Hasslein Blog: April 2013

REFERENCE GUIDES BY GEEKS, FOR GEEKS

Hasslein Blog

Tuesday, April 30, 2013

Matthew Sunrich Presents... Sword of Sorcery #1


Sword of Sorcery #1

By Matthew Sunrich


In the early Seventies, the sword & sorcery craze was in full swing.

Marvel had launched Conan the Barbarian at the beginning of the decade, and its popularity opened the doors for other, similar concepts to find their way into American comic books. DC had actually introduced a "sword & sorcery" character called Nightmaster in Showcase #82 in 1969, but, as the lead singer of a rock band who accidentally discovers a doorway into another world in a bookstore (fair enough, I suppose) and wears a form-fitting blue suit and red cape, he seemed more like a weird version of Superman than a swashbuckling fantasy hero. His adventures, despite featuring some of the earliest work of Bernie Wrightson, only lasted three issues.


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Saturday, April 27, 2013

Building a Human



An instructional film made by The Visitors for Human Collaborators on Edité-Frignim (Earth). Video by Robert Popper and Peter Serafinowicz.

 

Friday, April 26, 2013

BLU-RAY REVIEW: ST:TNG—"The Best of Both Worlds"


BLU-RAY REVIEW:

Star Trek: The Next Generation

"The Best of Both Worlds"


By Rich Handley


There are certain Star Trek episodes that end up on almost everyone's "best of" list, as their writing, direction and performances are so mesmerizing that they transcend personal tastes. Ask a large group of fans to list their favorites, and it's a good bet your compiled results will include "The City on the Edge of Forever," "The Menagerie," "Amok Time," "Journey to Babel," "Mirror, Mirror," "Yesteryear," "All Good Things…," "Tapestry," "The Inner Light," "Chain of Command," "The Measure of a Man," "Yesterday's Enterprise," "Trials and Tribbleations," "Far Beyond the Stars," "The Visitor," "Year of Hell," "Carbon Creek" and "In a Mirror, Darkly."

And at or near the top of that list will almost certainly be "The Best of Both Worlds."


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Matthew Sunrich Presents... Detective Comics #404


Detective Comics #404

By Matthew Sunrich



When it comes to storytelling, it's hard to go wrong with a plot involving a "cursed" film production.

Other than the fact that some people believe this is a real thing (see Poltergeist), it's just inherently entertaining. We savor the idea of someone's spirit's having been disturbed or angered by the perceived audacity of a filmmaker who wants to explore a story that is apparently better left alone. Superstitions like this one fascinate us because they ostensibly indicate the influence of mysterious forces that somehow manipulate the world as we know it and imbue it with a species of logic that we can never possibly understand. They let us peek behind the curtain, but we only see shadowed figures moving about, and their movements are inscrutable.


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Doctor Who Retro Review: Serial 006—The Aztecs


Doctor Who Retro Review

Serial 006: "Aztecs"


Starring: William Hartnell

By T. Scott Edwards




After the average The Keys of Marinus, another Terry Nation sci-fi, Doctor Who returns to form with another glorious historical, once again penned by the magnificent John Lucarotti. The Aztecs is probably my favourite Hartnell story in existence. Perfectly scripted again, and with wonderful performances from everyone involved, it is troubling, educational, insightful and moral all at once, dealing with the conventions of the Aztec people, including worship of multiple gods in the hopes of appeasing each of them, usually with human sacrifice.

As was introduced last episode, Barbara, an history teacher, shows particular interest in this particular time period, and revels in the fact that they have arrived pre-discovery by Cortez, and therefore are able to appreciate this culturally advanced society, with regards to art and architecture at least. Mistaken for a god at the beginning of the first episode, she embraces this culture fully, before realising that she is genuinely appalled at their ceremonies. Despite warnings from the Doctor, in one of Hartnell's best scenes ever, that she should never change history, "not one line!", she interrupts the sacrifice, shaming the offering into committing suicide from the temple roof. What is refreshing here is that once again the educational aspects of the show are not forced, but come from natural sounding dialogue. Her desperation to make them see the error of their ways is fraudulent – it is forcing a moral code onto people who are not concerned by such things. This culture has tradition, and this element is most important. The question which arises is whether Barbara has any right to interfere. Moreover, as the Doctor warns, interfering in the course of history can only end badly.


