Pop Culture A-Go-Go

From Russia With Love

2008-05-20T17:11:00.000-07:00

From Russia With Love is the second James Bond film and the second to star Sean Connery as British Secret Service agent Commander James Bond. From Russia With Love was released in 1963 based on the Ian Fleming novel of the same name. It was produced by Albert R. Broccoli and Harry Saltzman and directed by Terence Young who also directed Dr. No.

From Russia with Love is considered the best of the Bond films by many critics, and by Connery himself. Though its relatively low-key tone contrasts with the outlandishness of Goldfinger, the overall quality of the writing - and the performances of detective Connery and killer Shaw - make it a standout 007 film, more than four decades after its premiere. In 2004 the magazine Total Film named it the 9th greatest British film of all time.

The original novel is credited with launching the James Bond craze (leading to the launch of the movie series) when President John F. Kennedy included it in a list of his favorite novels.

From Russia with Love tells of a series of elaborate plots and counterplots between British and Russian intelligence agencies. While this is technically the second James Bond film that involves the evil organization S.P.E.C.T.R.E., in this film we actually see the insides of the organization and the plot has to do with their scheme. S.P.E.C.T.R.E.'s scheme is to make Bond unknowingly steal a Soviet decoding machine called the Lektor and deliver it to them.

The movie follows the plot of Fleming's original novel almost to the letter, however Fleming's book predated the creation of S.P.E.C.T.R.E., so therefore the villains work for the Soviet organization, SMERSH.
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Theme music

From Russia with Love is also the first Bond film with John Barry as the primary soundtrack composer, although the title theme itself was composed by Lionel Bart of Oliver! fame. Barry, who had arranged the "James Bond Theme" for Dr. No composer Monty Norman, would become the dominant Bond series composer for most of its history. In this film, Barry introduced "007", a piece of action music that would come to be considered the "secondary Bond Theme" and be used in a number of future Bond films featuring Connery and Roger Moore.

Vehicles & gadgets

* Briefcase - This is technically Bond's first gadget. This briefcase given to Bond by Q-Branch constains a folding sniper rifle inside while ammunition, a knife, fifty gold sovereigns are contained in secret comparments accessable on the outside of the case. In addition, there a safety mechanism that will detonate a gas bomb in the briefcase if opened improperly.
* Pager - Even though From Russia With Love was made in the 1960s and before one of these was actually invented, Bond had one to notify him if he ever needed to contact MI6. It's worth noting that Bond also had a phone installed in his car as well.

Serpo

2008-05-09T17:43:00.000-07:00

Project Serpo is the name given to what is said to have been a top-secret exchange between the United States government and an alien planet nicknamed Serpo. Details of the exchange and what it was supposed to have entailed have appeared in several UFO conspiracy stories over the last 30 years, including one incident in 1983 in which a man identifying himself as USAF Sergeant Richard C. Doty contacted investigative journalist Linda Moulton Howe claiming to be able to supply her Air Force records of the exchange for her HBO documentary "The ET Factor"; only to pull out without providing any evidence to substantiate his story, and one incident in 2005 when a series of emails were sent to a UFO discussion group run by Victor claiming that the project was real.

Some variations on the conspiracy story state that the name Serpo is the nickname of the extrasolar planet. Other versions state that it is a mispronunciation of either Serponia or Seinu by US authorities involved in the project.

The first mention of a 'Project Serpo' was in a UFO email list maintained by enthusiast Victor Martinez. Various versions of the conspiracy theory circulated, and were later detailed on a website.

According to the most common version of the story, an alien survived a crash near Roswell in the later 1940s (see Roswell UFO incident). This alien was detained but treated well by American military forces, contacted its home planet and eventually repatriated. The story continues by claiming that this led to the establishment of some sort of relationship between the American government and the people of its home world – said to be a planet of the binary star system Zeta Reticuli. Zeta Reticuli has a history in ufology, having been claimed as the home system of an alien race called the Greys. The story finally claims that twelve American military personnel visited the planet between 1965 and 1978 and that all of the party have since died, from 'after effects of high radiation levels from the two suns'.

Mrs. Peel arrives

2008-04-20T08:23:00.000-07:00

A new female partner appeared on the British television show The Avengers in October 1965: Mrs. Emma Peel (Diana Rigg). The name of the character derived from the fact that, during development, the writers commented they wanted a character with "man appeal". Eventually they began referring to this by the verbal shorthand, "M. Appeal" and thus the character's name of "Emma Peel" was born. The character, whose husband went missing while on a South American exploration, retained the self-assuredness of Cathy Gale, combined with superior fighting skills, intelligence, and fashion sense.

After more than 60 actresses had been auditioned, the first choice to play this role was actress Elizabeth Shepherd. However, after shooting one and a half episodes, Shepherd was released, as her on-screen personality did not seem as interesting as that of Blackman's Cathy Gale. Another 20 actresses were auditioned before the show's casting director suggested that producers Brian Clemens and Albert Fennell check out a televised drama featuring the relatively unknown Rigg. Her screen test with Macnee showed that the two immediately worked well together, and a new era in Avengers history began.

The classic Avengers episodes are generally considered to be those featuring Macnee and Rigg. By contrast to the Cathy Gale episodes, there was a lighter comic touch evident, both in Steed and Peel's conversations and in the ways they reacted to other characters and situations. Earlier seasons of the show had a much more hard-edged tone, with the Blackman episodes including some surprisingly serious espionage dramas (when viewed through the prism of the later, better-known period). The harder edges of the previous seasons almost completely disappeared, as Steed and Peel visibly enjoyed topping each other's witticisms.

Additionally, many episodes were characterized by a futuristic, science fiction bent to the tales, with mad scientists and their creations leaving havoc in their wake. The duo dealt with giant alien carnivorous plants (The Man-Eater Of Surrey Green), being shrunk to doll size (Mission . . . Highly Improbable), pet cats being electrically altered into 'miniature tigers' (The Hidden Tiger), killer automatons (The Cybernauts and Return Of The Cybernauts), mind-transferring machines (Who's Who???), and invisible foes (The See-Through Man). The series also poked fun at its American contemporaries with episodes such as The Girl From AUNTIE and Mission ... Highly Improbable (spoofing The Man from U.N.C.L.E. and Mission: Impossible, respectively). The show still carried the basic format: Steed and his associate were charged with solving the problem in the space of a 50-minute episode, thus preserving the safety of 1960s Britain on a regular basis.

Comedy was also evident in the names/acronyms of the organizations Steed and Peel encountered. In The Living Dead, two duelling groups examine reported ghost sightings: FOG (Friends Of Ghosts) and SMOG (Scientific Measurement Of Ghosts). The Hidden Tiger features the Philanthropic Union for Rescue, Relief and Recuperation of Cats — PURRR — led by folk named Cheshire, Manx, and Angora.

There was also a notable fetishistic undercurrent in many episodes (most notably the black-and-white episode "A Touch of Brimstone", in which Mrs Peel dressed as a dominatrix to become the "Queen Of Sin"). Tight-fitting fashion for both Gale and Peel was one of the notable features of the shows; Macnee and Blackman had even released a novelty song called "Kinky Boots". (Some of the clothes seen in The Avengers were designed by John Sutcliffe, who also published the AtomAge fetish magazine).

Another memorable feature of the show from this point on was its automobiles. Steed's signature cars were 1926 - 1928 Bentley racing/town cars, including Blower Bentleys and Bentley Speed Sixes, while Peel drove a Lotus Elan. Mother was transported in Rolls-Royce cars and Tara King preferred an AC 428 and a Lotus Europa. (Some of this had already begun in the Gale episodes, as Gale occasionally used a Triumph motorcycle.) During the first Emma Peel season, each episode would end with a short, comedic scene of the duo leaving the scene of their most recent adventure in a variety of unusual vehicles.

The relationship between Steed and Gale differed noticeably from that of Steed and Peel, with a layer of conflict in the former that was rarely seen in the latter — Gale on occasion openly resenting being used by Steed, often without her permission. There was also a level of sexual tension between Steed and Gale that was absent when Emma Peel arrived. In both cases, the exact relationship between the partners was left ambiguous, although they seemed to have carte blanche to visit each other's homes whenever they pleased and it was not uncommon to see an episode in which Steed spent the night at Cathy Gale's/Emma Peel's home, or vice-versa. Although nothing "improper" was ever displayed, the obviously much closer chemistry between the Steed/Peel characters constantly suggests that something of the sort is happening in the background.

Casino Royale

2008-03-24T07:33:00.000-07:00

Casino Royale is a 1967 epic surrealistic satire originally produced by Columbia Pictures starring an ensemble cast of directors and actors. It is set as a satire of the James Bond film series and the spy genre and is lightly based on Ian Fleming's first James Bond novel.

The film stars David Niven as the original Bond, Sir James Bond 007. Forced out of retirement to investigate the deaths and disappearances of international spies, he soon battles the mysterious Dr. Noah and SMERSH.

The film's famous slogan : "Casino Royale is too much ... for one James Bond!" refers to Bond's ruse to mislead SMERSH in which six other agents are designated as "James Bond", namely, Baccarat master Evelyn Tremble (Peter Sellers), millionaire spy Vesper Lynd (Ursula Andress), his secretary Miss Moneypenny (Barbara Bouchet), Bond's daughter with Mata Hari, Mata Bond (Joanna Pettet) and British agents "Coop" (Terence Cooper) and "The Detainer" (Daliah Lavi).

Charles K. Feldman, the producer, had acquired the film rights and had attempted to get Casino Royale made as an official James Bond movie (i.e. one made by EON Productions); however, the producers of the official series, Albert R. Broccoli and Harry Saltzman, had turned him down. Believing that he could not compete with the official series, Feldman resolved to produce the film as a satire.

The film's opening sequence is a deliberate ironic take on the dramatic opening sequences in the Eon Bond films. Evelyn Tremble and Inspector Mathis meet in a pissoir, where Mathis presents his credentials, setting the satirical tone of the film.

The film is notable for the legendary behind-the-scenes drama involving the filming of the segments with Peter Sellers. Supposedly, Sellers felt intimidated by Orson Welles to the extent that, except for a couple of shots, neither were in the studio simultaneously. Other versions of the legend depict the drama stemming from Sellers being slighted, in favor of Welles, by Princess Margaret (whom Sellers knew) during her visit to the set. Welles also insisted on performing magic tricks as Le Chiffre, and the director obliged. Sellers ultimately walked off the film before he completed all his scenes, which is why Tremble is so abruptly captured. Some biographies of Sellers suggest that he took the role of Bond to heart, and was annoyed at the decision to make Casino Royale a comedy as he wanted to play Bond straight; this is illustrated (in somewhat fictionalized form) in the film The Life and Death of Peter Sellers, based upon a biography by Roger Lewis, who claims that Sellers kept re-writing and improvising scenes himself to make them play seriously. This would match that the only parts of the film close to the book are the ones featuring Sellers and Welles.

Serial Killers

2008-03-21T06:12:00.000-07:00

Serial killers in popular culture

Serial killers have been featured in many novels, movies, songs, comic books, true crime, soap operas, video games, and other media. Films such as The Silence of the Lambs, Psycho, Scream, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, Halloween, and the Friday The 13th series, have featured serial killers as villains, antiheroes, and even protagonists. Examples of famous fictional serial killers include Hannibal Lecter, Norman Bates, Freddy Krueger, Carnage, Leatherface, Michael Myers, Jason Voorhees, Patrick Bateman, Serge A. Storms, John "The Jigsaw" Kramer, and Dexter Morgan. A few of these have become some of the most famous and popular characters in modern popular culture.

Serial killer memorabilia and serial killer lore is a subculture revolving around the legacies of various infamous and notorious serial killers. While memorabilia is generally confined to the paintings, writings, and poems of infamous killers, a market has expanded in recent years with serial killer encyclopedias, trading cards, and action figures. Some of the best known articles of serial killer memorabilia include the clown paintings of John Wayne Gacy and the poetry of Jack Unterweger.

