...there's not a single bid on my eBay auctions of old records. Two of them are being watched, but no bids at all.
Guess I could've saved myself a lot of time and trouble by just giving 'em away to the local Goodwill or Value Village!
Well, actually, there are three of them -- along with some others I've been holding onto -- that I was thinking of offering directly to two websites that rip MP3s from vinyl that's long out of print and not available on CD to see if they want 'em. I may not even ask for more than the cost of postage from them, just to be rid of 'em!
Jon
Jon's Random Acts of Geekery is your five days a week destination for old-school geekery!
Saturday, September 08, 2007
Return to Weight Watchers...
So, today was our return to going to Weight Watchers meetings... far from a triumphant return, as we'd both put weight back on we'd lost before we stopped going!
For the record, I gained about 40 lbs. back over the last year plus since my last meeting, and Jessi's gain is something I won't mention because I like being able to sleep at night!
I'll be giving you updates on our progress as the weeks commence!
I had to do something... I'd been wearing a size 34 waist for a while, and then suddenly, they weren't fitting anymore! Today I actually had to get a 38 waist (which is still a far cry from what my waist size used to be, but still...).
Jon
For the record, I gained about 40 lbs. back over the last year plus since my last meeting, and Jessi's gain is something I won't mention because I like being able to sleep at night!
I'll be giving you updates on our progress as the weeks commence!
I had to do something... I'd been wearing a size 34 waist for a while, and then suddenly, they weren't fitting anymore! Today I actually had to get a 38 waist (which is still a far cry from what my waist size used to be, but still...).
Jon
How About some Foreign Comics Covers?
"But Jon," I hear you thinking, "Weren't there any Marvel foreign edition books you can share with us?"
The above "Spindelmannen" cover almost reminds me of the 1960s Marvel Super-Heroes cartoons in a way!
Above is what happens when the color guides don't make it overseas for the villains' costumes!
Jon
Friday, September 07, 2007
I'll Bet I Forgot To Mention....
...that our home internet setup is working again, no thanks to Comcast. Jessi's best friend, Tifney, came over last night and did some troubleshooting, and we found out that there's a button on the Comcast cable modem that wasn't in the "on" position. For some reason, the Comcast tech guy never thought to ask us about it. So now, we're back in business, and I no longer have to piggyback my way onto the net on someone else's unsecured network.
Now, we just have to take Jessi's laptop down to Tifney's house this weekend so she can help us undo everything the Comcast guy asked us to do in order to try to make things work.
Jon
Now, we just have to take Jessi's laptop down to Tifney's house this weekend so she can help us undo everything the Comcast guy asked us to do in order to try to make things work.
Jon
More Thoughts on the Finale of Who Wants to be a Superhero?
OK, now that I've actually watched the two-hour season finale of "Who Wants to be a Superhero?", I can finally write a bit more about it.
I'm presuming at this point that anyone who cares about who won has probably either watched the show in some form (either on the TV or through the Sci Fi Channel's website), so I won't have to worry about spoiling it.
When last we left our intrepid heroes, we were down to Hyperstrike, Hygena, and The Defuser. Since I'd read that Hyperstrike and Hygena had appeared in the WWTBAS panel at San Diego, I assumed that one of them had to be the winner (did I just miss reading that the Defuser was there, too?), and I'd guessed that Hyperstrike would be the winner.
Oh, and the Evil Stan Lee clone that had given the heroes bogus orders had grown to giant-size, and was starting to wreck the city.
Now, I was hoping that somehow, we'd be treated to seeing the heroes somehow fighting Giant Turtle Boy Stan Lee (sorry, I couldn't resist), but instead, they had to go out to the main power plant and shut off the power that Doctor Dark was using to power Evil Stan Lee. In order to do this, they had to get through Doctor Dark's three evil attack dogs and make a human chain to cause a short-circuit.
They did something similar to this last year... except that they just had to get through the dogs to save someone. It may have even been the same dogs.
Like what happened last year, the heroes had protective gear to wear (although at least the Defuser did get some minor wounds when attacked). Hygena offered herself up as bait, because she knew she would go down, and figured Hype and the Defuser could accomplish the mission if she distracted the dogs. The plan worked, more or less... although the Defuser did have to fend off two dogs himself (I don't think they even bothered Hyperstrike). Without three of them at the power base, they couldn't form a complete human chain, but Hype found a cable to provide the missing link, and they were able to destroy Giant Evil Stan.
Aside here... You know, given that two seasons in a row the heroes have had to face dogs, I hope that next year's contestants will at least look into learning how to deal with dogs before entering! Jessi even asked me why nobody tried any Caesar Milan tactics to get the dogs to back off.
Next up was a lesson in dealing with the media, as the heroes went to be interviewed by Kennedy (formerly of MTV) on her talk show about reality shows (which I'd never heard of before). All three heroes, despite being warmed, blabbed away way too many secrets that could lead someone to figure out who they really were!
Stan was full of praise for the three with the dog mission, and verbally slapped them a bit for blabbing away at the talk show... but still, when the first hour ended, and it was time for someone to go home, he decided all three were going through!
I may be getting some things out of order here, but I hope you'll forgive me.
Next on the agenda was some one-on-one time with Stan for each hero, as they told Stan more about themselves, why they were here, and why they wanted to win. I was impressed with what they had to say, but you know, they did spill some very personal secrets on-camera when talking to Stan that are now known by everyone who watched the show... so we know the Defuser's sister was doing drugs for a time, and that Hygena had a miscarriage (I don't recall Hyperstrike saying anything that he might've later regretted). But they all three had very personal reasons for wanting to be there, and, I think, valid ones (at least, for them).
Next up for the heroes was some fight training... again, this was like last year, where a stuntman taught them some basic stunt stuff (some of which was done before a green screen so it could be used later on). At the end of their training, they said goodbye to their teacher... and then Doctor Dark appeared!
