turned New York Times bestselling author T. J. Newman returns with an edge-of-your-seat thriller about a commercial jetliner that crashes into the ocean and sinks to the bottom with passengers trapped inside—and the extraordinary rescue operation to save them.
Six minutes after takeoff, Flight 1421 crashes into the Pacific Ocean. During the evacuation, an engine explodes and the plane is flooded. Those still alive are forced to close the doors—but it’s too late. The plane sinks to the bottom with twelve passengers trapped inside.
More than two hundred feet below the surface, engineer Will Kent and his eleven-year-old daughter Shannon are waist-deep in water and fighting for their lives.
Their only chance at survival is an elite rescue team on the surface led by professional diver Chris Kent—Shannon’s mother and Will’s soon-to-be ex-wife—who must work together with Will to find a way to save their daughter and rescue the passengers from the sealed airplane, which is now teetering on the edge of an undersea cliff.
There’s not much time.
There’s even less air.
With devastating emotional power and heart-stopping suspense, Drowning is an unforgettable thriller about a family’s desperate fight to save themselves and the people trapped with them—against impossible odds.
Cross Down: An Alex Cross and John Sampson Thriller
By James Patterson and Brendan DuBois
Alex Cross is gravely injured. Only his partner and friend John Sampson can keep him safe . . . and get justice.
For the first time, John Sampson is on his own.
The brilliant crime-solving duo of Washington, DC’s, Metro PD and the FBI has a proven MO: Detective Alex Cross makes his own rules. Detective John Sampson enforces them.
When military-style attacks erupt, brutally sidelining Cross, Sampson is sent reeling. The patterns are too random—Sampson’s friend, his partner, his brother—have told him. Don’t trust anyone.
As a shadow force advances on the nation’s capital, Sampson alone must protect the Cross family, his own young daughter, and every American, including the president.
Superheroes!: The History of a Pop-Culture Phenomenon from Ant-Man to Zorro
By Brian Solomon
Superheroes! is the ultimate reference book about the men and women in tights who fight for what’s right and the comic book phenomenon that conquered the world.
From their origins in stories created by barely grown men during an era of global war and printed on cheap paper for consumption by children, superheroes have grown into a popular culture whirlwind that has attracted millions of fans and crossed over into every form of media. Encompassing early coming books, indie outliers, and the mammoth fictional universes managed by DC and Marvel, Superheroes! chronicles the rise of a distinctly American invention, the modern-day evolution of the myths and legends of old.
Superman, Batman, Spider-Man, Iron Man, Wonder Woman, the Flash, Captain America, X-Men, the Justice League and the Avengers—they all represent our greatest hopes, and sometimes our darkest fantasies. Pop culture expert Brian Solomon tells a story that goes from the Golden, Silver and Bronze Ages of comic book history right up to the Modern Age of multimillion-dollar Hollywood movies, and beyond. Perhaps no fictional genre has endured and blossomed over the past eighty years the way superheroes have. Learn all about the creators who have brought them to life: artists like Jack Kirby and Jim Lee, writers like Stan Lee and Alan Moore, actors like Christopher Reeve and Robert Downey Jr., and directors like Tim Burton and Joss Whedon. They’re all here, in all their high-flying, eye-zapping, goon-punching glory. Up, up and away!
The Endless Vessel
By Charles Soule
A few years from now, in a world similar to ours, there exists a sort of “depression plague” that people refer to simply as “The Grey.” No one can predict whom it will afflict, or how, but once infected, there’s no coming back.
A young Hong Kong based scientist, Lily Barnes, is trying to maintain her inner light in an increasingly dark world. The human race is dwindling, and people fighting to push forward are increasingly rare. One day, Lily comes across something that seems to be addressing her directly, calling to her, asking her to follow a path to whatever lies at its end. Is this the Endless Vessel to happiness? She leaves her life behind and sets out through time and space to find out.
From its opening heart-stopping scene in the present day at the Louvre in Paris, through the earthly meetings between Lily and her loved ones past and present, to a shocking and satisfying conclusion in a truly enchanted forest, Charles Soule has channeled history, science and drama to create a story for the ages—a story of hope and love and possibility. This is a novel you will not soon forget.
The Puzzle Master
By Danielle Trussoni
All the world is a puzzle, and Mike Brink—a celebrated and ingenious puzzle constructor—understands its patterns like no one else. Once a promising Midwestern football star, Brink was transformed by a traumatic brain injury that caused a rare medical condition: acquired savant syndrome. The injury left him with a mental superpower—he can solve puzzles in ways ordinary people can’t. But it also left him deeply isolated, unable to fully connect with other people.
