Dig this Gomez Addams hand puppet! I'm not sure how many of the Addams clan were done in puppet form, but this one sure looks cool, doesn't it?
Jon
Jon's Random Acts of Geekery is your five days a week destination for old-school geekery!
Saturday, May 19, 2007
Classic Collectible of the Day!
Dig this Gomez Addams hand puppet! I'm not sure how many of the Addams clan were done in puppet form, but this one sure looks cool, doesn't it?
Jon
Comic Book Ad of the Day!
You know, trust the Charlton books (this scan came from a December, 1978 cover-dated book) to have advertisements featuring stuff that's supposed to amazingly improve you... as if all Charlton readers were complete losers!
This weighted armband is something, however, that I remember seeing advertised in pretty much all comics... if not in a full page ad.
And if you think this is hokey... wait until you see what I post tomorrow!
Jon
Comic Book Cover of the Day!
Here's Creepy #1... and while I was never a big fan of the Warren horror mags when they were out... I must say that I really dig the Jack Davis art here!
Jon
Genre Movie Image of the Day: The Mummy!
Ah, but which Mummy?
I'm afraid I neither recognize the specific Mummy here, nor did I take notes when I scanned it...
Jon
I'm afraid I neither recognize the specific Mummy here, nor did I take notes when I scanned it...
Jon
If you're following our progress on the foster parenting...
...and don't have any interest in the comic books, monster movies, toys, tv shows and so forth that I feature here regularly, I have good news for you!
Jessi and I have decided to start a "team blog" that will just be about our foster parenting, which I've already posted copies of the posts I've done here to. It's called Building Our Family.
If you do have the interest in the fan geek stuff and don't want to read a separate blog, never fear... I'll probably crosspost stuff to both blogs that concern foster parenting and adoption!
Jon
Jessi and I have decided to start a "team blog" that will just be about our foster parenting, which I've already posted copies of the posts I've done here to. It's called Building Our Family.
If you do have the interest in the fan geek stuff and don't want to read a separate blog, never fear... I'll probably crosspost stuff to both blogs that concern foster parenting and adoption!
Jon
Friday, May 18, 2007
Some This 'n Thats (without "ITEM!" on all of 'em)
I Can See Clearly Now...
What I probably neglected to mention the past few days is that I had my annual eye exam on Wednesday morning... and as warned last year, it did turn out that I needed bifocals (given how often I'd found myself lifting my glasses up to read up close, this was definitely not a surprise). Despite not usually being vain about my appearance (especially given how past due I am for a haircut), I definitely did not want standard bifocals, with that line that would get annoying as well as be a dead giveaway that the new glasses are bifocals... so I opted for the progressive bifocal lenses. As a result, my glasses, which could've been free (or at least being 100% covered by insurance) cost me about $93.00.
The new glasses were ready today, which surprised the heck out of me! I didn't expect them for another week! I picked them up and started wearing them immediately, so I could get used to them before going back to work on Monday. And there is some getting used to, believe me! But I'm already noticing an improvement, especially when reading.
They Served My Favorite Dinner... A Free One
So tonight was the Foster Parent Appreciation Dinner, an annual event which we were invited to despite only being licensed recently, and not having a child yet. This gave us a nice opportunity to "network" with some of the caseworkers as well as some other foster parents, so we could compare notes on things and find out how they got their children. A fun evening... Jessi and I chose the Prime Rib, but Salmon and vegetarian dishes were also available (the salmon actually looked pretty good, and I almost wish I'd gone for that instead). I was asked by our Foster Licensor to provide a link to the blog... but I think instead I'll just give her a link for all the foster parenting-labeled posts, so she doesn't have to wade through the comics and movie and music stuff, much less rants about work!
Deadlines Are for Beating, Not Making
Today, I wrote the 111th column for Cover Stories and sent it off to webmaster Justin at World Famous Comics. Given that column 106 won't even appear until Sunday, that basically puts me five weeks ahead... but I'm not done yet! I want to at least get another seven written and sent off before I take a break from writing them... hopefully by that point, I'll get some of the readers to start submitting some of their own ideas for cover choices and themes... but if not, I've already organized projected columns through #140, which I can renumber if need be to get the reader participation columns in there!
And that's all for tonight!
Jon
What I probably neglected to mention the past few days is that I had my annual eye exam on Wednesday morning... and as warned last year, it did turn out that I needed bifocals (given how often I'd found myself lifting my glasses up to read up close, this was definitely not a surprise). Despite not usually being vain about my appearance (especially given how past due I am for a haircut), I definitely did not want standard bifocals, with that line that would get annoying as well as be a dead giveaway that the new glasses are bifocals... so I opted for the progressive bifocal lenses. As a result, my glasses, which could've been free (or at least being 100% covered by insurance) cost me about $93.00.
The new glasses were ready today, which surprised the heck out of me! I didn't expect them for another week! I picked them up and started wearing them immediately, so I could get used to them before going back to work on Monday. And there is some getting used to, believe me! But I'm already noticing an improvement, especially when reading.
They Served My Favorite Dinner... A Free One
So tonight was the Foster Parent Appreciation Dinner, an annual event which we were invited to despite only being licensed recently, and not having a child yet. This gave us a nice opportunity to "network" with some of the caseworkers as well as some other foster parents, so we could compare notes on things and find out how they got their children. A fun evening... Jessi and I chose the Prime Rib, but Salmon and vegetarian dishes were also available (the salmon actually looked pretty good, and I almost wish I'd gone for that instead). I was asked by our Foster Licensor to provide a link to the blog... but I think instead I'll just give her a link for all the foster parenting-labeled posts, so she doesn't have to wade through the comics and movie and music stuff, much less rants about work!