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Thursday, April 25, 2013

Matthew Sunrich Presents... Conan: Red Nails


Conan: Red Nails
By Matthew Sunrich



Ever find yourself in a strange place where no one can be trusted? If your name happens to be Conan of Cimmeria, it's the sort of thing that happens all the time.

The last Conan story written by Robert E. Howard before his untimely death, the novella-length adventure "Red Nails" was serialized in the pages of Weird Tales in 1936. Considered one of the finest stories in Conan's canon, it features the formidable she-pirate Valeria, who in many ways resembles Red Sonja, a character who would enjoy success in the pages of Conan's various comics and magazines, as well as in her own, during the Bronze Age (see my earlier article "Red Sonja: The Marvel Years" for details).


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Wednesday, April 24, 2013

Doctor Who Retro Review: Serial 005—The Keys of Marinus


Doctor Who Retro Review

Serial 005: "The Keys of Marinus"


Starring: William Hartnell

By T. Scott Edwards



Sigh – Terry F*****g Nation again. After the exceptional Marco Polo, the next story was always going to have to try really hard to impress. The Keys of Marinus sadly fails to deliver. It is entertaining, silly nonsense, and the concept is brilliant – indeed, it's one that will be returned to, far more successfully, during Tom Baker's tenure. Sadly, though, this doesn't work for precisely the reason that the Key to Time season does. As a series of linked stories, an overall arc with a final goal, the concept works, but due to time constraints, and that great enemy of Doctor Who, budget restraints, this serial sadly flounders. Don't get me wrong – there are a number of excellent ideas in there; the episode set in Morphoton is based upon a brilliantly effective idea. Indeed, it features the first hypnosis in Doctor Who, something which will be relied upon as a plot device time and time again. But without time for some of the stories to develop, it all seemed a little brief and loosely handled.

There are things to get excited about by this serial, or course – the first ever materialisation, some wonderful models, and the beautiful Altos are all amongst them. Hartnell also has some corkers in this script, which are laudable – his point about shoes in the first episode never fails to make me chuckle. It is just that, after such a natural, strong moral adventure as Marco Polo, Nation's script all feels a little too flat and staid. Conversations of educational import are thrown in, crowbarred into discussion where they simply do not sound natural. Whilst Lucarotti uses education almost subliminally, Nation tacks random points on here and there. Take, for example, the discussion of the ancient pyramids of Egypt and South America whilst they inspect Arbitan's monumental home. Despite the fact that Susan has disappeared, and they really should be looking for her, they are, instead, admiring the architecture. It all feels so... well, glib, for want of a better word. What is nice about this particular exchange is that it foreshadows the next serial, another Lucarotti gem The Aztecs, where Barbara's fascination for the South American culture is the driving force behind the entire narrative.


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Monday, April 22, 2013

First Sign of Spring



Thanks to Kathy McManis Holzapfel.

 

Friday, April 19, 2013

Turning George McFly Upside-Down: Actor Jeffrey Weissman Goes Back to the Future



Turning George McFly Upside-Down: 

Actor Jeffrey Weissman Goes Back to the Future

By Rich Handley


In 1989, Robert Zemeckis and Bob Gale created the first of two sequels to their 1985 masterpiece, Back to the Future. The second film, picking up right where the first left off, featured most of the main cast from BTTF, with a couple notable exceptions. One of them, of course, was Crispin Glover, who'd breathed life into the much-loved George McFly. Due to disagreements with producers that eventually avalanched into a lawsuit, Glover opted not to return for the sequels, leaving Universal with a grim choice: replace him or remove George from the films entirely.

