Merry Christmas!

Have a safe and joyful holiday!

'Tis the season for giving, so I present to y'all a special gift - the SCARLET CHRISTMAS GALLERY! I've posted holiday images from the classic Invisible Scarlet O'Neil strips as well as some exclusive family Christmas card art created by Russell Stamm on Scarlet's MySpace page. Most of these images have not been seen in OVER 50 YEARS! Enjoy!

Sunday Funnies

Only have a few of minutes to spare this week? No worries, here's a couple of well edited post-election videos...

Get the latest news satire and funny videos at 236.com.

Get the latest news satire and funny videos at 236.com.

Bring Back the Golden Age in 2009

Bill Jourdain is a great guy and I highly recommend his Golden Age of Comics podcast. Recently, he was involved in helping put together a calendar celebrating some of the best comic covers of years gone by.

The 2009 Vintage DC Super Heroes Calendar by Asgard Press features 16 high quality Golden Age and Silver Age covers in large format, suitable for framing. Some of the images were even pulled from Bill's personal collection! He also provided the introduction and descriptions for each of the featured covers.

You can view the artwork and order the calendar at the Asgard Press website and for a limited time, you can get a 10% discount if you use the promo code GOLDENAGECOMICS.

And did I mention it is made of 100% recycled paper with soy-based inks? It is a great gift for fans of the Gold, Silver, or Green Age!

Sweet Sixty!

It is my pleasure to announce that we now have over 60 CBTs on display at ComicBookTrailers.com!

And there are more coming...

Quotes of Legend - Stephen Wacker

I am pleased to report that I'm feeling much better now! And I felt more than fine picking up my weekly stash of comics today. Especially when I saw the cover for Amazing Spider-Man #577 and I remembered the "next issue promo blurb" from last week's book written by the current editor of the Spidey books...

Simperin' Steve: "Next Week! Punisher and Spidey?!? (What is this? 1995? Where's Wolverine?)"

Sunday Funny (Not really)

Today is my fortieth birthday! Hard to believe I have been on this planet for over four decades. Unfortunately I have not been able to celebrate due to an unwelcome birthday gift I received this weekend - stomach flu. I've spent most of this weekend in bed or in the bathroom and the thought of eating cake makes me want to vomit.

So what's so funny about it? According to my horoscope for this weekend, "the Moon is conjuncting with an errantic Uranus."

I think that is the most accurate astrological prediction I've ever read.

Now if you'll excuse me, the stars are calling yet again....

Quotes of Legend - Barack Obama

U.S. President-Elect Barack Obama: "If there is anyone out there who still doubts that America is a place where all things are possible, who still wonders if the dream of our founders is alive in our time, who still questions the power of our democracy, tonight is your answer. It’s been a long time coming. But tonight, because of what we did on this date, in this election, change has come to America.”
Despite the opinions of the mainstream media, my support of Obama has nothing to do with the color of his skin, nor was I motivated by "white man's guilt." Throughout his life, Obama has been a social worker, volunteer, instructor, and counsellor. Many of his opponents have mocked him for his lack of "executive" experience, but they failed to understand the power of a community organizer. He managed to inspire and motivate millions of Americans (including me) during his campaign and I have no doubt he will likewise use the same methods to help this country in these desperate times.

Tonight I am prouder to be an American than I have ever been, and I look forward to the days ahead.

What's All This Then?

Last Friday, John Cleese appeared on Countdown with Keith Olbermann to share his thoughts on our presidential election...

Post Halloween Post

As I mentioned previously, we had a lot of leftover comics and candy this year. We didn't see nearly as many kids. None of the costumes really stood out either. Had some fun watching Charlie Brown once again, as well as the Simpsons' parody (took 'em a while, but it was worth the wait). The Monster Movie Mini Marathon was fun too! Here's some quick takes on each:

Vampyr - Early German cinema is known for unforgettable visuals and director Carl Theodor Dreyer does not disappoint. While not as striking as Nosferatu nor The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, there were a couple of sequences that stood out. Very dreamlike.

