Super Friends To The Rescue!

Amazon had them on sale for less than $10 each, so last week, I ordered the last two incarnations of Super Friends from the early 1980s - The Legendary Super Powers Show and Super Powers Team: Galactic Guardians -  on DVD. These two seasons were tailored to tie-in with Kenner's popular DC "Super Powers" action figure line, hence the prominence of the term in both titles.

Both shows featured Jack Kirby's Darkseid as the major villain and had slightly more sophisticated stories than previous incarnations of the Super Friends franchise. In the Galactic Guardians run, Hanna-Barbara's artists switched from the original Alex Toth character designs to new ones by Jose Garcia-Lopez, giving it a fresher look; it was also the first Super Friends show to have full half-hour (well, 20 minute, really) episodes each week instead of two 10-minute stories per installment.

I missed these seasons when they originally aired on Saturday mornings (I was in Art School by then), but I'm looking forward to enjoying some Old School super-hero 'toons over the next week or two.

Three Years In SPACE

My 1970s sci-fi nostalgia (or, as I prefer to call it: pop culture archeology) blog, Space: 1970, just celebrated its third anniversary. Three years of  writing about the science fiction films and television shows - and related memorabilia - of the 1970s and early 80s (closing rapidly on 700 entries now)... and people seem to like it. Stop by if you get a moment.

Wednesday Cover: PSYCHO Fall Special

Happy Halloween! October's final Psycho cover is this Prieto Muriana masterwork, which graced the magazine's 1974 "Fall Special."

Today is also the 12th anniversary of my marriage to my wonderful soulmate, Brandi. A dozen years and still together... who would have imagined? Happy Anniversary, hon!

Wednesday Cover: PSYCHO Classic Creeps!

One week until Halloween... and here's another ghoulish cover from Skywald's Psycho comics magazine, this time from the great Ken Kelly. Enjoy!

David Lo Pan Style

"Hey, green-eyed lady..."  I really need to go watch Big Trouble In Little China now.

Wednesday Cover: PSYCHO Devil Woman

This week, our Wednesday Cover is another blood-curdling Skywald Psycho magazine masterpiece - this time painted by Enrich Torres.

Happy Birthday, 007

Today is Global James Bond Day, celebrating 50 years of Ian Fleming's creation on the silver screen. And this is a video montage of great moments from the 007 films, set to Scouting for Girls' song, "I Wish I Was James Bond."

Don't we all?

Wednesday Cover: PSYCHO Snake Woman

For this first Wednesday of October, we bring you another cover from Skywald Publication's Psycho magazine, also painted by Boris Vallejo. Enjoy!

The First PARKER Trailer

I have mixed feelings about this preview trailer for the upcoming film, Parker, based on the Richard Stark (Donald Westlake) books. I've been a bit wary about Jason Statham's casting ever since I first heard about the project - we all know that I love Statham as an action star, but I suspected from the beginning that the filmmakers would end up adapting the character to his established film persona, rather than get him to play the Parker of the books.

Based on this trailer, it appears that I was right.

The opening scenes of the heist and double-cross certainly have a Stark/Westlake flavor, but the rest of the trailer plays out like every other Statham star vehicle. Which means I'll probably enjoy it as an action movie... but as an adaptation of Stark/Westlake? Probably not so much.

Still, it's only the first trailer, and it may simply be a marketing choice (and probably the correct one) to try and make it appeal to the legions of Statham fans who probably don't have the foggiest idea of who the character Parker is.

I'll try and keep an open mind....

I do love the poster, though. Nice, clean, striking design.

From Here To Eternia

Poster art by Drew Struzan

I generally don't subscribe to the concept of "guilty pleasures." I've always felt that you should never be ashamed or feel guilty about liking "bad" movies (or anything else, for that matter), because the point of entertainment is to enjoy yourself, and it doesn't matter why you like something, as long as you have fun.

That said, when it comes to the 1987 live-action, Cannon Films adaptation of the Filmation cartoon series, Masters Of The Universe, I do sometimes feel a bit embarrassed. Mostly because I've found that admitting my fondness for the fantasy flick inevitably leads to ridicule. Never mind that the production design (by the great William Stout) is gorgeous, or that the Rob Conti-emulating-John Williams score is big, bombastic and beautiful, or that Frank Langella's portrayal of sorcerer Skeletor is sly and satisfyingly sinister... it's based on an 80s cartoon starring a guy named "He-Man."

And I don't even like the cartoon.

But I do like the Gary Goddard-directed movie, which comes out on a (unfortunately bare-bones) Blu-ray today, and I liked it even when I dragged my then-girlfriend to see it in theater in the Summer of 1987. It's just a fun, fast-paced fantasy adventure with a memorable cast (Dolph Lundgren in his first lead role, a young Courtney Cox, icy-eyed & sexy Meg Foster, and the unforgettable Billy Barty, among others), terrific 80s special effects, and a ridiculous plot that hangs together just... well enough.