Thankfully, the studio went with choice A, and brought in talented actor Jeffrey Weissman to assume the role of George. Weissman recently chatted with Hasslein Books about his experiences working on BTTF Parts II and III, as well as his work outside of Back to the Future. The actor offered frank, honest recollections of how it felt to step into such an iconic role amidst mixed feelings on set.

On Back to the Future Part II, Jeffrey Weissman got to
hang around the set... just not in the usual way.

HASSLEIN BOOKS: I believe you were working at Universal Studios as an impressionist when you were called in to replace Crispin Glover as George McFly. Is that correct?

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Matthew Sunrich Presents: Batman #246


Batman #246
By Matthew Sunrich


Criminals always seem to want to mess with the Batman.

His reputation as a crime-fighter, peerless detective, and guardian of Gotham City makes him the frequent target of oddball schemes, cooked up by criminals with varying agendas, designed to test his patience, resourcefulness, and mettle. As far as crooks are concerned, defeating—or perhaps even killing—the Dark Knight is the ultimate goal, and the more ingenious the means by which they achieve it, the better. Torment him before you deal the killing blow; make him pay for his one-man crusade against Gotham's underworld.

Illustrated by the team of Irv Novick, Dick Dillin, and Dick Giordano, Batman #246 (1972), "How Many Ways Can a Robin Die?" is a full-length tale that sees the Caped Crusader pushed almost to the breaking point by an elusive criminal who clearly understands Batman's capabilities and exploits them for his own purposes.


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Thursday, April 18, 2013

Doctor Who Retro Review: Serial 004—Marco Polo


Doctor Who Retro Review
Serial 004: "Marco Polo"
Starring: William Hartnell

By T. Scott Edwards


John Lucarotti is one of the greatest writers of Doctor Who ever. His attention to detail is second-to-none, and his ability to create sharp, poignant and rounded characters is incredible. "Marco Polo" is his first script for the series, and for me, his finest. Over seven well-paced episodes, the serial unwinds gradually, slowly, yet is never, ever dull. It sticks strictly to the formula evidently provided by Newman et al following the inception of the show; it is educational, ticking cross-curricular boxes from History to Science. It is also a pivotal story for two other reasons:

1. It is the first serial after the initial 13-week run provisionally granted the show, and as such can be seen as the first true story following this 'pilot' season of stories, taking the crew to 100,000 BC, the planet Skaro and deep into their own subconscious whilst trapped aboard the TARDIS.

 2. It is the first story in chronological order to have been wiped, utterly destroyed save for a few telesnaps held in Waris Hussein's private collection, and the audio track. Episode 4, directed by John Crockett, only exists in audio form, as no photos were taken during the filming.

And this is one of the greatest tragedies of all of Doctor Who, in my opinion—a story so well-written, so tightly directed, perfectly performed by a fabulous cast, and deemed at the time to be unworthy of keeping, and so wiped by the BBC to create room.



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BLU-RAY REVIEW: Star Trek: Enterprise Season One

By Rich Handley

When Enterprise debuted in September 2001 (my god, Bones, has it really been that long?), I admittedly wasn't hooked. And although I kept watching for a couple years, my enthusiasm level never really rose. Despite being someone who'd watched and recorded every single episode of the five previous TV series (including the cartoons), I just couldn't connect with Enterprise. I wanted to, having been a lifelong Trek fan and an admirer of Scott Bakula's work on Quantum Leap. The concept of a The Right Stuff approach to Starfleet's origins was an intriguing and novel departure from 21 seasons set in the 24th century, and I was fascinated by the potential that Enterprise offered for featuring stories setting up what we saw during James T. Kirk's day.