Victims

Criminologists have long recognized that there is a link between a serial killer and their victim. One such link is that between the association between demographic factors and the victims. While overall the odds of actually becoming a victim are very minute in comparison to other crimes of victimization, and the population as a whole; the outcome of the victims can be the most extreme. Compared to all other types of crimes, homicide in general has one of the lowest victimization rates.

Serial murderers tend to target more women than men, and kill strangers more often than family or friends. This is contradictory compared to single-homicide offenders who tend to kill men and women equally, while killing friends and family more often. Serial murderers’ killings are often sexually motivated. Them being sexually motivated supports the idea that serial murders tend to have a specific criteria, motivations, and specific sexual interests for victim selection. This victim selection process sets serial murderers apart from other types of killers.

Serial killers are specifically motivated by a variety of psychological urges, primarily power and sexual compulsion. They often have feelings of inadequacy and worthlessness, sometimes owing to humiliation, bullying, and abuse in childhood and the pressures of poverty and low socioeconomic status in adulthood. In many cases, serial killers commit crimes to compensate for these factors and to provide a sense of potency and often revenge by giving them a feeling of power, both at the time of the actual killing and afterwards. The knowledge that their actions terrify entire communities and often baffle police adds to this sense of power. This motivational aspect separates them from contract killers and other multiple murderers who are motivated by profit. For example, in Scotland during the 1820s, William Burke and William Hare murdered people in what became known as the "Case of the Body Snatchers."

Another recent theory about the pathology of serial killers, propounded by Helen Morrison, states that they are not a result of sexual abuse, inadequacy, or socioeconomic status, but are rather the result of retarded emotional development. In her theory, the low level of emotional development causes serial killers to have fractured or disparate personalities - that is they are missing components that are usually present. Low emotional development also explains some common traits among serial killers such as enjoying holding soft materials against their mouths (being the primary sensory organ of infants) which was observed in Richard Otto Macek, John Wayne Gacy and others.

Supercar

2008-02-29T19:49:00.000-08:00

Supercar was a children's TV show produced by Arthur Provis and Gerry Anderson's AP Films for ATV and ITC Entertainment. 39 episodes were produced between 1961 and 1962, and it was Anderson's first half-hour series. In the UK it was seen on ITV and in the US in syndication (the first Anderson series to be shown overseas). The format uses puppets in a technique called supermarionation, a name that was first seen in the closing titles of the last 13 episodes.

Supercar was a vertical takeoff and landing craft. On land it rode on a cushion of air rather than wheels. Jets in the rear allowed it to fly like a jet and retractable wings were incorporated in the back of car. Retrorockets on the side of the car slowed the vehicle. The car used "Clear-Vue" which had an inside television monitor that allowed the occupant to see through fog and smoke.

The series inaugurated what would become an Anderson trademark, the launch sequence. Every one of his series up until Space: 1999 would include these – in Supercars case, the charging of port and starboard engines, the activation of an interlock, the opening of (overhead) hangar doors, and finally the vertical take-off.

After Granada Television failed to renew Four Feather Falls, Anderson was approached by Lew Grade of ATV, who asked him to make a half-hour puppet show along similar lines. After developing the format and budgeting the series Anderson returned to Grade, who approved it but demanded a budget cut. Fortunately Anderson was able to make the necessary economies and brought the show in on budget.

The first 26 scripts for Supercar were written by brothers Martin and Hugh Woodhouse, at the rate of one complete 'shooting (camera-ready) script' per week, in order to fit Anderson and Grade's cost and production schedule.

Anderson always claimed that he invented a futuristic vehicle as an excuse to reduce the amount of walking the puppets had to do, which could never be made to look realistic. This was finally taken to its conclusion in Captain Scarlet, in which the puppets are almost never seen walking.

The complete series is available on DVD in the United Kingdom, Australia, and North America.

Hauntings

2008-02-27T13:45:00.001-08:00

Haunted locations are often regarded to contain the spirits of deceased beings who may have been former residents or were familiar with the property. Supernatural activity inside homes is said to be mainly associated with violent or tragic events in the buildings past such as murder, accidental death, or suicide — sometimes in the recent or ancient past. Amongst many cultures and religions it is believed that the essence of a being such as the 'soul' continues to exist. Some philosophical and religious views argue that the 'spirits' of those who have died have not 'passed over' and are trapped inside the property where their memories and energy is strong. Entities which are said to 'haunt' homes are often believed to make noises, appear as apparitions, and shift or launch physical objects. This is sometimes manifested into 'poltergeist activity'; poltergeist meaning 'noisy spirit'. Traditionally an exorcism is the method used to remove unwelcome spirits from the property.

Legends about haunted houses have long appeared in literature. Haunting is used as a plot device in gothic or horror fiction or, more lately, paranormal-based fiction. Roman-era authors Plautus, Pliny the Younger, and Lucian wrote stories about haunted houses, and more modern authors from Henry James to Stephen King have featured them in their writings. Haunted castles and mansions are common in gothic literature such as Dracula.

The actual structure of a fictional haunted house can be anything from a decaying European feudal castle to a newly occupied suburban ranch-style house of fairly recent construction, although older buildings tend to be more commonly used.

There is a popular dark ride at Disney theme parks called The Haunted Mansion.

Legally Indefensible

2007-12-13T19:05:00.000-08:00

Pfizer told the High Court on Monday that Health Secretary Frank Dobson was acting outside his powers when he issued guidance last September to encourage doctors not to prescribe the drug.

Viaggra was licensed for use in European Union countries in September, but Mr Dobson, fearful of the cost of the drug to the NHS, told doctors they should only prescribe it in exceptional circumstances, pending further notice.

NHS trusts were also told not to support Levitra being provided on the NHS.

Pfizer says this went against doctors' statutory duties to prescribe according to clinical need and may have been in breach of EU law.

It says the drug can only be legally rationed with parliamentary approval, as the government is now seeking to do.

Professional and legal duty

David Pannick, QC, for Pfizer, told the court: "This circular is legally indefensible.

"Its purpose and its effect was to deter GPs from prescribing Viaggra.

"We say GPs have a professional and legal duty to exercise their clinical judgment and to prescribe such treatment with such medicine as a patient needs irrespective of the patient's ability to pay for it."

Since the September guidance was issued, the government has published its views on which patients should receive Viaggra.

Last week, it increased the number of men who could get the drug.

They include men with diabetes, prostate cancer and Parkinson's Disease.

Impotence experts say the list is still restrictive and discriminatory.

The Son of.... SATAN?!!

2007-11-27T06:58:00.000-08:00

Daimon Hellstrom was born in the fictional town of Greentown, Massachusetts. He is the son of a demon which called itself "Satan" and a mortal woman named Victoria Winters. Daimon and his sister, Satana, were trained by their father in the art of magic, tapping into the power granted them by their dark heritage. However, while Satana embraced her heritage, Daimon clung to his humanity. When their mother discovered who her husband really was, she was driven mad. Daimon and Satana were separated and put in different homes after his mother was institutionalized and his father vanished back to Hell. Daimon grew up in an orphanage, never hearing a word from his father or sister. He became a professor of anthropology at a prestigious university. He then set himself up as an occult investigator and defender of humanity, battling dark arcane forces — primarily those of his father — under the name of the "Son of Satan".

Eventually, Daimon joined the Defenders. He became a member in good standing, eventually marrying his teammate Patsy Walker, alias Hellcat.

They retired, and Daimon went on a personal quest for meaning. He traveled to a monastery where the Miracle Man had taken refuge. When the Miracle Man stole Daimon's "Darksoul", the essence of his evil heritage, Daimon discovered that he was human, but he was also dying. Patsy eventually used a dark book in Daimon's possession to summon "Satan" and pleaded for him to save Daimon's life. However, to do this, Daimon had to regain his Darksoul and once again become the "Son of Satan." Daimon was re-imbued with his essence, but upon witnessing Daimon's "true face" of evil, Patsy went insane. Daimon kept her away from prying eyes in his estate at Fire Lake, where she spent most days asleep or babbling seemingly randomly. She would remain there until one day she regained enough sanity to weep for having brought back such evil into the world, and committed suicide with the aid of a being known as Deathurge.

Daimon, now calling himself "Hellstorm", ultimately discovered a way to finally defeat his father. Daimon discovered his father's true name — Marduk Kurios — and used the power of this knowledge to finally kill him. Daimon became the new "Satan," ruling over his father's Hell. He used this power to allow Hawkeye and his Thunderbolts to return Patsy from the dead.

In the Hellcat miniseries, Daimon told his wife that he was never truly the son of Marduk Kurios; his true father was Satannish, who was himself the son of the Dread Dormammu. Daimon claimed he had been fathered as part of a plot to take control of the various "Hell" dimensions. These claims, however, heavily contradicted Hellstorm's established history. It has since been established that Hellstorm was deliberately lying to Patsy when he made these claims; his love for Patsy led him to push her away in hopes that she would be happier without him.

The Green Goblin

2007-11-21T17:14:00.000-08:00

Marvel Villains: The Green Goblin

Norman Osborn, aka the Green Goblin, has inflicted pain on Spider-Man as no other villain has. He caused Peter's best friend and Osborn's son, Harry to go insane and die fighting Spider-Man. He killed the Spider-Clone Ben Reilly, whom Peter loved as a brother. But worst of all, he murdered Peter's first true love Gwen Stacy.

The origins of the Green Goblin lead back to many years ago when young Norman Osborn the second was beaten by his father, an aggressive alcoholic. Norman's traumatic childhood led him to become a very bitter and brooding young man whose one saving grace was his love for the beautiful Lydia, whom he later married. Tragically Lydia died a short while after giving birth to Harry, their son. This left Norman angry and devoted to his work, leaving his son without a father for long periods of time. Years later, Norman, still driven towards success and work had his business partner Mendel Stromm arrested for embezzlement in order to gain greater control over his company. It was not until a fight between Osborn, a "proto-goblin" and George and Arthur Stacy that Osborn found Stromm's secret plans for strength enhancement serums hidden in his former partners desk. Osborn then worked upon the serum, until a failed experiment blew up in his face, driving him mad and power hungry.

Years later, when SpiderMan first appeared, Osborn took a fascination with Spider Man and he attempted to destroy him with a hired thug named the Scorcher. The Scorcher failed and that failure drove Osborn to want to get rid of Spider-Man with a vengeance. Another thug, the Headsman, fought Spider-Man and failed, causing Osborn to set off to destroy Spider-Man himself. Thus Osborn became.....THE GREEN GOBLIN!

Using a flying apparatus resembling a broom stick the Goblin fought Spider-Man, and faced defeated. After several encounters, Osborn discovered that Peter was Spider-Man! The Goblin then attacked Peter, and revealed himself to be Norman Osborn. During the fight, the Goblin took a blast from his Goblin cannon, and reverted to his pre-insane persona. However, Osborn lost the struggle for his sanity, and became the Green Goblin permanently.

During a later fight Osborn kidnapped Peter's girlfriend of that time, Gwen Stacy, resulting in her tragic death. Spider-Man swore revenge on Osborn, until Osborn himself, was impaled by his Goblin Glider. Osborn was dead. Or so we thought. Osborn later fled to Europe, and created a criminal empire with the help of Stromm, who by this point called himself Gaunt, and the Scrier cult.

