I'm way late to the party on posting a Superman item, as it's been six weeks since the release of the brand-new movie in theaters, but it's now available on digital, so maybe it's still timely.
Here is an album-length collection of Superman audio stories from 1978 (the year of the first Christopher Reeve film release) by classic children's record company Peter Pan Records. I have a 45 RPM of a Superman story that curiously isn't on this album, but they're all a lot of fun.
Enjoy! And stay tuned this fall, as I plan on more frequent blog articles and, of course, the Countdown to Halloween.
You can check out the YouTube video below or directly on YT here.
As I'm sure you know, the latest Fantastic Four movie is coming to theaters Friday, July 25th, and this time, it's set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Fans have been waiting years for this, and based on the trailers, it looks very interesting! But what some may not know is that the quartet were once brought to life via radio.
In 1975, a Fantastic Four radio series was produced in Canada and adapted from the first 13 issues of the comic book, with narration by Stan Lee and various actors portraying Marvel's First Family. The Human Torch was voiced by none other than Bill Murray.
Yes, THAT Bill Murray.
Here are all 13 episodes of the audio series, both embedded below and directly on YouTube here.
Welcome on and all to the (tardy) start of the 2024 Countdown to Christmas! Sorry I'm late, but I'm ready to share great Christmas offerings with you this year. And to kick it off, I have a fun one--a Christmas episode of the 1970s Wonder Woman TV series starring Lynda Carter!
In "The Deadly Toys," a former military major is in cahoots with a deranged toymaker (Frank Gorshin having a blast) to substitute top scientists on a secret government project with android replicas, thereby allowing the major and toymaker to have control over the project. In comes Diana to the rescue, but not before she fights an android replica of herself!
Yep--big, dumb fun!
Enjoy! And yes, I know I included the Season 1 theme song before a Season 2 episode, but I like that version of the theme better, so there! :)
Welcome to the first full week of the Countdown to Halloween!
I'm afraid I goofed! I promised you readers new posts every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday in October, but I missed out this past Friday. Sorry about that! I'll throw in an extra post at some point this month to make up for it. Today, I share with you what I would have posted last Friday.
This is the 1980 Japanese anime horror film Dracula, Sovereign of the Damned! Based on Marvel Comic's 1970s horror comic Tomb of Dracula, the film features the Son of the Devil, being, well, devilish. If you think it odd that a Japanese studio would adapt an American horror comic, don't--it's also been done with Marvel's The Monster of Frankenstein comic from the same time period. I've featured the Frankenstein film right here on this blog a few years ago.
Enjoy! And sorry for depriving you of this movie last Friday! Watch the movie embedded below or directly on YouTube here.
Sunday, June 23rd of this year marked the 35th anniversary of Batman 1989. In its honor, the official Warner Bros. YouTube account posted this trivia video with questions based on the movie. They're super easy, but fun nonetheless.
Back in 2019 (which seems like decades ago), I posted a few tribute articles for the movie's 30th anniversary. Here is the link so you can enjoy those again or for the first time.
Hey, I'm back! I don't know for how long, but I've finally managed to get a few minutes to blog. What I'm sharing today is something I didn't know existed until a month or so ago.
I'm sure you're familiar with Power Records, the action story division of children's music company Peter Pan Records, that released a lot of fun items in the 70s and 80s. I recently came across a story album on YouTube featuring the Incredible Hulk. This wasn't surprising to me, as Power released a number of story albums featuring superheroes from DC and Marvel Comics.
What did surprise me, however, is that one of these albums was based NOT on the Marvel Comics iteration of the character, but on the TV series version. In this series of four stories, David (not Bruce) Banner wanders the country and runs afoul of human villains rather than supervillains, just like he did in the TV series. This was a treat to listen to, as the stories are quite faithful to the TV series format. You won't hear the Hulk say "HULK SMASH!" in this version, but you will hear a sincere but amusing attempt by the voice actor to give a frightning roar as the green-skinned giant.
Today's entry in the Countdown to Christmas is a wacky one, but that's exactly why I'm including it!
The Lobo Paramilitary Christmas Special was a movie made by filmmaker Scott Leberecht and others with an educational grant from the American Film Institute and not intended for commercial release. It is, however, based on an actual comic book one-shot published by DC Comics in 1991 (see the cover to that comic above).
In the comic and movie, Lobo, an alien intergalactic hitman, is hired by the Easter Bunny to "whack" Santa Claus, so that the Easter Bunny gets more love and attention. If the money is right, Lobo is up for the job! The actor playing Lobo is Andrew Bryniarski, know for playing Leatherface in several Texas Chainsaw Massacre reboot films in the 2000s.
Enjoy! Watch it embedded below or directly on YouTube here.
Today has been the 85th anniversary of the release of Action Comics #1, the very first Superman comic! In honor of Big Blue's big anniversary, I present the first two episodes of The Adventures of Superman, the radio series that really made Superman a part of American pop culture.
