Awesome original Star Trek photos

Check out THIS SET of rare and unseen photos from the original 1960s STAR TREK!

Very cool, and found via Metafilter.

Coming soon - Peter Bagge's THE BRADLEYS?

Now this is great news about one of my all-time favorite comic books, HATE (which followed the awesome NEAT STUFF)... Peter Bagge's classic strip about the hyper-dysfunctional Bradley family is in development to be an animated series at FOX! More info HERE and HERE!



It's been 24 years since the debut of NEAT STUFF... I think that America is finally ready for an animated Bradleys! Bring it on!

Ask Henson

Do you have a Muppet fascination? Then check out THIS awesome site to find the answer to such burning questions as:

36.) We were curious about the Star Wars version of the Muppets and were unable to remember who played who...Could you tell us?

The stars of Star Wars (Luke, C3PO, R2D2, and Chewbacca) appeared as guest stars on Episode 89 of The Muppet Show during the 1979/1980 season. Miss Piggy dressed as Princess Leia and was called The Princess. Gonzo dressed as Darth Vader and was called "Dearth Nadir". The cover of the Summer 1983 issue of Muppet Magazine featured Kermit (dressed as Luke) and Gonzo (dressed as Darth) having a light saber fight while Piggy (dressed -- and coifed -- as Leia) looked on. Inside is a comic book parody called "Super Stars War" starring Link Hogthrob as Ham Solo, Miss Piggy as Princess Loina, Kermit as Fluke Shywalker, Gonzo as Barff McVader and Superschnozz, Dr. Strangepork as Okiwan Fenokee, and Fozzie Bear as Chewbackwards.

Karen Falk
Archivist, The Jim Henson Company

Too cool!

(Found via Metafilter.)

For a gloomy day

I just felt like posting this:



Now, doesn't that feel a lot better?

The best news this year

is that AMC has outbid all comers for the rights to a series based on Robert Kirkman's WALKING DEAD comic book! This is great news to me, as WALKING DEAD is consistently in My Personal Top Five Favorite Comic Books every month. Each issue ends with a cliffhanger, and Kirkman isn't shy about having his characters go through drastic changes, including sudden death. It's one of the best-written comic books I've ever read, and I'm not really that much of a "zombie fan"... it's just that Kirkman writes believable, gripping, character-driven stories that happen to occur in a world where zombies roam free. Anyway, read more about this awesome news HERE!


If you're not already reading WALKING DEAD, start today. Just do it. All past issues are kept in print over 10 softcover volumes, and the first one is only $9.99. It's one of the few books that I will offer my unconditional guarantee: If you buy it and honestly hate it, bring it back and I will swap you for ten dollars worth of anything else in the store. Yes, WALKING DEAD is that good.

A poignant moment from WALKING DEAD:



I can't wait to see this series!

This has nothing to do with comic books but

I'm somewhat a fan of SEINFELD, but the more I watch CURB YOUR ENTHUSIASM with Larry David, the more I realize that he was the genius behind SEINFELD's success. The man is funny and the situations he comes up with in CURB rival the odd synchronicities in SEINFELD. Anyway, I was very happy to hear this news:

First noted on Clifford Meth's blog, then fleshed out HERE on NPR's site, it looks like it's going to happen. The SEINFELD crew will reunite in the fictional CURB universe!

The seventh season of "Curb" returns on Sept. 20 and will center around Larry finally "agreeing" to do a reunion of the defining '90s sitcom. All four "Seinfeld" cast members will play themselves in multiple episodes, and the season finale will feature extensive snippets of the show-within-the-show.

and

The "Seinfeld" co-creator and "Curb Your Enthusiasm" creator-star says the cast will appear together in the finale of the upcoming seventh season of the HBO comedy series.

It marks the first time in 11 years that Jerry Seinfeld, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Jason Alexander and Michael Richards have appeared together on screen.

It's a dream come true for this CURB fan. You just know it won't end well.

Do you watch the TV show 30 ROCK?

Guess what



has in common with



Give up? Well, comic writer Brian Lynch thinks he's uncovered the fact that 30 ROCK IS A RIP-OFF OF THE MUPPET SHOW! CLICK HERE to view the evidence... it's very compelling. And hilarious.

Han Solo, P.I.

Too funny:



You're welcome.

Is STAR TREK really that great?

Because I just watched this brief clip, and I'm just not seeing what all the hubbub is about...



Thanks to Jason Resh for the link!

Completely hilarious

This is what TV news anchors do during commercial breaks:



You're welcome.

More '70s Sci-Fi goodness: QUARK!

Who doesn't love a sci-fi spoof penned by Buck Henry (GET SMART) starring Richard Benjamin about a space-going Garbage Scow and it's crew of misfits? Behold:


(More info on the series HERE via Wikipedia.)

HERE'S Part 1 of the pilot episode, with the other parts listed on YouTube.


And who can resist Betty 1 and Betty 2? Captain Quark is in love with the original Betty, has no interest in her clone even though he can't tell them apart!