We did get a bit of a fight with the three heroes defeating the bad Doctor (it went way too easily, though... it could've been much longer and still have been interesting), and then it was back to the lair again!
The final announcement, as happened last year, took place at Universal Studio's Citywalk, where quite a crowd had gathered. Stan, on a big screen, introduced the heroes, played some video messages from home from friends and family, and had their friends and family come out to greet them for the first time in quite a few weeks. Oh, he also showed some cheesy video featuring each hero's stunts with some stuff matted in (I don't know why all three of the heroes were shown flying, by the way... I don't recall getting the impression anywhere during the show that their characters were supposed to be capable of flight).
Then it came down to making the final decision, and you know what? I'm perfectly happy with The Defuser being chosen. After this was announced, the family and friends congratulated the heroes, and then there was a mini-reunion of sorts with some of the heroes who had been eliminated before (I saw Miss Limelight, the mental powers guy, and Basura, but I don't recall seeing any others... which was surprising, because I would've thought at least Parthenon would've shown up for that... I suppose those were the heroes who were local enough to show up without a plane trip). Feedback accompanied them, as well.
Final Thoughts:
OK, these may not be my final, final thoughts... but let's see where this takes me, shall we?
Next year, I'd like to see the heroes be a bit better defined. By at least the second or third episode, let's get a rundown of exactly what the heroes powers are (as well as how those powers originate... i.e., from tech, mutant abilities, magic items, etc.), and let's get an origin of the characters, too. Oh, heck, let's just make the first episode two hours long, and get all that in from the beginning!
So, here's my idea of how the two-hour premiere episode should go next season: Open with clips from a bunch of the auditions, and then let's see Feedback and the Defuser arriving at the new contestants' homes or workplaces to let them know they've been chosen. After each person is contacted, let's get in footage of that person introducing their character, their powers, and origin, and their catchphrase, if they have one.
Next, they arrive at the lair and get to know each other before Stan sends them on their first mission, whatever that may be (ideally, they should get an introduction to the villain or villains they'll be facing during the season... I still like my idea of having a separate "Who Wants to be a Super-Villain" thing happening to pick one or more villains for the show).
And so forth.
Once the series has progressed enough that they've eliminated enough heroes that they can all fit in one vehicle... I say give them a REAL super-vehicle to drive around in! Not one of these SUVs that can be bought from a dealership, but something to at least try to rival the 1960s Batmobile for sheer coolness. (This would also give them something else to tour around the country's conventions along with the current year's winner)
I'd also like to see some more interesting challenges thrown their way... not that this year's challenges weren't interesting... but let's see the heroes doing a bit of detective work somewhere along the way, following some real clues to solve a mystery.
I'd also like to see the Lair updated a bit, too... make it look a little more "Hall of Justice" and a bit less "Big Brother." Let's have a meeting room with a big table, and chairs around it with each hero's insignia or logo on it, and a really big screen tv there for the heroes to see Stan on, as well as the news alerts (assuming they keep that aspect going... which I liked, so let's see more of that).
Here's another thing I'd like to see them do, as a mission: Go to a local hospital and visit the children's ward. Arm the heroes with glossy 8x10 photos of themselves with special effects PhotoShopped in for the heroes to autograph for the kids, too. This is something we used to see Superman and other superheroes do in the comics, and I think having something like that happening in the show would be cool, too.
I'd also like to see the special effects either have an increased budget, or get some better work done on them.
Here's another idea for a challenge: Assuming that all the heroes would have some kind of ranged attack, put them through a gauntlet of sorts. Remember the shooting gallery sequence in "Men in Black"? Give the heroes some kind of Laser Tag kind of thing to simulate their powers, and have them run the gauntlet, shooting the bad guys and gaining points for hitting the bad guys, and losing points if they shoot innocent bystanders. Have some sneaky stuff in there, too!
Well, that's probably enough stuff thrown out there, at least for now. Yes, I've got lots of opinions on this show and how it could be improved, but that's only because I've enjoyed it so much. If someone who works on the show happens to find this blog and read my ideas, and would like some more of my thoughts and so forth, I would love it if you contacted me! I'm sure we could work out an extraordinarily fair consultation fee! :)
Jon
I'm presuming at this point that anyone who cares about who won has probably either watched the show in some form (either on the TV or through the Sci Fi Channel's website), so I won't have to worry about spoiling it.
When last we left our intrepid heroes, we were down to Hyperstrike, Hygena, and The Defuser. Since I'd read that Hyperstrike and Hygena had appeared in the WWTBAS panel at San Diego, I assumed that one of them had to be the winner (did I just miss reading that the Defuser was there, too?), and I'd guessed that Hyperstrike would be the winner.
Oh, and the Evil Stan Lee clone that had given the heroes bogus orders had grown to giant-size, and was starting to wreck the city.
Now, I was hoping that somehow, we'd be treated to seeing the heroes somehow fighting Giant Turtle Boy Stan Lee (sorry, I couldn't resist), but instead, they had to go out to the main power plant and shut off the power that Doctor Dark was using to power Evil Stan Lee. In order to do this, they had to get through Doctor Dark's three evil attack dogs and make a human chain to cause a short-circuit.
They did something similar to this last year... except that they just had to get through the dogs to save someone. It may have even been the same dogs.
Like what happened last year, the heroes had protective gear to wear (although at least the Defuser did get some minor wounds when attacked). Hygena offered herself up as bait, because she knew she would go down, and figured Hype and the Defuser could accomplish the mission if she distracted the dogs. The plan worked, more or less... although the Defuser did have to fend off two dogs himself (I don't think they even bothered Hyperstrike). Without three of them at the power base, they couldn't form a complete human chain, but Hype found a cable to provide the missing link, and they were able to destroy Giant Evil Stan.
Aside here... You know, given that two seasons in a row the heroes have had to face dogs, I hope that next year's contestants will at least look into learning how to deal with dogs before entering! Jessi even asked me why nobody tried any Caesar Milan tactics to get the dogs to back off.
