Patrick Daniels

While comic books trace their origins to the late 19th century, Superman, who debuted in 1938's , is virtually synonymous with the medium. Yet, as Superman: the Complete History shows, the Man of Steel has also made a lasting impact in comic strips, film, toys, TV, radio, and even on Broadway. In this beautifully composed volume, Les Daniels collects rare and never-before-seen early artwork by Superman's teenage creators, Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster (including a two-page doodle from 1936 featuring early Superman costume designs), and he chronicles the evolution of the character from an orphan alien comics hero to a complex multimedia icon. Entire pages are devoted to photographs of the various costumes worn by TV and film incarnations, of numerous action figures and related toys, and of movie poster and stills. Several comics stories are also reproduced in their entirety. Almost as impressive as the stunning art design is Daniels's narrative: covering the 60 years from 1938 to 1998, he collects interviews with several writer-artist teams that detail the changes in the Man of Steel and his relationships with Lois Lane, Jimmy Olsen, Lex Luthor, and Perry White. Daniels's examination of the "Death of Superman" story arc, in particular, is a fascinating study of Superman's commercial and archetypal appeal. The final pages preview Superman tales by Barry Windsor-Smith and Alex Ross (whose beautiful painted graphic novel Kingdom Come turned many heads). --

In July of 1967, In Motaba River Valley, Zaire, a virus with a 100% mortality rate starts infecting people. The virus becomes known as the Motaba virus, and it's so deadly that it causes severe bleeding and liquefies internal organs, killing within 3 days. The virus wipes out Motaba River Valley, and a devastatingly huge fire bomb is dropped onto Motaba River Valley in order to reduce the chances of further infection.

Platinum selling recording artist and star of the sand and screen, David Hasselhoff, celebrates a truly historical moment with this monumental new studio album! Marking the 30th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall and the reunification of Germany, Hasselhoff bridges several musical cultures including the UK, Germany, and the US! Packaged in a deluxe 6-panel wallet, album highlights include The Hoff's fantastic take on The Lords Of The New Church's "Open Your Eyes," Mondern English's "I Melt With You," Echo & The Bunnymen's "Lips Like Sugar," Bowie's "'Heroes'" (with verses sung in German) and many more! Features an incredible cast of diverse supporting acts including Todd Rundgren, The Stooges' James Williamson, country legend Charlie Daniels, industrial pioneers Ministry, The Cars' Elliot Easton and more!