Friday, April 26, 2024
Thursday, April 25, 2024
Lost in Space volume One
I started watching this series again from the beginning- the broadcast beginning, not the unaired pilot (I will watch it, just not now). I got the Blu Ray set which is outstanding, I must say. I got this book a while back. It was published in 2016, though I got it in late 2020. It is very thorough and a lot of fun. It is also 700 pages long! Marc has written several books about Irwin Allen's shows, including the Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea that I reviewed here. He has a second volume of that out, which I think covers seasons 2-4, rather than doing one book per season. Lost In Space is Allen's best known series, though. That might explain the book per season decision. Maybe someday I can ask Marc himself!
Wednesday, April 24, 2024
HOTW- The Hulk
The Hulk first appeared in 1962, as a interesting take on both Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, as well as the Frankenstein Creature. Dr. Bruce Banner sacrificed himself to save dumb ass teenager Rick Jones (a point missing in every live action adaptation of the character) which brings out his inner behemoth. Needless to say, he is thought of as a monster in this form. At first, Banner only changes into the Hulk at night. Then stress made him change. The Hulk was not the childlike Hulk of "Hulk smash!" fame, but was articulate enough to communicate with RIck and other humans. He was also grey, though the green Hulk was probably a better idea overall. The misunderstood monster motif could only run so far, and Hulk got pardoned, was an Avenger for two whopping issues, then became a Defender for a long spell. Also, he wasn't Marvel's first Hulk...
Tuesday, April 23, 2024
Monday, April 22, 2024
Calvin Monday 3-13-89
"Some assembly required" were about the worst words you could read when getting a new toy. I was a lot like Calvin, and not very gifted with models. I liked my toys pre-assembled. Unless they were Legos, of course, since building was part of the process. It is odd that Calvin only played with Tinker Toys. It seems like Legos would be a natural for Calvin.
Sunday, April 21, 2024
Vintage Paleo Art
Saturday, April 20, 2024
Yog Promo from Space (AIP, really)
I am watching this movie again for the podcast episode tonight. I saw it at the exact right age range (8-12 years old) and I loved it. The monsters were cool, if not exactly scary, and the plot was fun. I have become very interested in the promotional pressbook material for these movies. These were sent out before a movie was scheduled to be shown, and then were supposed to be destroyed or returned. This means some are quite rare. I had some facsimile sets, and a few originals, but I am glad people are getting them online these days.
Friday, April 19, 2024
Thursday, April 18, 2024
Road to Utopia (1946)
From Wiki- Academy-Award-winner Robert Benchley introduces the film, explaining that “the front office” has charged him with explaining the plot “and other vague portions of the film.” Sal and Chester Hooton, an old married couple, are visited by their equally old friend Duke Johnson, and the three reminisce about their previous adventure in the Klondike. Back to me- The flashback goes on about the adventure, how our heroes got to Alaska and met Sal. They have a lot of adventures, sing some songs and even have a little romance as well. The map to a goldmine is the plot contrivance, and generally, a good time is had by all.
Wednesday, April 17, 2024
HOTW- Rocket J. Squirrel
Rocket J. Squirrel was considered the star of the series. He could fly, rather than glide (like real flying squirrels). When Rocky and Bullwinkle debuted in 1959, it was under Rocky and his friends. This series has had several different titles over its long and storied career, and they are all for the same five seasons. I have been rereading the Moose that Roared (can't believe I have had it for five years and that the book is 25 years old) and started watching the cartoons from the DVD set. I have had it for a few years, but haven't been watching the discs for a while. I am now in Season Two, and greatly enjoying the stories. The episodes look and sound great. When the cartoon was remastered for VHS the audio was redone completely, using the original tracks. The R&B episodes are presented in the order they were made, but all the other segments, such as Dudley, Peabody, etc are scattered into them.