Next up was a lesson in dealing with the media, as the heroes went to be interviewed by Kennedy (formerly of MTV) on her talk show about reality shows (which I'd never heard of before). All three heroes, despite being warmed, blabbed away way too many secrets that could lead someone to figure out who they really were!
Stan was full of praise for the three with the dog mission, and verbally slapped them a bit for blabbing away at the talk show... but still, when the first hour ended, and it was time for someone to go home, he decided all three were going through!
I may be getting some things out of order here, but I hope you'll forgive me.
Next on the agenda was some one-on-one time with Stan for each hero, as they told Stan more about themselves, why they were here, and why they wanted to win. I was impressed with what they had to say, but you know, they did spill some very personal secrets on-camera when talking to Stan that are now known by everyone who watched the show... so we know the Defuser's sister was doing drugs for a time, and that Hygena had a miscarriage (I don't recall Hyperstrike saying anything that he might've later regretted). But they all three had very personal reasons for wanting to be there, and, I think, valid ones (at least, for them).
Next up for the heroes was some fight training... again, this was like last year, where a stuntman taught them some basic stunt stuff (some of which was done before a green screen so it could be used later on). At the end of their training, they said goodbye to their teacher... and then Doctor Dark appeared!
We did get a bit of a fight with the three heroes defeating the bad Doctor (it went way too easily, though... it could've been much longer and still have been interesting), and then it was back to the lair again!
The final announcement, as happened last year, took place at Universal Studio's Citywalk, where quite a crowd had gathered. Stan, on a big screen, introduced the heroes, played some video messages from home from friends and family, and had their friends and family come out to greet them for the first time in quite a few weeks. Oh, he also showed some cheesy video featuring each hero's stunts with some stuff matted in (I don't know why all three of the heroes were shown flying, by the way... I don't recall getting the impression anywhere during the show that their characters were supposed to be capable of flight).
Then it came down to making the final decision, and you know what? I'm perfectly happy with The Defuser being chosen. After this was announced, the family and friends congratulated the heroes, and then there was a mini-reunion of sorts with some of the heroes who had been eliminated before (I saw Miss Limelight, the mental powers guy, and Basura, but I don't recall seeing any others... which was surprising, because I would've thought at least Parthenon would've shown up for that... I suppose those were the heroes who were local enough to show up without a plane trip). Feedback accompanied them, as well.
Final Thoughts:
OK, these may not be my final, final thoughts... but let's see where this takes me, shall we?
Next year, I'd like to see the heroes be a bit better defined. By at least the second or third episode, let's get a rundown of exactly what the heroes powers are (as well as how those powers originate... i.e., from tech, mutant abilities, magic items, etc.), and let's get an origin of the characters, too. Oh, heck, let's just make the first episode two hours long, and get all that in from the beginning!
So, here's my idea of how the two-hour premiere episode should go next season: Open with clips from a bunch of the auditions, and then let's see Feedback and the Defuser arriving at the new contestants' homes or workplaces to let them know they've been chosen. After each person is contacted, let's get in footage of that person introducing their character, their powers, and origin, and their catchphrase, if they have one.
Next, they arrive at the lair and get to know each other before Stan sends them on their first mission, whatever that may be (ideally, they should get an introduction to the villain or villains they'll be facing during the season... I still like my idea of having a separate "Who Wants to be a Super-Villain" thing happening to pick one or more villains for the show).
And so forth.
Once the series has progressed enough that they've eliminated enough heroes that they can all fit in one vehicle... I say give them a REAL super-vehicle to drive around in! Not one of these SUVs that can be bought from a dealership, but something to at least try to rival the 1960s Batmobile for sheer coolness. (This would also give them something else to tour around the country's conventions along with the current year's winner)
I'd also like to see some more interesting challenges thrown their way... not that this year's challenges weren't interesting... but let's see the heroes doing a bit of detective work somewhere along the way, following some real clues to solve a mystery.
I'd also like to see the Lair updated a bit, too... make it look a little more "Hall of Justice" and a bit less "Big Brother." Let's have a meeting room with a big table, and chairs around it with each hero's insignia or logo on it, and a really big screen tv there for the heroes to see Stan on, as well as the news alerts (assuming they keep that aspect going... which I liked, so let's see more of that).
Here's another thing I'd like to see them do, as a mission: Go to a local hospital and visit the children's ward. Arm the heroes with glossy 8x10 photos of themselves with special effects PhotoShopped in for the heroes to autograph for the kids, too. This is something we used to see Superman and other superheroes do in the comics, and I think having something like that happening in the show would be cool, too.
I'd also like to see the special effects either have an increased budget, or get some better work done on them.
Here's another idea for a challenge: Assuming that all the heroes would have some kind of ranged attack, put them through a gauntlet of sorts. Remember the shooting gallery sequence in "Men in Black"? Give the heroes some kind of Laser Tag kind of thing to simulate their powers, and have them run the gauntlet, shooting the bad guys and gaining points for hitting the bad guys, and losing points if they shoot innocent bystanders. Have some sneaky stuff in there, too!
Well, that's probably enough stuff thrown out there, at least for now. Yes, I've got lots of opinions on this show and how it could be improved, but that's only because I've enjoyed it so much. If someone who works on the show happens to find this blog and read my ideas, and would like some more of my thoughts and so forth, I would love it if you contacted me! I'm sure we could work out an extraordinarily fair consultation fee! :)
Jon
Update on Silver Bullet Comics!
So, earlier today, I wrote the following missive to the admin guys at SBC:
I've long been in the habit of checking your website daily for the latest columns, news, reviews, and so forth... but lately, I've become concerned about the lack of updates!
For example... while the heading for the front page touts SBC as being the home of "All the Rage," there hasn't been an ATR since the San Diego ComicCon... and sometimes there has been more than a day between anything new being added.
"Entertainment for Every Age" and Beau Smith's columns are about the only reliable columns each week, others are a bit iffier.