Deadlines Are for Beating, Not Making
Today, I wrote the 111th column for Cover Stories and sent it off to webmaster Justin at World Famous Comics. Given that column 106 won't even appear until Sunday, that basically puts me five weeks ahead... but I'm not done yet! I want to at least get another seven written and sent off before I take a break from writing them... hopefully by that point, I'll get some of the readers to start submitting some of their own ideas for cover choices and themes... but if not, I've already organized projected columns through #140, which I can renumber if need be to get the reader participation columns in there!
And that's all for tonight!
Jon
Genre Movie Image of the Day: The Mummy!
OK, so Kharis isn't in this shot... but his handiwork sure is!
Jon
Comic Book Cover of the Day!
So, here we have EC's Crime Suspenstories, which is not one of the most popular of the EC books (I mean, no monsters or ghouls or ghosties or other supernatural things here)... but like all the EC books of the era, it did have its share of compelling tales!
Jon
Classic Collectible of the Day!
Here's an interesting toy... the Addams Family House! What makes it so interesting? Well... um... you got me. When I was scanning this image, I completely neglected to make any notes about it, trusting I'd remember if it was a model kit, some kind of battery-operated thing, or whatever! I'm guessing it was a model of some sort, but I could well be wrong.
You can probably tell that various Addams Family members can be seen in the windows.
Jon
Comics Ad of the Day!
From the December, 1978 cover-dated Charlton comics, here's a black and white ad for full color posters (yeah, it doesn't make any sense to me, either) that'll give you a pretty good idea who was considered "Hot" as the 1970s neared the end of that decade that broke up the Beatles and gave us Disco, the Donny and Marie Show, and a lot of comic books that some consider "Bronze Age" and others don't consider to be of an Age at all!
Shaun Cassidy and Parker Stevenson, you may recall, were the stars of ABC's Hardy Boys Mysteries, probably the most successful Hardy Boys adaptation ever (they'd previously been done in live-action form in a serial on the Mickey Mouse Club in the 1950s or early 60s, and then done in animated form in the 1960s by Filmation, including making them into a rock and roll group). Parker Stevenson was married for a while to Kirstie Alley, whose big break was playing Saavik in "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan" (and never looked hotter, IMHO)... but I digress.
Cheryl Ladd and Farrah Fawcett were both in Charlie's Angels, although at different times. Farrah was first (and was billed as Farrah Fawcett-Majors, being married to Lee Majors, best known as the Six Million Dollar Man), and when she left the show, Cheryl Ladd replaced her. Cheryl's biggest gig prior to this may have been being one of the singing voices in the Josie and the Pussycats cartoons (she may have been a speaking voice for one of 'em, for all I know).
The bearded chap, "Mr. Adams," was Grizzly Adams, of "The Life and Times of Grizzly Adams," although that wasn't the actor's name... and as I started writing this paragraph, I could recall his name (Dan something, I think... not that it really matters), but can't now.
The Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders were the tops in their popularity at about this time, as you might have imagined... They (or whoever promoted them) were probably chiefly responsible for the mainstream popularity of cheerleading, especially in professional sports... as a result, all the football teams and basketball teams got their own cheerleading squads upgraded a bit (American Idol judge Paula Abdul got her start, if I recall correctly, as a cheerleader or choreographer for the L.A. Lakers cheerleader squad in the 1980s).
I saved Cheryl Tiegs for last... in my opinion, she was the hottest celebrity babe of the 1970s, bar none. Unlike the top fashion models of these days, she definitely looked healthy and had some nice curves... as well as amazing eyes and a dazzling smile!
Jon
Thursday, May 17, 2007
Other Stuff That's Going On...
The biggest news is in the following post below, but I have a few other things to note here...
ITEM! This week's House episode, which I finally saw this morning, was quite enjoyable... I just wish we didn't have two weeks to wait until the next episode airs. Will Foreman really leave the hospital? Will he learn that House messed up his interview for a different job? Well, honestly, it doesn't matter... so long as House is still House, y'know.
ITEM! Did I mention how great this week's episode of Heroes was yet? Man, I was kept guessing the whole time... and I certainly didn't expect that kind of body count, either! I'm guessing that when Hiro was training with his father, either he used his power to slow down time except for the two of them to get maximum training in, or his father has that kind of ability. Monday's episode is the season finale, and I'm sure it'll blow me away.
ITEM! Haven't watched Smallville yet, but will likely do so on Friday, since Jessi and I both have the day off... I missed last week's ep, because the fershlugginer DVR didn't save the episode long enough for me!
ITEM! Watched a few Enterprise episodes today, and I think we're nearing the end of the whole Xindi storyline. I can see why Wil Wheaton didn't like what Enterprise became, because Captain Archer's had to do a bunch of things that don't quite fit the honorable Starfleet Captain code that we're accustomed to from Kirk, Picard, and the rest of 'em, plus there's been some bizarre stuff with T'Pol having a drug addiction sort of plot! However, I've been able to continue enjoying watching them, and perhaps it helps not having to wait a week between episodes.
ITEM! Other shows I've been recording, but haven't watched, that are recorded for me and not Jessi, are Dragonball Z (which is in the beginning of the Cell Saga, in case you're familiar with the series), Doctor Who, and the remastered Star Trek episodes. I suspect I'll catch up on 'em some more next week.
ITEM! While working in the office after Jessi goes to bed at night, I've continued watching Astro Boy Ultimate Collector's Edition DVDs from the local library... man, I remember watching these shows as a kid and thinking they were very cool, but good god, they're mighty juvenile! They're still kind of fun to watch, but holy crap, Speed Racer holds up much better! Sadly, the library doesn't have Star Blazers on DVD, as that's another of my anime favorites.
