Jon's Random Acts of Geekery is your five days a week destination for old-school geekery!
Saturday, April 26, 2008
Thursday, April 24, 2008
By The 10's: The Incredible Hulk 210-
Let's finish up the "By the 10's" that began with Tales to Astonish, and then morphed into The Incredible Hulk, shall we?
So here's Incredible Hulk 210, an issue that I know I used to have, but honestly, I've retained nothing from it! My guess is that this was one of those Marvel stories that was created because someone realized that they needed to renew the copyright and/or trademark on Dr. Druid! This used to happen a lot in the late 70s/early 80s before the first "Official Handbook"/"Who's Who" series.
As you can see, by this point, Ernie Chan/Chua had gone from doing Batman covers and the like at DC to doing covers at Marvel! And his Hulk was pretty good... but you know, it's just not quite Trimpe, is it?
The "Marvel's TV Sensation" banner on the comics of this time really must've felt misleading to anybody who bought the books expecting to find David Banner hitchhiking across America and transforming into a mute Hulk, eh? Plus, you'd never see Lou Ferrigno bench-pressing a tractor like this, eh?
These last two issues -- Hulk 230 and Hulk 240 (seen above) are issues that I may well have bought off the newsstands... I don't recall much about them, I'm afraid to say... I guess that's what happens if you've read too many comics (if there is such a thing)?
And I'm afraid that's the case for Hulk 250, as well. Honestly, a lot of these last 50 issues were pretty forgettable to me, which is kind of a surprise... I mean, where were the issues with the new Moonstone and the Corporation, and the crossover with Captain America? Well, those must've happened between these issues, apparently. Anyway, that's why I'm ending with this issue.
Next 1-10... well, who knows? Whatever I decide to go with next week!
Jon
So here's Incredible Hulk 210, an issue that I know I used to have, but honestly, I've retained nothing from it! My guess is that this was one of those Marvel stories that was created because someone realized that they needed to renew the copyright and/or trademark on Dr. Druid! This used to happen a lot in the late 70s/early 80s before the first "Official Handbook"/"Who's Who" series.
As you can see, by this point, Ernie Chan/Chua had gone from doing Batman covers and the like at DC to doing covers at Marvel! And his Hulk was pretty good... but you know, it's just not quite Trimpe, is it?
The "Marvel's TV Sensation" banner on the comics of this time really must've felt misleading to anybody who bought the books expecting to find David Banner hitchhiking across America and transforming into a mute Hulk, eh? Plus, you'd never see Lou Ferrigno bench-pressing a tractor like this, eh?
These last two issues -- Hulk 230 and Hulk 240 (seen above) are issues that I may well have bought off the newsstands... I don't recall much about them, I'm afraid to say... I guess that's what happens if you've read too many comics (if there is such a thing)?
And I'm afraid that's the case for Hulk 250, as well. Honestly, a lot of these last 50 issues were pretty forgettable to me, which is kind of a surprise... I mean, where were the issues with the new Moonstone and the Corporation, and the crossover with Captain America? Well, those must've happened between these issues, apparently. Anyway, that's why I'm ending with this issue.
Next 1-10... well, who knows? Whatever I decide to go with next week!
Jon
Bought on eBay: Planet of the Apes Still!
I bought this one a few months ago... it's not a typical movie still, i.e., a photograph, but rather a printed piece on glossy stock. I'm guessing it came from a fan club kit or something like that.
Jon
Give-A-Show Fridays: Woody Woodpecker and the Three Stooges!
Let's just get right into it, shall we?
Next week: Lassie and Rocky & Bullwinkle!
Jon
Next week: Lassie and Rocky & Bullwinkle!
Jon
Found on eBay: Original Comic Art!
Hulk Annual 7, Page 1, by John Byrne
Inhumans 6, Page 22, by Gil Kane
Inhumans 6, Page 23, by Gil Kane
Iron Man 60, Page 28, by George Tuska
Adventures of the Jaguar 4, Page 3, by John Rosenburg
Justice League of America 24, Page 11, by Mike Sekowsky
Kamandi 42, Cover, by Jose Luis Garcia Lopez
Kamandi 43, Cover, by Ernie Chan
Kamandi 4, Page 7, by Jack "King" Kirby
Kamandi 9, Spash, Collage by Jack "King" Kirby
More Kirby next time!
Why No Posting, Jon?