It's not a classic of the genre, and it may not even be very good, subjectively, but I like it a lot (for all of the reasons cited above), and will be picking up the Blu-ray edition this week.

ADDENDUM: My local Bull Moose store - where I buy the DVDs and Blu-rays I'm too impatient to order online - actually let me down this week, as they didn't get any Master Of The Universe Blu-rays. According to their computer, all the other stores in the chain got copies, but their store didn't. Oh well, I put one on order. Hopefully they'll get it in by my next trip to town....

The Princess Diary

I hope people won't think any less of me as a man when I reveal that I'm looking forward to getting DC's latest Showcase Presents volume - Amethyst, Princess of Gemworld.

When the series originally appeared back in the 80s, I was reading mostly gritty adventure comics like Jon Sable, Freelance, Ms. Tree, Grimjack and Scout. A book about a teenage girl who magically transforms into the adult princess of a fairy tale fantasy realm - where everything was named after gemstones! - held little appeal for me.

But nowadays, with mainstream comics producing very little of interest for this aging, curmudgeonly old fanboy, I'm discovering - and rediscovering - a lot of good stuff in reprint volumes. And while I never read Amethyst back in the old days, I did read - and loved - DC's Blue Devil, a tongue-in-cheek superhero series written by the same guys who created & wrote Amethyst, Dan Mishkin & Gary Cohn. In fact, I followed that book for its entire first run, and really enjoyed and admired the writing team's style and sense of fun.

I've also been a life-long fan of artist Ernie Colon, who drew most of the Amethyst stories. I've especially enjoyed his fantasy and adventure work, so it seems long past time to check out his art on this series. From the various bits and pieces I've glimmed over the decades, it looks like some of Colon's best work.

Anyway, the collection comes out this week, and I plan on getting it. The only sticking point is that it does not seem to be complete - according to what I've read, it includes the character’s preview appearance in Legion of Super-Heroes #298, the original Amethyst, Princess of Gemworld 12-issue limited series, the Amethyst Annual #1, DC Comics Presents #63... but only the first 11 issues of the 16-issue ongoing Amethyst series. That leaves a full five issues uncollected, which is not nearly enough material for a second Showcase volume.  Dammit.

Wednesday Cover: PSYCHO FRANKENSTEIN!

Getting a jump on October with Skywald's Psycho magazine, featuring Boris Vallejo's interpretation of the Frankenstein Monster.

Diabolik!

Wednesday Cover: Blackhawk

Another terrific Blackhawk cover by my pal Rick Burchett, from the thirteenth issue of the 1989-1990 DC series.

Robert Conrad Double Feature

Two 70's exploitation films starring the great Robert Conrad, Live A Little, Steal A Lot (a/k/a Murph The Surf) and Sudden Death, will be hitting DVD in October as a double-feature disc from Inception Media. I've never seen either movie, but I have seen the trailers for both films, and they look like great B-movie fun!

Here's the full press release from Inception Media Group:

Prepare to go retro for a double dose of action, mayhem and intrigue with the Robert Conrad Double Feature, breaking onto DVD Oct. 16 from Inception Media Group.

Classic TV icon of the ’50s, ’60s and ’70s, Robert Conrad (Black Sheep Squadron, The Wild Wild West, Hawaiian Eye) – and frequent sidekick Don Stroud (License to Kill, The Amityville Horror, The Buddy Holly Story, Joe Kidd) – are at their macho best in these action-packed feature films from the mod ’70s.

Live a Little, Steal A Lot aka Murph the Surf (1975): Based on the true story of the daring 1964 theft of the J.P. Morgan jewel collection from New York’s American Museum of Natural History.  Called the “Greatest Jewel Heist of the 20th Century,” the robbers nabbed 22 precious gems, including the 563.35-carat Star of India sapphire, the 100.32-carat de Long ruby and the 16.25-carat Eagle diamond (never recovered) … stones so famous they would be impossible to sell. Directed by Marvin Chomsky (Evel Knievel and TV’s The Wild Wild West, Star Trek, Gunsmoke, Roots), with one of the original thieves serving as a film advisor. Also stars Burt Young (the Rocky movies) and Donna Mills (TV’s Knots Landing).

Sudden Death (1977):  When Ed Neilson’s entire family is viciously murdered, he pleads with retired CIA operative Duke Smith (Conrad) to investigate. He refuses, but relents after Neilson too meets an explosive death. Deception, international intrigue and a ruthless “syndicate of businessmen” intent on raping a South Pacific Islands nation of its resources keep the pace fast. But when the executives hire a treacherous assassin (Stroud), the two are thrown head-to-head in a predestined match of cunning, wit and brute force. Only one will survive. For the other … it’s Sudden Death. Directed by Eddie Romero (The Twilight People) on location in the Philippines.

Robert Conrad Double Feature is presented in widescreen with an aspect ratio of 16x9 (1.85:1) and digital stereo 2.0.