Hasslein Blog: July 2013

REFERENCE GUIDES BY GEEKS, FOR GEEKS

Hasslein Blog

Wednesday, July 31, 2013

Justice, Dexter-Style


Labels:

 

Matthew Sunrich Presents... The Demon #4-5

By Matthew Sunrich


Fear is an emotion deeply rooted in childhood.

Perhaps this is because our fears are often irrational, are based on things that don't even exist. And the source of a lot of this is imagination, which, generally speaking, children possess in greater amounts than adults because, sadly, the older people get the less time they have to dedicate to it (even most Dungeons & Dragons players can only find one night a week to indulge).

A lot of childhood imagination is, unfortunately, used in undesirable ways. For instance, a coat and hat draped over the back of a chair can look an awful lot like a monster in the darkness. Imagination, not surprisingly, is frequently invoked by a lack of understanding. There is often a huge difference between the way things look in the light and the way they look in the dark. When a child sees that chair from his or her bed, he or she might not remember what it looked like when the lights were on, might not have even noticed it before. He or she can't help wondering, then, what it is. That's when imagination takes over and transforms that caliginous, sartorial mass into a hungry beast ready to strike.

Read more »

Labels: , , ,

 

Tuesday, July 30, 2013

Piethulhu


Labels: ,

 

Monday, July 29, 2013

Doctor Who Retro Review: Serial 019—Mission to the Unknown

By T. Scott Edwards

Mission to the Unknown, or Dalek Cutaway, is frankly a very brave decision. It is the last work of Verity Lambert on the show as producer, and sees her out in style. For the past 2 seasons, the cast and crew have had to deal with recording an episode a week, week in, week out, for almost an entire year at a time. Within those constraints, we have had the use of film inserts and pre-recorded dialogue to cover for the absence of the principals during certain episodes – most recently Hartnell's absence in The Time Meddler. Here, though, they strike on gold – why not send all of the principals off for a break, and fill it with a teaser story leading into The Daleks' Master Plan, due to air in 5 weeks' time. It was also written by Terry Nation as a pilot episode of sorts, as he was hoping to get the Daleks their own mainstream TV show, sans Doctor, ideally over in the United States. Since the last Dalek serial was The Chase, which made the nemesis of the Doctor look like a bunch of dithering morons, it is nice to see them back on form in all of their menacing glory...


Read more »

Labels: , , ,

 

Harry Potter and the TV Network of Stupidity


Labels: , ,

 

Sunday, July 28, 2013

Matthew Sunrich Presents... Red Sonja #1

By Matthew Sunrich


Dynamite Entertainment's Red Sonja series debuted eight years ago. The popularity of sword & sorcery comics had waned considerably during the 1990s (attributable, no doubt, to the myriad poor decisions made in the name of avarice by publishers during this era), and Marvel decided not to renew its license for Conan, which it had held since 1970. Although Red Sonja is technically a Marvel character (she is loosely based on a female heroine from one of Robert E. Howard's short stories, "The Shadow of the Vulture," but is really the creation of Roy Thomas and Barry Smith), the company's claim to her went like the proverbial baby with the bathwater, not that they seemed to care. (The only Sonja comic Marvel published during the 1990s was the lackluster one-shot, "Red Sonja: Scavenger Hunt," which appears to have been drawn by a couple of third-rate Rob Liefeld protégés.)

Conan was picked up by Dark Horse, which specializes in comics based on licensed properties (Star Wars, most notably), and the She-Devil with a Sword went to Dynamite, a newer company with a similar business model. I don't know whether or not Dark Horse was interested in getting Sonja, but in a way the character benefited from existing in a universe without Conan (note that the setting is unchanged; their paths just never cross) because it gave her greater room to spread her wings, as it were, and prevented her from playing second fiddle to the Cimmerian, as she frequently did during her time at Marvel (see my article "Red Sonja: The Marvel Years").



Read more »

Labels: , , , , ,

 

Saturday, July 27, 2013

Because Sometimes, You Just Need Some Mike Ploog Planet of the Apes Art

By Rich Handley


Planet of the Apes fans know great Apes art when they see it. And when it came to Marvel series artist Mike Ploog, they definitely knew they were seeing it. POTA fan Craig Popplewell recently purchased this piece of original Marvel artwork from Ploog himself, and shared it with us via Apes guru Hunter Goatley (visit Hunter's amazing Web site). Ploog's work on Marvel's "Terror on the Planet of the Apes" storyline, written by Doug Moench, was often breathtaking. This piece perfectly illustrates why Ploog remains a POTA fan favorite more than three decades later. Thanks to Craig and Hunter for making this available to fandom.

Labels: , , ,

 

Friday, July 26, 2013

New Viral Video for Dawn of the Planet of the Apes

By Rich Handley

As part of the marketing for the upcoming film Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, a new viral video has been uploaded to YouTube, reminiscent of the six videos created to market its predecessor, Rise of the Planet of the Apes (you can view the first four here  and the last two here). This video is so convincing that I wouldn't be surprised if some people, unaware of the movie's existence, come across the video and assume it's for real. Enjoy, you damn, dirty humans.

