Here is the beginning of the cover for the next issue of Xenorama. It is a look at just the first Kamen Rider series, the one that started it all. There are a lot of episodes here to examine, and so much action. Rider punch! It was fun re-watching the whole series again, though. There's not that much more to say about the series, except it really is great. I would not be surprised to learn that the success of this show caught Toei off guard, especially after Fujioka broke his leg before the first 13 episodes were finished.
Saturday, December 31, 2022
Friday, December 30, 2022
Thursday, December 29, 2022
100 years of Stan Lee
Stan Lee would have turned 100 years old yesterday. He, along with his vast array of co-creators, brought to life so many memorable characters that still live on. The first character he created was the Mighty Destroyer, way back in the early 40s. I knew none of this when I started reading comic books, but I did notice his name was all over the place. I was happy to have met him a time or two over the years, but wish that I had thanked him for all the memories he provided. He was a great man, and also a great showman.
Wednesday, December 28, 2022
Robot MOTW- Mechagodzilla 93
This is not the most fearsome looking version of Mechagodzilla (nothing will top the original) but it did manage to kill the second series monster. At least for a few minutes, anyway. It is loaded with weapons, but looks barely mobile. Rodan and a baby Godzilla are running around the movie as well. This MG is also a transformer, as it can pair with the Garuda and become Super Mechagodzilla. The weapons are all beams, which allow it to stay away from Godzilla. Part of the plan to kill Godzilla stems from a now discredited theory of dinosaurs having a second or hind brain to relay commands to their lower bodies. This would not work today, obviously.
Tuesday, December 27, 2022
Monday, December 26, 2022
Trailing the Pink Panther FIlms (2022)
Sunday, December 25, 2022
Sven- Abbott and Costello Meet the Invisible Man (1951)
Bud and Lou finally graduate from detective school. They immediately get involved with a boxer on the run, the rather unlikable Tommy Nelson. He's been framed, see, and needs the boys to clear his name. Tommy's fiance, Helen Gray, has an uncle, Dr. Philip Gray, who has rediscovered Jack Griffin's invisibility serum. Ol' Tommy boy wants to use it, but is denied since it can cause mental instability. Guess who shoots himself up with it anyway? This leads to Bud becoming a boxer, and many shenanigans in the ring. Finally, Tommy gets cleared and turns visible. Lou becomes invisible for a minute, then reappears with his legs on backwards. Bud says he always gets things wrong.
Saturday, December 24, 2022
Epic Collection- Avengers: Kang War
I began reading the Avengers comic book series in earnest at issue #101. Then kind of stopped after #109, with sporadic issues after that, until about #141. Somehow I missed the whole origin of the Vision and all the giant size annuals or whatever until #7. This still astounds me, though my guess is that I had recently discovered GIANT MONSTERS and had to choose between an issue of Famous Monsters or various comic books. Godzilla often won that battle, at least for a time. I did not pay enough attention to what was going on in the book, since as regular readers know, I love the Vision. ALL of these issues had something to do with the Vision and Wanda.
Friday, December 23, 2022
Thursday, December 22, 2022
Strange World (2022)
Jaeger Clade and his son, Searcher are out exploring a way over the mountains, to see what is on the other side. No one has ever done that before. Searcher finds a plant full of energy, and decides to harvest it and go home. Jaeger is upset and continues his quest. Some 25 years later "Pando" the energy source is not working, and the Clades go on a quest to save it. Things are never quite as they appear, and surprises abound in the world beneath the surface. Also, the family has to come to terms with each other so they can complete their mission.
Wednesday, December 21, 2022
Robot MOTW- The Colossus of New York
From Wikipedia- "Following an accident, Jeremy Spensser's brain is transplanted by his scientist father into the huge body of an unattractive, frightening cyborg, to save his brilliant son's mind so that it can continue to serve mankind. Soon, his son's brain becomes transformed by the experimental procedure, losing key attributes that make him human and define his personality." It also develops death rays from it's eyeballs, and of course, runs amok before Jeremy's son manages to touch his lost humanity and shut the robot body down.
Tuesday, December 20, 2022
Monday, December 19, 2022
Sunday, December 18, 2022
Sven- Invisible Agent (1942)
Saturday, December 17, 2022
Marvel's Hercules movie
Hercules was introduced into the MCU at the end of Thor 4. He will be played by Brett Goldstein, and looks pretty close to his comic book counterpart. I have some thoughts about how I would do his first movie. Zeus has sent him out to kill Thor, or at least humiliate him in some manner. Once he arrives on Earth looking for Thor, I would have him meet and battle some other menace for the majority of the movie. This would be a way of introducing him to current Earth and his supporting cast, while looking for Thor. I would only have the God of Thunder show up at the end of the movie, setting up the clash of titans that way, as well as the next movie. That way Marvel wouldn't have to cram it all into another 3 hour movie.
Friday, December 16, 2022
Thursday, December 15, 2022
Xenorama #48 is on sale now!
