This is the last issue of 2023. I quite enjoyed all the "research" I had to do for it All the original appearances of PATB are in here, plus the episodes from the sequel series of Animaniacs as well. It is in full color and we are quite happy about the way it came out. It is a good sized issue, almost 80 pages. It also features the very first ever letter to the editor. From what I can tell, it came all the way from Japan! I can hardly believe it took this long- well over 30 years, to actually get a fan letter to the zine itself.
Sunday, December 31, 2023
Saturday, December 30, 2023
Jonny Quest vs. the Cyber Insects (1995)
The Earth is going through climate manipulation, with all kinds of calamities happening all across the globe. The Quest team is assigned to find out what is going on. This leads them to discover that Dr. Zin is planning to conquer the world with his cyber insects.
This is now called the “last classic Quest movie” since the next iteration changed things up a bit. It was the last time Don Messick voiced Dr. Quest and Bandit. Tim Matheson, the original voice of Jonny, also is present, bringing 4-Dac to life.
Friday, December 29, 2023
Thursday, December 28, 2023
Gigantor part One- 1-26
Wednesday, December 27, 2023
HOTW- Spy Smasher
From Wiki- Similar to Batman and the Blue Beetle (Ted Kord), Spy Smasher (secretly the "wealthy Virginia sportsman"[1] Alan Armstrong) is a master detective, equipped with a number of gadgets and a specialized vehicle, the "Gyrosub", which was a combination of an airplane, an automobile, and a submarine. Created by Bill Parker and C. C. Beck, Spy Smasher was introduced in Whiz Comics #2 (February 1940).[2] Alongside Captain Marvel, Spy Smasher became one of the magazine's most popular characters. After the war he renamed himself Crime Smasher, but that isn't nearly as cool as his original name.
Tuesday, December 26, 2023
Monday, December 25, 2023
Calvin Monday 12-24-1987
Find me one kid at that age that did not go through this on Yuletide Eve. Usually after getting yelled at by our parents for going bananas due to all the stress of waiting. I don't ever recall Santa using such colorful metaphors at all, though. Of course, we went to bed at 7 PM at that age, is it any wonder we were up at 5 AM Christmas Day? And we were good kids!
Sunday, December 24, 2023
Sven- The Black Cat (1941)
From Wiki- The Black Cat is a 1941 American comedy horror and mystery film directed by Albert S. Rogell and starring Basil Rathbone. The film was a hybrid of style: being inspired by comedy "Old Dark House" films of the era as well as the 1843 short story "The Black Cat" by Edgar Allan Poe. It stars Basil Rathbone as Montague Hartley, the head of a greedy family who await the death of Henrietta Winslow (played by Cecilia Loftus) so that they can inherit her fortune. When she is found murdered, an investigation begins into who might be the culprit. Alongside Rathbone and Loftus, the film's cast includes Hugh Herbert, Broderick Crawford, and Bela Lugosi.
Saturday, December 23, 2023
The Moon Tower
This is one amazing set of toys. Had I been old enough to see it, I sure would have wanted it. I had the Little Big Book featuring Matt Mason, so I knew the character, but by the early seventies the Major had been retired. Trying to find them from friends with older kids was not that easy, as the toys tended to break during play. Which is what they were supposed to do. Be played with. My mother did find my the alien friend of Matt Mason, but being a dumb kid, I was rather disappointed and did not play with him as much as I should have. Dumb kid! Scorpio was quite cool, too, and I could have used him in the 8mm movies I was making.
Friday, December 22, 2023
Thursday, December 21, 2023
Happy Solstice!
Kaida and Xenorama wish all readers a happy Solstice today! She is shown here hiding under the Yule tree. I think she was actually just supervising me while I was working, but one just never knows with cats, do they? She is much better at hiding when she is not trying, as when she thinks she is invisible her tail is always visible.
Wednesday, December 20, 2023
HOTW- Kenpachiro Satsuma
Born in Kagoshima Prefecture, Satsuma began his acting career in the 1960s with small roles in samurai films. In 1971 he was offered the role of the smog monster antagonist Hedorah in Godzilla vs. Hedorah, opposite Haruo Nakajima as Godzilla. He went on to play Gigan in two further Godzilla films. When Nakajima retired from the Godzilla role in 1972, substitutes were hired between 1973 and 1975 until Satsuma took over permanently in 1984.[4] His portrayal took the character away from the humor of the character's portrayals over the past decades, returning to the more animalistic Godzilla persona of the original 1954 film.
