August 6, 2017

Jake & Leon #327: Tom & Jerry’s Movie Invasion

You’ve got a long wait, Leon.

I really wanted to use Saw, which seemed like the most fitting given Tom and Jerry’s history, but one of the reviews I saw of Tom & Jerry: Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory, the latest movie to stuff the characters into a shot-by-shot remake of a live-action movie in cartoon format, did a similar joke but stuck to Warner Brothers-owned movies, which made sense. Can I ask why these exist? It’s annoying to see live-action versions of properties created for animation or would be better served as a cartoon, and it’s just as annoying in reverse. Is this supposed to be payback on the part of the animation industry for things like Disney’s recent remakes of Cinderella and Beauty & The Beast?

Over at the Clutter Reports this week I complain about missing another week of clutter projects due to life stealing time from me. Why is it harder to do this project when I don’t have a job eating up half my day? (Although I am looking for income.) I think my body is the only thing that’s recovered from last year’s debacle.

We’ve reached chapter nine of Seduction Of The Innocent, as Dr. Wertham goes after his critics. There are 14 chapters total so we’re almost done with this book and I can go back to one chapter of a fictional book a week and more days of discussing anything else. I’m starting to miss those days. Meanwhile, we’re starting Marvel’s run on The Phantom with The Phantom: The Ghost Who Walks, a three-issue miniseries I think I’m missing an issue of that brings a new Phantom into modern day. (Well, “modern” when it came out anyway.) And we’re almost done with the Zero Hour Aftermath #0 issues so the Monday DC comics can get back on track. Things are moving along, just not as fast I would like. I’ll take what I can get at this point.

Posted by on August 6, 2017 in Animation Spotlight, Jake & Leon, Movie Spotlight and tagged , , , .

Leave a comment

August 5, 2017

Saturday Night Showcase: Beast King GoLion

Beast King GoLion

Beast King GoLion (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

What a difference editing and dialog make.

Before there was Voltron, defender of the universe, there was GoLion. Produced in 1981 by famed Japanese animation studio Toei, Beast King GoLion is not the kids show World Events Productions gave us with Voltron: Defender Of The Universe. It’s not shy to show death, removed limbs, and people being eaten by monsters. And that’s just the first episode.

It’s the year 1999 and Earth blows itself up in a war because Japanese fiction. Five space explorers return home to find their home devastated before being captured by a slave ship of the Galra space empire. Escaping their prison, they make their way to escape, only to be drawn to a planet which houses the secret of a giant robotic defender named GoLion. GoLion would have been powerful enough to defeat Galra but he had been blown to pieces because he pulled a Goku and challenged forces more powerful than he is…okay, that’s closer to Vegeta, but still a stupid move.

Tonight we’ll be looking the first five episodes, collected together in a YouTube playlist (Voltron’s official page has the first 10 unlocked as of this writing but that’s a bit long for SNS, so I created my own playlist) so you can just sit back and let all five episodes play. Learn how the space explorers actually got to the planet Altea and first formed the mighty robot. Enjoy, but this probably isn’t for the kids. Stick to Voltron.

Continue reading →

Posted by on August 5, 2017 in Animation Spotlight, Saturday Night Showcase, Television Spotlight and tagged , , .

3 Comments

August 5, 2017

“Yesterday’s” Comic> The Batman Adventures: The Lost Years #4

Burt Ward’s attic.

The Batman Adventures: The Lost Years #4

DC Comics (April, 1998)

“As The Twig Is Bent”

WRITER: Hilary Bader

PENCILER: Bo Hampton

INKER: Terry Beatty

COLORIST: Lee Loughridge

LETTERER: Tim Harkins

EDITORS: Darren Vincenzo & Scott Peterson

Continue reading →

Posted by on August 5, 2017 in Animation Spotlight, DC Spotlight, Television Spotlight, Yesterday's Comics and tagged , , , , , , , .

Leave a comment

August 4, 2017

Friday Night Fights: Back Alley Play

We’ve heard so much lately about inner city kids doing bad things. So for this week’s fight let’s see a kid positively inspired by a superhero to stop bad guys. And since we’re under the summer theme we have kids playing, an important part of summer.

Of course some kids play rough and since the DCAU version of Tim Drake grew up on the streets of Gotham instead of a wealthy family he doesn’t exactly play nice. And he found himself a Batarang after Dick Grayson’s last fight as Robin. What’s he been doing with it all this time?

“Dog Days” round 7

Continue reading →

Posted by on August 4, 2017 in Animation Spotlight, DC Spotlight, Friday Night Fights, Television Spotlight and tagged , , , , .

Leave a comment

August 4, 2017

“Yesterday’s” Comic> The Phantom (Wolf Publishing)

“Darn litterbugs!”

The Phantom Limited Edition Subscribers Issue

Wolf Publishing (1993)

WRITER: Lee Falk

ARTISTS: Sy Barry & Ray Moore, plus uncredited creators of the second story

COVER ART: Dean Ormston

ART DEPARTMENT: Mike Higgs

EDITORS: Phil Clarke & Sue Williams

From what I can tell based on the “From Inside The Skull Cave” part on the back, this comic was created by I think members of The Phantom Society, a fan club most likely, who paid themselves to have as many Phantom comics produced as they could before Wolf lost the license, as they were more interested in SuperTed, Thomas The Tank Engine, and something called The Trolls. (Apparently it was big in the UK, where this comic comes from. Unless the writer was being sarcastic calling it a “money-maker”. Wikipedia just brought up one of those multi-band mashup groups, like the Gorillaz or the Traveling Wilburys.) This was an attempt to ensure the subscribers got their money’s worth. The comic features two reprints from the comic strips, while the middle story may be a reprint from another comic book or an original story. There are no credits.

Continue reading →

Posted by on August 4, 2017 in Yesterday's Comics and tagged , , , .

1 Comment

August 4, 2017

BW’s Morning Article Link: How A Kid Inspired A Thor Line

A gag line in the above teaser was inspired by a “Make A Wish” boy who was on set for Thor: Ragnarok. Chris Hemsworth, who plays the thunder god in the MCU, tells the tale.

 

Posted by on August 4, 2017 in Marvel Spotlight, Movie Spotlight and tagged , , , , .

Leave a comment

August 3, 2017

More On The Discovery Disaster And Orville

You might think that it’s a bit early to declare Star Trek: Discovery a disaster based on the fact that it won’t be airing for a while yet. However, the PR disaster for this series, from its questionable place in the multiverse established by the J.J. Abrams movies to the reasons behind those questions, continues to plague this series prior to release. Midnight’s Edge has some new developments and rumors and neither bodes well for this series that CBS is putting on the shoulders of its floundering “All Access” service.

Continue reading →

Posted by on August 3, 2017 in Internet Spotlight, Television Spotlight and tagged , , , , , , .

Leave a comment