Once Upon a Geek

Presenting comic book advertisements for the 1980 Saturday morning cartoons!  Here we have ads from ABC, NBC, and CBS.

If I had to declare a winner for me personally in 1980, I guess it would have been ABC.  I was a big fan of Super Friends and Thundarr the Barbarian, and a moderate fan of Plastic Man and Happy Days Gang.  Conversely, Scooby-Doo had pretty much buried itself with Scrappy-Doo and no longer held any interest for me.  I’d say NBC was close on the heels of ABC in 1980 with winners like Godzilla/Dinomutt Hour, Space Ghost and Herculoids.  About the only time I’d switch over to watch CBS in 1980 was for Drak Pack and the Tarzan/Lone Ranger Adventure Hour. Interesting that NBC had Daffy Duck and CBS had the Bugs Bunny/Road Runner Show.  I didn’t realize they split the Looney Toons characters up for these purposes.

I have fond memories as a child watching shows like Looney Toons, Scooby-Doo, Popeye, and Tom & Jerry.  Yet I watched them on weekday afternoons rather than Saturday mornings.  For me, Saturday morning cartoons were reserved for new and exciting adventures, not cartoons I could watch any day after school.  I guess I was a bit of a Saturday morning snob.

If you enjoy these, check out the Saturday morning cartoon ads I’ve run previously from 1983 and 1985.  The 1985 post also includes some of my general commentary about Saturday morning cartoons and what the current generation of kids are missing.

I am SO ready for the new Doctor Who season to start.  Doctor Who season 5 opens with “The Eleventh Hour” by Steven Moffat and is set to premiere on BBC One in the UK and BBC America on April 5th.  BBC has released a brilliant new teaser trailer for season 5 featuring Matt Smith as the Doctor and Karen Gillan as Amy Pond.  Check it out!

This video will be running in 3-D in the UK before the new Alice in Wonderland film. I can’t confirm it, but I get the sense this video was created specifically as a trailer, rather than as footage from upcoming episodes.  I hope that is the case as I appreciate the efforts from the BBC to create a real buzz for new Who Matt Smith.  I love everything about this trailer, from the music, to the swirling stars, to the action, to the Doctor and Amy’s interaction.  This trailer has really provided me with a lot of confidence in the new season. I just can’t wait!

Hold on tight.  Geronimo!

While on the cruise, I finally got around to reading the Eureka graphic novel from BOOM! Studios.  I was pretty exited to see the story was by the Eureka TV show creators Andrew Cosby and Jaime Paglia.  That tells you right away that it’ll be faithful to the series.  In interviews the creators have referred to their Eureka comic work as Season 1.5 of the TV show, and that the comics should be considered official Eureka continuity.  As a fan of the TV series and an avid comic reader, I was pretty thrilled about this!  This story was originally published as a four-issue mini-series and then collected.  It was to be the first of four Eureka graphic novels, however, only two have been produced to date.

Here is the graphic novel description from BOOM! Studios:

Sci-Fi Channel’s smash hit TV show comes to BOOM! The first arc of Eureka is collected in this volume, masterminded by the creators of the show and told completely in continuity! It’s a game of cat and mouse when Sheriff Cater is on the hunt for an escapee from Global Dynamics. But what connection does this dangerous stranger have to Carter’s partner, Jo Lupo?  Story by Andrew Cosby and Jaime Paglia, Script by Brendan Hay, Art by Diego Barreto, and Cover Art by J.K. Woodward.   112 pages, Full color, 9″ x 6″, MSRP $15.99

Overall this was a good read.  The story was solid, the characterization was dead-on, there was a good dose of humor, and it truly felt like an episode of the TV series.  We get to see most of the show regulars, such as: Sheriff Carter, Allison Blake, Deputy Jo Lupo, Zoe Carter, Nathan Stark, Henry Deacon, Douglas Fargo, Vincent, and even Taggart.   A major portion of the plot revolves around Jo Lupo’s past, which is nice to see explored here.

