Devotees of Batman: The Animated Series will no doubt recognize writer Paul Dini and artist Bruce Timm’s seminal Batman one-shot, Batman: Mad Love. Mad Love and Other Stories’ centerpiece recounts Harley Quinn’s dark origin. This tale of obsessed love was later adapted into an episode of the series and finds Quinn at her emotional nadir; trying to impress her “Puddin’” (The Joker) by offing ol’ Bats. Once a psychologist for Mr. J, her insanity reveals some surprisingly adult-oriented sexuality.

As the frontman for the only good band to come out of the grunge period still thriving, Eddie Vedder has both reaped the benefits and shouldered the blames for being the second-most recognizable face of grunge. Make what you will of the more recent output from his main gig, Vedder and his gang have enjoyed a longevity rarely seen by bands of their time, and they still enjoys a rabid following. Vedder is proving, however, with his one-man shows, that he is deserving of a class completely by himself, irrespective of his work with his main band and rivaling that of his idols, Neil Young and Pete Townshend. June 11th found Vedder gracing the stage at Upper Darby’s Tower Theater for the third night of his 14-date solo trek, his first since last summer’s jaunt.

After recording When the Spirit Returns in 1999, Lester Bowie, rest his immortal soul, laid down his trumpet and tipped his hat to the everafter. He delivered that title as a promise: I am timeless, I am here; we will meet again. Dave Douglas remembers. Still feels him in the wind.

It says something that even two years after it was released, The National’s Boxer still feels fresh. Same can be said for the 4-year-old tracks from Alligator, both of which were featured heavily in the quintet’s recent stop in Philly.

Image’s The Walking Dead: Compendium One is a hulking 1088-page softcover graphic novel that collects Robert Kirkman’s ongoing zombie masterpiece. The “compendium” series collects the first 48 issues in one shot and it’s a worthy edition to any discerning comic book enthusiast’s library. The astonishing fact that Kirkman’s post-apocalyptic comic can spawn yet another repackaging testifies to its hardcore fans, who will probably pick it up even if they picked up the smaller volumes along the way. This series is still salient. Another batch of potential fans could pick it up at their local shop and devour it like the rest of us did the first time.

Burton first announced his presence—a harmonious four-mallet dab inspired by Bill Evans’ piano style—on 1961’s New Vibe Man in Town. One can forgive the title’s buckaroo swagger (what did Milt Jackson think of that!); after all, Burton was only 18 years old, one of the new young bloods. He had a fresh ear for multiple genres, including the one the older hepcats found most heinous: rock ‘n’ roll.

Hugh Masekela was one of South Africa’s cardinal jazz men when he decided to pack up his trumpet and leave his homeland due to a self-imposed émigré to object apartheid. He was also one of the first African musicians to strike out onto the world stage, with his proto tours with then-wife Miriam Makeba and later in support of Paul Simon during his Graceland period. The trumpeter, flugelhornist, cornetist, composer, and singer is 70 this year, but he has the verve of a man still exploring. Infuriately, one can’t always say that about the compositions on his 35th album, Phola.

Stacey Peralta has reinvented himself a few times, going from child skateboarder to team surfer to successful documentary filmmaker. His first two films, Dogtown and Z-Boys and Riding Giants, took his love of skating and surfing to the big screen with largely successful results. It saddens me to report that his third and latest documentary, seemingly about the Crips and Bloods gangs in Los Angeles, is his weakest effort to date.

A lot is being said about the new Breeders EP, Fate to Fatal. Primarily the fact that the Deal sisters usually aren’t all that prolific, so it’s a real treat to be getting something so close on the heels of Mountain Battles.