The pilot episode, "Broken Bow," had a strong story, opening with a very logical starting point for Star Trek—first contact with the Klingons—and a solid framework upon which to build a new show. The characters of Archer (Bakula), T'Pol (Jolene Blalock), Tucker (Connor Trinneer), Phlox (John Billingsley) and Reed (Dominic Keating) were the clear standouts, and I was curious to know more about them. Plus, the pilot featured strong performances by Gary Graham as Ambassador Soval and Vaughn Armstrong as Admiral Forrest, as well as the unexpected return of James Cromwell as First Contact's Zephram Cochrane. It seemed like a recipe for success.

But I wasn't hooked. In fact, I walked away feeling vaguely dissatisfied, like one might feel after a Thanksgiving feast that looked mouth-wateringly delicious, filling the house with savory smells for days leading up to the joyous feast, but ultimately consisting of turkey slightly overcooked, mashed potatoes a bit too cold and gravy a tad lumpy, with stale biscuits on the side. (Don't worry, despite how it may seem, this is not a negative review.)



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Wednesday, April 17, 2013

Battlestar Galactica: The Second Coming

By Rich Handley

If you've never seen Battlestar Galactica: The Second Coming, it's about time you corrected this geekish oversight.

What the frak is Battlestar Galactica: The Second Coming, you ask? Well, then, you're apparently someone who should be reading this.

BSG: The Second Coming was a short science fiction film created, co-directed (with Jay Woelfel) and executive-produced by Richard Hatch (Apollo in the original Galactica, and Tom Zarek in the revamped version) in 1991. Produced by Johnnie J. Young, it was intended as a pilot for a new BSG TV series Hatch proposed that would have picked up where the 1978 first season left off (thankfully ignoring the dreadful second season, Galactica 1980, which Hatch's Galactica novels and comics also negated).


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GUEST BLOG: Son of Frankenstein—The Last of Its Kind


Son of Frankenstein
By Greg Bakun



There was a time in US cinema history when Universal Studios held a monopoly on films which frightened moviegoers and brought us into the modern era of monster films. This period of time, in my opinion, started with Dracula in 1931 but really became something special with the release of a film in that same year that featured my favorite monster. That film was Frankenstein. It is said when Frankenstein's monster made his first appearance in the film, people had never seen anything like it. People screamed and some even fainted. Universal knew they had something unique and unsettling. The film starts with Edward Van Sloan, who appeared as Van Helsing in Dracula, giving a warning about the content of the film before it starts. I would have loved to have been in the audience of one of the original screenings in 1931 to experience it. Unfortunately, I was born about 43 years too late.

This was followed up in 1935 with The Bride of Frankenstein. I love this film and like it a little bit more than Frankenstein. In it, we see the return of Colin Clive as Henry Frankenstein and Boris Karloff as the Monster, and James Whale returns to direct the film. The film brought us Elsa Lanchester playing two very prominent roles for the film, Mary Shelley and "The Bride," who is repulsed by the very sight of the Monster. The film ends with The Monster blowing up both The Bride and himself... or so we thought.


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Tuesday, April 16, 2013

Star Wars: The Russ Manning and Russ Helm Newspaper Strips

by Rich Handley

During the late 1970s and early '80s, the Los Angeles Times Syndicate published a daily newspaper strip based on Star Wars, and it was glorious. Written first by Russ Manning, and later by Archie Goodwin, the series was richly illustrated, hilariously written and eminently worthy of the Star Wars brand name.

C-3PO recording his adventures for the
Rebel super-computer, Mistress Mnemos

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Matthew Sunrich Presents: Conan the Barbarian 92


Conan the Barbarian #92
By Matthew Sunrich


"How can you kill a thing that is already dead?"


Both mythology and modern fiction have myriad lessons to impart, but one of the most prominent is that it's always a bad idea for the living to mess around with the dead.

Tales from all over the globe, dating back to humankind's earliest civilizations (The Epic of Gilgamesh, anyone?), chronicle horrifying encounters between hapless (or just stupid) humans, who think it's acceptable to disturb a tomb, and the resurrected or reanimated dead, who are none too happy about it. It's likely that these sorts of stories were devised to deter grave robbers, since people were frequently interred with the riches they had enjoyed in life, but outside of that there's just a natural inclination for the "quick" to fear the deceased (or, at the very least, be bemused by them).