I know it's been probably close to 30 hours since my last blog post -- and I'm hoping to get some make-up posts done tonight, as well as this week's Give-A-Show Fridays post -- but I feel I need to give you an explanation as to why I've been so quiet!
The answer is... a nine-month old girl, whom I'll refer to as D, who's been placed with us for foster care. She is absolutely adorable, and is bonding to us pretty quickly. She was placed with us Wednesday afternoon, and we're not sure at this time how long she'll be with us, or even if it's going to be a temporary placement or could end up being permanent (i.e., adoption). I can't really say much more than that at this time -- heck, you long-time readers may recall when we first got Tristan, I had to refer to him as T3 -- can't even post a photo -- but rest assured, as things settle down here at Casa Knutson, I'll be back on schedule!
Jon
The answer is... a nine-month old girl, whom I'll refer to as D, who's been placed with us for foster care. She is absolutely adorable, and is bonding to us pretty quickly. She was placed with us Wednesday afternoon, and we're not sure at this time how long she'll be with us, or even if it's going to be a temporary placement or could end up being permanent (i.e., adoption). I can't really say much more than that at this time -- heck, you long-time readers may recall when we first got Tristan, I had to refer to him as T3 -- can't even post a photo -- but rest assured, as things settle down here at Casa Knutson, I'll be back on schedule!
Jon
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Quasimodo's Monster Magazine #3, Part 2!
As promised, I'm continuing to look at Quasimodo's Monster Magazine #3! But before the first of the pages, let me just say a few things about this magazine. First of all, last time I did mention that the printing was a bit sporadic... very few pages are printed and trimmed straight, and as you'll see sometime in the coming weeks, even the printing itself isn't so great. But I really get the sense that Tony Tallarico and the rest of the staff of Quasimodo's Monster Magazine were really trying their best. There were already quite a few monster magazines being published by the time this started, most of which were pretty much trying to copy Famous Monsters, and it does seem like Tallarico and his staff were trying to do something a bit different.
The article about Phase IV is a very good example of this.
Many of the monster magazines would've probably burned through the stills provided in four or five pages, tops... and maybe written a bit of copy to go with it.
Quasimodo's Monster Mag, however, fills 10 pages with the article!
How do they fill 10 pages, aside from a number of full-page photos? Well, the scope of the article is not just on the movie itself!
The article spends quite a bit of space talking about ants in general, as well as what different cultures think about ants... and yeah, it does kind of put things into perspective with the movie, scientifically speaking.
But the fact of the matter is, Phase IV isn't really a classic monster movie by any means -- or not-so-classic, for that matter. Of course, the early 1970s had the more scientific-based (or perhaps ecologically-based would be a better way to put it) horror movie in vogue... giant creatures, the undead, lycanthropes, and their ilk were pretty much out of fashion (well, the undead weren't completely out of it, perhaps) -- they were still making Godzilla movies, but they were looked at as purely kiddie fare in the US at that time. It's entirely possible that there was a scramble for material that caused the article's author to run to the library, open up the first volume of the encyclopedia, and see how they could pad things out. Or maybe the author was just trying to be as complete as possible.
I've read criticisms of Marvel Comics' own monster magazine as retreading over material that Famous Monsters, Castle of Frankenstein, and others had already covered in depth, but I really don't have a problem with that kind of thing, honestly, because there should always be a new generation of monster movie fans, and they need a source of history -- and let's face it, these days, there aren't these kind of magazines on the newsstands to get the new kids up to speed!
But I digress... next time, a house ad, a second look at Vincent Price, and Part 3 of "Nightmare Theatre" (which obviously had parts 1 and 2 featured in Quasimodo's predecessor, which I discussed last time).
Jon
The article about Phase IV is a very good example of this.
Many of the monster magazines would've probably burned through the stills provided in four or five pages, tops... and maybe written a bit of copy to go with it.
Quasimodo's Monster Mag, however, fills 10 pages with the article!
How do they fill 10 pages, aside from a number of full-page photos? Well, the scope of the article is not just on the movie itself!
The article spends quite a bit of space talking about ants in general, as well as what different cultures think about ants... and yeah, it does kind of put things into perspective with the movie, scientifically speaking.
