OTR: Basil Rathbone is Sherlock Holmes

(The headline above will bring you to a great site from Marcia Jessen on all things Rathbone.)

Probably the actor best known as Holmes for many older Americans is Basil Rathbone. The actor played the role in fourteen films beginning with “The Hound of the Baskervilles” in 1939 for the Fox studios. He co-starred in all of them with Nigel Bruce portraying his friend and colleague, Dr. Watson. While a number of others have played the Great Detective in films, they have all been compared to Rathbone to some extent. It was not until Jeremy Brett began walking the foggy streets of Victorian London in the 1980s that any other actor became so identifiable as Holmes. Although Rathbone was already a well-known screen actor (appearing often as the heavy) it is as Holmes that he will always be remembered.

Considering that he was already known for the character, it should not come as a surprise that he was eventually contracted to play Holmes for radio. Rathbone, again with Bruce playing Watson, brought adaptations of the original stories as well as new ones to the air first for NBC and later for the Mutual Network from late 1939 until 1946, when Rathbone returned to working in the theatre. While in the films Holmes found himself jumping from his familiar Victorian setting to fighting spies & saboteurs in WWII Washington and London, the radio dramas stuck closer to Sir Arthur’s original concept.

Most of these scripts were by actress/writer Edith Meiser, who with a series of assistants including Leslie Charteris (creator of THE SAINT, whom I have written about before) and Anthony Boucher (another well-known mystery writer/editor for whom an award and a mystery convention are named) was head writer on the show for over fifteen years. Meiser, was personally responsible for getting the original radio program brought to the air, even convincing William Gillette to come out of retirement to play Holmes in the premiere broadcast.

Surprisingly, Rathbone only appears in a single broadcast in this collection. It is Meiser’s adaptation of Doyle’s “The Adventure of the Bruce-Partington Plans”, which brings Sherlock’s older brother Mycroft to Baker Street to ask for assistance. A nice adventure with spies, mysterious deaths and a young woman hoping to save the reputation of her late fiancé.

I’ll have more to say on Rathbone’s successor on the series and later shows in a few days.

Ghost Riders In The Sky - Vaughn Monroe

I first heard this song performed on the kid show "Boom Town" by the host Rex Trailer. Heard it again this weekend song by Gene Autry in one of the dozens of his films I watched.

It has always given me goosebumps and thought the animation here only adds to that.

Yippie yi oh!

OTR: Sherlock Holmes, pt. 1

I’m going to bore you all for several days over the next week or so with ramblings about the current 20-CD collection of Sherlock Holmes programs I’ve checked out. As with most of the other audio books I’ve reviewed of OTR this is from Radio Spirits.

It wouldn’t take a genius to figure out from my blogging and knowing me a bit to assume that I’m a big fan of Holmes. I was introduced to the character by watching the old Basil Rathbone/Nigel Bruce films on television as a kid, and then went on to reading somewhat abridged/bowdlerized versions of the stories in junior high. Eventually, somebody bought me a copy of the original stories for either a birthday or Christmas.

Over the years I’ve seen as many of the Holmes films as I could, as well as reading Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s original stories several times over. I haven’t read nearly half the various continuations, homage & pastiches of the canon by numerous authors. Those I have read run the gamut from outstanding to embarrassing. At one point I had almost as many movie adaptations on VHS of “Hound of the Baskervilles” as I had of “A Christmas Carol.” Sadly, all those tapes were tossed or given away during several moves this past decade.

I believe that the first time I heard any of the Holmes tales read was by Rathbone back in a junior high school English class. The teacher would often bring in albums with readings of the poetry or literature we were reading for class. I couldn’t tell you the first time I heard any of the Old Time Radio (OTR) performances, but it was probably in the late 1970s when in college. Several of the NPR stations had OTR shows on the weekends, which turned me on to so many of the shows I’ve reviewed here.

The headline above will take you to main Wikipedia entry on Holmes and from there you can read as much or as little about the various incarnations of the character as you like. I’m not going to pretend to know much, but will throw in a few things primarily from the booklet included in the collection I’m reviewing.

The first performance is one by Orson Welles and his Mercury Theatre. It is Welles’ own adaptation of the SH play written by the actor William Gillette. A Shakespearean actor, Gillette became famous portraying the Great Detective on stage and in at least one silent film. If you look at any existing photos of Gillette you can see that he remarkable resembles what most folks think of when reading Doyle’s descriptions. The play makes use of several of the original tales, along with introducing Professor Moriarty, the “Napoleon of Crime” as Holmes called him. Apparently, according to the Radio Spirit booklet, Welles had once seen Gillette and modeled his own Holmes after the older actors’ performance.

Growing up Connecticut a treat for me were the occasional visits my family would take to Gillette’s Castle near the town of Essex. The actor actually had most of a castle shipped across the Atlantic and rebuilt on a hill over looking the river. It was filled with secret passages, hidden spy holes and strange locks that Gillette had installed. It was said that he liked to keep an eye on his visitors without their knowledge. He also had a room designed and furnished to resemble the 221-B Baker Street apartment of Holmes, which visitors to the castle could see from the doorway but could not enter.

The Welles performance is interesting, giving the actor a chance to do several voices as he plays Holmes in disguise in some scenes. Ray Collins, who appeared in Welles’ CITIZEN KANE & THE MAGNIFICENT AMBERSONS played Dr. Watson ; Eustace Wyatt, who appeared alongside Welles in the film JOURNEY INTO FEAR, portrayed Professor Moriarty.

Next time out I’ll talk about the SH episode with one of the actors immediately identified with the character, Basil Rathbone.

LOST TV WESTERNS - Episode: Cowboys Just Shoot Guns For...

In honor of what would have been Gene Autry's 100th birthday, here are some scenes from some of his films, alnog with Roy Rogers and some other western heroes. Just doing what those guys did best!

CBG #1653: just arrived in the mail

I received the latest issue of Comics Buyer’s Guide in the mail the other day. This time around, learning from my past mistake, I skimmed the issue instead of doing my usual front-to-back reading. I felt bad last time out for not noting Peter David’s column on Leah, so figured I would see what I might not get to for a while in casual reading.

The cover and a nice article discuss the up-coming SPIDER-MAN story arc, “One More Day” and “Brand New Day.” This will be the last story done by current writer (and Babylon 5 creator) J. Michael Straczynski. In it Peter Parker will have to make a choice about his future. This choice will save the life of someone he loves, but will totally change almost everything else about his current situation. If you really want to know about this a quick check of any of the comic book fan sites will let you know than you could ever hope. Either choice will not make some fans happy, but it strikes me, as one of those things that a few years down the line will be changed yet again.

Personally, I haven’t read an issue of SPIDER-MAN is probably ten years that I can recall. The last Marvel title I was regularly reading was THUNDERBOLTS, prior to the reboot, which dropped the super-hero team in favor of a storyline about super-powered wrestlers. Needless to say a good jumping off point! Given the fact that I have been more of a DC fan the past twenty years I am only vaguely familiar with what is going on in the Marvel Comics Universe.

Following the SPIDER-MAN article, the Andrew “Captain Comics” Smith talks about other “One More Day” type events and story arcs that were supposed to make drastic changes to a title or whole line of comics. The ones he picks also had to be rescinded or rebooted a year or more later, often making things worse rather then better and still remembered not so fondly by many fans. Do “Heroes Reborn” or “Return of the Heroes” ring a bell? How about the “Crisis on Infinite Earths”?