Tuesday, April 16, 2024
Monday, April 15, 2024
Calvin Monday 3-11-89
Sunday, April 14, 2024
Sven- Island of Terror (1967)
Saturday, April 13, 2024
Ultraman 80 thoughts
Friday, April 12, 2024
Thursday, April 11, 2024
Dacya Clementine
Dacya would have been 17 years old today. One of the reasons I took her home from Friends of Cats all those years ago was because they told me she was born on this day in the shelter. I was looking for a tortie, and there she was, sleeping in a cat tree. After that information was revealed (and that her name was Clementine) I knew fate had shown up. She wasn't thrilled about the ride back to the house, and then hid under the bed for two weeks. She did come out to eat and use the facilities. We moved to a new place shortly after she arrived, so she was an only cat... until I decided to bring her a friend home, who was Thuvia Jane.
Wednesday, April 10, 2024
HOTW- Roger Ramjet
From Wiki- Roger Ramjet is a patriotic and highly moral hero who is typically out to save the world with help from his Proton Energy Pills ("PEP"), which give him "the strength of twenty atom bombs for a period of twenty seconds". The world is invariably saved by defeating the various recurring criminals who populate the series.[3] Ramjet encounters various nemeses during his missions, assigned by General G.I. Brassbottom. Typically, he is caught and must be rescued by his crew of sidekicks, the American Eagles: Yank, Doodle, Dan, and Dee (a play on "Yankee Doodle dandy", which also is the tune of the theme song). His Eagles appear to be children, yet each of them flies his own individual ramjet aircraft expertly (except for Dee), and they are obviously much savvier than their leader.
Tuesday, April 9, 2024
Monday, April 8, 2024
Calvin 3-10-89
Here we have the "watched pot never boils" in action. He keeps watching for the mail. This must have been on a Saturday, since it has been shown the mail comes at a time whilst Calvin is daydreaming about the beanie during class. I have been in this position more than once, and the package always arrives once all hope has been lost.
Sunday, April 7, 2024
Sven- The Time Travellers (1964)
Saturday, April 6, 2024
The Iron Maiden
Friday, April 5, 2024
Thursday, April 4, 2024
Major Matt Mason ad
As I prepare an all toys issue for Xenorama, I keep finding a lot of ads for the Major Matt Mason space line. These sure would have worked on me, had I been cognizant of them. By the time I discovered them the line had been phased out for the most part. They were released in 1966, and were pretty popular for about five years or so before kids moved on to the next phase of their lives. I discovered them about age 7, which meant no new toys were made, and the ones that were still around were falling apart. These were made to be played with, not just sitting on shelves in boxes.
Wednesday, April 3, 2024
HOTW- The Human Bomb
Tuesday, April 2, 2024
Monday, April 1, 2024
Calvin 3-8-1989
April 1st is a great day for Calvin. Well, ALL days are great days for this strip. Hobbes is pretty much playing a prank on his pal, since he knows Calvin that well. This happens a lot during the run of the strip, since while Calvin is rather smart, he is also rather naive and gullible at times. Calvin finally does become numb to the wait, but that is still in the future.
Sunday, March 31, 2024
More on Gargoyles (1972)
Sven aired this last night, and while I enjoy the movie, I had some more thoughts about it. This appears to be the fifth time it has been on Svengoolie, which is fine with me. The movie has a very classic monster vibe, small town people vs. the invaders from another planet/time/place. The actors are good, and so is the action. I do feel slightly bad for the Gargoyles, since it seems like they could try to sue for peace and live with humans. They are lucky to that Cornel Wilde as Mercer Boley was nice enough to let the two breeders live. I mean, if their gestation period is 500 years, they won't be able to reproduce that quickly. Even if there are thousands of them now.
Saturday, March 30, 2024
Sharing an ice cream soda
This is an adorable picture of Batman and Catwoman sharing a soda of some kind. This is from "Catwoman Goes to College" and of course, it is a trick. The two leads here have chemistry, which makes all their scenes work so well. At least after her first appearance, that is. Selina was treated as one of the regular rogue's gallery in that one. Fortunately they figured out she is a true femme fatale, and played into it pretty quickly.
