Wednesday Cover: PLANET COMICS

Over on my Facebook profile over the last month or so, I've been posting a lot of cover art from the Planet Stories pulp magazine and the Planet Comics comic book series. Both publications have been a source of inspiration to me as I worked to finish up my own "planet comic," Perils On Planet X.

This cover, for the 71st issue of Planet Comics, is one of my all-time favorite comic book covers. How can anyone resist the combination of damsel in distress, rifle-wielding space man, and 12-foot tall, green-skinned alien Viking satyr?

DVD Late Show In 2013

After some erratic posting in the last third of 2012 (missing half of November and all of December entirely, somehow), a new review appeared today at my DVD Late Show website: the new Warner Archive release of 1989's Superboy - The Complete Second Season.

Before the end of the day, I'll be posting a review of the recent Scorpion Releasing DVD of Greydon Clark's 1983 teen comedy, Joysticks, and on Friday, I'll have looks at Severin Film's new Blu-ray of the manly merc adventure The Wild Geese and Warner Archive's pre-Code torrid tropical melodrama, Red Dust, with Clark Gable & Jean Harlow.

My goal is to try to settle into a  Monday-Wednesday-Friday update schedule at the Late Show, as long as I have review discs on hand. On my desk at the moment are plenty of DVDs and Blu-rays to get me through January, including Outlaw Brothers, Ashanti, The Definitive Document of The Dead, Godzilla Vs Biollante, A Cat In Paris, Captain Cornelius Cartoon's Cartoon Lagoon Vol. 1, Overtime, and more.

I've been writing and posting DVD (and later, Blu-ray) reviews under the DVD Late Show banner since 2005. That's over 700 reviews, so far. I'm going to try and get at least a 100 more done this year... as long as the discs keep coming and people still find my reviews informative and entertaining.

A New Year Resolution

I have only one (compound) resolution for 2013: get my shit together and finish everything.

For the last few years, I've stalled out on pretty much every creative project I've started, and as I'm not currently working a day job, that means I've accomplished virtually nothing in a very long time. There are a lot of reasons for my lack of productivity - some of which I'm not even sure I understand - but there comes a point when you just have to get shit done. I've reached that point.

I am determined to finish my part (the writing, primarily) of every comics project that I've promised to do over the last few years. This consists of the Perils On Planet X miniseries/graphic novel with Gene Gonzales, the Gravedigger: Hot Women, Cold Cash graphic novel with Rick Burchett, a Captain Midnight one-shot with Richard Clark, and a new Femme Noir graphic novel with Joe Staton. I can't control their schedules in drawing those projects, but I can at least get my part done and stand ready to letter and handle the production on the books when they complete the art.

The hardest part of all this is believing that I can accomplish my goal; which is ironic because all of those talented artists listed above seem to believe in me. Even after years of me missing promised deadline after promised deadline, they have all - to a man - expressed their willingness to still draw these books.

And then there's the fans - yes, I have fans, even though that concept is still utterly incomprehensible to me - who keep asking when the next Femme Noir is coming out or sending me notes on Facebook to tell me how much they're looking forward to Perils On Planet X or Gravedigger. I'm tired of disappointing those folks.

But most of all, there's Brandi, who always believes in me despite how well she knows me. I can't bear to let her down.

So... here's 2013. One way or another, I'm making it my bitch, because I don't just want to finish the projects I've already started; I want to move on to new ones. Skorpion with Rick. A retro super-hero graphic novel that I want to co-write with my pal Jim Chambers. A couple of novels that have been percolating in my brainpan for a while now.

And I can't move on until I clear my desk....

A New Year's Eve Toast

Anyone else remember when TNT used to have Man from U.N.C.L.E. marathons on New Year's Eve?

Here's wishing the half-dozen or so readers of this blog a very Happy New Year. For myself, I'm working to make 2013 the year that I return to comics in a big way, with the long-delayed publication of Perils On Planet X, a new Femme Noir graphic novel, and more. Have a great time tonight, and celebrate safely - perhaps you can take a cue from Napoleon Solo, and spend the evening at home with a few close friends...

Cancelled 2 Soon And It's A Crime

A lot of interesting television series get cut down in infancy, usually because some network is too impatient to stick with a show through its early - and usually inevitable - growing pains and give it time to find its audience. Of course, some shows simply suck, and deserve to be strangled in the crib - to perhaps take the metaphor a bit too far....

Anyway, two cancelled-too-soon TV shows that I thought were pretty damned good right out of the gate and really wish would come out on DVD so I could at least enjoy repeatedly re-watching the few episodes that do exist are: 2003's Karen Sisco with Carla Gugino (sigh) and Robert Forster, & producer Mark Frost's Buddy Faro from '98, with Dennis Farina & Frank Whaley.

