RIP Martin C Croker

Posted on September 18, 2016 by Steve

He provided the voices of Zorak and Moltar for Space Ghost Coast to Coast and Doctor Weird who kicked off numerous Aqua Teen Hunger Force episodes. The banter he provided to make Space Ghost even more ridiculous was a huge factor in getting CN to spin off into [adult swim].

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The Amazing World of Gumball is an understatement

Posted on September 14, 2016 by Steve

gumball

One little luxury I’ve allowed myself during this stint of housesitting besides spoiling a couple cats has been binge watching this gem on Cartoon Network. Since Adventure Time and Regular Show are on hiatus (sadly, the latter will be starting its final season soon), I’ve been catching up on the numerous misadventures the title character and his brother Darwin are having.

The premise isn’t anything too original, Gumball (the blue cat above) is a 12-year-old boy attending middle school in the fictional town of Elmore, who has absurd adventures involving girls, his parents, Internet memes, etc. His adopted brother Darwin used to be the pet goldfish and his younger sister Anais is a pink bunny with a high IQ. Makes sense since the parents are a blue cat (Nicole) and a pink bunny (Richard) as well. Gumball stands out over the competition *cough! Disney Channel* through the show’s absurdity, the incredible mixture of different animation styles (more on this later) and how every episode is titled “The (noun).”

From a technical standpoint, Gumball is a tour de force of mixed media. There are animated characters of all sorts: traditional 2D, stop-motion, puppets, 3D computer generated, inanimate objects and Flash just for starters. They all reside within a background world which is a semi-live backdrop to create an off-putting three dimensional look. A recent episode even had Nicole and another parent redrawn/animated as Anime characters for fight sequence.

Is it OK for kids? Pretty much but many jokes will be wasted on them. Gumball has a little subversive streak in how it pokes fun at school, crushes, neighbors, classmates, TV, adults and the Internet. I only wish CN would make clearly available DVD sets of the various seasons; something they haven’t been consistent with lately.

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Image Comics’ Fantasy offerings

Posted on September 12, 2016 by Steve

Last month I posted a second plug for Image’s Sci-Fi offerings. With WizWorld merely days away (I have a ticket to meet Matt Smith, Karen Gillan bailed), why not cover the realm of Fantasy. Here Image is doing pretty well. OK, enough to attract my money.

ratqueenstpb

Rat Queens is about four women who act like 14-year-old boys or more accurately, what 14-year-0ld boys (who play D&D and listen to Van Halen) think grown women act like in the context of a fantasy filled with the usual gaming tropes. Despite my dig on the characterizations, I do enjoy the tongue-in-cheek approach and gaming clichés; namely, fantasy characters taking on “jobs” such as clearing out sewers or caves filled with goblins. The story is actually more complicated though. The Rat Queens are really good friends trying to make a living while overcoming adversity both personal and professional. There are times I cringe when reading it because I’ve encountered players reminiscent of Hannah, the troubled “elven” necromancer, and Betty the drug-using, horny “halfling.”

The writer has made Pathfinder and D&D 5E versions of the Rat Queens available. I might use them as NPCs in a light-hearted encounter or comic relief.

For now, the title is on an indefinite hiatus after #16. The hiatus element of Image’s stuff is one big downside to their comics. Sometimes it works out well (Saga, Low), other times…not really (Pisces). I’m optimistic it will eventually return. Having a physically published comic is more profitable than a Web series.

birthrighttpb

Birthright treads on a well-worn premise…a little boy named Mikey from our contemporary world disappears and returns as a full-grown man. While only a year has passed, he’s spent about two decades in a horrific Fantasy world becoming one of its greatest warriors. Sadly, Mikey’s family fell apart shortly after his departure; his parents divorced with his father remaining the primary suspect in an “unproven murder.”

Why did Mikey come back? Unknown to the “real” world, creatures and denizens from the Fantasy world hide amongst us, namely three wizards he is trying to find and kill. Mikey’s older brother Brennan joins the quest and quickly realizes that something appears “off” about Mikey at times, like he’s possessed.

