Calvin Monday

We interrupt our regularly scheduled Calvin and Hobbes Monday comic strip to bring you bit of humor from January of 1988.  Watterson would do these sketches on occasion, when the strip would be voted best in class.  I am sure by now it was tops in most polls.  I quite enjoy Watterson's self-deprecating humor here.  He definitely has his own opinions on comic strips, both older ones and the then current ones: he didn't like many new ones.  For the most part, I tended to agree with him.  He certainly kept up on the modern culture at the time, and when he was a kid.  I loved seeing the Godzilla vs. Megalon reference in the strip early on.

Classic TV Theme: Captain Power and the Soldiers of the Future

Happy Birthday, Ace Frehley!

Ace was born in 1951 on this date.  To say he was a guitar influence on me is rather pointless, as regular readers can easily tell.  I have come to appreciate his guitar playing even more, since his solos fit the songs.  They are not just pointless noodlings or scales over and over.  I am glad he is still writing and rocking.  I hope he has a great day and a great next year on this, his adopted planet!

Fantastic Four cartoon introduction 1967

                

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!

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...

GODZILLA VS. THE SMOG MONSTER "Save The Earth" theme! -- Adryan Russ

          

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.

Vintage Paleo Art

I love vintage paleo art.  These are the dinosaurs (and other prehistoric animals) I grew up with.    It was a fun time, and many of the drawings and paintings were full of imagination.  Some were so imaginative that they barely resembled the animals they were supposed to be.  Can you imagine a Stegosaurus stenops using its back plates to be able to fly or glide?  That was a popular idea at one point.  It was one that even made it into print, when Tarzan went to visit Pellucider.  It sure is a striking visual, though!  I miss the days when these animals did live up to their "terrible" monikers.  I like a lot of current paleo art as well, don't get me wrong.

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.

Dinosaur Land History

          

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.

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.

XTC - Dear God

           

Calvin Monday 3-11-89

The day has finally come- the beanie has arrived!  The huge amount of Calvin's anticipation is about to pay off!  Until he reads the dreaded words "Some assembly required."  The batteries shouldn't be an issue, since Calvin's father is the sort who is always prepared for all contingencies.  I bet he has batteries in the freezer so they will last longer when needed.  My stepfather sure did.  They were also labeled when use began.  Be that as it may, having to put something together was always loaded with fear.  Something could, and probably would go wrong, especially if glue was involved.

Sven- Island of Terror (1967)

Two doctors investigate a strange mystery on Petrie's Island,  This is a remote island off the coast of Ireland.  It turns out a group of oncology researchers are looking for a cure for cancer.  This is occurring in a castle.  What are the odds that the research has gone awry and a new life form has been created?  These creatures, called silicates, and they kill their victims by injecting a bone-dissolving enzyme into their bodies.  The reproduce by grossly splitting apart, and their shells are nearly impenetrable.  Eventually the survivors figure out they can poison the silicates with Strontium-90 and kill them.  They leave the island, but somewhere in Japan the same thing happens again...

Ultraman 80 thoughts

Ultraman 80 was the show that everyone wanted to see- well, all Ultra fans.  Sure, The * Ultraman was pretty good, but it was a cartoon, and the Ultras are generally best in live action.  The last show, Ultraman Leo, was good, but had some issues, such as what I have called "The Random Kid of the Week" story, which was quite common in the last half of the 70s.  Some random kid would have a problem that only the hero could help with... even if there was a kid in the show as a regular already.  This happened in the first third or so of 80, especially while Takeshi was playing teacher.  After he joined the UGM full time, it got better.

Island Of Terror (1966) - Official Trailer

   

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.

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.

Black Spiders - KISS Tried To Kill Me

        

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.

Sven- The Time Travellers (1964)

From Wiki- Scientists Dr. Erik von Steiner, Dr. Steve Connors, and Carol White are testing their time-viewing device, drawing enormous amounts of power. Danny McKee, a technician from the power plant, has been sent to tell them to shut down their experiment. During the test, odd shadows cross the room and the screen shows a stark, barren landscape. Danny discovers the screen has become a "time portal" and steps through. The portal becomes unstable, and the others enter it to call him back. The portal disappears, stranding them. Pursued by hostile mutants, they seek refuge in a cave, which they discover leads to an underground city – all that is left of civilization in a future devastated by nuclear war.

The Iron Maiden

From the Female Villains Wiki- Iron Maiden was the villainess in T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents #1, 3-5 and Dynamo #1-4. Iron Maiden was one of the world's most renowned criminals who at one time worked for the Overlord.  She was romantically interested in one of the T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents Leonard Brown, a.k.a. Dynamo. She had captured him for the Warlord trying to force him to reveal the secrets of his Thunderbelt. However, he refused and proved able to resist her truth serum. Iron Maiden was impressed and became infatuated with him.

The Time Travelers (1964) ORIGINAL TRAILER [HQ]

           

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.

HOTW- The Human Bomb

From WIki-  Roy Lincoln is originally a scientist working with his father on a special explosive chemical called "27-QRX".^[4] When Nazi spies invade his lab and kill his father, he ingests the chemical to prevent it from falling into their hands. As a result, Lincoln gains the ability to cause explosions in any object he came into contact with, particularly through his hands; the only way to control it is to always wear special asbestos gloves (which were subsequently retconned into "Fibro-wax" gloves after the human health hazards of asbestos were discovered). Donning a containment suit to prevent any accidental explosions, Lincoln becomes the "Human Bomb", removing his gloves only to expose his explosive powers against Nazi and Japanese enemies, as well as ordinary criminals.^[5] He also fights the invisible Mr. Chameleon, the pied piper of destruction Herman Stingmayer, and Yarboe, who has the Human Bomb's explosive ability.^[6]

Count Floyd's Scary Stories- Dr Jekyll and Mr Ed- RIP Joe Flaherty

             

Puddles Pity Party - Folsom Prison Blues/Pinball Wizard Mash Up

            

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.