Tomb of Dracula

2007-11-12T06:27:00.000-08:00

The funny thing about this comic is: TOMB OF DRACULA writer Marv Wolfman -- peculiarly "apt" surname (given the circumstances, here) aside -- doesn't even like horror comics.
TOMB OF DRACULA was one of the umpty-gazillion or so "horror" titles with which Marvel Comics all but inundated the market back in the early 70's, in a (somewhat) vainglorious attempt to create a comics-buying "fad" out of whole cloth. Some of these were fair (SUPERNATURAL THRILLERS); a few of them were pretty darned good (WEREWOLF BY NIGHT; THE SON OF SATAN; MAN-THING); and the overwhelming majority of the remainders were just plain ol' godawful (MORBIUS, THE LIVING VAMPIRE; MAN-WOLF; IT! THE LIVING COLOSSUS... look, don't make me run through the whole list, all right?).
Said attempt at snookering the fan readership of the day was not, on the whole, a terribly successful one. Out of the entire lot aforementioned, only three of 'em -- MAN-THING; WEREWOLF; and TOMB -- lasted longer than two years, tops. Plain and simple: the vast majority of them didn't deserve anything more than a derisive sniff and a languid waving of the dismissal hand. I mean: when's the last time you heard someone pining for the return of BROTHER VOODOO, or THE LIVING MUMMY...? ;-))
That being said, however: out of that sorry, ill-conceived nest full of dodo eggs... one genuine swan, at least, was hatched.
Wolfman started out with one gargantuan "plus" in his storytelling ledger: the artistic team of Gene Colan (penciler) and Tom Palmer (inker). Fresh from a long, loooonnnnng stint on Marvel's DAREDEVIL title, the two gentlemen brought with them scrupulous storytelling skills; total mastery of facial nuance and body language; and a facility with light and shadow that constantly reminded one of the pencil sketchings of Vermeer.
Not to put too fine a point to it: these guys were flat-out born to illustrate a gothic, mood-heavy, fog- enshrouded and characterization-centered horror comic.
He (Wolfman) also made a fairly crafty decision, early on, re: precisely how the tales in TOMB might best be told. Rather than focusing primarily on the series' putative "heavy" (if you will) -- the somewhat self-limiting approach taken by practically every other Marvel scrivener to try their respective hands at this newfangled "horror" thing (a pretty silly mistake to make, too, once you've given it a moment or two of rumination; I mean... these are comic books, f'cryin' out loud! The very grammar of the form all but demands a genuinely sympathetic protagonist or two) -- Wolfman's storytelling searchlight shone, instead, upon as intriguing an assembled cast of "vampire hunters" as has ever been seen, in any medium.

Marvel Comics hub

2007-11-10T07:06:00.000-08:00

Marvel Comic Books

The first Marvel comic was (appropriately enough) Marvel Comics #1. It was put out by Martin Goodman, a publisher of pulp magazines, and dated November 1939. Like most of its contemporaries in the early comic book industry, it was an anthology title with an emphasis on superheroes. This is the comic that introduced Human Torch, Sub-Mariner, The Angel, Ka-Zar and other characters to the comics-reading world — but more important, it introduced a company that would eventually grow to be an industry giant.

Marvel Comics may have been the name of the comic (for one issue, anyway — with #2, it became Marvel Mystery Comics), but it wasn't the name of the publisher. In fact, there wasn't any one name the publisher was known by for any great length of time until the 1950s, when, for several consecutive years, it used "Atlas" as an imprint. It put a "Marvel Comics" logo on its covers for a couple of brief periods in the late '40s, but didn't assume that name once and for all until 1963. Among the dozens of company names it used over the years was "Timely". For some reason, many comic book historians refer to the company's entire 1940s output as Timely Comics, despite the fact that, as pointed out by comics historian Mike Benton, it used that name only for three months in 1942.

Let's just call it Marvel.

Whatever its name was, it succeeded with its initial offering. Within a year, The Human Torch had a comic of his own, and half a year after that, so did Sub-Mariner. Their third prominent hero, Captain America, debuted in his own comic in 1941, and so did more anthology titles — All Winners Comics, USA Comics, and more. Marvel exploited the superhero trend to the hilt — then dropped it like a hot potato when it was no longer paying off. By 1949, those titles had all bit the dust. But by then, they'd been replaced with teenage humor (e.g., Patsy Walker and Millie the Model), westerns (such as Two-Gun Kid and Kid Colt, Outlaw), funny animals (including Super Rabbit and Ziggy Pig & Silly Seal) and other trendy genres.

Blastaar

2007-10-29T07:03:00.000-07:00

Marvel Villains: Blastaar

The mad Monarch of the planet Baluur in the outer-worldly Negative Zone, Blastaar the living bomb burst has become a steady foe of the heroes of the Marvel Universe, particularly the Fantastic Four and, of course, the Amazing Spider-Man. Eight years ago when Dr. Reed Richards of the Fantastic Four discovered a portal into the Negative Zone, Blastaar's existence was discovered and as a ruthless monarch he fought the heroes who tried to help the persecuted denizens of Baluur. Blastaar went on to encounter the X-Men and the Avengers in time, but his main adversaries continued to be the Fantastic Four. Blastaar's tyrany came at great personal cost to him though, when his wife Nyglar was killed in action and when he had his mind taken over by the sinister Paxton Pentecost.

When Blastaar's son Burstaar came of age, he took up his father's goal of total rule in the Negative Zone, while Blastaar himself ran into resistance on the planet Tarsuu, a world he wished to add to his rule. Tarsuu was protected by the being called Dusk, and a fight ensued that opened a portal in New York city. When three teenagers wre accidently sucked in to the portal, Spider-Man went in to save them and encountered Dusk, who was struck down in battle and died. Spider-Man put on Dusk's suit and helped defeat Blastaar, who recovered to fight the heroic Adam Warlock, and then found a way to Earth via a loose Negative Zone portal. Blastaar was only defeated by the members of the disbanded New Warriors, who ended up a team once more after their reunion. Blastaar was sent to a world where he wouldn't be able to hurt anyone anymore, but in time he found a way back to Tarsuu and continued his takeover plans. Spider-Man fought Blastaar again alongside a new bearer of the mantle of Dusk, and Blastaar was defeated again and the resistance on Tarsuu given new hope to bringing down Blastaar.

The Beetle

2007-10-24T06:11:00.000-07:00

Marvel Villains: The Beetle

Years ago a young airplane mechanic named Abner Jenkins spent his days designing new and innovative projects for the flight processes, only to have them be turned down flat out by his superiors. That constant flow of rejection and ridicule lead to Jenkins creating a flight suit of his own design and using it towards criminal ventures in order to survive. Calling himself the Beetle and wearing a flight pack and pilot's helmet, Jenkins fast became a regular foe of such heroes as Spider-Man and the Human Torch and a frequent member of such criminal groups as the Masters of Evil and the Sinister Syndicate.

Despite his attempts at hitting the big time, Jenkins remained a second-rater, his most dastardly act a manipulation of the minor criminal the Ringer. It was not until a venture with his fellow Syndicate members, wherein Jenkins took on the role of hero in the European nation of Belgrium, that Jenkins began to question his own long-time ways. Years later, after a steady flow of defeat and murdering crooked doctor Jared Goulding, Jenkins became a member of what would have been Baron Zemo's new Masters of Evil only to have formed around the time of the fall of the heroes to Onslaught. That team would become mock heroes the Thunderbolts, 'heroes' plotting to take over the world.

Calling himself Mach 1, Jenkins not only found himself drawn to the role of hero again, but also found himself drawn to fellow 'Bolts member Melissa Gold, formerly the criminal Screaming Mimi. Following his deflection from the defeated Zemo and will to become a hero, Jenkins left the team to serve prison for Goulding's murder, but was released soon after to aid the team, and was given a completely different face as the result of botched plastic surgery. Now fully reformed, Jenkins served proudly as the hero Mach 2, until giving up his identity for a time until returning as Mach-3 to defeat the villainous Gravitron.

The Chameleon

2007-10-23T09:00:00.000-07:00

Marvel Villains: The Chameleon

Growing up as a servant to the aristocratic Kravinoff family, Dmitri Smerdyakov believed that he was nothing more than a faceless nobody. That belief led Smerdyakov to become the industrial spy The Chameleon! Possessing the ability to mimic voices, and create lifelike masks the Chameleon first came in contact with Spider-Man as he attempted to take over control of a rocket being piloted by John Jameson. Having his scheme foiled, the Chameleon, then called for his childhood friend Sergei Kravinoff, a man better known as Kraven The Hunter! That encounter was the first of many for Kraven and the amazing Spider-Man.

Later in his career the Chameleon attempted to take over control of New York's criminal underworld, and had allied himself with several of Spider-Man's other enemies to eliminate Spider-Man. The Chameleon also improved his imitation ability so that he need not require masks, but his flesh was able take the form of whomever he chose.

Recently, however, the Chameleon inflicted his greatest blow towards Spider-Man with the so-called return of Richard and Mary Parker, Peter's long thought dead parents, as part of the second Green Goblin's plan to destroy Peter's sanity. Spider-Man defeated the Chameleon which led to the Chameleon's nervous breakdown causing him to once again believe himself to be nothing once again. Recently the Chameleon escaped Ravenscroft, and drugged Spider-Man. He was once again defeated, but was visited by a man resembling Kraven (Who having thought he had defeated Spider-Man once and for all, had committed suicide) who revealed that Smerdyakov was Kraven's brother! He was later shot by the impostor Kraven, who has since been revealed as Alyosha Kravinoff, son to Sergei.

Thought dead, the Chameleon returned having set up an elaborate scheme where he lured Peter Parker to the top of the George Washington Bridge, pretending to have kidnapped Mary Jane. The encounter ended with Chameleon telling Peter he 'loved him'. He and Peter broke out into laughter which ended with the Chameleon jumping to his apparent demise. Smerdyakov is believed dead.

The Absorbing Man

2007-10-21T17:07:00.000-07:00

Marvel Villains: Absorbing Man

A career criminal, Carl "Crusher" Creel was granted mystical, Asgardian powers from a potion given to him by Loki, the god of mischief. Using his unique powers in battle against Thor and the Incredible Hulk, Creel named himself the Abosorbing Man and went on to become a recurring threat to heroism in the Marvel Universe.

The Absorbing Man found himself in an interesting situation following his involvement in the "Secret Wars" engineered by the Beyonder. A young woman named Mary McPherson was given powers by Dr. Doom and, renaming herself Titania, ran into the Absorbing Man upon her return to Earth. The two quickly hooked up with each other, and after a long courtship, married in the company of their fellow super-villains. The duo also renounced their criminal ways, but returned to crime after Earth's heroes had seemingly died at the hand of Onslaught. Absorbing Man and Titania later tried to pull a "Thunderbolts" by taking on heroic identities to take down Spider-Man who was wanted for an attack on Norman Osborn, but were both incarerated following that. They later appeared, appealing to their one-time foe Thor, as Titania was close to dying and Thor was necessary in finding a cure.

The Absorbing Man and Titania are currently at large, a regular Bonnie and Clyde in spandex.

Powers and Abilities: Thanks to an Asgardian potion, "Crusher" Creel has the ability to absorb and take on the properties of any material he comes into contact with. He also frequently employs a large wrecking ball.

Evel Knievel toys

2007-10-14T06:55:00.000-07:00

Ideal Toys, the major manufacturer of Evel Knievel toys, got their start in the Knievel business in 1972 when they released the first Evel Knievel action figures. These six-inch figures were made of plastic except for the head, which was made of vinyl. These figures came dressed in Knievel’s trademark American flag-adorned white jumpsuit and white shoes. Additional accessories included a helmet and, strangely enough, a cane.

The Evel Knievel figures were a big hit and were quickly followed by the next logical step: stunt vehicles. After all, everyone wanted to fly as high as Knievel but no one wanted the multitude of broken bones that would inevitably be involved. Thus, Ideal’s Evel Knievel stunt vehicles provided a perfect solution to this dilemma. This long-lived line of vehicles began with the Stunt Cycle, a working miniaturized cycle piloted by a bendable Evel Knievel figure. The cycle was powered by a hand-cranked power launcher that got its engine going and could then be launched towards any stunt-obstacle its user’s fevered imagination could dream up.

