...just read on Newsarama about some of the new Johnny DC titles that'll be coming out...
Billy Batson and the Magic of Shazam! sounds good, as does the Super Friends book (I'll get them both for the 3-year-old)... the Tiny Titans? I'll pass, thank you.
It's just a shame that Justice League Unlimited is being cancelled to make room for the Super Friends book... it's been one of my favorite DC titles for the longest time! Then again, I still miss the Batman and Superman animated adventure titles, too, and felt they should've been continued (no, I don't read The Batman Strikes, or whatever it's called, because the current Batman cartoon doesn't appeal to me at all).
At least they didn't cancel Teen Titans Go!, apparently, which is good, because it's the only comic I can get my wife to read.
I'll also continue to get Legion of Super-Heroes in the 23rd Century, naturally.
Jon
Jon's Random Acts of Geekery is your five days a week destination for old-school geekery!
Saturday, August 11, 2007
Not That I'm Ready for the Disabled List or Anything...
...but today made me feel quite worn out!
The day started as most Saturdays do here at Chez Knutson; the boys got us up earlier than we'd really prefer (they're completely unaware of the concept of "sleeping in on the weekends"), I made breakfast for them, we all ate... And then I took our dogs, Krypto and KO, for an off-leash walk. Getting back from that (with a few garage sale stops in-between), I got the boys a snack and started doing some of the housecleaning we've been putting off for too many weekends (Jessi worked on the upstairs bathroom while I got started on the kitchen).
Oh, and somewhere in here, I had to clean a really, really poopy diaper thanks to our youngest. What joy, eh?
After lunch, the boys were put down for a nap, Jessi headed off to an appointment, and I continued working on the cleaning, sweeping the floors that aren't carpeted on the ground floor, and vacuuming the floors that are... this was followed by a thorough mopping. Oh, I also cleaned the downstairs bathroom (which wasn't bad; it tends to be cleaned pretty thoroughly weekly anyway by Jessi). Between cleaning, I continued getting laundry done that Jessi started.
Once I finished up with all the cleaning, I opened up our bagless vacuum cleaner and decided to really clean out the cup that holds the dirt it collects, as well as really clean the filter (which I ended up putting in one of the laundry loads). Oh, somewhere in there I also filled the dishwasher and ran it, too.
I did have some time after all the cleaning was done to work on a new Cover Stories column (you have already checked out this week's column, haven't you?), as well as start on the one after that, before our oldest woke up from his nap. I got him a snack to tide him over until dinner, and shortly after that, Jessi got back from her appointment. Our youngest woke up not too much later than that.
The remainder of the afternoon wasn't that much of a physical effort... we did take the boys with us to Value Village so we could find some 2T clothes for the youngest, and to see if we could find any good children's books, after which we went home and had dinner.
After dinner, we decided to take the boys out for a little bit of exercise before bedtime. The oldest (who's 3) rode his bike with training wheels, while I pulled the youngest in a wagon. And here's where things started to really pain me: We keep the bikes and the wagon in our garage, and the driveway goes downhill fairly steeply to the street. As I pulled the wagon to the street, somehow I managed to smack my right knee with the wagon... and I ended up hobbling with it to the sidewalk on the other side of the street before I had to sit down, because the pain was so intense.
Fortunately, after a few minutes, the pain subsided, and we were able to continue, going to the school across the street from us so the oldest could ride his bike around their back field (there's a paved pathway) while the youngest alternatively rode in the wagon or pulled it himself.
I'm fairly sure that, while I didn't seriously injure my knee with the wagon, my immediate reaction to that ended up causing my back to stiffen up, so I was moving around the house like the Frankenstein monster for a bit after we got home for the night!
(this post cross-posted to Jon's Random Acts of Geekery as well as Building Our Family, just in case you're wondering.
Jon
The day started as most Saturdays do here at Chez Knutson; the boys got us up earlier than we'd really prefer (they're completely unaware of the concept of "sleeping in on the weekends"), I made breakfast for them, we all ate... And then I took our dogs, Krypto and KO, for an off-leash walk. Getting back from that (with a few garage sale stops in-between), I got the boys a snack and started doing some of the housecleaning we've been putting off for too many weekends (Jessi worked on the upstairs bathroom while I got started on the kitchen).