Might I suggest that some kind of announcement be made as to the status of ATR, at least... and possibly adding some additional weekly columns? The blogosphere has been making note of the latest developments since late July, and I'm hoping that the site isn't going to disappear altogether!
And I may as well admit it, I suggested that I would possibly offer up "Cover Stories" to SBC, even though I don't get paid for it at WF Comics, but it has been home to that column for about 2 1/2 years, and honestly, I can't see moving it to a different site unless someone wanted to pay me for it.
Anyway, here's the response I got back:
Hi Jon,
Thanks for your email.
We're working in the background of SBC on some new and exciting changes
(firm announcements soon!), and we're aware of the issues you raise.
We're not about to disappear - far from it.
If you'd like to pitch a column idea, then drop a note to Keith Dallas
(Keith.M.Dallas at hofstra.edu). We're always looking at bring on new
contributors and your work speaks for itself, Jon.
Thanks again,
Jason Brice
Publisher, Silver Bullet Comics
So... nice to know that they are working on it! Now, I don't know if Jason looked at Cover Stories or this blog, but it has gotten me wondering... should I consider adding another weekly column to my fannish workload? And if so, what would it be?
I'm actually considering two possible options to pitch... the first would be a column about the ads in the comics, as kind of an off-shoot to the comics advertisements I've posted here, along with possibly links to websites that have more info on the items that were advertised (as I've done from time to time here).
The other one... well, that would be a bit different, but kind of more in keeping with some of the kind of stuff I've written about here in this blog. It would be a column about comics and the comics business from my own particular perspective, that being of a 40-something-year-old man who's been reading comics since he was a child, and never really left comics, and is starting to introduce his (soon to be adopted) son to them, too. One week could talk about how certain characters have changed from when I first started reading about them, perhaps... other weeks could be just plain memories of comics-related stuff from my younger days... other times I might do the comics ad things.
Coming up with a column title for either of those could be challenging... although I recall that my good buddy Tony Isabella, when we were talking about taking the World's Longest Tony Isabella Interview I conducted with him way too long ago (that got lost when my previous computer died on me) and turning it into a book, that he'd considered as a possible title for that as "Trapped in the Body of a Fan." I really, really like that title, and for the second column idea, I think it would be the perfect title.
Having another weekly column would certainly increase my internet visibility... but do I really have the time and the inclination to write another weekly column? Would it get in the way of my writing in this blog? And perhaps most importantly, could it potentially lead to some kind of paying gig in the future?
What do you think, faithful readers? Let me know.
Jon
I've long been in the habit of checking your website daily for the latest columns, news, reviews, and so forth... but lately, I've become concerned about the lack of updates!
For example... while the heading for the front page touts SBC as being the home of "All the Rage," there hasn't been an ATR since the San Diego ComicCon... and sometimes there has been more than a day between anything new being added.
"Entertainment for Every Age" and Beau Smith's columns are about the only reliable columns each week, others are a bit iffier.
Might I suggest that some kind of announcement be made as to the status of ATR, at least... and possibly adding some additional weekly columns? The blogosphere has been making note of the latest developments since late July, and I'm hoping that the site isn't going to disappear altogether!
And I may as well admit it, I suggested that I would possibly offer up "Cover Stories" to SBC, even though I don't get paid for it at WF Comics, but it has been home to that column for about 2 1/2 years, and honestly, I can't see moving it to a different site unless someone wanted to pay me for it.
Anyway, here's the response I got back:
Hi Jon,
Thanks for your email.
We're working in the background of SBC on some new and exciting changes
(firm announcements soon!), and we're aware of the issues you raise.
We're not about to disappear - far from it.
If you'd like to pitch a column idea, then drop a note to Keith Dallas
(Keith.M.Dallas at hofstra.edu). We're always looking at bring on new
contributors and your work speaks for itself, Jon.
Thanks again,
Jason Brice
Publisher, Silver Bullet Comics
So... nice to know that they are working on it! Now, I don't know if Jason looked at Cover Stories or this blog, but it has gotten me wondering... should I consider adding another weekly column to my fannish workload? And if so, what would it be?
I'm actually considering two possible options to pitch... the first would be a column about the ads in the comics, as kind of an off-shoot to the comics advertisements I've posted here, along with possibly links to websites that have more info on the items that were advertised (as I've done from time to time here).
The other one... well, that would be a bit different, but kind of more in keeping with some of the kind of stuff I've written about here in this blog. It would be a column about comics and the comics business from my own particular perspective, that being of a 40-something-year-old man who's been reading comics since he was a child, and never really left comics, and is starting to introduce his (soon to be adopted) son to them, too. One week could talk about how certain characters have changed from when I first started reading about them, perhaps... other weeks could be just plain memories of comics-related stuff from my younger days... other times I might do the comics ad things.
Coming up with a column title for either of those could be challenging... although I recall that my good buddy Tony Isabella, when we were talking about taking the World's Longest Tony Isabella Interview I conducted with him way too long ago (that got lost when my previous computer died on me) and turning it into a book, that he'd considered as a possible title for that as "Trapped in the Body of a Fan." I really, really like that title, and for the second column idea, I think it would be the perfect title.
Having another weekly column would certainly increase my internet visibility... but do I really have the time and the inclination to write another weekly column? Would it get in the way of my writing in this blog? And perhaps most importantly, could it potentially lead to some kind of paying gig in the future?
What do you think, faithful readers? Let me know.
Jon
Who Wants To Be a Superhero?
Wow, I really blew the call, didn't I?
Neither Hyperstrike or Hygeina were the winners... it was the Defuser!
I guess that having the H's appear at comic-con didn't screw up the final denouement after all.
More thoughts this weekend after I get to actually watch the show.
Jon
Neither Hyperstrike or Hygeina were the winners... it was the Defuser!
I guess that having the H's appear at comic-con didn't screw up the final denouement after all.