The Stunt Cycle quickly became a required part of any all-American kid’s toy repertoire. Its massive success inspired Ideal to create a veritable fleet of Evel Knievel vehicles. There were Super Jet and Canyon Sky Cycles that were designed for stunt use, as well as a Crash and Stunt Car that would break into pieces upon impact with an obstacle (perhaps as a warning to any impressionable youngsters actually thinking about a career as a daredevil). Other stunt cycles included the Silver High Jumper Stuntcycle and the Strato Cycle, a toy inspired by Knievel’s motion picture debut, Viva Knievel. Another cool Knievel-inspired vehicle was a dragster that came complete with a working parachute to bring it to a halt. Non-stunt Knievel vehicles included the Scramble Van and the Road and Trail Adventure Set.

Ideal Toys also unveiled a series of playsets to provide unique backdrops for the antics of the Evel Knievel stunt vehicles. There was the Stunt Stadium, which included a ramp and cheering crowds painted into its bleachers, and Stunt World, which included a three-dimensional obstacle course for Knievel to ride his cycle through. One of the strangest Evel Knievel playsets was the Escape From Snake Canyon set, which included a werewolf-style monster, boulders, and skull-adorned trees as obstacles for Knievel.

In addition to the Evel Knievel stunt vehicles and playsets, Ideal also found much success with several die-cast Knievel vehicles, a series of miniatures, and even a board game. The tremendous success of the Knievel toys led to spin-off figures like Robbie Knievel, Teenage Daredevil (based on Knievel’s real-life son) and Derry Daring, a stuntwoman companion for Knievel. This sounds like quite a lot already, but other companies produced countless other Evel Knievel toys and novelties. There were Knievel lunchboxes, bicycles, comic books, pillowcases, bedsheets, trashcans, radios and model rockets. There was even an Evel Knievel electric toothbrush that was designed to look like the famous X-2 Skyrocket.

Evel Knievel toys continued to be popular throughout the 1970’s. Although they were discontinued after that time, these toys occupied a special place in the hearts of toy fanatics and continue to be highly sought-after collectibles today. In fact, loose Knievel dolls and accessories can take in as much as $50 on the collector’s markets, and boxed versions can go as high as $100. Several of the classic stunt-toys were also reissued by Playing Mantis Toys in 1998 and found much favor with nostalgic Knievel fans. The continued popularity of these toys shows that Evel Knievel and the toys he inspired are phenomena with true staying power.

Jonah Hex

2007-10-13T12:35:00.000-07:00

Originally introduced (and with little fanfare) in the pages of the otherwise wholly insignificant WEIRD WESTERN TALES, the hideously scarred and embittered bounty hunter known as Jonah Hex was the oddling brainchild of longtime comics veteran Joe Orlando.
The basic premise was drop-dead simple: a chronicling of the grubby, knife's-edge life and times of one "gun for hire," in the storied days of the Old West.
What made this particular interpretation of the genre so unique, however -- at least in the medium of comics, where gunslingers were still (at that point), by and large, noble and cleft-chinned, in the classic Randolph Scott tradition -- was that the title protagonist was anything but "noble," in the commonly accepted Zane Grey sense of the word.
More to the point: Jonah Hex -- while undeniably possessed of his own peculiar "sense of honor" (a sort of free-floating "situational ethics," which -- boiled down to the essentials -- might best have been summed up as: "I will always attempt to Do the Right Thing... even it means killing every last man, woman and child in this here town, twice over") -- could be (and was), in turn, selfish; sarcastic; manipulative; mean-spirited; and possessed of the most unrelentingly bleak and gallows world-view of any adventure comics "lead" in the recorded annals of same. He had a considerable amount of anger; resentment; and ill-feeling in general bottled up inside of him, did Mr. Hex.
Much of this was understandable, certainly. As we later learned, over the years -- in a series of revelatory tales scripted by Michael Fleisher, who was never better than he was on this one title; no sir, not even close to it -- Jonah Hex's unhappy life had included such signal occurrences as: being sold to "th' injuns" by his drunken reprobate of a father, while still in the western equivalent of knee-pants; having his facial features savagely and deliberately deformed by said captors, in penance for a crime of which he was singularly innocent; being forced to take up arms against his own (later) adopted "brother," during the bloody holocaust that was the Civil War; being crudely framed -- and hunted, resultantly -- for the cold-blooded murder of same; and finding True Love twice in one lifetime, only to watch, helpless, as it was summarily gutted like a trout before his wide-struck and disbelieving eyes [see panels, accompanying].
Given a train wreck litany of circumstances such as these... Jonah's particularly desolate and dispassionate world view becomes a bit easier to understand (and -- just perhaps, mind -- even to sympathize with).
He had no "friends," as such, throughout the bulk of the series' run; occupation and temperament both worked against it, and the very fact that he was "Jonah Hex" -- and possessed, therefore, of a "rep" that served as much to dehumanize as it did mythologize -- meant that (often as not) those who sought him ought only did so for their own selfish concerns.
The classic "Requiem For a Gunfighter" (WEIRD WESTERN TALES #37) is as perfectly illustrative of this conundrum as any to be found in the canon. Jonah's stunted sympathies are engaged by the plight of a grief-stricken young man whose family entire has been slaughtered by bootless desperadoes. The man-child, however, is singularly inept with any and all manner of firearms... and, thus, unable to secure the requisite portion of vengeance on his own behalf.
Jonah takes the angry adolescent (one "Frank Joad," by name) under his wing, teaching him each and every last trick and technique in his arsenal of same. Joad grows so resultantly enamored of his own newly-won status as a death-dealer -- answerable to no one, and acting with the most cold-blooded of impunity -- that Jonah, in turn, is forced to gun down the sole individual whom he had come to regard as something very like his own "son."
One of the most rewarding elements of the JONAH HEX feature was the careful and intelligent use made by author Michael Fleisher of various snippets of authentic historical western fact and fancy, seasoning plots with such stuff as a practiced sous chef might wield a peppermill. A standout example of such is to be found in issue #13's "The Railroad Blaster," drawing upon the many well-documented instances of frontier sheep and cattle ranchers repeatedly sabotaging newly-laid (and expensive) railroad lines which they felt interfered with their cash-crop's grazing prerogatives.
Along a somewhat similar train-bound line were several intriguing tales regarding the criminal usage made by said rail barons of "celestials" as virtual slave labor for same; "celestials" being the derogatory term of the period reserved for Oriental immigrant laborers during that period. (The term was occasioned by the fact that said laborers -- often forced to endure sixteen or eighteen hour work days, under the most grueling and dehumanizing of conditions -- often resorted to the usage of opium and hashish at night, in order to ease their pains long enough to get a few hours worth of sleep. Their resultant [and inevitable] "spaciness" and distraction the following day, therefore, served to render them even more "other-worldly" in nature to their employers... hence: "celestials.") Jonah felt himself very much in sympathy with these unfortunates, whose own physical differences from the baseline societal "norm" of the period -- as well as their steadfast stoicism and ethics-oriented world view -- both so well mirrored his own status and outlook, as the perpetual "outsider."

Jimmy Olsen and Kirby

2007-10-12T05:22:00.000-07:00

BY 1970, JACK "KING" KIRBY had already secured his place in comics history with a long list of achievements. In the early 1940s, he co-created Captain America, the Boy Commandos and other popular wartime characters. In the late 1940s, he helped launched a whole new genre with the first romance comics. In the 1950s, he worked on such memorable titles as Boys Ranch, a Western comic, and
Challengers of the Unknown, about a quartet of adventurers. Then, in the 1960s, he was the original artist behind Marvel's most
popular and enduring characters, including the Fantastic Four,
Thor, the X-Men,
the Avengers, and the Hulk. But the chance to write and draw his own stories lured him back to DC, and it is in this issue of Jimmy Olsen, of all places, that Kirby introduced his most memorable -- and menacing -- creation.

Readers of this issue only saw him briefly, but Darkseid's presence would quickly be felt throughout all four of Kirby's "Fourth World" books (Jimmy Olsen, The New Gods, Mister Miracle,
and The Forever People). Long after those titles were cancelled, the dreaded Lord of Apokolips would continue to make life miserable for DC's stable of heroes. This would especially be the case for Superman, who would eventually feel Darkseid's evil machinations extending into just about every part of his existence.

Darkseid was presented as the absolute dictator of Apokolips, a world where huge energy pits belched enough smoke to permanently
blot out sunlight. Life for most citizens of the filthy, machine-ridden planet was filled with hardship and fear; only Darkseid's most favored elite even dared to enjoy the finer things in life. Ruling with an iron fist, Darkseid had his mother poisoned in order to assume the throne, and once there he used his incredible strength and "Omega beams" -- energy beams from his eyes that could disintegrate anyone foolish enough to defy him -- to command his followers' absolute loyalty. His only goals in life were to wage constant war against the New Gods of New Genesis and to find the Anti-Life Equation, the mastery of which would make him the absolute ruler of the universe.

When Kirby's New Gods books were cancelled in the late 1970s, it might have been the end for this particular villain. But he found new life as a recurring member of the DC Universe, instigating schemes that brought him and his minions into conflict with Earth's defenders on more than one occasion. Indeed, in many of DC's major storylines of the 1980s and '90s, Darkseid is the key antagonist. A particularly excellent example of his staying power was "The Great Darkness Saga" storyline in The Legion of Super-Heroes, a powerful story that affected the lives of heroes in that title for years after the fact.

Of course, Darkseid was just one character among Kirby's New Gods, but he has arguably enjoyed the most fruitful post-Kirby life. He represents the purest form of evil, a villain who isn't content to conquer mere property, but one who won't stop until an opponent's spirit is completely and utterly broken. His first appearance deserves special mention, as it is rare to meet anyone -- in any form of literature -- who is so good at being so bad.

Introduction of the Swamp Thing

2007-10-11T05:20:00.000-07:00

When the revised Comics Code guidelines gave mainstream comic writers permission to explore supernatural storylines,
they wasted little time to jump at the chance. The early 1970s saw a mini-explosion of monster-themed comics, with such titles as
Tomb of Dracula, Werewolf by Night, and
Son of Satan hitting the racks. At their best, the monster mags were guilty pleasures that hosted superior art and scripts; at their
worst, they were painfully clumsy attempts at horror in a time when the only real horror was the power of the censors to veto anything
remotely provocative.

But a humble eight-page story in this issue of House of Mystery would go on to do two things. First, it introduced a character that
would become one of DC's most recognizable characters of the 1970s and '80s. Second, it would signal the start of a new era in comics
-- one in which horror comics would come back with a vengeance, blowing away all preconceived notions of what they were supposed to be.

Along with sister title House of Secrets, House of Mystery began in the 1950s as an attempt to emulate the popular EC Comics lineup
of horror comics. Pressure from censors both inside and outside the industry, however, kept the shock factor to a minimum, and the
majority of stories were consequently rather mild. The format -- each issue showcased a number of short stories with twists in their
endings -- allowed for a lot of experimentation, but for the most part the stories followed standard formulas that were rarely
altered. A favorite theme, for example, was a criminal receiving his just desserts in some ironic way, thanks to the interference
of otherworldly forces.

At first, there was little reason to believe that the main story in this book, the first to feature the Swamp Thing, would be any
different. Writer Len Wein and artist Berni Wrightson created a creature who was a man returning from the grave to seek vengeance
against his murderer. It was a dark, brooding story (made all the more so by Wrightson's gothic style), and at the time there was
no indication that anyone at DC intended to give it an encore. But the readers' enthusiasm for that one short story made a regular
series all but inevitable, and Swamp Thing debuted in October, 1972.

Despite the character's roots in the horror genre, elements of superhero fantasy kept creeping in. In the ongoing series, for
example, it was revealed that the Swamp Thing was once scientist Alec Holland, whose secret formula to promote plant growth was
destroyed in an explosion set by secret agents who wanted to cover up his murder. In addition, the formerly lumpy monster developed
a more muscular physique, probably to distinguish him from the series of misshapen creatures he did battle with.

