Here's an obscurity for you. How many of you folks remember the Harvard Lampoon People Parody from 1981? I got a copy new off the stands, but it has subsequently disappeared/fallen apart in the intervening 30 years. As a result, I can't tell you a lot about it.
One enduring memory I DO have is that one of the fake movie reviews is for the non-existent GODZILLA VS. A BIG DOG. There was even a Godzilla photo, which was one of the familiar post-1954 shots (I can't tell you which one off the top of my head). All I remember with any degree of certainty is that the primary gag of this review was that Roger Moore took over the role of Godzilla in the film. I seem to recall that it credited him with injecting Bond-like quips into the part, such as "I'd like mine plane!" as he chowed down on a jet.
It has been ages and ages since I've read this magazine. An online search for "Godzilla vs. A Big Dog" came up empty. I don't recall this coming up in Godzilla fandom (though I am sure it must have at some point during the last 18 years). Does anyone out there have a scan of the "Godzilla vs. A Big Dog" movie review?
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Once Bitten, Twice Shy
I was listening to the radio the other night when Great White's "Once Bitten, Twice Shy" started playing. I've always found that song confusing, because my opinion of Great White is that they were really nothing special. However, I couldn't deny that "Once Bitten, Twice Shy" was a great song. How did they pull that off?
When the song ended, the D.J. mentioned that it was a "cover of the Ian Hunter song", and it sounded a whole lot like he wished he had been playing that one instead. Wait, Ian Hunter? Former lead singer of Mott The Hoople Ian Hunter? "Cleveland Rocks" Ian Hunter? Yes, that Ian Hunter. But not just Ian Hunter. Mick Ronson, too. The same Mick Ronson who is considered one of the truly great guitar players.
I found the Hunter/Ronson "Once Bitten, Twice Shy" on Youtube, and well...Ronson's solo alone probably blows away anything any member of Great White ever did in their musical careers.
When the song ended, the D.J. mentioned that it was a "cover of the Ian Hunter song", and it sounded a whole lot like he wished he had been playing that one instead. Wait, Ian Hunter? Former lead singer of Mott The Hoople Ian Hunter? "Cleveland Rocks" Ian Hunter? Yes, that Ian Hunter. But not just Ian Hunter. Mick Ronson, too. The same Mick Ronson who is considered one of the truly great guitar players.
I found the Hunter/Ronson "Once Bitten, Twice Shy" on Youtube, and well...Ronson's solo alone probably blows away anything any member of Great White ever did in their musical careers.
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Exit Roy, Enter Steve
I'm still in the midst of my ongoing reading project of tackling all 7 volumes of Essential Avengers. I am in the middle of Volume 5 right now, and the 1970s are well underway. Perhaps even more important than the change in decade (which actually happened in Vol. 4), however, is the change in writer. You see, Volume 5 includes the end of Roy Thomas' long and storied run as regular scribe of The Avengers.
It's kind of funny, but I was a little sad to reach this point in the run. It's not as if I didn't know it was coming, but it still felt somewhat bittersweet. As I've mentioned in prior discussions of this project, Roy's run on that title includes one of my favorite single stretches of any comic book series. The man took over sometime during Volume 2's issues, and it takes until Volume 5 for him to leave the book. That's an impressive run no matter how you look at it.
I have to admire Thomas' approach to his departure. He could have wrapped up all his plot threads neatly, but he chose not to do this. Instead, he left at least two (Quicksilver's disappearance and the Grim Reaper's offer to the Vision) unresolved for his replacement. When you consider that Thomas KNEW he was leaving (he was editor-in-chief by then, and he titled his last story "With A Bang And A Whimper", so...), that's either a generous or maddening move for the guy that had to fill his shoes. It drives the modern day Chris mad, with his desire that the Thomas era end cleanly, but I have to applaud it as a sure-fire way to keep the kids reading even with a new name in the credits box.
That new name turned out to be Steve Englehart, and he was never quite as effective in telling his stories than he was in this timeframe. Those early issues have some growing pains that show, such as the Black Panther lapsing into a wholly uncharacteristic speech pattern for at least one issue. It's also a bit of a jarring shift to see heroes transition from Roy's dialogue to Steve's. Still, Englehart gamely grabs the baton and runs with it. His resolution to the Grim Reaper/Vision story may not have been Thomas' original concept (given the bait and switch, I suspect not), but it's pretty clever all the same. It even manages to incorporate inventory story pages from Captain America into the narrative! And while the ambition that would mark Englehart's storytelling is not quite in evidence yet, it helps to know that it is lurking just around the corner. For instance, I'm still a few issues away from the debut of a certain lady named Mantis.
I may be taking a breather after Volume 5 to read DC's latest JLA Showcase book, which also happens to be a Volume 5. I've already read over 100 issues, and nearly 10 years worth of The Avengers. It's a fascinating evolution, to be sure.
It's kind of funny, but I was a little sad to reach this point in the run. It's not as if I didn't know it was coming, but it still felt somewhat bittersweet. As I've mentioned in prior discussions of this project, Roy's run on that title includes one of my favorite single stretches of any comic book series. The man took over sometime during Volume 2's issues, and it takes until Volume 5 for him to leave the book. That's an impressive run no matter how you look at it.
