Archie Archives

Dark Horse Comics are attempting to reprint all Archie comics in chronological order in a project called Archie Archives. Archie comics have been published since 1941 so there are seventy years worth to reprint. It looks like they will be at it for awhile.  The first four volumes have been released and the fifth should be out in May sometime. The reproduction seems to be pretty good and the stories themselves are fun. A lot of the stories in these early volumes have rarely been reprinted so it makes them even more fun to read.

AMAZON LINKS

Archie Archives Volume One
Archie Archives Volume Two
Archie Archives Volume Three
Archie Archives Volume Four
Archie Archives Volume Five

Disclaimer:  We get a small percentage of the sale price if you buy through these Amazon.com links. If you would like to support this blog, then please purchase through this link, but don't feel like you have to. If you can find it cheaper someplace else than purchase it there, especially if it's your locally owned mom and pop book store.

Gargamel and the Smurfs and The Return of the Smurfette

The ninth and tenth volumes in the Smurf comic reprint project by Papercutz have been released. Both Gargamel and the Smurfs and The Return of Smurfette are now available. This makes ten volumes released so far. As there are twenty-nine volumes available abroad, Papercutz should have them all released in another two years or so if they continue releasing them at the rate they have been. I'm glad they've been releasing them quickly and steadily so far.

AMAZON LINKS

The Smurfs #10: The Return of the Smurfette
The Smurfs #9: Gargamel and the Smurfs
The Smurfs #8: The Smurf Apprentice
The Smurfs #7: The Astrosmurf
The Smurfs #6: The Smurfs and the Howlibird
The Smurfs #5: The Smurfs and the Egg
The Smurfs #4: The Smurfette
The Smurfs #3: The Smurf King
The Smurfs #2: The Smurfs and the Magic Flute
The Smurfs #1: The Purple Smurfs

Disclaimer:  We get a small percentage of the sale price if you buy through these Amazon.com links. If you would like to support this blog, then please purchase through this link, but don't feel like you have to. If you can find it cheaper someplace else than purchase it there, especially if it's your locally owned mom and pop book store.

King Aroo Volume Two

Unfortunately, King Aroo Volume Two is on hiatus/canceled until further notice.  The Amazon link for volume two I have below  is there for informational purposes as you can't order the book any longer. I had pre-ordered the book quite a while ago and they delayed it several times, but now they've canceled my order. The page displays the following "Currently unavailable. We don't know when or if this item will be back in stock." The last I heard is they were having trouble locating copies of the 1954 daily strips to put in this volume. If you have or know where they can locate copies of these strips please contact The Library of American Comics at info@loacomics.com.  

 King Aroo is an amazing and underappreciated strip that needs to be reprinted. I've talked about the strip before, but but it's hard to convey just how good this strip is. It would be a real shame if this strip ended up being lost forever. If you can help PLEASE do so.

AMAZON LINKS

King Aroo Volume One
King Aroo Volume Two

 Disclaimer:  We get a small percentage of the sale price if you buy through these Amazon.com links. If you would like to support this blog, then please purchase through these links, but don't feel like you have to. If you can find them cheaper someplace else than purchase them there, especially if it's your locally owned comic shop or bookstore.

The Animated Version of The Hobbit You've Probably Never Seen

Produced back in 1966 in less than a month, this animated version of The Hobbit was created in order to retain the motion picture rights to The Hobbit. Created by Gene Deitch you can read more about this interesting film and it's history here. The film takes a number of liberties with the story, but overall I like it. The art style is really cool and some of the limited animation techniques are quite neat, especially the depth perception created for Mirkwood Forest. It's an odd little film that I'm glad has resurfaced.

Free Game - Indiana Jones and the Passage of Saints

Screen 7, who are currently working on Indiana Jones and the Fountain of Youth and have previously released the short, but fun, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Spheres, have released another fun little Indiana Jones game to tide us over until they complete work on Indiana Jones and the Fountain of Youth.  Go here to download Indiana Jones and the Passage of Saints.

Free Game! - Space Quest II Remake

Infamous Adventures has just released a remake of the classic Sierra game Space Quest II: Vohaul's Revenge. Click here and download it now.

Donald Duck: Lost in the Andes is now available!

