Firegirl by GabiStar

[C] Firegirl (Thank you, Kabuki!) by *GabiStar on deviantART

This was a nice surprise! It's a bust of Firegirl done by...no, not Kabuki Katze. It's by GabiStar as commissioned by Kabuki. Thank you both, ladies, for such a tremendous piece of giftart! And be sure to check out Gabi's gallery, too!

Pro Sports In Major City

I am perhaps a sucker for detail. If I have a fictional metropolis like Major City, it only follows that they have professional sports teams. And they aren't necessarily analogous to New York City, since Major City is very much Not New York (though they have elements in common).

Here then are the known sports franchises in Major City, with some discussion of their inspiration.

PRO FOOTBALL
Major City Majors
Major City Aces

PRO BASEBALL
Major City Majors
Major City Tops

PRO BASKETBALL
Major City Electrics

PRO HOCKEY
Major City Maroons

Additionally, the chief pro wrestling association, the GWO (Global Wrestling Organization) owned and operated by promoter Burl Lee, is based out of Major City.



REFERENCES
*"Major City Majors" is a bit of an allusion to Major Major Major Major in Catch-22. It plays off the fact that New York once had both football and baseball Giants. The military rank nickname has precedent in both New Jersey Generals of the USFL and Shreveport Captains of minor league baseball (though Shreveport used a sea captain mascot).

*The Major City Aces owe a bit to the New York Jets, but it's mostly because I think it's a swell name for a team.

*Major City Tops (with, yes, a top as their logo) were originally inspired by the Brooklyn Tip-Tops of the Federal League.

*The Major City Electrics are inspired by the Camden Electrics of an early National Basketball League.

*It sounds like a joke, but the Major City Maroons earned their name from the Montreal Maroons.

Thanksgiving Tradition: Blood Freak

It has been many, many years since I rented BLOOD FREAK on a VHS tape that was ancient at the time. It is...well, something else. It's rare to find a gory monster movie that also attempts to preach the Gospel. It comes across as a very sincere but very amateurish attempt at a movie. Quite the experience, I'll say that much.

Why do I bring this up today? Because the titular BLOOD FREAK comes about from eating drugged turkey(!) and becomes a rampaging, blood-drinking turkey monster(!?). It sounds like something I made up, but I swear that's actually what happens. How this movie isn't already a Thanksgiving Day tradition, I have no idea.

I was going to embed the trailer, but decided it's not the sort of thing I want sitting on this blog. Instead, here's a link to it. Watch it with the whole family!*








*Not responsible for the consequences if you actually listen to me for once.

Legendary Battles and The Wild West!

I promised more toy reviews for everyone, so that's what you're going to get! Special thanks to Jeff at VictoryBuy for making not only these reviews possible by hooking a brother up, but for reissuing these fine toys for a new generation!

First, we have a set of fantasy-themed figures you may call "Legendary Battle," my friends. I have been banging the drum for these to return since I learned of their existence, so I'm pretty happy to have them. Though only green is depicted here, you will notice they also come in grey. They're about twice the size of your standard Army Man figure, but as my pal Thom pointed out, that just means they can be GIANT GODS if they associate with those guys.

These are really sturdy figures with a lot of nice detailing to them. What makes this even more stunning is EVERY ONE OF THESE MOLDS WERE RETOOLED. Why? Because they originally depicted Marvel Comics characters, and the original Tim Mee company decided to recycle them after the Marvel deal ended. The origins of a few of the characters are pretty obvious just by looking at them, but a couple of them are so disguised that you would never know who they originally were. I'm hoping to put together some comparison pics to demonstrate this in the coming weeks.

Besides flights of fantasy, we also have the return of an old stand-by:

Yup, it's Cowboys & Indians, pardner. These are in roughly the same scale as the fantasy figures, which could lead to some...intriguing storylines if you were so inclined. They also have a lot of nice detail and good posing. Definitely a winner if you want some Wild West action in your toy life.

And since times are different now than they were back in the olden days (which can often be for the better), you don't have to feel limited by a strict "cowboys vs. Indians" dynamic. Since both groups comes in the same colors, you could choose to have good cowboys and peaceful Indians teaming to fight off nasty owlhoots and renegade Indians. Just a thought.

I didn't realize it, but I had these Western figures as a young child. I still have the cowboy who is drawing his shootin' irons in a box. It was a nice surprise to see him again and get in touch with a little personal history.

Just some gift ideas for the toy fan in your life...or maybe for yourself. Happy Playtime, friends!