Great fun and apparently available on DVD!

PRISONER opening

I just thought I'd pop in here real quick and put this up:


Just in case you never saw this show. It's well worth your time.

It's the future 1980!

I found this YouTube video for the opening credits of the television show UFO:


It's awesome, isn't it? My sister and I watched it in reruns in the mid-1970s and I instantly had a crush on the purple-haired Moonbase Girls... that is, until I saw the submarine crew! Whoof!

Do you remember this small-screen gem?

I forgot how awesome this opening song is

Behold, the SPACE: 1999 opening credits:


I used to love this show, as there really wasn't much SCI-FI on TV back in the '70s, plus I was in love with Catherine Schell's character Maya the shapeshifter...

the only hotter SF gals were from the submarine crew in the TV show UFO, but that's a story for another day.

R.I.P. Patrick McGoohan

Sad news today... Patrick McGoohan, the star and writer of my favorite television series ever THE PRISONER, has passed away today. He was 80 and died after a brief illness.


HERE'S his Wikipedia entry.


THE PRISONER was a unique program... if you have never seen it, I encourage you to try it out. I don't think you'll be disappointed. Here's a nice brief recap from this site:

The Prisoner TV show was one of those rare sci-fi series that was so different, it became a cult classic! A British secret agent resigns from the service and is immediately rendered unconscious and kidnapped! He awakens in a resort village that is isolated from the rest of the world by mountains on one side and ocean on the other. Those in charge of the village interrogate him about why he decided to leave the service. They won't tell him why they want to know or who they work for and he won't co-operate with them unless they do so. Meanwhile, there are hundreds of other villagers who seem to be accepting their "imprisonment" willingly. Well, most of the time anyway. If you like entertainment that keeps you in suspense and you never are sure of what's going on, this is one for you. There really never has been another program that could be compared to this TV show.

Opening credits:

The Prisoner: "Where am I?"
Number Two: "In the Village."
The Prisoner: "What do you want?"
Number Two: "Information."
The Prisoner: "Whose side are you on?"
Number Two: "That would be telling. We want information. Information! Information!"
The Prisoner: "You won't get it!"
Number Two : "By hook or by crook, we will!"
The Prisoner: "Who are you?"
Number Two: "The new number two."
The Prisoner: "Who is number one?"
Number Two: "You are number six."
The Prisoner: "I am not a Number! I am a free man!"
Number Two: (Laughs)



R.I.P. Patrick McGoohan. Thanks for the many many hours of viewing enjoyment.

Just in case you never saw this

I give you the complete STAR WARS HOLIDAY SPECIAL! (Click on this.)

Contains the first appearance of Boba Fett!
Watch Chewie and his family clelbrate Life Day!
See Bea Arthur give Greedo some lip!
See Harvey Korman host a cooking show!
See Princess Lei sing!


It doesn't get any better than this for Star Wars fans!

(I remember eagerly awaiting this 1978 TV broadcast only to be, shall we say, somewhat let down by all the singing and stuff. Still, it was the first spin-off produced, and it was official!

HERE'S the Wiki entry on this true classic.

FABLES heads to the small screen!

DC's "realistic fantasy" comic FABLES may soon be an ABC TV series!

DC Comics' "Fables" is heading to ABC.

The network has handed out a put pilot commitment to the fantasy project, based on the comic book created by Bill Willingham and published by DC's Vertigo imprint.

"Six Degrees" creators/executive producers Stu Zicherman and Raven Metzner are penning the script for the hourlong drama set at Warner Bros. TV.

David Semel has come on board to direct "Fables," which revolves around characters from fairy tales and folklore living in exile in modern-day New York.

(snip)

Zicherman and Metzner wouldn't elaborate which fairy tale characters will be featured in the TV series, but noted that Big Bad Wolf and Snow White, who are central to the comics, will have a similar role on the show.

(snip)

"We set up a structure to allow any fairy tale character to show up in any one episode," Metzner said.

The fairy tale characters will keep some of their trademark characteristics. For instance, Prince Charming will be handsome, while Big Bad Wolf will have to shave a four-day shadow from growing back every day.

CLICK HERE to read the whole story at The Hollywood Reporter. This could be incredibly awesome!

Saturday Cartoons

Too busy to post much here from the store today, so I thought I'd just offer up a couple of classic cartoons for you to peruse today. So park the kids or you big kids in front of the computer, and enjoy!

Felix the Cat - "Neptune Nonsense"



Popeye - "Parlez Vous Woo"



Superman - "Mechanical Monsters"



Green Lantern - "The Vanishing World"



Teen Titans - "Space Beast Roud-Up"



Space Ghost - "The Council of Doom"

Holy Gotham Guest Stars!

A big thing I love about working at a comic shop is the conversations that occur during the course of a day, and over the weekend I got into a discussion with a guy about fun character crossovers, like Doc Savage showing up in Marvel Two-in-One with The Thing. Another fun crossover mentioned was a very interesting encounter of characters in the sixties Batman TV show, when a certain crime fighter on special assignment from the Daily Sentinel shows up with is partner in Gotham.