Everything changes after Brink meets Jess Price, a woman serving thirty years in prison for murder who hasn’t spoken a word since her arrest five years before. When Price draws a perplexing puzzle, her psychiatrist believes it will explain her crime and calls Brink to solve it. What begins as a desire to crack an alluring cipher quickly morphs into an obsession with Price herself. She soon reveals that there is something more urgent, and more dangerous, behind her silence, thrusting Brink into a hunt for the truth.
The quest takes Brink through a series of interlocking enigmas, but the heart of the mystery is the God Puzzle, a cryptic ancient prayer circle created by the thirteenth-century Jewish mystic Abraham Abulafia. As Brink navigates a maze of clues, and his emotional entanglement with Price becomes more intense, he realizes that there are powerful forces at work that he cannot escape.
Ranging from an upstate New York women’s prison to nineteenth-century Prague to the secret rooms of the Pierpont Morgan Library, The Puzzle Master is a tantalizing, addictive thriller in which humankind, technology, and the future of the universe itself are at stake.
Burn It Down: Power, Complicity, and a Call for Change in Hollywood
By Maureen Ryan
In this spectacular, newsmaking exposé that has the entertainment industry abuzz and on its heels, Vanity Fair’s Maureen Ryan blows the lid on patterns of harassment and bias in Hollywood, the grassroots reforms under way, and the labor and activist revolutions that recent scandals have ignited.
It is never just One Bad Man.
Abuse and exploitation of workers is baked into the very foundations of the entertainment industry. To break the cycle and make change that sticks, it’s important to stop looking at headline-making stories as individual events. Instead, one must look closely at the bigger picture, to see how abusers are created, fed, rewarded, allowed to persist, and, with the right tools, how they can be excised.
In Burn It Down, veteran reporter Maureen Ryan does just that. She draws on decades of experience to connect the dots and illuminate the deeper forces sustaining Hollywood’s corrosive culture. Fresh reporting sheds light on problematic situations at companies like Lucasfilm and shows like Lost, Saturday Night Live, The Goldbergs, Sleepy Hollow, Curb Your Enthusiasm and more.
Interviews with actors and famous creatives like Evan Rachel Wood, Harold Perrineau, Damon Lindelof, and Orlando Jones abound. Ryan dismantles, one by one, the myths that the entertainment industry promotes about itself, which have allowed abusers to thrive and the industry to avoid accountability—myths about Hollywood as a meritocracy, what it takes to be creative, the value of human dignity, and more.
Weaving together insights from industry insiders, historical context, and pop-culture analysis, Burn It Down paints a groundbreaking and urgently necessary portrait of what’s gone wrong in the entertainment world—and how we can fix it.
Voices From Krypton
By Edward Gross; Foreword by Brandon Routh; Afterword by Mark Waid
Hailed as possibly the most comprehensive oral history of Superman to be committed to print, Voices From Krypton combines over 85 years of Superman’s legacy into a sweeping tale of how the champion of the oppressed became one of the world’s most recognizable pop culture icons.
Written by veteran entertainment journalist Edward Gross and culled from over 200 interviews conducted by the author, this book covers it all via oral history, a way that’s never been done before through the words of comic writers, artists, editors and historians as well as actors, directors, writers, producers, visual effects technicians, authors and many more.
The journey starts in the days before DC Comics even existed and tracks the Man of Steel from his introduction in the pages of Action Comics #1 through the Golden, Silver, Bronze and modern age of the character in print. Beyond that, inside views are provided on every live action, animated and audio take on the character, ranging from Ray Middleton’s live appearance in the costume at the 1939 New York World’s Fair to the Bud Collyer radio show, Fleischer animated theatrical shorts, Kirk Alyn’s movie serials, George Reeves’ Adventures of Superman, Bob Holiday’s Broadway jaunt, the classic Christopher Reeve films, the Superboy series starring, first, John Haymes Newton and, then, Gerard Christopher; Dean Cain and Teri Hatcher’s Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, Superman: The Animated Series, Tom Welling’s Smallville, Brandon Routh’s Superman Returns, Henry Cavill and the Snyderverse, Tyler Hoechlin’s Superman & Lois, the Tim Burton directed Nicholas Cage movie that never happened, and much more.