One of the chapters (or issues depending on how you look at it) featured a cliffhanger ending with the surprise return of Warren King.  That’s right, Warren King!  I know what you’re thinking, Warren King!  Seriously!  Wow!  … … okay, I didn’t know who he was either.  I had completely forgotten that the Director of Global Dynamics in the pilot episode was Warren King.  Remembering that character was made even more difficult by the interior art.  The panel layouts, action, and storytelling are all fine in the comic, but the artist did a poor job capturing the likenesses of the actors.  With the obscurity of the character and the weak art, I’m not sure anyone could have got the full effect intended in the cliffhanger.  By contrast, the painted covers for the individual issues, which were presented in the graphic novel, are really gorgeous.  The covers capture the spirit of the show as well as the likenesses of the characters.

Overall, any fan of the Eureka TV series would enjoy this graphic novel.  I would say this story is the equivalent of one really good episode of the TV show.  However, at the price of $15.99 for the graphic novel, I’m not sure it’s worth it.  After all, you can get an entire season of Eureka on Amazon.com right now for $21.99.  My recommendation, borrow the graphic novel from a friend.

Neil Gaiman has confirmed that he will be writing an episode of Doctor Who to air in 2011!  In an exclusive message to SFX Magazine he revealed that he is writing an episode for the second season of Matt Smith.

I am totally jazzed about this!  While I haven’t read much of Gaiman’s stuff since Sandman, there is no denying that he’s an amazing writer! His work on Sandman kept me reading comics in 1989 when I considered dropping everything.  I started with Sandman #8, Death’s debut story, and stayed with it all the way to the end.  Given his ability to tell really emotional tales, he could possibly give Blink and Caves of Androzani a run for their money as the best Doctor Who episode ever.

Here is what he told SFX Magazine:

As anyone who’s read my blog knows, I’m a big fan of a certain long-running British SF TV series. One that started watching — from behind the sofa — when I was three. And while I know it’s cruel to make you wait for things, in about 14 months from now, which is to say, NOT in the upcoming season but early in the one after that, it’s quite possible that I might have written an episode. And if I had, it would originally have been called “The House of Nothing”. But it definitely isn’t called that any more.

Countdown. You’ve got about 14 months.

Watch this space in 14 months for the, “OMG! It was brilliant!”

Tonight is officially “Must See Shag TV”!  Two of my all-time favorite superheroes are appearing on the small screen tonight!  Doctor Fate and Firestorm, two different TV shows, on the same night! What are the odds?!?!?!?

Doctor Fate is making his first live action appearance ever on Smallville tonight!  We’ve seen him in animation on Superman: The Animated Series and the Justice League cartoons, but never in the flesh.  I’m keeping my fingers crossed that we get to see some Ankh bolts tonight.   Click here to read an interview with actor Brent Stait on playing Doctor Fate in Smallville.   Here is a lengthy episode description:

A man named Sylvester Pemberton tracks down Chloe (Allison Mack) and tells her he knows about her team of superheroes and needs their help. However, before he can explain who he is, he is attacked and killed by Icicle (guest star Wesley Macinnes). Clark (Tom Welling) and Chloe’s (Allison Mack) investigation leads Clark to the former headquarters of the Justice Society of America where he meets up with Nelson AKA Dr. Fate (guest star Brent Stait), Carter Hall AKA Hawkman (guest star Michael Shanks) and Courtney AKA Star Girl (guest star Britt Irvin). Courtney pleads with Hawkman and Dr. Fate to help her catch the killer that is targeting their group but they are reluctant to resume their duties as superheroes. Clark, John Jones (guest star Phil Morris), Green Arrow (Justin Hartley) and Chloe team up to help the JSA stop Icicle before he murders another member of the group. Meanwhile, Lois (Erica Durance) receives a package from a mysterious agency called Checkmate, run by Amanda Waller (guest star Pam Grier). Geoff Johns wrote the two-hour episode. Glen Winters directed the first hour and Tom Welling directed the second hour.

My thanks to Luke over at the Hawkman blog (Being Carter Hall) for sending me tons of great information on Doctor Fate’s appearance on Smallville.