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Monday, April 15, 2013

Doctor Who Retro Review: Serial 003—The Edge of Destruction


Doctor Who Retro Review
Serial 003: "The Edge of Destruction"
Starring: William Hartnell

By T. Scott Edwards


The Edge of Destruction is something of a peculiarity—and that's a good thing. It is an incredibly well-made, dramatic and effective piece of television, one which still haunts now as it surely did on its first airing. Born of a need to create a cheap, self-contained two episode story, with no money for sets or extras, this is a four-piece kitchen sink drama oozing tension so thick you could cut it with a knife—or a pair of scissors, as it may be. Despite it being a taboo, it was written by then script editor David Whittaker very quickly. The script was in turn adapted during rehearsal and filming processes, as the cast milked all of the power of silence and potential of odd looks to make it even more powerful.

As the first episode starts, where the last serial let out with the TARDIS juddering and shuddering, throwing the crew asunder, knocking them all unconscious, it is horribly terrifying—we have no idea what has happened or why they are being thrown such. In addition, it is Barbara who first awakens; one of the outsiders who could never understand the TARDIS and what it does, surrounding by such a strange location, adorned with the slumped unconscious forms of Susan, Ian and the Doctor. She is utterly out of her depth, and Jacqueline Hill performs throughout this serial with a dedication that is unwavering. She is magnificent, fluctuating between controlling school mistress making important decisions and a woman just on the brink of sanity. Her voice breaks uncontrollably, and the scene in which she admonishes the Doctor for his suspicion—when he should be "down on (his) knees and thanking" them—is powerful, moving and unnerving.



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Saturday, April 13, 2013

Star Trek Newspaper Strips: IDW Needs Your Help

Attention: Star Trek Fans!

IDW's Library of American Comics (LOAC) needs your help. In December 2012, LOAC published Star Trek: The Newspaper Comics, Volume 1: 1979-1981, reprinting the first 10 L.A. Times Syndicate strips by Thomas Warkentin, Sharman DiVono and Ron Harris (learn more). In creating that first volume, we worked hard to find the highest-quality strips available. Now we're preparing Volume 2, and we're on the lookout once more.

We've already located all of the strips from the second batch of 10 stories, but are reaching out to the fan community in the hope of finding higher-quality versions of some of them. If you have any of the actual dailies (the original strips, rather than photocopied versions) published between February 1982 and January 1983, and would be willing to lend them for scanning purposes (or provide high-resolution scans), please contact editor Dean Mullaney at info@loacomics.com.

Thank you for your assistance. With your help, we can continue presenting these lost gems in the best light possible.

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Friday, April 12, 2013

Doctor Who Retro Review: Serial 002—The Daleks


Doctor Who Retro Review
Serial 002: "The Daleks"
Starring: William Hartnell

By T. Scott Edwards


As Sue would say on Adventures with the Wife in Space—"Terry F****** Nation." The man has done a great deal for Doctor Who over the many years, and has a lot to answer for, and this, his first script for the show, is ultimately the reason the series ever existed beyond the first few stories. The creator of the Daleks, he is renowned for rather mundane scripts, but it is the creation of these pepperpot monsters which truly cements his arguable genius. His scripts are often rather stilted, with bland characterisation and frightfully run-of-the-mill episode titles—yet he is also responsible for what is arguably one of the greatest serials ever, Genesis of the Daleks. That a man can have so many hits, and so many misses, is fascinating. But what of his first serial, The Daleks?

Each of the earliest serials was split into a number of episodes, each with their own names—some truly off the mark, others apt. As the story opens, with the title card reading "The Dead Planet," the flickering of the danger light on the TARDIS console sets the scene instantly. Before anything can happen, our time-travelling heroes are already in grave peril. Great pains have gone into the creation of the sets for this serial, and Raymond Cusick is truly a genius—not only did he create the iconic design of the Daleks, but also he created such a sense of otherworldliness, of alienness, that it is breathtaking. The petrified jungle, the metal creature, the corridors of the Dalek city with their slanted, crooked doors too short for Barbara to walk through without ducking—from the outset, we know that they are somewhere unknown.