Galaxy Laser Team in "Rainbows in Space!"

Things have been a bit quiet in these parts on the Tim Mee Toy front. Today we change all that with some exciting news for your Christmas buying season. Yes, it's a return of the Galaxy Laser Team!

Only now you can also choose blue and green figures! If you recall older posts on this tag, green was one of the colors included in the original assortments. Blue was not, but I believe figures in this shade were available with the mountain playset. In any event, this is a very cool way to fill out your space armada.

But wait! There's more!

There's also an assortment in orange and red! I don't think these colors previously appeared on domestic issues of the Team, though they did turn up outside of the United States. Whether all of those were authorized or not is a question more serious collectors than yours truly will have to answer. All I know is these are just as solid and high quality as the other reissues, and not as prone to low grade plastic as some foreign issues in these colors.

I am still holding out hope for a return of pink plastic for the Galaxy Laser Team. I mean, what could be more awesome than Space Yetis and Faux Vaders in hot pink? But these two releases are fantastic and highly recommended for anyone with a passing interest in toys. Give them as a surprise gift to the STAR WARS fan in your life!

The fine folks at VictoryBuy not only supplied me with their product for review, but they have more Fall reissues besides the Galaxy Laser Team. I'll be talking about a couple of those next time.

K-tel's "Mind Bender"

Rarely has a compilation album been more aptly named. Get a load of the cover and track list, appearing on this Flickr page. Is there any rhyme or reason to leading off with Neil Sedaka and concluding with C.W. McCall? I submit to you, there is not.

If anything, the commercial is even better.

The Delegates - Convention '72

Here's another song I probably never would have heard had it not been for "American Top 40: The 70s." I'm usually not a fan of break-in novelty records AT ALL, but something about this one amuses me. Maybe it's because it's not by the usual culprit Dickie Goodman, but rather by a different group of folks dubbed "The Delegates." It's topicality is largely lost now that it's not 1972, but the song clips are especially well-thought-out. Gotta love so much usage of Jimmy Castor's "Troglodyte"!

My Dreams Will Dance!

Let's talk about this picture, shall we?

As you might recall, I befriended a young lady named Sydney Corcoran earlier this year. Sydney was severely injured in the Boston Marathon bombing, and of course, that's how I ended up "finding" her online. But that horrific experience does not and should not define who she is as a person. There is more to her and her life than just what happened to her - even if that is hard for people to remember sometimes.

Sydney has really struck me as a strong and resilient young woman. But that doesn't mean it's easy. She is, after all, 18 years old, and that can be trying even without the extra burdens placed on her. The last couple of weeks have been particularly challenging in a way that they never should have been in the first place. But that's another story.

Concurrent with recent events, my good friend Kayleigh Lebak (aka Kabuki Katze) was running a special on pin-up ladies on her deviantArt page. (This special still has a couple of days if you'd like in on it!) Kayleigh had previously crafted this Beauty and the Beast card for me as a gift to Sydney. One night, the wheels started turning in my head, and I went to Kayleigh with my idea.

The idea was simple: a pin-up of Sydney, glamorous and powerful and free. She is not untouched by all that has happened to her, but she is unbowed by it. The reference was photo of the lady herself taken this summer. So yes, this is absolutely Sydney Triumphant.

The text for this piece is derived from the English translation of Rica Matsumoto's "Alive A life" (actual title), the theme song to the Japanese superhero series KAMEN RIDER RYUKI. These words in particular really strike a chord for me with regards to Sydney, especially since she is a dancer. They fit the pose perfectly, and have the odd sort of poetry you can only get via non-native English.

The point of this picture is to highlight Sydney's inner and outer beauty. Sydney is a gorgeous woman (even if she doesn't always think so), and her scars don't change that. If anything, they call attention to the person inside who has survived so much already in her short life. She is extraordinary, and I am proud to call her my friend.

Sydney is an individual, and it's important to not forget that simple fact. Her healing process is an ongoing one, and isn't just all of a sudden magically finished. Some days are a struggle. But with her indomitable will (or is that stubbornness?), I have no doubt she will emerge victorious. And her dreams will dance.

This one's for you, Syd.

(Special thanks to Kayleigh for her amazing talent in creating this picture and for giving me permission to post it early. Watch this blog for news of it going live on her dA account!)

The Future of Return of Jetman

Big News:

I have been doing some hard thinking about this site in the past few months, and have reached a decision or two. Hear me out.