Karen Sisco was based on the character from Elmore Leonard's novel Out Of Sight with more than a little inspiration from its 1998 film version, which had starred Jennifer Lopez in the role of Miami-based Federal Marshal Karen Sisco. The short-lived (10 episodes) television series cast the always-gorgeous and intelligent Gugino in the role, and captured the breezy tone of Leonard's writing with remarkable success. Her father, a Miami P.I., was played by Robert Forster (Jackie Brown). The show looked terrific as well, with lots of sunny Florida scenery. ABC really screwed up by not scheduling  the show back-to-back with its then-hit show Alias, as the two programs were thematically similar and, as both had strong female leads, would probably have appealed to the same audience.

Buddy Faro was another breezy crime show with a fantastic, feature-film quality cast. Whaley (Swimming With Sharks) played Bob Jones, a struggling L.A. private investigator who idolizes a legendary private eye - the titular Faro (Farina) - a swingin' Rat Pack-type dick who disappeared in the late 70s on a case. Jones tracks him down in a gutter in Mexico, sobers him up, and takes him on as his partner. The stories were great fun, with Faro portrayed as a sort of fish-out-of-water, still living in the 60s, dealing with the modern world (of 1998) in his own retro-tough guy way.

Obviously, neither show managed the sort of ratings that would have kept them on the air, but man, I loved 'em both. Sadly, I don't think either show is a good candidate for DVD... but then, lots of oddball stuff has been hitting disc lately. Maybe there's still some hope.

Hey Kids, Comics!

The FedEx guy just dropped an Amazon box in the door. Since I didn't have any orders pending, I was baffled. Turns out it was a box full of graphic novel goodies - a belated holiday gift from my bestest buddy, author (and occasional writing partner) James Chambers!

Along with some recent Daredevil and Punisher trade paperbacks by creators he knows I like, he included this handsome hardcover collection of vintage Batman comics drawn by the late, great Don Newton. Jim knows how much I admire Newton's work, and guessed that I'd enjoy the book, which collects most of Newton's Bat-art from the late 70s. Just a quick skim through its pages more than confirms my pal's assumption - it's gorgeous stuff.

Not having been a regular comics shop customer for the last ten years or so, the Daredevil and Punisher trades are all new stuff to me, but I do like the writers involved (Mark Waid and Greg Rucka, respectively), so I look forward to reading those, too.

I am so grateful that I have a friend like Jim - and not just 'cause he gives me stuff. (Though it helps!)

Wednesday Cover: Frazetta's BUCK ROGERS

Hope everyone had a terrific holiday! Once again, I present another fantastic Famous Funnies Buck Rogers cover by legendary fantasy illustrator Frank Frazetta. This astounding image graced the front of issue #214 in November, 1954!

Meet Max

Meet Max (formerly known as Wags). This is how he rode home - quietly - from where we picked him up in from the Dog Transport folks in Kittery early this morning.

He's one exhausted pooch, fresh off two days crated up on a bus, now getting a lot of new stuff thrown at him all at once - new people, new house, new backyard... and two insane felines that aren't quite sure what to make of him, either.

It's going to be good having a dog around the house again.

The First Flash Gordon Story

Well, my first Flash Gordon story, anyway.

Along with the Dark Horse reprints of the Flash Gordon comics and the last two 80's Tempo Books Flash novels by David Hagberg, I recently purchased, I also bought this children's paperback, published in 1976 - Flash Gordon In The Sand World Of Mongo.

Written by Horace Elias, it's basically a Big Little Book, but in standard paperback format. Every other page is a full-page illustration, and the text is in large print, written in very simple language for young children. The artist is uncredited, and the art is, unfortunately, somewhat amateurish. But... I found it for about a buck (the 1976 cover price!).

And here's the thing: I remember reading this back in Junior High. Even then, I was a little old for the simplistic story and prose, but I stumbled across it in the school library, and found the sword-wielding guy on the cover intriguing. So I checked it out and read it during my lunch break.

It may not be a particularly good adventure story (it's not), but it was the first Flash Gordon story I ever read... and the last one I needed to complete my collection of Flash paperbacks.

Get FLINT!

Well, I don't much like the fact that it's a Limited Edition disc, nor that it's so pricey, but I went ahead and pre-ordered the Twilight Time Blu-ray release of Our Man Flint, the first of two Derek Flint superspy capers starring James Coburn. It's supposed to come out in mid-January, with the sequel, In Like Flint, to follow in February. I'll probably pre-order that one, too. Because these discs are only issued in limited numbers, I can't really follow my usual method of buying used discs cheap on the secondary market; when these suckers go out of print, the price only goes up.

