good bye 2012

sometimes I have done a year in review post here.  though after the last one I learned my lesson about putting people's names into the posts.  won't make that mistake again, I'll tell you what.  it's not like it was the worst thing to do, but live and learn, right? well, hopefully...

but this year... well, I've had better.  had worse, but definitely had better. I'm going to concentrate on the positive in this post, since I believe that's just a better choice.  besides, no one wants to read about me complaining for three paragraphs.

 I did become a connoisseur of good beers and fine whiskeys.  can't complain about that. 

Charlie the Unicorn 4

as a fan of the first three Charlie the Unicorn stories, it's nice to see a new one out after about three years. you kind of have to watch them all in order, but it's not completely necessary. they are weirdly funny, but poor Charlie.

Happy Birthday, Stan Lee

Happy 90th Birthday Stan Lee.

I'm tempted to say "nuff said" but that's probably ever so trite.  so I'll add a little more about him.  I've met him twice, and he was nice and charming to everyone that was around us.  the first time he was even nice to the kid that brought him a Supergirl comic book to sign.  that's akin to getting Roger Moore to sign a picture of Sean Connery.  I wish I had looked behind me to see if he actually signed the book, it would probably be highly collectable by somebody now.

Strange Brew - Mutants of 2051 AD

so here's the McKenzie Brother's "theatrical" movie eh. it's beauty, and done in just the right pathetic way to make it a classic in the same way "Plan 9" or "Robot Monster" is- too bad it was never finished.

who wants to fight in a bar? really?

so tonight I had a truly surreal experience.

I've been playing at the Blarney Stone's (in Claremont) Open Mic now for almost six months.  I play an electric guitar, when most of the other musicians play an acoustic.  So I use my own amp and distortion pedal because "I wanna rock!" and make a lot of noise.

I'm not great, singing and playing at the same time is way more difficult than one might think.  but I've been getting better and it's a lot of fun.

I've been slowly adding songs to my repertoire.  I like playing a new song every week, so I don't bore the audience by playing all the same songs over and over.  though I do have to playe the Spider-man theme song (Ramones version) every time I play.  Every time.  it's like my song now.  I've still got several I haven't played, but I was excited this week to play Twisted Sister's "We're not Gonna Take It" because it's a lot of fun and I thought it would be a crowd pleaser.

I Want A Hippopotamus For Christmas- Three Stooges

the song is funny, but I gotta say I prefer this version to the original, since her version is rather squeaky. you sure can hear Larry singing a lot in this one. I wonder when it was recorded?

Godzilla's Revenge still

remember when movies used to have stills and promo shots to advertise their movies?  you'd have the big poster and then 2-3 of these pictures to show you a bit more of what would be happening in the movie. 

now with 12 or more theaters showing movies there's just no room for such things, I guess.  which is really too bad, as these sorts of things are always really cool.  they also make some great collectables, if that's what you are into.  I have a few scattered about somewhere.

Godzilla- Rock You Like a Hurricane

while I completely dislike the whole "Godzilla is a force of nature" since that reduces him to a mindless accident- he's a monster, not just an animal reacting on instinct or an accident- this song works well. I also like the DIY way it was shot. I'm not a huge Scorpions fan either.

Godzilla vs Biollante DVD review

 after years of not being officially available in the US on DVD- the VHS and laser disc were, though in dubbed form only, Echo Bridge brings us the 17th Godzilla movie on R1 DVD and blu ray.  how about that?  now there's really only one movie left to get officially released, the last one of the Showa era.

when the VHS version was released in 1992 it was widescreen, but it was also about $70-$90, as it wasn't a sell through title.  I bought the DVD at Best Buy for $5.  that just astounds me still.  I don't even like the movie that much (it's script is a complete mess) but for that price I couldn't pass it up.

Mr.Snow Miser/Mr.Heat Miser Song

it used to be such a big deal when Christmas and ANY holiday specials were aired, cartoons, live action or the awesome Rankin-Bass specials. while this isn't one of my favorite ones, it does have this great song in it. I heard they made another Heat Miser/Snow Miser Xmas special, but I've never seen it. I've never seen the live action version either.

Sister Streetfighter (1974)

watched this again the other day, and it's a good movie, though I don't love it like I want to.  I'm not sure why.  the martial arts are great and there are a lot of fights in an 86 minute movie, so that's good.  the battles strike me as very Hong Kong inspired, but it they are much more violent, perhaps more "realistically" violent than say the Shaw Brothers movies of the same time period were.

Simon's Cat in 'Icecapade'

this is a cartoon from a series called appropriately enough, "Simon's Cat". they are pretty clever and quite funny, and capture certain quirky cat personality aspects very well. cats usually do these things to themselves.

Speaking of Biollante...

I got this today. $5 at Best Buy. I remember the movie was originally about $80 on vhs. I'll have a review soon.  who would believe that this movie would be that cheap now?  not me, that's for sure.

Godzilla vs. Biollante Trailer

I remember seeing this trailer in the fall of 1990. a friend of mine sent me a tape of Ultraman episodes (so rare back then) and at the end he included the trailer for the new Godzilla movie. it had a new monster in it, called Biorante or something similar. well, that was exciting!