Sure the premise is tired yet I enjoy Birthright immensely. It’s one of the best executions of the He-Man movie’s premise I’ve seen in a long time.

ihatefairyland

I Hate Fairyland begins like Alice in Wonderland or The Wizard of Oz but then turns those plots 180 degrees by having the six-year-old heroine Gertrude stranded in this fantasy land for 27 years. This results in her transformation into a little psychopath the other residents fear. Since Queen Cloudia, the ruler of Fairyland, isn’t allowed to harm any guests, she sends other residents to kill Gertrude and they fail disastrously.

It isn’t a comic for the squeamish (plenty of gore) but it’s fun to see a mean take on the overdone Disney Princess trope.

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Happy fifth birthday Alex!

Posted on September 12, 2016 by Steve

Today is your day! Enjoy it and remember you’re king for a day but don’t let it go to your head little guy.

Alex is the son of my Dallas-based friend Ami and the late Ben Rasberry. He’s a cool dude who’s now going to school and getting into the things guys his age like: superheroes, Ghostbusters, Star Wars. Hope to see him in the near future.

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Blazing Saddles memorial show

Posted on September 11, 2016 by Steve

blazingsaddles

I’ve seen this movie several dozen times but never on the big screen. My parents did and I vaguely recall that day, we (my brother and me) were ditched at Grandma’s house for the afternoon. Alamo’s copy had been played an awful lot, it was very faded. I figured with all the other theaters showing Gene Wilder stuff, it would be digital. Didn’t matter, it remains one of the funniest and most politically incorrect movies ever made. I hope Mel Brooks has something in his will to keep Adam Sandler and other unfunny hacks from trying to remake his masterpiece ridiculing old Westerns.

I also want to mention the wonderful Alamo management for silencing the dumbass next to us who thought she was in a quote-along. The people on the screen are funny, you lady, are not, so STFU.

What’s really hard to believe in our day is Warner Brothers’ executives being mostly concerned over the farting scene. Racial epithets? OK. Poking sore wounds on Germans? OK. Gay bashing? OK. Farting? Well, they tried to draw the line on Mel…but failed. Despite the usage of ethnic slurs, I think the joke is on the users, they’re the ones we laugh at because, even in the Seventies, their ignorance is funny in a pathetic way. Often, they’re also the villains of the story, namely Taggert. It’s similar to what we laugh at in Idiocracy. How could these people be so dumb?

Oh well, it was a great way to send off Gene Wilder. Alamo did it right with trailers for his other comedies before the show.

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Miniature Broad Street Bullies

Posted on September 10, 2016 by Steve

littleflyers

They finally arrived courtesy of Terra Toys! Being a toy and hockey geek along with being a completist, I ordered 18 skaters and two goalies. Then I’m ready to tear up the ice. For the opposition, they didn’t have Dallas (boo!) so I had to settle for Pittsburgh (blech!).

Next up, rebuilding the 2003-4 team that could’ve taken the cup if they didn’t run out of gas in game seven against the Lightning.

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1966: Star Trek debuts on NBC

Posted on September 8, 2016 by Steve

startrek50

“The Man Trap” wasn’t exactly a great start but more memorable episodes came along to define the show later in the season: “Errand of Mercy,” “Balance of Terror,” and “A Taste of Armageddon.”

Star Trek was the first Sci-Fi program to demonstrate to networks and production companies that it was possible to make a start-of-the-art show on budget and on time since its predecessors were pretty lame. You could say they stretched the on-time part though; sometimes the final editing was completed within hours of air time. I think it was also the first show to be syndicated with fewer than 100 episodes. Paramount did this to make up their financial losses producing it. Through afternoon airings, Star Trek found its audience, teenagers and tweeners. Who at NBC thought even nerds had nothing better to do on a Saturday evening when it was first run should’ve been kicking himself. I probably should read the definitive book These are the Voyages to get the real skinny.