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Matthew Sunrich Presents: Detective Comics #397

Detective Comics #397
By Matthew Sunrich


During the Bronze Age, many of DC's comics split their page counts between two or more characters. This was particularly true in the case (no pun intended) of Detective Comics. It made sense in a way, though, because Detective was originally an anthology about various sleuthing types rather than a Batman title (just as Action Comics was not originally exclusively a Superman book). I don't understand why DC didn't just do away with Detective as a title when it rebooted its entire line in 2011, since it's been just a Batman book pretty much since the late '80s, but whatever.

The cover of Detective #397 clearly states that it features both Batman and Batgirl, so it should come as no surprise that almost a third of the book features no Batman whatsoever. Quite honestly, I almost never bother reading the non-Batman stories, as they focus on characters that don't interest me and are frequently executed by second- or third-tier creative teams; I can't help but think of these stories as filler. I mean, there may be Elongated Man fans out there, but I've never encountered one.


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Thursday, April 11, 2013

Doctor Who Retro Review: Serial 001—An Unearthly Child

Today, we welcome a new blogger to Hasslein Books: T. Scott Edwards, the director of drama at Barnard Castle School and the owner of a Doctor Who blog called The Timelord Apprentice. Scott has been reviewing the entire Who series at his blog, one serial at a time, and has graciously offered to share each entry with Hasslein Books' readers. We'll be running a couple reviews per week until we catch up. Take it away, Scott...


Doctor Who Review
Serial 001: "An Unearthly Child"
Starring: William Hartnell

by T. Scott Edwards


"An Unearthly Child" was where it all began, nearly 50 years ago, on November 23, 1963. The idea of the show that would go on to capture the attention of millions of fans was brain-stormed by C.E Webber, Sydney Newman and Donald Wilson during a format meeting, and the structure was set down loosely. What these three would think of the way the show has gone today is unsure, as tastes and styles have greatly altered since 1963.

With this in mind, then, how will the original serial fare with my modern-day predilections and criticisms in tow?



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Pennsylvania Theater Goes Back to the Future

If you live anywhere near the Colonial Theatre, located in Phoenixville, Pennsylvania, be sure to attend a viewing of Back to the Future on Saturday, Apr. 27, at 2:00 PM.



This will be a 35-millimeter print, on loan from Universal. The theater is most recognizable for its appearance in 1958's The Blob, starring Steve McQueen. You can learn more about the Colonial here, and you can purchase tickets for the film here. Don't be a butthead... make like a tree and order your tickets today.



From the theater's Web site:

General Information
The 658-seat Colonial Theatre is located in the heart of downtown Phoenixville, Pennsylvania at 227 Bridge Street. Opened in 1903, the Colonial is the last surviving of four theatres once existing in the borough and is the only theatre of its kind in Chester County. In its early days, the Colonial was home to live stage shows, vaudeville acts and musicals including appearances by Harry Houdini and Mary Pickford. Real movie buffs know that the Colonial was featured in the 1958 science fiction classic, The Blob, starring Steve McQueen and filmed in and around Phoenixville.

The theatre is owned and operated by the Association for the Colonial Theatre (ACT), a nonprofit corporation, which re-opened the theatre in 1999. The Colonial’s programming includes art and independent films seven nights a week, classic films, programs for young audiences, live concerts, and community events. ACT is committed to the full restoration of the Colonial as a cultural arts center.

Mission
The mission of the Association for the Colonial Theatre is to enhance the collective well-being of our region by restoring the landmark Colonial Theatre and promoting cultural, economic and civic life. To that end, ACT presents film, live theatre, music, dance and other community events in the heart of Phoenixville’s historic business district.

