First up in this week's installment of comics ads is this full-page Aurora ad from the June, 1968 cover-dated DC books!
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Pioneer West Romances #3
20 hours ago
Monday, February 07, 2011
Comic Book Advertisements!
First up in this week's installment of comics ads is this full-page Aurora ad from the June, 1968 cover-dated DC books!
Random Videos of Geekery: Filmation Flash!
Yes, more Filmation stuff coming your way today... two Flash cartoons follow after the jump!
Sunday, February 06, 2011
Retro-Review: Frankenstein #1, Part 3!
The third story in this issue features Frankenstein in “Frankenstein's Wife,” and once again, it's all Dick Briefer! The bride in this couple definitely doesn't look like Elsa Lanchester, does it? I do have to say, I get a kick out of the oversized briar pipe and the slippers!Saturday, February 05, 2011
Cool Stuff: DC Stuff!
Well, I managed to get the files mixed up... so this post will start with a Super Powers comic, then get into other DC stuff, and then back to Super Powers comics!
Friday, February 04, 2011
CBT: 448-Page Superheroes Big Big Book, Part 9!
And this time, I'm wrapping up this book! The 448-Page Superheroes Big Big Book concluded with a whole mess of puzzle pages, and I'm guessing most of them came from DC books originally, with art of the superheroes pasted over the original characters. Some of these puzzle pages I'm holding onto for a bit, for future installments of Puzzle Sunday!
Fandom Library: The Beatles Talk!
Here's another edition of Fandom Library for my fellow Fab Four Fans!
Thursday, February 03, 2011
Selling on eBay!
Consider this a commercial posting, if you will... I've got some things up on eBay for sale right now that you faithful readers may be interested in checking out!
Vintage Star Trek Curtain - One of the few geek items from my childhood that's somehow been retained all these years!
Masters of the Universe Hardback Books and Paperback Books - As seen on Children's Book Theatre!
Wonder Woman Giant Comics to Color - This was one of the original printings of the WW coloring book recently seen on Children's Book Theatre!
Batman Birthday Candle - A really cool figural candle!
I've got other cool stuff for sale as well... a set of Marvel Illustrated Books with Star Wars (2 books) and Star Trek (1 book), an old Hardy Boys book, a group of vintage coloring books, some Give-A-Show Projector and related stuff, a Super 8mm movie with selected scenes from Star Wars, and even a couple of View-Master sets! If you want to check them all out, click here! All auctions will be closing next Monday.
Vintage Star Trek Curtain - One of the few geek items from my childhood that's somehow been retained all these years!
Masters of the Universe Hardback Books and Paperback Books - As seen on Children's Book Theatre!
Wonder Woman Giant Comics to Color - This was one of the original printings of the WW coloring book recently seen on Children's Book Theatre!
Batman Birthday Candle - A really cool figural candle!
I've got other cool stuff for sale as well... a set of Marvel Illustrated Books with Star Wars (2 books) and Star Trek (1 book), an old Hardy Boys book, a group of vintage coloring books, some Give-A-Show Projector and related stuff, a Super 8mm movie with selected scenes from Star Wars, and even a couple of View-Master sets! If you want to check them all out, click here! All auctions will be closing next Monday.
By the 10s: Yellowjacket Comics/Cowboy Western/Space Western!
Time for another By the 10s where the book changes titles (and formats)! This one starts out as Yellowjacket Comics for the first 10 issues, then it became Jack-In-The-Box Comics (yes, really) for 6 issues, becoming Cowboy Western with #17! Above is issue 10!
Ten of a Kind: Things They Need to Stop Doing in Super-Hero Movies
"The Way of the Geek" is going on indefinite hiatus for the time being, as I need to get more subjects lined up for it... but in the meantime, here's an all-new feature that I was planning to use when one of the recurring features ran out... "Ten of a Kind"! Ten of a Kind will feature a list of ten related things, based entirely on my opinion. I'll be covering all kinds of things in this feature, starting with today's "Things They Need to Stop Doing in Super-Hero Movies"! In no particular order...
1. Connecting the Hero's Origin to the Villain's Origin:
Ever since "Batman," it seems that Hollywood can't make a movie based on superheroes without revising the hero's origin so that it is connected to that movie's villain. Bruce Wayne's parents are killed by the man who became the Joker. Peter Parker gets his powers by being bitten by a spider at Norman Osborn's research plant. The Fantastic Four get exposed to a cosmic force that also affects Victor Von Doom. The list goes on and on, and none of them have any basis in the comic books. If they're going to do an origin, then keep it closer to the comic book origin!
