Comic Coverage

YouTube Theatre: SHAZAM!

As DVD collections of old TV shows multiply like rabbits, curiously absent from the pack is a collection of the SHAZAM! series that aired on CBS in the mid-70's. Starring Michael Gray as a shaggy-haired Billy Batson and Jackson Bostwick as Captain Marvel (later by the doughy John Davey), the series was a huge disappointment to us kids, despite the lower expectations for superhero fare in that day and age. Instead of battling comic book villains like Dr. Sivana or Black Adam, TV Cap faced "threats" like bullies and juvenile delinquency....most likely due to their $1.95 special effects budget.

However, despite the cheesy special effects and low-wattage adventures, the series had its heart in the right place as it tried to teach young viewers Valuable Lessons, ham-handed as they were. Because of that, I'm hoping SHAZAM! finds its way to DVD one of these days. I've heard TV Captain Marvel will sort of make it to video this summer, as his guest-star episodes will be included in the DVD collection of ISIS, a SHAZAM spin-off series scheduled for a 2007 release. Strange that a spin-off series makes it to video, but SHAZAM is stuck in limbo. I don't get it.

So, until Cap (both of them), long-hair Billy, Mentor and the traveling Winnebago finally make it to DVD, we'll just have to get by with this YouTube video of the show's introduction (ironically the coolest part of each episode):

YouTube Theatre: Kidder-Free Flying!

Back at the dawn of the VHS videotape era, I received Superman: The Movie as a Christmas gift.  At that time, VHS movies were quite expensive and came in the clunky vinyl cases seen in early video rental stores.  Needless to say I've watched it dozens of times since then, though I was more than happy to "retire" it when the DVD "special edition" was released a number of years ago.

Unfortunately, I quickly realized the "special edition" was alot more that just restored footage.  Forgetting Pa Kent's sage advice to Clark not to show off, the Special Edition's sound effects crew did just that by throwing in every distracting new sound effect they could get their hands on.  From the completely different "S-shield" blast in the opening credits to the added racket of smashing crystal during Krypton's destruction (a logical idea, but lousy execution), the added sounds diminished some of the fun of the DVD release.

About the same time, I'd just upgraded to a Mac that was able to edit and burn digital movies...so I thought it would be fun to make my own version of the original theatrical release of Superman: The Movie, using my trusty old VHS tape as the source.  I wasn't planning on selling it to an international digital movie cabal or mass-producing them for eBay sales...just my own copy...and just for the heck of it.

A few years later, Warner Bros. released the 14-disc Superman: The Ultimate Collection, which included...you guessed it....the original theatrical release of Superman: The Movie.  My private DVD copy of the original was now redundant....or was it?

Well, not completely. You see, there was an extra chapter I added to my version that I'm pretty sure the Ultimate DVD set doesn't have.  For years, I'd wondered what the famous flying sequence would be like without Margot Kidder's cheesy "Can You Read My Mind?" voiceover, so I worked some iMovie magic and POW!  No more cheesy voiceover!  I was happy to see how much better the sequence plays with only John Williams' beautiful score accompanying the graceful movements of Christopher Reeve and Kidder, without the distracting, insipid vocals.

So, to all of my readers, an early Kidder-Free Christmas present!

YouTube Theatre: S for SUPERMAN!

As a proud member of Sesame Street's original demographic (I was about 4 years old when it premiered in late 1969), I can still remember a few of their short educational bits.

The most unforgettable of them was, of course, "S for Superman".  In this minute-long segment, the Man of Steel gave us wee lads and lasses a short lesson on words starting with the letter "S", including Superman himself.

I probably saw this when I wasn't entirely sure who Superman was yet (though the comic book at Grandma's house may have tipped me off), but whatever the case, it fascinated me and stuck with me for many years.

As the years and decades flew by, I'd always hoped for an opportunity to see this segment again, but I could never seem to track it down...even as the internet age of random, obscure video dawned.

That is, until YouTube came along:

Highlights:

1.  Superman hurling the bad guy's spaceship to....who knows?  A police station?  Prison?  The SUN?

2.  Superman's urgent, no-nonsense tone throughout the lesson.  It's almost jarring in contrast to today's gentle, soothing tones in educational programming.  Granted, the lines were read by Bud Collyer (Superman's voice on the original radio show, the Fleischer cartoons and the 1960's Filmation series), so the recognition factor was definitely there for that audience...but still, it's pretty brusk. Endearingly so. 