I just received a shipping notice from Amazon.com saying my copy of Walt Disney's Donald Duck: Lost in the Andes by Carl Barks has shipped! I've been waiting for this book eagerly since it was first announced. In fact, my very first blog post was about the Carl Barks Donald Duck stories and how they were being reprinted in Europe in nice hardcovers but not in the U.S. I'm glad they are finally here and even more glad that Fantagraphics Books is in charge of putting them out. I don't think they would get quite the same loving treatment if they were put out by another company. 

In August I posted a brief preview of the book. But now the publisher has a more in depth sample for you to check out. Go here to see a 17 page PDF sample as well as a look at the book on video.

Also, go here to check out an updated link to an article detailing the less than optimal coloring job the previously released European collections had. Then go here to check out an article over on the Robot 6 blog with Rich Tommaso about his approach to coloring this release. From what I've seen the coloring job on this release is MUCH better than the European collections.

Publishers weekly also has an interview with Gary Groth, co-founder of Fantagraphics books and editor on the Carl Barks series, where they discuss Carl Barks and even talk about the recoloring. Go here to check it out.

Lastly, if you have any interest in the Carl Barks Donald Duck stories then you NEED to pick up these releases. You will kick yourself if you don't. I've included a link to Amazon.com below to make it even easier.  Buy a copy for yourself, buy a copy for your kids, buy a copy for your niece and/or nephew, buy one for your loved one, buy one for everybody you know! Well OK maybe not that many, but it is really good and I think it would make an excellent gift to give people. If you REALLY wanted to buy a copy for everybody you know, I'm sure they wouldn't mind. ;-)


AMAZON LINK

 Walt Disney's Donald Duck: "Lost in the Andes"

Disclaimer:  We get a small percentage of the sale price if you buy through this Amazon.com link. If you would like to support this blog, then please purchase through this link, but don't feel like you have to. If you can find it cheaper someplace else than purchase it there, especially if it's your locally owned mom and pop book store or comic shop.

Pogo by Walt Kelly

Fantagraphics Books has been planning a comprehensive reprinting of the entire run of Walt Kelly's Pogo comic strip for quite some time now.  They had some trouble tracking done some of the early Sunday strips but the first volume is now complete and should be shipping out sometime in the next couple of weeks. I'm eagerly awaiting my copy. Pogo is one of those rare comic strips that is illustrated lavishly, written extremely well and stays consistently funny throughout its run. It's one of those strips that you stand in awe of that he was able to churn it out day after day for years without a decrease in quality. For those of you who would like a preview of what's to come, Fantagraphics Books has posted a preview of the book that includes several pages of dailies and Sundays as well as the introduction. Go here to check it out. Then follow the following link on over to Amazon and buy it quick. If you're a fan of comic strips, this NEEDS to be one of the books sitting on your shelf.

AMAZON LINK

Pogo: The Complete Daily & Sunday Comic Strips, Vol. 1: Through the Wild Blue Wonder

Disclaimer:  We get a small percentage of the sale price if you buy through these Amazon.com links. If you would like to support this blog, then please purchase through this link, but don't feel like you have to. If you can find it cheaper someplace else than purchase it there, especially if it's your locally owned mom and pop book store.

The Smurf Apprentice

The eighth volume in the Smurf comic reprint project by Papercutz has been released. The Smurf Apprentice is another fun volume of these delightful comics. They're fun to read no matter how old you may be. I received mine in the mail the other day and read right through it. I couldn't put it down. Not only are they a good read but they are relatively inexpensive too. 

AMAZON LINKS

The Smurfs #8: The Smurf ApprenticeThe Smurfs #7: The Astrosmurf
The Smurfs #6: The Smurfs and the Howlibird
The Smurfs #5: The Smurfs and the Egg
The Smurfs #4: The Smurfette
The Smurfs #3: The Smurf King
The Smurfs #2: The Smurfs and the Magic Flute
The Smurfs #1: The Purple Smurfs

Disclaimer:  We get a small percentage of the sale price if you buy through these Amazon.com links. If you would like to support this blog, then please purchase through this link, but don't feel like you have to. If you can find it cheaper someplace else than purchase it there, especially if it's your locally owned mom and pop book store.