2. Lay Off the Origin Story:
In my opinion, the only really good origins presented in movies are those in "Superman the Movie" and "Iron Man," and in both cases, they stayed pretty close to the comics. The rest of the time, most of the movies are tied up with the origin sequences, when I believe movie audiences want to see the hero in action! What I don't get is why, if they insist on having the origin, they can't just present it in brief... or even just have someone mention it off-handedly. For example, in the rebooted Fantastic Four series, have someone watching a news program, in which the announcer says, "Ever since Reed Richards and his crew were exposed to radiation during an experimental space-flight, gaining super-powers, the Fantastic Four have made it their job to protect not only New York City, but also the entire planet."
3. Keep the Villain Count Down:
It started with Batman Returns, with both the Penguin and Catwoman in the same movie, and continued in many movies after that... when they're making a sequel, they have at least two villains, and sometimes three! Now, I can understand why they want more villains, from a merchandising standpoint: Two villains means two new action figures in the line. So I'll offer a suggestion: If they want two villains, have the first one appear in a pre-title sequence, similar to the James Bond movies, where the title hero is in the middle of wrapping up an adventure surrounding the character. For example, open a Superman sequel with madness happening in Metropolis, we see Mr. Mxyzptlk laughing maniacally, "Super-sap can't trick me into returning back to the fifth dimension this time!" Then something happens where Mxy's tricked into saying his name backwards, and just before he vanishes, Superman reveals how he did it. Lois Lane is on the scene to interview the Man of Steel as we go to the opening credits, and THEN get to the movie proper.
4. Don't Kill Off Your Villains:
Again, I blame "Batman" for this, where the Joker was killed at the end. This has continued to happen since then, and the only villain death that was really called for was the Green Goblin's in "Spider-Man." If you're really serious about doing a series, you need to realize that you may need that villain to return in a future sequel! Having said that, however...
5. Don't Have the Same Villain Two Movies in a Row:
One of the few problems I had with Superman II was that Lex Luthor was in it... it would've been fine with just the Phantom Zone villains, IMHO. This hasn't been too big an issue, except most recently with Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, which crammed Doom in there again, because just having the Surfer and Galactus wasn't enough, apparently.
6. Consider Not Using the Arch-Nemesis in the First Movie:
Now, this is one that Hollywood would have a huge problem with... this is why the first Superman movie had Luthor, the first Spidey movie had the Goblin, the first Batman movie had the Joker, and the first FF movie had Doom. But I say, why use the arch-enemy in the first movie? Set them up for the sequel, maybe. For the first FF movie, I would've been extremely happy to see the FF up against the Mole Man and some CGI'ed versions of the Kirby Monsters, probably happier than I was with the movie that was made. That also means no Luthor in the next Superman movie, no Goblin (or Doc Ock) in the first Spidey reboot!
7. If it Ain't Broke, Don't Fix It - In Other Words, Think Before You Reboot: I know pretty much all the pre-Avengers type movie superhero series (except for Batman) are all due for reboots... but are they really necessary? And if they are, does it need to be an obvious reboot? If a third Hulk film somehow gets made, there's no reason to have to set up an all-new origin and so forth... Banner gets made and turns into the Hulk, and he fights the army led by Ross. No reboot needed. Now, okay, some reboots are a good thing (I think a reboot of the FF movie franchise is a good idea), but they're not all necessary.
8. Don't Throw In Too Many "Easter Eggs" and Never Let Them Pay Off: I'm talking about stuff like having Dr. Curt Connors in the Spidey movies, yet he never becomes the Lizard (they'd have been better off doing that instead of Venom, if you ask me). The Iron Man movies got it right by introducing Rhodey in the first movie, and letting him become War Machine in the sequel.
9. Enough With the Rubber Costumes, Already:
Okay, we've all seen the fan films which feature superheroes dressed the way they are in the comics, and they look damn good. So why does Hollywood think every superhero needs to have a rubberized costume? Again, the blame for this falls squarely on Tim Burton's "Batman," which began it all... but this was also the case in "Daredevil" (okay, it was supposed to be leather, but it looked like a rubber suit) and, of course, in the Spider-Man movies, too. If you ask me, that was the most egregious rubber costume, as we are supposed to believe that Peter Parker was able to somehow create that? You may recall that the reason the movie Spidey had organic web-shooters was because we couldn't be expected to believe that Peter could manufacture web-shooters, but a texturized rubber costume with webbing that stood out in relief, that's something he was able to make in his room without Aunt May noticing anything? Hopefully, if they get this Spidey reboot off the ground, they'll give him a proper costume that could have possibly been made by Peter.