3.  My favorite part?  The final line:

"Yes, sir!  'S' is a very important letter!  So the next time you think of 'Superman', think of the letter 'S'!  It's my favorite!"

Mine too, Superman. Mine too.

YouTube Theatre: Domo Arigato, Spider-Man!

If there's any pop culture on earth more surreal than America's, it's Japan's.  As truly bizarre as their home-grown entertainment can be, their "imports" from American entertainment attain a special kind of cosmic eccentricity.  For example, take a look at this clip from a Japanese production of Spider-Man (1978).  Every bit as cheesy as the late 70's American version (right down to the goofy pantomimed wall-crawling), yet uniquely Japanese with Spidey's chop-socky body language....oh, and one other minor detail. 

You see, like every other Japanese action hero, their version of Spidey can summon his very own giant robot.  See it.  Believe it.

YouTube Theatre: The Herculoids!

Even before I knew who the late cartoonist Alex Toth was, I was a big fan of his work. 

As a kid, I loved the look of the cartoons he designed for animation giants Hanna Barbera...such as Space Ghost, Johnny Quest and, my personal favorite, The Herculoids.

Essentially a science fiction spin on Tarzan, The Herculoids lived on the planet Quazar and were lead by the manly space-warrior Zandor (originally slated to be "Zartan"...confirming the Tarzan link), along with his wife Tarra and son Dorno. Zandor's family was assisted by a mighty menagerie of just about the coolest sci-fi creatures a kid could hope for.  In fact, they seemed to be exactly the kind of fanciful creatures an actual kid could have dreamed up:

Igoo:  A rock-like ape creature (or would that be an ape-like rock creature?)

Gloop and Gleep:  Playful, shape-changing blobs that looked like giant amoebas (or boogers with eyes) with really cool stretching sound effects.

Tundro:  A giant, ten-legged armadillo-rhinocerous thing that could shoot explosive energy rocks out of his "cannon horn" and spin his head like a drill.

Zok:  A flying dragon that not only shot laser beams from his eyes, but from the end of his tail as well!

None of the five creatures actually spoke, but spent most of the episodes screeching, roaring, smashing, hollering and loudly blowing up stuff.

In other words...."kid heaven". 

Now...without further ado, I proudly present...The Herculoids!

 

The ORIGINAL Live-Action Spidey!

Superhero adaptations to TV and film have always been a mixed bag....some outstanding (Superman: The Movie, Sam Raimi's Spider-Man trilogy) while others...not so much (Captain America, Batman & Robin).

Still, even the bad superhero TV shows and movies had at least a moment or two of magic, when a character you've only experienced as a word balloon-spouting drawing is suddenly moving and speaking.

My very first moment of live-action magic actually pre-dates the era of big-budget superhero movies and even Marvel's first baby-steps onto late 70's network TV.  I was too young to get in on the Adventures of Superman or Batman TV shows of the 50's and 60's, and our small town didn't broadcast their reruns, so I had to bide my time until PBS brought Spider-Man to their educational sketch comedy show The Electric Company in 1974.

Played by a guy named Danny Segren, Spidey was strangely mute and "spoke" only through pantomime and word balloons appearing over his head...which other cast members would pause to read along with the kid viewers.  There was no mention of his Peter Parker identity, nor were there any references to the comic book's supporting cast.  It was simply Spidey, the "Short Circus" gang of kids, and a variety of campy, low-wattage bad guys played by the adult cast.

At the time, I'd recently gotten hooked on comics, specifically Spider-Man comics, so you can imagine how exciting it was for me to see a "real-looking" Spider-Man on one of my favorite TV shows.  Yeah, the plots were pretty simple and the fight scenes were nothing close to the knock-down, drag-outs of the comics...but as I said earlier, it was still quite a thrill to see a live-action version of a favorite hero.

So, from that era of modest, pre-CGI superheroics,
I present the first live-action Spider-Man.

(Watch for cast member...and future Oscar-winner...Morgan Freeman as the school's home ec teacher!)

YouTube Theatre: "Hey, Layy-deee! Comics Ain't Good For You!"

Of all the films made by the comedy team of Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis, one of my favorites is Artists and Models (1955) directed by Frank Tashlin (of Looney Tunes fame).  When frustrated artist Rick Todd (Martin) tries to break into the comics biz, he enlists the overheated imagination of his proto-fanboy pal Eugene Fullstack (Lewis) to create a superhero named Vincent the Vulture.