ITEM! Recently read: Showcase Presents Brave and the Bold Batman Team-Ups Vol. 1, Superman in Action Comics Archives Vol. 1, Barry Williams (aka Greg Brady) and Bob Denver (aka Gilligan) autobiographies... and I've just started reading Inside Star Trek: The Real Story by Herbert F. Solow and Robert H. Justman. I'm at the point where they're working on the second pilot, "Where No Man Has Gone Before," and I've learned that Sulu was named after Solow (or rather, from a mispronounciation of his name that was apparently common back then). It's good stuff, and doesn't try to tear down everyone else involved in the process of telling their story (although they readily admit that Roddenberry embellished his background as well as his role in creating everything Trek). It's a good read! Next up on the reading list after that is The Man Behind The Magic: The Story of Walt Disney and The Monkees: The Day-By-Day Story of the '60s TV Pop Sensation. I'd also checked out Reading the Rabbit, a book of essays about the Looney Tunes cartoons, but the overly analytical approach turned me off (if a book about something fun isn't fun to read, it's difficult for me to read it, y'know).
ITEM! I wrote three more Cover Stories columns today, and sent them off to webmaster Justin! My goal is that within the next week, I'll have at least a dozen columns "banked" with him, since I figure when we do get a child here, it'll occupy some of my time as we adjust to a changed schedule! In column #109, I'm making a special challenge to my readers, challenging them to come up with their own covers for a theme I've covered there, or coming up with their own themes and covers to fit! I'll be giving some kind of prize for the readers whose ideas I use, but I'm not sure what it'll be yet... However, I am kind of leaning towards some kind of printed award, kind of like Marvel's No-Prize, except that there'd be something in the envelope, a certificate officially thanking them, with images of some of the Comics They Never Made covers surrounding it, and perhaps some other cool stuff. I've got a few weeks before the challenge first appears, and probably will be a while before I get any entries, so there is time... then again, I may come across some kind of cool comics-related item cheap at the Dollar Store or Big Lots that I can buy a lot of cheap to use instead... or maybe some Dollar Store DVDs that might be enjoyed!
ITEM! I'll be "batching it" for a few days next week... Jessi's going to be leaving on Monday morning for some out-of-town training, and not returning until Thursday evening. Of course, we'll be in touch via cell phone every night for a few hours (thank goodness for unlimited calls between Sprint phones), but it'll still be kind of rough for both of us... we haven't spent a night apart since Jessi's last out-of-town training, which I believe was before our wedding (but I could be misremembering). She's got another out-of-town training coming up in early July, too, but it's up in Seattle and is only two or three days. In preparation for her not being home, I hit Grocery Outlet today to get a few Lean Cuisine meals for me, since I probably won't feel like cooking much while she's gone.
ITEM! The other day, I "finished" collecting covers for "By The 10's," which will be my next series of posts on DC History (or did I mention that already?). There's still a few holes in the cover scans I've collected, but I'm hoping that between now and when I want to post those series, the Grand Comics Database will have the missing scans available, or I'll be able to find them elsewhere on the web (maybe even on eBay).
ITEM! There are no more items... so I'm outta here for the night!
Jon
ITEM! This week's House episode, which I finally saw this morning, was quite enjoyable... I just wish we didn't have two weeks to wait until the next episode airs. Will Foreman really leave the hospital? Will he learn that House messed up his interview for a different job? Well, honestly, it doesn't matter... so long as House is still House, y'know.
ITEM! Did I mention how great this week's episode of Heroes was yet? Man, I was kept guessing the whole time... and I certainly didn't expect that kind of body count, either! I'm guessing that when Hiro was training with his father, either he used his power to slow down time except for the two of them to get maximum training in, or his father has that kind of ability. Monday's episode is the season finale, and I'm sure it'll blow me away.
ITEM! Haven't watched Smallville yet, but will likely do so on Friday, since Jessi and I both have the day off... I missed last week's ep, because the fershlugginer DVR didn't save the episode long enough for me!
ITEM! Watched a few Enterprise episodes today, and I think we're nearing the end of the whole Xindi storyline. I can see why Wil Wheaton didn't like what Enterprise became, because Captain Archer's had to do a bunch of things that don't quite fit the honorable Starfleet Captain code that we're accustomed to from Kirk, Picard, and the rest of 'em, plus there's been some bizarre stuff with T'Pol having a drug addiction sort of plot! However, I've been able to continue enjoying watching them, and perhaps it helps not having to wait a week between episodes.
ITEM! Other shows I've been recording, but haven't watched, that are recorded for me and not Jessi, are Dragonball Z (which is in the beginning of the Cell Saga, in case you're familiar with the series), Doctor Who, and the remastered Star Trek episodes. I suspect I'll catch up on 'em some more next week.
ITEM! While working in the office after Jessi goes to bed at night, I've continued watching Astro Boy Ultimate Collector's Edition DVDs from the local library... man, I remember watching these shows as a kid and thinking they were very cool, but good god, they're mighty juvenile! They're still kind of fun to watch, but holy crap, Speed Racer holds up much better! Sadly, the library doesn't have Star Blazers on DVD, as that's another of my anime favorites.
