JEFFREY MORGAN’S MEDIA BLACKOUT #513.141!

Grant Morrison & Frank Quitely – All-Star Superman, Volume 1 (DC Comics) :: After 70 long years, you’d think that every possible Superman story angle had already been done to death, but you’d be dead wrong. Defying all odds and exceeding all expectations comes this refreshing new take on the world’s greatest superhero. Consistently entertaining with inventive writing and art that eerily evokes Tanino Liberatore’s wonky work on RanXerox, this is one comic that truly is of “All-Star” caliber.

Nicole Willis & The Soul Investigators – Keep Reachin’ Up (Light In The Attic) :: Despite being recorded in Helsinki of all places, this compilation sounds as if it came straight outta mid-’70s Philly. Far from being your usual retro Blaxplo, Nicole Willis and her Finlandia funksters don’t just tap into the essence of urban Afrocentricity. They mine a deep-grooved authenticity that can’t be faked. Even her album cover strikes the correct cool vibe; look it up for yourself and see if I’m not right. Then take it from me that the sounds within do that graphic gem justice.

Queen V – Death Or Glory (Royal Noise) :: Queen V is the raunchy new Wendy O. Williams of rock ’n’ roll. Just like WOW, this snarlin’ guttersnipe has a primo Plasmatics attitude and, even better, she does her own duet with Lord Lemmy, aka King Kilmister. Bow down, bow down to the Queen. The Queen of Queens. There is only one.

SIZZLING PLATTER OF THE WEEK: Betty Davis – Betty Davis (Light In The Attic) :: Try not to pass out ‘cause this Betty Davis reissue is the hottest ’n’ horniest, ruffest ’n’ tuffest, funkiest ’n’ freakiest, sweatiest ’n’ sexiest female debut album ever recorded (in 1973, to be exact), period. From the sassy streetwalkin’ national anthem “If I’m In Luck I Might Get Picked Up” to the hussy-hissin’ late-night catfight “Your Man My Man,” Betty’s bold spread-eagled style is so brazen, it makes her late ex-hubby Miles’ brand of hardcore fusion sound like castrated folk music. And you wonder why Miles lost his voice.

Be seeing you!