Bride of Frankenstein (1935)

this movie clocks in at 75 minutes.  and the first 5-6 minutes are the prologue with the Shelleys and Lord Byron so it's actually shorter than the first movie.  that just astounds me that it can do and say so much in such a short time.  I wish there were still effective film editors for movies these days.

anyway, this is the movie where many of the Frankenstein Monster cliches are born- the limited vocabulary, the fear of fire, the bride and her hair, and the monster being actually sympathetic.  Boris Karloff is much better here than in the first film.  and Doctor Septimus Pretorius (Ernest Thesiger) really sets the bar high for nearly every future mad scientist, though he never really goes into scene chewing like many others would.

Sister Street Fighter 1974 - Trailer

watched this movie today. the trailer here is pretty much exactly like the Japanese one, except for credits and the dubbing. it's pretty enjoyable overall, though it's quite violent, and not in the cartoon style violence that the Chinese martial arts movies tended to be.

The Three Stooges second act

OK so the last recap was misnamed.  this is the second bit, where the boys are out to save the orphanage by raising money.  they will work for $830,000, not a bad deal at all!  naturally they get caught up in a scheme to kill this woman's husband and of course it's not what it seems.

Giant Robo vs Johnny Sokko

I'm kind of in a Sokko mood now, what with the good news from yesterday, so here's a neat little video comparison between the opening credits of the US and Japanese version of the show. I don't think much was edited out of the actual show, but the credits were changed, naturally.

Johnny Sokko and His Flying Robot - JohnnySokko and his Flying Robot: The Complete Series

my pal August broke the news on Facebook last night- he's involved in Shout! Factory's upcoming release of this fun series.  and long awaited series- it's been offered by MGM's MOD before, but never showed up.  there's a ton of boots out there, even on Amazon (here's where you can pre-order it) but these will be taken from the actual archival elements.  August is writing the booklet and production notes, so you know you will get lots of great information about the show and actors.

The Bride of Frankenstein - Trailer

the sequel is a better movie, overall. I never really thought about it much when watching either movie, but it's something that's always been said in critical circles.

Frankenstein (1931)

as I said yesterday, I watched this fine movie for the first time in over 20 years. 

it was a real eye opener.  it's rightfully considered a classic, but I was surprised at how few of the Frankenstein monster movie tropes were actually present in the movie.  I'll be going into a few of those, but I think it took another movie to see a lot of what people consider "Frankenstein Monster" actions.  by the way, the DVD I'm watching this is from the Universal Classic Monster collection, and the print is really great, like all of the ones I have (missing only the Mummy and the Wolfman).

of course, I'm also astounded that it's only 71 minutes long.  the monster doesn't even appear til about 30 minutes in, but the build up is so well done that you don't even notice it.

Frankenstein (1931) Trailer

I just watched this for the first time in probably... 30 years maybe? I cannot remember the last time I saw it in it's entirety. I'm going to post a review of it soon, or at least my thoughts on it.  I know you all can't wait!

Kamen Rider

having seen the first six episodes of Kamen Rider with English subtitles, I'm pretty impressed, though I can understand how changing the direction slightly made it into the hit it became.  it's far more of a dark story, probably closer to the comic than what it turned into after episode 14 when Ichigō left and Nigo took over.  there was no "henshin" phrase before that, and no cool arm movements to accompany it.  it's almost a horror show with an odd superhero added into it.  once the heroes changed it became a more standard super hero show, which is not a knock on it.  the series rans 98 episodes, which proves they were on the right path with the decision to alter the format a little.

those changes made it something kids could do while playing Kamen Rider.  much harder for them to do the change on the bike! it would have been frowned upon by many parents,

Happy Birthday, Godzilla

I think this would be his 59th screen birthday. I'm no mathematician, but that seems to make sense to me. anyway, I'm not writing too much about it, since more eloquent people than I already have in the past.

Wreck-It Ralph (2012)

saw this movie last night, and enjoyed it.  this is the first time I've seen a G rated movie in I don't know how long.  Was "Astro Boy" rated G?  I don't remember, but if it was that was the last time I saw one in a theater.

I'm not much of a video game player at all, so I didn't recognize every last one of the cameos and guest appearances in here.  Ralph and Felix are obvious amalgams of "Donkey Kong" and there is a definite bit of my favorite game "Rampage" in their appearance as well.  heck, some of the graphics are right out of "Rampage"!  I hear they are making a movie out of that, too.

A Martian's Christmas with the Kents

should probably save this for next month, but I'm enjoying J'onn in the early JLA comics and wanted to showcase some of his time in the cartoon. this is one of the best stories they did in the second season. lots of great touches here, from seeing Streaky to the Charlie Brown homage sweater. and J'onn eating Oreos for the first time.

Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986)

Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home is probably my favorite of the movies.  it's funny, endearing, has a message and features the entire cast in some great scenes.  the effects are well done.  man I miss actual miniatures (including the whales, of all things).  the opening title card is also pure class.