The rest of CBG is filled with lots of reviews and comics’ news, some of which is dated by the time it sees print, but is generally news to me. With almost all comic publishers having their own websites and the dozens of comics related news sites around you can pretty much keep up with things. For me it’s the reviews and columns talking about new & old comics, which make CBG so much fun.
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On another comics related note, it appears that a “Justice League of America” movie is being fast-tracked for filming in the spring of next year. The only “name” that seems attached is Jessica Biel, who appears to have been chosen to play Wonder Woman. This would then lead to a solo WW feature, from what the various sites indicate. A hat tip to the many fan sites that are using this as an excuse to dig up as many photos of Ms. Biel partially clothed as can be found on the Internet. That’s the kind of thing which makes our hobby so approachable to females and parents, isn’t it?

3d animation short

Just short and cute. I wanted to share.

Enjoy!

Gene Autry: 100 Years in the Saddle

To celebrate Gene Autry's 100th birthday this month, the Encore Westerns Channel will be broadcasting a 100-hour Autry marathon. If you click on the headline above you can swing over to the official Gene Autry website and read the Encore schedule.

As I've said before, I liked Gene but he was fourth in line on my Top Cowboy list. The Lone Ranger will always be #1 (especially in the television and films featuring Clayton Moore behind the mask); Hopalong Cassidy (my first western hero) takes up the second spot, with Roy Rogers easily in the third. Mr. Autry has a firm grip on the #4 spot, which is not a slight in my book.

I watched dozens of Autry's films and his television show as a kid and enjoyed them. Still there was always something about Gene that struck me as being out of place. It was like he had been a shoe salesman who played guitar and somebody said he should try on a cowboy outfit. Gene struck me as being a bit soft for the outdoor life, although from everything I have read he really did love the out of doors and especially the history of the western expansion of this country.

Anyway, thanks for the memories Gene and I'll see you back in the saddle this month.

Daisy Kutter by Kazu Kibuishi

I love westerns so I was curious when this item showed up in the Graphic Novel section a few weeks ago. As good as westerns are, there is something special about westerns with robots.

Daisy Kutter is a former train robber and thief who has tried to settle down. She and former partner Tom are living in the same town, but have grown apart. She’s trying to run a dry good store, but finds life too quiet. Meanwhile, Tom has taken the job as the town’s sheriff and feels Daisy should join him as his deputy. When she is offered a ‘legit’ job, which offers her a chance to use her old skills she decides to accept it, but finds out that she is being set up.

Kibuishi has a nice clean style that appears simple, but can actually show the emotions of his characters. He also has some wonderful action sequences and quiet moments with no dialogue necessary.

The novel is numbered #1 so I’m hoping to see more of Daisy, Tom and some of the other characters Kibuishi introduces.

Recommended.

Things are looking up!

I hesitate to mention the Red Sox here since it seems that whenever I do they go into a slump. I’ve actually begun writing things, waited and found that they blew a game that day and the standings changed yet again.

Anyway, taking a chance, I want to say that I’m happy to see that Boston has clinched a play-off spot this season. I’d be happier if, like the Angels, they had clinched their division but we’ll take what we can here. Sadly, the Damned Yankees appear certain to grab a wild-card slot, but we can always hope for them to fall down once they get there as they have the past few seasons. It also looks as if the Mets will be moving into the post-season as well.

Whoa! Check out the New England Patriots, huh? Sweet!

What's on Anime Network?

(The headline above will link you to the Anime Nework site.)

One of the nice things about having Cox Digital is having the ‘On Demand’ feature. Aside from allowing us to order movies and special events(which we haven’t done yet) there are also channels called “Freezone” and “My Primetime”. The later currently has programs from the ABC & NBC schedules such as the season finales of LAS VEGAS, 30 ROCK and the yet to be broadcast pilot for BIONIC WOMAN. In Freezone you can check out stuff from various cable networks at any time, but of course you never know what you might get on any particular day.

One of the things you can find every day are selections from “Anime Network”. Usually these are single episodes of AN programs currently being shown on the regular channel and website. Each episode is usually available from two weeks to a month, plus they have a show called DVD DOJO that has previews of up-coming programs and DVD releases due in the next month. While it is generally anime, the show will sometimes have clips from live-action Asian films or videos of Japanese bands & singers. Some episodes have included interviews with people involved in anime, here and in Japan.

I usually try to check out first episodes of new shows, since most don’t give you a recap of ‘what has gone before’ and it’s easy to get lost. As you know if you follow anime the shows have continuing storylines and often a half dozen or more characters involved. Still even watching a later show can be fun depending on the kind of program and how complicated the back story.

Another thing to keep is mind is that some of this stuff is for “Older Teens” or a PG-13 rating. Depending on how you feel about some cursing, T&A and really graphic violence, some of these shows might not be your cup of green tea.

I’m not going to review anything right now, but did want to mention a few shows which some of you might want to seek out. Remember that many of these were once manga titles or have since been adapted into that medium.

MEGAMAN, is a cute super-heroish story of a young boy with a robot body, his family and their cyber-dog. Big robots, nasty aliens and evil scientists make for fun episodes.

AIRGEAR is a future Tokyo where gangs of teens wearing “Air Treks”, basically powered inline skates, allowing them to travel along power lines, over rooftops and other places earthbound skaters could only dream of. Nice stories about teens trying to find their place, fit in and go through the usual ‘coming of age’ things but with martial arts thrown in.

COMIC PARTY REVOLUTION continues the story of the original show, about a group of girls (now in college) trying to make it as manga artists & writers. Plenty of in-jokes for manga & anime fans, with cosplay and the like.

RED GARDEN – I just caught the first episode of this show yesterday and have to rewatch it. A rather grim story of girls who attend a private school on Roosevelt Island (in New York City). Something happened to four female students and they have no memories of the previous night. They also find that besides the partial amnesia other things are different. Generally they have little to do with each other in school, but all find themselves drawn to Central Park. There a mysterious woman tells them that they are dead and must earn the right to return to the world of the living. To do this they must hunt down strange beings. Meanwhile, two NYPD detectives are seeking a connection between a series of suicides of young woman over the past several months. They begin to believe that they might in fact not have taken their own lives, but have been murdered. Creepy, but very intriguing.

Brain Boy: just because

I just happened to be thinking about a comic I used to read and collect. It was called Brain Boy and only lasted about a half dozen issues.

Years ago a friend, Joel Thingvall gave me a page of the original art. A few years later I was contacted by the Smithsonian and I donated the page.

That's the scan over on the left and the headline above will bring you to the page noting my donation.

DC Countdown #37-33: We're still reading it!

Things are not going smoothly in the DCU, at least for the characters featured in this series. I’ve got plenty of SPOILERS in this bit so if you haven’t read these issues you should know that I’m going to give lots away.

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Mary Marvel is acting like a real little B**** here, turning violently on Zatanna to whom she had gone to for help. We get plenty of up the skirt shots of MM thanks to the art teams in some of the books, but we should remember that when not powered up she is a young girl. Banished from Zatanna’s home, Mary turns to Klarion, the Witch Boy (an old Kirby creation recently revived by DC) for assistance. We see behind all of this the manipulation of MM by the new female Eclipso.

Sadly, we also see the return of Slade Wilson (Deathstroke), a killer and child molester for whom DC believes we should feel sympathy. At least that was the implication I got from the two-page ‘origin’ of the character in one of the issues. As of #37, the history of the DCU multiverse has ended and in its place are two page origins of various characters who appear major players in the series.

Anyway, Deathstroke plants mini-bombs in the throats of Trickster and the Pied Piper to keep them from giving his plans away, but the two rogues are helped by Wally West (back again as The Flash). Wally and others are seeking to bring the Rogues to justice for the murder of Bart West, so he is not a big fan of Trickster or Piper. Along with Jimmy Olsen, we are following the two former villains as they stumble from one bad situation to another.