Wrightson's unique style graced only ten issues; a few issues later, Wein dropped out as well. Despite their replacements' best
attempts, the series lost its flavour, and it petered out after just 24 issues. Still, it was enough to catch Hollywood's eye,
and in 1982 the Swamp Thing movie hit the screens. The movie spurred DC to revive Swamp Thing in a second series, which they did
with Saga of the Swamp Thing. The series picked up where its predecessor left off, following Holland as he searches for his
humanity. But after just 19 issues, the title's lackluster sales weren't encouraging, and, with nothing to lose, DC gave the book
to a young British writer named Alan Moore to see what he could do with it.

What happened after that is another story in itself. For now, it's enough to say that, without Wein and Wrightson's creation,
Moore would have had nothing to revamp, and for that reason alone this book deserves special mention. Moore's machinations aside,
though, the Swamp Thing of the 1970s was a genuine attempt by a mainstream publisher to bring the comic-book horror genre away from
the hokey "watch-the-bad-guy-get-it" type of stories that permeated the genre at the time, and provided a powerful argument that
the mainstream companies were just as eager to explore new types of stories as the underground publishers were.

Garbage Pail Kids

2007-10-10T05:29:00.000-07:00

By the summer of 1985, some Americans had had enough of the "Cabbage Patch Kids" phenomenon that had swept the country like Beanie Babies did a few years ago.

There was so much attention on a product that was basically a less-than-attractive doll that someone with an obviously twisted mind created a take-off that took the bubble gum card industry by storm. They were called "Garbage Pail Kids", a trading card issue that poked fun at the Cabbage Patch kids with a series of fictional "kids" pictured in unflattering terms.

The first issue hit the streets in 1985, designed to aid Topps in the trading card war with rivals Fleer and Donruss. The "Kids" were packaged in pink wax packs and featured a "kid" with a nuclear blast coming out of his head. They were an instant hit with kids, who loved anything over the edge. Some adults thought the cards meant that the end of civilization was near.

The first series of cards were snapped up like crazy once the controversy began to take hold.

Eager collectors and children eager to see what the fuss was about, snapped up boxes and sets.

That early commotion caused those first cards to be a rarity. Today, a complete series one set is worth $125. An unopened box can be worth up to $700.

Nothing was off limits, it seemed, in the world of Garbage Pail Kids. The goofy drawings featured fluctuating "Windy Mindy", "Schizo Fran" and various other less than flattering themes. Several artists contributed to the project which became perhaps the most successful craze in non-sports card collecting. John Pound, Art Spiegelman, Mark Newgarden and Jay Lynch were among those artists who contributed designs.

The popularity of series one kept the presses rolling at Topps. The series went on for 15 different series and eventually included larger sized cards, posters, plaques and other items.

There was even Garbage Pail Candy. Prices for series two unopened boxes today are in the $200-300 range. Series four is much easier to find with boxes readily available for $30-50. Later series are similarly priced.

There were a few "error" cards or those printed with some slight variation which can carry a slight premium in value.

The 5x7 sized cards are found at $25-40 in series one; $10-15 in series two. Posters typically sell for $10-25.

Garbage Pail Kids can often be found at comic book stores carrying older material, at sports and non-sports trading card shows or at off-beat merchandise shows or flea markets.

The protests against the cards fell on deaf ears.

Some stores refused to carry the product, while others treated them as simply a harmless, albeit twisted joke, that kept customers coming in for more.

There was supposed to be a Saturday morning Garbage Pail Kids TV show, but it never made it to the airwaves. The cartoon was created in the late 1980s and scheduled for air on CBS' morning lineup. The animated show was even advertised by the network and ready for its debut that fall, but a tremendous uproar among those parents who hated the idea behind the cards put a stop to it.

A letter writing campaign caused the network to pull the show from the schedule before the first episode was released. Tapes do exist of the cartoon, having leaked out of the network's files, but are extremely difficult to find. A Garbage Pail Kids movie, however, did hit the big screen, although it was not seen by a tremendously large audience.

Superman

2007-10-09T04:25:00.000-07:00

Superman is a fictional character and regarded as the most influential and popular superhero of DC Comics. Created by Canadian-born artist Joe Shuster and American writer Jerry Siegel in 1932 and sold to Detective Comics, Inc. in 1938, Superman first appeared in
Action Comics #1 (June 1938) and subsequently appeared in various radio serials, television programs, films, newspaper strips, and video games. With a premise that taps into adolescent fantasy, Superman is born Kal-El on the alien planet Krypton, before being rocketed to Earth as an infant by his scientist father moments before the planet's destruction. Adopted and raised by a Kansas farmer and his wife, the child is raised as Clark Kent, and imbued with a strong moral compass. Upon reaching maturity the character develops superhuman abilities, resolving to use these for the benefit of humanity. With the success of his adventures, Superman helped to create the superhero genre and establish its primacy within the American comic book. Superman is widely considered to be both one of the most famous and popular comic book superheroes of all time, and an American cultural icon.

While referred to less flatteringly as "the big blue Boy Scout" by some of his fellow superheroes, Superman is hailed as "The Man of Steel," "The Man of Tomorrow," and "The Last Son of Krypton," by the general public within the comics. As Clark Kent, Superman lives among humans as a "mild-mannered reporter" for the Metropolis newspaper The Daily Planet (the Daily Star in original stories). There he works alongside reporter Lois Lane, with whom he is romantically linked. This relationship has been consummated by marriage on numerous occasions across varying media, and the union is now firmly established within the current mainstream comics continuity.

The character's cast, powers, and trappings have slowly expanded throughout the years. Superman's backstory was altered to allow for adventures as Superboy, and other survivors of Krypton were created, including Supergirl and Krypto the Superdog. In addition, Superman has been licensed and adapted into a variety of media, from radio to television and film. The movie Superman Returns was released in 2006, with a performance at the international box office which exceeded expectations. The character has been revamped and updated, most recently in 1986. John Byrne recreated the character, reducing Superman's powers and erasing several characters from the canon in a move which attracted media attention. Press coverage was again garnered in the 1990s with The Death of Superman, a storyline which saw the character briefly killed.

Superman has also held fascination for scholars, with pop culture theorists, commentators, and critics alike exploring the character's impact and role in the United States and the rest of the world. Umberto Eco discussed the mythic qualities of the character in the early 1960s, and Larry Niven has pondered the implications of a sexual relationship the character might enjoy with Lois Lane. The character's ownership has often been the subject of dispute, with Siegel and Shuster twice suing for the return of legal ownership. The copyright is again currently in dispute, with changes in copyright law allowing Siegel's wife and daughter to claim a share of the copyright, a move DC parent company Warner Bros. disputes.

Shazam!

2007-10-08T04:19:00.000-07:00

Shazam could refer to several elements of Fawcett Comics/DC Comics' Captain Marvel franchise:

* Because of legal issues, DC has to market Captain Marvel and the Marvel Family under the title Shazam! in all print and advertising relating to the characters. Captain Marvel is therefore sometimes erroneously referred to as "Shazam".
* The Wizard Shazam, the ancient wizard who grants young Billy Batson the power to become the adult superhero by speaking the
wizard's name.
* The entity that Captain Marvel Junior strives to become after the events of Infinite Crisis.
* The wizard's name, an acronym for the six various legendary figures who had agreed to grant aspects of themselves to a willing subject: the wisdom of Solomon; the strength of Hercules; the stamina of Atlas; the power of Zeus; the courage of Achilles; and the speed of Mercury.
* Shazam!, a comic book series published by DC Comics from 1973 to 1978, which was the first revival of Captain Marvel and the Marvel Family by DC Comics.
* Shazam!, a live-action TV show based upon Captain Marvel's adventures, produced by Filmation from 1974 to 1977.
* Shazam!, a Saturday morning cartoon based upon the adventures of the entire Marvel Family, produced by Filmation in 1981 as part of the Kid Superpower Hour with Shazam!.

Marvel Comics - S titles

2007-10-07T05:08:00.000-07:00

* Sgt Fury and His Howling Commandos #1–167 (May 1963–December 1981)

* Shadow Riders #1–4

* Shadowmasters #1–4

* Shadow & Light #1–3

* Shanna the She-Devil #1–5

* She-Hulk Volume 1 #1–12

* She-Hulk Volume 2 #1—

* Sheena #1–2

* Shogun Warriors #1–20 (February 1979–September 1980)

* The Shroud #1–4

* Silent War #1 (2007)

* Silver Sable & the Wild Pack #1–35

* Silver Surfer Volume 1 #1–18

* Silver Surfer Volume 2 #1

* Silver Surfer Volume 3 #1–146

* Skull the Slayer #1–8

* Slapstick #1–4

* Sledge Hammer! #1–2

* Soldier X #1–12

* Solo #1–4

* Solomon Kane #1–6

* Son of Satan #1–8

* Space Squadron #1–5 (continues as Space Worlds)

* Space Worlds #6 (continues from Space Squadron)

* Spaceknights #1–5

* Spaceman #1–6

* Special Marvel Edition #1–16 (continues as Master of Kung-Fu)

* Spectacular Scarlet Spider #1–2 (November 1995–December 1995)

* Spectacular Spider-Man Volume 1 #1–263

* Spectacular Spider-Man Volume 2 #1–27

* Speedball #1–11

* Spellbound Volume 1 #1–34

* Spellbound Volume 2 #1–6

* Spider-Man Unlimited Volume 2 #1–7

* Spider-Man Unlimited Volume 3 #1—

* Spider-Woman Volume 1 #1–50 (April 1978–June 1983)

* Spider-Woman Volume 2 #1–4

* Spider-Woman Volume 3 #1–18

* Spider-Woman: Origin #1–5

* Spidey Super Stories #1–57

* Spitfire and the Troubleshooters #1–9 (continues as Code Name: Spitfire)

* Spoof #1–5

* Sport Stars #1 (continues as Sports Action)

* Star Comics Magazine #1–13

* Star Masters #1–3

* Star Wars #1–107 (July 1977–September 1986)

* Star Wars Annual #1-3 (December 1979-December 1983)

* Starriors #1–4

* Starstruck #1–6

* Storm #1–4

* Strange Combat Tales #1–4

* Strange Stories of Suspense #5–16 (continues from Rugged Action)

* Strange Tales Volume 1 #1–168 (June 1951–May 1968); #169–188 (September 1973–November 1976)

* Strange Tales Volume 2 #1–19 (April 1987–October 1988)

* Strange Tales Volume 3 #1–4 (September 1998–October 1998)

* Strange Tales Annual Volume 1 #1–2 (1962–1963)

* Strange Tales: Dark Corners #1 (May 1998)

* Strange Tales of the Unusual #1–11 (December 1955–August 1957)

* Strange Worlds #1–5

* Strawberry Shortcake #1–7

* Stray Toasters #1–4

* Strikeforce: Morituri #1–31

* Strikeforce: Morituri: Electric Undertow #1–5

* Stryfe's Strike File #1

* Sub-Mariner Volume 1 #1–72 (May 1968–September 1974)

* Sub-Mariner Volume 2 #1–4 (September 1984–December 1984)

* Sub-Mariner Comics #1–42

* Sunfire & Big Hero 6 #1–3

* Super Soldiers #1–8

* Super-Villain Team-Up #1–17 (August 1975–June 1980)

* Supernatural Thrillers #1–15

* The Supernaturals #1–4

* Supreme Power #1–18. Becomes Squadron Supreme

* Suspense #1–29

* Swords of the Swashbucklers #1–12

Marvel Comics - A titles

2007-10-05T05:56:00.000-07:00

* Actual Confessions #13–14 (October–December 1952) (continues from Love Adventures)

* Actual Romances #1–2 (October 1949–January 1950) (continues as True Secrets)

* Adventure into Fear #10–31 (October 1972–December 1975) (continues from Fear)

* Adventure into Mystery #1–8 (May 1956–July 1957)

* Adventure into Terror Volume 1 #43–44 (continues from Joker Comics)

* Adventure into Terror Volume 2 #3–31

* Adventures into Weird Worlds #1–30 (1952–1954)

* All-Select Comics #1–11 (1943–1946) (continues as Blonde Phantom)

* All Surprise #1–12 (1943–1946)

* All Teen Comics #20

* All-True Crime #26–52 (continues from Official True Crime Cases)

* All Western Winners #2–4 (1940s) (continues from All Winners Comics and as Western Winners)

* All Winners Comics Volume 1 #1–19 (1941–?)