Support for restoration of this cultural gem is important, but we also need your support for the day-to-day operating costs of the theatre. Please consider becoming a member.

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Wednesday, April 10, 2013

Presenting the Long-Forgotten Spanish Star Wars Comics

by Rich Handley

Attention, Star Wars fans: A special project discussed on this site a couple of weeks ago (here and here) is now posted at StarWars.com. The subject: a comic book series published only in Spanish that most fans never even knew existed. The best part? The article includes links to PDFs of the entire series, hosted by this very site, as well as that of my good friend Abel G. Peña, who helped on the article to no small degree. Check out the article here, and... ¡Que la Fuerza te acompañe!


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Star Trek Into Cinemosaic Darkness

Paramount has released a new animated "Cinemosaic" poster for Star Trek Into Darkness, which opens in little more than a month. Hasslein Books' management is now officially frothing at the mouth.


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Tuesday, April 9, 2013

Matthew Sunrich Presents: Conan the Barbarian #37

Conan the Barbarian #37
By Matthew Sunrich


Neal Adams is a curious figure in the world of comics. He made a splash at both Marvel and DC during the Bronze Age and then disappeared. He didn't exactly drop off the face of the Earth; he just found other artistic endeavors to be more lucrative. It's perfectly reasonable that a man of his remarkable talents would "outgrow" the medium, although he maintains that when you take into account the similarities between drawing comics and composing storyboards, which he has often done in his advertising work, he never really left.

Best known for illustrating Batman, X-Men, Green Lantern/Green Arrow, and Avengers, Adams was capable of producing staggering work in any genre, and his reputation allowed him to draw anything he wanted for any publisher.

It's a good thing for the sword & sorcery enthusiasts among us that he also chose to lend his capable hand to illustrating Conan, the poster boy of swashbuckling adventure, before he left for greener pastures. He drew or painted several covers but contributed to a mere handful of the Cimmerian's stories. It is perhaps this dearth of work, though, that makes those stories so special.


He provided inks for Conan the Barbarian #s 44, 45, and 116; pencils for a story in Savage Sword of Conan #14; and inks (over Gil Kane) for one in Savage Tales #4.

He did, however, provide full art for one glorious issue. 
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Matthew Sunrich Presents: Batman #267

Batman #267
By Matthew Sunrich


There are few more iconic or compelling images than the Grim Reaper. Dating back to the fifteenth century, the cloaked skeleton, often wearing a devilish grin, automatically brings to mind death in general and graveyards and all the trappings that go along with them a larger sense.

The cover of Batman #267 (1975) uses the hooded personification of death to spectacular effect. The fact that the Reaper is larger than Batman is not only striking but also works on a metaphorical level. He is a giant that must be slain, and the Dark Knight may have to go into battle less well-equipped than his foe. The glowing invitation, being hurled like a shuriken, suggests the immediacy of the situation, the extreme danger, and the fact that Batman will have to be at the very top of his game to avoid a horrible fate. (Not bad for a "funny-book," huh?)


This tale, "Invitation to a Murder," is penned by David V. Reed, chronicler of many of Batman's Bronze-Age adventures. Having read quite a few of his stories, I had a pretty good idea of what to expect from this one. Opinions of Reed's stories vary wildly, but the one thing I'm sure everyone can agree on is that he spins yarns that stretch the Caped Crusader's detective skills to the limit. His stories are usually fairly implausible, and Batman's ability to successfully close a case often relies heavily on chance, but they're always entertaining and intriguing.

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Friday, April 5, 2013

How You Can Get the Write Stuff

by Rich Handley

A post from my old "Roots of the Swamp Thing" Web site, discussing China Miéville's shelved Swamp Thing plans, was recently reprinted in issue #15 of a science fiction magazine called Journey Planet. Here's how the editors describe the publication, and how you can download a free copy:



Journey Planet is now on its 15th issue. Recently nominated for a Hugo, the editors theme issues from Nineteen Eighty Four to Bladerunner and engage guest editors to collaborate by theme. Its Web site archiving all the issues is here: http://journeyplanet.weebly.com.