For me, reruns of Star Trek were a TV staple during my childhood in the Seventies and Eighties. Even our local PBS affiliate carried it. Initially I didn’t quite “get it” beyond wanting to have the Mego dolls and goofy walkie-talkies. After Star Wars hit the scene and my understanding of Science Fiction grew, I grew to enjoy the adventures of the Enterprise on new levels. I do remain grateful that their predictions for the Nineties didn’t come to pass (WWIII-Eugenics Wars). People knock the gangster planet and other silly worlds they visited yet I find these things an amusing sampling of what mainstream Sci-Fi was like. Plus this saved money by utilizing Paramount’s backlot, when movie corporations had them. Today the audience is a bit more sophisticated on what aliens may look like (even NG got grief over the numerous foreheads), the distances between stars and how computers really function.

What the JJ Abrams reboot fails to capture is the show’s sense of wonder and optimism, namely how our descendants in the 23rd and 24th century will overcome the ugliness we live with today. Maybe the upcoming Discovery show implements this element. The new roleplaying game also shows promise.

On to the next 50 years!

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Written with his own pooh!

Posted on September 5, 2016 by Steve

conroetruck

Allegedly this was spotted in the remote Houston ‘burb of Conroe (the city is metastasizing so much around it, 40 miles away is a suburb in Texas). I guess the driver felt his message needed something bigger than a bumper sticker and he didn’t want to ruin the paint job with a Sharpie®.

The veiled threat doesn’t bother me since I fall under the Liberal banner being an Austin resident. I just laugh at the owner’s ignorance since I doubt Conroe is a hotbed for the three populations he is hostile toward. Besides, if he made the first two of the three leave, the Texas economy would grind to a halt. As for Muslims? I think they’d make a lesser dent we’d still feel for the majority live in cities and probably work the whole spectrum of jobs like the rest of us.

If there ever were a candidate for an opioid overdose death, sign up this clod. He’ll need it after Trump gets stomped like a narc at a biker rally.

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This month you’re stuck with ZOIDBERG!

Posted on September 4, 2016 by Steve

zoidberg-september

For 2016, I got a Futurama calendar in which each month is a different character I can convert into a mask! Sadly they skipped Amy and Bender’s setup is the centerfold. September is everyone’s favorite loser and inept ship’s doctor (probably more inept than Doc from The Love Boat), Dr. Zoidberg!

Reminds me that I need to find the 2017 Futurama calendar now because it remains a favorite show.

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Handy online X-Wing tool

Posted on September 3, 2016 by Steve
Red Squadron about to get clobbered by various Imperial forces.

Red Squadron about to get clobbered by various Imperial forces.

Finally had an afterwork game of X-Wing with a co-worker who tends to play in numerous local tournaments. Thanks to this link Chris gave me, I was able to build nine out of 12 members of Red Squadron within 300 points. However, he took me to school by building a more efficient group of Imperials which showed my desire for “accuracy” is a superficial matter in the game. We still had a good time and despite losing half, oddly the Rookie pilot survived with Luke, Wedge and Hobbie.

I plan to utilize the builder for next year’s Gamer’s Weekend when Mark and Strange get a rematch against the Rebel Scum of Jeremy and the Johns. I’m thinking Rebel Red, Green and Blue Squadron elements against the Imperials Obsidian with Sabre Squadron members.

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Laying down the new ice!

Posted on September 3, 2016 by Steve


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Alright September!

Posted on September 2, 2016 by Steve

This month it’s the show which helped launch the short-lived UPN (Paramount Nnetwork I know a lot of people like to dump on Star Trek Voyager but it was a difficult premise to maintain, namely over how do you replace lost crew members. Then there’s the psychos who hate to see a woman in the captain’s chair on a weekly basis. I think Kathryn Mulgrew did an excellent job given what she had to work with. I wish they didn’t tell her to speak like Katherine Hepburn…ahead warp two Mr. Paris you old poop!

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RIP Gene Wilder

Posted on August 30, 2016 by Steve

Gene was one of Milwaukee’s greatest exports. For me he’ll forever be the Waco Kid in Blazing Saddles, Mel Brooks’ best comedy that I hope Hollywood will never try to remake. Gene’s Willy Wonka was perfect too. His interpretation had this quiet seething which he let loose near the end. I’ve seen the Tim Burton attempt and Johnny Depp was lame because their Wonka was a goofy cartoon character.