Oh, and somewhere in here, I had to clean a really, really poopy diaper thanks to our youngest. What joy, eh?
After lunch, the boys were put down for a nap, Jessi headed off to an appointment, and I continued working on the cleaning, sweeping the floors that aren't carpeted on the ground floor, and vacuuming the floors that are... this was followed by a thorough mopping. Oh, I also cleaned the downstairs bathroom (which wasn't bad; it tends to be cleaned pretty thoroughly weekly anyway by Jessi). Between cleaning, I continued getting laundry done that Jessi started.
Once I finished up with all the cleaning, I opened up our bagless vacuum cleaner and decided to really clean out the cup that holds the dirt it collects, as well as really clean the filter (which I ended up putting in one of the laundry loads). Oh, somewhere in there I also filled the dishwasher and ran it, too.
I did have some time after all the cleaning was done to work on a new Cover Stories column (you have already checked out this week's column, haven't you?), as well as start on the one after that, before our oldest woke up from his nap. I got him a snack to tide him over until dinner, and shortly after that, Jessi got back from her appointment. Our youngest woke up not too much later than that.
The remainder of the afternoon wasn't that much of a physical effort... we did take the boys with us to Value Village so we could find some 2T clothes for the youngest, and to see if we could find any good children's books, after which we went home and had dinner.
After dinner, we decided to take the boys out for a little bit of exercise before bedtime. The oldest (who's 3) rode his bike with training wheels, while I pulled the youngest in a wagon. And here's where things started to really pain me: We keep the bikes and the wagon in our garage, and the driveway goes downhill fairly steeply to the street. As I pulled the wagon to the street, somehow I managed to smack my right knee with the wagon... and I ended up hobbling with it to the sidewalk on the other side of the street before I had to sit down, because the pain was so intense.
Fortunately, after a few minutes, the pain subsided, and we were able to continue, going to the school across the street from us so the oldest could ride his bike around their back field (there's a paved pathway) while the youngest alternatively rode in the wagon or pulled it himself.
I'm fairly sure that, while I didn't seriously injure my knee with the wagon, my immediate reaction to that ended up causing my back to stiffen up, so I was moving around the house like the Frankenstein monster for a bit after we got home for the night!
(this post cross-posted to Jon's Random Acts of Geekery as well as Building Our Family, just in case you're wondering.
Jon
Comic Book Cover of the Day!
Have you had enough foreign edition Legion covers yet? I hope not...
I recognized this one as being the "Final Eclipse of Sun Boy" cover right away... You can see the original cover here. It's Grell art again, although some of the coloring was changed for the foreign edition.
Jon
I recognized this one as being the "Final Eclipse of Sun Boy" cover right away... You can see the original cover here. It's Grell art again, although some of the coloring was changed for the foreign edition.
Jon
Classic Collectible of the Day!
It's referred to as "Lavender Robot" in the book I scanned this photo from. Yeah, it's pretty obvious why.
I'm not sure what the manufacturer was thinking.
Jon
Friday, August 10, 2007
Comic Book Cover of the Day!
Another foreign edition cover? Here you go:
This is the November, 1975 issue of this Superboy overseas book, and you can see the original American version of this cover here, thanks to the Grand Comics Database! It's issue 207 of Superboy (or Superboy and the Legion of Super-Heroes, depending on if you believe the cover logo or the indicia).
Jon
This is the November, 1975 issue of this Superboy overseas book, and you can see the original American version of this cover here, thanks to the Grand Comics Database! It's issue 207 of Superboy (or Superboy and the Legion of Super-Heroes, depending on if you believe the cover logo or the indicia).
Jon
Classic Collectible of the Day!
OK, two things about this robot strike me immediately:
The first is the name... "Flashy Jim" -- sounds more like a gambler's nickname, doesn't it? Or maybe some mobster who was the last in line to get a mafia nickname.