The editors are James Bacon, an Irishman living in London, Chris Garcia, a museum curator living in California, and a cadre of guest editors from around the world. Horror writer Lynda E. Rucker is the latest guest editor, and the theme this issue, titled "The Write Stuff," looks at the profession of writing. It's available as a free PDF at http://efanzines.com/JourneyPlanet/JourneyPlanet15.pdf.

With contributions from Robin Hobb, Gail Carrigher, Lauren Beukes and Mike Carey, among others, it boasts considerable authority for a fanzine!

 

Thursday, April 4, 2013

Where's Wall-E?


How many droids can you identify?
Click here to view the the answer key.
Click on the above image to view a larger image.
Created by Richard Sargent.

 

Revisiting Wrath of Khan: Ricardo Montalbán, Harve Bennett and Judson Scott


Star Trek II: 20 Years Old 
and Still Feeling Young, Part One

Reminiscing with producer-writer Harve Bennett and 
stars Ricardo Montalban and Judson Scott...

by Rich Handley

Originally Published in 
Star Trek Communicator #139 (August 2002)


"Towards thee I roll, thou all-destroying but unconquering whale; to the last I grapple with thee; from Hell's heart I stab at thee; for hate's sake, I spit my last breath at thee. Sink all coffins and hearses to one common pool, and since neither can be mine, let me then tow to pieces, while still chasing thee, though tied to thee, thou damned whale! Thus, I give up the spear!"
                                          —Moby Dick, Herman Melville, chap. 135, pg. 477


In 1979, Star Trek arose from the ashes of the original series and its short-lived cartoon spinoff. Taken off the racks of obsolescence, dusted off with care, and breathed new life with a new writer/director team and improved effects, Star Trek: The Motion Picture gave the franchise a complete face-life, ushering in Star Trek's rebirth. And yet, in a turn of events so ironic even Alanis Morissette would understand the term, the same was required only two years later.

Though financially a box office success, The Motion Picture was deemed an artistic disappointment for its dragging pace, its focus on effects over acting, its drab color scheme and its similarity to "The Ultimate Computer." Star Trek had been reborn, yes, but the same decisions guiding that rebirth had almost doomed it to a quick demise. A lot of effort had gone into the film, yet it had failed to meet expectations, earning instead the nickname The Motionless Picture.

Thus, when talks of a second Star Trek feature began, Paramount sought a new creative team who could rejuvenate the series... again. A long-shot, to be sure―but, then, such a move wasn't without precedence; the same had happened with the original series, which required a second pilot after "The Cage" failed to excite network execs.


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Tuesday, April 2, 2013

GUEST BLOG: Eerie Presents El Cid


Eerie Presents El Cid
By Matthew Sunrich


"[W]allowing, boiling, seething from the ocean's bowels came 
the diarrhetic expulsion of nightmarish deformities."


Rodrigo Diaz de Vivar, better known as El Cid, is to Spain what King Arthur is to England. The primary difference between the two men is that we know for a fact that Vivar existed, while Arthur's historicity is less clear cut.

The tales of Arthur, Lancelot, Gawain, and the other Knights of the Round Table are ubiquitous, the subject of books, movies, and television series too numerous to mention. But this is certainly not the case with El Cid, who has enjoyed little exposure outside of a couple of films and operas. The reasons for this are unclear, but it could be related to Vivar's somewhat less-mythic persona (he did own a magic sword, but it's a sure thing that "Tizona" will never evoke a reaction equal to "Excalibur"), coupled with the fact that our collective love affair with early Britain frequently eclipses the historical grandeur of the rest of Europe.


We also tend to equate fantasy with England, probably due to the inescapable influence of Tolkien's Middle-Earth, although, admittedly, the genre owes much of its development to American writers.

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