But the fact of the matter is, Phase IV isn't really a classic monster movie by any means -- or not-so-classic, for that matter. Of course, the early 1970s had the more scientific-based (or perhaps ecologically-based would be a better way to put it) horror movie in vogue... giant creatures, the undead, lycanthropes, and their ilk were pretty much out of fashion (well, the undead weren't completely out of it, perhaps) -- they were still making Godzilla movies, but they were looked at as purely kiddie fare in the US at that time. It's entirely possible that there was a scramble for material that caused the article's author to run to the library, open up the first volume of the encyclopedia, and see how they could pad things out. Or maybe the author was just trying to be as complete as possible.
I've read criticisms of Marvel Comics' own monster magazine as retreading over material that Famous Monsters, Castle of Frankenstein, and others had already covered in depth, but I really don't have a problem with that kind of thing, honestly, because there should always be a new generation of monster movie fans, and they need a source of history -- and let's face it, these days, there aren't these kind of magazines on the newsstands to get the new kids up to speed!
But I digress... next time, a house ad, a second look at Vincent Price, and Part 3 of "Nightmare Theatre" (which obviously had parts 1 and 2 featured in Quasimodo's predecessor, which I discussed last time).
Jon
Heroes World Catalog #1, Page 24!
Still mostly Marvel stuff here on page 24... some cool items here -- or are they? Let's see what they really looked like...
I don't have a Hulk Rage Cage in the box photo (at least, I can't find it), but here's what the figure looked like... and yes, it's basically an inflatable rubber figure. Kind of disappointing... and I understand the Thing figure was just the same.
Can't say I'm disappointed with the webshooter toy, though... since it looks just like the picture, and is what I always figured it was... a spring-loaded dart gun with a string on the dart! Kind of cool in its simplicity, isn't it... especially compared to the Popeye-like forearms you get with the current webshooter toys!
And based on the box art, I'd imagine the Superman Spinball Pinball game would be pretty fun!
Jon
Adios, Dave's Long Box
So, as you can see (at least, once I get it updated), Dave's Long Box has been retired. Since I started reading blogs (and before I started this one), Dave's Long Box was one of the blogs I'd read every day. I may not have always agreed with his opinions, but I enjoyed reading them nonetheless. Dave's job with ABC seems to be taking up a lot of his time, and possibly his blogging needs are being met through the job, so he doesn't need the additional outlet. No matter what the ultimate reason is for it, Dave's Long Box will be missed...
Jon
Jon
Monday, April 21, 2008
Slideshow: AHI Toys!
As I've written before, AHI (Azrak-Hamway International) produced mostly the cheap toys that you'd find at Woolworth's or Kmart... some of it licensed stuff, some of it cheap knock-offs of other stuff (like the GI Joe type figure the slideshow starts with). There's 161 photos in this set... enjoy!
Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.
Jon
Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.
Jon
This 'n That Time!
How long has it been since I've done a This 'n That? Probably too long...
ITEM! Probably after most of you have read this, my current crop of new auctions will be ending... about three hours after I've written this, to be precise. There's also a group that's been relisted that is closing in about three days, and I'm sure tonight I'll be relisting what doesn't sell tonight (or else I'll wait until the last relists close, I haven't decided which way I'm going yet). I've got another 40+ or so comics auctions ready to post right away, and I'll probably work tonight or tomorrow on some Give-A-Show auctions (duplicate items) as well as a few things Jessi wants me to sell for her. Of course, any time you want to see what I might be selling, just click the link on the linklist!
ITEM! These past few days, fatherhood's becoming a bit more stressful than usual... I'm not sure why, but especially yesterday and today, Tristan has been pushing way too many of my "daddy buttons" -- not listening, not staying near Jessi and I when we're out in public, talking to people in public we don't know. This morning, when I was ready to take him to his Monday sitter (he goes to work with Jessi Tuesdays through Fridays), he decided to throw a fit and drop to the floor when it was time to go. And for the first time ever, I gave him a swat on his butt. I hated doing that, and I never want to make a habit of it, but in this instance, it was about the only option I had -- there wasn't time to send him to his room or put him in a time-out. When I talked to Jessi about it later, she agreed it was about all I could do. I still hate that it happened, though.
ITEM! On a more positive fatherhood note, on Sunday, we got Tristan a set of bunkbeds, so now he's sleeping in a "big boy bed" (he'd been sleeping in a toddler bed, but Jessi'd decided he was starting to get too big for it). This gave us the opportunity to use all the Superman bedding our good friends Paul and Brigit gave Tristan for his adoption present (sadly, Paul and Brigit no longer live in our state... they moved away before we even got Tristan, so they've never met him).