Mark of the Vampire - Four years after the success of Dracula, director Tod Browning and actor Bela Lugosi reunite to bring us this tale with a twist. I can definitely tell that Browning has grown more polished and has been given more money! Worth watching solely for Lionel Barrymore's performance.

Die, Monster, Die - When Boris is not onscreen, this movie drags. A bit like an extra-long episode of The Outer Limits. Not enough creep nor enough camp.

By far, my favorite event of the weekend was Vintage Hitchcock: A Live Radio Play! If you ever have the chance, go see it!

Sunday Funnies - Farewell Opus!

Today saw the last Opus strip from Berkeley Breathed. If you do not get the Sunday paper, you can see the finale at Comics.com, though the final panel is at the Humane Society's website.

As a tribute to the adorable waterfowl, here's one of my favorite series of strips. From 1985...

Treehouse of Horror XIX

Halloween isn't over until The Simpsons have their say and tonight's episode looks to be a good one! After 18 of these shows, they are finally going after the most popular Halloween special ever made, "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown." Should be fun!

Vintage Hitchcock: A Live Radio Play

I love the works of Alfred Hitchcock. I love radio dramas (even had a hand in writing one). So when I found out about Vintage Hitchcock: A Live Radio Play at the Legacy Theatre, the only question was when I could get myself down to Tyrone to see it. Oddly enough, living in the Atlanta area has been pretty good for a Hitchcock fan. I've gotten the opportunity to see quite a few of his films on the big screen, including the restored version of Vertigo, Dial M for Murder in 3D, and two shorts he directed for the Ministry of Information during WWII, "Bon Voyage" and "Aventure Malgache." And now the world premiere of a live performance of a radio drama based on three of Hitch's early films - The Lodger, The Lady Vanishes and The 39 Steps! Too cool for school! Writer Joe Landry is no stranger to the concept as his similar adaptation of It's a Wonderful Life was named among the top ten most produced plays by American Theatre magazine. Hopefully, this play too will be staged all around the country. Watching actors portraying folks performing a radio drama is a unique experience and you can easily tell that it was a labor of love for all involved. Landry sure knows his stuff! There are lots of references to Hitchcock films scattered throughout the play. Unfortunately, the final curtain comes down on the show tomorrow in this area, but I expect it'll be added to more than a few season programs nationwide for years to come.

Seeing this play has renewed my love for Hitchcock films and driving home I realized that it has been quite a while since I've rewatched one of his films. However, I've been toying with the idea of adding a weekly dose of Hitchcock to my schedule. Since he directed over 50 films and television episodes, it should be easy to find enough material to see something different each week for a whole year. Sounds like something that would be cool to blog about. Stay tuned...

Swan Song for Ten

It is official - David Tennant has announced that he will leave Doctor Who when he has completed the filming of four special episodes which will be screened in 2009 and 2010.

This comes as very sad news for me. I certainly do not wish to interfere with anyone wanting to grow as an actor, but I've seen a number of men portray The Doctor and David has been my favorite (or should that be "favourite") of them all. Tennant states, "I don't want to outstay my welcome." IMHO, he had a long way to go before that happened. The next four specials will be bittersweet to watch.

While I will miss David, I have little doubt that Doctor Who will continue to be worth watching. Newly appointed showrunner Steven Moffat will keep things interesting no matter who Doctor#11 will be. As far as that pool goes, my money is on Paterson Joseph.

Happy Halloween!!!

At last, All Hallows' Eve has arrived! The kids have come and gone, but there's still plenty of candy and comics in the house. We just finished watching "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown" - my second favorite Peanuts special. As I leave y'all to begin my Monster Movie Mini Marathon, I wish you a safe and spooky Halloween and may you find a sincere pumpkin patch of your own.

Scary CBTs

Looking for some scary stuff this Halloween? Check out ComicBookTrailers.com for some creepy previews of some of the best horror comics available!