When I spun Return of Jetman off into its own site back in 2004, I registered the domain for as long as I possibly could. That was 10 years. That registration is set to expire at the end of January. I will not be renewing it. In fact, I may cancel it early - depending on how things go.

Whoa! So does that mean Return of Jetman is dead? No. But it is changing, and it is time to acknowledge that for the story and artwork to continue online, the presentation itself must change (again).

Simply put, I no longer have the will to continue financing this project. I have moved on from Return of Jetman these last three years. While it will always hold a special place in my heart, and I am deeply proud of the work all involved put into it, I'm over it. I'm ready to look to the future, and not continue holding onto the past.

Yes, there are still the notes for the last episode of "New Return of Jetman" to complete. Hopefully, I can get off my keister in the next couple of weeks and put a ribbon on them. In any event, that's it. There are no plans to add new content afterward. I'll probably even modify what's already here.

To put this plan into motion, I have to edit a lot of entries. If you are still visiting this site on a regular basis, be aware that things are going to be unstable for a few weeks. It may even disappear entirely for a time. I apologize in advance. I don't think there's a clean, painless way to get this done.

I thank all of you who have made this project so rewarding over the years. I hadn't realized until I sat down to compose this entry that it was 11 years ago today that I officially premiered the first episode of this incarnation of ROJ. It has been a wild ride, and while it's almost completed, that doesn't mean we can't look back on it fondly.

Stay tuned for more news. Eventually, this site will revert to http://returnofjetman.blogspot.com. Make a note of this URL so you can find it when the change occurs!

Please note that this news applies only to Return of Jetman and not this blog or any of my other projects.

Astro-Dracula by Andrew Barr

Astro-Dracula by ~APBarr on deviantART

If you have a long memory, you may recall that I did a picture of a similar concept. Kinda glad I didn't see this piece by Andrew Barr until after the fact, because it takes the same idea and makes it so much cooler. I seriously love this picture, and am glad I discovered it. Be sure to check out the rest of this man's work!

Breaker's Ball

Who is this smiling woman? It's Gabrielle Fitzgerald, or "Jinx" if you prefer. If you want to see a LOT more of her, ready for a spicy adventure, you can check out the full version of this pic by Kabuki Katze over at OWARI 2.0. Of course, remember it's NSFW and have your I.D. ready since it's strictly for adults only.

Oh, the link? "$20 Pin-Ups: Breaker’s Ball by KabukiKatze" should do the job nicely. Clicking through it there will also take you to KK's dA page for the piece, where you can leave a comment - if such a thing pleases you.

Hello It's Me

If a person can be labeled both a "rock star" and "obscure" at the same time, Todd Rundgren would fit the bill. He's an amazing singer and musician, as songs like "Hello It's Me", "I Saw The Light", "Bang The Drum All Day" and "We Gotta Get You a Woman" ably demonstrate. He's been an integral part of bands like the Nazz, Utopia, and the New Cars. He produced records like Grand Funk's We're An American Band and Meat Loaf's Bat Out of Hell. He guest-starred on the first episode of THAT 70s SHOW, and was the man Liv Tyler thought was her father for the first few years of her life. Yet Todd Rundgren is not someone the general public remembers when it comes to "Classic Rock" legends. And that is a shame.



I never intended El Beardo's "takeover" of this blog to last a week. Things have come up that kept me from updating - including a couple of instances of my Internet going down for more than a few minutes. I need to regroup after some of those other things kept me from concentrating on subjects worthy of inclusion here. But fret not, OWARI is still open for business!

EL BEARDO CELEBRATES BY EL BEARDO

Greetings, acolytes of OWARI! It is EL BEARDO, the manliest man any of you ever dreamed existed! His Beardiness has commandeered this blog from the Head Honcho for the night to bring to you the greatest art masterpiece of the ages. Why? Because it is a portrait of EL BEARDO!

This fabled etching is the product of Sara at Synthetic Platypus! What's more, this lifelike capturing of the chiseled, rugged good looks of EL BEARDO was crafted six years ago! Sara's skills have only improved since then! GAZE UPON THIS GALLERY AND TREMBLE AT HOW ASTOUNDING IT TRULY IS!

Today marks the anniversary of Sara's birth, so please join with EL BEARDO in wishing her a merry one! May it be filled with only the best in hijinks and shenanigans!

Rene Bond- Super Heroine?

C'mon, can't you see how much that outfit makes Rene look like a super heroine? Or maybe a villainess!

This is the kind of thing you can find on Rene Bond Tribute! It's also on OWARI 2.0 (reblogged from Coitus and Carnage)!