Culture

By Jeff Trexler-- In March 2008, Grant Morrison's homage to Siegel and Shuster appeared in comic shops on the very same day that the Siegel heirs recaptured half the original Superman copyright.  Now Morrison is set to work his shaman's magic once again in the September relaunch of Action #1--and this time, the Siegels could lose everything. Morrison's upcoming Supergods holds the key to understanding why. For an explanation and a sneak preview of Morrison’s new book, click below. A mysterious appeal, Joe Shuster’s super-swastika and the final crisis of the legal multiverse--this one has it all.

Take a spin around the week's nerd entertainment news with Shannon O'Leary.

A Facebook page has sprung up to organize a protest march against the new awful designs of the new 52. It seems some folks don't like the new fresh DC designs that are all new:

Cartoonist Darryl Ayo reminds us not to get too jaded, and a comics image gallery that would make anyone sit up and take notice.

A licensed massage therapist/cosplayer named Amber is concerned by some Wizard shows where something called cosplay massage has been exhibiting, something she feels is unsuitable for a family convention. and it's not just skimpy costumes. Its the element of fantasy entering into a therapeutic service.

LeVette Fuller from Shreve Memorial Library in Shreveport, Louisiana is the lucky winner of more than $20,000 for here library in the Great Graphic Novel Library Giveaway. The prize was announced at this weekends American LIbrary Association. A video was made of the winner, above. Nearly 1500 librarians entered the contest.

It's been a furious few weeks of action here at Stately Beat Manor and around the comics intertubes as everyone scrambles to cover the DC Relaunch and What It Means. I've been as obsessed as anyone, although some of the fruits of my labor have yet to be posted. And of course, San Diego Comic-Con is just around the corner (less than four weeks) so things are about to get even busier and even crazier is such a thing is possible. And it is.

. Twice a year, once in January someplace cold, once in June somewhere sweltering, the membership of the American Library Association gathers to network, workshop,...

DC has cited its changes and additions to the Super-verse as grounds for reducing the Siegel heirs’s share of Superman material produced since 1999. A recent Variety article takes this even further, reporting thatNeil Gaiman’s success in winning co-ownership of Medieval Spawn provides legal precedent for giving DC complete ownership of the contemporary Superman, limiting the Siegels’ interest to the far less lucrative 1938 version of the character. Does DC have strong legal grounds for splitting Superman between The Man of Tomorrow and The Man of Yesterday? Click below to see if Gaiman v. McFarlane is legal kryptonite for creators' rights--or whether that's just another misconceived retcon.

In a change of policy, the New York Times' venerable Week in Review section will go from running a round-up of editorial cartoons on the topics of the week to specially commissioned work. Among those tapped, Brian McFadden, creator of Big Fat Whale. McFadden is 27 and lives in Massachusetts, giving the section a younger perspective, to say the least.

The weekly round-up of nerd world media news has Cap II already, a hot Wonder Woman and more!

Did Rich Johnston get burned on one of the most outrageous stories of the month? Or is DC really afraid of Superman saving kittens?