May 07, 2010 Comic Books Web Exclusive

The Unwritten is an ongoing comic book series from DC's Vertigo imprint. The first trade collection, Tommy Taylor and the Bogus Identity is available, and collects issues 1-5, plus it includes some background and sketch material at the end. More

May 06, 2010 Comic Books Web Exclusive

While Scott Kolins has long been a fan favorite amongst a certain strata of DC Comics fans (with your reviewer being chief among that grouping), the Solomon Grundy miniseries, which this trade paperback volume collects, is the first testing of his chops as a writer as well. Sure, there was co-writing by DC writer supreme Geoff Johns on "The Curse," the first chapter of this volume, but it's largely Kolins' time to shine...or not. More

May 06, 2010 Music Issue #31 - Spring 2010 - Joanna Newsom

Who would have thought that a handlebar 'stache would be so sorely missed? In all seriousness, the owner of said moustache—The Hold Steady's keyboardist and multi-instrumentalist Franz Nicolay—was an integral part in writing the critical darlings' success story. More

May 05, 2010 Music Web Exclusive

1968 saw the beginning of what would become the end of The Monkees. Their NBC television series was canceled. The movie they were working on with a young Jack Nicholson (the bizarre Head) had been delayed. And the band broke with Chip Douglas, the producer of their previous two albums, both which hit #1 on Billboard's chart. On its own, the album that came out of all this change is a bit of a mixed bag. More

May 05, 2010 Live Web Exclusive

I harbor a not-so-secret fantasy that one day, after moving to Toronto, Kevin Drew will ask me to play the triangle in Broken Social Scene. Despite my crippling lack of musical talent, the band's high-energy set at The Henry Fonda Theater did nothing to dissuade my delusions. More

May 05, 2010 Comic Books Web Exclusive

A series that cites a "special medical consultant" in the opening credits is bound to have some interesting stuff in it. Of course, the accompanying art above and on the facing page of exposed brains (one in a splaying skull; the other more of a science book model) helps set the mood of the book immediate as well. More

May 05, 2010 Music Web Exclusive

Draumalandið (or Dreamland, in English) offers an entrancing juxtaposition between lush beauty and encroaching drama, which perfectly complements its visual inspiration. The 2009 documentary of the same name focused on the Icelandic government's plan to build the biggest dam in Europe to provide cheap energy for Alcoa's aluminum smelter in Iceland's fjords, all of which eventually led to that country's uncertain future. More

May 04, 2010 Live

To most of the U.S. music buying populace, Australia's The Church were little more than a one hit wonder, defined by the unassuming brilliance of their 1988 hit "Under the Milky Way." But the truth of the matter is that The Church's artistic reach extended years before and long after their time in the limelight. The band withstood their short period of fame and have survived to build a catalog of quality songs unrivaled by most of their '80s peers. More

May 04, 2010 DVDs Web Exclusive

If you're a fan of the original A Nightmare on Elm Street saga, then you'll want to steer clear of the new cash grab remake and instead focus your sights on this excellent new documentary. Never Sleep Again: The Elm Street Legacy is an exhaustive four-hour documentary (with another four hours of extras!) focusing on the eight Nightmare movies that starred Robert Englund as Freddy Krueger. More