H.R. Giger: Debbie Harry Metamorphosis: Creating the Visual Concept for KooKoo
By Chris Stein; Introduction by Debbie Harry
When the visual artist H.R. Giger, best known for his biomechanical creature and set design for seminal 1979 sci-fi-horror film Alien, encountered Debbie Harry, the punk icon and lead singer of globally successful new wave band Blondie, the results were sublime. The artwork for Harry’s 1981 debut solo KooKoo album cover was deemed so frightening it was originally banned on the London Underground. The fantastical videos for two of the tracks on the album, ‘Backfired’ and ‘Now I Know you Know,’ featured Giger himself piercing an Egyptian sarcophagus and a newly brunette Harry reimagined as a xenomorphic Giger creature.
With photographs and words by Chris Stein, Harry’s long-term collaborator, artefacts and sketches from the Giger archive, and an introduction by Debbie Harry, this is an essential behind-the-scenes insight into the processes of an incredible creative partnership.
The Elissas: Three Girls, One Fate, and the Deadly Secrets of Suburbia
By Samantha Leach
Three suburban girls meet at a boarding school for troubled teens.
Eight years later, they were dead.
Bustle editor Samantha Leach and her childhood best friend, Elissa, met as infants in the suburbs of Providence, Rhode Island, where they attended nursery, elementary school, and temple together. As seventh graders, they would steal drinks from bar mitzvahs and have boys over in Samantha’s basement—innocent, early acts of rebellion. But after one of their shared acts, Samantha was given a disciplinary warning by their private school while Elissa was dismissed altogether, and later sent away. Samantha did not know then, but Elissa had just become one of the fifty-thousand-plus kids per year who enter the Troubled Teen Industry: a network of unregulated programs meant to reform wealthy, wayward youth.
Less than a year after graduation from Ponca Pines Academy, Elissa died at eighteen years old. In Samantha’s grief, she fixated on Elissa’s last years at the therapeutic boarding school, eager to understand why their paths diverged. As she spoke to mutual friends and scoured social media pages, Samantha learned of Alyssa and Alissa, Elissa’s closest friends at the school who shared both her name and penchant for partying, where drugs and alcohol became their norm. The matching Save Our Souls tattoo all three girls also had further fueled Samantha’s fixation, as she watched their lives play out online. Four years after Elissa’s death, Alyssa died, then Alissa at twenty-six.
In The Elissas, Samantha endeavors to understand why they ultimately met a shared, tragic fate that she was spared, in turn, offering a chilling account of the secret lives of young suburban women.
Genius, Illustrated: The Life and Art of Alex Toth
By Dean Mullaney and Bruce Canwell
Covering the years from the 1960s to Toth’s poignant death in 2006, this lavishly illustrated biography features artwork and complete stories from Toth’s latter-day work at Warren, DC Comics, Red Circle, Marvel, and his own creator-owned properties. It also includes samples of his animation work for Hanna-Barbera, Ruby-Spears, and others, as well as sketchbook pages, doodles, advertising art, and other rarities provided through the cooperation of Toth’s family and his legion of fans.
Two of Toth’s best stories are reproduced complete from the original artwork: “Burma Skies” and “White Devil…Yellow Devil.” A full-length text biography charts the path from Toth’s increasingly-reclusive lifestyle to his touching re-connection to the world in his final years.
Marvel Comics in the 1970s: The World Inside Your Head
By Eliot Borenstein
Marvel Comics in the 1970s explores a forgotten chapter in the story of the rise of comics as an art form. Bridging Marvel’s dizzying innovations and the birth of the underground comics scene in the 1960s and the rise of the prestige graphic novel and postmodern superheroics in the 1980s, Eliot Borenstein reveals a generation of comic book writers whose work at Marvel in the 1970s established their own authorial voice within the strictures of corporate comics.
Through a diverse cast of heroes (and the occasional antihero)―Black Panther, Shang-Chi, Deathlok, Dracula, Killraven, Man-Thing, and Howard the Duck―writers such as Steve Gerber, Doug Moench, and Don McGregor made unprecedented strides in exploring their characters’ inner lives. Visually, dynamic action was still essential, but the real excitement was taking place inside their heroes’ heads. Marvel Comics in the 1970s highlights the brilliant and sometimes gloriously imperfect creations that laid the groundwork for the medium’s later artistic achievements and the broader acceptance of comic books in the cultural landscape today.
Marvel Value Stamps: A Visual History
By Roy Thomas
The story of the most inspired comic book promotional campaign, collected here for the first time!