We just added some new trailers from the inmates at Asylum Press! Check out our Featured section to view the bloodcurdling videos for Warlash: Dark Noir, The Bomb, and Asylum of Horrors. But be warned! By watching them all, you may feel the need to sleep with the lights on!

And if you survive those CBTs, we've got plenty more to chill you to the bone...

Jazan Wild's Funhouse of Horrors and Carnival of Souls

Scarlet Veronica

Students of the Unusual

Immortal Kiss

The Rift

Blood Sentence

DeVoid of Life

Age of Insects

United Free Worlds

and many more!

Check out some the best horror comics around at ComicBookTrailers.com. If you dare!!!

Quotes of Legend - Nadaa Haidar

USA Today reports that heavy metal has returned to Iraq. Over 250 young headbangers gathered at a private dinner club in Baghdad for the first heavy metal concert in five years.

Sometimes it takes a village. Sometimes it takes a miracle. Sometimes all it takes is an 18-year old Iraqi girl to remind us of what we all too often take for granted.

Nadaa Haidar: "There's nothing wrong with wearing a veil and listening to metal."
Rock on Nadaa!

Ghost Rider vs Ghost Rider

Just in time for Halloween, Marvel has released this Ghost Rider vs Ghost Rider poster to comic stores everywhere. The art was done by Marc Silvestri and features the two hosts of the Spirit of Vengeance - Johnny Blaze and Danny Ketch squaring off. Check out the beautiful pencil work for this piece! Gorgeous stuff!

To see the actual battle, check out part one of "The Last Stand of the Spirits of Vengeance” in Ghost Rider #28 on sale now.

Congratulations Phillies!

The Philadelphia Phillies defeated the Tampa Bay Rays 4 games to 1. I had no invested interest in this series, but it was still fun to watch. I was leaning slightly for the Phillies for no other reason than I had predicted they would win it in 6 games (which they kind of did if you count the two-part rain delayed game separately). In any case, while it was enjoyable to watch a World Series stress-free, I do hope I'll be on the edge of my seat next year to see the BoSox or the Cubbies win it all.

Now that the World Series is over, let the off-season deals begin!

Fear(s) of the Dark

Fear(s) of the Dark is a black & white, animated, French horror film. Perhaps the only one in existence. It features the work of comic talents Blutch, Charles Burns, Marie Caillou, Pierre Di Sciullo, Lorenzo Mattotti and Richard McGuire.





Check out the trailer and film clips at Apple.com.

I've Cast My Ballot

Rene Belloq: "Indiana, we are merely passing through history. But this...this is history."
As I completed my ballot today (GA allows early voting), this quote from Raiders of the Lost Ark hit me square in the jaw. Odd that something said by a fictional Frenchman should ring so true in my head. It could have been delirium setting in after waiting in line for 3 1/2 hours. It could be that I'm a total Indiana Jones fanboy. Or it could be that the choice made this year is one of the most important I've ever faced. This is the sixth time I've had the honor of voting for the President, but this time It really felt like I was part of something grand. It really felt good. I felt proud.

Go vote! It's worth the wait!

Halloween Shuffle

About time for some shufflin'! This time I will limit the tunes to my "Boo!" playlist - songs perfect for a Halloween bash.

Sisters of Mercy "Lights"
We begin on a somber gothic note. I was totally into this band in the 80's and finally got to see them perform a few years ago. And I really wish I hadn't. Probably the most disappointing show I've ever been to. Still love listening to them though.

U2 "Helter Skelter"
"This is a song Charles Manson stole from the Beatles and we're stealing it back!" cries Bono at the beginning of this track. U2 manages to do the cover justice, but it is not near enough to wash the blood away.

Rollins Band "Ghostrider"
Not only do I think The Crow is one of the best comic book movies ever, the soundtrack is one of my favorite non-score cds in my collection. Ghost Rider has appearing in my life a lot lately. Creepy serendipity?