Speaking of the Daily Planet’s cub reporter, Jimmy again gets his butt handed to him by some heroes as he tries to prove his worthiness. His powers only show up when he is being threatened by deadly force, which the heroes certainly don’t intend. In the most recent issue (#33) we see Jimmy first shadowed by and then confronted by agents from Project Cadmus (yet another Kirby creation from his Fourth World books) who offer to ‘help’ Olsen with his little problem.

The current Catwoman, Holly Robinson, along with the former Harley Quinn are still living in the ‘women’s shelter’ established by Amazons. Again, thanks to the art teams we get plenty of “A” but no “T”, if you know what I mean, with Holly and other ladies doing back flips and such in short togas. There is dialogue in those panels, but I don’t know who is paying attention. Personally, I get tossed out of the story by this fan-service stuff.

Finally, Donna Troy, Jason Todd, “Bob” the Monitor and the current Atom (Dr. Ryan Choi) are not having a good time of it in their search for the missing Ray Palmer. In fact, the good doctor gets literally snatched up and disappears from the series, his fate left in the hands of his regular writer/artist team in his book. Fan sites report that he will become one of the new Challengers of the Unknown, or will travel with them. As a fan of many of the incarnations of this old DC team I probably should be on the look out for their appearances. Anyway, Jason & Donna are joined by Crabface Guy…um..Kyle Rayner the imitation Green Latrine (if that doesn't prove my continued dislike of the character I don't know what will). It seems that Crabface will be showing his true colors (pardon the expression) and joining the Sinestro Corps as Parallax.

I have to admit that the last few issues haven’t done as much for me as the early issues. Maybe with so much going on, especially outside the Countdown series and in other books, that I’m still pretty confused by events. I’m still curious enough to keep buying the series, but hope that by the half way point some things are explained. And, yes I know that this series will only lead into another! That’s a spoiler I could have done without myself.

The headline will take you over to the official DC site with some more possible spoilers.

Emmy Awards: No big deal, but...

Not much to add to what has already been said all over the blogoverse. Biggest news seems to be the censor jumping on Sally Field's speech. Word is that is was because she used the expression "G*d Damn" and not her possible anti-war comments. Never can tell with network guys being over-zealous, especially at Fox.

There also seemed to be a couple of other really bad edits, at least as they appeared here on the West Coast telecast. Can't recall offhand when they were, but the camera would suddenly show a darkened stage from way up in the rafters for about five to ten seconds, then badly cut back to what was happening on stage. Since folks out here were seeing the show on a three hour delay you would think they could have come up with something less obvious, like a audience shot or freeze frame on somebody standing nearby. The way it it looked it drew attention to the edit, which it really should not in a professional broadcast.

My biggest question would be the choice of Ryan Seacrest. It wasn't that he was bad, but that he himself seemed almost uncomfortable and joked about his being there.

One of the highlights for me, was Brian & Stewie's dance number early on. Thanks for Fox for that, at least.

Classic Hulk Cartoons #01: The Origin of the Hulk

Back when these cartoons wer being shown on local channels I used to rush home from school. One of the TV stations out of Providence had a guy called Max the Mighty dressed up in a super-hero costume to introduce the episodes.

Yeah, the animation was limited, but you can't beat the art by guys like Kirby, Ditko, Heck, Ayers and others.

I don't see it myself!

I have been told that these two guys look alike. Personally....

One of these guys is an award-winning writer who has worked in television, film and authored dozens of books as well as hundreds of comics. The other guy has sold one article to a publication which didn't survive to a second issue.

The lesser known one was actually introduced to some comic books fans as the brother of the better known one. It took two years for that to finally be put to rest.

You can read the thoughts of the famous guy via a link you'll find to the Right, or by clicking on the headline above. He is a writer of stuff, for sure.

For Leah. Thanks, Peter!

In that Other Life, I had the opportunity to meet and befriend some really wonderful folks. I sadly have lost touch with many of them, not totally through faults of their's.

Anyway, when I get each issue of Comics Buyer's Guide I don't skim the whole issue, but read it from cover to cover. This always saves Peter David's BUT I DIGRESS column for one of the last items I see. Due to this I was not aware that Peter had written about Leah Adezio's passing. I also did not know that he had written a SPIDER-MAN story inspired by her.

Since, as I've said, I don't read many new comics anymore I forget just how good a writer Peter is and how he can move me as a reader. Even if I hadn't known Leah I would have been touched by both the story of his last moments with her and the comic story. Leah would have loved the story and I'm sure her sons loved reading it.

Thanks again, Peter!

The Adventures of Batman and Robin... and Jesus (Episode 1)

You have to check this out. This is the first part of a four part story.

The Julian Secret by Gregg Loomis: a review

Here is the latest Joe Bob Briggs review.

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The Julian Secret by Gregg Loomis
Published by Leisure Books
ISBN: 0843956917

Writing the second book in a series can be a difficult proposition. You have to acknowledge returning readers who have already been introduced to the recurring characters and situations, but give enough information to new readers so they are not lost.
I didn’t know that this book was part of a series, but writer Gregg Loomis quickly got us up to speed once the main characters appeared.

Lang Reilly, former CIA agent, works as a highly paid attorney for corporations and individuals. One day he receives a phone call from the daughter of a former colleague Don Huff, who has been murdered, and she feels the local Spanish authorities are not properly looking into the case. Reilly accompanied by his lover Gurt, also a former agent, begin looking into the matter and quickly become the targets of someone who will kill to keep a secret. It seems that they do not want the information that Huff had uncovered for a book he was researching to be revealed.

Something was hidden by a Roman Emperor in a graveyard, something which he thought of as a great joke against the Christians he hated. Centuries later it is unearthed under the Vatican by workers under the direction of Pope Pius XII. At the end of WWII an American army unit kills the crew of a train carrying stolen treasure, while an American officer secretly meets with his German counterpart. Both this former Nazi and the Roman Catholic Church have something to hide. It eventually becomes to clear to Lang & Gurt that the two things may be connected.

Loomis throws in enough information on church history, theology and other such stuff to keep readers who loved the Da Vinci Code more than happy. He also gives Lang and other characters great dialogue, a sense of humor (especially if you love French bashing) and more than enough skills to stay at least a half step ahead of those trying to stop them. Together and separately, Lang & Gurt are a great pair of characters and I’m looking forward to seeing what Loomis may have in store for them next time out. I’m also tempted to look for “The Pegasus Secret”, the book which introduces Lang & Gurt.

Three and a half stars.

Hop-Along Cassidy - Trailer (1935)

This is a trailer for the very first Hopalong Cassidy film. As you can see the name was spelled a bit differently.

I'm sure growing up I must have seen this movie dozens of times, probably edited totally beyond recognition.

Enjoy!

In Cold Blood by Truman Capote: an audibook review

A couple of years ago I mentioned here that I was hoping to begin reading those books which I had long wanted to read but had never gotten to, or to re-read old favorites. Between the ‘professional’ reading I do for my job and the Joe Bob Briggs review stuff I haven’t gotten the chance to do as much of that as I have wanted. A way around this has been to borrow audio adaptations of these books from the Library and listen on the way to and from work. It’s also a great way to sample authors that I have never read to see if I might be interested. If you don’t do this yourself you might give it a try.