In 1974 Marvel Comics publisher Stan Lee devised an ingenious promotional campaign—Marvel Value Stamps, which appeared on the letters pages of their monthly comics. Readers could cut out all 100 of these super hero and super villain stamps and place them in a special mail-order booklet. Once complete, these stamp books could then be redeemed for special discounts and exclusive merchandise. The program was so successful, a second set was released in 1975.
And now, for the first time, these original stamp books, stamps, and all of the surrounding ephemera and source material are collected into one must-have volume for collectors and fans, along with text from Marvel Comics historian Roy Thomas and an all-new cover by Alex Ross.
The Rocketeer: The Great Race
By Stephen Mooney
Join the Rocketeer on a rollicking ride filled with adventure and intrigue!
Ace stunt pilot Cliff Secord has returned from his New York adventure to a West Coast steeped in paranoia over the looming war in Europe. Having finally had enough of his near-death scrapes as the high-flying Rocketeer, the only thing in Cliff’s crosshairs is the Great Race: a prestigious, winner-take-all air race that runs from California to France! Maybe it’s finally time to smarten up and fly straight, by taking his best girl, Betty, to Paris! But other parties want to win the race for their own nefarious ends, and Cliff will need to decide which prize is truly the most valuable.
As a bonus, this book also contains an oral history, featuring Dave Stevens’ friends and fellow artists, culled together by Kelvin Mao, longtime friend of Stevens and the director of the forthcoming documentary on the beloved artist!
Colonel Weird and Little Andromeda
By Jeff Lemire, Tate Brombal, Ray Fawkes, Dani, Andrea Sorrentino
A groundbreaking original graphic novel fantasy that’s Little Nemo meets The Little Prince set in the world of the Eisner Award–winning Black Hammer universe.
Space-faring adventurer Colonel Weird sets forth on a journey to save his superhero colleagues from their rural purgatory by entering the Para-zone only to find himself paired with the much much younger Doctor Andromeda on a series of fantastical adventures through assorted worlds and dimensions
Featuring a rock star artist lineup of some of the best creators in comics today: Ariela Kristantina, Ray Fawkes, Andrea Sorrentino, Marguerite Sauvage, Yuko Shimizu, Dani, Tyler Bence, Nick Robles, and written by Tate Brombal (Barbalein, House of Slaughter). A collaboration with Black Hammer co-creator Jeff Lemire. Collected in an oversized, deluxe hardcover edition!
The Last Days of Black Hammer: From the World of Black Hammer
By Jeff Lemire, Stefano Simeone
The Last Days of Black Hammer details the heroics of Joe Weber—the original hero known as Black Hammer—at the height of his power, along with the rest of the main Black Hammer heroes like Golden Gail, Abraham Slam, and Barbalien in the final days leading up their cataclysmic battle with the cosmic villain Anti-God and their imprisonment on the limbo farm!
Collects the original Substack series for the first time!
Tom Strong Compendium
By Alan Moore and Chris Sprouse
Are you ready to meet Tom Strong?
Tom Strong’s remarkable exploits over a nearly century-long career feature an amazing supporting cast of characters that include his wife Dhalua (the daughter of a mighty chieftain), his daughter Tesla, the enhanced ape King Solomon and his robotic valet known as Pneuman.
From his arrival in Millennium City, this handsome hero championed the ordinary people of the city, but he has not neglected the wider world, from the tower at time’s end, to the hot lava core of the Earth, to the far cold reaches of outer space, Tom Strong’s hand is felt.
Joining in his explorations are family and friends…sometimes even villains who could be friends if only circumstances were different. There’s no such thing as a dull day with the Strong family!
Comics legend Alan Moore, the writer of Watchmen and V for Vendetta, introduces readers to the foremost science hero Tom Strong in this compendium edition of the popular series illustrated by Chris Sprouse.
Tom Strong’s remarkable exploits over a nearly century-long career feature an amazing supporting cast of characters that include his wife Dhalua (the daughter of a mighty chieftain), his daughter Tesla, the enhanced ape King Solomon and his robotic valet known as Pneuman.
From his arrival in Millennium City, this handsome hero championed the ordinary people of the city, but he has not neglected the wider world, from the tower at time’s end, to the hot lava core of the Earth, to the far cold reaches of outer space, Tom Strong’s hand is felt.
Joining in his explorations are family and friends…sometimes even villains who could be friends if only circumstances were different. There’s no such thing as a dull day with the Strong family!
Star Wars Timelines
By Kristin Baver, Jason Fry, Cole Horton, Amy Richau, Clayton Sandell
Chart the history of Star Wars in this stunning guide, from the time before the High Republic to the end of the First Order.