More thoughts this weekend after I get to actually watch the show.
Jon
Thursday, September 06, 2007
Cool Classic Space Toys!
This space station toy looks pretty neat, but I'm not sure what kind of playability it had!
Here's another Apollo toy...
This one looks pretty fun, too, doesn't it? The box says something about a "realistic TV set," but I can't imagine it could've been too realistic!
And for those of us who wanted to pilot our own spaceship...
This was called "TV Jet" or something like that. It seems to be a variation on a similar toy I've seen on another website (too bad the bookmark for that site is on my computer at work!).
And last, but not least, here's the Zeroids Action Set! Have I mentioned before how I wish someone would get the rights to reissue the Zeroids? I'd love a set of 'em!
The Zeroids pic was originally thought to be the last of the classic collectibles, but as I wrote a while back, I did find some others I don't think I've posted! So you can look forward to seeing those in a few days here!
Jon
Wednesday, September 05, 2007
Video: Star Trek: The New Voyages "Come What May"
A while back, talking about Star Trek, one or more of you turned me on to the fan project "Star Trek: The New Voyages." Unfortunately, my Mac couldn't watch their videos, but they've been popping up on YouTube! So, here's the pilot, broken up into four parts. I haven't watched this yet, but this post gives it all for me in one place to watch, too!
Part 1:
Part 2:
Part 3:
Part 4:
Jon
Part 1:
Part 2:
Part 3:
Part 4:
Jon
The Creature from the Black Lagoon!
I've written here before about "The Creature from the Black Lagoon," especially after watching it on TCM or one of the other movie channels you get with basic cable.
It's funny, but I think a lot of people tend to group the Creature in with the other classic Universal Monsters (such as Dracula, the Frankenstein Monster, the Wolf Man, and the Mummy), but it was really part of a different era, in my opinion. Of course, Universal's done its share of work to group the Creature with the rest!
But the classic monsters were products of the 30s and 40s, while the Creature was absolutely part of the 50s... perhaps not part of the atomic monster stage of monster movies (i.e. "Them!", "Tarantula," etc.), but still too late to be a last gasp of the classic monsters. I suspect that because the Creature had a few sequels, plus he's more or less man-sized, it's convenient to group him in with the others. (There were other movies with "classic" monsters from Universal in the 50s, but they were the Abbott & Costello Meet... series)
Anyway... from what I've read, I believe there were actually two different Creature costumes, as well as two people playing the Creature... one actor and costume was used for underwater sequences, while the other was used for out-of-water stuff. There are some subtle and not-so-subtle differences between them, but it's more fun to look for them yourself.
In case you've never seen it, the basic premise is that an archaeological expedition in South America finds the fossilized remains of a creature that seems to be a missing link between aquatic and surface life... or perhaps between man and fish. It's suggested that more fossils might be discovered in the area of The Black Lagoon, and an expedition is set out to look for more. Of course, nobody suspects that there could possibly be any surviving members of this species still around!
The Gill Man, as he's been referred to in some texts, is apparently the last of his kind... putting a bit of an ecological spin on things here. One wonders just how long ago the other members of his species passed on, as well as what it was that caused his species to become extinct! It's actually some of this thinking that's got me wondering if it would be possible to not only remake this movie today, in a modern setting (using the destruction of the rain forests and mass extinction of unknown species and plants in South America and other places), and possibly be able to make one of those rarities... a remake that's better than the original!
Back to the movie... apparently the Creature is a very territorial beast (maybe this is why the species started dying off; battles for prime feeding grounds?), as the incursion by humans gets its dander up, and it starts attacking people with no other provocation (if it was remade, I could see it first perhaps attacking fishermen who drag a net from a boat to make their catch, putting them in competition with the Creature for food).
By the time the expedition arrives, the people they're supposed to meet are all dead, leaving the captain of the little ship they arrived in, four scientists (two of whom are more or less competing for the affections of one other, played by the lovely miss Julie Adams).
Of course, the Creature becomes intersted in her, too... so apparently females of his species must've had curves, or otherwise were in some way reminiscent of human females, because why else would he seek her as his mate?
There are quite a few twists and turns in the storyline once the party realizes the Creature exists... sometimes it seems to be getting the better of them, and sometimes the tables are turned!
As with so many classic monsters, the Creature more or less plants the seeds for his own defeat...
...it's his aggressive pursuit of the babelicious Miss Adams, and kidnapping of same, that really gets the hero's dander up, and causes him to hunt the Creature down!
The Creature would return in two sequels, neither of which I've ever seen, Revenge of the Creature, and The Creature Walks Among Us. In the latter film, the Creature is captured and has surgery performed on it to make it more human!
Jon
Tuesday, September 04, 2007
DC March, 1976 Advertisements!
Not sure if I'd already scanned and posted these before, to be honest!
This one does feel a bit familiar... I think I recall making a joke about the Super Friends Car, now that I think of it! And yes, I did post that page before... but I didn't tell you where you could see a rather bad photo of the car, or where to buy it, did I?
I suppose that I'd also previously posted this "Justice For All Includes Children" PSA?
Maybe not, as I can't find a reference to it anywhere. I am pretty sure that this was the first of the series, sort of an introduction to the PSAs, and I'm also pretty sure that I've scanned some of the other ones, if not posted them, as well!
Likewise, I can't help but think I've posted the "Superman Vs. Spider-Man" house ad before, too...
But I really don't remember if I'd posted the "Super-Hero Stick-Ons" before... at least, if I did the full page or the half page versions!
There was a Marvel version of this, too. It would be very cool if someone started a website that basically tracked down where all the artwork for both the DC and Marvel stickers came from, and scanned them nice and large, and offered them on their site for anyone who wanted to print them out on adhesive paper for themselves... but that would probably violate all sorts of copyrights, wouldn't it?
I know that it was a big fad to do this kind of customization stuff for a while... but honestly, did anyone really ever respond to an ad in a comic book for some kind of career training and actually get work in that field?