ITEM! Consider this way in advance warning... Jessi, Tristan and I will be taking a week-long trip to Pennsylvania in August to visit her parents as well as my youngest brother, Karl, who lives a few hours' drive from Jessi's parents. We're planning on hitting as many of the tourist stuff (like Hershey Park) as we can. We haven't figured out who will be taking care of Krypto and KO while we're gone, though... it'll be the first time we've gone away and haven't taken them with us!
ITEM! My new best friend in the world, Dave Wagner (who's got at least one page on the linklist, "Children's Records and More") has offered to convert the 45 rpm records from the Kenner Adventure Time Give-A-Show set to MP3 files, so that when I get around to posting those slides, it'll be a complete experience for you! He received the records today, and he has my gratitute for taking this on. Now, if I can only figure out how to either embed the MP3 file into the blog entries or convert the files to QuickTime, I'll be all set (if any of you know how to do this, please let me know!).
ITEM! Thanks to Mark Evanier's providing a link to this blog, my hits more than tripled this past week! Thanks again, Mark! And thank you, new readers of the Random Acts of Geekery... I hope you'll stick around!
ITEM! Have I mentioned how disappointed I am that Kids WB's "Legion of Super-Heroes" cartoon is cancelled? It had two great years, and I felt it had at least another three years (at least) of life in it, but with the changeover in the kids programming on the CW, it's gone. I haven't heard that Cartoon Network or anyone else is looking to take it on in order to produce more episodes. I haven't enjoyed the Legion this much since... well, maybe back when Keith Giffen was drawing the book, but before his style went much rougher!
ITEM! On the other hand, the new Spectacular Spider-Man show apparently will continue to be shown... and that's a good thing, because I'm enjoying the hell out of it! It's not quite Lee/Ditko, it's not quite the movies, it's not quite Ultimate Spidey... it's unique in and of itself, and I feel it's really taken to heart the lesson that Batman: The Animated Series taught, that you can distill all the stuff that's good from a character's publishing history and put out a show that's a joy to watch, is true to the characters, and will make even the most jaded fanboy smile.
ITEM! Have you heard about this Black Panther cartoon series that's supposed to be on BET starting this fall? I just may have to check that out, if nothing else, to see what it's like.
ITEM! Definitely on my "must-see" list is the new "Brave and the Bold" series, which I understand is aimed more towards kids than aging fanboys, but you know what? I can take a Dark Knight that isn't too grim and gritty... hell, I enjoy the Adam West Batman show for what it is, and it sounds like B&B will feature quite a few different characters during its run! Now, if only we could get "Justice League Unlimited" back on the air... or maybe get some characters on TV who haven't been animated yet!
And that's all the this and that for now! Time to give Tristan his bath!
Jon
ITEM! Probably after most of you have read this, my current crop of new auctions will be ending... about three hours after I've written this, to be precise. There's also a group that's been relisted that is closing in about three days, and I'm sure tonight I'll be relisting what doesn't sell tonight (or else I'll wait until the last relists close, I haven't decided which way I'm going yet). I've got another 40+ or so comics auctions ready to post right away, and I'll probably work tonight or tomorrow on some Give-A-Show auctions (duplicate items) as well as a few things Jessi wants me to sell for her. Of course, any time you want to see what I might be selling, just click the link on the linklist!
ITEM! These past few days, fatherhood's becoming a bit more stressful than usual... I'm not sure why, but especially yesterday and today, Tristan has been pushing way too many of my "daddy buttons" -- not listening, not staying near Jessi and I when we're out in public, talking to people in public we don't know. This morning, when I was ready to take him to his Monday sitter (he goes to work with Jessi Tuesdays through Fridays), he decided to throw a fit and drop to the floor when it was time to go. And for the first time ever, I gave him a swat on his butt. I hated doing that, and I never want to make a habit of it, but in this instance, it was about the only option I had -- there wasn't time to send him to his room or put him in a time-out. When I talked to Jessi about it later, she agreed it was about all I could do. I still hate that it happened, though.
ITEM! On a more positive fatherhood note, on Sunday, we got Tristan a set of bunkbeds, so now he's sleeping in a "big boy bed" (he'd been sleeping in a toddler bed, but Jessi'd decided he was starting to get too big for it). This gave us the opportunity to use all the Superman bedding our good friends Paul and Brigit gave Tristan for his adoption present (sadly, Paul and Brigit no longer live in our state... they moved away before we even got Tristan, so they've never met him).
