Todd Alcott on The Shining

Screenwriter Todd Alcott’s seven-part series on The Shining: one, two, three, four, five, six, seven.

Lots of great insight into the film, its structure, and who the actual protagonist is. I hadn’t heard this one:

One of my favorite factoids regarding the movie is that Kubrick didn’t just have a ream of “All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy” typed up, no — he had reams and reams typed up, in different languages, one for every major territory the movie would play in — Spanish, Italian, French, German, etc., all with a regional phrase specific to the territory. Production Assistant on a Kubrick movie must have been the worst job available in show business.

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Batmobile History

The Evolution of the Batmobile. I’ll always have a soft spot for the 60s TV show convertible. (via)

Covers

I did not know that They Might Be Giants’s “Istanbul” is a cover. This page has some other that are, too.

Flex Mentallo to be Republished in Fall 2011

DC has just announced that Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely’s Flex Mentallo will finally be collected and published as a deluxe hardcover in the fall:

If youre a fan of Grant Morrison (and who isnt?), youll be stoked to know that FLEX MENTALLO will be published in book form this year. This marks the first time the four-issue mini-series written by Morrison and illustrated by artist Frank Quitely is being collected. FLEX MENTALLO sprang out of Grants mind bending and infamous run on DOOM PATROL.

Pick up this beautiful Deluxe Edition hardcover with bonus material this Fall.

The story was one of the first collaborations between Morrison and Quitely but has never been republished due to a lawsuit by Charles Atlas Ltd. Flex Mentallo’s origin story is a parody of Atlas’s famous “The Insult That Made a Man Out of Mac” ad that ran in comics in the 60s and 70s, and the character bears an undeniable resemblance to Atlas (c.f. the photo of Atlas in this article and the pinup of Flex Mentallo in this one). The case was dismissed but DC decided not to reprint the series, until today. (More info on the case, including Jim Shooter’s afadavit, here, and on its decision not to reprint it here.)

Flex Mentallo is important not just because it’s an early collaboration between Morrison and Quitely, who’d go on to reinvent the X-Men, Superman, and Batman, but because it is an amazing commentary on comics themselves and states many of the themes of fiction vs. reality that Morrison has continued to play with subsequently. It takes a tour of comics from their fun origins through the zany silver age to the dark 80s and toward Morrison’s idea of the future of comics, which he’s attempted to realize in his Batman work and others. Many have called it one of the greatest short comics series ever published, up there with Watchmen. Greg Burgas takes a stab at explaining why here.

The real question, since I own the original copies (and even had them bound into a hardcover), is whether I’ll need to buy the series again in this deluxe format with bonus material. (Answer: yes.)

Generic Dr Pepper

Here’s a list, with screenshots, of tons of generic Dr Pepper drinks. I know I’ve had Dr. Perky before. I feel like I’m duty-bound to seek out some Dr Extreme at some point. On that topic, I’m totally craving some Dr Pepper with sugar now. Here’s a roundup of the retro can designs from last fall’s batch. (via)

Sixties Seventies

Sixties Seventies is a gorgeous collection of models from that era sporting miniskirts, bellbottoms, boots, and more. (via)

Law and the Multiverse

Law and the Multiverse examines how superhero (and villain) activities and powers would work legally. It looks at issues like anti-mutant discrimination, whether Iron Man would run afoul of the FAA when he flies in his suit (vs. a hero who can fly without one), the legal ethics of sentencing an immortal villain to life without parole, and so on. I recommend checking it out.

I think it falls a bit short, though, in its strict focus on applying the laws of our world to fictitious ones. Marvel’s Civil War, for example, is predicated on the idea that Marvel’s US legal system has adapted its laws to account for superpowered individuals. It’s likely that laws have been adjusted to allow for, say, evidence obtained by Batman to be presented in court. Otherwise either every criminal could demand to be set free because the chain was tainted, or conversely dirty cops could constantly lose evidence (or plant it) and claim a vigilante had messed with the scene. (via)

What Could Have Been Entering the Public Domain on January 1, 2011?

Current US law extends copyright protections for 70 years from the date of the authors death. (Corporate works-for-hire are copyrighted for 95 years.) But prior to the 1976 Copyright Act (which became effective in 1978), the maximum copyright term was 56 years (an initial term of 28 years, renewable for another 28 years). Under those laws, works published in 1954 would be passing into the public domain on January 1, 2011.

What might you be able to read or print online, quote as much as you want, or translate, republish or make a play or a movie from?

And here's a list of the authors whose works did enter public domain this weekend.

The Rules for Long S

The rules for uſing the long letter “s” in older Engliſh works.

Neptune's Year

On July 12 of this year, Neptune will complete its first transit around the sun since its discovery in 1846. A Neptunian year is 164 Earth years.