Baron Von Raschke vs Buddy Roberts

heard today that former Fabulous Freebird Buddy Roberts passed away. he was the oldest member of the team, and the one that usually took the falls to save the heat for Michael and Bam Bam. he was the weaselly one that you always wanted to see get beat up the most.

Doom Patrol #122

this is the first Doom Patrol comic book I ever bought.  I didn't know at the time it was a reprint.  it showed a team of heroes I had never seen before battling a villain who was part dinosaur.  that was just too much for my 7 year old brain, and I bought the issue in a second.  I went home and read it for the rest of the afternoon.

being a new fan, I didn't quite get the dialog about Rita making them some new outfits, as I hadn't seen the original ones.  nor did I notice the similarities to the Fantastic Four- the genius leader who is rarely seen (the Chief), the girl who can change her size (Elasti-girl), the man who can fly at astounding speeds and is made of energy (Negative Man) and the grumpy strongman (Robotman).  some fans see the similarities to the original X-men, which are also there, but I see far more similarities to the FF.

Bruce and Diana dance together

this is from the second season JLA episode "Maid of Honor". Bruce Wayne meets Princess Diana of Themyscira for the first time (ha!) and saves her from paparazzi by asking her to dance. this goes better for either of them than they would have thought.

Kookie Batman

There are just some things Batman shouldn't say. Frank Miller showed us this recently, but in the second JLA story Gardner Fox did as well.  I understand that it was hip to say back then, but it's a dopey word no matter who says it.  did Snapper have such a big influence on Batman, or perhaps the word bubble is coming from the wrong person?

Lisa Haley - Don't You Tell Your Mother

I've had the pleasure of meeting Lisa Haley and seeing her perform, she and her band are really great. had I known that I could play a violin like this I might not have given it up oh so many years ago. of course, she has a great voice as well, so that might have hindered me a bit.

JLA: The Savage Time (24, 25, 26)

returning from a mission in space, six of the JLA- Green Lantern, Hawkgirl, The Flash, Superman and Wonder Woman are saved from a temporal blast that leaves them outside a transformed Earth.  though why there wouldn't have been counterparts to them is beyond me, since Bruce has one.

The Double Riders Return!

after watching The First and The Next, I thought it would be nice to see some of the original Riders in action again. so I found this bit of excitement and drama from the second series, Kamen Rider V3. it's with Baron Fang, and he's finally got V3 where he wants him. he's planned it all out perfectly...

Kamen Rider The First (2005)

I really want to like this movie more than I do.  it's got a lot going for it, some great action, not too much "bullet time" crap (I'm so over seeing slow motion spin around punches, kicks, etc) and a good cast with a decent story.  the music is OK, but when you open with the first minute of "Let's Go! Rider Kick!" which is an awesome song, it's gonna be hard to top that. 

it's only 90 minutes long which also helps a lot.  most superhero movies should only be about that long, otherwise they tend to dip into pretentious posturing about how important they are.  or have far too many fake out endings (I'm over those as well).

the Three Stooges create Thanksgiving

in a round about way, actually. gotta love "old time" talk and muzzle loaders. which probably fired exactly like these did most of the time anyway. usually everyone posts the clip from "An Ache in Every Stake" which is funny, but overused. so I chose this today, to honor this tradition.

Dino-humor

I wonder which way I'd be motivated to run...

1960s Superheroes Themes

three of my favorites and one really good one. I never saw the Captain America cartoon as a kid, or it would probably have a similar effect on me like the last three. those I love completely.

Avengers #40

"Suddenly...the Sub-Mariner!"

Roy Thomas writer
Don Heck penciler 
George Bell inker 
Sam Rosen letterer    

essentially, Namor finds the Cosmic Cube and figures out how to use it, and the Avengers, plus Hercules have to stop him.  I believe this is historic for the being the first time Hercules and Namor have met.  I have to believe that Herc would have mopped the floor with the Sub-Mariner.  It would have been cool if Herc had dropped the fact that he is on a first name basis with Poseidon/Neptune, since that's someone that Namor has met in the past as well.

The Rainmakers - "Downstream"

one of my favorite bands from the 80s- I had their first three albums which I really enjoyed. the music was good and the lyrics were funny, fascinating and somewhat controversial, depending on the song. the band was from Kansas City, MO, and still are, from what I can tell.

superhero comics in The Watchmen

remember The Watchmen? 

yeah, most of us do.  it was all groundbreaking and beautiful and how superheroes would actually be in the "real" world.  to a certain degree, anyway.  it sure was big news back in the day.  it's still a pretty good work of fiction, though it's legacy has been diluted to many comics trying to achieve the same thing with known characters who were not designed to be in any kind of adult situation likes these characters were.  the majority of famous comic book characters were designed for kids, not adults or cynical, stunted semi-adults who want everything to be dark, gritty and realistic.

and fie upon that sort of thinking- it's why I don't read new comics these days.  that's not why I'm writing this though.

Thomas Dolby - Europa And The Pirate Twins

in a fair world, this song would have been a far bigger hit than "She Blinded me With Science" (as good as that song actually is). it's an amazing piece of video as well, imaginative and goes well with the song. I saw and heard this all at once back on "FM-TV" on Channel 12. you just never knew what you would see or hear back then.