The era of old time radio is getting farther and farther away from the present more and more, and I believe reminding people of this era of entertainment and mass media is important, as it affected American culture long before TV did. And the importance of the Superman radio show to the character's methos can't be understated. The show was huge! So much so that two significant parts of Superman's legend, Jimmy Olsen and kryptonite, originated not in the comics, but on radio.
Here I present the first two episodes of the series. Surprisingly, as much as I love both superheroes and old time radio, I've listened to very little of this series. I hope this article inspires me to listen to more. I hope it inspires you too.
If you're like me--and why wouldn't you be like me?--you are absolutely in love with the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Almost everything they've produced has been a creative winner, and I get excited for every announcement they make for future projects.
So imagine my excitement as I watched this 20+ minute presentation of the MCU's products releasing in 2021, 2022, and beyond. There is a metric ton of material coming out the next two to three years in both theaters and Disney+, and the fact that all of it interconnects makes it all the more thrilling. Pick up your jaw after watching this presentation given at the virtual Disney investors' meeting this past December.
Welcome back! I hope everyone had a great holiday season! Sorry for the long delay, but I've been very busy getting back into the swing of things in the new year. I only have a quick minute to jump in and move into a different holiday coming our way, Valentine's Day.
A time for love, romance, flowers, and candy. And superheroes.
Yes, superheroes!
Today I present a collection of clips from one of my favorites TV shows of the last few years, Teen Titans GO! Although deemed a "kids show," it really is for anyone who loves great comedy, and Teen Titans GO! is exactly that. In these clips, you will see a sampling of the hilariously failed romance attempts among the titular Titans. It's enough to make Charlie Brown feel lucky in love.
I'm a week early, but what else do we have going on? Here is a series of clips from one of my favorite cartoons of the 21st century, Teen Titans GO!, celebrating (sort of) Easter. Never mind the creepy Easter Bunny, he's supposed to be horrifying.
Today I present an audio adaptation of Marvel Comics' origin story for The Monster Frankenstein. The Monster is a real character in the Marvel Comics universe, and his title was one of several successful horror titles for Marvel in the 70s.
At the same time, Power Records, a small kids record label, made an audio adaptation of Marvel's version of the character, with a matching comic to be read while listening to the story. I had other Power Records as a kid and absolutely loved them. These records are always a lot of fun.
Earlier this year, I wrote a series of articles related to Batman due to the character celebrating his 80th anniversary this year as well as the 30th anniversary of the Batman movie starring Michael Keaton. With the blog about to go into almost-full holiday mode the rest of the year, this will be the last of those articles to give the feature some closure, and we end our celebration of all things Bat with this year's Batman Day.
For the past five years, DC Comics has celebrated Batman Day, the first in the summer of 2014 and subsequent celebrations being in a Saturday in September. This Saturday, September 21st is the big day this year, and comic shops and book stores across the country will be acknowledging the day with select free comics, events, and more. For full details, try the following links:
I also recommend checking your local library, as they may also be participating. I recommend checking out your local library any day for any reason, because libraries rock!
And with that, I officially bring my year(ish)-long Batman celebration to a close. But who am I kidding, I blog about Batman a lot anyway!
The only other thing I have to offer Batman-wise right now is this:
On Friday, August 23rd, I had the privilege of attending Keystone Comic Con, an entertainment convention presented by ReedPOP, one of the largest comic convention organizers in the world. In its second year, Keystone continued to prove itself as a major event for the comics community of the Philadelphia area.
Keystone had a wide array of retailers and dealers for attendees to indulge in. There were plenty of toys, games, clothes, and yes, comics for fans to take home and add to their collection. There was also a long and well attended Artists' Alley where fans could meet and greet a variety of artists and writers, from industry veterans such as Jim Steranko to up and coming artists of tomorrow!
Keystone Comic Con isn't just exclusively for comic book fans. Other interests indulged there include favorite movies and TV series. Keystone even hosted a pro wrestling event!
There were also a great number of cosplayers in attendance. It was almost like having your favorite characters right by your side in the flesh!
Of course, the major attraction were the many stars of film and television in attendance, including Star Trek stalwarts Levar Burton, Marina Sirtis, and Michael Dorn, legendary horror director John Carpenter, fan-favorite voice actors Jeremy Shada and Fred Tatasciore, and the biggest attraction this year, Spider-Man himself, Tom Holland, who attended Keystone on Sunday, August 25th.
A personal highlight for me was meeting Scott Patterson, who is best known for playing gruff but lovable Luke on the long-running series Gilmore Girls. Scott was gracious, funny, and welcoming--and a local boy to boot, having been born and raised in nearby Haddonfield, New Jersey!
Keystone Comic Con 2019 was clearly a big success just like its inaugural event last year. As a big-time comics fan, I'm thrilled that Philly has a great opportunity like Keystone for local fans to come together and celebrate the comics, games, and movies that mean so much to us.
Next year's Keystone Comic Con will be Friday, August 28th through Sunday, August 30th. See you there!
What's so special about this date? Nothing, really. But every year when it rolls around, I always think of this particular episode of the 1982 Incredible Hulk animated series.