Friday, March 29, 2024
Thursday, March 28, 2024
Thunderbirds are Go (1966)
Mankind is headed to Mars! The crew of the Zero X is taking off, but they have spy aboard. The Hood is taking pictures of the wing mechanics, and messes up both the mechanism and his foot. The Hood gets away, but the crew is forced to eject and the Zero X crashes. IR is called in for the final take off two years later, and the foil the Hood's next plan. The crew gets to Mars, blows up a rock snake and is forced to take off earlier than planned. The ship experiences problems and International Rescue is deployed to save the crew.
Wednesday, March 27, 2024
HOTW- Bulletgirl
From Wiki- Shortly after Bulletman began his crime-fighting career, he created a second helmet for his girlfriend and later wife Susan Kent, daughter of Police Sergeant Kent who adopted the name Bulletgirl.[8][9] His formula was shown to make him strong enough to smash a tank. In addition to being bullet-shaped, their helmets also make the characters bulletproof.[10] The helmet is shown to be so strong that once when Bulletgirl was run over by a Nazi tank she was only knocked out. Me again, I think the Gravity Regulator helmets must have a shield property, rather than making the human bodies actually bulletproof. But that is just my thought, so don't take it as anything other than a theory.
Tuesday, March 26, 2024
Monday, March 25, 2024
Calvin Monday 3-8-89
Sunday, March 24, 2024
Dracula (1974)
From Wiki, since the movie follows the book pretty faithfully, but also several of the previous movies, and we all know the plot of those by now. Dracula, also known as Bram Stoker's Dracula and Dan Curtis' Dracula, is a 1974 British made-for-television gothic horror film and adaptation of Bram Stoker's 1897 novel Dracula. It was written by Richard Matheson and directed by Dark Shadows creator Dan Curtis, with Jack Palance in the title role. It was the second collaboration for Curtis and Palance after the 1968 TV film The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.[1]
Saturday, March 23, 2024
Dinosaucers (1987)
Friday, March 22, 2024
Thursday, March 21, 2024
Turn Back the Clock (VTTBOTS)
Wednesday, March 20, 2024
HOTW- Black Canary
From Wiki (leaving out lots of stuff as well)- Dinah Drake made her debut in Flash Comics #86 (August 1947) as a supporting character in the "Johnny Thunder" feature, written by Robert Kanigher and drawn by Carmine Infantino. She initially appeared as a villain.[4] Johnny is instantly infatuated with her, and is reproached by his Thunderbolt. Dinah is later revealed to have been infiltrating a criminal gang. In Flash Comics #92 (February 1948) she has her own anthology feature, "Black Canary", replacing "Johnny Thunder".[5] The new series fleshed out Black Canary's backstory: Dinah Drake was a black-haired florist in love with Larry Lance,[6] a Gotham City Police Department detective. She first meets the Justice Society of America in All Star Comics #38 (December 1947-January 1948),[7] joining them in All Star Comics #41 (June–July 1948).[8] Black Canary's foes include criminal circus act Carno and His Masked Riders, and the Sacred Order of the Crimson Crystal.
Tuesday, March 19, 2024
Monday, March 18, 2024
Zorro: Generation Z 2006
Sunday, March 17, 2024
Sven- The Comedy of Terrors (1963)
Saturday, March 16, 2024
War of the Worlds (1953)
Martians decide they want to take over the Earth. John Carter did not contain them, obviously. Be that as it may, the humans on Earth are not prepared for this invasion. The Martians come with advanced weapons of mass destruction. And they send a lot of them to our fair planet. It is a good thing the Terrans have a super secret weapon. It is one they don't even know about, though. Gene Barry as Doctor Clayton Forrester is our smart hero, but even he doesn't know how the Earth will finally defeat the aliens. It takes a small miracle!