Android Kikaider manga

as has been noted here, Kikaida is one of my favorite heroes and one of my favorite live actions shows.  it's really good.  I enjoy the sequel quite a bit as well, since it's action packed and has one of the best closing songs ever. 

just click the tags to see what I've written on this blog.

The Wayne's World Band - Pain Cave

back in 1992, when eMpTV used to show stuff about music, you know, videos and such, they had a special about the first Wayne's World movie. this clip is from that show, a song Garth wrote. he has issues.

Ultraman 25: The Dreaded Comet Tsuiphon

comet 24 is on a collision course with the Earth! well, only for about 2 minutes, then it will only come within 22,000 miles of our planet.  there's a lot of concern though, especially once it's remembered that there are six hydrogen bombs that were lost and might explode due to the intense radiation from the comet.

Awesome Forces by the Aquabats

well, the song is by the Aquabats. the video is by fans. just watch, it's great. just like the song. I wonder if the band has seen it.

Frankenstein, Jr.: The Menace of the Heartless Monster (BLB #16)

I had this book when I was a kid, probably got it when I couldn't quite understand the concept of the book.  not that it's incredibly esoteric or anything, but by the time I got old enough to actually read the darn thing it had started disintegrating- covers gone, pages missing (what do you want for a $.39 book, after all?).  I'd love to get another copy of it, as Franky, Jr is a favorite of mine now.  wonder why they never did an Impossibles book.  it's hard to find information on these books if you don't actually own one.  the books are almost 300 pages, though half of them are drawings, so it's not that long a story.

Attack of the Crab Monsters (1957)

once more, here is the trailer to Attack of the Crab Monsters. what a fun movie. and it's pretty effective. so much so that by the time the monsters show up you can accept it fairly easily. it's atmospheric and nicely acted.

30 years of the Young Ones!

I think I discovered this great show in about 1985 or so, a few years after it had aired in the UK. MTV showed all 12 episodes uncut, and with no commercial interruptions at all. how about that? the channel used to rock. anyway, by that time most of the group had moved on to other things, but "Neil" showed up to be a VJ, I think. I thought today was the 30 anniversary of the show, but Wiki says it's the 9th of November. not that it really matters!

Avengers 39

"The Torment...and the Triumph!"

Writer- Roy Thomas
Artist- Don Heck
Inker- George Bell
Letterer- Artie Simek
Dog Catcher- Irv Forbush

the story opens with the Avengers reading the news about the Black Widow being a traitor.  for a change, none of them really believe it, not even Goliath.  Hawkeye cuts out to do some moping, and them some detective work.  and promptly gets captured by The Mad Thinker and his Triumvirate of Terror, who I thought originally were the Wrecking Crew, but apparently this has been their only appearance.  the Thinker is still annoyed by his defeats and wants revenge on the Avengers.  he also wants all of the secrets Tony Stark has in the Avengers Mansion.

Brad Armstrong vs. Tim Horner

I saw this angle unfold as it happened in early 1984. it was part of a tournament to face World Champion Ric Flair in Baltimore. Jack Brisco had already advanced, and Tim Horner had beaten Hawk with a clean pin (yeah, the Roadies never put anyone over). of course this ties in with this angle as well...

Avengers #38

yet another great Gil Kane cover...

"In Our Midst...An Immortal!"

Writer: Roy Thomas
Artist: Don Heck
Inker: George Bell
Letterer: Artie Simek


we've added inker credits now on the inside.

we open with Hank and Hawk renewing their quarrel about Natasha becoming an Avenger.  Cap and Pietro intervene, and they start their meeting... without the Black Widow being there.  where is she?  well, she gets kidnapped by S.H.I.E.L.D. and asked to become a double agent.  not exactly the way I would have gone about it, but it's an exciting sequence.

Battle in Outer Space (1959)

again, the original one has been removed or something, so here's the theatrical trailer and a few tv trailers when it's paired with "Gigantis, the Fire Monster".  I would have been all over that show!

Rodan, the Flying Monster (1957)

reposting the trailer since the original one is gone now. click on the tag and you can see where and how I've talked about Rodan in the past. I love the prehistoric flying reptiles, always have, and the pteranodon is my favorite, which means Rodan is one of my favorite monsters.

JLA: Metamorphosis (22, 23)

this is a self absorbed self centered douche bag named Simon Stagg.  he was that way in the comics and he's that way in these two episodes. he's trying to create an genetically gifted worker that can adapt itself to any conditions.  he calls this creation "Metamorpho"  and he's using illegal mutagens to do this.

House of Frankenstein (1944)

I saw the Universal movies a lot growing up- more than any of the Hammer versions. so I'm not surprised I prefer them overall, though I really enjoy many of the Hammer movies as well. they all had a rather loose continuity to them, even including the ones with Bud and Lou.

Starcrash (1979)

I so want to like this movie more than I do. it really tries hard, and has a great title character with Caroline Munroe. too bad they redubbed her with some generic voice, her English one would have been more exotic.

