Sears Roebuck & Co. The Best of 1905-1910 Collectibles Book Review

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Sears Roebuck & Co. The Best of 1905-1910 Collectibles Book Review

About the Book: Take a hundred-year excursion into the past when all your wishes and whims could be found within the pages of a Sears, Roebuck, & Co. catalogue. Whether you lived in Manhattan, New York, or Manhattan, Kansas, a new camera, a grand piano, and even the latest medical supplies were only a mail order away with your Sears catalogue. Florida Water, Liquid Skin, hammer-less revolvers, bankers’ shears, travelling bags, bridging telephones, and the Acme Triumph Six-Hole Steel Range (which was the “The Wonder of the Stove World” according to the ad copy) could all be had for reasonable prices.

In this compilation of the best collectibles from the 1905 through 1910 Sears catalogs, readers will find everything the early-twentieth-century American needed to outfit home, office, medicine chest, or craft workshop. A useful resource for artists, antiques dealers, and history buffs, this title is certain to make any reader feel nostalgic for simpler times. From the department introductions and the descriptions of Sears’s warehouses and factories to the hundreds of merchandise-filled pages, readers will find treasures on every page of Sears, Roebuck, & Co.: Best Collectibles from the 1905–1910 Catalogues. 15,000 black-and-white illustrations

Our Take: The Sears Catalogue reprints are some of our favorite books of all time.  I'm not exaggurating in the slightest!  We use these as art references and also a great look back in time.  This catalogue is a collection of various collectible samplings from five years of the catalogues from the early 20th century.  This book features everything from pocketwatches to knives and medicines (primarily various snake oils).   We cannot recommend these books enough!

How to Buy: Amazon.com

MARVEL ENTERTAINMENT & ABC STUDIOS ANNOUNCE “CASTLE” HARDCOVER GRAPHIC NOVEL

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MARVEL ENTERTAINMENT & ABC STUDIOS ANNOUNCE “CASTLE” HARDCOVER GRAPHIC NOVEL
 
All New Original Graphic Novel Brings Star Studded Talent To World of ABC Primetime Hit Series
 
Marvel Entertainment and ABC Studios are proud to announce Castle: Richard Castle’s Deadly Storm, an all-new hardcover graphic novel inspired by the popular “Castle” television series.  This 112 page hardcover hits comic shops and bookstores everywhere on September 28th, 2011.  Fans can get a first look at the upcoming graphic novel, when Richard Castle (Nathan Fillion) reveals the cover on “Knockout,” the Season Finale of “Castle,” MONDAY, MAY 16 (10:01-11:00 p.m., ET) on the ABC Television Network.
 
When viewers first met Richard Castle, he had reached celebrity author status with the success of his Derrick Storm mystery novels.  In an unprecedented collaborative effort between Marvel, ABC Studios and the producers of “Castle,” the adventures of Derrick Storm will be chronicled in an all new graphic novel from some of the most accomplished creators in the industry.  “I am honored and humbled to see Derrick Storm join the ranks of some of the greatest heroes of all-time,” said Richard Castle.  “Being a part of the Marvel family is a childhood fantasy come true for me.” 
 
Castle: Richard Castle’s Deadly Storm brings together a star studded cast of the best creators in the industry, including co-writers Brian Michael Bendis (Avengers, Ultimate Comics Spider-Man) and Kelly Sue DeConnick (Captain America And The Secret Avengers); interior artist Lan Medina (Fables); and cover artist Carlo Pagulayan (Planet Hulk).
 
“We are incredibly excited to be partnering with marvel to bring Richard Castle’s early literary works to life,” said Andrew W. Marlowe, “Castle” creator/executive producer.  “It’s a great way to expand the Castle universe for all our fans.” 
 
The release of Castle: Richard Castle’s Deadly Storm marks the first adaptation, in any medium, of the Derrick Storm novels by New York Times best-selling author Richard Castle.
 
