In part one of Search For a Hero, scribe Fabian Nicieza described the pre-Batman R.I.P. Tim Drake best when he fed him an off-handed Brady Brunch joke while fighting Jason Todd. The fallen hero may be the insecure Jan Brady to Drake’s precocious Cindy but the shattering events of Batman’s “death” have left the best detective Batman’s raised in a perpetual state of bewilderment.

Stardeath and White Dwarfs sounds like a Spinal Tap-rejected band name. However, from The Birth‘s cover art image of a man in mid-scream, to singer Dennis Coyne’s falsetto, it’s difficult not to view them in relationship to another motley crew—The Flaming Lips. The ties run deep: Coyne is the nephew of lead Lip Wayne Coyne, while the other band members have served as Flaming Lips roadies.

A report from day three of Lollapalooza 2009, including Lou Reed, Bat For Lashes, The Raveonettes, Neko Case, and Jane’s Addiction.

Bookended by two exciting tracks, the Jesus and Mary Chain-esque “I Wanna Kill,” and the seven-plus minute builder “Young Drugs,” Crocodiles’ first full-length for Fat Possum shows tons of potential.

Following in the footsteps of both The Kills and The White Stripes, Band of Skulls’ debut sounds like a slicker, poppier version of The Dead Weather. This Southampton, U.K. trio is clearly talented and, with time and by taking a few more risks in terms of song structure and production, could develop into a successful project.

The Saga of Solomon Kane follows in the footsteps of the omnibus series, The Savage Tales of Solomon Kane. Within the black-and-white volume are over twenty fantastical, surprisingly violent adaptations of Robert E. Howard’s original pulp stories from various Savage Sword of Conan and Conan Saga issues, Kull and the Barbarians #2 and #3, Marvel Preview #19, Monsters Unleashed and Dracula Lives.

A report from day two of Lollapalooza 2009, including Los Campesinos!, Chairlift, Glasvegas, TV on the Radio, Animal Collective, and Yeah Yeah Yeahs.

No amount of rain or cloud could’ve obscured the beauty of Chicago’s Grant Park on the first day of Lollapalooza, which despite less than welcoming conditions drew tens of thousands of mostly happy, mostly well-behaved music fans. On day one we caught Fleet Foxes, Crystal Castles, Of Montreal, and Depeche Mode.

On the scale of rock star vanity, the solo project comes out on top, just above the supergroup. Add to that an alter ego, and things get dicey. Interpol singer/lyricist Paul Banks tries to break this trend, or ignores it altogether, with his Julian Plenti record.