ITEM! Recently read: Showcase Presents Brave and the Bold Batman Team-Ups Vol. 1, Superman in Action Comics Archives Vol. 1, Barry Williams (aka Greg Brady) and Bob Denver (aka Gilligan) autobiographies... and I've just started reading Inside Star Trek: The Real Story by Herbert F. Solow and Robert H. Justman. I'm at the point where they're working on the second pilot, "Where No Man Has Gone Before," and I've learned that Sulu was named after Solow (or rather, from a mispronounciation of his name that was apparently common back then). It's good stuff, and doesn't try to tear down everyone else involved in the process of telling their story (although they readily admit that Roddenberry embellished his background as well as his role in creating everything Trek). It's a good read! Next up on the reading list after that is The Man Behind The Magic: The Story of Walt Disney and The Monkees: The Day-By-Day Story of the '60s TV Pop Sensation. I'd also checked out Reading the Rabbit, a book of essays about the Looney Tunes cartoons, but the overly analytical approach turned me off (if a book about something fun isn't fun to read, it's difficult for me to read it, y'know).
ITEM! I wrote three more Cover Stories columns today, and sent them off to webmaster Justin! My goal is that within the next week, I'll have at least a dozen columns "banked" with him, since I figure when we do get a child here, it'll occupy some of my time as we adjust to a changed schedule! In column #109, I'm making a special challenge to my readers, challenging them to come up with their own covers for a theme I've covered there, or coming up with their own themes and covers to fit! I'll be giving some kind of prize for the readers whose ideas I use, but I'm not sure what it'll be yet... However, I am kind of leaning towards some kind of printed award, kind of like Marvel's No-Prize, except that there'd be something in the envelope, a certificate officially thanking them, with images of some of the Comics They Never Made covers surrounding it, and perhaps some other cool stuff. I've got a few weeks before the challenge first appears, and probably will be a while before I get any entries, so there is time... then again, I may come across some kind of cool comics-related item cheap at the Dollar Store or Big Lots that I can buy a lot of cheap to use instead... or maybe some Dollar Store DVDs that might be enjoyed!
ITEM! I'll be "batching it" for a few days next week... Jessi's going to be leaving on Monday morning for some out-of-town training, and not returning until Thursday evening. Of course, we'll be in touch via cell phone every night for a few hours (thank goodness for unlimited calls between Sprint phones), but it'll still be kind of rough for both of us... we haven't spent a night apart since Jessi's last out-of-town training, which I believe was before our wedding (but I could be misremembering). She's got another out-of-town training coming up in early July, too, but it's up in Seattle and is only two or three days. In preparation for her not being home, I hit Grocery Outlet today to get a few Lean Cuisine meals for me, since I probably won't feel like cooking much while she's gone.
ITEM! The other day, I "finished" collecting covers for "By The 10's," which will be my next series of posts on DC History (or did I mention that already?). There's still a few holes in the cover scans I've collected, but I'm hoping that between now and when I want to post those series, the Grand Comics Database will have the missing scans available, or I'll be able to find them elsewhere on the web (maybe even on eBay).
ITEM! There are no more items... so I'm outta here for the night!
Jon
We're Licensed!!!!!!!!!!!
Yes, friends, in today's mail, Jessi and I received our official licenses to be Foster Parents, along with some other information (for example, as foster parents, we're required by law to report suspected child abuse to the police... Jessi, I believe, is already required to do so because of her job; I, on the other hand, since pretty much the only children I meet on a regular basis are my nieces and nephews, was never required to do so, but that shouldn't be an issue anyway).
This gave us some good news when we attended this month's Adoption Support Group meeting, which was my first, since they normally occur during an hour I'm still at work. Of course, since I have the day off today (as well as tomorrow), I eagerly took the opportunity to attend.
Friday night brings us to the Foster Parent Appreciation Banquet, which I find ironic... we had been invited a few weeks back, before we were licensed, but now we'll be official, being licensed just two days before the banquet (yes, it was mailed out yesterday).
The next step in this process is waiting for a call, which may come at nearly any time! I'll keep you posted as to further developments.
Jon
This gave us some good news when we attended this month's Adoption Support Group meeting, which was my first, since they normally occur during an hour I'm still at work. Of course, since I have the day off today (as well as tomorrow), I eagerly took the opportunity to attend.
Friday night brings us to the Foster Parent Appreciation Banquet, which I find ironic... we had been invited a few weeks back, before we were licensed, but now we'll be official, being licensed just two days before the banquet (yes, it was mailed out yesterday).
The next step in this process is waiting for a call, which may come at nearly any time! I'll keep you posted as to further developments.
Jon
Genre Movie Image of the Day: The Mummy!
You know, of all the classic Universal Monsters, the Mummy is probably my least-favorite of the bunch. Unlike the Frankenstein Monster, the Wolf Man, and Dracula, the Mummy never got to join in on the team-up (or ultimate battle) action... unless you count Abbott and Costello Meet the Mummy.
Sure, a battle between Kharis and any of the Big Three monsters mentioned above would probably not last long... the classic Mummy wasn't nearly as powerful as the one Brenden Fraser battled in two movies (or was it three?), after all!
But still, the Mummy even ranks behind the Creature from the Black Lagoon on my list. Maybe... maybe... if I were to pick up the Mummy DVD collection and watched 'em one after another, I might change my mind.
Or not.
Jon
Comic Book Cover of the Day!
OK, so today's Comic Book Cover of the Day is Adventures of the Fly number... uh... well, I'm not sure which issue number this is.
As most of you probably recall, I'm a big fan of Archie's superheroes, especially those who served in the Mighty Crusaders... and on this cover, the Fly is being aided by his teammate the Black Hood... although how much help the Hood would be against that Big Giant Foot, I'm not sure!
Yes, Archie's superhero books had some real goofy covers... but those aren't anything compared to some of the goofy stories!
Jon
Bonus Post: The Bugaloos Car!
