The (new) Flash

I've seen one or two episodes of this show, but since it's on Netflix I thought I'd watch it some more.  So I'm about three episodes in (I really try not to do this binge watching thing) and so far I have to say I quite enjoy it.  There are so many nods for us long term fans I can forgive Barry for looking like he's about 12 years old.  And I do wish the costume was a little brighter, and the villains had their costumes, but the writing is good and there isn't nearly as much "dark and gritty realism" in the show.

Happy birthday, Ace

One of my top five favorite guitarists of all time. While I can't quite play like Ace, I tend to stand like him. I love the way his guitar playing sounds and I always thought he brought an unique view to KISS.

update Marine

Come on, we all wanted that boomerang!  It almost always returned to his hand when thrown and it had a super electric charge.  It was as good as Cap's shield!  It also worked perfectly underwater as well as on land which pretty much made it the perfect weapon for anyone, since there were a few episodes where different people would use the boomerang to great effect., including Splasher.  This should come as no surprise to anyone, since the dolphin had already shown he could walk on land nearly as well as most people.

Cliff Richard & The Young Ones - Living Doll

"Oh Cliff! Do you feel sometimes as IF you have been pushed off a cliff! Cliff!" Now I may have posted this before, but I did search the blog and didn't see it. I love the Young Ones and am glad they did this video with Rick's hero Cliff. I never knew had big Cliff was until I saw this show.

Avengers #63

"And In This Corner... Goliath!"

by Roy Thomas, Gene Colan and George Klein

I knew of this Goliath long before I ever knew Henry Pym had been the giant hero.  I also didn't figure out Hawkeye was this Goliath either for a while.  Of course, I never read this origin story until it was reprinted in Marvel Super Action, but I love this costume.  The vagaries of reading stories out of order when I was a kid.

Marine Boy v2 update

Here I thought I was almost ready to go with the update to the book.  Turns out I was wrong as the computer gremlins ate every file with the name Marine Boy on it, aside from the pictures and my original notes.  Fortunately I don't have to write everything all over again, but I am really bummed I lost all of my updates.  On the plus side I'll have better pictures now, with all of the DVD sets in my collection. And I do still have the wonderful cover.  I may design a new back cover as well, since the original one isn't that great.

It Came from Beneath the Sea (1955)

Haven't watched this in years, but it was always one I liked.  Probably because it was one I saw as a kid, and in one of the best memories.  We were away on a family vacation and in the mountains with a small b/w tv with reception of exactly one channel.  Thank Poseidon it was Channel 4, the very station that was airing this fine movie.  I set the alarm to go off about ten minutes before the movie started, since you had to let the set warm up before you could see your show.

Gigantis, the Fire Monster (1959)

Godzilla and Angilas are found battling on a remote island.  This battle takes them to Japan, where Godzilla "kills" Angilas and then mankind has to figure out how to stop him, again.  This time we manage to do it without disintegrating him completely with a weapon that doesn't bear up under close examination at all.

Dacya, the birthday cat

Today is her tenth birthday.  She's still full of energy and tortitude and always tells me exactly what is on her mind.  She's my little black and tan and I am grateful to have her in my life.

Harryhausen on blu ray

Picked this disc up while in San Diego.  Neither of these are my favorite movies of his, but for a blu ray to cost $4 I couldn't turn them down.  Thank goodness these are just the black and white versions (at least from what I could tell by the back of the box, as I don't have them in my possession at the moment, thanks Southwest) and not the crayonized versions of a few years ago.  Ever notice how colorization rears it's poorly done head every few years only to fade from conversation shortly there after?  People that don't like black and white movies and shows should never get to watch them, and they are still less likely to watch older shows even if in color.  Those people are stupid and should be avoided.

The Great Pulp Heroes

I got this book maybe ten years ago, before I started blogging.  I love pulp stories, even if they don't always feature people in flashy costumes.  Many of them who wore costumes tended to be all in black, i.e. the Shadow and the Spider.  Heck, some were even completely invisible!  These heroes and villains flourished for quite some time on cheap pulp paper, even after four color comics came into being and dented their sales with actual superheroes.  Many of the more popular heroes did try their hand at comic books, but most were changed into characters that barely resembled their original IDs.

Godzilla, King of the Monsters! (1956)

This was not my first, second or even fifth Godzilla movie.  So it didn't really shape my thoughts of the character, which is good, since in this movie Godzilla really has no character at all.  He just plows through buildings and is the stand in for the atomic bomb.  I don't know how I would have reacted to him if this had been my first movie.  I would have liked it, I think, but the next movie would have certainly been a revelation. 

Prehistoric Scenes

I had many of of these as a kid- enough to set them all together and run out of room on a large table.  But even for me there were too many to get.  Some I never cared if I got, like the cave people or most of the prehistoric mammals.  I mean, they are kind of neat, but I wanted dinosaurs and these really delivered them in spades.  And really, who cares about animals trapped in a tar pit?  Nothing much moved in that kit, I'll tell you what!  Add to that that most of them had some movable parts and were snap-togethers and these was made for me.

Avengers #62

Now this one I read as a kid. It was my first exposure to Wakanda.  I got it first as a read it as a reprint (minus a few panels) in Jungle Action #5, since Marvel was trying to launch the Panther in his own series then.  Since he was my second favorite hero (after the Vision) I bought the issue, never quite reading that it was an Avengers reprint.  I was a naive little kid, OK?  But it was mostly about the Panther, so it all worked for me at the time.