Later on, the boys meet Abigail (Dorothy Malone), a female comic book creator, and her New Age roomate Betsy (Shirley MacLaine).  Naturally, Madcap Hilarity ensues...as a secret rocket fuel Eugene dreams up for a comic book story draws the attention of both the FBI and foreign spies.

At one point, Eugene and Abigail find themselves on The Better America Forum TV show discussing "the ever-growing threat and menace" of comic books to the youth of America...a sly parody of the anti-comics crusade of Dr. Frederic Wertham only a few years earlier.

YouTube Theatre: Pistol-Packin' Cap!

It's the long 4th of July holiday weekend, and that can mean only one thing:  Lazy Blogging! 

Sure, I'll have something of substance for you on Tuesday, but for today, I think I'll put the burgers on the grill and let this trailer for Republic's Return of Captain America serial (1944) entertain you while simultaneously whipping you up into a patriotic frenzy.

That is, as patriotic a frenzy as a chubby, pistol-packing Captain America with no shield or mask-wings, who isn't Steve Rogers but "Grant Gardner, crusading District Attorney" can whip you into.

Friday Night Fights: Supes vs. Spidey...The Movie!

After giving us a two week break to mend our wounds while perfecting deadly new moves, mighty Bahlactus begins another cycle of Friday Night Fights...a weekly fever of mass mayhem that grips the violence-prone comic book blogosphere. So, lace up those boxing gloves, break out the smelling salts, and let's hit Friday Night Fights: Sucka-Punch!

Before the reign of never-ending Super Secret Crisis Wars, so-called "Event Comics" were few and far between in the dawning years of my comic book addiction (early to mid-70's).  However, one of the first genuine (and most fondly remembered) Event Comics of that period was the Superman vs. Spider-Man treasury edition (1976).

As the first real crossover between rival publishers Marvel and DC Comics (they co-published a Wizard of Oz treasury edition a year earlier), my fellow ten year-olds and I comprehended enough of the proprietary hurdles involved to really appreciate how special the team-up was...yet at the same time being young enough to truly revel in its primal "Who'd Win In a Fight?" premise.

Needless to say, Superman vs. Spider-Man left me and my pals utterly gobsmacked...and it remains a highlight of my collection all these years later. So much so, I wanted to feature some choice panels for Round One of Sucka-Punch, but due to its unwieldy size and high-grade condition, I didn't feel like mashing it into my scanner.

However, through the miracle of YouTube, I can post the next best thing...an epic video re-creation of Superman vs. Spider-Man! In Spanish, no less!

Don't let Webhead's luchador-like mask or the Man of Steel's five o'clock
shadow fool you...these guys were BORN to play Spider-Man and Superman!

Now, watch as these two gifted actors, the magic of
amateur video, and a pulse-pounding musical score
faithfully bring to life one of comicdom's most epic events!

(except for the part where Superman is hung from a chimney like a Christmas stocking.)

YouTube Theatre: If it wasn't for those meddling kids...

Back when I was a wee lad, long before cartoons could be seen 24 hours a day on at least a dozen different channels, Saturday was the High Holy Day for cartoon watching.  Heck, it was the only day for cartoon watching, outside of the rare Sunday night cartoon on NBC's Wonderful World of Disney.

Despite whining about getting up early for school during the week, by brother and I would dutifully leap out of bed at 6:30 am and plop in front of the TV until mom chased our motionless carcasses off the couch at 10:30 or 11:00.  During those extended vegetative states, one of my favorite shows early on was Hanna-Barbera's Scooby-Doo, Where Are You? series.

Even as a five or six year old kid, I picked up on how utterly bizarre the show was....but (at least to a little guy), it was a fun kind of bizarre.  Where else could you see a gang of teens with no discernible source of income and a semi-talking dog foil so many curmudgeonly crooks...or Shaggy giving a werewolf a haircut...or (in later seasons) low-wattage celebrities like Jonathan Winters, Sonny and Cher, or Phillis Diller showing up and lending a hand?

Oh, sure...in hindsight it was a pretty lousy show, only getting worse as the years wore on (Scooby-Dum and Scrappy Doo...need I say more?), but at the time, that was the show I got up early for....at least until Land of the Lost came along in 1974.  Still, despite Scooby's fading popularity, the original opening sequence is still one of the coolest, catchiest, grooviest, kitschiest things around...never failing to transport me right back in front of the TV on a 1970's Saturday morning!  Written by David Mook and Ben Raleigh, it was recorded by studio singer Larry Marks (who also performed all of the background vocals) a mere three days before the show's September 13th (1969) premiere!  And here it is, nearly 40 years later...