"Why," you may ask, "are you posting a picture of the Bugaloos car in your blog?"
Well, there's a couple of reasons for that. Chief among them is that this car was designed by the same guy who designed the Batmobile (i.e. coolest car ever created), George Barris (and there'll be at least one more of his customized cars posted here sometime in the near future).
A second reason is that the Bugaloos have been featured in comics (a while back I posted the cover for the first issue of Charlton's adaptation, which if you didn't see the post, follow the label link to check it out.
And the third reason is, since this was one of Sid and Marty Krofft's follow-up series to H.R. Pufnstuff, making it part of Saturday morning history... well, you just know that it was a part of my childhood!
And if you want to read up on the World of Krofft, I recommend the book "Pufnstuf and Other Stuff." It's good stuff!
Jon
Classic Collectibles of the Day!
Here's some Bewitched puzzzles, with the Dick York Darrin... and that wraps up all the Bewitched collectibles!
At least until I latch onto some scans of other stuff, but I think we're pretty much done with them!
Jon
Comic Book Ad of the Day!
From the May, 1979 Marvel comes comes this full-page ad for Battlestar Galactica t-shirts! This was just a small example of the BG merchandising, which also included models from Monogram (of the Galactica, Cylon Base Star, Viper, and Cylon Raider... but no Cylon model, after the success of the Star Wars droids and Darth Vader kits?), action figures and vehicles from Mattel... and some other stuff I don't recall right now.
It's almost hard to imagine these days, but Galactica was really presented to licensors as being the next big thing in sci-fi... and I'd imagine the licensors who'd passed on Star Wars were all too happy to latch onto the next thing to come along that even remotely resembled Star Wars! Although, oddly, Mego didn't pick up the BG rights.
When Buck Rogers came along a few years later, Mego did grab that license, and was probably one of the last toy lines they produced. Monogram also did some models from Buck Rogers in the 25th Century.
What really makes all this surprising is how these days, there's virtually no licensing done on a TV show immmediately... unless it comes from Japan, where it's already been a major hit, no doubt. Now, I'm not talking about those 80s shows that were created more or less as commercials for toy lines (like GI Joe, Transformers, He-Man, Thundercats, etc.)... I'm talking about stuff like Justice League and Teen Titans, which were each on for some time before any action figures were produced (I think they were even slow to do comics based on those shows... or maybe not so slow). Krypto the Superdog was on for a while before there was much merchandising done on that, and DC didn't even do a mini-series until after that show was no longer in production!
Then there's Legion of Super-Heroes, which DC's actually got a comic book based on already (amazingly, before the last ep of the season was aired)... but still no news on a toy line, which could be HUGE if they don't waste time producing it.
Then again... look how huge Heroes is on NBC... and what merchandising have we seen on that? Some T-shirts sold on NBC.com... and that's about it. OK, perhaps action figures might be kind of pointless (although maybe not... even with some of the characters killed off, perhaps a line produced for adult collectors wouldn't be a bad idea, especially if they came packaged with some kind of tie-in, like a 9th Wonders mini-comic?). One would've thought that perhaps some posters might've been done, for that matter... and maybe there have been, I haven't checked the NBC online store for a few months.
Anyway... like I said, lots of promotion for BG toys and stuff... they sold badly... and are sought-after collector's items today. Go figure!
(Seriously, I loved the original Galactica, and would've liked to have had some of the toys back then... the only figures I ever actually got, second-hand, were a beat-up Cylon in the tiny size and a Daggit with a broken tail whose color was faded).
Something for Nothing (A Contest!)
OK, I've had that screener DVD copy of "Fartman" sitting on my desk here at home for a while, and I figured it's high time I did something with it.
So, here it is: If you want it, you can get it... you just have to do one thing for me first...
And that is to write me an email at waffyjon at comcast dot net and tell me what you like about this blog, and what you don't like, and what you'd like to see me do more of (or less of, for that matter). Or you can tell me what you've done to promote this blog to other people (like putting a link somewhere, or just telling your online friends). With your email, make sure to include your mailing address (sorry, U.S. residents only, because 1) Shipping outside the US can get expensive or slow as heck, and 2) This DVD may not be compatible with DVD players in other countries.
Once it seems like I'm not going to get any other entries, I'll choose one at random, and put the DVD in the mail to the person who I've chosen!
Oh, by the way... if you really don't want the Fartman DVD, you can still enter the "contest" anyway... just tell me you don't want that DVD, and maybe I can come up with an alternate prize for you!
Thanks in advance!
Jon
So, here it is: If you want it, you can get it... you just have to do one thing for me first...
And that is to write me an email at waffyjon at comcast dot net and tell me what you like about this blog, and what you don't like, and what you'd like to see me do more of (or less of, for that matter). Or you can tell me what you've done to promote this blog to other people (like putting a link somewhere, or just telling your online friends). With your email, make sure to include your mailing address (sorry, U.S. residents only, because 1) Shipping outside the US can get expensive or slow as heck, and 2) This DVD may not be compatible with DVD players in other countries.
Once it seems like I'm not going to get any other entries, I'll choose one at random, and put the DVD in the mail to the person who I've chosen!
Oh, by the way... if you really don't want the Fartman DVD, you can still enter the "contest" anyway... just tell me you don't want that DVD, and maybe I can come up with an alternate prize for you!
Thanks in advance!
Jon
Wednesday, May 16, 2007
When is a Vacation Not a Vacation?
When it's spent at home, naturally.