An indispensable companion for all Star Wars fans, this premium quality book displays visual timelines that chronologically map key events, characters, and developments, and mark their significance.
Track crucial conflicts across the years that affect the galaxy in profound ways. Follow the Skywalker lightsaber as it passes through the generations and witness the evolution of the iconic TIE fighter across different eras. Trace the movement of the Death Star plans over the years and uncover multiple branching timelines that break down important battles.
See essential events at a glance arranged by era and drill down into details to discover major and minor events, key dates, and fascinating insights all chronologically arranged. Pore over intricate timelines on nearly every page. Soar into Star Wars Timelines to explore a chronological approach that divides Star Wars history into seven eras: Early History, The High Republic, The Fall of the Jedi, The Reign of the Empire, The Age of Rebellion, The New Republic, and The Rise of the First Order.
A must-have addition to the library of all fans of Star Wars, Star Wars Timelines is sure to thrill.
Cheers: The Complete Series Blu-ray
One of the greatest sitcoms of all time, Cheers: The Complete Series features all 270 episodes from 11 seasons plus featurettes on 33 discs—with vivid picture and sound quality. Sam Malone (Ted Danson), a former relief pitcher for the Boston Red Sox, owns and runs Cheers, a cozy bar in Boston. Somewhat snobby, beautiful and intelligent Diane Chambers (Shelley Long) – forced to become a waitress when her fiance jilts her – constantly bickers with Sam. Eventually, they fall in love. Several wacky characters make the bar their home-away-from-home, including sarcastic waitress Carla (Rhea Perlman), beer-loving accountant Norm (George Wendt) and know-it-all letter carrier Cliff (John Ratzenberger). A few seasons later, after Diane leaves Boston, Sam sells the bar to buy a boat and sail around the world. But his boat sinks and he returns to bartending. Rebecca Howe (Kirstie Alley), the new (more ambitious) manager, hires him back. They love to hate each other and eventually get together as well. The cast also includes Woody Harrelson as bartender Woody Boyd, Kelsey Grammer as psychiatrist Dr. Frasier Crane, Bebe Neuwirth as Frasier’s wife Dr. Lilith Sternin, and Nicholas Colasanto as Ernie “Coach” Pantusso, Sam’s former coach and later, bartender.
Created by the great James Burrows, Glen Charles, and Les Charles, Cheers featured a number of notable guest stars over the years including Tip O’Neill, Jay Thomas, Frances Sternhagen, Tom Skerritt, Dan Hedaya, Jean Kasem, Harry Anderson, Fred Dryer, Kate Mulgrew, David Paymer, Christopher Lloyd,Tom Berenger, Leah Remini, Christopher McDonald, Carol Kane, Mike Ditka, Jennifer Tilly, P.J. Soles, Michael Dukakis, John Cleese, Alex Trebek, Dana Delany, John Mahoney, Dick Cavett, Sherilyn Fenn, Emma Thompson, Harvey Fierstein, Johnny Carson, Ethel Kennedy, Harry Connick Jr., Sharon Lawrence, Peter MacNicol, Wade Boggs, Lisa Kudrow, and Philip Baker Hall.
Although, extras are slight with some interviews, featurettes, and episode promos, it doesn’t take away from the pure enjoyment of this must have collection.
Movie Maniacs WB 100: Ted Lasso Limited Edition 6-Inch Scale Posed Figure
BELIEVE.
Celebrate 100 years of Warner Brothers with the return of the Movie Maniacs line! This Movie Maniacs WB 100: Ted Lasso Limited Edition 6-Inch Scale Posed Figure features remarkable detail and comes with an environmental base display. Clutching a soccer ball, Ted Lasso is ready to inspire his team. A scenic backdrop along with an art card with numbered certificate of authenticity is also included. Ted measures approximately 6 1/2-inches tall and comes packaged in a window box.
American football coach Ted Lasso is hired by Rebecca Welton, a wealthy divorcee, to coach the English soccer team AFC Richmond. What he lacks in knowledge, he makes up for with optimism and biscuits.
Buddy Beat Light with Call Answering
When it’s dark outside, evening activities can be dangerous, especially if you can’t be seen or do not have enough light around you. Buddy Beat Light is the best product to have around…around your neck that is! It’s a wearable piece that lights-up the space around you while the magnet closure keeps the piece securely closed around your neck. The BBL is light weight – – at only 7.2 ounces you won’t even know it’s there. There are powerful LED lights on the front and LED lights with a glow-in the dark logo on the back. Wearing the BBL when going out in the dark protects you from oncoming cars and illuminates your way when walking the dog, riding a bike, exercising, even when trick or treating!