“It’s exciting to bring the Derrick Storm novels to life for the first time ever” said Axel Alonso, Marvel Entertainment Editor in Chief. “Whether you’re new to the world of ‘Castle’ or a long time fan, there’s something for everyone in Castle: Richard Castle’s Deadly Storm—and it’s the kind of book that reaffirms Marvel’s commitment to creating new fans of comic books.”
 
CASTLE: RICHARD CASTLE’S DEADLY STORM
Written by BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS & KELLY SUE DECONNICK
Art by LAN MEDINA
Cover by CARLO PAGULAYAN
Rated T+…$19.99
ON SALE SEPTEMBER 28, 2011
ISBN: 978-0-7851-5327-6
 
“Castle” stars Nathan Fillion as Richard Castle, Stana Katic as NYPD Detective Kate Beckett, Susan Sullivan as Martha Rodgers, Molly Quinn as Alexis Castle, Ruben Santiago-Hudson as NYPD Captain Roy Montgomery, Tamala Jones as Medical Examiner Lanie Parish, Jon Huertas as NYPD Detective Javier Esposito, and Seamus Dever as NYPD Detective Kevin Ryan.
 
“Castle” is produced by ABC Studios. Andrew Marlowe is the show’s creator/executive producer, along with executive producers Rob Bowman, David Amann, Laurie Zaks and Armyan Bernstein.
 
ABOUT MARVEL ENTERTAINMENT
Marvel Entertainment, LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company, is one of the world's most prominent character-based entertainment companies, built on a proven library of over 8,000 characters featured in a variety of media over seventy years. Marvel utilizes its character franchises in entertainment, licensing and publishing. For more information visit www.marvel.com
 
ABOUT ABC STUDIOS
ABC Studios, part of ABC Entertainment Group develops and produces compelling programming for both broadcast network and cable television as well as digital platforms.  ABC Studios has delivered some of the most successful, talked-about and evolutionary series on television such as Desperate Housewives, Grey's Anatomy, Lost, Criminal Minds, Army Wives and Brothers & Sisters.

Star Trek: The Art of the Film Book Review

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Star Trek: The Art of the Film Book Review

About the Book: Director J.J. Abrams’ new vision of the greatest space adventure of all time, Star Trek features a young, new crew venturing boldly where no man has gone before, as it tells the story of how the brash Starfleet cadet James T. Kirk first meets a Vulcan named Spock, and earns the Captain’s chair of the Starship Enterprise. The film quickly became a critical and commercial smash hit worldwide, as audiences — confirmed Trekkers and newcomers alike — thrilled to a state-of-the-art action epic which both respected the legacy of Gene Roddenberry’s archetypal modern myth and forged ahead into an exciting future of its own.

Star Trek: The Art of the Film is a lavishly illustrated celebration of that new vision, tracing the evolution of the movie’s look through a stunning array of previously unseen pre-production paintings, concept sketches, costume and set designs, unit photography and final frames.

Written by New York Times-bestselling author Mark Cotta Vaz in close co-operation with the film’s production team, and including a Foreword by J.J. Abrams, this is the essential companion to the film.

Our Take: Star Trek fans rejoice!  Trekkies have gone crazy and Trekkers will be more than pleased (yes, there is a difference!).  The new Star Trek film by J.J. Abrams was outstanding!  I mean just phenominal!  The sequel is due out next year, so we're still staying in the mood by checking out the Star Trek: The Art of the Film Hardcover book from Titan books.  Titan consistantly puts out some of the best comic and film tribute books, and this one is no exception!

This handsome hardcover book, complete with glossy dust jacket that has a great shot of the Enterprise hitting warp speed, is absolutely full of great backrounds, behind the scenes images and tons of character design work.  Everything from alien designs to various costumes used for the film.  The majority of pics are full-color and dynamic and sure to please any Trek fan!

How to Buy: Amazon.com

Fluorescent Black Limited Edition Hard Cover Book Review

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Fluorescent Black Limited Edition Hard Cover Book Review

About the Book:

Limited Edition Hardcover (only 500 copies printed!)
196 full-color pages
12 3/4" x 9 1/2"

A few copies are still available!!! 