OK, maybe those CIE ads...
Jon
This one does feel a bit familiar... I think I recall making a joke about the Super Friends Car, now that I think of it! And yes, I did post that page before... but I didn't tell you where you could see a rather bad photo of the car, or where to buy it, did I?
I suppose that I'd also previously posted this "Justice For All Includes Children" PSA?
Maybe not, as I can't find a reference to it anywhere. I am pretty sure that this was the first of the series, sort of an introduction to the PSAs, and I'm also pretty sure that I've scanned some of the other ones, if not posted them, as well!
Likewise, I can't help but think I've posted the "Superman Vs. Spider-Man" house ad before, too...
But I really don't remember if I'd posted the "Super-Hero Stick-Ons" before... at least, if I did the full page or the half page versions!
There was a Marvel version of this, too. It would be very cool if someone started a website that basically tracked down where all the artwork for both the DC and Marvel stickers came from, and scanned them nice and large, and offered them on their site for anyone who wanted to print them out on adhesive paper for themselves... but that would probably violate all sorts of copyrights, wouldn't it?
I know that it was a big fad to do this kind of customization stuff for a while... but honestly, did anyone really ever respond to an ad in a comic book for some kind of career training and actually get work in that field?
OK, maybe those CIE ads...
Jon
This 'n That Time!
I hope you all had a great Labor Day weekend - at least those of you who live in a country that celebrates Labor Day, anyway! Here's some this 'n thats:
Internet Woes -- We had a thunder and lightning storm last night, and it seems to have fried out our cable modem. The power winked out briefly at about 10:30 pm last night, and since then, we haven't been able to use our own internet connection to get online. Fortunately for me, I've been able to piggyback on one of our neighbors' wireless networks, but that can be an iffy proposition. Jessi's on the phone right now with Comcast trying to figure out what the problem is, but the problem there seems to be that Comcast doesn't want to believe their modem is the problem, so they're trying to get Jessi to connect her laptop directly to the modem, bypassing the wireless router, but neither she nor the tech guy seem to know how to change the settings so that her computer isn't trying to access a wireless network.
I expect tomorrow I'll be expected to run over to Comcast to pick up a new modem, but it may be a while before that request comes in.
Library Stuff -- I am constantly amazed at the number of books I can find at the library that are of interest to me. The only real problem is that when searching for stuff on the website, I have to try every possible search term I can think of! You'd think, for example, that searching for "DC Comics" would find all the TPBs and Archives published by DC... except that when I did a search just for "comics," some DC stuff came up that I'd never seen before! I had been concerned that I was going to run out of books to check out, but with the additional ones I've come across online, it doesn't look like that'll happen.
Mini-Bachelor Father Time! -- So, Jessi's got stuff going on at work the first two days this week that prohibit her from taking our soon-to-be-adopted son with her to work, as is the usual plan. So, today and tomorrow, I'm dropping him off with a family that's also a foster family, so he can spend time with them and play with their kids. And I'm also picking him up after work. He doesn't do that well with changes, to be honest, and when I arrived to pick him up, he really didn't want to go home, and started throwing a fit (same thing happened a month or two back when I was bringing him to my parents' house during the day, on the first day of three).
eBay Stuff -- I threw together some new eBay auctions over the weekend, and gt them put up last night. Unless you collect records, don't get too excited... although you can check out what I'm offering here in case you're interested. Of course, since I'm using an OS9 Mac with Netscape, I can't seem to get eBay to behave the way I'd like it to... in fact, I get different options when creating a new auction depending on if I'm using Netscape or Internet Explorer!
Jon
Internet Woes -- We had a thunder and lightning storm last night, and it seems to have fried out our cable modem. The power winked out briefly at about 10:30 pm last night, and since then, we haven't been able to use our own internet connection to get online. Fortunately for me, I've been able to piggyback on one of our neighbors' wireless networks, but that can be an iffy proposition. Jessi's on the phone right now with Comcast trying to figure out what the problem is, but the problem there seems to be that Comcast doesn't want to believe their modem is the problem, so they're trying to get Jessi to connect her laptop directly to the modem, bypassing the wireless router, but neither she nor the tech guy seem to know how to change the settings so that her computer isn't trying to access a wireless network.
I expect tomorrow I'll be expected to run over to Comcast to pick up a new modem, but it may be a while before that request comes in.
Library Stuff -- I am constantly amazed at the number of books I can find at the library that are of interest to me. The only real problem is that when searching for stuff on the website, I have to try every possible search term I can think of! You'd think, for example, that searching for "DC Comics" would find all the TPBs and Archives published by DC... except that when I did a search just for "comics," some DC stuff came up that I'd never seen before! I had been concerned that I was going to run out of books to check out, but with the additional ones I've come across online, it doesn't look like that'll happen.
Mini-Bachelor Father Time! -- So, Jessi's got stuff going on at work the first two days this week that prohibit her from taking our soon-to-be-adopted son with her to work, as is the usual plan. So, today and tomorrow, I'm dropping him off with a family that's also a foster family, so he can spend time with them and play with their kids. And I'm also picking him up after work. He doesn't do that well with changes, to be honest, and when I arrived to pick him up, he really didn't want to go home, and started throwing a fit (same thing happened a month or two back when I was bringing him to my parents' house during the day, on the first day of three).
eBay Stuff -- I threw together some new eBay auctions over the weekend, and gt them put up last night. Unless you collect records, don't get too excited... although you can check out what I'm offering here in case you're interested. Of course, since I'm using an OS9 Mac with Netscape, I can't seem to get eBay to behave the way I'd like it to... in fact, I get different options when creating a new auction depending on if I'm using Netscape or Internet Explorer!
Jon
Monday, September 03, 2007
Who Wants to be a Superhero? And Then There Were 3...
Well, I guess I called it back here when I said I figured Parthenon would be next to go in this series, didn't I?