Invisible Invaders (1959)

remember when TNT was fun and used to show cool movies and tv shows? 100% Weird aired many movies I'd never seen before, and this was one of them. I remember it being a neat little yarn about aliens possessing the recently dead so they can take over the Earth. anyone watching the movie will notice similarities to a few other movies that were released later.

Frankenstein Conquers the World (1965)

once again, I post this trailer- it was removed from last year's blog post. I'm not sure why youtube takes them down, since it's just promotional material for the movies. makes no sense to me!

Valley of the Dragons (1961)

here's an interesting little movie, loosely based on Jules Verne's "Career of a Comet," which is full of stock footage from several movies, notably (and not surprisingly) "One Million, BC". I didn't see it until it aired on TNT in the early 90s, but I kind of like it. the actors are good and the stock footage is integrated as well as possible overall.

Monster Zero (1965)

you actually get two trailers for the price of one, as it was released on a double bill with War of the Gargantuas here in the States in 1970. a pretty good pairing, if you ask me. I'd have loved to see that on a drive in back then.

The Wolf Man (1941)

my other favorite Universal monster, after the Creature, is the Wolfman. he sort of becomes a hero in a few movies, notably House of Dracula (1945) and Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948).  heck, he's even cured in the House of Dracula!  uh, hope that's not a spoiler for anyone.

The Flesh Eaters (1964)

I can't believe I've never put up this trailer, much less talked about this movie! I never saw it as a kid, and I'm kind of glad I didn't as I think it would have freaked me out. it's incredibly effective at what it does. it's really quite creepy and almost too realistic. this is a shorter trailer, but has Jack Curtis talking at the beginning. gotta love the hype!

The Angry Red Planet (1959)

the earlier movie from Ib Melchior, which is a bit better than "Journey" I think. saw this one again on late night Sci-Fi Flicks, and somehow, missed the ending completely. it really through me! and then it NEVER aired again. sure stuck in my brain though. so I was quite happy to find it on VHS and finally see how it ended. damn channel 2 and their drunken editing!

Journey To The Seventh Planet (1962)

saw this one once or twice as a kid... it reminded me of The Martian Chronicles even then. I like the movie for what it is, though, and it has some really cool effects. I remember seeing it after I had tried making my own laser effects on film, by scratching lines into the actual film. the lasers in this movie were accomplished the same way!

Godzilla vs Megalon DVD... extras edition

I really like this shot of the car driving up to the battling monsters.

just watched the entire movie with commentary by Steve Ryfle and Stuart Galbraith. I usually never listen to commentaries on movies.  I'd rather watch a documentary.  mostly because I end up wanting to watch said movie without people talking over it.  however, I know this movie very well, and these two men know their stuff.  they almost know it too well.

GHIDRAH, THE THREE-HEADED MONSTER (1964)

I'm always surprised at some of the trailers that I haven't used here- like this one! one of my favorite Godzilla movies and this is the first time I've used the trailer. perhaps I just figured it was here already (after five years of blogging, who can blame me for forgetting such things?). I've talked about the movie a few times, I know that.

great Megalon news (part 2)!

remember this here post from a year and a half ago? well, there was a lot of controversy and speculation before during and after it's production.  Toho had it's say about all sorts of things, and Media Blasters was reduced to releasing a "movie only" version (I don't like the term "bare bones").  Or was it?

The Time Machine (1960)

yes, I just saw the episode of "The Big Bang Theory" where the gang buys a full size replica of the Time Machine. it was pretty cool, and when they "used" it they did a really good and funny job pretending to be moving in time.

JLA: A Knight Of Shadows (20, 21)

Batman and Jason Blood/Etrigan run into Morgaine le Fey and her son, Mordred.  she's after the Philosopher's stone.  Dumbledore must have hidden it better after this attempt.  she will use it's power to give recreate Camelot for Mordred to rule over. Batman calls in the League to help stop her.

Godzilla vs Megalon (1976)

I'm astounded I have not shown this trailer before now, since it had such an influence on me when I saw it before the re-release of Bambi in 1976. I have recounted that experience (search Megalon and you'll find it easily) but here's the actual trailer that was screened that fateful day.

The Brain From Planet Arous (1957)

one of my favorite B movies, due to the sheer outragenousness of the execution of it's concept. good and evil space brains coming to Earth? possessing both man and animal? everyone's favorite sci-fi hero, John Agar (how many genre movies did he make?)? it's just too cool.

Mermaids of Tiburon (1962)

It's not an actual trailer, but it's a promo for the R2 UK DVD. I've never seen the movie in color, so this was a real surprise to me that it is a gorgeous as it is. I saw this film as a kid, in the middle of the night, and it was always in b/w to me. the copy I have now is in b/w, still, and was recorded from a tv station in Boston.

Kronos (1957)

this is a good movie- it was made fun of a lot back in the 70s in various monster mags and books, but it's got a higher reputation when seen in it's proper scope. the "monster" is quite unique, and the effects are really well done. to top it off, it's got a decent script and actors.

JLA: Legends (18, 19)

or as some of us might call it, "Crisis on Two Earths"...