So, why did I bite the bullet on this one? Well, first of all, I'm a huge fan of the movie, and even though I have the very nice Ultimate Flint Collection DVDs that Fox put out a few years ago, this Blu-ray has a buttload of new bonus features, including a couple of new documentaries by John Cork - the guy who put together all the great documentaries on the James Bond and Charlie Chan discs. Ultimately, I just couldn't pass it up.

What can I say? I'm weak.

Wednesday Cover: Frazetta's BUCK ROGERS

Action-packed! Fast-paced! Suspenseful! Another Wednesday in December, another amazing Famous Funnies cover starring interplanetary avenger Buck Rogers, drawn by the late, great fantasy illustrator Frank Frazetta. This is issue #212 from July, 1954!

Retro Spaceships Under The Tree

Not only was I able to stock up on retro space adventures in book form this holiday season, but I was also able to order two retro spaceship model kits that I've had on my Wishlist for the last couple of years to place under the Solstice Tree. In this case, they're re-issues of kits that I coveted as a kid, but never owned. The "Interplanetary U.F.O. Mystery Ship" (which I wrote about over on my Space: 1970 blog recently), and the Lindberg "Space Base & Satellite Explorer," which is actually two kits - dating back to the 1950s - repackaged together in one box.

My best friend in elementary school had both the U.F.O. Mystery Ship and the Lindberg "wheel" space station kits, and I always envied him for having them on his shelves. Now I've got them... and maybe someday I'll even get around to actually building and painting them!

The Last Stand Of Arnold Schwarzenegger

Well, here's the new trailer for Lionsgate's The Last Stand, Arnold Schwarzenegger's action movie comeback (aside from his extended cameo in The Expendables sequel). I don't know about you, but it looks like fun to me, with some terrific action sequences and a nice, self-deprecating wit. Plus, Luis Guzman and the Conan sword. I'll definitely be seeing this one.

The Spies No One Remembers.... Except Me

There are a few James Bond knock-offs that I remember watching on TV in the late 70s (& 1980) that I have never heard anyone else mention. One of these was Billion Dollar Threat, a 1979 TV movie that starred Dale Robinette as secret agent Robert Sands, who must foil the nefarious plan of mad scientist Horatio Black - played by none other than John Steed himself, Patrick Macnee - to destroy the ozone layer with a nuclear missile.

I actually taped this one off of TV, so I watched it a number of times. It was a pretty fair - if cheap - little Bondian adventure, written by Hammer Studios vet Jimmy Sangster (Deadlier Than The Male), who seemed to have a penchant for this type of stuff....

Because Sangster also wrote the 1980 ABC telefilm, Once Upon A Spy, which starred a pre-Cheers Ted Danson as a computer expert/reluctant spy who is drafted into a mission to stop another mad scientist - this time portrayed by The Man With The Golden Gun, Scaramanga, in the guise of Sir Christopher Lee - who has a laser cannon (another one?). I remember it as being a bit more deliberately campy than Billion Dollar Threat, in a Man From U.N.C.L.E. sort of way.

Sangster didn't write (I wonder how he missed out on this one), but legitimate 007 veteran Richard Maibaum (Goldfinger, Thunderball, et al) did, the same year's S*H*E - Security Hazards Expert, which starred Cornelia Sharpe as Lavinia Keane, a sort of female Bond in a globetrotting adventure that I remember watching but am unable to recall a single detail of. Omar Sharif played her adversary, an International blackmailer.

None of these are available on DVD, although S*H*E did get a VHS release.I would really like to see all of these again one day....

Kline's Martian Tales

Along with all the Flash Gordon books I've got coming in the mail this month are these two novels of Martian swashbuckling by Otis Adelbert Kline. I've read some of Kline's other "planetary romances" - specifically, several of his Venusian novels - but I've not yet visited his version of the Red Planet.

Paizo Press re-issued these pulp tales a few years back, and I found inexpensive copies of these handsomely designed volumes online. With luck, they'll arrive before the holiday and in good shape. I'm looking forward to adding them to my ever-growing "To Be Read" pile....

For those of my blog readers who aren't all that into space fantasy and are waiting for me to write about hardboiled crime pulp/films again, just be patient. I'm in an outer space state of mind at the moment, but my pop culture passions tend to be cyclical. I'll be back working on the new Femme Noir graphic novel around New Year's and I'm sure I'll be totally immersed in that decidedly more Earthbound genre then!