 

Labels:

 

CUBING: Pirates of the Caribbean



By Duy Tano

The Lone Ranger may be getting horrible reviews right now (I still haven't seen it as of this writing), but I'm still looking forward to seeing it, mainly because it's got most of the original Pirates of the Caribbean team on it. I'm a huge Pirates fan.

Really, Duy? you ask. Pirates?

Yes, I love all three movies.

Even the second and third?

Yes, even the second and third.

Okay, but you have to admit they're not as good as the first.

Actually, the third one is my favorite.

Explain yourself, you handsome devil, you!

Why, gladly! If you'll read on, I'll happily explain why I love the Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy. And I'll even do it in bullet point format, so you can follow my scatterbrained thoughts more easily. Never let it be said that I'm not helpful. Sit down, grab some rum, and I'll tell you a tale. And by "a tale," I mean a longwinded explanation.


Read more »

Labels: , , , , ,

 

Thursday, July 25, 2013

Doctor Who Retro Review: Serial 018—Galaxy 4

By T. Scott Edwards

The single most frustrating thing about re-watching Doctor Who from the outset again was bound to be reaching this point. After the relative safety of seasons 1 and 2, and how almost all of it existed with a few tragic exceptions, I've now reached the point where the BBC's wrecking strategy had the hardest effect – and the first serial of the series, Galaxy 4, is by far the dullest of this stretch. What makes this even more frustrating, of course, is that as of Christmas last year, episode 3 has been recovered, but in the endless quest for cash, the BBC hasn't yet made it available. As such, I was forced to sit through all 4 episodes in disjointed form, through the audio track – which is frankly rather poor quality – and the existing telesnaps, with the occasional few minutes of surviving footage instated. Again, my huge vote of thanks must go to matrixarchive, whoever he or she is, for making this available through dailymotion.com.

In preparation for this, and on my way to the cinema to see the newest Batman film (which was incredible) I re-read the Target novelisation, and thoroughly enjoyed it. It is actually exceptionally well-written, and tells quite a taught and interesting story. Sadly, the televised serial contains none of this charm or interest. That said, I will be referring the novelisation throughout.



Read more »

Labels: , , ,

 

Wednesday, July 24, 2013

Matthew Sunrich Presents... Detective Comics #415

By Matthew Sunrich


Hanging as a form of execution has existed for centuries, and, indeed, the image of a body suspended from the gallows is virtually synonymous with death.

In his book What a Way to Go, Geoffrey Abbot (an "expert on all things macabre," according to the dust jacket) writes, "Given a well-forested country, a large number of felons to be dispatched every year, a plentiful supply of ropes, and there was no doubt about the best method of execution to adopt—throw a rope over the branch of a tree and hang them!"


What is it, exactly, that makes hanging so universal? Abbot's book describes, in detail, no fewer than seventy methods of putting someone to death, a great number of which are largely unknown or forgotten. Why, of all of these, has hanging survived in the public consciousness? As Abbot observes, it's simple and cheap and can be done virtually anywhere. While elaborate gallows existed, primarily in public squares, where they were designed to attract crowds as an inexpensive form of entertainment, many hangings were conducted on the spot.

Read more »

Labels: , , , , ,

 

Tuesday, July 23, 2013

Doctor Who Retro Review: Serial 017—The Time Meddler

By T. Scott Edwards

The Time Meddler is one of my all-time favourite serials, not just from Hartnell's tenure, but from the entire history of the show. The first ever pseudo-historical, merging sci-fi and history together, it is also one of the funniest. It could well be my most frequently-watched serial, alongside City of Death and Genesis of the Daleks. It really is that good.


Read more »

Labels: , , ,

 

Wednesday, July 17, 2013

Matthew Sunrich Presents... The Demon #3

By Matthew Sunrich

"Let those who tore you from the dungeons of the past find their 
wretched handiwork as I choose to leave it." Etrigan


No one really knows where the idea of reincarnation came from or how long it's been around.

We generally associate it with the Far East, but it's a belief that can be found all over the world. Although science and religion are often at odds with each other, reincarnation could be related to the idea that matter can neither be created nor destroyed; it merely changes form. It's not an altogether outrageous concept when you consider it in this framework. Nevertheless, it is by its very nature a mystical process that relies on an inscrutable, seeming erratic mechanism.

Not surprisingly, reincarnation has frequently found its way into popular works of fiction.



Read more »

Labels: , , , , ,

 

Thursday, July 11, 2013

Local Austin Talk Radio Show Goes Back to the Future This Weekend

Back to the Future will serve as this week's topic for an Austin, Texas-based pop-culture radio show, The Patrick Phillips Show. The 30-minute weekly program, which airs live on Talk Radio 96.3 FM and 1370 AM each Saturday, will feature some of the foremost experts on everyone's favorite film about time travel.


Guests will include author Rich Handley (A Matter of Time: The Unauthorized Back to the Future Lexicon), as well as comic book writer David Guy Levy (Back to Back to the Future). Phillips will also offer a Back in Time Contest, in which listeners will have the chance to win a pair of tickets to watch Back to the Future on the big screen during Cinemarks Classic Series.