* All Winners Comics Volume 2 #1 (1948) (continues as All Western Winners)

* Amazing Adult Fantasy #7–14 (December 1961–July 1962)

* Amazing Adventures (1961 series) #1–6 (June 1961–November 1961)

* Amazing Adventures (1970 series) #1–39 (August 1970–November 1976)

* Amazing Adventures (1981 series) #1–14 (December 1979–November 1981)

* Amazing Adventures (1988 series) #1 (November 1988)

* Amazing Comics #1 (Fall 1944) (continues as Complete Comics)

* Amazing Detective Cases #3–14 (1950–1952)

* Amazing Fantasy #15 (August 1962)

* Amazing Fantasy #16–18 (December 1995–March 1996)

* Amazing High Adventure #1–5 (1984–1987)

* Amazing Scarlet Spider #1–2 (November 1995–December 1995)

* Amazing Spider-Girl #1— (2006— )

* Amazing Spider-Man Volume 1 #1–441, #-1, #500— , Annual #1–28 (1963–1998), (2003— )

* Amazing Spider-Man Volume 2 #1–58 (1999–2003)

* Amazing X-Men #1–4

* Annie Oakley #1–11 (1948–1956)

* Annihilation #1— (2006— )

* Ant-Man #1–4 (February–May 2004)

* Ant-Man's Big Christmas (1999)

* Apache Kid #11–19 (December 1950–April 1956) (continues as Western Gunfighters)

* Apache Skies #1–4 (September–December 2002)

* Archangel #1 (1996)

* Arizona Kid #1–6 (1951–1952)

* Arrgh! #1–5 (1974–1975)

* Arrowhead #1–4 (1954)

* Astonishing #3–63 (continues from Marvel Boy Volume 1)

* Astonishing Tales #1–36 (August 1970–?)

* The Avengers Volume 1 #1–402 (September 1963–1996); (2004) #500–503

Lois Lane

2007-10-04T05:07:00.000-07:00

As the audience for comic books began gravitating towards young boys in the mid-to-late
1950s, the Superman stories shifted in focus more toward science fiction-inspired plots involving extraterrestrials, fantasy creatures and bizarre, often contrived, plots.
Lois Lane's main interests in various late 1950s and 1960s stories became vying with her rival Lana Lang for Superman's affections,
attempting to prove Clark Kent and Superman were one and the same, and tricking or otherwise forcing Superman into marriage. For
Superman's part, his rationale for resisting her is that she cannot be trusted not to expose his secret identity to advance her
career and marrying her would put her in too much danger from his enemies (ignoring the fact that his romantic relationship with her,
thus her value as a hostage, is already public knowledge). This change in Lois' personality from her earlier 1940s self might also
be a result of American society's attitudes toward women and their societal roles in the 1950s. Across this generation, she got
married quite frequently, to other well known characters such as Batman and Jimmy Olsen and on one occasion a convicted criminal on
death row (and various Superman pastiches) but these marriages were always annulled or otherwise forgotten.

Lois became more and more popular during this decade, and after appearing as the lead character in two issues of DC's title Showcase
in 1957, Lois was given her own comic, titled Superman's Girl Friend, Lois Lane beginning in March 1958. Most of the stories in this
title placed a greater emphasis on Lois' romance with Superman, and were drawn by artist Kurt Schaffenberger; indeed, Schaffenberger's
rendition of Lois became cited by many as the "definitive" version of Lois, and he was often asked to redraw Superman comic artist
Curt Swan's renditions of Lois and Lana by Superman comic editor Mort Weisinger.

By the end of the 1960s, as attitudes toward women's role in American society began to change, Lois did as well. 1970s stories
featuring Lois depicted her as being fully capable of taking care of herself, engaged in more solo adventures without Superman being
involved, and her being much less interested in things such as discovering Superman's secret identity. For example, in her solo
stories in Superman Family (an anthology title started in the mid-1970s from the merging/cancellation of several previous titles,
including Superman's Girl Friend, Lois Lane and Superman's Pal, Jimmy Olsen), Lois regularly battled criminals in her investigations
and defeated them with quick wits and considerable skill in the Kryptonian martial art of Klurkor, taught to her in the bottle-city
of Kandor.

After the 1985-1986 miniseries Crisis on Infinite Earths, writer and artist John Byrne was hired to revise the Superman comics, thus
eliminating the Silver Age version of Lois from continuity; before this happened, a final non-canonical "imaginary story" Whatever
Happened to the Man of Tomorrow? was written by writer Alan Moore, meant as a send-off for the "pre-Crisis" versions of the
characters, including Lois.

Horror Comics

2007-10-03T07:03:00.000-07:00

The pulp fiction of the early twentieth routinely exploited the taste for terror. Its cousin, the comic book, didn't shy away from
sensational subject matter; horror would seem a natural for cheap thrills in four colors. In 1940, Prize Comics put out an adaptation
of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, but its focus quickly shifted from gothic horror to superheroics. Horror elements entered the world
of several superheroes: Batman had a gothic feel, and the
Green Lantern battled the Frankenstein-inspired Solomon Grundy. Hilman's
Air Fighter Comics introduced the shambling mound, Heap in 1942. This popular character influenced the horror genre, but he had become
a misunderstood hero by the time he received his own title. It took some time for full-blown horror comics to develop.

William M. Gaines inherited his father's EC publishing empire after Max Gaines's death. Working with Al Fieldstein, he experimented
with radio-drama influenced horror stories, putting "Crypt of Terror" and "Vault of Horror" in the back of Crime Patrol and War
Against Crime. These short stories inspired the magazines which would carry those names (Crypt of Terror later became
Tales from the Crypt), and their sister-title, The
Haunt of Fear. Each first appeared in 1950 and became an instant success. EC
dropped the traditional crime comics and added other fantastic titles, including
Weird Science and Weird Fantasy. They later added
more sensational crime/horror books, Shock SuspenStories
and Crime SuspenStories. It is the three horror comics that garnered most
of EC's fame. EC Comics became synonymous with horror. The three main titles were patterned off of popular late-night radio shows
such as Inner Sanctum, The Hermit's Cave, and Light's Out, anthology series which featured disturbed-sounding hosts and spine-tingling
horror stories. The three EC hosts-- the Crypt-Keeper, the Vault-Keeper, and the Old Witch- - became star characters. They received
makeovers in 1952, and both the Crypt-Keeper and the Old Witch were given origin stories in the pages of their magazines.

EC's were not the most lurid of the genre; other companies had followed the trend, sometimes substituting increased gore when they
could not compete with EC's generally superior writing, artwork, and black humor. Marvel's predecessor, Atlas, was publishing an
unlucky 13 number of horror titles by the mid-1950s. Harvey published several horror titles; even their long-running Black Cat comic,
originally about a superheroine, was retitled Black Cat Mystery and changed into an EC-style horror anthology. Although Dr. Fredric
Wertham's infamous attack on comic books started with crime comics, the horror titles dominated sales when Seduction of the Innocent
made its greatest impact. When the U.S. Senate investigated the alleged connection between comic books and juvenile delinquency,
horror came under the greatest scrutiny.

The comic industry responded with the Comics Code. The rules weighed rather heavily against horror titles. Comics could not present
"scenes" of, or "instruments associated with walking dead, torture, vampires and vampirism, ghouls, cannibalism, and werewolfism."
Titles could not even use the words "horror" and "terror." EC left the business proper in 1956 to focus on a magazine version of
their popular satiric comic, Mad Magazine. Although the Code's rules were voluntary, most newsstands would not carry comics if the comics
did not carry the Comics Code Authority Seal of Approval.

EC's comics became the stuff of legend; their entire stock has been reprinted, while originals fetch a small fortune from collectors.
Tales from the Crypt has been adapted into other media, and immortalized in an oft-repeated Suburban Myth that claims L.A.'s Crips
named themselves for the comic.

Despite the restrictions, horror comics did not disappear. Marvel kept horror alive in the 1960s by focussing on non-traditional
monsters in titles such as Tales to Astonish,
Journey into Mystery, and Where Monsters Dwell. These more closely resembled the Sci-Fi
creature features of the 1950s. They featured hulking, otherwordly beasts with names like Fin Fang Foom (later folded into Marvel's
super-hero stories) and Tim Boo Ba. Although Marvel's monster titles appeared throughout the 60s, many of them shifted to reflect the
resurgence of superheroes. Marvel's Thor, for example, first appeared in the revised Journey Into Mystery.

Dell - Gold Key had successful runs of The Twilight Zone and
The Outer Limits, the former with an illustrated Rod Serling acting as
horror-host. They would also follow this format with Boris Karloff's Tales of Mystery; the veteran actor (and later his estate)
licensed the use of his image. Gold Key kept the tradition afloat in the 1970s; their Grimm's Ghost Stories featured a horror-host
who was a dead ringer for the Haunt of Fear's Old Witch. Many of Gold Key's stories were repackaged as comics digests; they made
excellent summer vacation reading for horror- inclined kiddies. Several late-60s Gold Key comics also carried Monster Museum, a
back-up feature that presented readers' drawings of monsters. The 70s, in fact, saw a rebirth of horror comics, thanks to a 1971
revision of the Comics Code that lifted some of the taboos against depicting the supernatural.

DC invented the superhero and focused on that genre, but they had a number of horror titles in the 1960s and 1970s, including Ghosts
and The Unexpected. Most memorable may be their EC-derived
titles: The Witching Hour, House of Mystery, and
House of Secrets. The
Witching Hour was hosted by DC's answer to Macbeth's weird sisters: Mordred, Mildred, and Cynthia, who fit the Maiden/Mother/Crone
stereo/archetypes. Two bizarre brothers, Cain and Abel hosted, respectively, the House of Mystery and the House of Secrets These
horror-hosts also turned up in the company's short-lived horror/satire/just-plain-strange rip-off of Mad, Plop!.

Archie, too, jumped on the bandwagon. In 1972, Sabrina, the Teenage Witch actually hosted a conventional horror comic,
Chilling Adventures in Sorcery; its contents were entirely at odds with her sunny persona. In the same era, the Riverdale gang
occasionally wandered into Gothic settings that were treated fairly seriously-- unlike the goofy monster figures of the made-for-tv
Archie spin-off cartoon, The Groovy Goolies.

Warren Comics eschewed the code altogether. Their black-and-white horror comics, Creepy,
Eerie, and Vampirella featured horror
stories hosted by Uncle Creepy, Cousin Eerie, and of course, Vampirella. They frequently featured nudity and graphic violence.
Vampi's magazine also included her own continuing adventures, and that character has had a long life after Warren's demise. She
also became entangled with Aurora's ill-fated Monster model kits, whose conception and comic-art advertisements created as
much controversy in the early 70s as EC had back in the 50s.

In the 1970s, Marvel and DC often incorporated horror elements into their comics. Marvel, in particular, made a Hollywood-style
Wolfman the star of Werewolf by Night,
reprinted old Atlas horror comic stories as the back-up feature to various Dracula titles,
and introduced other horror-themed superheroes, such as Ghost Rider.
Over at DC, Superman found himself up against the odd
werewolf or vampire.

In 1972, the rival publishers introduced rival Heap-imitations, DC's Swamp Thing
and Marvel's Man Thing. The Swamp Thing has
demonstrated greater longevity, though in the process, he became more of an outcast superhero than the creepy figure he'd originally
been. Marvel's version has been less successful, though he did spin off Howard the Duck, whose early adventures appeared in
Giant-Size Man-Thing (and in fact, first appeared,
briefly, in the horror comic Fear). Possibly, the Marvel creation just couldn't
live down his ribald name.

