Four-volume collection featuring Marvel Comics superheroes. In 'X-Men Origins - Wolverine' (2009) Hugh Jackman reprises his role as clawed mutant Wolverine, formerly James Logan, in this blockbuster action prequel. The film, set over the years leading up to the events of the 2003 'X-Men' movie, follows the young Logan from the first awakenings of his mutant powers in childhood up to his amnesiac rebirth as Wolverine, and recounts his tumultuous relationship with his ferocious half-brother, Victor Creed, aka Sabretooth (Liev Schreiber), and the events that lead him to sign up to the ominous Weapon X programme. In 'Daredevil' (2003), Ben Affleck stars as Matt Murdock who, after being blinded by a spillage of toxic waste when he was a boy, develops his other senses to an incredible degree, allowing him to navigate the city with pinpoint accuracy. Now he works by day as a lawyer, and by night he becomes the Daredevil when he uses his supersenses to continue his fight against underworld supervillain Kingpin (Michael Clarke Duncan). In 'Elektra' (2005) Jennifer Garner plays Elektra Natchios, a hired assassin who is reunited with her old martial arts master, Stick (Terence Stamp). When she is given an assignment to kill Mark Miller (Goran Visnjic) and his daughter, Abby (Kristin Prout), her conscience gets the better of her and she decides to protect them instead, provoking the wrath of martial arts syndicate 'The Hand'. Finally, in 'Fantastic 4: Rise of the Silver Surfer' (2007), the sequel to the 2005 adaptation of the comic book, Sue Storm, aka The Invisible Girl (Jessica Alba), and Reed Richards, aka Mr. Fantastic (Ioan Gruffudd), prepare for their upcoming, superhero-studded wedding celebration. But Reed is preoccupied by reports of a bizarre, comet-like object hurtling toward the Earth with tremendous force. When the object hits the island of Manhattan, destroying much of the city in its wake, its identity becomes resoundingly clear: 'it' is actually a psychotic villain known as The Silver Surfer (voice of Laurence Fishburne) who aims to destroy the Earth. Sue and Reed decide to summon Ben Grimm, aka The Thing (Michael Chiklis), and Johnny Storm, aka The Human Torch (Chris Evans), to take on the Surfer - and end up battling not only him, but an obnoxious army general (Andre Braugher) and the cantankerous Victor Von Doom (Julian MacMahon), who has broken out of the icy prison that held him captive at the end of the first movie.

Rufus Thomas may not be a household name, but he is widely regarded as the patriarch of Memphis R&B, and his music influenced three generations. His first singles in the early 1950s were recorded as blues transitioned into R&B, and he was arguably one of the founding fathers of early rock ’n’ roll. In the early 1960s, his songs "The Dog" and "Walking the Dog" made a huge impact on the emerging British "mod" scene, influencing the likes of the Georgie Fame, the Rolling Stones, and the Who. And in the early 1970s, Thomas rebranded himself as the "funkiest man alive" and recorded funk classics that were later sampled by the likes of Public Enemy, Missy Elliot, and the Wu-Tang Clan. In Funkiest Man Alive: Rufus Thomas and Memphis Soul, Matthew Ruddick reveals the amazing life and career of Thomas, who started as a dancer in the minstrel shows that toured the South before becoming one of the nation’s early African American disc jockeys, and then going on to record the first hit singles for both Chess Records and Stax Records. Ruddick also examines the social fabric of the city of Memphis, analyzing the factors behind the vast array of talent that appeared in the late 1950s, with singers like Isaac Hayes, William Bell, Maurice White (Earth, Wind & Fire), and Thomas’s older daughter, Carla Thomas, all emerging from the tightly knit African American community. He also tells the story of Memphis-based Stax Records, one of the nation’s leading R&B record labels. From the earliest blues, the segregated minstrel shows, and the birth of rock ’n’ roll through to the emergence of R&B and funk, Rufus Thomas saw it all.

Entire first series of the popular TV show. In 'Encounter at Farpoint', a double length story, the Enterprise encounters a planet that is being threatened by an alien creature - and to make matters worse, Picard is called before the super-being Q to answer questions on behalf of humanity. 'The Naked Now' has the cew infected by a deadly virus which manifests itself in such symptoms as intoxication and promiscuity. 'Code of Honour' sees Tasha kidnapped by an alien who wants her as his mate. 'The Last Outpost' finds the Enterprise coming face-to-face with the Ferengi for the first time. In 'Where No One Has Gone Before', a warp experiment goes wrong and flings the Enterprise into a strange galaxy billions of light-years from its starting point. 'Lonely Among Us' has Picard's body becomes the host for an alien entity. 'Justice' sees the unfortunate Wes Crusher sentenced to death for violating a local custom on an alien world. 'The Battle' finds Picard taking on DaiMan Bok, who wants revenge for the death of his son. 'Hide and Q' has the crew of the Enterprise D plagued once more by the cosmic trickster Q. 'Haven' sees Riker's heart set to break when Deanna is forced into an arranged marriage. In 'The Big Goodbye', Picard indulges his love of film noir detective stories on the holodeck, only to end up trapped when the system malfunctions. 'Datalore' has the crew of the Enterprise discover the component parts of Lore, Data's twin brother, on a devastated planet. 'Angel One' sees Riker caught up in the politics of a planet ruled entirely by women. '11001001' finds the Enterprise hijacked by an alien race called the Bynars, who upgrade the ship's computer to their own ends. 'Too Short a Season' has the Enterprise accompany the ageing Admiral Mark Jameson to Mordan IV, where his mission is to secure the release of Federation hostages. 'When the Bough Breaks' sees Wesley and various other children from the Enterprise kidnapped by the technologically advanced but sterile civilisation on the planet Aldea. In 'Home Soil', it transpires that the Enterprise is under attack from Microbain, a microscopic life-form, after Data is attacked by a laser drill. 'Coming of Age' finds Wesley preparing to sit an Academy exam, while Picard is investigated by the unpopular Lt Commander Dexter. 'Heart of Glory' has the Enterprise play host to two Klingons who claim to have been attacked by Ferengi. 'The Arsenal of Freedom' sees Picard lead a team to the lifeless planet Minos to search for the USS Drake. 'Symbiosis' finds Picard caught in the middle of a war between the narcotics-addicted Ornarans and their enemies the Brekkans, who possess a possible cure. In 'Skin of Evil', an Enterprise shuttlecraft crash lands on Vagra II and is captured by the evil Armus. 'We'll Always Have Paris' sees the man married to Picard's first love create a hole in the universe. 'Conspiracy' has Picard's best friend suffer from an acute paranoia which leads to the destruction of his starship being destroyed. Finally, in 'The Neutral Zone', the crew encounter an enemy stronger than any they have come across before.

"Soulsville, U.S.A." provides the first history of the groundbreaking label along with compelling biographies of the promoters, producers, and performers who made and sold the music. More than 45 photos. (Music)