Luthor has attacked the city (with a robot slightly resembling Annihilus) and defeating it causes the Flash, GL, Hawkgirl and the Martian Manhunter (they never call him this) to be sent to an alternate Earth.  let's call it Earth 2A.  in the commentary of the second episode they say they really wanted to use the JSA, but DC told 'em no.  there's no sequel if they did!

20 Million Miles To Earth (1957)

here's a Harryhausen movie that was aired once that I know of when I was growing up. I remember this because it was Friday night in September, when the new Saturday morning line ups were about to premiere. I'm thinking it was either 1977 or 1978, since Darth Vader was appearing on both ABC and NBC that evening. well, we watched the specials (and not being very impressed with the new lineup, all those damn Scooby Doo clones) and shut off the tv for the night.

Revenge of the Creature (1955)

the second best Creature movie (it's not hard to decide which order they go in, really) is a lot of fun. he is captured and brought to Florida where he escapes and runs amok. someone at KWGN Channel 2 was a fan of Universal monster movies, as these aired almost on a monthly basis, either late Friday night or Sunday afternoons.

Avengers #37

let's just start off with what an awesome cover provided by Gil Kane.

"To Conquer a Colossus!"
Writer: Roy Thomas
Artist: Don Heck
Letterer: Artie Simek

the story picks up right from where we left off, and pretty much is one battle after another.   this issue moves right along, which is a good thing, and there's a fair amount of characterization along with the action.

The Mole People (1956)

what is the deal with the prologue at the beginning of this movie? I've watched it a few times, and yet I never remember it, or how hilarious it is. the "scientist" who is a language professor goes on about how the Earth could be hollow. I can't believe anyone over the age of 15 believed that he was serious.

Ultraman 24: The Underwater Science Base

nice forced perspective shot here!  all done in camera.
anyway, an underwater science base is opened.  a bunch of civilians show up and a little girl, Jenny, is selected to go with them.

The Mysterians (1959)

I've written about my first viewing experience with this fine movie. the trailer is quite awesome though. I was talking about it to a friend of mine, mentioning the slight differences between the US and Japanese versions. In fact, I can only really think of one edit in the movie:

The Unholy Rollers (1972)

had never heard of this movie until the other day.  so far it's a pretty typical 70s exploitation movie, but at least it's got some good movie and a decent cast.  the banked track isn't very banked, but I think that's how it was in the early 70s.

Tobor the Great (1954)

this is one I saw as a kid, so I remember it fondly. it's not a bad little movie, though I said that about the Slime People recently, and when I watched it I was not as impressed. so perhaps I'll watch this one again soon. but I like the design of the robot here a lot.

Tarantula (1955)

these 50s sci-fi monster movies are in a class by themselves. they have fun casts and a sense of let's try anything to scare the audience. and not all of them were about radiation. this movie has a pretty scary monster, who wouldn't be afraid of a giant spider? though as slow as it moves, if you can't outrun it you deserve to be eaten.

GAMMERA THE INVINCIBLE (1965)

I know the movie was made in '65, but I am pretty sure it was released on the US in 1966. just for the record, right? anyway, the last version I posted is no longer on the blog, so here it is again. you can even hear the cool theme song in the back ground. I should learn to play that!

The Bride of the Monster (1955)

I can't say I like this more than Plan Nine, but I bet it's almost on the same level. I really appreciate Ed Wood being able to get anything made and distributed at all. by all intents and purposes he should never have been able to make anything on film, let alone a complete movie.

Avengers #36

"The Ultroids Attack!"

Writer: Roy Thomas

Penciler: Don Heck

Letterer: Sam Rosen

(same crew as last time, I wonder if Don was inking his own pencils at this time?)

Wanda shows up at the Mansion, exhausted.  she tells Cap Peitro has been kidnapped by a UFO and the rest of the Avengers head off to help him.

The Blob (1958)

I saw this movie for the first time in 1978. someone decided that the jr high should show movies for the kids on Fridays and this was the first of many promised to be shown. sadly, it was the only movie they did the entire three years I attended Longs Peak Jr High.

Invasion of the Saucer Men (1957)

perhaps some of the most iconic of 50s aliens are these Saucer Men. their pictures were always in magazines. oddly enough, it never aired in my area while I was growing up. we got the lousy remake, "Invasion of the Eye Creatures" but not the original. weird, and sad, since this is one cool little flick.

The Slime People Trailer (1963)

I saw the beginning of this movie on the Saturday Sci-fi-o-rama show (I really wish I could remember the name of it) and it really scared me. remember, this would have been the early 70s and I would have been about 7 or 8. it scared me enough that I didn't sit through the end of it.

Godzilla, King of the Monsters!

as is my custom during the month of October, I'll be presenting a trailer a day from various movies, monster themed of course. some may be repeats from the previous years, but I'm going to go under the assumption that the trailers have been removed, as happens now and then. so without further ado, let's proceed!

Avengers #35

"The Light That Failed!"