Firestorm finally returns to animation after nearly 25 years!  Firestorm was a regular on the last two seasons of the Super Friends in the mid-1980s.  Since then, he has been absent from our airwaves.  He didn’t even get a cameo in Justice League Unlimited.  Well tonight he returns in a big way on the animated series Batman: The Brave and the Bold.  Click here for an interview with Michael Jelenic, Producer and Story Editor for Batman: The Brave and the Bold, about Firestorm’s appearance on the show.  Here is the brief episode description:

A school field trip goes awry when Dr. Double X causes a lab explosion that fuses slacker science teacher Ronnie to his genius pupil Jason, creating the reluctant hero Firestorm…and unbeknown to them, it leaves Batman divided into three parts!

Smallville “Absolute Justice” airs tonight at 8pm-10pm eastern time on the CW network.

Batman: The Brave and the Bold “A Bat Divided!” airs tonight at 7:30pm eastern time on Cartoon Network.

Hooray for Doctor Fate and Firestorm!

Here are some cool Doctor Who related items I’ve come across in the past week.  Be warned, these contain SPOILERS for The End of Time.

• Check out the Doctor’s and the Master’s Facebook pages. Hilarious!

• io9 contemplates some of the lingering questions from The End of Time.
• RTD reveals the answer to one of the questions.
• io9 dissects the Matt Smith season five trailer shot by shot.  Some good insight here.
• Finally, the BBC has released a new promotional of Matt Smith as the Doctor.

If you’ve never seen it, you should try watching The IT Crowd.  It’s a British sitcom about nerds that is really funny. The series is set in the offices of Reynholm Industries, a fictional British corporation in central London. It focuses on the shenanigans of the three-person IT support team located in a dingy, untidy and unkempt basement.  Two of the IT guys are stereotypical nerds, while their boss Jen is a corporate climber who has no clue about technology.

I was first exposed to this series at Dragon*Con during the Nuts on the Road: Gonzo Sound & Vision film fest (presented by NeedCoffee.com and Quickstop Entertainment).  At the time I had no idea where it came from or the premise, but I laughed my butt off.  Make no mistake, this is not high-brow intellectual comedy.  It’s definitely a formula sitcom (laugh track, bad sets, corny jokes, etc), but it’s really enjoyable (especially for people like ourselves).

There was only 18 episodes made across three seasons.  It doesn’t seem likely they’ll make any more, but you can find the older episodes online or through Netflix.  Below you’ll find the entire first episode (running time 23 minutes 28 seconds).

If you can’t see the embedded video above, please click here.

Chuck season 3 starts this Sunday, January 10, on NBC!  It kicks off with a two-hour premiere from 9pm-11pm EST, then will return to it’s usual Monday 8pm time slot.  I can’t wait!  It’s been a long road getting here, but we’re finally in store for some Chuck-tacular adventure!  Below is an extended season 3 preview (running time 5:56) to help get you in the mood.

If you can’t see the embedded video above, please click here.

Let’s face it, we’ve all had them before… New Doctor Jitters.  I don’t think there has ever been a name given to this condition, but now we have a label for it – New Doctor Jitters.  When the Doctor regenerates, we find ourselves skeptical after seeing those first few moments featuring the new actor.  It’s only natural.  We’re wrapped up in our emotions as we say goodbye to an actor we’ve come to accept as the Doctor, and then in the middle of that emotional turmoil his replacement appears.  It’s so jarring to switch from a sad departure to a grand entrance.  It’s difficult to accept someone new while we’re still reeling from the departure of the previous actor.

I remember my reaction when Tom Baker regenerated at the end of Logopolis.  After transforming from Tom Baker into Peter Davison, the new Doctor sat up and the episode ended.  That’s all we got until the first episode of Castrovalva.  It didn’t matter.  In those few seconds of screen time I had already decided that I hated Peter Davison as the Doctor.  I couldn’t stand him.  There was no way I was ever going to accept this new guy as the Doctor.  Forget it.  No way.  No how.  … Well, that opinion changed after seeing Castrovalva.  I eventually realized I didn’t have an issue with Peter Davison, I was just unhappy that Tom Baker was leaving and wasn’t ready for some new actor to take over.  In fact, Peter Davison quickly became my favorite Doctor and remained so until David Tennant came along.   It just goes to show that it’s not fair to judge a new Doctor on his first appearance.  9 times out of 10 we end up loving each and every Doctor after just a few episodes (sorry Colin, but you’re brilliant in the Big Finish audio adventures).