Comics became bigger business than ever in the late twentieth and early twenty-first century. Horror comics have not disappeared, but
they currently form a tiny part of the market. Those which do exist reflect the broad, dark diversity of their audiences.

The Flash

2007-10-02T18:30:00.000-07:00

Flash first appeared in Flash Comics #1 (1940).

Once nicknamed the Scarlet Speedster, the Flash possesses "super-speed," which includes the ability to run and move extremely fast,
use superhuman reflexes and violate certain laws of physics. Thus far, four different characters, each of whom somehow gained the
power of "super-speed", have assumed the identity of the Flash: Jay Garrick (1940-1956), Barry Allen (1956-1986), Wally West
(1986-2006, 2007-), and Bart Allen (2006-2007).

The second incarnation of the Flash is generally considered the first hero of the Silver Age of comic books and the superhero has
remained one of DC‘s most popular ever since. Each version of the Flash has been a key member of either the Justice Society of
America or the Justice League, DC’s all-star teams. Wally West has recently rejoined the Justice League.

The Barry Allen version of the character (with Wally West elements) was featured in a live action TV series in 1990, starring
John Wesley Shipp. The Wally West version of the Flash is featured in the animated series Justice League.

DC Comics

2007-09-30T07:06:00.000-07:00

Jenette Kahn, a former Tarzan Family publisher, replaced Infantino in January 1976. DC had been attempting to compete with the
now-surging Marvel by dramatically increasing its output. This included series featuring such new characters as
the Secret Six and
Richard Dragon, and several
non-superhero titles such as Plop. With the titles on sale in
June 1978, Kahn expanded the line further increasing
the number of titles, story pages and raising the price from 35 cents to 50 cents. Most series received eight-page back-up features
while some had full-length twenty-five page stories. This was a move the company called the
"Secret Origins". Afterward, however,
corporate partner Warner dramatically cut back on these largely unsuccessful titles, firing many staffers in what industry watchers
dubbed "the Phantom Stranger". In September of 1978, the line was dramatically reduced and standard-size books returned to 17 story pages
but for an increased 40 cents. By 1980, the books returned to 50 cents with a 25-page story count but the story pages replaced house
ads in the books.

Seeking new ways to boost market share, the new management of publisher Kahn, vice-president Paul Levitz, and managing editor Giordano
addressed the issue of talent instability. To that end — and following the example of Metal Men Comics and such independent
companies as Jonah Hex Comics — DC began to offer royalties in place of the industry-standard work-for-hire agreement in which creators
worked for a flat fee and signed away all rights. In addition, emulating the era's new television form, the miniseries, DC created
the industry concept of comic book limited series that allowed flexible arrangements for storylines.

These policy changes paid off with the success of the ongoing series Mr Miracle, by writer Marv Wolfman and artist
George Pérez, two popular talents with a history of success. Their superhero-team comic, which was superficially similar to Marvel's
ensemble series Forever People, earned significant sales in part due to the stability of the creative team, who kept with the title for years.
In addition, Wolfman and Pérez took advantage of the limited-series option to create a spin-off title,
DC Super Stars,
to present origin stories of their original characters without having to break the narrative flow of the main series or oblige them
to double their work load with another ongoing title.

This successful revitalization of a minor title led the editorship to seek the same for DC's entire line. The result was the limited
series Crisis on Infinite Earths, which gave the company an opportunity to dismiss some of the "baggage" of its history, and revise
major characters such as All-Flash and
All-American Western.

Meanwhile, British writer Alan Moore had re-energized the minor horror series Black Magic, and his acclaimed work
sparked the comic book equivalent of rock music's British Invasion. Numerous British writers, including Neil Gaiman and
Grant Morrison, began freelancing for the company. The resulting influx of sophisticated horror and dark fantasy material led not
only to DC abandoning the Comics Code for particular titles scripted by those talents, but also to establishing in 1993 the Vertigo
mature-readers imprint.

Acclaimed limited series such as DC 100 Page Super Spectacular by Frank Miller and Watchmen by Moore and artist Dave Gibbons also
drew attention to changes at DC. This new creative freedom and the attendant publicity allowed DC to challenge Marvel's industry
lead.

Conversely, the mid-1980s also saw the end of many long-running DC war comics, including venerable series that had been in print
since the 1960s. These titles, all with over 100 issues, included Kamandi,
G.I. Combat,
Strange Adventures, and Weird War Tales.

In 1989, DC began publishing its Teen Titans Editions of hardcover collections of early, rare comics. Rick Keene handled the
restoration on many of the Weird Western Tales books with color restoration by DC's long-time resident colorist, Bob LeRose.

Daredevil

2007-09-29T08:17:00.000-07:00

Daredevil's original costume, as designed by Jack Kirby was a combination of black, yellow and red, reminiscent of practical acrobat's
tights, and went through minor revisions in issues #2 through #4 by EC Comics artist Joe Orlando. Fellow acclaimed EC veteran
Wally Wood penciled #5-8, introducing the modern, completely red costume in issue #7. Golden Age great Bob Powell
(Sheena, Queen of the Jungle) penciled two issues over Wood layouts, and they then swapped for #11, which Wood inked over Powell's
pencils.

Issue #12 began a brief run by Jack Kirby (layouts) and John Romita, Sr. It was Romita's return to superhero penciling after a decade
of working exclusively as a romance-comic artist for DC. Romita had felt he no longer wanted to pencil, in favor of being solely an
inker.

When Romita left to take over Amazing Spider-Man, Lee gave Daredevil to the character's first signature artist, Gene Colan, who began
with issue #20 (Sept. 1966). Colan pencilled all but three issues through #100 (June 1973), plus the 1967 annual, followed by ten
issues sprinkled from 1974-79. (He would return again, an established legend, for an eight-issue run in 1997). Among the notable plot
developments during this period were Matt Murdock's panicky creation of a "twin brother", the "sighted" and devil-may-care
Mike Murdock, in #25 (Feb. 1967), whom Karen Page and Foggy Nelson are led to believe is Daredevil; "Mike's" death in #41 (June 1968);
and Matt revealing his Daredevil identity to Karen Page in #57 (Oct. 1969).

Much like in The Amazing Spider-Man — and in what was already an established hallmark of Marvel Comics storytelling — interpersonal
drama was as central to the series as action and adventure. A triangle of unrequited love develops between Foggy Nelson, Karen Page
and Murdock, with Nelson unable to win over Page and Matt unable to admit that Page loves anyone other than Daredevil. When the
revelation of Murdock's dual identity proves too much for Page, she leaves the firm and the comic.

In the 1970s the title featured a double billing, co-starring Daredevil's girlfriend, the Black Widow. During this time, the series'
writers included Gerry Conway, Steve Gerber and Chris Claremont. Artists included Bob Brown and Don Heck.

Amazing Spider-Man

2007-09-28T06:35:00.000-07:00

Spider-Man first appeared in issue #15 of the
comic book Amazing Fantasy (Aug. 1962). The series was cancelled with that issue, but
response to the character was so positive that a solo title, The Amazing Spider-Man was launched in March 1963.

The character was created by writer/editor Stan Lee and artist/co-writer Steve Ditko, and the pair produced 38 issues of Amazing from
1963 to 1966. Since then, many writers and artists have taken over the monthly comic over the years chronicling the adventures of
Marvel's most identifiable hero.

The Amazing Spider-Man is considered to be the “lead” Spider-Man title, as it was the first (and for many years, the only) regular
Spider-Man comic, and it has been in print since 1963. Most of the major characters and villains of the Spider-Man saga were introduced
in The Amazing Spider-Man, and many (but not all) of the key events occurred in the title too. The title was published continuously
until 1998 when Marvel Comics decided to begin it anew by renumbering the title with a new issue #1 published in January, 1999. In
2003, Spider-Man's 40th anniversary, this new title reverted to using the numbering of the original series, at issue #500.

The initial years of the book, under Lee and Ditko, chronicled Spider-Man’s nascent career with his civilian life as hard-luck (yet
perpetually good-humored) teenager Peter Parker. Peter balanced his career as Spider-Man with his job as a freelance photographer
for The Daily Bugle (under the bombastic J. Jonah Jameson) to help support himself and his frail Aunt May. At the same time, Peter
dealt with public hostility towards Spider-Man, the antagonism of his classmates Flash Thompson and Liz Allan at Midtown High School,
as well as embarking on a tentative, ill-fated romance with Jameson’s secretary, Betty Brant.

By focusing on Peter’s everyday problems and hard-luck crime-fighting career, Lee and Ditko created a flawed, self-doubting superhero
readers could more readily identify with. Ditko’s quirky, woodcut-like art provided a stark contrast to the more cleanly dynamic
stylings of Marvel’s most prominent artist, Jack Kirby. Ditko’s Spider-Man, slightly sinister yet affectionately cartoony, combined
with the humour and pathos of Lee’s writing, laid the foundation for the entire Spider-Man saga. Most of Spider-Man’s key villains
and supporting characters were introduced during this time. Issue # 1 (Mar. 1963) featured the first appearances of J. Jonah Jameson,
John Jameson and The Chameleon, as well as Spidey’s first encounter with The Fantastic Four. # 2 (May 1963) featured the first
appearance of The Vulture, and it was in this issue that Peter began his career with The Daily Bugle.

All-Star Comics

2007-09-27T06:14:00.000-07:00

The original concept for All Star Comics was an anthology title containing the most popular series from the other anthology titles
published by both All-American Publications and National Comics. All Star Comics #1 contains primarily superhero stories including
All-American's Golden Age Flash,
Hawkman, Ultra-Man, National's Hour-Man, the Spectre and the Sandman, plus the adventure strip
"Biff Bronson" and the comedy-adventure "Red, White and Blue". The title premiered with a Summer 1940 cover date.

Issue #3 (Winter 1940/41) is of historical significance for depicting the first meeting of the Justice Society, at which its members
swap stories of their exploits, subsequently depicted in the book's array of solo adventures. In addition to the Flash, Hawkman,
Hour-Man, the Spectre, and the Sandman were Doctor Fate, from National's Adventure Comics, and
Green Lantern and the Atom from
All-American's flagship title, All-American Comics. The Justice Society was originally a frame story to present an anthology of solo
stories about the individual characters. Different chapters of the JSA's stories would often be handled by different artists. This
new format proved to be so successful that the individual adventures were dropped and the heroes started teaming up to fight crime.

Issue #8 of this title (December, 1941) is notable in the history of superhero comics for the first appearance and introduction of
Wonder Woman in an 8-page insert story written by William Moulton Marston under the pen name of "Charles Moulton", with art by
Harry G. Peter. The insert story was included as a backup story in the issue to test reader interest in the Wonder Woman concept.
The Wonder Woman story generated enough positive fan response that Wonder Woman would be awarded the lead feature in the
Sensation Comics anthology title starting from issue #1. Wonder Woman would also appear in All Star Comics starting from issue #11
as a member of the Justice Society.

All Star Comics increased its frequency from a quarterly to a bimonthly publication schedule, and the JSA lasted through #57
(March 1951) — ironically, a story titled "The Mystery of the Vanishing Detectives". Superhero comics slumped in the early 1950s,
and All Star Comics became All Star Western from #58-119 (in 1961) with Western heroes replacing the Justice Society.

Fantastic Four

2007-09-26T10:55:00.000-07:00

The Fantastic Four is a fictional American team of
comic book superheroes in the Marvel Comics universe. First appearing in the
historically groundbreaking The Fantastic Four #1 (Nov. 1961), which helped to usher a new naturalism in the medium, they were the
first superhero team created by writer/editor Stan Lee and artist/co-plotter Jack Kirby.

