Charts – 9 September 2016
Why, this is almost like old times. Six new entries! We haven’t had that in ages. The chart compilers will be relieved about that. It’s something to talk about in the press release.
1. Chainsmokers featuring Halsey – “Closer”
But it’s not all good news for them. “Closer” gets a second week at number 1. That’s not the problem. Two weeks is fine, especially since it’s still growing. The problem is that it heads a completely static top 7, and this is no longer all that unusual – in muting the impact of first-week fan sales, the streaming era seems to be illustrating that commercial radio was right all along about just how long it takes for the public to lose interest in a hit.
10. Martin Garrix & Bebe Rexha – “In The Name of Love” (more…)
House to Astonish Episode 148
Because we finally remembered that we actually do a podcast, here’s a podcast! Paul and I take a canter through the comics news of the past week or so, including the renaming of Death of Hawkman; the announcement of the Justice League/Suicide Squad event and Steve Orlando as Justice League of America writer; the suggested new optimistic direction for the DC Cinematic Universe; Marvel’s teases for Ressurexion and Monsters Unleashed; the mooted New Warriors sitcom; Alan Moore’s retirement from comics; Image’s cross-country move; and Warren Ellis and Coleen Doran’s forthcoming webcoming Finality.
We’ve also got reviews of Night’s Dominion and Supergirl, and the Official Handbook of the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe means Brexit. All this plus the Bottled City of Candor, Stonehenge with a false beard and glasses and Tillicoultry, near Stirling.
The podcast is here, or here on Mixcloud, or available through the embedded player below. Let us know what you think, in the comments, on Twitter, via email or on our Facebook fan page.
(If your comment is along the lines of “Hey, wow, I can’t believe House to Astonish has been going for nearly nine years!” then yes, you’re right, I got it wrong on the podcast – we launched in 2008, so we’ll be eight in November.)
And hey, the nights may be drawing in, but just think how much warmer you’d be if you were wearing one of our super-awesome t-shirts!
All-New Wolverine Annual #1
Well, this is fun. Annuals have long been a bit of a sidebar to Marvel’s ongoing titles, even when the regular writer is on board. And this is no different. Instead, Tom Taylor has taken it as an opportunity to do an endearingly random team-up story, on similar lines to the team-up with Squirrel Girl that appeared in the main title.
This time, it’s Spider-Woman – that is, the Gwen Stacy version of Spider-Woman from Spider-Gwen – with the added gimmick of doing a body swap. And that’s pretty much the entire concept: Laura and Gwen swap bodies and team up. It’s a nice, fun little idea: Gwen finds Laura’s powers pretty much horrifying except for the enhanced senses, and Laura is utterly lost trying to make sense of Gwen’s supporting cast, completely lacking the social skills to bluff her way through it.
Charts – 2 September 2016
This week offers a new low for uneventfulness in the streaming-era top 40: a chart with sixteen non-movers (including everything from number 4 down to number 14) and no new entries. Staggeringly dull would be a kind way to describe it. It’s the sort of chart that delivers on the top 40’s official function of providing a historical record, while utterly failing on its underlying mission to provide a promotional storyline for the music industry. But there is at least one thing of note:
1. The Chainsmokers featuring Halsey – “Closer”
Charts – 26 August 2016
Four new entries this week! Positively hyperactive! Which means we can skip quickly over the climbers to get to them…
1. Major Lazer featuring Justin Bieber & MØ – “Cold Water”
That’s five weeks. But it only had a 2% lead over DJ Snake, so it’s not likely to last that much longer. (more…)
Watch With Father #12: Paw Patrol
I said I’d do a post on remakes. We’ll get to that. But the Boy is obsessed with Paw Patrol right now, so it seems a good time to write about it. I’ve been seeing enough of it.
Paw Patrol is a hit pre-school franchise. And it takes us for the first time outside the sheltering arms of CBeebies, into the world of Nickelodeon. This is what happens when you take the kid on holiday and expose him to the Danish version of Nick Jr, which shows Paw Patrol incessantly. (In the UK, you can get it on Nick Jr or Channel 5.) The show’s appeal turns out to survive dubbing remarkably well.
Charts – 19 August 2016
This is what you call a laughably uneventful week. It’s the sort of week that must leave the Official Charts Company’s social media people bashing their skulls off the desk in frustration as they desperately scour through the top 40 looking for something, anything, worth tweeting about.
There really isn’t much to work with, which is why I’m doing this post on Friday night and getting it out of the way. (Not that there are any X-stories to review this week either. Might do Paw Patrol. Been watching a lot of Paw Patrol.)
1. Major Lazer featuring Justin Bieber & MØ – “Cold Water”
You’re still reading? Okay. Well, this is four weeks at number one. Long by normal standards, not so much by this year’s. In fact, there hasn’t been a number one that lasted less than a month since February.
Charts – 12 August 2016
Looks like another single might be settling in for a long stay…
1. Major Lazer featuring Justin Bieber & MØ – “Cold Water”
Three weeks at number one, which is no real surprise. It’s not the top seller any more, but it does have a big lead in streams. But for a change, it has a challenge from a new entry.
2. DJ Snake featuring Justin Bieber – “Let Me Love You”
All-New X-Men #12
There’s a time honoured tradition in the X-books of following up a vaguely regrettable crossover with a rather better single-issue character piece. Dennis Hopeless and Mark Bagley actually had the best of the “Apocalypse Wars” crossovers, even if that still fell short of completely working, but this issue gives us the traditional change of gear, as the series turns its attention back to Warren and Laura.
So this is a nice, simple, light story on which a bigger point can be hung.
Charts – 5 August 2016
After last week’s exciting anticlimax, when Drake didn’t set a record after all, the singles chart has a nice lie down and a rest.
1. Major Lazer featuring Justin Bieber & MØ – “Cold Water”
It was miles ahead of everyone else last time, so it’s completely unsurprising that “Cold Water” gets a second week at number one. Combined sales and streams are actually slightly up. It still doesn’t have a proper video, by the way, which means that we haven’t had a number one single with a video since April.