Billy Idol "White Wedding"
I'm sure Billy thought it would be funny to release a Christmas album a couple of years ago, but I just thought it was sad.

White Zombie "I'm Your Boogie Man"
This playlist currently has 597 songs on it and 130 of them are White Zombie/Rob Zombie. That means I should hear a Zombie track every 5 or 6 songs. I like those odds!

"End Credits"
The end (for now)...

Monster Mash-Ups

Here's a collection of Halloween-themed mash-ups that's been catching on like a flash around the blog circuit and with good reason - it's good stuff! If you do not have it, you can get it for FREE all over the web (here's a link to CultureBelly.com to help you out). Tell 'em Boris sent you!

Disney's Haunted Mansion

One of my favorite rides at DisneyWorld is the Haunted Mansion. Sure, it is tame compared to Netherworld or Universal's Halloween Horror Nights, but then I prefer classic horror films to those of today. I recently found some pretty good videos of the experience on YouTube. If you haven't even been on the ride, the videos below do NOT do it justice. But if you have, these should bring back some spooky memories...

Sunday Funnies

So many choices this election season...

Monster Mike's Mini Marathon

For the last few years, I have followed a tradition of watching scary movies on Halloween night. Not just any scary movies, though. "Classic" scary movies. No J-horror, Saw sequels nor remakes for me. Give me the oldies but goodies! Turner Classic Movies is a great source to find some of the best, though until this year I only had time for one film since Halloween was on a week night (last year's was White Zombie). This year, I should be able to host a mini-marathon and looking at TCM's schedule I have decided on three (which I will record and watch Friday night).

This year's Monster Mike's Mini Marathon will be:

Vampyr (1932) German classic frequently overshadowed by Nosferatu. Based on Sheridan Le Fanu's haunting story "Carmilla."

Mark of the Vampire (1935) Director Tod Browning and Bela Lugosi attempt to recapture the spooky magic of 1931's Dracula costarring Lionel Barrymore and Carroll Borland (who plays one of the silver screen's first female vampires).

Die, Monster, Die! (1965) Roger Corman produced the first credited film adaptation of a story by H.P. Lovecraft. Starring Boris Karloff.

And of course, I'll be watching all of these with the lights out!

Future Previews Solicitations (I hope)

DARK HORSE


INDIANA JONES & THE MONKEY KING #1 (of 6)

Written by MICHAEL A. GORDON & WILLIAM KIELHORN

Art by FRANCESCO FRANCAVILLA

Indiana travels to eastern China on a quest to find the legendary Staff of Sun Wukong and once again crosses paths with gangster Lao Che. But is he a friend or foe?

Format: FC, 56 pages
Price: $5.99



STAR WARS: JEDI - KIT FISTO

Written by MICHAEL A. GORDON

Art by ART ADAMS (not shown)

A Double-Sized Clone Wars Special!

Having won the Battle of Mon Calamari, Master Fisto and his former Padawan Nahdarr Vebb are sent to Kamino to protect Senator Bail Organa from a group of assassin magnaguards sent by Count Dooku.

Format: FC, 48pg
Price: $4.99

MARVEL



BLAZE & STORM: FLAMES OF FURY 1 (of 4)

Written by MICHAEL A. GORDON

Art by JOHN ROMITA JR

The Toys are back in town! And their target is Johnny Storm! Comte de Saint Germain wants revenge, and he is ready and willing to go through the Spirit of Vengeance to get it! Will these two hotheads be able to stop him? And who is St. Germain's new master?

32 PGS./Rated A …$2.99


TIGRA: EYE OF THE TIGRA #1 (of 4)

Written by MICHAEL A. GORDON

Art by FRANK CHO

She's been an Avenger, a private investigator, a New York police officer, and galactic hero. But who is the real Tigra? Has this cat used up her 9 lives? Tigra embarks on a journey to explore some answers about her past and future and her first stop is the Savage Land!

32 PGS./Rated A …$2.99