Well, let me explain this a bit. Thursday and Friday this week, I'm taking a few vacation days from work, but I'm not going anywhere or doing anything really special. You see, at the newspaper I work at, all vacation days have to be used by the end of the year or they're lost! Since I have two weeks coming to me this year, I scheduled one full week off (in July), and then set up this long weekend, a three-day weekend in September, and another four-day weekend in November (for my birthday weekend).
Just because I'm not going to work, though, doesn't mean I don't have some plans in place! I'm intending to spend a large part of Thursday working ahead on Cover Stories columns (since there's only two more banked at this point). I may also start working on some notes for my next mega-series of posts on the DC History list (which, as I'm sure I've said before, will be "By the 10's", featuring issues 10, 20, 30, etc. of various comics series). I'm about two weeks away from finishing off the TV Comics posts on DC History, and honestly, I've been kind of "phoning it in" on those for some time, as I got to comics based on tv shows I'd never seen.
So I'm going to try harder with "By the 10's" -- for each comics series I cover, the first post will have notes who the publisher was, and how long the series lasted. Then, for each issue, I'll at least identify the cover artist, if not the stories in the issue!
Of course, that's a bit of work right there... so I'll probably limit my postings to five covers a night (unless, for example, the series only went to say, 60 or 70 issues, in which case I may post one or two more, or break it up over two days).
I also may spend part of this long weekend working on some new "Comics They Never Made" covers, since I think I may be near the end of the "Drive-In Movie Classics" covers I've created. I may even get around to updating the "Comics They Never Made" Archive, especially since I recently learned that the link to the site's been added to Comic Book Resources!
Jon
Well, let me explain this a bit. Thursday and Friday this week, I'm taking a few vacation days from work, but I'm not going anywhere or doing anything really special. You see, at the newspaper I work at, all vacation days have to be used by the end of the year or they're lost! Since I have two weeks coming to me this year, I scheduled one full week off (in July), and then set up this long weekend, a three-day weekend in September, and another four-day weekend in November (for my birthday weekend).
Just because I'm not going to work, though, doesn't mean I don't have some plans in place! I'm intending to spend a large part of Thursday working ahead on Cover Stories columns (since there's only two more banked at this point). I may also start working on some notes for my next mega-series of posts on the DC History list (which, as I'm sure I've said before, will be "By the 10's", featuring issues 10, 20, 30, etc. of various comics series). I'm about two weeks away from finishing off the TV Comics posts on DC History, and honestly, I've been kind of "phoning it in" on those for some time, as I got to comics based on tv shows I'd never seen.
So I'm going to try harder with "By the 10's" -- for each comics series I cover, the first post will have notes who the publisher was, and how long the series lasted. Then, for each issue, I'll at least identify the cover artist, if not the stories in the issue!
Of course, that's a bit of work right there... so I'll probably limit my postings to five covers a night (unless, for example, the series only went to say, 60 or 70 issues, in which case I may post one or two more, or break it up over two days).
I also may spend part of this long weekend working on some new "Comics They Never Made" covers, since I think I may be near the end of the "Drive-In Movie Classics" covers I've created. I may even get around to updating the "Comics They Never Made" Archive, especially since I recently learned that the link to the site's been added to Comic Book Resources!
Jon
Genre Movie Image of the Day: Phantom of the Opera!
Play me out, Phantom... or rather, play yourself out! Yes, this is the final Phantom of the Opera image I have for you! Tomorrow, I move on to one of the other Universal monsters for a few days.
In case you're wondering, no, I haven't even checked to see if the Dollar Store DVD Lon Chaney movie I have is Phantom of the Opera or Hunchback of Notre Dame! (My DVD player's been occupied with Astro boy Ultra Collector's Edition Vol. 1 from the library)
I've been trying to think what info I have on Lon or the Phantom that I can pass along to you... but all I can recall is some vague stuff about the kind of torture Lon put himself into for the Phantom's makeup, including using wires hooked into his nostrils to pull his nose up that way... and apparently, he did this kind of stuff for most of his movie roles, not letting pain get in the way of a makeup job!
Jon
Comic Book Cover of the Day!
Here's Gold Key's Dagar, The Invincible #1, a book that I'm pretty darn sure was created to compete (or at least get part of the market) with Conan the Barbarian, except for a perhaps younger audience.
I believe that Donald Glut created Dagar as well as his fellow Gold Key comic book star Dr. Spektor... and in fact, I believe it was revealed in some comic or another that Dagar was Spektor's ancestor!
I don't recall reading many Dagar issues, however... I am a Spektor fan, though!
Jon
Classic Collectible of the Day!
Here's a Bewitched paper doll book... remember when those things were all the rage? My sisters Sandy and Debi used to have quite a few paper doll books, at least before they started getting Barbies, anyway!
And if you're getting tired of Bewitched stuff, fear not... the end is NEAR!
Jon
Comic Book Ad of the Day!
You know, someone with a much more complete comics collection than I have really, really needs to find and scan all the Heroes World ads (as well as their Superhero Catalogs) and create a website with all of that stuff... along with photos of the actual merchandise, if available!
I kind of tried to do that with my long-dead "Comic Book Covers and Ads of the 1970s" website back in the 90s... but I think the enormity of the task dissuaded me after a certain point!
So, that's kind of the secret origin of why I'm posting comics ads in this blog... it's sort of the modern version of the "Ads" portion of that old website!
This particular Heroes World ad is pretty cool... as you can see, it's all selling back issues, and at prices that were pretty decent, too! Most of the items you see listed there can't be had for anywhere near those prices these days, unless they're in BTH condition (I trust I don't need to translate "BTH" for you?)... then again, so far as I'm concerned, an old comic is worth buying so long as it's complete (although of course, the more BTH it is, the cheaper the price better be!).
