I've long thought that DC comics is just leaving money on the table by not putting out a Daily Planet book based around Lois, along with Jimmy Olsen, Perry White, Cat Grant et al, The fandom is waiting for it, and it can be used to flesh out Superman's support cast and city, like how Gotham Central did with Batman.

I think Man Of Steel mostly did right by Lois. For one thing, they didn't introduce her as Superman's love interest, but as an intrepid investigator with an agenda of her own. But then, with an ace comedy actress like Adams, they didn't give her anything clever or witty to say. Remember that 'dick measuring' joke?…

Even more so when you realise the dirty joke that's hidden in there. Close up examination of old vinyl covers was a fun aspect of record collecting in days gone by.

As a young boy, that cover sold me not just on ELP, but on prog rock for all time too.

Oh man this is terrible news. Truly a one of a kind musician, for good or for ill. I used to listen to their live recording of Mussorgsky's 'Pictures At An Exhibtion' over and over while I write my uni essays.
ELP at their height represented everything that was wondrous about prog rock, as well as most of what was…

Yeah, but Coldplay, Muse and Foo Fighters all got started in the late 90s. That's like, if this was 1986, we were still talking about Creedence Clearwater Revival being the biggest band in the land. Which is sad.
And as much as I love Arcade Fire, they only occasionally 'rock'.

I really really liked Get Hurt, the last Gaslight Anthem album. I thought it wasn't really given a fair shake by fans, who may have been put off by some superficial slick sounds on a few tracks. I thought the melodies was stronger than ever, and the lyrics were allowed to breathe a little bit more. But they only…

This is indeed a great book. Maybe only Simon Reynold's Rip It Up And Start Again can match it for in-depth analysis of such a crazy and diverse time in rock music.

Well, for the same reason that, say, a history of Prog Rock might ignore the rise of Electronic music. They share DNA, sure, but sometimes it's better to focus in depth on a narrower idiom than try and spread your self too widely.

Yeah, I had no idea how varied and weird Joel's deep cuts were.

My local pawn shop had one whole row devoted to Joan Osbourne's Relish - y'know, the one with that 'What if God was one of us?' song.

I love playing those mix CDs that come for free on the covers of British music magazine. It's how I discover a lot of new hard rock and prog music

There was a while where 'Crush With Eyeliner' was on repeat in my car.

We didn't have those in Australia, so as a kid I always wondered what Americans were complaining about.

I love scouring the flea markets and goodwill stores for used CDs. It's amazing what you can find. Thrice a year here in Canberra Australia, the Lifeline charity holds a massive warehouse book sale that also includes buckets of used CDs and vinyl. I once managed to pick up some incredibly rare out of print CDs by Gram…

But that's what superhero stories are designed for: escapism. You know, for kids! If you start to insist that every type of story show the 'realistic' consequences of violence… careful now, because that's the kind of thinking that almost killed the comic industry in the 90s as they tried to ape Watchmen and The Dark…

Jessica Jones is the best kind of R rating - not for superficial stuff like swears and boobs, but for dealing with actual adult themes that are legitimately challenging and discomforting.

Good. That's what the Netflix shows are for. Keep them the equivalent of Marvel's 'MAX' line, and the keep the films family friendly.
Like most rational thinking people, I can enjoy different types of stories, and I don't think an R rating automatically makes something better or more 'adult'. Unlike too many comic fans…

Berman seems to have become this Lucas-like figure, where people forget all the good he did setting up his franchise, and only remember how he undermined it. Like, he steered Star Trek away from Roddenberry's unworkable conflict-free vision, and sheparded the franchise through its golden years (from season 3 of TNG…

I picked up Mark Lanegan's Bubblegum album (from 2005) a few weeks ago at a second hand sale. Half the songs were collaborations with Homme, and the other half were with Chris Goss. It was a grunge/stoner rock collision of my dreams. PJ Harvey also turned up. After that and the Desert Sessions, I prepared for her and…