Truman Capote’s non-fiction book on the murder of a family in Kansas has been made into two films and is considered one of the classics of ‘true crime’ writing. The original film featured Robert Blake in an intense performance as Perry Smith one of the killers. The story of Capote’s work on the book, assisted by Harper Lee, was also been made into the film CAPOTE, for which actor Philip Seymour Hoffman won an Oscar for his portrayal of the author. As a fan of ‘true crime’ books and television programs I have meant to pick up the book for several years, but have never gotten beyond skimming a few chapters.

In November of 1959, Perry Smith and his fellow ex-con, Richard “Dick” Hickcock drove to a farm outside Holcomb, Kansas owned by Herbert Clutter. There they tied up the four members of the Clutter family: Herbert, his wife Bonnie, and the two of the four Clutter children, Nancy (16 yrs old) & Kenyon (15 yrs old) who were home. Discovering that Mr. Clutter did not have a safe filled with money, as they had suspected, Smith and Hickcock murdered all four of the Clutters, taking what little money they could find and some merchandise they could later sell.

The book is based on Capote’s research and interviews with both killers, detectives involved in the case and dozens of Clutter family friends and surviving relatives. With the help of Lee, Capote was able to write about the history of Herbert Clutter, Smith, Hickcock, their families and the town of Holcomb itself. Aided here by Scott Brick’s reading, the book brings to life the dozens of characters whose very different lives came together on that fateful night.

The adaptation I chose is from Random House Audio. It was an unabridged edition on 12-CDs, which lasted 14 hrs, 25 minutes. Scott Brick, an actor and screenwriter (his adapted screenplay of Arthur C. Clarke’s RENDEZVOUS WITH RAMA is scheduled for a 2009 release) who has made a name for himself as an audio book narrator, reads the book. Brick has worked on over 250 audio adaptations and won over thirty awards for his efforts since 2000. It is amazing what a talented reader can bring to a book, rather fiction or non-fiction, as it is her or his performance, which brings the story alive through only their voice. A very good reader, and Brick is one of the best, can make you forget that there is only one person doing everything.

While I’m on the topic, I also want to recommend readings by David McCallum (who you can hear reading books by Anne Perry and Jack Higgins), Joe Mantegna (Jerry Deaver, Mario Puzo and some of Robert Parker’s Spenser novels) and Mary Peiffer (Sue Grafton’s Kinsey Millhone series and others).

Highly recommended. (The link in the headline will take you to the Wikipedia essay on the book)

I'm glad you kids get to hear this!

I think this is a nice in joke for fans of Mel Brooks' BLAZING SADDLE.

Today's SHELDON by Dave Kellett who always brings a smile.

Crooked Little Vein: a novel by Warren Ellis

I haven’t read more than a half dozen pages yet, but I have to recommend the first novel by Warren Ellis, “CROOKED LITTLE VEIN”. I’ve been a fan of Ellis’ comic work for a while, his TRANSMETROPOLITAN one of only a dozen titles I collected and kept for our move out here. His issues of THE AUTHORITY went the way of most of my collection, which I regret.

The book just came in to the library the other day, having been initialed by a couple of us when it came up for order. Even with several other books waiting for me I think I’m going to have to take some time and read this.

The book deals with down & out P.I. Michael McGill, who is one of those guys you go to when nobody else is quite desperate enough to take your case. Here he is approached by a Presidential staffer who wants McGill to track down the “Secret Constitution” which the Founding Fathers created in case the first one didn’t work out.

Ellis uses this plot to take a hard look at American society in the 21st century. Just how far have we strayed from what Jefferson and the others foresaw?

Opening the book, almost at random, I came across McGill talking about a recent case where he was checking on a husband suspected of adultery. The description of finding a group of men engaged in tantric sex with ostriches and its effect on his then current relationship had me snickering at the Reference Desk. Truly something you don’t want to do.

Even all but unread the book has my highest recommendations. Clicking on the headline will take you to a review of the book from Entertainment Weekly's Whitney Pastorek

Colossus of New York: because you never know

In case you've never seen this old B&W sci-fi film the headline above will take you to a review over at SFFWORLD.COM (Science Fiction & Fantasy...).

I was surprised to find that I received a comment on a post I did almost three years ago, which I had totally forgotten. It was a review of a couple of Randolph Scott westerns I had just seen, with an off hand mention of one of his co-stars, Mala Powers. Ms. Powers was an actress who may be remembered for portraying 'Roxanne' opposite Jose Ferrar in Cyrano de Bergerac. She also played the wife of a scientist in "Colossus of New York" and that's the reference the poster caught.

Apparently, independent film-maker Nick D'Castro is working on a new version of the film and the anonymous poster was passing this along.

Just another demonstration that all this stuff sits online and you never know who is going to find it.

Twisted Kaiju Theater

If you happen to be a fan of Kaiju (Japanese for 'strange beast' or what we would call a 'giant monster') movies you will love Twisted Kaiju Theater. The headline will take you to Neo Monster Island.com where Sean McGuinness posts his amazing photo manipulation stuff.

He uses many of the Japanese monster models he has in his collection to both honor and satirize the Godzilla/Mothra/Toho films, which he obviously loves. I do want to warn you that Sean does go for a PG13 rating for his language, and there are some pages that might get an "R" with fan-service material. Still I only think a real prude, or somebody with no sense of humor (and there are those among you I question!) would be offended by what he does.

I've also placed a link down at the bottom of the site for a more permanent way to jump over there.

The True origin of Wolverine?

Not really, but I could not resist sharing Dave Kellett's latest Sheldon strip.

Arthur is my personal favorite strip character now, although I have to admit that Rat (from PEARLS BEFORE SWINE by Stephan Pastis) certainly gives him a run.

So, what's up?

As I mentioned over at Parting Shots, I haven't had a chance to blog over the weekend. Thought I'd just post a few things so you didn't think I'd forgotten about all of you. :-)

Just got Comics Buyer's Guide #1634 in the mail a few days ago. It's the first issue of my new subscription and I'm looking forward to checking it out. I know that it will probably end up sitting around for a week or so, but did want to make a few comments.

The cover for this issue features Green Arrow & Black Canary who have been dating on & off for decades. It seems that they are finally going to get married, which is never a good idea for super-heroes in either the Marvel or DC universes. Generally, the ceremony itself will probably be crashed by some assortment of villains who have a grudge against one or the other hero. Also, even if you get married in your secret identities somebody will figure out that you've gotten hitched and try to get revenge via your spouse.

CBG looks back at the history of this couple of former JLA members, as well as discussing super-hero weddings in general and some of the more notable in particular. I enjoy these 'themed' issues that CBG puts out on occasion, but it's the reviews of old & new books (that section edited by old buddy, Tony Isabella) that is usually my favorite reason for buying the magazine. Originally it was THE place to find out what was up-coming, but over the past ten plus years that has fallen to the various official and fan sites that abound.

As for television viewing the various 'reality shows' that Donna and I have been watching the past month are all wrapping up within the next couple of weeks. That means we will have to go back to watching Discovery Health, CourtTV, Animal Planet and the Food Network until the regular Fall season starts.

Speaking of TV, we caught The Bourne Identity on the small screen Saturday. I had read Robert Ludlum's book a couple of years ago and had been curious how they would change it. It's easy to see now why the series has taken off. We both enjoyed it and plan on renting the second film, then possibly seeing the third over the Labor Day weekend.

I've always liked Matt Damon and he does a good job as Bourne, at least as he has been 're-imagined' for the screen into a much young man. Unfortunately, I can't say much for Franka Potente as Marie. It's hard to know if she plays the character as flat and uninteresting or if she isn't even trying as a performer. You get that sometimes with actors who feel the role beneath them. I'm sure even the producers of BI were caught by surprise at how successful it became.