Friday, March 15, 2024
Thursday, March 14, 2024
Elasmosaurus platyurus
From Wiki- Elasmosaurus (/ɪˌlæzməˈsɔːrəs, -moʊ-/[1]) is a genus of plesiosaur that lived in North America during the Campanian stage of the Late Cretaceous period, about 80.5 million years ago. The first specimen was discovered in 1867 near Fort Wallace, Kansas, US, and was sent to the American paleontologist Edward Drinker Cope, who named it E. platyurus in 1868. (me now) The plesiosaurs look like true sea monsters, with long necks and a head full of sharp teeth. They are so unique that their manner of propulsion is still something of a mystery to paleontologists.
Wednesday, March 13, 2024
HOTW- Kikaida 01
From Wiki- The noted robotics expert Dr. Kohmyoji created a powerful android to protect Japan from evil forces. When Hakaider starts his evil organization, Dr. Kohmyoji's android, Kikaider 01, awakens to fight Hakaider. Hakaider has three assistants, Red Hakaider, Blue Hakaider, and Silver Hakaider. Together, they devise various schemes to cause destruction, but Kikaider 01 stops them all. Kikaider appears to assist Kikaider 01. Their chief goal is to capture a young boy, named Akira. After Hakaider's attempts fail, a new, mysterious character appears, Shadow Knight. Shadow Knight is a member of a competing, evil organization, SHADOW. When SHADOW proved to be more powerful than Hakaider, Hakaider unwillingly becomes a member of SHADOW.
Tuesday, March 12, 2024
Monday, March 11, 2024
Calvin Monday 3-7-89
How many of us have been through this in school? The thought of a holiday is usually what turned a class of kids into a squall of squirrels. I have a lot of sympathy now for those teachers that bravely put up with us kids. I do know there were a few times when I ordered something that I couldn't wait for it to arrive- Famous Monsters #114 is one example, and my FOOM (Friends of ol' Marvel) subscription package was another.
Sunday, March 10, 2024
13 Ghosts (1960)
From Wiki- The occultist Dr. Plato Zorba bequeaths a large house to his impoverished nephew Cyrus. Along with his wife Hilda, teen daughter Medea and adolescent son, Buck, Cyrus is informed by lawyer Ben Rush that the house comes with ghosts that Dr. Zorba has collected from around the world. The will stipulates that the family must stay in the house and cannot sell it, or it will be turned over to the state. The family is shocked to find that the house is really haunted by 12 ghosts. The furnished mansion also comes with a creepy housekeeper, Elaine, who conducts seances, and a hidden fortune concealed somewhere on the property.
Saturday, March 9, 2024
Lassie's Rescue Rangers (1972)
From Wiki- In the series, Lassie the collie lives near Thunder Mountain with the Turner family. Ranger Ben Turner (voiced by Ted Knight) works with wife Laura (voiced by Jane Webb) and children Susan (voiced by Erika Scheimer), Jackie (voiced by Lane Scheimer), and Ben Jr. (voiced by Keith Sutherland) as the Forest Force, a ranger-rescue team that protects Thunder Mountain National Park. Lassie is the leader of the Rescue Rangers, a group of wild animals living in the park, working alongside the Turners to help protect the environment and keep it safe for visitors.
Friday, March 8, 2024
Thursday, March 7, 2024
The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle and Friends
Wednesday, March 6, 2024
HOTW- Thor
Tuesday, March 5, 2024
Monday, March 4, 2024
Happy Birthday Kaida Trillian!
Sunday, March 3, 2024
Sven- The Invisible Man's Revenge (1944)
Robert Griffin, killer, blackmailer and worse, wants his fair share of diamonds, and more. The not as bad but still pretty awful Herricks drug Griffin and pitch him outside. He is taken in by the hilarious Herbert Higgins (Leon Errol) and some invisible hijinks ensue. Oh, Dr. Peter Drury (John Carradine) is the kook that turned this Griffin invisible. He also figured out how to make his dog visible again, so Griffin uses human blood to do so as well. It all ends poorly for this nutter Griffin, who was psychopathic before becoming invisible.