Tuesday, December 19, 2023
Monday, December 18, 2023
Calvin Monday (12-16-92)
I understand both sides here, as I quite enjoy novelty songs. However, one cannot hear them constantly. 'Tis the reason I don't enjoy Xmas songs when they start playing them in early November. Not that the songs are bad, it is too early and too much. So I get why Calvin's mom booted him outside. So hard his hat came off! I wonder if she was an athlete in college. Especially since she didn't injure him. Where is Hobbes, though? I am quite sure he joined Calvin outside shortly.
Sunday, December 17, 2023
Sven- The Night Walker
From Wiki- Irene Trent is unhappily married to a blind, pathologically possessive millionaire inventor, Howard. Howard and Irene's palatial mansion is packed with an assortment of cuckoo clocks, all in perfect synchronization, and Howard tape records all conversations in the house, hoping to catch Irene plotting an illicit liaison. Irene lives in a constant state of dread due to Howard's jealousy. Irene remains faithful to Howard, but not by choice; he never lets her leave the house and entertains no guests except his attorney, Barry Morland. Howard spends most of his time working in his upstairs laboratory on a variety of projects, the nature of which he refuses to divulge to anyone, while Irene indulges her yearnings for an extramarital affair with recurrent dreams of a fantasy lover.
Saturday, December 16, 2023
Silver Age Teen Titans vol. One
The early adventures of the teenage sidekicks are presented here. This book contains the first fourteen stories, from the Brave and the Bold, Showcase and the first eleven issues of the Teen Titans proper. Wonder Girl is missing from the first story, then she just appears in the second one. The art is great, and the stories are pretty imaginative. The Titans don't look much older than the mid-teens at this point. They constantly refer to their peers as "kids" which makes me laugh. There is a lot of "adult vs. kids" stories in the first part, and Batman, Aquaman, Flash and Wonder Woman come across as pretty out of touch with teens. Considering who DC's main readers were at this point in time, that is an odd choice to make.
Friday, December 15, 2023
Thursday, December 14, 2023
Mystery, Inc in Xenorama (next year)
I have written about this magnificent series already, but am working on an issue dedicated to the series. It has been fun so far, and I am also looking forward to watching the series for the third time. I am sure I will see even more fun stuff I have missed before. I hope I remember to take notes as well, though the wiki pages on the series have tons of things in them. But I want to be able to read them if and when I want to, rather than googling the info. Sue me, I am old school. Or just old, take your pick.
Wednesday, December 13, 2023
HOTW- Hawkman (Golden Age)
Tuesday, December 12, 2023
Monday, December 11, 2023
Curse of the Aztec Mummy
Sunday, December 10, 2023
Shin Tetsujin/New Gigantor
This show premiered in Japan in 1981, and about 1992 in the US, on the new Sci-Fi Channel. It had also been dubbed into Spanish sometime in between those years, as I saw it that way in San Diego on a station out of Mexico. It was a good choice by Fred Ladd to bring this show out, though it is presented as a sequel rather than a remake. Naturally they softened a lot of the violence, though since the cartoon was on cable at 6 AM, it wasn't that important like it would have been in the 80s. And Fred kept the fantastic theme song from the 60s.
Saturday, December 9, 2023
Hey There, It's Yogi Bear! (1964)
Friday, December 8, 2023
Thursday, December 7, 2023
Legend of the Lost (1957)
From Wiki- In Timbuktu, experienced guide Joe January (John Wayne) reluctantly joins a Saharan treasure hunting expedition led by Paul Bonnard (Rossano Brazzi), a man obsessed with confirming his dead father's claim to have found a lost city. Dita (Sophia Loren), a woman of dubious reputation, becomes infatuated with Paul and his willingness to overlook her past. She invites herself along, despite Joe's protests. During the tough, dry ordeal, Joe and Dita become attracted to each other, raising tensions. Things naturally go south when they find the place.
Wednesday, December 6, 2023
HOTW- 8th Man
When Special Agent Brady is gunned down by the crook Saucerlip and his gang, Professor Genius brings him back to life. He transfers Brady's brainwaves into an awesome robot body. He can run at impossible speeds, change his appearance at will and is nearly indestructible. He assumes the identity of Detective Tobor and offers his assistance to Police Chief Fumblethumbs. Fumble is the only other person to know that Tobor is 8th Man. They have a lot of adventures together, battling the Black Butterfly Gang, Intercrime and mostly, Dr. Spectra.
Tuesday, December 5, 2023
Monday, December 4, 2023
Calvin and Hobbes 06-23-1992
Happy 8th Birthday, Emerald Sage!
Today is Emi's 8th birthday. She's been with us for five years now and is the Queen of the house. She has slowed down a bit now, but does get a lot of exercise chasing (and being chased) by Kaida. She is still quite the love and has the loudest purr of any cat that has been in my life. She is in the tree ring for the Yule Tree.