There were so many funny movies Gene made with and without Mel Brooks in the Seventies. After Saddles and Young Frankenstein, I have to highly recommend The World’s Greatest Lover with Carol Kane.

Thank you Gene for all your work and humor.

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Star Trek Beyond: Rental at best

Posted on August 29, 2016 by Steve

stbeyond

I lifted my boycott on the “new” Star Trek after a good friend top me I didn’t need to see the previous turd…Star Trek Into Explosions to understand Beyond. This shouldn’t be a surprise, the franchise has gone with shallowness and characters that no one really gives a crap about. However, I wanted to show my support for Simon Pegg being the co-writer. I think all his contributions were paved over by director Justin Lin whose past work is primarily those awful Fast and Furious flicks. Thus, it was one of his movies with space stuff on it.

Beyond proves that Star Trek works best as a TV show with episodic adventures and not a movie franchise like Star Wars. Pine remains blah as Captain Kirk, Quinto’s Spock and Urban’s McCoy continue to be great yet their screen time is cut back as the story is divided into four sets of characters trying to solve the ho hum crisis.

The crisis? The Enterprise has to go check out some unknown nebula which is oddly full of asteroids to investigate what’s beyond the stellar landmark. As the trailers show and I’m not spoiling anything, the ship is destroyed in the process and the crew scattered as the escape pods land on the habitable world below. I guess they went this way because the famous starship was also destroyed in Star Trek III. Since Lin’s background is car-chase movies, the solution entails punching, motorcycle stunts and overused Beastie Boys “music.” I thought JJ Abrams’ vision of the 23rd Century was already awful due to the crew drinking Budweiser, Lin makes it even worse. Seeing Chinese investors (Alibaba) being one of a few production companies also shows how far Paramount has sunk.

Alamo Extras: Some guys playing an online Star Trek game; people thinking their shower is a transporter (an ad for the French subway); ads plugging the communicator pin, the show’s encyclopedia and an overpriced pen; commercial selling the original Mego dolls; clips from the ST:NG VCR game; painfully awful fan films; clip from Muppet Babies; clip from the Star Trek cartoon; James Doohan plugging collector plates; Shatner doing a commercial for a grocery store; Nimoy shilling for a beeper company; ad for the Mego Star Trek communicator station; the awful “Star Trekkin” song; commercial for ST:NG action figures; Patrick Stewart promoting his one-man A Christmas Carol stage performance; George Takei promoting Milwaukee’s bus system; Pizza Hut ad with Klingons dining there; Hick Trek; Mego ad for the superphaser game.

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Another reason why Austin isn’t “Texas”

Posted on August 28, 2016 by Steve

Texas joined the stampede of idiocy by passing a law to say it’s OK to carry guns around in public. Their flawed thinking goes along these lines:

  • Mass shootings will be prevented because “good guys” will be armed to dispatch the killer before the cops show up.
  • More drivel about the Second Amendment which is always their interpretation while ignoring the militia element.

Private universities get to opt out (coincidence?) but not the public ones such as the centerpiece of Austin. Oh there’s conditions such as age; you have to be 21 to have a permit for “open carry,” never mind that the mentally ill who do these things aren’t really deterred.

The real reason this idiocy has passed was to please the ammosexuals, the NRA and those who want to steer the conversation in favor of Teabagger revisionism. What do I mean by the latter? A professor brings up an uncomfortable topic/viewpoint, then the unstable, self-hating “student” can just murder the teacher with his legal firearm. Problem solved in the diehard Alt-Right and Teabagger movement’s manifesto.

Anyway, I’m glad to see the students fighting back as per this article in the Guardian. I agree with them. Fight obscenity and idiocy with absurdity. Let’s face it, a gun is often a surrogate for the ammosexual’s inadequacy and self-hate.

Arming everyone won’t work. We’ve been down that road before. It was the over-glamorized Wild West period portrayed by hundreds of inaccurate movies. Not a time I would like to bring back or live in.

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