I have to admire Thomas' approach to his departure. He could have wrapped up all his plot threads neatly, but he chose not to do this. Instead, he left at least two (Quicksilver's disappearance and the Grim Reaper's offer to the Vision) unresolved for his replacement. When you consider that Thomas KNEW he was leaving (he was editor-in-chief by then, and he titled his last story "With A Bang And A Whimper", so...), that's either a generous or maddening move for the guy that had to fill his shoes. It drives the modern day Chris mad, with his desire that the Thomas era end cleanly, but I have to applaud it as a sure-fire way to keep the kids reading even with a new name in the credits box.
That new name turned out to be Steve Englehart, and he was never quite as effective in telling his stories than he was in this timeframe. Those early issues have some growing pains that show, such as the Black Panther lapsing into a wholly uncharacteristic speech pattern for at least one issue. It's also a bit of a jarring shift to see heroes transition from Roy's dialogue to Steve's. Still, Englehart gamely grabs the baton and runs with it. His resolution to the Grim Reaper/Vision story may not have been Thomas' original concept (given the bait and switch, I suspect not), but it's pretty clever all the same. It even manages to incorporate inventory story pages from Captain America into the narrative! And while the ambition that would mark Englehart's storytelling is not quite in evidence yet, it helps to know that it is lurking just around the corner. For instance, I'm still a few issues away from the debut of a certain lady named Mantis.
I may be taking a breather after Volume 5 to read DC's latest JLA Showcase book, which also happens to be a Volume 5. I've already read over 100 issues, and nearly 10 years worth of The Avengers. It's a fascinating evolution, to be sure.
Monday, March 28, 2011
Velvet Sultriness
It was only a couple of months ago that we took a look at a commission of Shelly Ericson by artist "velvetluck". Now, here's a shot of Sultura that she pulled from her sketch book! I'm diggin' it, and I hope you are, too.
Sunday, March 27, 2011
Definitely Tired And Poor
I was driving last night and I saw something that struck me as so bizarre as to be hilarious. It was a person (too far away to determine gender) walking along with their shoulders slumped and a sign tucked under their arm. Their body language indicated that life had totally defeated them.
What's so bizarre about that? Well, usually you don't see such a person dressed up as the Statue of Liberty. Though with that added context to the story, it's clear why they might feel that life had defeated them.
What's so bizarre about that? Well, usually you don't see such a person dressed up as the Statue of Liberty. Though with that added context to the story, it's clear why they might feel that life had defeated them.
Friday, March 25, 2011
Yes, This Is Magical
Let's lighten the mood a bit with some sentai goodness!
There are a lot of people who know that the first season of MIGHTY MORPHIN POWER RANGERS makes liberal usage of footage culled from the super sentai show KYORYU SENTAI ZYURANGER. Now, by the very nature of the two series, there was a lot of ZYURANGER footage that never found its way into POWER RANGERS. In some cases, this was a downright shame.
There are a lot of people who know that the first season of MIGHTY MORPHIN POWER RANGERS makes liberal usage of footage culled from the super sentai show KYORYU SENTAI ZYURANGER. Now, by the very nature of the two series, there was a lot of ZYURANGER footage that never found its way into POWER RANGERS. In some cases, this was a downright shame.
Thursday, March 24, 2011
My Writer's Brain
I haven't been here for a couple of days, as you might have noticed. I've been writing though. Oh man, have I been writing!
See, I developed a plot for a story not too long ago. It was an idea that had been kicking around for a number of months, and now I had something more defined to go with rather than just that simple idea. The more I thought about it, the more I felt as if I HAD to write this story.
There's one problem - I'm not sure what I can do with this story. For reasons I'm not inclined to discuss, I can't exactly post it here. Should I turn it into another book? This is workable, and I'm weighing my options there. However, even this course of action is one that might not be feasible beyond a limited audience. And yes, I mean more limited than my current audience! The story is done, and I'm fairly happy with the results, but it's bittersweet.
If I knew all this going in, why did write it? See above - I had to. It wouldn't leave my brain otherwise. There hasn't been any posting here because I was focused on completing this story, just so I could know that I had expressed it in some form. I've had a lot of difficulty sleeping recently, and I chalk that up to how much I've given to finishing this story. That's right, a story that probably will not be read by a lot of people.
As I said, the story is done now. I have one or two trusted folks that will definitely get to read it, and I'll be listening to their opinions on both its merits and its future. For now, however, I am just looking forward to getting some sleep.
See, I developed a plot for a story not too long ago. It was an idea that had been kicking around for a number of months, and now I had something more defined to go with rather than just that simple idea. The more I thought about it, the more I felt as if I HAD to write this story.
There's one problem - I'm not sure what I can do with this story. For reasons I'm not inclined to discuss, I can't exactly post it here. Should I turn it into another book? This is workable, and I'm weighing my options there. However, even this course of action is one that might not be feasible beyond a limited audience. And yes, I mean more limited than my current audience! The story is done, and I'm fairly happy with the results, but it's bittersweet.
If I knew all this going in, why did write it? See above - I had to. It wouldn't leave my brain otherwise. There hasn't been any posting here because I was focused on completing this story, just so I could know that I had expressed it in some form. I've had a lot of difficulty sleeping recently, and I chalk that up to how much I've given to finishing this story. That's right, a story that probably will not be read by a lot of people.
As I said, the story is done now. I have one or two trusted folks that will definitely get to read it, and I'll be listening to their opinions on both its merits and its future. For now, however, I am just looking forward to getting some sleep.
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