For more information, check out the Patrick Phillips Show's latest On Air Newsletter.

Labels: ,

 

Help Make the Documentary BACK IN TIME a Reality

By Rich Handley

There's a reason the phrases "1.21 jigowatts," "flux capacitor" and "88 miles per hour" are immediately recognizable almost 30 years after the release of the first Back to the Future film. The trilogy has been a huge part of popular culture for more than a quarter-century, and a new documentary will interview the key players involved, with a focus on Doc Brown's DeLorean time machine. What is it about this car that has the effect it does on so many people? What makes the DeLorean so important? Is it the vehicle or the movie? These are just some questions that the producers of Back in Time will seek to uncover.



Read more »

Labels: , , , ,

 

G.I. Joe Fans: Can You Answer the Call for Reinforcements?

By Rich Handley

Author James McFadden, who is currently hard at work writing Hasslein Books' upcoming title Fighting for Freedom: The Unauthorized G.I. Joe Chronology, has issued the following call for assistance. If you're a G.I. Joe fan and can help out, please e-mail Hasslein Books (info@hassleinbooks.com) or contact Jim directly (jmmcfadd2@yahoo.com). Here's Jim's request:

"The following items are books and other material I could use help with getting access to. I am looking for any kind of help you can give. You could point out where the material is available online, where it may be bought, or write me a brief summary or maybe even scan something for me if you're feeling extremely generous with your time. Again, most of these are not a major part of G.I. Joe fiction and in some cases, all that's needed is a little bit of information for the sake of including it in the timeline. In-depth analysis of a story included in a coloring book isn't necessary, and really doesn't rate too much exploration in a book like this. If you have any of these items, please don't just send info or scans to me, as someone else may have beaten you to it. Just contact me here and let me know."

You can view Jim's list at his G.I. Joe Web site, here. Thanks, soldiers!

Labels: ,

 

Wednesday, July 10, 2013

Boldly Going Where No One Has Gone in About Three Decades

By Rich Handley

Last December, IDW's Library of American Comics imprint released Star Trek: The Newspaper Strip, Vol. 1, the first of two hardcover books reprinting all 20 storylines of the L.A. Times Syndicate Trek strips that ran from 1979 to 1983 (which you can read more about at the Star Trek Comics Checklist). I wrote an introduction to that first book, and also helped editor Dean Mullaney compile a complete set of strips and proofed all of the pages, which proved to be a true labor of love (please pardon the cliché). This fall, the second volume is due to hit stores.

I'd previously written about these long-overlooked strips for an issue of Star Trek Communicator magazine, back in the late 1990s, following several years' worth of searching and researching. During the early 2000s, I attempted to get them reprinted, first at Pocket Books and later at Wildstorm Comics. Although editors John Ordover and Jeff Mariotte did their best to get Paramount to greenlight reprints, red tape and legal entanglements prevented the project from ever getting off the ground. A decade later, after IDW had already published a long line of Trek titles, I figured I'd try again. IDW's Chris Ryall liked the idea and passed me off to Dean at LOAC, and to my amazement, this time Paramount/CBS offered no obstructions. The reprints were finally a go!


Read more »

Labels: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

 

Rich Handley to Appear on the Patrick Phillips Show

The Patrick Phillips Show, a live, 30-minute talk radio show with a focus on all things pop culture, will air an interview with author Rich Handley on Saturday, July 13. Host Patrick Phillips explores a vast range of subjects on his program, from entertainment and fashion to music, technology and gaming, offering insights from popular entertainers, experts, athletes, authors, composers and other newsmakers. Recently, he contacted Rich to discuss his work on A Matter of Time: The Unauthorized Back to the Future Lexicon, as well as Back to the Future's place in pop culture. You can learn more about the program, and when Rich's interview will air, by visiting the Patrick Phillips Show's Web site.


Labels: , , ,

 

Tuesday, July 9, 2013

Matthew Sunrich Presents... Detective Comics 414

By Matthew Sunrich

As a former resident of the Outer Banks, I can tell you that lighthouses are major tourist attractions.

Prior to moving there, I had no idea that this was a thing, and once I discovered how popular they were, I was, frankly, bemused. I don't find them particularly interesting (in the same way that I don't find silos interesting), but, as with so many other things, I am clearly in the minority.


The one aspect about them that I do find intriguing is the prospect of hauntings. That's the kind of thing that gets my attention every time. Ghosts, like people, are apt to take up residence just about anywhere. While houses and castles are generally the first things to come to mind when we think about haunted places, lighthouses are apparently just as likely to house restless spirits.

Read more »

Labels: , , , ,

 

Thursday, July 4, 2013

Zombies and Walkers and Undead, Oh my!

Zombie/horror/sci-fi fans planning to be in the Atlanta, GA area in November need to shuffle their way over now to The Walker Stalkers website and Kickstarter project to sign up for this year's Walker Stalker Con!




Read more »

Labels: ,