Jessi and I actually watched the latest episode on Friday, but I haven't had a chance to blog much about it now.
Once again, I found myself watching Stan's criticism of what one of the heroes did and am scratching my head. What I'm referring to is when Hyperstrike was talking to the children who were involved with one of their challenges (they received a code from Stan, which required them to answer some questions with some help from a classroom of kids). One of the children in Hyperstrike's group didn't like their name, and to help them relate to him, Hype told them in real life, his last name is "Stork," like the bird, and got teased about that a lot.
Stan jumped on him for this in the elimination round, saying that as a superhero, he was putting kids in danger by revealing his secret identity. Now, if he were a real superhero, then yes, I can see that being a huge criticism, but Stan didn't even give him points for helping the kids to relate to him!
None of the four demonstrated much thinking during the time when they got orders from "Evil Stan" over their communicators... I don't see how it could've been made more obvious that they were supposed to pick up on something there!
And they all too easily fell into the trap that Doctor Dark set up for them... but what really kind of annoyed me about this was that, okay, I can see the directors telling them they had to fall into the trap, since that was a big challenge... but you know, if it weren't for Parthenon, they wouldn't have gotten out of there. Yet, Parthenon was the one to go today.
Personally, I think Hygeina should've been the one to go, but as I've surmised before, they're trying to get it down to one male and one female superhero. If this is, indeed, what they're trying to do, then they need to either get stronger female contestants, or lamer male contestants. Hygeina consistently underperforms, and Stan's told her time and again her dirt phobia gets in the way of missions, but others get sent home instead.
Anyway, as I predicted, at the end of this episode, it's down to The Defuser (who will be gone by the end of the first hour of the two-hour episode), Hyperstrike and Hygeina, and I'll still say at this point I think that Hyperstrike will be the final winner.
Now, as with my suggestions for "America's Got Talent," I don't figure that anyone involved in the production of WWTBAS is reading this blog, but just in case... here' my ideas for how to make things even better the next time around:
1. Don't make it just a summer-only series. I think having one running in, say, December and January (or January and February) when most other programs are in reruns would be great.
2. Allow more characters who wear masks. Let's face it, if they're supposed to be acting like real superheroes, the majority of them should be masked!
3. Make a tougher process to become a contestant. And by that, I mean that everyone has to clearly define their character's origin, powers, and weaknesses in their entry, so we don't have situations like with Ms. Limelight and others where their powers aren't even remotely defined. Maybe even make contestants name who their character's arch-foe is, and what that villain's powers, motivation, etc. are.
4. When it comes to the costume redesign portion of the series (I'm guessing this will be a regular part of the show), instead of having Stan do the redesigns (which I'm guessing he's not all that directly involved in), how about having three working comic book artists each work up a new design for each character, and then letting the heroes choose which of the three they like best? And no griping, Stan, if someone prefers their original costume!
5. Going back to entry #3, it would be fun if each contestant had their arch-foe named, and then brought to life for an episode, just so that we can see how the contestants deal with their villain creations come to life?
6. Here's an even more fun idea... run a sub-contest called "Who Wants to be a Super-Villain" with the top three contestants picked to play their villain to oppose the heroes!
7. Get the heroes to come up with a team name. If I were a contestant, I'd be suggesting to my fellow heroes that we should do that, and I'd probably suggest, "Stan Lee's Legion" or something like that.
8. Make a trivia contest challenge, with a twist! After about three or four episodes, have the heroes compete in a trivia contest in which the questions are about their fellow heroes!
That's all I have for now!
Jon
Jessi and I actually watched the latest episode on Friday, but I haven't had a chance to blog much about it now.
Once again, I found myself watching Stan's criticism of what one of the heroes did and am scratching my head. What I'm referring to is when Hyperstrike was talking to the children who were involved with one of their challenges (they received a code from Stan, which required them to answer some questions with some help from a classroom of kids). One of the children in Hyperstrike's group didn't like their name, and to help them relate to him, Hype told them in real life, his last name is "Stork," like the bird, and got teased about that a lot.
Stan jumped on him for this in the elimination round, saying that as a superhero, he was putting kids in danger by revealing his secret identity. Now, if he were a real superhero, then yes, I can see that being a huge criticism, but Stan didn't even give him points for helping the kids to relate to him!
None of the four demonstrated much thinking during the time when they got orders from "Evil Stan" over their communicators... I don't see how it could've been made more obvious that they were supposed to pick up on something there!
And they all too easily fell into the trap that Doctor Dark set up for them... but what really kind of annoyed me about this was that, okay, I can see the directors telling them they had to fall into the trap, since that was a big challenge... but you know, if it weren't for Parthenon, they wouldn't have gotten out of there. Yet, Parthenon was the one to go today.
Personally, I think Hygeina should've been the one to go, but as I've surmised before, they're trying to get it down to one male and one female superhero. If this is, indeed, what they're trying to do, then they need to either get stronger female contestants, or lamer male contestants. Hygeina consistently underperforms, and Stan's told her time and again her dirt phobia gets in the way of missions, but others get sent home instead.
Anyway, as I predicted, at the end of this episode, it's down to The Defuser (who will be gone by the end of the first hour of the two-hour episode), Hyperstrike and Hygeina, and I'll still say at this point I think that Hyperstrike will be the final winner.
Now, as with my suggestions for "America's Got Talent," I don't figure that anyone involved in the production of WWTBAS is reading this blog, but just in case... here' my ideas for how to make things even better the next time around:
1. Don't make it just a summer-only series. I think having one running in, say, December and January (or January and February) when most other programs are in reruns would be great.
2. Allow more characters who wear masks. Let's face it, if they're supposed to be acting like real superheroes, the majority of them should be masked!
3. Make a tougher process to become a contestant. And by that, I mean that everyone has to clearly define their character's origin, powers, and weaknesses in their entry, so we don't have situations like with Ms. Limelight and others where their powers aren't even remotely defined. Maybe even make contestants name who their character's arch-foe is, and what that villain's powers, motivation, etc. are.
