First Superman Comic Sold for $317,200!

A copy of the first Superman comic is a rare item. But one was sold at an Internet auction for $317,200.

The 1938 edition of Action Comics No. 1 features Superman lifting a green car on the cover. Only 100 copies of this still exists.

The man who won the auction was John Dolmayan, drummer for rock band System of a Down. He was purchasing it for a client of his.

The previous owner who sold the comic only paid 35 cents for the item.

I saw a copy of this at the NYC Comic Con and drooled.

Subway Motion Art, aka Masstransiscope

I live in Brooklyn and works at lower Manhattan. To get from point A to point B, I take the subway - the B line to be exact. During the ride, most of the time my head is buried in the book. But one morning I just finished reading my book so for the rest of my ride, my eyes were wandering around while the subway takes me to my destination. Right after the train left Dekalb Ave, I noticed something was moving out the window. It looked like a series of animated paintings. They kept going until the train hits the Manhattan bridge.

So the next day, to prove that I wasn't insane, I paid closer attention. And sure enough, there goes the animated paintings again. I did some research and the piece is called "Masstransiscope" by Bill Brand. The motion art was done in 1980, placed on an abandoned platform at Myrtle Avenue. The art disappeared for a while and apparently in late 2006, work was being done to the art for restoration. And now it's back for our viewing pleasure.

According to the nyc subway website:

The animation was based on the zoetrope, essentially a series of single frames viewed through slits as the train moved past the station. The brief glimpses of the frames appeared to animate the artwork.

It's pretty cool. Take a look:

Art or Vandalism?

Shepard Fairey, the artist that created the fame "Hope" posters for Barack Obama is now facing charges for graffiti. Fairey is also the mysterious artist that posted those Obey Giant posters all over cities. Boston is now placing two charges of vandalism on him.

There was also some dispute with the Obama poster. Fairey used the image of Obama from a photo taken by an ex-AP photographer, Mannie Garcia. Garcia doesn't feel the need to fight Fairey for copyright infringement, but AP does.

Fairey believes that public places shouldn't be just used for commercials, so he filled those places with his posters. Is this considered art or is it vandalism?

Last Day as Daibe Beads

Today will be the last day as Daibe Beads. As of tomorrow, this blog will have a new url: SHUKYSHAKE.BLOGSPOT.COM. Please update your bookmark, links, RSS feeds and what have you. Thanks for all your continual support!

Spiderman Swings to Broadway!

"Spider-Man, Turn Off the Dark" is the new musical coming to Broadway. The music and lyrics are by U2's Bono and the Edge and it's directed by Julie Taymor ("The Lion King")

The musical will start previews at the Hilton Theater on January 16, 2010. Rumor has it that this is the biggest budget Broadway show - about $40 million. Even though the producers have been hush-hush about the casting, Evan Rachel Wood is rumored to star as Mary Jane Watson. Wood was quoted to TV Guide that she was "definitely going to do it."

The Broadway version will involve an origin story as well as introducing new characters.

The storyline might be a hit or miss, depending on how they spin it. But big Broadway productions are always pleasing to watch. 

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