Forbidden Island

Recently, I picked up a copy of the game Forbidden Island produced by Gamewright. It's a really fun cooperative game where you and your friends are on a sinking island and you have to work together to get the four treasure and get off the island before it sinks. The island is made up of tiles that get re-arranged each time you play so the island is never the same.The cooperative aspect is a nice change of pace and each game only takes about 30 minutes. It's a 2 to 4 player game, but you can actually play the game solo if you like.  Just pick two characters and start playing. The only tricky part to playing solo is remembering which character's turn you are on. Either by yourself or with a group of friends, Forbidden Island is FUN!

AMAZON LINK

Forbidden Island

Disclaimer:  We get a small percentage of the sale price if you buy through this Amazon.com link. If you would like to support this blog, then please purchase through this link, but don't feel like you have to. If you can find it cheaper someplace else than purchase it there, especially if it's your locally owned mom and pop game store.

The Carl Barks Big Book of Barney Bear

Carl Barks, creator of Uncle Scrooge, is well known among comics enthusiasts for his amazing work on Disney's Donald Duck Comics. Now that those are finally being reprinted (read more about that here) some of his lesser know works are finally getting reprinted as well. IDW and Yoe Books have partnered up to bring us the Carl Barks Big Book of Barney Bear. This reprints all of the Carl Barks Barney Bear stories along with an introduction and cover painting by Jeff Smith (creator of Bone). Barney Bear, like Donald Duck, is always scheming up one thing or another and dragging his poor friend Benny Burro into the mix with comedic results. There's a reason Carl Barks is known as a master of comic book storytelling and it's quite obvious when you read his work. Pick up a copy to tide you over until the first volume of Donald Duck is released, you won't regret it.

AMAZON LINK

Carl Barks Big Book of Barney Bear 




Disclaimer:  We get a small percentage of the sale price if you buy through this Amazon.com link. If you would like to support this blog, then please purchase through this link, but don't feel like you have to. If you can find it cheaper someplace else than purchase it there, especially if it's your locally owned mom and pop book store or comic shop.

Space Family Robinson Archives Volume 2

Here's what the UPS man delivered today. The second volume in Dark Horse Comics Space Family Robinson series. This volume reprints issues #8 through #14 of this classic science fiction comic originally produced by Gold Key/Western publishing. My earlier post on this series (available here) includes a six page preview of the first volume to wet your appetite. I highly recommend picking up these gorgeous hardcovers if you are any sort of fan of retro science fiction. The original issues command high prices so these reprint volumes are highly welcome. I can't wait for the next volume to come out.

AMAZON LINK

Space Family Robinson Archives Vol 1
Space Family Robinson Archives Vol 2


Disclaimer:  We get a small percentage of the sale price if you buy through this Amazon.com link. If you would like to support this blog, then please purchase through this link, but don't feel like you have to. If you can find it cheaper someplace else than purchase it there, especially if it's your locally owned mom and pop book store or comic shop.

Free Game - Sissy's Magical Ponycorn Adventure

Here's a fun (and free) browser-based point and click adventure game called Sissy's Magical Ponycorn Adventure. It was designed by a 5-year old named Cassie. While her dad created the game engine that powers the game, Cassie designed all of the game's graphics, created some of the puzzles and voiced the main character. It's a fun little diversion that I think you'll get a kick out of. Check it out here.

Old Links

The dreaded 404 error. When clicking on a link to a webpage that no longer exists you usually get an error similar to this. If you are lucky, the page has been moved to a different location and the site owner will set things up to automatically transfer you to its new location. However many websites have vanished forever.  While digging through an old backup from 1997 I ran across an old  list of links I had used on a regular basis. I tried clicking on all the links to see how many still existed. Out of the 68 sites on my list (mostly video game related) only one still existed in the same location.

http://www.gamefaqs.com

One had moved but had left a forwarding address and automatically forwarded me to the new site.

http://www.mindspring.com/~keita/agh.html  (aka Atari Gaming Headquarters)

Two forwarded me to the websites of the companies that currently own the original companies IP.

http://www.funcoland.com/ redirects to the Gamestop website as they two companies merged in the year 2000.

http://www.sierra.com/support/patches/ Sierra's support site for their games now redirects to Activision's support site as they are they are the current owners of Sierra.

The rest all display 404 errors or have domain squatters with one exception.  http://www.n64hq.com/updates.htm redirects to Nintendo's main website. As N64HQ  was not affiliated with Nintendo this is very significant. Back in the early days of the World Wide Web, you could register any site you wanted and if you were the first to grab a domain name it was yours as long as you paid the registration fees on time. Nowadays, in certain circumstances, people or companies can take over certain domains if they own a trademark that is contained in a domain name. In this example, Nintendo owns the trademark on N64 so at some point they were able to gain control of n64hq.com.