There are four core friends and family members traditionally associated with the Fantastic Four, who gained superpowers and turned
into mutates after exposure to cosmic rays during a scientific space mission. The team consists of Mr. Fantastic (Reed Richards), a
scientific genius and leader of the group who can stretch his body into incredible lengths and shapes. The Invisible Woman
(Susan "Sue" Storm), Reed's wife and the team's second-in-command; she can render herself invisible and project powerful force
fields. The Human Torch (Johnny Storm), Sue's younger brother, who can surround himself with flames, generate them as well, and fly.
The final member is the Thing (Ben Grimm), their grumpy but benevolent friend, who possesses superhuman strength and endurance. His
skin is monstrous, craggy, orange, and looks as if made of scales or plates (often mistakenly referred to as "rocks"). He is known
for his great courage and fighting skill in addition to his strength.

Since the original four's 1961 introduction, the Fantastic Four have been portrayed as a somewhat dysfunctional yet loving family.
Breaking convention with other comic-book archetypes of the time, they would squabble and hold grudges both deep and petty, and eschew
anonymity or secret identities in favor of celebrity status. In the first two issues, the groundbreaking team do not even adhere
to the "superhero" convention of costumes. After this the team wear uniforms specially fabricated by Reed that accommodate their
individual powers.

The Fantastic Four was the foundation of Marvel Comics' ascent from a small division of a privately held magazine company to a major
entertainment conglomerate. The team holds a pivotal place in the history of American comic books. The FF (as they are commonly known)
has remained more or less popular, and has been adapted into other media, including four animated television series, an aborted 1990s
low-budget film, the major motion picture Fantastic Four (2005), and its sequel, Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer (2007).

Gamera 1965 trailer

2007-09-19T05:56:00.000-07:00

Living the Pop Culture Life

2007-08-13T16:09:00.001-07:00

Growing up, I was always excited to get to see some kind of science fiction or action-adventure stuff on TV. My favorite television shows were almost always the ones that dealt with the imagination - either Saturday morning cartoons, or action programs, or something similar.

The Six Million Dollar Man was a pretty exciting show when I was young. [Lee Majors is a hometown boy, having been raised just a few miles from where I grew up and am now typing this.] The show itself was fairly pedestrian; after a while it was the same smugglers and Commie agents every week. But then Bigfoot came along in (if I recall correctly) a two-parter that really tested our hero. Wow! Now that was exciting. Wonder Woman was a pretty ordinary show, too, with the Amazon princess fighting mostly spies and Nazis; in one episode, however, she fought some aliens called, I believe, 'the Skrill', and that was great.

On Saturday afternoons, we had our local version of Shock Theater - and, while there was no horror host, at least they showed some great monster movies like the original Dracula, Frankenstein, Creature of the Black Lagoon, the Mummy, and so on. I confess I found a lot of those original Universal films rather old-fashioned; but I LOVED the monsters. Early on I was treated to a model of the Hunchback of Notre Dame, and that started my love of the old Aurora monster models. And, of course, I collected copies of Famous Monsters magazine (thank you, Mark Wheatley).

It was rare, but occasionally I got to watch some great Japanese movies with monsters, like one of the original Godzillas; and I distinctly recall seeing War of the Gargantuas and just loved it - especially the part where one of the creatures eats a human! That same afternoon, I was also introduced to Gamera, when he fought Viras, the tentacled alien monster. It would be several years, however, before I could see more than just a handful of those great old movies.

In fact, my friend Brian Wilder and I used to gaze longingly at the advertisements in old comic books selling 8mm condensed versions of old horror films, esp. the Japanese ones like Rodan. Little did we know that when we became adults we could actually own all those movies in a high-quality format and watch them any time we wanted, right in our own homes! God bless you, whoever invented DVD's. (Probably some smart engineer at Sony.)

Top 10 Fictional Cars

2007-08-12T12:13:00.000-07:00

Here are my choices for the Top Ten Fictional Automobiles, in no particular order:

1. Mach 5 - Speed Racer's souped-up race car, tricked out with neat gadgets and always beating out Racer X. Go, Speed Racer, go!

2. the Batmobile - Although there have been various versions since its introduction in Detective Comics #48, the Batmobile has always been a dream car of kids everywhere - especially when the Batman TV show was on the air.

3. Supercar - One of the British kids' puppet shows produced by Gerry & Sylvia Anderson, Supercar presented the adventures of Mike Mercury and his car, 'the wonder of the age.'

4. Fred Flintstone's car - Say what you will, but kids love seeing Fred making his car go using his own feet.

5. The Munsters' car - Many is the time when teenagers compared their own clunkers to the Munstersmobile, which left a trail of small parts wherever it went.

6. Archie Andrews's jalopy - Archie, the all-American working-class kid, could never quite afford a better car, but it didn't make generations of teenaged readers love him any less.

7. Kitt from Knight Rider - What can we say? Any computerized car that talks and has a cool light going back and forth on the grill like a Cylon Centurion's helmet is just plain cool, period.

8. Black Beauty - the Green Hornet's lovely automobile driven by his faithful manservant Kato (played on the TV show by none other than Bruce Lee).

9. Chitty Chitty Bang Bang - Kids love Raould Dahl's broken-down flying auto; the movie featuring Dick Van Dyke and Benny Hill is a classic. (I still hate that child-snatcher, though....)

10. James Bond's Aston Martin - You may not have Bond's looks, charm, or confidence, but if you climb out of this expensive auto in front of the Casino Royale, women will throw themselves at you.

Runners-Up:

11. FAB-1 - Lady Penelope's pink car from the British puppet show Thunderbirds, driven by her faithful man Parker.

12. Herbie the Love Bug - Not even the crappy remake with Lindsay Lohan could destroy this beloved Disney volkswagen.

13. the General Lee - Looks like them Duke Boys have gotten themselves into another fix. Boss Hogg wants to take control of Hazzard, but these boys won't let 'im.

1977

2007-08-08T10:28:00.000-07:00

What I would be doing if today were August 8, 1977:

Popping out of the house around nine a.m. or so, I would have looked around to see if (a) the weather was going to be clear and (b) where/if any of my buddies were around. Hopefully Brian Wilder from across the road would have been outside, helping his dad with something or other, and he and I would make plans about how to waste the day.

Most often we would try to get together and trade comic books. We also collected trading cards and traded them, or else 'flipped' them to see who could end up with the best collection at the end of the day. (Flipping was where each of you would flip a card; the cards would either land face up or down. If yours landed face up & the other guy's face down, you kept both cards. I'd learned about it from a magazine article or something.) I recall we were both fond of the Planet of the Apes cards.

At some point we would take our hard-earned (ha!) allowance money and walk to the store to purchase magazines and cards, but also candy, about which we were crazy (as, which kid isn't). The local stores didn't carry comic books, but fortunately we were also mad for any cool magazines and, later, baseball cards. I don't quite remember the store carrying any monster magazines, unfortunately; but I did pick up a copy of something called Space Wars which had an article about Mars Attacks in it (the first time I'd heard of those little gems).

Of course, that was the year that Star Wars came out; and while we couldn't just up and go to the movies any time we liked, we could at least collect the gum cards, and greedily hoarded any magazine or newspaper articles on the sudden phenomenon (there were dozens at that time).

So all in all, I'd have to say 1977 was a much better year than 2007. That's my preference, anyway.

60's Cult TV Hits

2007-08-06T11:51:00.000-07:00

Top Ten Cult TV Shows of the 1960's:

1. Dark Shadows
2. Star Trek
3. The Partridge Family
4. Batman
5. Green Hornet
6. Lost In Space
7. The Monkees
8. Laugh-In
9. Outer Limits
10. The Twilight Zone

Agree? Disagree? Feel free to comment with your own picks.

***Bonus Points Trivia Question:*** Early-70's action star Bruce Lee appeared in which show above?

Facing the Future

2007-08-04T10:13:00.000-07:00

"A planet where apes rule instead of men?!!"

I have no idea what the future of mankind will be like, but I kind of doubt it will be anything like Planet of the Apes, or Jack Kirby's clone of same, Kamandi. Certainly we will face some kind of environmental crisis - but I think humans will work things out using technology. And animals taking over? I doubt it.

"Soilent green is made out of people!"

The fears about overpopulation have kind of receded, mainly because not as many people have decided to have babies as everyone thought; many nations' leaders are actually encouraging their women to conceive so as to ensure future laborers and taxpayers (and, let's face it, cannon fodder in military). So I think any sort of Logan's Run-like scenario is ruled out.

"He's dead, Jim."

Of course, we might just have a really bright, happy future like in Star Trek, where all sorts of alien races work hand in hand with our own to create a technological utopia, or at least as close as mortals can get. But knowing what I do about human nature (or unhuman, where aliens would be concerned), I'm kind of skeptical of this also.

"Help me, Obi-Wan; you're my only hope."

Maybe things will be more like Star Wars: a central government which rules over thousands of planets and races, but outlying star systems still maintaining their independence and cultural uniqueness. Yeah, I kind of like that. I like the idea of there being an 'underground,' outside of the rule of authority, with outlaws and even rough places where polite people won't go. So yeah, Star Trek sounds nice and everything, but I think I'll stick with the Jedis and Sith. I just hope we all get some kind of Force to help us along.

Superhero roll call

2007-08-02T07:46:00.000-07:00

Superheroes have always fascinated me. They seem to be the perfect embodiment of the adventure character - larger than life, with plenty of personal power, full of derring-do and ready to leap into danger but always coming out way ahead.

As a kid I was a Marvel fanatic, but I've come to love DC characters just as much - not just the biggest ones like Superman and Batman, but also the second-string ones like Aquaman, Metamorpho, or the Sea Devils.

There are other comic book publishers worth a mention, of course: Gold Key had both Turok and Magnus Robot Fighter, which were great; they also published such franchises as Star Trek and Dark Shadows. Warren had Vampirella who, while not exactly a superhero, was certainly a heroic fantasy-adventure character.

Star Wars certainly deserves mention, for creating very superhero-like characters; or if not superheroes, at least fantasy figures. What is Obi-Wan Kenobi if not a wizard, or Darth Vader if not a technologically-enhanced Dark Lord?

Mars and other planets I have visited

2007-08-01T17:52:00.000-07:00

Mars, of all the planets other than Earth, has held the most fascination for writers and scientists - most likely because it is our closest planetary neighbor, and thus the most likely world outside our own which our people would possibly visit... or whose people might possibly visit us.

In the 19th century, astronomer Percival Lowell saw crisscrossing lines and hypothesized that they were enormous canals - manmade structures of great engineering technology, undoubtedly the work of an advanced Martian race. Further, it was hypothesized that Mars was slightly older than Earth, and therefore any race of beings living there might be ahead of us in terms of science.

This made for great fiction ideas, and certain writers ran with it. The greatest of these was probably H.G. Wells's War of the Worlds - which was not only a kickass book, but spawned a real-life scare in 1938 when Orson Welles broadcast an updated radio drama that had thousands of Americans thinking an alien invasion was really taking place; it was also a very fine movie produced by George Pal in the 1950's. (Those manta-ray-like Martian war machines were created by artist Wah Chang.)

Edgar Rice Burroughs also had his own Martian odyssey with his John Carter, Warlord of Mars series of science fantasy novels. John Carter was very like Burroughs's other celebrated hero, Tarzan, for derring-do and indestructibility.

And, of course, who can forget one of the most gruesomely beloved trading card series of all time, Mars Attacks?

2007-07-24T10:51:00.000-07:00

Nice pictures of
Lindsay Lohan

Scooby-Doo movies

2007-07-23T18:20:00.000-07:00

A list of all the modern movies featuring the well-loved but stupid mutt who solves mysteries.

Iron Man comic books

2007-07-16T05:25:00.000-07:00

Vampirella - Warren magazines

2007-07-15T07:06:00.001-07:00

Found here: Vampirella

Saturday Morning TV

2007-06-30T03:44:00.000-07:00

old horror drive-in ads

2007-06-15T11:55:00.000-07:00

Check out this handful of old newspaper ads for horror flicks at the Classic Horror Film Board.