Seasons Greetings: Justified Season 5

Beauty and the Beat Review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine It’s not quite right to say that the Go-Go’s' 1981 debut, Beauty and the Beat, is where new wave caught hold in the U.S., but it’s not quite wrong, either. Prior to this, there had certainly been new wave hits -- Blondie had been reaching the Top Ten for two years running -- but the Go-Go’s ushered in the era of big, bright stylish pop, spending six weeks at the top of the U.S. charts and generating two singles that defined the era: the cool groove of “Our Lips Are Sealed” and the exuberant “We Got the Beat.” So big were these two hits that they sometimes suggested that Beauty and the Beat was a hits-and-filler record, an impression escalated by the boost the Go-Go’s received from the just-launched MTV, yet that’s hardly the case. Beauty and the Beat is sharp, clever, and catchy, explicitly drawing from the well of pre-Beatles ‘60s pop -- girl group harmonies, to be sure, but surf-rock echoes throughout -- but filtering it through the nervy energy of punk. With the assistance of Rob Freeman, producer Richard Gottehrer -- a veteran of the Strangeloves (“I Want Candy”) who also wrote the girl group standard “My Boyfriend’s Back” -- sanded down the band’s rougher edges, keeping the emphasis on the hooks and harmonies but giving the Go-Go’s enough kick and jangle that at times the group resembles nothing less than early R.E.M., particularly on “How Much More” and “Tonite.” But this isn’t Murmur; there is nothing murky about Beauty and the Beat at all -- this is infectiously cheerful pop, so hooky it’s sometimes easy to overlook how well-written these tunes are, but it’s the sturdiness of the songs that makes Beauty and the Beat a new wave classic.

Jac and Tony are Back and they discuss family.

It’s Helena’s first solo adventure, a three part story from the pages of Batman Family! Someone’s setting fires in downtown Gotham, simple arson or is there something bigger afoot? Only the Huntress can find out! You can follow the show @ComicsLloyd on Twitter or send an email to [email protected] . You can find me on Twitter @MattB_Lloyd and at www.dccomicsnews.com where I write reviews and edit news stories. You can also check out my chapter in “Politics in Gotham: The Batman Universe and Political Thought.” https://www.amazon.com/Politics-Gotham-Universe- Political-Thought/dp/3030057755 “Black Panther and Philosophy: What Can Wakanda Offer the World?” https://www.amazon.com/Black-Panther-Philosophy- Blackwell- Culture/dp/1119635845/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2F69N3WJBZM F3&keywords=what+can+wakanda&qid=1642053514&spr efix=what+can+wakanda%2Caps%2C256&sr=8-1 “Batman’s Villains and Villainesses: Multidisciplinary Perspectives On Arkham’s Souls” https://www.amazon.com/Batmans-Villains-Villainesses- Multidisciplinary-Perspectives- ebook/dp/B0C5SHX9BJ/ref=sr_1_1?crid=D49SBV4K1UQ D&keywords=villains+and+villainess+arkham&qid=16954 06720&sprefix=villains+and+villainesses+arkaham%2Cap s%2C284&sr=8-1 I’ve also submitted my essay on Silver St. Cloud to be included in “Batman, Also Starring….” Also look out for the forthcoming “Comics Lit.” series from members of the Comics in Motion family. Batman Family https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Batman_Family