Jon
Tuesday, May 15, 2007
Comics Cover of the Day!
Here's Daredevil Battles Hitler, a classic golden age team-up tale if I ever read one! You see, there's not just the original Daredevil, but also Silver Streak and a few other characters! And not only do they battle Hitler, but also the Claw (not Yellow Claw, but the Claw... different, albiet similar, characters)!
I seem to recall seeing a reprint of this book some time ago, but I don't know if I actually bought and read it or not... and the only original issue of that Daredevil's title I ever owned was after the Little Wise Guys took it over, bumping him out of his own book!
(And if you're completely confused by all this talk, well, you need to read up on some comic book history! I'd recommend starting with All In Color For A Dime).
Jon
Classic Collectibles of the Day!
Here's some Bewitched books (I think the last two are diffent editions of the same book, judging from the covers), neither of which I've had the opportunity to own or read!
Jon
Comics Ad of the Day!
Sheesh, running late a second night in a row... but still, I'm bringing it to you, my faithful readers!
Here's an ad from Marvel's October 1977 cover-dated books, featuring some Heroes World goodness and badness!
First, the badness... those pinball machines! $3.69 for each of those, in 1977 money? Man, you can find games like these in your local Dollar Store, and they've got just as much "play value" to them... of course, they won't have a Marvel Super Hero picture on'em...
Next, the ridiculous... that Spidey glider thing! This same company also did some DC characters, like Superman (which makes sense), but I don't think any other character they did a Sky Hero of actually flew in the comics under their own power! This item is almost as ludicruous as the Hulk utility belt!
And of course, there's the goodness... Mego superheroes! Probably the most fondly-remembered and collected super-hero action figures of all!
Jon
Here's an ad from Marvel's October 1977 cover-dated books, featuring some Heroes World goodness and badness!
First, the badness... those pinball machines! $3.69 for each of those, in 1977 money? Man, you can find games like these in your local Dollar Store, and they've got just as much "play value" to them... of course, they won't have a Marvel Super Hero picture on'em...
Next, the ridiculous... that Spidey glider thing! This same company also did some DC characters, like Superman (which makes sense), but I don't think any other character they did a Sky Hero of actually flew in the comics under their own power! This item is almost as ludicruous as the Hulk utility belt!
And of course, there's the goodness... Mego superheroes! Probably the most fondly-remembered and collected super-hero action figures of all!
Jon
Genre Movie Image of the Day: Phantom of the Opera!
Here's a great shot of the Phantom making his appearance as the Masque of the Red Death, or maybe just Death!
More tomorrow!
Jon
Comics Cover of the Day!
Here's Daredevil #1... although I suspect this image isn't 100% the original cover (that issue number looks suspicious to me).
Jon
Classic Collectible of the Day!
Here's the Bewitched board game, which I've never owned and never played, so I can only guess as to whether it was fun to play or not!
Jon
Comics Ad of the Day!
Running late tonight, which is why this and the other posts for this evening are shorter than usual...
I just liked this house ad from the June, 1969 cover-dated DC books... well, that and the cover!
Jon
Sunday, May 13, 2007
Sunday Wrap-Up!
Hoo-boy, what a long day it's been... not bad long, necessarily!
Of course it began with breakfast, the most important meal of the day... after which we got ready and headed out, because not only was today Mother's Day, but my family was also celebrating our May birthdays (brother Jeff, brother-in-law Bob, and nephew R.J.)... and we had a few errands to do on the way.
First up was a quick stop at Big Lots, where we hoped to find some canvases for Jessi's painting (a hobby of hers), but they were all sold out. Then, it was across the street to Home Depot, for Bob's present, a gift card (Jeff's gift was cash in a card, since he and his wife, Kristi, have been spending bunches of money on home improvements and repairs, and he needed some cash for fun stuff!). From there, it was on to I-5 and north to Tacoma, where our next stop was the Tacoma Mall.
Our first purpose at the Mall was to stop at Penney's for RJ's gift, a gift card (he needs clothes, and their Big and Tall selection is good and inexpensive, unlike the dedicated Big & Tall stores). Mom was already taken care of for Mother's Day (a plant, newly repotted).
While at Penney's, Jessi wanted to look at clothes, as she needed a dressier outfit for some upcoming stuff... but was initially unsuccessful. From there, we went to the food court for some relatively healthy lunch, and then we hit nearly all the clothing stores in the mall. A return stop at Penney's before leaving netted her a new pair of pants, so she's halfway there!
Now, before I continue onward, know this: I love my wife, Jessi, dearly, and would not give her up for anything in the world. But, as I'm sure any one of you readers who are married men will attest, husbands should not be along for clothes shopping with their wives. Most women (not all... my sister Debi is an exception to this, I know) like to take their time looking at clothes, while men tend to do their clothes shopping quick-and-dirty (this may be why most men's clothes tend to be less flashy and colorful than women's clothes). And while I'd imagine that Jessi will not be happy to see this in the old blogge (and I ask her forgiveness here publically), she definitely likes to look at different things, and uses her women's perogative to change her mind.
Unfortunately, this meant (since clothing stores are sadly lacking in places to sit) I spent a lot of time standing around, which is never a good idea for me, as it tends to cause my back to ache badly (although strangely enough, that never seems to be the case when we're at comics conventions, so I suppose a large part of it must be psychological... in other words, the backache is more likely than not at least as much my "fault" as it is Jessi's... so I don't blame her per se).
Anyway, after leaving the mall, we stopped at Michael's in Tacoma to buy that canvas we needed, as well as some paints, then off to Albertson's for our contribution to the birthday/Mother's Day barbeque.