The second is that the box clearly shows the knees bending on this robot, while the photo of the robot makes it clear the robot cannot bend its knees at all!
Actually, I suspect that the box art and the robot were designed by two different people, each going from some preliminary sketches, as there are quite a few differences between them!
Jon
Thursday, August 09, 2007
Classic Collectible of the Day!
The Robot Explo here looks like it would feel right at home amongst the Micronauts toys, doesn't it?
Jon
Comic Book Cover of the Day!
As you likely guessed, here in the Random Acts we're no longer featuring "For the Birds" covers... instead, I'll be sharing some covers from Foreign Editions!
One of the interesting things about foreign editions of American comics is how sometimes, they'll use the original cover art (although sometimes edited) from the book being reprinted, while other times there'll be original art created. Another is the logos used; a lot of times the logos don't resemble at all their American counterparts!
It's also fun to try to translate the language being used, especially where it relates to the character names.
This one, a Superboy book from Febuary 1976, reprints Superboy and the Legion of Super-Heroes 276, and uses the original Mike Grell artwork.
Jon
Wednesday, August 08, 2007
So Was It "Don't Post Much To Your Blog" Week and Nobody Told Me?
Yeah, I know, blogging about blogging is a sin... but I've noticed that many of my favorite blogs, which I check daily, have been posting only sporadically this week, if at all!
The Bat-Blog didn't post anything today... Lady That's My Skull hasn't posted a thing since the tirade against Circuit City... heck, the Comic Treadmill hasn't posted anything since their contribution to Bahlactus' Friday Night Fights (something I've considered participating in, except that I've had a hard enough time finding time to get scans done for future posts, as well as trying to get further ahead on Cover Stories columns).
Maybe I'm just feeling annoyed or something, but you long-time readers know that I feel it's important to not skip too many days if you're blogging... or at least let us faithful readers know if you're taking a break!
Jon
The Bat-Blog didn't post anything today... Lady That's My Skull hasn't posted a thing since the tirade against Circuit City... heck, the Comic Treadmill hasn't posted anything since their contribution to Bahlactus' Friday Night Fights (something I've considered participating in, except that I've had a hard enough time finding time to get scans done for future posts, as well as trying to get further ahead on Cover Stories columns).
Maybe I'm just feeling annoyed or something, but you long-time readers know that I feel it's important to not skip too many days if you're blogging... or at least let us faithful readers know if you're taking a break!
Jon
Classic Collectible of the Day!
Now, my file name calls this a "Door Robot," but I have no idea why I named it that... Kind of looks like a variation on Robby, doesn't it? Then again, I suppose all robot toys with rounded surfaces will at least superficially resemble Robby...
Jon
Comic Book Cover of the Day!
Here's Adventure #35, a pre-superhero issue if I'm not mistaken! And it's from my "For the Birds" files, naturally!
Now, I don't know about your part of the country, but here in Washington, I don't ever recall a single incident of a lumberjack being attacked by an eagle!
Nor was fighting off eagles mentioned in the song. Yes, you know what song I'm talking about, don't you?
"I'm a lumberjack, and I'm okay... I sleep all night and I work all day!"
I mean, it's not like there was a missing lyric...
"I chop down trees, I fight eagles..."
Jon
Papercraft Munster Koach
You may recall a long time back, I linked to a site with instrucctions on how to create a papercraft Batmobile?
Well, thanks to BoingBoing, here's a site with a papercraft Munster Koach, just like the one I've posted pictures of not too long ago... except in paper.
The same site also has a lot of Star Trek papercraft models to download, as well as stuff from Star Blazers (aka "Space Cruiser Yamato"), and a Mach 5 from Speed Racer... so check out the site, y'hear?
I may well have to start trying some of these myself...
Jon
Well, thanks to BoingBoing, here's a site with a papercraft Munster Koach, just like the one I've posted pictures of not too long ago... except in paper.
The same site also has a lot of Star Trek papercraft models to download, as well as stuff from Star Blazers (aka "Space Cruiser Yamato"), and a Mach 5 from Speed Racer... so check out the site, y'hear?