10. Stop Messing With the Costume Designs:
And finally, there's this one... Batman's costume has remained more or less the same since the beginning (with some stylistic changes here and there). Superman's costume hasn't had any real change in the comics since the shield and boots were finalized early on in his career. Hal Jordan's Green Lantern uniform is a classic design. Really, the only costume redesign in the movies I've been happy with is Iron Man's, and that one is close enough to the original that I can go with it. The addition of an S-Shield belt buckle in "Superman Returns" was ridiculous (so were the colors on that costume, for that matter). One of the things that's made these characters so iconic over the years is their look! Even a six-year-old can tell if a superhero's costume is wrong (trust me on this one). I don't care if someone thinks it won't look realistic on the big screen -- if you're dealing with a guy who has super-powers, suspension of disbelief is a done deal, so long as you make it look like we expect it to. We expect the costume to look right, too!
1. Connecting the Hero's Origin to the Villain's Origin:
Ever since "Batman," it seems that Hollywood can't make a movie based on superheroes without revising the hero's origin so that it is connected to that movie's villain. Bruce Wayne's parents are killed by the man who became the Joker. Peter Parker gets his powers by being bitten by a spider at Norman Osborn's research plant. The Fantastic Four get exposed to a cosmic force that also affects Victor Von Doom. The list goes on and on, and none of them have any basis in the comic books. If they're going to do an origin, then keep it closer to the comic book origin!
2. Lay Off the Origin Story:
In my opinion, the only really good origins presented in movies are those in "Superman the Movie" and "Iron Man," and in both cases, they stayed pretty close to the comics. The rest of the time, most of the movies are tied up with the origin sequences, when I believe movie audiences want to see the hero in action! What I don't get is why, if they insist on having the origin, they can't just present it in brief... or even just have someone mention it off-handedly. For example, in the rebooted Fantastic Four series, have someone watching a news program, in which the announcer says, "Ever since Reed Richards and his crew were exposed to radiation during an experimental space-flight, gaining super-powers, the Fantastic Four have made it their job to protect not only New York City, but also the entire planet."
3. Keep the Villain Count Down:
It started with Batman Returns, with both the Penguin and Catwoman in the same movie, and continued in many movies after that... when they're making a sequel, they have at least two villains, and sometimes three! Now, I can understand why they want more villains, from a merchandising standpoint: Two villains means two new action figures in the line. So I'll offer a suggestion: If they want two villains, have the first one appear in a pre-title sequence, similar to the James Bond movies, where the title hero is in the middle of wrapping up an adventure surrounding the character. For example, open a Superman sequel with madness happening in Metropolis, we see Mr. Mxyzptlk laughing maniacally, "Super-sap can't trick me into returning back to the fifth dimension this time!" Then something happens where Mxy's tricked into saying his name backwards, and just before he vanishes, Superman reveals how he did it. Lois Lane is on the scene to interview the Man of Steel as we go to the opening credits, and THEN get to the movie proper.
4. Don't Kill Off Your Villains:
Again, I blame "Batman" for this, where the Joker was killed at the end. This has continued to happen since then, and the only villain death that was really called for was the Green Goblin's in "Spider-Man." If you're really serious about doing a series, you need to realize that you may need that villain to return in a future sequel! Having said that, however...
5. Don't Have the Same Villain Two Movies in a Row:
One of the few problems I had with Superman II was that Lex Luthor was in it... it would've been fine with just the Phantom Zone villains, IMHO. This hasn't been too big an issue, except most recently with Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, which crammed Doom in there again, because just having the Surfer and Galactus wasn't enough, apparently.
6. Consider Not Using the Arch-Nemesis in the First Movie:
Now, this is one that Hollywood would have a huge problem with... this is why the first Superman movie had Luthor, the first Spidey movie had the Goblin, the first Batman movie had the Joker, and the first FF movie had Doom. But I say, why use the arch-enemy in the first movie? Set them up for the sequel, maybe. For the first FF movie, I would've been extremely happy to see the FF up against the Mole Man and some CGI'ed versions of the Kirby Monsters, probably happier than I was with the movie that was made. That also means no Luthor in the next Superman movie, no Goblin (or Doc Ock) in the first Spidey reboot!
7. If it Ain't Broke, Don't Fix It - In Other Words, Think Before You Reboot: I know pretty much all the pre-Avengers type movie superhero series (except for Batman) are all due for reboots... but are they really necessary? And if they are, does it need to be an obvious reboot? If a third Hulk film somehow gets made, there's no reason to have to set up an all-new origin and so forth... Banner gets made and turns into the Hulk, and he fights the army led by Ross. No reboot needed. Now, okay, some reboots are a good thing (I think a reboot of the FF movie franchise is a good idea), but they're not all necessary.