In the following episode, "The Boy Who Saw Tomorrow," Betty Ross's nephew Jonah has a psychic vision of the future in which Betty perishes on a space shuttle mission with the Hulk in tow. The mission takes place on, you guessed it, August 2nd, and the story places emphasis on this particular date.
Now, by sharing this episode with you, you too can think of this episode every August 2nd.
Actually, you probably won't. I only think of it because I'm really, really weird.
My celebration of Batman's 80th anniversary and the 1989 Batman movie's 30th anniversary has been a lot of fun, but I think it's time to take a break from Batman and focus on other things.
Like Spider-Man!
Spidey is in fact my all-time favorite superhero, and with his hotly anticipated new movie releasing tomorrow, it's only right I acknowledge him today.
To warm you up for Far From Home, please enjoy this episode of the 1967 Spider-Man animated series, "The Menace of Mysterio." Their battle on the movie sets is one of my favorite scenes in the entire series.
The 30th anniversary date of Batman 1989 has passed, but I still have it on my mind. There's one aspect of the film I didn't mention yet that I should have: the song soundtrack by Prince.
At the time, Prince seemed to me to be both an odd choice to do a Batman soundtrack and the perfect choice at the same time. He was bold, he was boisterous, he's a lot like a comic book character!
Only a few of the songs were used in the actual film, but two of them became part of the Bat-Zeitgeist of the time. Here they are!
"Batdance." This doesn't appear in the movie, but it's a funky novelty tune that's a lot of fun!
Next is "Partyman," famous for being the tune that plays when the Joker makes his grand entrance to the art museum for his "date" with Vicki Vale. Some of the goofiness of the movie irks me these days, but this fun scene is an exception. I love it!
If Prince were still with us, I wonder if he'd acknowledge his musical contribution to the film today.
The 30th anniversary of Batman 1989 is this Sunday, so it's time to ramp up the celebration!
As much as the movie revolutionized summer blockbusters and their impact on popular culture, it also caused a revolution in the home video industry. The movie was released on home video (in glorious VHS format, God love it) on November 15, 1989, a mere five months after the theatrical release, which was unheard of at the time. Movie fans usually had to wait a year or more after a theatrical release for a film to appear on home video.
Not only that, the suggested retail price was a mere $24.98 per copy, another massive change from the status quo of the industry. Videocassettes of other films sold for nearly $100, when home video was mostly a rental business. Warner Bros. decided this was a film fans wanted to own, so they made it affordable. They were right: audiences bought it right and left. Many stores sold it at an even lower price, at $20 or even $15 dollars. One of my brothers bought his copy for only $15 at our local Wall to Wall Sound and Video (RIP). He still has it today!
One of the ways Warner Bros. was able to keep the price low was by allowing a commercial to appear at the beginning of the tape, courtesy of Diet Coke. This was another radical change from the norm. Here is the commercial in all of its glory!
Also featured was this animated call for people to purchase Warner Bros. swag, with the help of studio favorites Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck!
The timing of the video release was, unsurprisingly, tied into that year's holiday shopping season, as this commercial for the video confirms. I posted this same commercial during my Christmas programming last year, and of all the countless commercials I've featured on the blog, this is one of the hardest sells I've ever seen!
Not everyone was happy with the early and affordable release of Batman on home video. Theater chains, smaller ones in particular, were upset over lost revenue to the home video release, as the movie was such a box office success that it was still playing in some theaters as late as November of that year. This local news coverage of the home video launch from Los Angeles conveys that story as well as a publicity event the studio held in LA, plus some (failed) attempts at humor by the local news team.
With all of the Internet streaming options we have today, it's easy to forget how momentous it was when a favorite film was released on home video, and up to that time, no home video release was as momentous as Batman.
As the exact date of the 30th anniversary of the release of the 1989 Batman film is a mere two weeks away, it's time to ramp up the celebration quickly with some great material I've found.
In this clip, Michael Keaton appears on NBC's Late Night with David Letterman the night before the release to promote the film and shoot the breeze with Dave. You can tell that Keaton and Letterman are old friends having a good time. I watched this episode the night it aired and distinctly remember the story Keaton tells about himself and Jack Nicholson checking out each other's costumes for the first time.
Enjoy!
Also do yourself a favor and watch the guys' cringe-worthy performance back when they were cast members of Mary Tyler Moore's variety show from the late 70s.
I'm excited to see the new Swamp Thing horror series debuting tomorrow on the DC Universe streaming service. In preparation, I watched the original 1982 theatrical movie directed by Wes Craven and starring Adrienne Barbeau yesterday. After doing a little IMDB-ing on ol' Swampy, I came across something I didn't know existed.
Back in the fall of 1991, a Swamp Thing animated series appeared on the Fox network. I was in high school at the time and wasn't paying much attention to Saturday morning TV at that point, so I shouldn't be surprised I missed it. Still, I'm surprised I don't hear other geeky-minded folks bring it up.
Admittedly, it's not a great series, but for a comic book fan, it's an odd curiosity worth checking out. It fits right in with what I remember Fox Saturday morning programming being: irreverent and obsessed with wacky, gross-out kinds of characters.
See the first episode for yourself and let me know what you think. Enjoy!