Buddy Beat Light is also a Bluetooth speaker allowing you to listen to music, pod casts, etc. In addition, it can also receive calls when connected to a cellphone!
Superman: Space Age
By Mark Russell and Michael Allred
Meet Clark Kent, a young reporter who just learned that the world will soon come to an end (Crisis on Infinite Earths) and there is nothing he can do to save it. Sounds like a job for his alter ego…Superman!
After years of standing idle, the young man from Krypton defies the wishes of his fathers to come out to the world as the first superhero of the Space Age. As each decade passes and each new danger emerges, he wonders if this is the one that will kill him and everyone he loves. Superman realizes that even good intentions are not without their backlash as the world around him transforms into a place as determined to destroy itself as he is to save it.
I’m not much of a drinker. As a matter of fact, I can’t stand beer and usually have a drink once or twice a year. But I do drink an awful lot of iced tea. Apparently, Lipton has bugged my phone and made sure I was going to spend this summer indulging in their newest product, Lipton Hard Iced Tea. Made with real brewed Lipton tea, natural fruit flavors and a triple-filtered, premium malt base, Lipton Hard Iced Tea takes America’s favorite tea and reimagines it as a 5% ABV non-carbonated product. This great tasting and refreshing hard iced tea is launching in four just-sweet-enough flavors that are inspired by Lipton tea fan favorites: Lemon, Peach, Half & Half and Strawberry.
Available in both cans and a highly recommended 12-can variety pack, Lipton Hard Iced Tea is the beverage of both Father’s Day and the summer!
Too Dead to Die: A Simon Cross Thriller
By Mark Guggenheim and Howard Chaykin
In the 1980s, Simon Cross was America’s top super-spy.
In Too Dead to Die, he faces down today’s very different world and a past that has come back to haunt him, forcing him out of retirement for one final adventure.
PhoneSoap 3: The Original UVC Phone Sanitizer & Charger
PhoneSoap 3 cleans and sanitizes the surfaces of your phone and other high touch gear. Backed by 10 years in UV technology, the unit is designed to disinfect your entire phone and small objects using UV-C light all while charging with the dual USB and USB-C charging ports. Utilizing a unique, patented design which ensures powerful, germicidal UV-C light reaches all sides and surfaces of objects placed inside.
The unique combination of chamber design, selective materials, and bulb placement makes the PhoneSoap 3 phone sanitizer and charger box one of the best phone accessories. Simply plug the PhoneSoap 3 into power with the provided cord, place your phone or other item inside, close lid to begin disinfection, and then remove your newly disinfected item after 10 minutes.
The PhoneSoap 3 fits all smart phones, keys, wallets, headphones, jewelry, glasses, and more, protecting them from various threats such as Salmonella, E. coli, MRSA, H1N1, Coronavirus 229E, Staphylococcus, Rhinovirus, and Rotavirus. The PhoneSoap 3 has made germicidal UV-C light available to consumers as best-in-class disinfection products paired with stylish design.
Fantastic Four: Life Story
By Mark Russell and Sean Izaakse
An incredible exploration of the fabulous foursome’s lives if they aged in real time across the decades!
Amid the backdrop of the Space Race, an accident gives the Fantastic Four great powers and entangles them in the history of their planet. But as the years pass, the four heroes struggle to find their role in a rapidly changing world. As Sue continues to fight for social causes, Reed becomes increasingly obsessed with preparing for the prophesied arrival of Galactus!
And in the end, after six decades of triumphs and tragedies, love and loss, can the aging heroes make a final stand against the implacable might of Doctor Doom?
Yellowstone: Season 5 Part 1 Blu-ray
Determined to protect his land and legacy, John Dutton (Kevin Costner, two-time Academy Award, Golden Globe, and Emmy winner) takes his fight to the halls of government in the most explosive season of Yellowstone yet. But with greater power comes further scrutiny…of his family, his land, and the morally questionable measures he’s taken to protect them both. As new threats emerge and old enemies return, John, Beth (Kelly Reilly), Kayce (Luke Grimes), Rip (Cole Hauser), and Jamie (Wes Bentley) learn that power has an expense.
Head back to the ranch and dive into the first 8 episodes of the final season, along with never-before-seen content that includes exclusive interviews with cast and crew. In these featurettes, we explore the fan-favorite relationships of Rip & Beth and Kayce & Monica, an in-depth look at the iconic music of Yellowstone, the process of bringing the Yellowstone world to life and more!
