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The human who usually runs this site is suffering from a virus he refers to as “the common cold” (with a few curse words thrown in). Why he doesn’t just upload an anti-virus shows how little I know (or care) about you humans. So not believing himself capable of carrying on a conversation in two parts (I don’t know what he means by that), logic dictates that I handle this on my own. Which will be an improvement.
He has requested that I thank a human named “Zobovor” for this week’s artwork. I cannot understand why. He should be proud to serve the Decepticon cause. I do have to admit that thus far he has captured me the best, so perhaps I will find a comfortable job for him once we Decepticons finally take over your planet. It’s too bad his website confounds me with numerous “pop-up” and “pop-under” ads, but his stills are something to behold, so it might behoove you to investigate his site.
ShadowWing also mentioned an overwhelming urge to go “Ted Turner” on this artwork. The reference escapes me.
Now to business. Yesterday, ShadowWing brought us the tale of the red, white, and blue-clad earthling Captain America and his war on another disease, asthma. He said that the kick he has chosen for this week comes from this comic. Personally, I find it rather weak compared to this other offerings, but he is not up to borrowing through his longboxes and he finds the ending somewhat amusing. So let us see Captain America take on the creature called “Furball” in a manner I am preparing for a certain organic in due time. And despite certain setbacks, plans are finally coming together. Except for your, the readers, lacking in your voting functions.
Round 11 of 12
The last time I did one of these (rather recently, actually) I dropped the “synopsis/analysis” format because it was easier to do the review that way. (Hunt down Thundercats/Battle of the Planets. My review, I mean, the comic was bad.) I kind of liked it better that way, and I could analyze as I review. While that’s how Linkara got his start, I don’t have to snarkly review bad comics to do that route. Check out the Transformers comics reviews at Disciple of Boltax. So I think I’ll stick with that style. It’ll be fun to see which works better on movie reviews. (I swear the next SMC isn’t going to be a comic! Maybe.)
This round I’m doing another PSA comic. In 1989, Allen & Hansburys, a pharmaceutical maker absorbed by Glaxo, Inc, made a sequel to an asthma awareness comic called Captain America Meets the Asthma Monster. (Which by the way goes for more than I’d think at Mile High Comics.) The best I could find on this comic was at Ye Olde Longbox. It’s not very complementary. Luckily, the first page of the sequel will get us all caught up. I never had this one, but when it comes Return of the Asthma Monster, I was lucky enough to visit my mom while she was at work (a pharmacy at the time) at the same time a distributor was there. (I guess something was going to happen there where the comics would be given out.)
I’m always up for a free comic (seriously, anyone want to give me free comics?), provided it’s not some devil spawn or porn or something. Granted, PSA comics are hardly storytelling gold (as you’ll see when Linkara posts his review of Spider-Man, Power Man and Storm Meet Smokescreen, which I plan to post here as well if allowed–so I don’t have to review it 
), but they can still be fun and the primary purpose is to bring awareness to cause X. In this case, as if it wasn’t obvious, it was asthma and how to take care of yourself if you suffer from it. So let’s give this comic a look.
Captain America: Return of the Asthma Monster
Marvel Comics (1989)
WRITER: Howard Mackie
PENCILER: Mark Bagley
INKER: Kim DeMulder
LETTERER: Janice Chiang
COLORIST: Paul Becton
EDITOR: Gregory Wright
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: Tom DeFalco
The 1981 movie Clash of the Titans was a showcase for co-producer Ray Harryhausen, whose magic with stop-motion was almost as legendary as the mythological characters in the film.
Even today, fans and movie geeks look foundly on the film. It was a fun little flick, not so much kid friendly (what with monster decapitation, limbs being chopped off, people being shot with arrows or turned to stone) as it was mildly family friendly (if the kids were old enough). It didn’t take itself too seriously and was a lot of fun.
So naturally, Hollywood wants to remake it. Contrary to the opinion of Jeff Jensen at Entertainment Weekly, I believe that many fans (granted, not all) would embrace a proper remake that adhered to the spirit of the original, but used modern SFX in place of the old stop-motion.
This is not that remake.
The trailer for the next DC Comics direct-to-DVD film: Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths.
Of course, any DC fanboy worthy of the title knows who the Crime Syndicate are, but here’s a DC Database entry to catch everyone else up. It appears from the trailer and that page that they’re going with the “Crime Syndicate of Amerika” (with a “K”) version. The film features Billy Baldwin as Batman, Mark Harmon as Superman, and James Woods as Owlman, and those are just the folks I’ve heard of. Maybe you know Chris Noth (Lex Luthor) or Gina Torres (Superwoman).
By the way, the website in the trailer doesn’t seem to be working as I write this.
One year ago today, I started the BW Media Spotlight. Defending Spawn (or at least part of it, it’s still a series that is violent and Biblically inaccurate) is probably an odd choice, but for some reason that’s what I went with. While juggling themes the first few months until I found one I really liked most of the features of (which didn’t happen until “Vigilance” came out for WordPress.com), you can still see in the first few postings that was still figuring out how the site works. I still haven’t “fixed” anything, since it’s interesting to see where I’ve been.
However, I set a few goals in that post, and since I seem to be required to bring up the site anniversary (even though my old Transformers site ran longer, even if this has more content–I should do something with that site), I thought I’d see how far I’ve come in a year, even if I don’t have huge numbers of readers just yet.
Seriously, there are stories when he's not even on the right planet!
Today’s strip is interesting for two reasons. One is that I drew people I know into the strip (click said strip for the full story) and two because there are eight comics in there. Not having room for nine, I put my cameos in Transformer shirts–too bad I can’t draw TF logos in a rush. Now I actually quick-sketched the actual covers, because I couldn’t “easter egg” them all in like i have thus far, and I didn’t include the Transformers: Continuum cover because I don’t consider it a comic. However, I paid money for it (unlike the Marvel “Saga” freebies), so it gets reviewed.
If I was able to get that far. After all, I do have to enjoy these comics, so I’m not going to breeze through and just grab data for the review. So the question this week is: did I get through all nine by post time?
Spoiler-blocked versions, posted here or not, will eventually end up at ComiXology.
This week saw the 40th Anniversary of Sesame Street, a classic that many generations have learned from and grown with. And I mean around the world, as Sesame Street has versions all over the planet. (I remember they once did a crossover with Israeli counterpart Rechov Sumsum) Like any right-thinking child, I loved Sesame Street, and since they’ve always thrown nods to adults as well (with spoofs of classic genres, shows, and even the occasional celebrity) so they wouldn’t mind watching with their kids, but still wholesome and fun (little if any “double entendre” style dirty humor) for anyone with a halfway decent sense of humor. Admit it. You’ve run around the channels and occasionally stopped when you saw the show, if only for one segment.
Everyone has their favorite Sesame Street Muppet, and I’m no exception. My favorite?