4. When it comes to the costume redesign portion of the series (I'm guessing this will be a regular part of the show), instead of having Stan do the redesigns (which I'm guessing he's not all that directly involved in), how about having three working comic book artists each work up a new design for each character, and then letting the heroes choose which of the three they like best? And no griping, Stan, if someone prefers their original costume!
5. Going back to entry #3, it would be fun if each contestant had their arch-foe named, and then brought to life for an episode, just so that we can see how the contestants deal with their villain creations come to life?
6. Here's an even more fun idea... run a sub-contest called "Who Wants to be a Super-Villain" with the top three contestants picked to play their villain to oppose the heroes!
7. Get the heroes to come up with a team name. If I were a contestant, I'd be suggesting to my fellow heroes that we should do that, and I'd probably suggest, "Stan Lee's Legion" or something like that.
8. Make a trivia contest challenge, with a twist! After about three or four episodes, have the heroes compete in a trivia contest in which the questions are about their fellow heroes!
That's all I have for now!
Jon
Today's Video - Laugh-In Cocktail Parties!
Still watching "Laugh-In" on DVD (I wish there was a complete series boxed set), and still loving it! I think my two favorite bits were the wall bit toward the end of the show (you know, where they open small doors and throw out jokes at each other, while Rowan and Martin stood out front)... and the cocktail party sequence!
Tyically, when Rowan and Martin stepped out on stage for the first time in the show, they'd do a bit of a comedy routine, and then they'd head through a doorway behind them to the cocktail party, where groovy music played while the Laugh-In cast danced (plus some babe extras), and when the music stopped, they'd make jokes.
It's the latter bit that I've found a few YouTube clips of to share. Enjoy!
In some of the episodes I've watched, it's easy to tell which of the babe extras the cameramen or director liked the most, because there's usually one that gets the most camera time... usually, it's not the woman I'd like to see more of!
You know, I really need to check and see if anyone's showing reruns of this show on cable these days.
Jon
Tyically, when Rowan and Martin stepped out on stage for the first time in the show, they'd do a bit of a comedy routine, and then they'd head through a doorway behind them to the cocktail party, where groovy music played while the Laugh-In cast danced (plus some babe extras), and when the music stopped, they'd make jokes.
It's the latter bit that I've found a few YouTube clips of to share. Enjoy!
In some of the episodes I've watched, it's easy to tell which of the babe extras the cameramen or director liked the most, because there's usually one that gets the most camera time... usually, it's not the woman I'd like to see more of!
You know, I really need to check and see if anyone's showing reruns of this show on cable these days.
Jon
Foreign Edition Comics!
This foreign edition of "Laderlappen" (pretty easy to see that's supposed to be "Batman" - or perhaps more literally, "Bat" -- "lader" probably translates to "leather," and "lappen" to wings") features some interesting cover art produced locally, although it does remind me of some of the fan art I remember seeing in the RBCC or The Comic Reader!
Apparently, they reprinted stories from "The Brave and the Bold" often here!
However, the earlier we get in this series (the above issues are from September, 1979, February, 1979, and March, 1978), suddenly we shift to covers that reprint American covers! At least, they look like the original American comics... but since I have no idea if these were from Batman or Detective originally, and I'm too tired to search to find out for certain, I'll just assume!
The above issue definitely has Jim Aparo art, but the line thickness makes me wonder if it came from a splash page or other interior panel blown up!
More of these the next time around!
Jon
Apparently, they reprinted stories from "The Brave and the Bold" often here!
However, the earlier we get in this series (the above issues are from September, 1979, February, 1979, and March, 1978), suddenly we shift to covers that reprint American covers! At least, they look like the original American comics... but since I have no idea if these were from Batman or Detective originally, and I'm too tired to search to find out for certain, I'll just assume!
The above issue definitely has Jim Aparo art, but the line thickness makes me wonder if it came from a splash page or other interior panel blown up!
More of these the next time around!
Jon
Sunday, September 02, 2007
Two Quick Notes....
The barbeque went fairly well... although aside from my family, the only people who showed were our friends Michael and Vanessa, who are also boxer owners. The cooking was problematic, though, because there's a problem with our gas grill -- something's not letting the gas flow the way it's supposed to.
On the other hand, one really good thing is we went to Toys R Us to get something for our son, and discovered that not only are there some insane clearance prices going on there, but also all clearance items are an additional 20% off! This includes the Krypto the Superdog action figure line. The talking figures (which were originally $10 each) are now $2, and the deluxe sets (like the Kevin and Krypto, or Ace Vs. the Joker's Hyenas) are about $5 or so. I had only previously purchased Talking Krypto, Krypto with Kevin, Flying Krypto (so I'd have one at work) and Streaky... I added the Ace Vs. Hyenas, Mechaani-Kat and Hot Dog to my collection (I think there are some other Dog Stars they came out with I still don't have, like Bull Dog), and then we picked up Talking Krypto, Krypto with Kevin, Ace and Streaky for our son! All together, those figures we bought cost us about $24!
Jon
On the other hand, one really good thing is we went to Toys R Us to get something for our son, and discovered that not only are there some insane clearance prices going on there, but also all clearance items are an additional 20% off! This includes the Krypto the Superdog action figure line. The talking figures (which were originally $10 each) are now $2, and the deluxe sets (like the Kevin and Krypto, or Ace Vs. the Joker's Hyenas) are about $5 or so. I had only previously purchased Talking Krypto, Krypto with Kevin, Flying Krypto (so I'd have one at work) and Streaky... I added the Ace Vs. Hyenas, Mechaani-Kat and Hot Dog to my collection (I think there are some other Dog Stars they came out with I still don't have, like Bull Dog), and then we picked up Talking Krypto, Krypto with Kevin, Ace and Streaky for our son! All together, those figures we bought cost us about $24!
Jon
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