I think it’s reasonable to be nervous or skeptical.  However, some people have already passed judgment on Matt Smith.  They’ve decided they don’t like him based upon what they’ve seen so far.  They say his hair is too crazy.  He’s too young.  His chin is huge and his eyes are sunken.  He uses his hands too much.  If we actually had a TARDIS, we could go back in time four years and hear those same people talk about David Tennant after The Parting of the Ways but before The Christmas Invasion.  They said his hair was too crazy.  He was too young.  He was too pale and thin.  He was too geeky to be a hero.  Sounds kinda familiar doesn’t it?  Gotta admit, Tennant’s first few lines didn’t exactly fill us with confidence. “Hello.  Okay… New teeth. That’s weird.  So where was I?  Oh that’s right, Barcelona!”  Those lines were no indication of how amazing he was going to be as the Doctor.  As another example, just imagine being a Doctor Who fan in 1974 after getting your first glimpse of Tom Baker in costume.  The scarf, the big smiling teeth, googley eyes, and crazy hair. Those fans were probably convinced Tom Baker was going to be terrible.  So again, it’s not fair to judge a new Doctor before he’s had a chance to really play the part. Who knows, maybe Matt Smith will be the best Doctor ever!

I watched The End of Time Part Two with my ten-year-old step son.  When the credits started to roll, he turned to me and said excitedly, “This new Doctor is going to be fun!”  I think my step-son’s got the right attitude.

Sure I’ve got New Doctor Jitters, but I’m also eager for the next season to begin.  I’m ready to jump in with both feet.  Geronimo!

If you can’t see the embedded video above, please click here.

I just finished listening to an excellent Doctor Who audio book entitled, The Forever Trap.  I’m typically more of a full-cast audio drama fan, but this particular audio book really impressed me.  The story was written by Dan Abnett (yes, that Dan Abnett of Marvel Comics Nova, Annihilation, War of Kings, etc), read by Catherine Tate (Donna Noble on Doctor Who), and features the Tenth Doctor and Donna.  This two-disc story was released in the same format as the other BBC Books Tenth Doctor Adventures audio book adaptations, but this one was released exclusively to audio.  It is the second of its kind, preceded by Pest Control and followed by The Nemonite Invasion.

I’ve listened to Pest Control, which was read by David Tennant, but it failed to impress me.  Even with David Tennant reading the story, it still didn’t feel like proper Doctor Who.  Needless to say, after that I didn’t have high hopes for The Forever Trap.  As I had expected, I was disappointed within the first few minutes of The Forever Trap.  Right out of the gate, Catherine Tate provides an unbelievable voice for the role of a holographic salesman.  I was so turned off by that voice, I gave up listening for a while.  A few days later, I started the audio book again.  Wow!  Sure, that salesman voice isn’t great, but the rest of the audio book was fantastic!  I could visualize the Doctor perfectly thanks to an excellent script by Dan Abnett, and Catherine Tate totally nailing David Tennant’s speech patterns.  Did I already say “Wow”?  Well, I gotta say it again.  WOW!  This is proper Doctor Who.  Abnett clearly gets the Doctor and Donna both.  Also, his talent for writing good science fiction really shines through.  Kudos to Catherine Tate for doing such an outstanding job!  She effortlessly switches between the abrasive Donna, the energetic Doctor, and a wide array of other characters.  I didn’t realize what an amazing range she has.

I thoroughly enjoyed listening to this audio book, more so than most other Doctor Who audio books.  Apparently The Nemonite Invasion is also read by Catherine Tate, so now I’m gonna have to track that one down too!