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...