Finally, if you aren't already watching them Donna and I both recommend MONK, PSYCH and THE 4400 over on the USA Network. We look forward to them each week, but you should know that USA runs these shows for short 'seasons' a couple times a year. We're about half way through on each with only two or three shows left until the season finales.

DC Countdown: #41-38

There are going to be some minor spoilers here, but generally the covers of the books seem to give away at least one ‘surprise’ in that particular issue.

Jimmy Olsen finally decides to create a costume and become MR. ACTION. As one other character says, ‘all the good names must have been taken.’ Still it is fun seeing Jimmy trying to do something positive with his new found powers, even if is he still a little unsure about them. He also discovers that his abilities only work when he is in danger of serious harm. For instance, he can be hit with a fist, but if threatened by a weapon his new powers will protect him. There are some fun scenes with him in action and trying to convince Robin that he should be a Teen Titan. I’m hoping that this doesn’t end tragically and Jimmy gets a real chance to prove himself. (A link from the headline above will take you to the Wikipedia entry on Olsen.)

It should not come as a surprise to see that Darkseid is going to be a major player in the series, especially considering that at least one of the New Gods, Lightray, has been offed. Considering the ill treatment Jack Kirby’s Fourth World creations have been given it might be time to remove them from the DCU at least for a while, if not permanently.

I have to admit that, at least as he has been portrayed in COUNTDOWN, Jason Todd is not as unlikable as I had come to expect. It would not surprise me to find that he will not be surviving into the next event, but in these books he comes off with a sense of humor. That in itself is something his mentor, BATMAN, hasn’t displayed in years. I mean, coming up with the nickname ‘Bob’ for the Monitor who accompanies he and Donna is pretty funny!

This was my first look at the new incarnations of BATWOMAN and THE QUESTION, at least in costume. I don’t know how others feel about it, but I don’t see why a female QUESTION couldn’t work. As she herself says at one point, Renee Montoya was a good detective and police officer in her own right, before following in the footsteps of the late Vic Sage. I read at some point that she and the new Batwoman (Katherine Kane) had beenlovers at some point, something which some fans seem upset about. I don’t think they have a problem with either character being gay (although there are some folks I’m sure not thrilled by the idea) but that they have gone back and retroactively made the existing Montoya into a lesbian.

I’m not reading the current LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES, but it was mentioned previously that several Legionaires will be left behind in the 21st century. We see Karate Kid and one of Triplicate Girl’s personas is left behind, while the rest of the Legion returns home. I remember in old continuity that when one of her bodies was killed, she became Duo Damsel, but it caused her some emotional trauma. Here she seems to be okay with being separated and is going by the name Una. I expect the two of them to be reunited (no pun intended) with the equally time-stranded Starboy/man pretty soon.

Overall COUNTDOWN isn’t a great series, but it continues to hold my interest. Unfortunately, I know full well that it is not going to actually end, but eventually morph into the next event, FINAL CRISIS at some point. Whether I’m still around for that remains to be seen.

Countdown #44-38: I meant to review them, but....

Let me start by clearing up something from my last review of the series.

It was pointed out that I may have forgotten that Jason Todd and Donna Troy were accompanying one of the Monitors because of their own personal connection to the problem. Both Jason & Donna come from different realities/universes than the one in which they currently reside. According to the majority of the Monitors their existence threatens the multiverse, so they should be eliminated by any means. Honestly, I did know this from reading earlier issues of the series, but that misses the point.

In my usual ham-fisted manner I was trying to show that there was no explanation for their being together or with the Good Monitor (GM) stated in the course of that particular issue. It shouldn’t be necessary, especially in a crossover event like this, for the reader to keep track of every plot device. A good writer (and I don’t hold Paul Dini, who is supervising this whole thing, solely responsible) would find some way to put this information somewhere. As The Tony Isabella often reminds us, every book should be accessible to a new reader. That is what turns the new reader into a returning reader, if done correctly. Back in the Silver Age this was done in most of the books and aided the casual readers in understanding the DC & Marvel universes a bit better.

While we are on the topic of not knowing what the heck is going on, it would be nice if the writer (or maybe an editor using a footnote) would identify by name some of the hundreds of characters in any issue. I know you can’t do this in a crowd scene, but for instance when Pied Piper & Trickster are being chased by the new SUICIDE SQUAD it would have been nice if the characters at least called each other by name so we would have a hint. Some of these folks even had dialogue, so it would not have been impossible to identify one or the other. I know that each page of ads if important and you simply must have the in-joke/name-dropping nonsense of DC Nation in each book, but still!!! How about a ‘what has gone before’ box or half a page to identify some of the characters? (i.e. That’s Bronze Tiger in panel 5, pg. 7)

Geez, I’m into the fourth paragraph and haven’t even started on a review of the books. Let’s hold off until next time, okay? Maybe I’ll be in a better mood.

Mike Wieringo: RIP

A click on the above headline will bring you to a short biography of comic artist, Mike Wieringo who passed away yesterday (Sunday, 8/12/07).

I had the chance to meet briefly with Mike at a couple of conventions and found him to be a really nice guy. It's terribly sad that he passed away at such a young age, as he was only 44. I have been reading on several other sites that Wieringo was considered very healthy, so his death by heart attack was sudden and unexpected.

My condolences to his family, friends and his many fans.

DC COUNTDOWN: #44-42 - overview and rant

(Headline above will bring you to the Wikipedia essay on Flash's Rogues Gallery, should you care.)

If you haven’t read these books yet (and I have a feeling I’m probably the last to actually get around to them), or are waiting to read the inevitable TPB collection, you should know that I’m going to give lots of stuff away. First because I can, and secondly because five of the six of you who read this blog couldn't care less about comics anyway. :-)

So if you’re still reading….

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Since I’m only reading the COUNTDOWN books themselves and not the individual hero titles or various spin-offs I was startled by the news that Bart Allen had been killed. How sad is it that one of the most likable and fun characters created by DC during the past decade had to be killed off. Not only that, but he was killed by that ridiculous group of third-rate bozos the Flash Rogues Gallery. They had to gang up on him aided by two supposedly reformed members (Trickster & Pied Piper) who had actually befriended his predecessor, Wally West. It doesn’t matter that these two were apparently trying to discover what their former colleagues were engaged in, they seemingly made no attempt to stop it from happening. By the end of #42 the two had been captured by the equally second-rate Deadshot and some other costumed thugs, but have made their escape by leaping from an aircraft several thousand feet up. Do we care at this point?

It appears that Jason Todd (the second Robin who was killed but got better) and Donna Troy (who has been killed at least three times that I recall and got better each time) are an item, or are at least hanging out with each other. For some reason they are teaming up with one of the Monitors (we’ll call him the Good Monitor, I guess) and are searching for the original Atom, Ray Palmer (who is teeny-tiny now and off in some teeny-tiny universe). In order to locate him they have sought the aid of the latest hero to call himself the Atom, who was Palmer’s student (or something, it isn’t clear at least to me) and has access to one of his minimizing belts. According to GM only Palmer can save the current multi-verse from his scheming fellow Monitors.

Meanwhile, the female warrior called, Forerunner (whom we made fun of last time out) has hooked up with Monarch. I’m not even going to try to explain who this guy is, since he was basically a last-minute replacement for another character. In a ham-fisted manner, DC editors who realized they had left too many clues to the original identity of this “mysterious” character did this. Anyway, Monarch is a bad guy and I don’t remember who he was supposed to be (although I think it was the original Hawk), plus with so many changes to the DCU since his original introduction he may be a different guy anyway. Monarch has this huge army and space fleet that he wishes Forerunner to train in order to stop the Monitors. We know that Monarch has his own plans, but personally I can’t be bothered at the moment to care. We simply assume that he will betray Forerunner who will then seek revenge on him after being used to kill several planets full of innocent people or something.