BLAB! Volume 1
By Monte Beauchamp, Ryan Heshka, Giselle Potter, Fletcher Hanks, Noah Van Sciver
BLAB!—the Harvey Award-winning anthology of cutting-edge comics, art, and culture—has returned to its comics roots with a stellar lineup of contributors.
Noah Van Sciver depicts the tragic demise of Crime Does Not Pay editor Robert Wood. Ryan Heshka recounts the rise and fall of Superman creators Siegel and Shuster. Sasha Velour portrays the making of film director F.W. Murnau’s Nosferatu. Children’s book illustrator Giselle Potter examines Peter Rabbit author Beatrix Potter’s passion as a naturalist. Illustrated articles include the history of the gorilla and a report on UFOs.
All this and much more in Comics and Stories That Will Make You BLAB!
Superman 5-Film Collection (1978 – 1987) 4K UHD
The enduring adventure spanning the Man of Steel’s life, from his Krypton infancy and Midwest boyhood to his career as Daily Planet reporter Clark Kent, and through his titanic struggle with archnemesis Lex Luthor. Based on the DC character created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster.
- Superman: The Movie
Academy Award winners Marlon Brando and Gene Hackman head an all-star cast in the fantastic, action-packed film that made Christopher Reeve an international star playing the greatest superhero of all time. From the doomed planet of Krypton, two parents launch a spaceship carrying their infant son to earth. Here he grows up to become Clark Kent, mild-mannered reporter for the Metropolis Daily Planet. But with powers and abilities far beyond those of ordinary men, he battles for truth and justice as Superman. An Alexander Salkind presentation and directed by Richard Donner. Superman was produced by Pierre Spengler from a story by Mario Puzo and a screenplay by Puzo, David Newman, Leslie Newman, and Robert Benton. Ilya Salkind served as executive producer. The film also features Ned Beatty as Otis, Jackie Cooper as Perry White, Glen Ford as Jonathan Kent, Valerie Perrine as Eve Teschmacher, and Terrance Stamp as General Zod. - Superman II (Theatrical Version)
Unwittingly released from Phantom Zone imprisonment, three superpowered Planet Krypton criminals Terence Stamp, Sarah Douglas and Jack O’Halloran) plan to enslave Earth – just when Superman (Christopher Reeve) decides to show a more romantic side to Lois Lane (Margot Kidder). Gene Hackman also returns as Lex Luthor in this sequel that features a top supporting cast, witty Richard Lester direction, and visuals that astound and delight. Directed by Richard Lester (A Hard Day’s Night, The Three Musketeers), the film stars Academy Award winner Gene Hackman as Lex Luthor, Margot Kidder as Lois Lane, and Christopher Reeve as Clark Kent/Superman. The film was produced by Pierre Spengler from a story by Mario Puzo and a screenplay by Puzo, David Newman, and Leslie Newman. Alexander Salkind and Ilya Salkind served as executive producer. The film also features Ned Beatty as Otis, Jackie Cooper as Perry White, Sarah Douglas as Ursa, Jack O’Halloran as Non, Valerie Perrine as Eve Teschmacher, Susannah York as Lara, and Terrence Stamp as General Zod. - Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut
Director Richard Donner began shooting Superman II while concurrently filming Superman: The Movie, though the theatrical version of the film was ultimately directed by Richard Lester. In 2006, Donner’s original unique vision was released for the first time. Jor-El (Marlon Brando in footage cut from the theatrical version) appears in key scenes that amplify Superman lore and deepen the relationship between father and son. Lois Lane (Margot Kidder) plots more schemes to unmask Clark Kent as Superman (Christopher Reeve). With so many changes, large and small, including a different beginning and resolution, this version is an eye-opening alternate experience. Directed by Richard Donner, the film stars Academy Award winner Marlon Brando as Jor-El, Academy Award winner Gene Hackman as Lex Luthor, Margot Kidder as Lois Lane, and Christopher Reeve as Clark Kent/Superman. The film was produced by Pierre Spengler and Michael Tau from a story by Mario Puzo and a screenplay by Puzo, David Newman, and Leslie Newman. Ilya Salkind served as executive producer. The film also features Ned Beatty as Otis, Jackie Cooper as Perry White, Sarah Douglas as Ursa, Jack O’Halloran as Non, Valerie Perrine as Eve Teschmacher, Susannah York as Lara, and Terrence Stamp as General Zod. - Superman III