It’s part two of my conversation with Spider-Dan as we cover the Amazing Spider-Man in this episode of Classic Comics! It’s a two part Classic Comics Conversation encompassing a plethora of aspects of the world of Spider- Man. Make sure you stick around for the special musical outro for the episode! You can follow the show @ComicsLloyd on Twitter or send an email to [email protected] . You can find me on Twitter @MattB_Lloyd and at www.dccomicsnews.com where I write reviews and edit news stories. You can also check out my chapter in “Politics in Gotham: The Batman Universe and Political Thought.” https://www.amazon.com/Politics-Gotham-Universe- Political-Thought/dp/3030057755 “Black Panther and Philosophy: What Can Wakanda Offer the World?” https://www.amazon.com/Black-Panther-Philosophy- Blackwell- Culture/dp/1119635845/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2F69N3WJBZM F3&keywords=what+can+wakanda&qid=1642053514&spr efix=what+can+wakanda%2Caps%2C256&sr=8-1 “Batman’s Villains and Villainesses: Multidisciplinary Perspectives On Arkham’s Souls” https://www.amazon.com/Batmans-Villains-Villainesses- Multidisciplinary-Perspectives- ebook/dp/B0C5SHX9BJ/ref=sr_1_1?crid=D49SBV4K1UQ D&keywords=villains+and+villainess+arkham&qid=16954 06720&sprefix=villains+and+villainesses+arkaham%2Cap s%2C284&sr=8-1 I’ve also submitted my essay on Silver St. Cloud to be included in “Batman…Also Starring.” Also look out for the forthcoming “Comics Lit.” series from members of the Comics in Motion family, and Anachronistic Comics a DIY anthology comic in which I have writer/artist/creator credits. Links Spider-Dan and the Secret Bores Podcast https://www.spiderdanandthesecretbores.com/

Clone Wars Conversations continues with the first part of Season 5 (episodes 1-5)! Dave, Maff & Mike have split this season up into 4 so they can talk in-depth about discuss certain arcs and individual episodes of The Clone Wars in more detail, to make this Clone Wars companion podcast even better! In this episode, the trio discuss the episode Revival before delving into the 4-part Onderon arc with young Saw Gerrera; A War On Two Fronts, Front Runners, Soft War and Tipping Points. The first episode continues Maul & Savage Opress’ stories and features Obi-Wan Kenobi and Hondo Ohnaka while the 4-parter shows Anakin, Obi-Wan and Ahsoka training rebels on the Separatist-occupied world of Onderon! There is so much to discuss in this episode, including the clear Rogue One connections and Dave, Maff & Mike also continue to talk about the progression of these episodes, the involved characters and some lore & trivia sprinkled in! Clone Wars Conversations has been releasing monthly since January 21st 2024 on the usual podcast feeds & YouTube (eps 221, 225, 229, 233, 236, 238, 241 & 244 of GCC): https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLcO1Ib_BGD8Y79aRWUxSWwdy3eyNrbXBl The trio are all featuring in episodes of JAC’s Back to The Filmography which are out now, or soon to be released! Dave talks about Dazed & Confused, Maff does Boys On The Side and Mike does Glory Daze! Listen to BttF anywhere you find podcasts: https://podfollow.com/1686261095 Maff is @MaffUK78 on Twitter and recently spoke about the TMNT story The Last Ronin on Indie Comics Spotlight here: https://pod.fo/e/24c64a, plus he did a spider-related podcast with Spider-Dan here: https://pod.fo/e/22733f You can find Dave on Twitter @SeattleDojos, or the podcasts Comics In Motion, the VHS Strikes Back: https://linktr.ee/vhsstrikesback and Chris & Dave’s Reality TV Cast: https://anchor.fm/cdrealitycast  Mike, Dave & Tonya Todd on Mandatory Music & CD talking Rage Against The Machine: https://pod.fo/e/250335 Mike has been involved with many other Star Wars podcasts, including interviewing Mike Chen on episode 234 of GCC, found here: https://pod.fo/e/23d985 & https://youtu.be/pQA0QvC5qa0 Find all of Mike’s social media & other links at https://linktr.ee/GenuineChitChat

Please check out Comics Lit Vol 1!!!