We also have the current Catwoman, Holly Robinson, being taken in by some Amazons who have set up ‘shelters’ for women. I didn’t follow the “Amazons Attack” series so have no clue what this is all about, but figure that folks following Catwoman or Wonder Woman do have some idea who all these women are. Holly, while enjoying sitting around partially clothed (we get plenty of what the Japanese would call ‘fan service’ in the scenes set here) meets the former Harley Quinn (Dr. Harleen Quinzel), now seemingly over her infatuation with The Joker. We can also guess that there’s something going on behind the scenes here, besides chicks in short togas serving each other goblets of wine and bending over a lot.

Finally, Mary Marvel now shares some of the power of Black Adam and is kicking butt and showing her own, along with lots of up the skirt shots. Hats off to the fine gents at DC editorial for being as immature as some of us have always considered you.

There is a story hidden in all this plot, but I’m loosing track if not total patience. It may be one of those car wreck scenarios where you can’t turn away no matter how bad it is. On the other hand, somebody may actually know where this is heading and create order from Chaos TM (I think DC has a copyright on that, but I’m not sure).

Oh, yeah! Jimmy Olsen still has not figured out where his new found powers come from, or what exactly triggers them. For me this is THE most interesting part of the whole saga. Especially since we know that this fifty-two issues is simply set up for the Final Crisis series that follows.

For me, personally, the nicest scenes were during Bart’s funeral where we see the Kid Flash/Bart and hear his own thoughts on being a kid hero and life in general.

I'll be doing a similar overview of #41-38 in the next few days, unless one particular issue or incident proves interesting enough for its own post.

Paul Storrie: nice guy and comics writer

Back in the other life I had the opportunity to meet a number of creative folks. I can't begin to remember all the writers, artists, editors and fans that I had the chance to hang with at cons, parties, bars and restaurants. Considering how cut-throat the industry can sometimes be you would be surprised how many of the pros are genuinely decent people and not the ego-beasts you see in other entertainment media.

I knew Paul Storrie when he was a fanboy looking for his first few breaks, and was able to congratulate him as his name began to appear in the credit boxes of published comics. Paul is indeed one of the nicest guys I met back then and also one of the most fun to sit and chat with. He may not be as funny as Bob Ingersoll or have as many great stories as Mark Evanier, but it was good sitting around listening to him talk about his plans and projects.

If you click on the headline above you'll link to his personal site and I'm also adding it to the growing list over at The Right.

CELL by Stephen King: a quickie review

Clayton Riddell has just made a sale of his graphic novel to Dark Horse and can’t wait to tell his wife and son. He’s sure it will make his wife change her mind about his ‘hobby’ and perhaps move back in with him. He’s heading back to his hotel in downtown Boston, when it happens. Cell phones begin ringing and as people answer they are hit by The Pulse and become what the survivors call Phonies.

The electronic signal wipes out any trace of civility, turning each victim against each other or anyone else that stands in their way. Riddell soon encounters others who were lucky enough to escape the initial event, but quickly discover that there may be worse things in store.

This is ‘classic’ Stephen King, in the fashion of THE STAND and SALEMS LOT. What to average folks do when their entire lives are suddenly altered and everything around them may be a danger. The only character you could honestly call a villain in the book is The Raggedy Man/President of Harvard, but he is in some ways just as much a victim as the rest of the Phonies.

If you’re a fan of King I’m sure you’re probably already ahead of me, but if you only pick up an occasional novel by the author (like I do) I recommend this as one to try. Your local library probably has a few copies lying around.

For those same 'sometime' King fans I really want to recommend his, The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon. It's a quick read about a young girl lost in the woods, where something not quite natural is hunting her. Alone she has only her radio for company, which lets her hear the Boston Red Sox and her favorite Tom Gordon. Will Tom's silent encouragement be enough?

I didn't go but.... The San Diego Comic Con

I've been watching videos and reading lots about what I missed at the convention this year. One thing I learned was that I'm glad I wasn't there on Saturday. I also see that, as usual, Mark Evanier has one of the best perspectives on SD and conventions in general.

Conventions are what you make of them and we all expect something different. It has been my experience that any two people can attend the same con but see it with totally different eyes. The convention that you find exciting and fun, might give me that feeling of deja vu and have me looking for the exit after the first few hours.

Back in the Other Life there were some events that I looked forward to and a couple where I had to all but drag myself through the doors. My last few Big Apple events were along those lines. The same folks selling the same things and the place just getting more crowded and less fun each time. If it hadn't been for the fact that I'd get to see folks like Leah Adezio, Dan Reed and some of the Lulu Metro members I might have stayed home.

I also agree with Mark (big surprise!) about SD always being about more than just comics. The costume contest, was just one example of seeing fans of non-comics representing their favorite characters. The first couple of conventions I attended had folks like Mel Blanc, Kirk Alyn (movies first SUPERMAN & BLACKHAWK), George Clayton Johnson (writer of several episodes of the original Twilight Zone & co-creator of Logan's Run) and even Dr. Timothy Leary (now that was a shock meeting him as I entered an elevator!).

Igmar Bergman

The headline will link you to Roger Ebert's column & remembrance of the late director, Igmar Bergman. If you go to the Ebert's homepage you'll also find his article on Michelangelo Antonioni, the Italian director who also passed away on Monday.

There is nothing that I could add that Ebert and others have not already said about how brilliant Bergman was, or how much he influenced both European and American filmmakers.

I don't think I ever saw any of Bergman's films until I took "International Cinema" as an elective in college. He and Antonioni didn't creat fluff, or try to appeal to the general audience, but both made their mark on cinema in the late Twentieth Century.

How could you not be moved by the scene above or dozens of others from "The Seventh Seal"?

OTR: The Masked Marvels - The Adventures of Superman

The final shows on the Radio Spirit compilation have Bud Colyer, as the voice of Superman/Clark Kent in the11-part “Batman’s Great Mystery”. It might seem that putting SUPERMAN in a set called “Masked Marvels” is out of place, but the story does feature BATMAN & ROBIN, both of whom do wear a mask & cape.

It seems funny that the Dynamic Duo never had their own radio show (as far as I know) given how popular they were. They appeared not only in several titles, but also in a movie serial. What with so many other comic characters popping up on the airwaves, I would not be surprised to learn that their appearance on SUPERMAN wasn’t a trial run for such a series.

I haven’t heard all that many of the Superman radio shows before, so it was a surprise to discover some differences in the program from what I have seen in reprints of the era’s comics. At some point Perry White had become Mayor of Metropolis, giving up his editor position, but still remaining involved in the stories Clark & Lois are working on. (I don’t know how this would work in real life? Although, I’m sure New York’s Mayor Michael Bloomberg still kept a firm handle on things in his media empire.)

Just as in the comics, Batman & Superman know each other’s identities, but it seems that Robin isn’t in on the fact that Clark is more than just a friend of Bruce. Speaking of Bruce & Dick they have a great relationship, although hearing Dick call Bruce “Pappy” on a number of occasions is odd. I’m not familiar enough with the ‘hip’ lingo of that era, so it might only be something akin to “Dude” or “Bud”. Anybody know if Robin used the same speech pattern in the comics of that day?