"Guitars and Marshall stacks!"
Here it is! A celebration of Josie and the Pussycats franchise. We cover the cartoons, the comic books and the most excellent movie. Josie's actual 60th anniversary is next year, as she debuted in in 1963. She got her own mag soon after, and the Pussycats were formed about six years later, in preparation for the cartoons series. The gang has been around since then, in one form or another.
Wednesday, December 14, 2022
Robot MOTW- Ultron 7
Tuesday, December 13, 2022
Samurai Jack season 2 (2002)
Monday, December 12, 2022
Sunday, December 11, 2022
Emerald's "gotcha" Day
I have already reviewed Creature with the Atom Brain here, about eleven years ago. My views haven't changed. So let's talk about Emi again!
It was actually yesterday that I brought Emerald home. She's been here four years now and has really come out of her shell. She plays with Kaida all the time. They do have their disagreements, but mostly get along. Kaida has even tried to clean Emi on occasion, though Emi isn't that receptive. She arrived at nine pounds and now weighs just under twelve pounds. She lost a bit of weight do to the "getaway-chase" game the girls play. A two year old cat has a LOT of energy. I love you, Emi!
Saturday, December 10, 2022
Friday, December 9, 2022
The Amazing 3 (1965)
Here's a rather unknown to the general public cartoon brought over from Japan in the wake of Astro Boy. It was dubbed by Copri in Florida, and is pretty straightforward, like the other Japanese cartoon series they dubbed. The basis is that three agents from Galactic Control are sent to Earth to see if the planet will be saved or destroyed. They take the form of three animals, a duck with a Beatles hair cut, a horse and a rabbit. They make friends with an Earthling named Kenny/Shinichi. They help him and his secret agent brother Randy/Koichi defeat a host of vile villains over 52 episodes. Then the moment of decision is upon them.
Thursday, December 8, 2022
Wakanda Forever (2022)
In which Namor, the Submariner, prince of... Talokon, wants help from the Wakandas to protect the world's supply of vibranium from the surface dwellers. Nations are demanding Wakanda shares it, and some are trying to steal it from Wakanda. There is also a young scientist Riri Williams who built a vibraniun detector. This leads to a battle between Namor and his Talokan warriors against the NEW Black Panther and the Wakandans. Shuri finally comes to terms with being a ruler and the Panther, and they make peace with Namor.
Wednesday, December 7, 2022
Robot MOTW- Maria
A lower class worker, Maria, is copied into a robot, in order to crush a rebellion of workers. This robot assumes Maria's identity. Rotwang is her creator, and he more than lives up to his name. The workers and the upper class fight, but eventually they are brought together. It's a massive movie, and I have only seen most of it once. Faux-Maria is not really a monster, she is only doing as she was programmed. It is really Rotwanker that is the monster, and the upper class who look down upon the lower classes.
Tuesday, December 6, 2022
RIP Kirstie Alley
Monday, December 5, 2022
Sven- The Raven (1935)
Wacky neurosurgeon Dr. Richard Vollin comes out of retirement to save a dancer. He then falls in love with her, much to the chagrin of her father and fiance. Vollin is a Edgar Allen Poe (Hi Dr. Nick!) devotee, and has a torture chamber in his basement. Guess that makes it a dungeon, really. He finds an escaped killer, ruins his face and makes him do the dirty work for him. This eventually does not work out well for him, but he's not really a good person so no one minds at all.
Sunday, December 4, 2022
Happy 7th Birthday, Emerald Sage!
Emerald Sage turns seven years old today. She's been with us for almost five years now. She is the senior cat now, and sort of tries to rule the roost. Her ruling of the roost tends to be sleeping in her various spots and bossing us around in the evening before bed time. She is a creature of habit overall. She doesn't like being held too much. Her toleration of being picked up is about 36 seconds, then she becomes a wiggle butt and wants to be set down. She is very sweet, but a little shy around new people, or even sometimes people she knows well. I'm so happy to have her in my life. She has the loudest purr of any cat I have ever had in my life.
Saturday, December 3, 2022
proposed Xenorama #15 cover
I was searching for a pressbook in my bins, and came across this cover I had made for the original Xenorama #15. I didn't remember making it at all, though there was a lot of material prepared for this issue. The issue was supposed to be about spores, molds and fungus, or any slimes and blob monsters. Why Inframan and Kamen Rider are there I have no idea now. I had started it back in 2001 or so, but it was sidetracked and eventually dropped for a different sort of issue altogether. I do have some pages of this issue around... perhaps I could try do a similar issue over again.
Friday, December 2, 2022
Thursday, December 1, 2022
Frankenstein titles
I have been looking for the German version of this movie, as they released the original US cut on DVD, as a bonus to Japanese cut. The AIP version was slightly different than the Toho version, with some added scenes of Frankenstein being more aggressive at the start of the movie. When the movie was released in the US, this version was no longer available, at least in this country. The deleted scenes have been presented on other discs, not just including the octopus sequence.