8. Don't Throw In Too Many "Easter Eggs" and Never Let Them Pay Off: I'm talking about stuff like having Dr. Curt Connors in the Spidey movies, yet he never becomes the Lizard (they'd have been better off doing that instead of Venom, if you ask me). The Iron Man movies got it right by introducing Rhodey in the first movie, and letting him become War Machine in the sequel.
9. Enough With the Rubber Costumes, Already:
Okay, we've all seen the fan films which feature superheroes dressed the way they are in the comics, and they look damn good. So why does Hollywood think every superhero needs to have a rubberized costume? Again, the blame for this falls squarely on Tim Burton's "Batman," which began it all... but this was also the case in "Daredevil" (okay, it was supposed to be leather, but it looked like a rubber suit) and, of course, in the Spider-Man movies, too. If you ask me, that was the most egregious rubber costume, as we are supposed to believe that Peter Parker was able to somehow create that? You may recall that the reason the movie Spidey had organic web-shooters was because we couldn't be expected to believe that Peter could manufacture web-shooters, but a texturized rubber costume with webbing that stood out in relief, that's something he was able to make in his room without Aunt May noticing anything? Hopefully, if they get this Spidey reboot off the ground, they'll give him a proper costume that could have possibly been made by Peter.
10. Stop Messing With the Costume Designs:
And finally, there's this one... Batman's costume has remained more or less the same since the beginning (with some stylistic changes here and there). Superman's costume hasn't had any real change in the comics since the shield and boots were finalized early on in his career. Hal Jordan's Green Lantern uniform is a classic design. Really, the only costume redesign in the movies I've been happy with is Iron Man's, and that one is close enough to the original that I can go with it. The addition of an S-Shield belt buckle in "Superman Returns" was ridiculous (so were the colors on that costume, for that matter). One of the things that's made these characters so iconic over the years is their look! Even a six-year-old can tell if a superhero's costume is wrong (trust me on this one). I don't care if someone thinks it won't look realistic on the big screen -- if you're dealing with a guy who has super-powers, suspension of disbelief is a done deal, so long as you make it look like we expect it to. We expect the costume to look right, too!
Wednesday, February 02, 2011
Comic Book Advertisements!
This week's Comics Ads start with this pair of ads from the April, 1976 cover-dated Marvel books... and I'll talk first about the hang-ups!
The two hang-ups there, Spidey and Galen (from the Planet of the Apes TV series), were the only two Marvel hang-ups that I'm aware of... for the DC characters, they did Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman. These are still pretty collectible today!
Next, the top ad... for the Super Hero Stick-Ons! Those of you who have been reading the Random Acts of Geekery (and the spin-off blogs) are probably well aware that I really wish these awesome stickers would be reissued! Heck, I'd be willing to pay 10 times that amount for all 18 of the stickers there!
Original Comic Art!
Always nice when I get a Kirby page in an Original Comic Art post, and this time around it's the starter... page 1 from 2001: A Space Odyssey #1!
Fantastic Monsters of the Films #2!
This issue features articles about The She-Creature, the Captain Marvel Serial, World of the Giants, Boris Karloff, the Twilight Zone, and much more!
Tuesday, February 01, 2011
14 Days of Romance Comics: Love Romances #82!
And here's the first of two weeks' of romance comics, leading up to Valentine's Day!
Random Videos of Geekery: Filmation's Fantastic Voyage!
I've decided that the theme of this month's Random Videos of Geekery is going to be Filmation, and after the jump, you'll find a few videos relating to Filmation's Fantastic Voyage animated series!
CBT: 448-Page Superheroes Big Big Book, Part 7!
Continuing with features from the 448-Page Superheroes Big Big Book, here's Batman vs. the Penguin in "Four Birds of a Feather"! This was another story reprinted from an earlier coloring book:
Dog of the Geek: Hemlock Holmes!
Breed: White BulldogOriginal Appearances: “The Dick Tracy Show” animated series, UPA 1961-1962
Other Appearances: Hemlock made at least some appearances on licensed toys.
Biography: Hemlock Holmes is a Cockney bulldog with a voice patterned after Cary Grant. He is backed up by his own police squad, the Retouchables, who behave like the Keystone Kops. Hemlock would be called by Dick Tracy whenever his villains were involved in a criminal manner.
Powers: Like the other Dick Tracy characters from the cartoon (Go-Go Gomez, Joe Jitsu, and Heap O'Calorie), Hemlock had the ability to say “Hold everything!” when things got at their worst, and action would completely stop so he could call headquarters or further instructions. After signing off with “Six-two and even, over and out,” the action would resume.
Group Affiliation: Police force of the city they operate in.
Miscellaneous: Hemlock and Heap O'Calorie were the only characters who didn't represent offensive racial stereotypes, which caused the show to be pulled from TV syndication in the mid-'70s and mid-'80s.
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