Music

The Lego Batman Movie is the perfect film to escape into for ninety minutes, and its message of friendship, co-operation, and teamwork is downright inspiring. A lot of the film's emotional strength is reflected in its original songs, including the touching "I Found You," which features the cherubic Dick Grayson recounting the happiness he discovered in his adopted family.

Matt Fraction and Chip Zdarsky's Sex Criminals is way more than the sex romp it advertises itself as; it's one of the most uplifting, sex-positive, and downright fun comics on the stands. This playlist has been tailored to the relationship between Suzie and Jon, and while there are some songs about getting busy, we've tried to make it a bit more well-rounded than that, just as the comic isn't always about boning down!

Devastator Press is releasing The Official Handbook Of The Bowieverse, a minicomic that riffs on the numerous characters and personas that Bowie created, in a format that pays affectionate tribute to the classic Marvel Comics Official Handbook and DC Who's Who series of the 1980s. Check out an exclusive preview of its cosmic delights.

Since her debut in Alias, the 2001 Marvel Max series by Brian Michael Bendis and Michael Gaydos, Jessica Jones has become emblematic of a kind of deeply flawed female protagonist that there are far too few of in popular culture. Living with PTSD, a drinking problem, and a self-destructive streak a mile wide, she’s always created as many problems for herself as she solves for others in her job as a super-powered private detective. In recent years, her marriage to Luke Cage and the birth of their daughter has brought more stability into her life, but the current Jessica Jones series, also by Bendis and Gaydos, brings all of that stability into doubt. In assembling this mix tape, I looked for songs that embody the conflicts and contradictions within Jessica Jones and her stories. Songs about flawed and troubled people searching for something to keep them going.

Archie Andrews has always been quite the musician, and there are several stories involving him pursuing his dreams of rock stardom --- but his friends and family (and Reggie) have been in the musical spotlight too. For this playlist based on the current incarnation of the monthly Archie series by Mark Waid, Thomas Pitilli, Ryan Jampole, Joe Eisma, Veronica Fish et al, I decided to look at all the most beloved characters (and Reggie) and choose one song that fits each of them.

Mark Batson is known for producing some of the biggest hits for major artists like Beyonce, Alicia Keys, Eminem, 50 Cent, The Game, James Blunt, Dave Matthews Band, Nas, Maroon 5 and more. Now the music veteran is trying his hand at graphic novels with his series, Loaded. The first book of the series, The Story of Ghost, follows the title character; a James Bond-esque assassin in the making. The second part, The Story of Sin, is also slated to be adapted into a television series --- with Dr. Dre set to produce the music. We spoke with Batson about the Loaded, moving from music to comics, the adaptation, and also have a sneak peek at the first volume.

Music and comics have a long history of influencing one another, whether it’s story titles borrowing lyrics, band names taken from dialogue, or that one time that Matt Fraction had a Britney Spears analogue punch a bear in The Order. Sometimes, though, that connection goes beyond nods and winks, and a band or artist releases their very own licensed comic. It happens more often than you probably realise. It’s no secret that, say, My Chemical Romance have their own official comic. (A comic, lest we forget, featuring a villainous cravat-wearing Grant Morrison.) But there are plenty of other artists with comics you may have never even known existed. Artists like, oh, I don’t know…

Gig posters have a long and beautiful history. Moving from simple block lettering in the '50s and psychedelic text in the '60s, modern gig posters are often gorgeous pieces of illustration and places to experiment with the weird and wonderful. In this gallery, we've pulled together a collection of gig posters by a variety of comic artists, from small indie artists such as Inés Estrada and Maré Odomo to some big names like DeForge and Adrian Tomine. Feast your eyes!

Shade The Changing Girl --- part of DC's Young Animal imprint --- tells the story of Loma, a rebellious alien who steals a magic coat of madness, runs away to Earth, and possesses the body of a comatose teenage Earth girl. Along with Cecil Castellucci's trippy script, the space-bending, psychedelic visuals from artists Marley Zarcone and Kelly Fitzpatrick are a core part of what makes Shade the Changing Girl so fantastic. When planning the playlist, I wanted to find weird, intense tech/pop songs, less focused on the lyrics and more on the mood of each song.

When superheroes make the transition from comics to TV animation, it's always interesting to hear what kind of theme music they get. Songs with lyrics that explain who the heroes are can be fun, but they can also go awry. Instrumental tracks can be boring if you're not careful, but if they're well-executed, they can do a great job of creating just the tone you want for your cartoon. I've put together a chronological list of nine memorable theme songs from TV superhero cartoons. Obviously I can't include them all, but I expect to see in the comments which of your favorites I've left out.