The plot features Robin seeking out Clark, after Bruce/Batman has disappeared for a number of days. It seems that someone discovered Bruce’s secret identity and used this to get him to go to an unknown location. As the Caped Crusader had left instructions for such a situation, Robin does as instructed and goes to Kent. The story becomes involved with isolationists, a phony Batman and the stealing of the Wayne fortune before it’s over.

The whole thing made me want to seek out some more of the Superman radio shows, especially the immediate follow-up to this story, “Kingdom Under the Sea.”

So what happened?

Well, I was sorry not to have been able to get down to SD even for a day this year. My plan is to try to get down for both Saturday & Sunday next year so I can see some of the Capa-Alpha folks and catch a few programs. I'm looking forward to seeing what I missed via all the blogs and the guys over at Moron Life.

I guess the best thing to do is to buy a ticket as soon as they become available and book a room early. I'm not even going to wait for the Convention rates to kick in.

OTR: Masked Marvels, pt. 4 - The Green Hornet

The Green Hornet is probably, next to The Shadow, one of the best remembered of those ‘masked avenger’ types who filled popular entertainment in the mid-Twentieth Century. Starting in radio, the Hornet soon moved to comics and movie serials. While not a pulp attraction like many of his contemporaries, he did appear in prose form in several ‘Big/Little’ books. As with his masked relation, the prose stories of this character were penned by the prolific Fran Striker.

It’s well known to fanboys that Brett Reid (aka The Green Hornet) was the son of Dan Reid, thus making the character the grandnephew of the Masked Rider of the Plains. The same folks that created the Hornet were also responsible for the Ranger, so while the Lone Ranger is never mentioned by name it is made clear to whom Dan is related in an episode of the series (one of the ones included in this set from Radio Spirits). I found it amusing to discover that the actor who portrayed the elder Dan Reid in the radio series, John Todd, was the same actor who played Tonto on the Lone Ranger program.

Unlike his western ancestor, the Hornet was not known to the public as their protector. In fact, early in the series the character was hunted by the police and the city’s District Attorney. The Hornet was thought to be a competitor of other gangsters, and used this to gain information if not trust from members of the underworld. Also, the Hornet was not interested so much in bank robbers and burglars (though he met his share) as he was in revealing corrupt politicians and businessmen. The typical plot had Britt Reid publishing an editorial condemning a certain individual and then later using his Hornet persona to get enough information on the criminal to put him behind bars.

The episodes presented here have the Hornet being cleared of murder charges, assisting the District Attorney and revealing his identity to his father. Along the way he puts away some crooked gamblers and a blackmailing contractor.

OTR: Masked Marvels, pt. 3 - The Lone Ranger

It would only take a quick glance at this blog, especially the links over on The Right, to know that I’m a fan of the Lone Ranger. In every medium there is something special about the Masked Rider of the Plains and his faithful Indian companion, Tonto. Riding his white horse, Silver, the Ranger is probably one of the most recognizable characters in American pop culture. Although he may disappear from the scene for years at a time it never fails that somebody will come up with yet another incarnation of the character. The Wikipedia entry (to which the above headline will bring you) will cover quite a few of these, and it’s easy to see that not all have been completely faithful to his original conception.

Of course, for me the Ranger will always be Clayton Moore, who I first saw as a kid over fifty years ago. I don’t remember if it was my grandfather or father who first sat with me on the couch to watch the television series. I have a dim recollection that it was my Dad, but I know from talks with my mother that my grandfather and I spent numerous afternoons watching westerns. By the time I was seven or eight I was spending most of Saturday morning watching the Lone Ranger, Hopalong, Gene, Roy, and any old western the local station put on.

I’m pretty sure that while growing up I must have seen most of the westerns that Republic, Columbia and the rest of the low-budget studios produced. Heck, I think I saw “The Terror of Tiny Town” a dozen times alone before I was fourteen and spending more time outside than in. (If you don’t know from this film, just know that it deserves an entry here itself one day.)

As with The Shadow and the other OTR programs, I probably didn’t hear the radio version of LR until I was in my twenties. Listening to the shows though it’s easy to see how it became so successful, spinning off into pulps, comics, films and eventually television.

The initial concept was by radio executive George W. Trendle & others and was fleshed out by the original writer of that series, Fran Striker. The show premiered on WXYZ radio in Detroit, Michigan in early 1933. In these early stories we learn that the sole surviving member of a Texas Ranger patrol that had been ambushed, vows to bring justice for his fallen comrades and punishment to those who break the law. Aided by Tonto, whom the Ranger had befriended earlier in his life, he captures and tames a wild stallion which he names Silver. Assuming a mask to hide his identity, he eventually tracks down those who left him for dead and then continues to bring justice to the people of the west.

In the six shows presented in MASKED MARVELS from Radio Spirit the Lone Ranger is played by Brace Beemer (shown above in a PR photo), originally the show’s announcer, with John Todd as Tonto (believe it or not, Todd was actually a Shakespearean actor on the stage before he began working in radio); six shows dealing with the LR finding his nephew, Dan Reid, son of his late older brother. Created for the radio program, Dan (played by Chuck Courtney) also appeared for several years in the television show, with Clayton Moore & Jay Silverheels in the lead roles. Oddly enough there are two things which connect these Lone Ranger stories with the show I talk about next time.

Captain Confederacy & Will Shetterly

Back in that other life I had a short correspondence with Will Shetterly. At that time he was already known as a writer of science fiction and had begun publishing the controversial CAPTAIN CONFEDERACY. The idea of CC was an alternative history in which the Union did not win the Civil War. Flash forward a hundred plus years and we have a very unrecognizable North America, which is divided into several different nations living in uneasy truce.

In the original comic book series every nation seemed to have its own super-heroes or rather individuals who had natural or enhanced powers and abilities. These were used by the governments of the various powers for their own purposes. Shetterly created a large cast of characters over the length of the series, sometimes forming uneasy alliances and completely at odds in other situations.

I remember some folks being upset by the book, seeing it not as another super-hero/SF comic but as Shetterly promoting a revisionist/pro-Confederacy history in which the Union was in the wrong. I always felt that Will was walking a thin line, but personally thought the quality of his writing and his research on American history (up to the point of the war itself) made the series a ‘must have’. Sadly, my copies of the books are long gone, although I believe that Elayne had them at one point, or may still.

Frankly, I hadn’t thought of the comic or Shetterly in years, until reading the latest issue of Library Journal. In the book review section there was a favorable review of Will’s latest book, THE GOSPEL OF THE KNIFE (Tor; ISBN: 978-0-312-86631-0). It took only a quick Google search to find out what Will is up to and that CC or another version of CC is still around.

A click on the headline above will take you to the Wikipedia entry on CC which will in turn present a link to Will’s CC site. You can read the latest installments of the CC storyline and learn more about the series and Will's other writing over there.

OTR: The Green Lama & The Scarlet Cloak

Unlike The Shadow, his contemporary the Green Lama began in the pulps and comics before coming to radio. While the Lama’s career in print lasted a few decades, his radio incarnation was limited to eleven episodes as a summer replacement show on CBS. Voiced by Paul Frees, who is better known to modern day fans for his long career in animation and commercials, although Frees was very busy in the days of OTR. In this set the Green Lama is represented by two shows from that short-lived series.

Jethro Dumont was your typical wealthy young man, who at some point went to Tibet for ten years to study. When he returned, having mastered many mysterious powers he dedicated his life to fighting for justice. Using martial arts the Lama didn’t resort to the use of a weapon, as did the Shadow and other pulp heroes. Also, he didn’t really cloud men’s minds but was able to confuse his enemies enough to disarm and overcome them.