How many folks out there remember or have seen this one? They also meet again under much different circumstances a few episodes later.

Fun stuff...

WONDER WOMAN Lyrics

And since we're on the subject of song lyrics, here's the words to the theme song to the 1970s TV show WONDER WOMAN, starring the incomparable Lynda Carter:

Wonder Woman

Wonder Woman, Wonder Woman.
All the world's waiting for you,
and the power you possess.

In your satin tights,
Fighting for your rights
And the old Red, White and Blue.

Wonder Woman, Wonder Woman.
Now the world is ready for you,
and the wonders you can do.

Make a hawk a dove,
Stop a war with love,
Make a liar tell the truth.

Wonder Woman,
Get us out from under, Wonder Woman.
All our hopes are pinned on you.
And the magic that you do.

Stop a bullet cold,
Make the Axis fall,
Change their minds, and change the world.

Wonder Woman, Wonder Woman.
You're a wonder, Wonder Woman.

You're welcome.

Star Trek lyrics

Recently my family and I have been watching the original STAR TREK TV show episodes... all 78 of them. I used to be a huge Star Trek fan, and watching these again reminds me why... the colors, the passion, the possibilities, the easy-to-grasp morality plays. I love it! Karen loves it! (And she never saw an episode before!) Max and Leni love it! It's great! Watching these UNCUT episodes (when I saw these in rerun in the '70s they had removed an additional four minutes from each show to fit in more commercials) on my 36-inch TV (I had a 12-inch TV in my room that I bought myself at an auction for $100 back in 1976 or so!)... well, let's just say I'm in Trek Heaven. Strangely, a lot of the trivia about the show that I used to know is coming back to me... like the LYRICS to the Star Trek Theme Song! You all know the melody, but do you know the words? No?

All together now:

Beyond the rim of the starlight,
my love is wand'ring in star flight.
I know he'll find In star clustered reaches
Love, strange love A starwoman teaches.
I know his journey ends never.
His Star Trek will go on forever.
But tell him while He wanders his starry sea,
Remember, Remember me.

And HERE'S a short article on the sordid story of WHY the lyrics were created, with some additional background on Snopes.com.

Enjoy!

Mad Magazine TV Special Unaired Animated Pilot from 1974!

I can't remember where I found this gem:



From the YouTube description:

This was an idea for a potential animated series or series of television specials. When brought to the network executives it was deemed to "Adult" to be shown on television, thus it never made it past this stage.

Very cool.

Lex Luthor Loves Superman PB!

Jason R. sent this along:



Too funny.

Cool video time

Jared, Jason R. and a few other people sent me this a while back, and it's finally grown on me. One of the reasons that I was not so enamored of it was that I wasn't watching a lot of TV shows during the time when most of these logos were running. Anyway, behold:



Can you name all the shows/companies these logos are spoofing?
HERE's a link to the wiki on this video to help get you started.

This was pretty cool!

Unsold SciFi and Fantasy TV Pilots:



Includes Doctor Strange!

What makes Hulk angry? Let me count the ways.

What makes David Banner "hulk out" on the old TV show and turn into the Green Behemoth? Kenneth Johnson has compiled a list of 117 reasons that Bruce got mad enough to turn into the Hulk. Here's a couple:

15. Having a row of computers fall on him

19. Being pushed down a mountainside by a bigfoot impersonator

32. Getting his jacket caught in the printwheels at the newspaper printing room, and then inexplicably sticking his hand into the rollers

63. Being grazed in the face by a bullet while running after the bus carrying his friend's hysterical mother, and then running into the messy, overturned garbage cans

CLICK HERE to read the full list. It's incredible.

Hat-tip to Mike Bollinger

LOST "Easter Eggs" to appear in selected Marvel Comics

Hey all you fans of the TV show LOST... check this out:

(Taken from Diamond Comics Distributor's website)

With the fourth season of ABC’s Lost scheduled to debut on January 31, ABC and Marvel Comics have created a promotional campaign that should have more viewers tuning in to Lost – and reading many of Marvel’s comics to find a host of special references!

These Lost “Easter eggs” are scheduled to appear in numerous Marvel comics released between January 23 and January 30. Rather than just simple ads, these references will include a Lost poster, the number “6,” the slogan “Find Yourself” and more included in various Marvel titles like Amazing Spider-Man, Captain America, Incredible Hercules and Thunderbolts. Some of the specific books spotlighting the show are Amazing Spider-Man #548, Captain America #34, Daredevil #104, Fantastic Four #553, Incredible Hercules #113, New Avengers Annual #2, Thunderbolts #118 and many others, all listed below. These visual inclusions should serve as enjoyable surprises for any True Believers also interested in discovering what’s in store for the survivors of Oceanic Air flight 815...

Most passing strange.