Writer: Roy Thomas

Penciler: Don Heck

Letterer: Sam Rosen
some guy named Lee edited it, with his name at the top.

this is Roy Thomas first Avengers story.  and as that, I can't quite believe the huge mistake that happened in the first two pages of the comic.  what the heck was he thinking?

yes, it really is that boneheaded.  it's probably what caused the invention of the famous "no-prize" for readers to try to explain it away, and I'd love to see how it was done.  'cause I just can't grasp it.

Gwangi vs. Styracosaurus

I've never cared much for this battle in the movie, it's just lacking something. the styracosaurus is not one of my favorite dinosaurs and the fight is so short. and the cowboys take out the vegetarian to help Gwangi? that's not so smart.

Spider-man vs who?

Took me five minutes to read this poorly drawn comic book. I want them back.  The story wasn't awful, but I'm almost personally offended by the cover.

it's rare that art can turn me off so much, but this sure did. I also didn't see where they acknowledged the great story that this cover rips off pays "homage" to, but I was trying to wrap my brain around loner Spider-man being part of the Avengers. and Aunt May being remarried?

Herbert Lom as Chief Inspector Dreyfus

Herbert Lom passed away today at the age of 95. he was a brilliant actor, playing werewolves and musketeers with equal aplomb.

Batman : "Chill of the Night!"

in this great episode of "The Brave and the Bold" the Spectre (voiced by Mark Hamill) and the Phantom Stranger (voiced by Kevin Conroy) have a bet about what path Batman will take: the path of the grim avenger or the the path of dispenser of justice.  he's about to find out who actually killed his parents.

The making of Godzilla vs the Smog Monster

just some behind the scenes stuff set to Ifukube music. probably fan made since they didn't add music from the movie, which is too bad. I'm glad someone filmed stuff like this. these days, you get all sorts of mostly useless making of extras on DVDs, since it's so cheap to record digitally. recording with film is a bit different.

UFO Robot Grendizer

(UFOロボ·グレンダイザー UFO Robo Gurendaizā)

I was introduced to this robot via the 3" Shogun warriors line, where he was called "Grandizer".  either way it works for me.  he's a very cool looking robot, and the weaponry is interesting and unique.

of course, there was no history on any of the robots in that line.  I also bought a Leopardon, and had to wonder why it had a spider emblem on it.  I speculated about it having some kind of spider powers, little did I know how right I was back in the late 70s and early 80s.  great minds do think alike and all.

The Quiet Man - Original Trailer

this is one of my favorite movies. I can't imagine anyone NOT liking it. so here's the original trailer, which seems to give quite a bit of the movie away.

New BLB #17 Aquaman

"Scourge of the Sea"
by Paul S. Newman

I don't think this is my original, since it's got a $1.00 sticker on the inside cover.  wish I remembered when I bought it, think it was at a sale at a mall.  I got several that day, I believe.  the cover... well, it's interesting.  Aquaman doesn't look very heroic.

in this one, a mysterious radioactive object drops from the sky into the ocean (presumably near Atlantis).  Aquaman and "his mermaid mate" Mera are called in to investigate.  they soon are captured by a net, but Mera's hard water powers quickly free them.  she makes a giant pair of scissors.  why not a couple of cutlasses, keeping with an underwater theme?

THE AVENGING WARRIORS Of SHAOLIN - BLACK BELT THEATER

this was my first full length Shaw Brothers movie. I knew nothing about them or the Venoms or even kung fu, but I sure enjoyed this movie. it must have been the early 80s when it made the rounds on local tv. naturally I never thought to write down the names of these films. so for years I never knew it's name, nor if I'd ever see it again.

Avengers #34

"The Living Laser"

[Story/Plot] /Stan Lee/

[Pencil/Layout] /Don Heck/

[Ink/Finishing] /Art Simek/

my introduction to the Living Laser was in issue #153, and he was nearly as silly looking by then.  I had no idea who he was or his origin, so this was an interesting read for me.  the guy is a certifiable stalker as written here, even if the word hadn't been defined as such yet.  so naturally that whole aspect gets dropped almost immediately.

Valley of the Dinosaurs intro

this debuted the same year as "Land of the Lost" did, and I wanted to like it as much, but it was sadly done as during the boring years of cartoons. nothing really exciting happened, it seemed. I haven't seen a complete episode in probably 20 years. the acting is quite good, and it seems like the animation was decent. the intro is pretty exciting though.

Comics now...

I rarely go to comic book stores now, because comic books just aren't much fun any more. I went to my old one today. It was nice to see the place and the owner, but I don't miss these books at all. I mean really, what have they done to Carol?

Ultraman Jack vs Black King and Alien Nackle

this is a really great action clip, and shows that Ultras needed human help on occasion. I've not seen a lot of "Return of Ultraman" and this is cool. it does kind of leave you on a cliffhanger though!

Avengers #33

"To Smash A Serpent"

w: Stan Lee
a: Don Heck
l: Artie Simek
Snake Charmer: Irving Forbush
(when did the colorists starting getting their credit?)

since everything has been set up in the last issue, we get a lot of action in this one. 