Unlike many of his fellow crime fighters, Dumont was known openly as the Green Lama and made no attempt to hide his identity. The green robe with cowl that the he wore in his print adventures wasn’t used in the radio program. According to the opening narration, Dumont chose the name because in Tibet the color green represents justice.

Since he was famous it wasn’t unusual for Dumont to be called to different locales outside the U.S. to assist friends in need. In the two episodes here, “The Man Who Never Existed” takes him to an excavation in Mexico, while “The Million Dollar Chopsticks” finds him in Hong Kong.

Along with shows representing some of the better known OTR heroes we also have an unsuccessful one. The Adventures of the Scarlet Cloak was an audition tape for sponsors and stations for a show that doesn’t seem to have actually gone on the air.

Wendell Niles, who has a long career as an announcer both in radio and on television. Here he voiced the role of Brad Carver, an orphan who returns to Monterey, California twenty years later to avenge their murder. Upon renewing an acquaintance with an old family friend, Carver learns that his father was “El Diablo”, a Zorro-like masked avenger. When his enemies learn his identity they kill both he and his wife, the young Brad is rescued and sent to live with relatives in the east so that his life will be spared.

Carver takes the name Bradford to conceal both his real identity and the fact that he has taken up the scarlet cloak and sword of his father. The pilot sets up the back-story, along with revealing the mysterious man who had his parents killed as the wealthy, Don Ramon de la Torres. To complicate things and set up further conflict Carver/Bradford finds himself drawn to de la Torres’ daughter.

The audition tape says that the Scarlet Cloak was expected to be both a radio and television show, but I have no idea if a pilot was shot for that or if Niles would have also been involved in that version.

BEGOTTEN: Because I can't forget

Every so often you'll encounter a film which stays in your mind. It might not be a classic movie, a film you enjoy or even very good. Still there is something about it which grabs hold of you as a viewer and never lets go. Such a movie was the feature film Begotten by Elias Merhige.

If you click on the headline above you'll find a link to YouTube where you can watch a trailer for this movie. Trust me it only hints at what the film itself will have in store.

The movie begins with Brainard Carey of Praxis as God Killing Himself. This is both the name of the character in the credits and what we see in the first very graphic scenes following the credits. If nothing else it lets you know that you are in for something very strange. When I first saw this at the Film Forum in Manhattan I immediately began telling everybody. It got to the point where my re-telling of the movie actually became a whole routine that I would do for anybody, even preserving it on audiotape which sadly seems to have gotten lost during one of my later moves.

I don't know that I'd ever want to sit through the movie again, since like ERASERHEAD one viewing may be enough for one lifetime, but it would be interesting to see it with fast-forward available. I'd love to write another review which I could go back and link to in the future. I think of the folks I know who read this blog, only Elayne will remember this.

OTR: Masked Marvels

Don’t let the title confuse you! It has nothing to do with characters from Marvel Comics, but rather a number of radio programs that featured mysterious heroes. While some were actually masked, all of them went by names other then their own. They also had in common the fact that they were working on the side of ‘law & order’, but not always with the thanks of the police.

As with the other Old Time Radio (OTR) sets from Radio Spirits that I’ve reviewed I’m going to split this up into several sections. I’ll talk about one or two of the programs in each, with what I know about each show and my reactions. As usual feel free to ignore any or all of this, as your mileage may vary.

The Shadow is probably one of the most famous ‘mystery men’ created for radio. He was first introduced as the host of a program that adapted stories from Street & Smith’s Detective Story magazine. He became so popular with listeners that Street & Smith decided to actually begin publishing a magazine that featured The Shadow in his own adventures. In turn the character became even more popular, so eventually the program dropped the anthology format and started doing original stories. The character appeared in several films beginning in 1937 and as well as in comics a year later.

This set has three episodes: The first, Sabotage, featuring Orson Welles in the title role and Agnes Moorehead playing his companion/love interest Margo Lane. The other two shows feature Bill Johnstone as the voice of The Shadow in The Laughing Corpse & The Phantom Voyage. It’s the first of these last two which may be of note to comics’ fans. In it the villain develops a chemical, which causes his victims to laugh themselves to death. As comics historians have discovered Bob Kane & Bill Finger used more then a few elements of The Shadow when creating their BATMAN character. The chemical used here is almost identical to that used later by The Joker in one of his early appearances.

The radio version of the Shadow didn't actually need to be in disguise as he could “cloud men’s minds” making himself invisible. Still it seems to be the hook-nosed man in black, featured on the covers of the pulps, that most folks imagine when they hear the character mentioned.

I believe that The Shadow may have been the first OTR program that I heard as an adult. I remember some local radio stations rebroadcast the show late at night, usually after midnight. It seemed that during the ‘70s every college FM station had a program showcasing OTR. It still brings a chill when you hear that famous line, “Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men? The Shadow knows!”

By the way, you can learn lots more about The Shadow by clicking on the headline above which will take you to the Wikipedia entry on the character.

The All-Star Game: Yeeah, baby!!

Man, that was a good game, even coming in late. I forget that being out on the Left Coast that the game was going to start at 5:00pm PT. By the time I got home it was in the 5th inning and the AL was leading.

I watched as much as I could, running in from the grill where I had some hotdogs burning. The 9th inning was, if not one for the record books, about as exciting as you could get. Bases loaded with two outs and the score AL-5 & NL 4. The AL closer was Francisco Rodriquez of the Angels, who walked two runners to load them, but fortunately his pitch to Aaron Rowand of the Phillies was hit out to right field and caught. Whew!

The rest of the season starts with both the Red Sox & the Mets leading their divisions, so things are looking good.

Popcorn for One: Fantastic Four -Rise of the Silver Surfer

I don’t have as much to say about this film as I did about 1408. Partly, because everybody else has blogged and reviewed the movie to death from every possible angle. Also, if you have already seen the movie you know how you felt about it and if you don’t want to see it I doubt I’ll change your mind.

If you are at all familiar with the Fantastic Four mythos you already know that the Silver Surfer, once Norrin Radd, became the herald for the entity known as Galactus in order to save his own planet. Endowed with cosmic power beyond imagining the Surfer seeks out planets upon which Galactus may feed. Since Mars, Venus and every other planet in the neighborhood just doesn’t have the right nutritional value the Surfer chooses our own world and this doesn’t sit right with certain people.

Naturally, the government picks one of the few people that Dr. Reed Richards doesn’t get along with to be the person to request his assistance. Adding insult to injury the government also forces Richards & Co. to work with the man who tried to kill them several times. Basically, we get several story arcs from the FF’s first few years tied together into a single movie. Not only do we get the introduction of the Surfer, but also a later plot which involved Doctor Doom stealing the Surfer’s power and board.

If you liked the first movie in this series you will absolutely love this one. If, like most folks, you felt lukewarm about the film or didn’t care for that initial entry you might be pleasantly surprised. Put me in that second category. I didn’t think the first FF was much better than the low budget & never officially released Roger Corman version that has been available on bootleg for years. I actually thought that this second film captured some of the spirit and sense of family that the best issues of the comic series always had.

I’ll not give anything away, but you probably already know that the FF win and the Earth is not destroyed. Two things happen during the closing scenes, which set up events for future films. Sadly, the worst performance in the film is once again by Julian McMahon in the role of Victor Von Doom. There just is no sense of menace and certainly he doesn’t come across as the dominant personality we see in the comics. There is already talk of a Silver Surfer movie, so that may take some of the suspense out of the movie for you.

Not saying you should run out, but I think you might enjoy this on DVD when that is released or on the premium cable stations when it pops up in a few months. Personally, I think I’dl actually pay to see a third film in the theatre as well.