Saturday, March 2, 2024
Godzilla vs. The Thing promo still
This was a very common still for the US monster mags to show back in the 60s and 70s. It is a great shot that doesn't exist anywhere in the movie. These kind of promotional stills used to confuse me as a kid, since I was not aware of airbrushing for quite a while. I mean, there was the shot of King Kong fighting both Gorosaurus and Mechanikong in the snow. That led to speculation of another Toho Kong movie no one had seen yet. Now I find them a lot of misleading fun, that is for sure.
Friday, March 1, 2024
Thursday, February 29, 2024
Disney's Zorro
From Wiki- Zorro (also known as Disney's Zorro) is an American action-adventure Western television series produced by Walt Disney Productions and starring Guy Williams. Based on the Zorro character created by Johnston McCulley in his 1919 novella, the series premiered on October 10, 1957, on ABC. The final network broadcast was July 2, 1959. Seventy-eight episodes were produced, and four hour-long specials were aired on the Walt Disney anthology series between October 30, 1960, and April 2, 1961.
Wednesday, February 28, 2024
HOTW- Wonder Man
From Fandom Wiki- Fred Carson was a radio engineer who enjoyed traveling. While on a trip to Tibet, he met a yogi who put him through a series of rigorous tests. Fred passed, proving that he had the physical and moral strength to do good. As a reward, the yogi gave him a magic ring. Fred used it to fight for humanity and justice as Wonder Man. In his only appearance, Wonder Man delivered aid to Tarovania that was suffering under the occupation by an unnamed invader. In the context of the time, this was most likely meant to be the Nazi-occupied Czechoslovakia.
Tuesday, February 27, 2024
Monday, February 26, 2024
Calvin Monday 3-6-89
Poor Hobbes. He is far less excitable about such things than Calvin is. Since we have already seen the end result, it turns out that Hobbes is right about the whole debacle, even if he does not quite know it yet. This would happen to millions of kids from the 60s to the 80s, or whenever premiums would go out of style. All the sugary cereals tended to have these premiums at some point or another.
Sunday, February 25, 2024
Super Genius
Saturday, February 24, 2024
Fire Radon (1993)
The original Rodan was an awesome monster, capable of battling Godzilla to a standstill. (from Wiki now) Rodan was revived in 1993's Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II, this time portrayed entirely via a wire-manipulated marionette[9] and hand puppets. Having received criticism for his emphasis on battle sequences relying heavily on beam weapons, special effects artist Koichi Kawakita sought to make the confrontation between Godzilla and Rodan as physical as possible.
Friday, February 23, 2024
Thursday, February 22, 2024
The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest (1996)
From Wiki- Dr. Quest, a famous phenomenologist, investigates mysterious occurrences and exotic locales with his son, Jonny Quest, adopted son Hadji Singh, bodyguard Race Bannon, Race's daughter Jessie, and pet bulldog Bandit.[2][4][70] Real Adventures is set a few years after the classic series, making Jonny and his friends teenagers. (X7 again) This does help, for the most part, though a little more connection to the original series would have helped out a bit. Jessie is Race's daughter, but at this point in time I am not sure if Jade is her mother.
Wednesday, February 21, 2024
HOTW- The Golden Age Atom
Tuesday, February 20, 2024
Monday, February 19, 2024
Calvin Monday
We interrupt "Calvin and the Quest for the Propeller Beanie" for a Sunday full color strip. I doubt Calvin took Hobbes lesson here to heart, at least not at age six. What would Hobbes do with this money anyway? Tigers don't pay for things! It was probably so Hobbes could have one over on Calvin, more than the monetary value of the coin.
Sunday, February 18, 2024
Bride of Frankenstein castle
Saturday, February 17, 2024
Xenorama #64
Here is the latest issue of Xenorama, Journal of Heroes and Monsters. It is about the genre called "kyodai" heroes, or giant heroes fighting giant monsters. We cover Spectreman, Mirrorman, Zone Fighter and more! It is all in full color, and you can order it through the link to the right! There are episode guides and just a look at the various cool shows we were denied over here in the States. It would have been a much more fun childhood seeing a few more shows like this over here. Or any, if you lived in Colorado.