ITEM! Consider this way in advance warning... Jessi, Tristan and I will be taking a week-long trip to Pennsylvania in August to visit her parents as well as my youngest brother, Karl, who lives a few hours' drive from Jessi's parents. We're planning on hitting as many of the tourist stuff (like Hershey Park) as we can. We haven't figured out who will be taking care of Krypto and KO while we're gone, though... it'll be the first time we've gone away and haven't taken them with us!
ITEM! My new best friend in the world, Dave Wagner (who's got at least one page on the linklist, "Children's Records and More") has offered to convert the 45 rpm records from the Kenner Adventure Time Give-A-Show set to MP3 files, so that when I get around to posting those slides, it'll be a complete experience for you! He received the records today, and he has my gratitute for taking this on. Now, if I can only figure out how to either embed the MP3 file into the blog entries or convert the files to QuickTime, I'll be all set (if any of you know how to do this, please let me know!).
ITEM! Thanks to Mark Evanier's providing a link to this blog, my hits more than tripled this past week! Thanks again, Mark! And thank you, new readers of the Random Acts of Geekery... I hope you'll stick around!
ITEM! Have I mentioned how disappointed I am that Kids WB's "Legion of Super-Heroes" cartoon is cancelled? It had two great years, and I felt it had at least another three years (at least) of life in it, but with the changeover in the kids programming on the CW, it's gone. I haven't heard that Cartoon Network or anyone else is looking to take it on in order to produce more episodes. I haven't enjoyed the Legion this much since... well, maybe back when Keith Giffen was drawing the book, but before his style went much rougher!
ITEM! On the other hand, the new Spectacular Spider-Man show apparently will continue to be shown... and that's a good thing, because I'm enjoying the hell out of it! It's not quite Lee/Ditko, it's not quite the movies, it's not quite Ultimate Spidey... it's unique in and of itself, and I feel it's really taken to heart the lesson that Batman: The Animated Series taught, that you can distill all the stuff that's good from a character's publishing history and put out a show that's a joy to watch, is true to the characters, and will make even the most jaded fanboy smile.
ITEM! Have you heard about this Black Panther cartoon series that's supposed to be on BET starting this fall? I just may have to check that out, if nothing else, to see what it's like.
ITEM! Definitely on my "must-see" list is the new "Brave and the Bold" series, which I understand is aimed more towards kids than aging fanboys, but you know what? I can take a Dark Knight that isn't too grim and gritty... hell, I enjoy the Adam West Batman show for what it is, and it sounds like B&B will feature quite a few different characters during its run! Now, if only we could get "Justice League Unlimited" back on the air... or maybe get some characters on TV who haven't been animated yet!
And that's all the this and that for now! Time to give Tristan his bath!
Jon
Sunday, April 20, 2008
Bought on eBay: House of Frankenstein Stills!
Well, I was tempted to save these for when House of Frankenstein is the focus of the movie of the week, but you know what? They're next in line for my "Bought on eBay" series, and they're a nice supplement to the Monster Mondays post (which you can read below).
These stills were an amazing deal, and while I doubt they were vintage, they were actual photographs, not computer prints! The seller shipped promptly and packaged them very well... they have a nice selection of stills for sale all the time, and you can check out their auctions here.
And no, I get nothing for offering that link to you... I just think good sellers should get promoted! If you want to check out some of the other sellers I've bought from, you can check out my Feedback Left for Others page on eBay, and look for the positive feedback I've left for sellers!
And without further ado, here's the stills:
And yeah, I'll probably end up posting these again in a few weeks when I get around to "House of Frankenstein," so you can look forward to seeing them again!
Jon
These stills were an amazing deal, and while I doubt they were vintage, they were actual photographs, not computer prints! The seller shipped promptly and packaged them very well... they have a nice selection of stills for sale all the time, and you can check out their auctions here.
And no, I get nothing for offering that link to you... I just think good sellers should get promoted! If you want to check out some of the other sellers I've bought from, you can check out my Feedback Left for Others page on eBay, and look for the positive feedback I've left for sellers!
And without further ado, here's the stills:
And yeah, I'll probably end up posting these again in a few weeks when I get around to "House of Frankenstein," so you can look forward to seeing them again!
Jon
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