Meet Gus Gorman (Richard Pryor), a naive computer-programming natural. For him, a keyboard is a weapon – and, as a result, Superman faces the microelectronic menace of his life. Christopher Reeve reprises his signature role, deepening his character’s human side as Clark Kent sees Lana Lang (Annette O’Toole) at a Smallville High class reunion. And when the Man of Steel becomes his own worst enemy after exposure to Kryptonite, Reeve pulls off both roles with dazzling skill. Relive Superman III with all its heart, heroism and high-flying humor. Directed by Richard Lester, the film stars Christopher Reeve as Clark Kent/Superman and Margot Kidder as Lois Lane. The film was produced by Pierre Spengler from a screenplay by David Newman and Leslie Newman. Alexander Salkind and Ilya Salkind served as executive producer. The film also features Richard Pryor as Gus Gorman, Jackie White as Perry White, Marc McClure as Jimmy Olsen, Annette O’Toole as Lana Lang, and Robert Vaughn as Ross Webster. - Superman IV: The Quest for Peace
Christopher Reeve not only dons the title hero’s cape for the fourth time but also helped develop the movie’s provocative theme: nuclear disarmament. To make the world safe for nuclear arms merchants, Lex Luthor (Gene Hackman) creates a new being to challenge the Man of Steel: the radiation-charged Nuclear Man (Mark Pillow). The two foes clash in an explosive extravaganza that sees Superman save the Statue of Liberty, plug the volcanic eruption of Mount Etna and rebuild the demolished Great Wall of China. Directed by Sydney J. Furie (The Ipcress File, Iron Eagle), the film stars Academy Award winner Gene Hackman as Lex Luthor, Margot Kidder as Lois Lane, and Christopher Reeve as Clark Kent/Superman. The film was produced by Yoram Globus and Menahem Golan from a story by Christopher Reeve & Lawrence Konner and Mark Rosenthal and a screenplay by Konner & Rosenthal. The film also features Jackie Cooper as Perry White, Marc McClure as Jimmy Olsen, Jon Cryer as Lenny, Sam Wanamaker as David Warfield, Mark Pillow as Nuclear Man, and Mariel Hemingway as Lacy Warfield.
The UltimatePower 90W USB-C charging station with GaN technology can simultaneously quick charge 2 USB-C and 1 USB-A devices for fast, efficient charging at home, in the office, or on the go up to 90 Watts.
A highly efficient charger, the UltimatePower 90W is equipped with industry-leading over-current, over-voltage, over-temperature, and short-circuit protection for your charger and devices. The UltimatePower 90W has built-in NTC (negative temperature coefficient) technology that can detect the temperature inside the charger and if needed it will lower the output wattage to keep your devices safe while charging. The charger is also equipped with Intelligent Power Allocation so it adjusts its output based on how many and what type of devices are connected. If both USB-C ports are connected simultaneously to a laptop and a phone, the charger will detect the devices and allocate 60W to the laptop and 30W to the phone. If both devices are laptops, the charger will detect the devices and allocate each 45W. It also has a built-in Copper Heat-Sink to dissipate heat, along with EMI (Electromagnetic Interference) shielding.
Utilizing the latest technology the charger is smaller and more efficient, allowing hundreds or even thousands of transistors in a very small space, making a charger that is more efficient, smaller (2/3 of a credit card and almost 45% smaller than the Apple 96 Watt USB-C Charger), and more powerful. A must have for anyone who constantly spends time looking for a plug to keep all of their devices at full power.
Tulsa King: Season One SteelBook Blu-ray
Tulsa King follows New York mafia capo Dwight “The General” Manfredi (Academy Award nominee Sylvester Stallone), just after he is released from prison after 25 years and unceremoniously exiled by his boss to set up shop in Tulsa, Okla. Realizing that his mob family may not have his best interests in mind, Dwight slowly builds a “crew” from a group of unlikely characters, to help him establish a new criminal empire in a place that to him might as well be another planet. The series also stars Andrea Savage, Martin Starr, Max Casella, Domenick Lombardozzi, Vincent Piazza, Jay Will, A.C. Peterson and Garrett Hedlund.
The series is executive produced by Sheridan, Winter, Stallone, David C. Glasser, Ron Burkle, Bob Yari, David Hutkin, Allen Coulter and Braden Aftergood.
Extras include over 90 minutes of bonus content in 6 never-before-seen featurettes where the cast and crew discuss the different dynamics of the show’s plot and setting and working with Sylvester Stallone. Plus, take a closer look at how costume design enhances the characters, planning action-packed and safe stunts, and the differences between shooting in Brooklyn and Tulsa.
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