A visceral ride through a bio-punk future where life is cheap and death is the only way out.

Welcome to 2085, the year of the rabbit. 

Fluorescent Black takes the reader into the hard-hitting dark future of South East Asia where gene-tech has divided humankind into two races: the rich, healthy Superiors and the sick, crazy Inferiors. These two races live in neighboring cities separated by a heavily fortified border.

A superior named Nina is the test model for cutting edge genetic designs. She is a paragon of physical and mental health: her brain and body represent billions of dollars worth of corporate research and development. During a bio-terrorist attack, Nina is kidnapped by a street gang and taken across the border into a ghetto full of man-made splice animals, psychopathic hookers, drug addled freaks, deadly insects, poisonous ecosystems, and abandoned tenements.

When the corporations tighten their dragnet, the gang quickly discovers that this is no ordinary captive... but she may be the key to solving all of their problems.

Our Take: We're always looking for good comics here at the Legion, after all we're HUGE comic book nerds..er..fans!  Heavy Metal has always been synonymous with phenominal erotic and hardcore themed titles.  Fluorescent Black is without a doubt one of the funnest and most original books I've read in some time!  The artwork is this great blend of sketchy grit and clean animation that gives it a life of its own.  The story is great, a dystopian view of the future where DNA is the hot topic. 

This limited edition hardcover version of the comic (there is also a paperback available if this one sells out too soon) was printed in an edition of only 500 and includes a glossary of terms in the back to help you with the story and a fuckin' great pin-up gallery including huge talents like Tim Bradstreet!  This one is a no brainer, if you love indie comics then you'll love this one!

How to Buy: The Official Heavy Metal Store

The Addams Family: An Evilution Book Review

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The Addams Family: An Evilution Book Review

About the Book: The ‘evilution’ of Charles Addams's singularly eccentric family began long before the television and film interpretations made them icons of American popular culture. Addams first created Morticia, Lurch, and The Thing in a cartoon published in a 1938 issue of the New Yorker—though he hadn't named them at the time, or even conceived of a family unit. (When he did name the deadly matriarch, he was inspired by the Yellow Pages listing for ‘Morticians.’) Other characters were born and developed in a multitude of Addams's cartoons over the next twenty-six years, before the cheerfully creepy clan debuted on ABC television in 1964 and later on the big screen, twice, in 1991 and 1993.

The Addams Family: An Evilution is the first book to trace The Addams Family history, presenting more than 200 cartoons created by Charles Addams (American, 1912-1988) throughout his prolific career; many have never been published before. Text by H. Kevin Miserocchi, director of the Tee and Charles Addams Foundation, offers a revealing chronology of each character's evolution (for instance, did you know that Addams originally named Pugsley ‘Pubert’?), while Addams's own incisive character descriptions, originally penned for the benefit of the television show producers, introduce each chapter. As the presence of the Family continues to permeate generation after generation, and in celebration of the Broadway musical debuting in 2010, this book reminds us where these oddly lovable characters came from and, in doing so, offers a lasting tribute to one of America's greatest humorists. A phenomenon of rare proportion, The Addams Family is the manifestation of one artist's dark but irresistible wit, expressed with an uncommonly deft hand. 

224 pages with more than 200 cartoons (approximately 50 are published here for the first time), many in color. Ten chapters explore each Addams Family character, as well as their mansion (a “House To Die For”). Size: 8 x 10 inches. Smyth-sewn casebound book with jacket.

Our Take: The Addams Family are one of the best known and most well loved morbid families.  Everything from the 60s show to the famous 90s movies and cartoons in-between!  They've been action figures, trading cards and candy, but rarely have they been books.  At least not like this!  Lets face it, the Addams Family kicks ass and this new Evilution book is a Addams-fans' dream!  It includes over 200 cartoons from throughout the history of the strip, originally published in the New Yorker back in 1938!  There are even never before published cartoons included!  This hardcover book is a great addition to any fan's library!

How to Buy: Amazon.com