Newsarama talks to Grant Morrison about his upcoming All-Star Superman with Frank Quitely, which will feature the big blue banana in stories outside the continuity of his regular title. The All-Star imprint is DC’s response to Marvel’s wildly successful “Ultimate” universe (which, in brief, was a ground-zero reboot of their classic characters, sans the decades of continuity baggage that hangs around the necks of the regular titles like so much albatrosses). Other titles in the line will include All-Star Batman & Robin by Jim Lee and a writer TBA (Frank Miller is probably too much to hope for) and there are rumours of Adam Hughes turning his pencils to All-Star Wonder Woman.

The Incredible Hulk makes some new year’s resolutions.

Some good mojo from Neil Gaiman for the coming year:

“May your coming year be filled with magic and dreams and good madness. I hope you read some fine books and kiss someone who thinks you’re wonderful, and don’t to forget make some art — write or draw or build or sing or live as only you can. And I hope, somewhere in the next year, you surprise yourself.”

Dead Meadow are in town March 30 at a venue to be determined in support of their new album Feathers, out February 22 on Matador. Italy’s Jennifer Gentle support.

If I hadn’t declared a moratorium on 2004 year-in-reviews, I would direct you to Zoilus’ piece from this weekend’s Globe & Mail. But I did, so I won’t. Sorry Carl.

np – Pacific UV / Pacific UV

Happy New Year. You’ve just awoken to a world without Guided By Voices. Think about that for a moment. Then continue.

I don’t usually make New Year’s resolutions since I never keep New Year’s resolutions, but since this has been on my mind a bit of late and it’s timely, I’ll call this one a New Year’s resolution. I hereby resolve, in 2005, to seek out and support more new and up-and-coming bands/artists, both local and non-local. You see, it seems that all my favourite bands are breaking up and/or dying (see lead item), and this is not a trend I find agreeable.

Okay, this is a gross overstatement, but there is a fundamental kernel of truth in there. I look at my shopping list, and sometimes there’s more archival releases and reissues than new records, or albums from artists who are, honestly speaking, past their best before date and I’m buying their stuff out of some sense of obligation or completist-itis. Sometimes it seems my concert calendar consists of more big-ticket reunion tours or bands I’ve already seen numerous times rather than something new. I don’t want to be that classic rock guy who thinks everything’s been crap since 1992 (though that was a watershed year for music… okay, stay on message here). I’ve seen that guy. His hygiene is bad. I don’t want to be that guy. Mind you, I don’t want to be a trend-chaser either, and look back at my CD collection in a year or two and see it filled with flash-in-the-pans and overhyped buzz bands with no substance.

So what does this mean, practically speaking? I don’t know, really. I guess it means paying attention to stuff I haven’t heard of, to move out of my comfort zone, so to speak. Taking the time to not only sample new stuff but give it a proper chance to worm its way into my consciousness. Not taking local acts for granted. Not be so damned cynical about trying new stuff sometimes. Ah, this probably all sounds really vague to you, but I know what it means. Will I be able to do it? We’ll see.

I also resolve to stop kicking cats. This one will be a little tougher.

Junkmedia interviews Win Butler of Arcade Fire. Geez, don’t you know that Arcade Fire is soooo 2004? Get with the program.

Ink 19 offers a cartoon farewell to Luna. It’s even better if you imagine it being read by Christopher Walken. “Schooch closer, children…”

The Beat has an extensive look at 2004 as it pertained to the comic book industry. A good read, and that’s it for the 2004 retrospectives, honest.

Yesterday afternoon, I watched the extended version of The Return Of The King , seeing as how I had four hours or so to kill. MAN that’s a long movie. Then in the evening, I went to a humdinger of a shin-dig at Casa Del T-Bone of 10:51AM fame. Oh yeah, that’s another of my New Year’s resolutions – to talk like a 70-year old man whenever possible. Ya damn whippersnappers.

So who came by today hoping to see my shiny new redesign? HAHAHAHAHAHA… oh that’s rich. Someday, my pets. Someday.

np – Spiritualized / The Complete Works Volume One