I may well have to start trying some of these myself...
Jon
Tuesday, August 07, 2007
America's Got Talent!
And my favorite performer of the top eight is Terry Fator...
The above video was his audition, and what he's done since then is even more amazing.
I've never seen an impressionist get this far in the program before (ok, so this is only the second season), and while ventriloquists may have gotten into the top 50 or so, last season didn't see one in the top 20 so far as I recall.
This guy is just amazing. He said in tonight's episode that his dream is to headline in Vegas, and you know what? If I heard he was going to be headlining in Vegas, I'd see if there was any way I could go see him.
You can read more about Terry at his website, which I looked through a little bit... and while there was no mention of his "America's Got Talent" appearances there, I did note his schedule has no performances planned anywhere near Washington state that I could tell...
Jon
The above video was his audition, and what he's done since then is even more amazing.
I've never seen an impressionist get this far in the program before (ok, so this is only the second season), and while ventriloquists may have gotten into the top 50 or so, last season didn't see one in the top 20 so far as I recall.
This guy is just amazing. He said in tonight's episode that his dream is to headline in Vegas, and you know what? If I heard he was going to be headlining in Vegas, I'd see if there was any way I could go see him.
You can read more about Terry at his website, which I looked through a little bit... and while there was no mention of his "America's Got Talent" appearances there, I did note his schedule has no performances planned anywhere near Washington state that I could tell...
Jon
Classic Collectible of the Day!
This robot appears to use the "bump-n-go" set up that so many other toys used, especially toy cars. I don't know what else it did... did the head swivel back and forth, did the arms move?
Jon
Comic Book Cover of the Day!
I seem to recall that this bird, from Adventure 225, made later appearances in Superboy stories, but I can't recall right now what the bird was named.
But I do remember that when I was considering trying to put together a "Comics They Never Made" feature on a "missing" Showcase issue, teaming up DC's animal characters, that this bird was one I was trying to recall!
Jon
Monday, August 06, 2007
Quickie Post!
Wasn't picked for today's jury, but could still be chosen later this week!
Here's your comic book cover of the day:
I don't think the villain on the cover of Adventure 303 was appreciated by the ASPCA, eh?
And here's your classic collectible of the day:
Get the feeling the manufacturer wanted to do a Godzilla tin toy, but couldn't get the rights?
Jon
Here's your comic book cover of the day:
I don't think the villain on the cover of Adventure 303 was appreciated by the ASPCA, eh?
And here's your classic collectible of the day:
Get the feeling the manufacturer wanted to do a Godzilla tin toy, but couldn't get the rights?
Jon
Sunday, August 05, 2007
Classic Collectible of the Day!
This is the Cragstan Astronaut robot toy. Cragstan apparently was a major manufacturer of electronic toys, although before I started collecting photos for posting, I'd never heard of the company!
This is kind of a bizarre-looking robot toy, as the head makes it appear it's supposed to be a human being, but the neck down is all robot! Maybe this could be one of the earliest cyborg toys?
Jon
Comic Book Cover of the Day!
Another from the "For the Birds" file...
This is The Adventures of Rex the Wonder Dog #39, and it's got to be art by Gil Kane (the bear's face is the giveaway for me). You've got to give DC credit, they probably had the only adventure comic book starring a dog to be successful at all that wasn't based on a movie dog (such as the various Lassie comics).
Would I ever consider buying a Showcase Presents Rex the Wonder Dog volume? You betcha! Especially since I believe that the original Detective Chimp stories were back-ups in that title.
Jon
This is The Adventures of Rex the Wonder Dog #39, and it's got to be art by Gil Kane (the bear's face is the giveaway for me). You've got to give DC credit, they probably had the only adventure comic book starring a dog to be successful at all that wasn't based on a movie dog (such as the various Lassie comics).
Would I ever consider buying a Showcase Presents Rex the Wonder Dog volume? You betcha! Especially since I believe that the original Detective Chimp stories were back-ups in that title.
Jon
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