We were the last to arrive at my parents' house (definitely not the norm for us), so we were able to start visiting with everyone until it was time to start the barbeque up! I took the task of barbequeing the burgers, hot dogs, and chicken, and then everyone ate and ate and ate!
Actually, I think we had everyone open their gifts and cards before dinner was started... and then after dinner, we visited some more, and then it was time for cake and ice cream... after which we headed for home, with a quick stop at Barnes & Noble along the way.
After unloading the car and putting our purchases away, we relaxed in front of the tv as I tried to alleviate the back pain...although it appears that rest is the best cure for that. Jessi was tired and went to bed, and I hit the computer to catch up on email, blogs, scanning, and so forth, before doing my blog posts of the night!
Jon
Of course it began with breakfast, the most important meal of the day... after which we got ready and headed out, because not only was today Mother's Day, but my family was also celebrating our May birthdays (brother Jeff, brother-in-law Bob, and nephew R.J.)... and we had a few errands to do on the way.
First up was a quick stop at Big Lots, where we hoped to find some canvases for Jessi's painting (a hobby of hers), but they were all sold out. Then, it was across the street to Home Depot, for Bob's present, a gift card (Jeff's gift was cash in a card, since he and his wife, Kristi, have been spending bunches of money on home improvements and repairs, and he needed some cash for fun stuff!). From there, it was on to I-5 and north to Tacoma, where our next stop was the Tacoma Mall.
Our first purpose at the Mall was to stop at Penney's for RJ's gift, a gift card (he needs clothes, and their Big and Tall selection is good and inexpensive, unlike the dedicated Big & Tall stores). Mom was already taken care of for Mother's Day (a plant, newly repotted).
While at Penney's, Jessi wanted to look at clothes, as she needed a dressier outfit for some upcoming stuff... but was initially unsuccessful. From there, we went to the food court for some relatively healthy lunch, and then we hit nearly all the clothing stores in the mall. A return stop at Penney's before leaving netted her a new pair of pants, so she's halfway there!
Now, before I continue onward, know this: I love my wife, Jessi, dearly, and would not give her up for anything in the world. But, as I'm sure any one of you readers who are married men will attest, husbands should not be along for clothes shopping with their wives. Most women (not all... my sister Debi is an exception to this, I know) like to take their time looking at clothes, while men tend to do their clothes shopping quick-and-dirty (this may be why most men's clothes tend to be less flashy and colorful than women's clothes). And while I'd imagine that Jessi will not be happy to see this in the old blogge (and I ask her forgiveness here publically), she definitely likes to look at different things, and uses her women's perogative to change her mind.
Unfortunately, this meant (since clothing stores are sadly lacking in places to sit) I spent a lot of time standing around, which is never a good idea for me, as it tends to cause my back to ache badly (although strangely enough, that never seems to be the case when we're at comics conventions, so I suppose a large part of it must be psychological... in other words, the backache is more likely than not at least as much my "fault" as it is Jessi's... so I don't blame her per se).
Anyway, after leaving the mall, we stopped at Michael's in Tacoma to buy that canvas we needed, as well as some paints, then off to Albertson's for our contribution to the birthday/Mother's Day barbeque.
We were the last to arrive at my parents' house (definitely not the norm for us), so we were able to start visiting with everyone until it was time to start the barbeque up! I took the task of barbequeing the burgers, hot dogs, and chicken, and then everyone ate and ate and ate!
Actually, I think we had everyone open their gifts and cards before dinner was started... and then after dinner, we visited some more, and then it was time for cake and ice cream... after which we headed for home, with a quick stop at Barnes & Noble along the way.
After unloading the car and putting our purchases away, we relaxed in front of the tv as I tried to alleviate the back pain...although it appears that rest is the best cure for that. Jessi was tired and went to bed, and I hit the computer to catch up on email, blogs, scanning, and so forth, before doing my blog posts of the night!
Jon
Genre Movie Image of the Day: Phantom of the Opera!
If you've been paying attention the past week or so, you may guess that showing the Phantom poster above means that in the next few days, there'll be some stills from the original Phantom of the Opera coming your way... and you'd be right! The next three days, I'll be presenting one still from this classic silent film... and maybe it'll give me an excuse to watch my dollar store DVD copy of it (I think I've got that on DVD... but maybe it's Hunchback of Notre Dame).
Jon
Comic Book Cover of the Day!
Well, here I was talking about anthology reprint books yesterday, and here's another one of 'em!
DC Super-Stars is a pretty neat reprint title... I believe most (if not all) of the even-numbered issues featured DC Super-Stars of Space, while the odd issues would vary. I believe that one issue had the origin of the JSA, another one or two were other secret origins... and yes, I know that JSA origin wasn't a reprint (not all of them were... I think one was Danger: Dinosaurs at Large, and had Captain Comet as the big star).
They are definitely worth latching onto and reading!
Jon
Classic Collectible of the Day!
Yes, it's another Bewitched item... and this doesn't resemble Elizabeth Montgomery, does it? If it did, I'd imagine that it would be even more valuable and difficult to find these days, wouldn't it?
Jon
Comic Book Ad of the Day!
How could I post ads from the June, 1969 cover-dated DC books and NOT include the traditional Pallisades Park coupons?
As a kid, seeing these would always frustrate me, because I knew I'd never be able to check it out, and see just how many tie-ins with DC Comics the park actually had (I have no idea if there were any there at all).
The Six Flags parks, on the other hand, do have some DC-related rides and stuff in 'em... but do you see coupons for them in the comics? Noooooooooooooooo!
Well, at least, none that I recall, anyway.
Jon
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