It’s the showdown between Power Girl and Brainwave! With a couple other JSAers in tow, Power Girl shows Brainwave and the world that she can do this on her own. Plus, we finally meet Karen Starr! You can follow the show @ComicsLloyd on Twitter or send an email to [email protected] . You can find me on Twitter @MattB_Lloyd and at www.dccomicsnews.com where I write reviews and edit news stories. You can also check out my chapter in “Politics in Gotham: The Batman Universe and Political Thought.” https://www.amazon.com/Politics-Gotham-Universe- Political-Thought/dp/3030057755 “Black Panther and Philosophy: What Can Wakanda Offer the World?” https://www.amazon.com/Black-Panther-Philosophy- Blackwell- Culture/dp/1119635845/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2F69N3WJBZM F3&keywords=what+can+wakanda&qid=1642053514&spr efix=what+can+wakanda%2Caps%2C256&sr=8-1 “Batman’s Villains and Villainesses: Multidisciplinary Perspectives On Arkham’s Souls” https://www.amazon.com/Batmans-Villains-Villainesses- Multidisciplinary-Perspectives- ebook/dp/B0C5SHX9BJ/ref=sr_1_1?crid=D49SBV4K1UQ D&keywords=villains+and+villainess+arkham&qid=16954 06720&sprefix=villains+and+villainesses+arkaham%2Cap s%2C284&sr=8-1 I’ve also submitted my essay on Silver St. Cloud to be included in “Batman, Also Starring….” Also look out for the forthcoming “Comics Lit.” series from members of the Comics in Motion family. Will the Real Power Girl Please Stand Up? https://dccomicsnews.com/2023/05/30/will-the-real-power- girl-please-stand-up/ Retro Review: Power Girl TPB (2006) https://dccomicsnews.com/2023/06/06/retro-review-power- girl-tpb-2006/ Current Power Girl Series Reviews https://dccomicsnews.com/?s=leah+williams+power+girl+r eview

Today’s book: Clap When You Land by Elizabeth Acevedo (2020) Banned Books Conversations: Where Radical Readers Discuss Prohibited Prose Banned books are works that have been removed from a library shelf or school curriculum. Over the course of Banned Books Week, this series covers seven different books, the reasons they were banned, and the value in reading them. Guest Links: Lisa Rayne https://lisarayne.com/ Instagram: @authorrayne https://www.bookbub.com/profile/lisa-rayne Alyson Shelton https://alysonshelton.com/ Instagram: @byalysonshelton https://www.reburncomic.com/ Host: Tonya Todd Video Producer: JP Butler Audio Producer: Ria Carrogan Graphics: Mike Burton

Today’s book: Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro (2005) Banned Books Conversations: Where Radical Readers Discuss Prohibited Prose Banned books are works that have been removed from a library shelf or school curriculum. Over the course of Banned Books Week, this series covers seven different books, the reasons they were banned, and the value in reading them.   Guest Links: Wendy Wimmer Entry Level - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60557291-entry-level Social Media: @wendywimmer http://www.wendywimmer.com/   Brandon Mead https://www.fiercestorytelling.com/ Instagram: @fiercestorytelling   Kat Fieler https://www.kjfieler.com/ Writer 2 Writer Podcast - https://www.youtube.com/@KatFieler   Host: Tonya Todd Video Producer: JP Butler Audio Producer: Ria Carrogan Graphics: Mike Burton

Today’s book: Losing the Girl: Book 1 in the Life on Earth series by MariNaomi (2018) Banned Books Conversations: Where Radical Readers Discuss Prohibited Prose Banned books are works that have been removed from a library shelf or school curriculum. Over the course of Banned Books Week, this series covers seven different books, the reasons they were banned, and the value in reading them.   Guest Links: Veronica Klash https://veronicaklash.com/ Instagram & Twitter: @veronicaklash   Ada McCartney https://aamccartney.com/ https://www.femmeon.show/   MariNaomi https://marinaomi.com/ Social media: @marinaomiart https://www.patreon.com/marinaomi   Database links: https://cartoonistsofcolor.com/ https://queercartoonists.com/ https://www.disabledcartoonists.com/   Active Activism with MariNaomi: https://www.femmeon.show/episodes/active-activism-marinaomi   Host: Tonya Todd Video Producer: JP Butler Audio Producer: Ria Carrogan Graphics: Mike Burton