Cap is a prisoner of the Serpents and then changes to their side.  or does he?  Hawkeye thinks Goliath is a coward and then realizes he's shot off his mouth early again.  Bill Foster gets angry at the Avengers for not standing up to the Serpents.  good thing Goliath has a plan!

Adam Ant - Puss 'n Boots

this is a great song (one of two great songs off this record) and possibly the best thing Phil Collins has ever been associated with (until South Park). it's a bit silly here and there visually, but it also features a dead sexy actress, how surprising in an Adam Ant video. not.

Avengers #32

"The Sign of the Serpent"

here we and the Marvel Universe are introduced to the racist organization the "Sons of the Serpent".  I'm sure they still exist in some form or another in the MU.

however, our heroes return home from their last adventure and Goliath is still feeling sorry for himself.  this leads Cap to call Hank out, and a small fracas ensues.  the Wasp is worried about Cap, but Hawkeye reassures her that Cap knows what he's doing.  and after two pages Hank is back to his normal self and Jan is grateful to Steve for helping her man.  one can tell that Hawkeye also really respects Cap and their friendship is evident in their little exchange.

Jerry Lawler & Austin Idol vs The Road Warriors promo

there's good news on the Jerry Lawler front, he's apparently suffered no brain damage from his heart attack. I'm glad to hear that, as Jerry was also great on the stick, as evidenced by this promo in April of 1984. I so wish I had been able to get to the Omni once to see a card in this time period.

Jerry Lawler vs the Champions

it's odd that I was watching this DVD last night, as Jerry "The King" Lawler had a heart attack on the set of RAW.  my best wishes for a speedy recovery for him and for strength for his family and friends.  though at first I thought this was a very elaborate work on the part of the WWF.  yeah, I'm that jaded now about the biz. 

sorry Jerry!

Ultra Q, Garamon Attacks

with all the talk of Ultra Seven and now Ultra Q being released on DVD, I have been looking up some clips of the shows. well, mostly Ultra Q. I put the theme music on here some time ago, and then I found this little mini-movie clip. I hope the Ultra Q DVD set is in black and white and not that colorized crap.

Ultra Seven on DVD

this was a bit of unexpected news- an R1 set of the second (or third, I suppose, depending on how you count them) Ultra series.  here, I'll rephrase that: the second series to feature an Ultra from M78.  there, it's more factual now.  I know in a year I'll wonder why I even bothered.

anyway, this is considered by many to be the pinnacle of Ultra series.  it's really good.  it appears there will be no English dub on this set and for a change, that doesn't bother me at all.

Gatchaman Intro/Outro

still slowly making my way through the 105 or so episodes of the original (and best) Gatchaman series. I really like the music of the show, and especially the closing theme song. usually I like the opening one more, but not this time.

Star Trek's 46th anniversary

I think the actual day is tomorrow, at least according to the Wiki page, but really who cares?  46 years is 46 years for this wonderful show.  it's one of my earliest memories (the rock monster/alien from "The Savage Curtain") and I had to be about three at the time.  that alien scared the hell out of me, and I was relieved to see it change back to a rock form every so often.  I didn't remember the entire episode, but the alien sure stood out.

Batman TAS 20 Anniversary

it's hard to believe this excellent tv show is now 20 years old. I remember seeing the promos and not being sure how to take it. but once the first episode aired ("On Leather Wings") I knew this would be pretty good. after about a week or so I knew it would be great. this is a fun little clip of the villains discussing issues with Batman, and has one of my favorite lines in the series.

Xenorama logos

I love this banner, created by Chris "Mr. Owari" Elam.  In fact, he did several banner type deals for me, including one I've used as the banner for this very blog.

1990s Captain America cartoon promo

apparently Saban was interested in making a Captain America cartoon back then. I presume due to the success of the X-Men and Spider-man cartoons. I'm kind of surprised this wasn't made, since it seems a natural for the time period.

Happy birthday, Thuvia Jane!

She turns five today.  Been my lgs now for little over four years. I love her.

Ultraman 23: The Earth is My Home

mysterious accidents have been happening, and it seems an invisible invader is the culprit.  Ito figures out a way to make the saucer visible.

RIP Hal David

Hal David passed away yesterday at the age of 91. you can read a far better eulogy here than I could hope to write, but I enjoyed many of his songs with collaborator Burt Bacharach. there's no denying the two were pretty great with a tune.

Return of Ultraman

this is one Ultra series I've not seen that much of.  I've watched the first four episodes that were dubbed into "English" in Malaysia and they were very enjoyable, even with the barely understandable dialect.  episode 3 was the first one I ever saw, so it's one of my favorites.  I've also seen the two episodes where Ultraman and Ultra Seven show up, in the late 30s or so.  good stuff there, too.

Doctor Who Children In Need Special 2007

man I love the stories where the Doctor meets his past selves. I wish Tom Baker would do one of these while he's still with us. there just haven't been enough of the "original" Doctors meeting the newer ones. just for fun's sake.

Forbidden Planet C57-D

it's not secret I love The Forbidden Planet.  the actors are great, the effects are awesome and the soundtrack is unusually weird.  all positive points.  and that it's such a major influence on Star Trek doesn't hurt.