This was an interesting experiment and just goes to show how much the web changes over time. I'm just glad the wayback machine (http://www.archive.org/web/web.php) is around so we can still access the content on some of these old webpages that no longer exist.

Jim Hensen's "Wizard of ID" test pilot film

Here's an interesting little film. Back in 1969 Jim Hensen produced a test pilot for a show based on the comic strip "The Wizard of ID". It never became a series but it's fun to watch in any event. Enjoy!

Jonny Quest Opening Titles

Jonny Quest Opening Titles from Roger D. Evans on Vimeo.

Here's a cool video. The original opening titles from the animated sixties version of Johny Quest is one of the most action-packed opening credits around and a gentleman by the name of Roger D. Evans has just made them better. He painstakingly recreated each scene from the titles and re-shot the entire titles sequence in stop-motion animation. The end result is the above video. His blog detailing the extensive work he did on each scene can be found here. The original title sequence is in the following video as a comparison. I've also included an Amazon.com link below for those who don't already own this cool series on DVD.





AMAZON LINK

Jonny Quest - The Complete First Season (1964) on DVD

Disclaimer:  We get a small percentage of the sale price if you buy through this Amazon.com link. If you would like to support this blog, then please purchase through this link, but don't feel like you have to. If you can find it cheaper someplace else than purchase it there, especially if it's your locally owned mom and pop store.

Portal: No Escape

Here's a cool short film based on the video game Portal produced by Dan Trachtenberg and starring Danielle Rayne. It's very well done short and is of professional quality. Also, you don't need to know anything about Portal to enjoy the film. Check it out.

Space Family Robinson

Imagine my surprise when I came home from work and found this sitting on my doorstep; the first volume in Dark Horse Comics reprint collection of the old Gold Key/Whitman Space Family Robinson comics . This is a beautiful hardcover collection of the first seven issues. Their goal  is to eventually reprint all 59 issues plus some extras. I've read through a good chunk of this volume already and can't wait for the other volumes to be released. Dark Horse has also made available a six page sneak peek to get you interested. I've included the preview pages below but they are also available on their website. Click on the images to enlarge them.

AMAZON LINK

Space Family Robinson Vol 1

Disclaimer:  We get a small percentage of the sale price if you buy through this Amazon.com link. If you would like to support this blog, then please purchase through this link, but don't feel like you have to. If you can find it cheaper someplace else than purchase it there, especially if it's your locally owned mom and pop book store or comic shop.

Walt Disney's Donald Duck: "Lost in the Andes" by Carl Barks

Fantagraphics Books released the above images (click on the images to enlarge them) to show off the first volume of their upcoming reprints of classic Donald Duck and Uncle Scrooge comics by Carl Barks. I mentioned this back in January when they were first announced  Fantagraphics appear to be doing a stellar job in preparing this material for release. Reprints of these in the past have suffered from horrid recoloring jobs but they appear to be doing a bang-up job replicating the flat coloring scheme used on the original comics. The Robot 6 website has an interview with Rich Tommaso who's in charge of the recoloring process for this release. Go here to check it out. The book's due out in October. I've already got mine pre-ordered. If you don't, why not?

AMAZON LINK

 Walt Disney's Donald Duck: "Lost in the Andes"

Disclaimer:  We get a small percentage of the sale price if you buy through this Amazon.com link. If you would like to support this blog, then please purchase through this link, but don't feel like you have to. If you can find it cheaper someplace else than purchase it there, especially if it's your locally owned mom and pop book store or comic shop.

The Astrosmurf

The seventh volume Papercutz has released of the fabulous Smurfs comic stories showed up in my mailbox. I've talked about smurf comics before here, here, here, here and here. It's wonderful seeing these comics reprinted. The Astrosmurf is one of the volumes I used to own as a kid and my copy is falling apart after being read over and over again so it's nice to receive a brand new reprint hot off the presses.  If you haven't checked them out already, I highly recommend you do. They're really good.

AMAZON LINKS
 
The Smurfs #7: The Astrosmurf
The Smurfs #6: The Smurfs and the Howlibird
The Smurfs #5: The Smurfs and the Egg
The Smurfs #4: The Smurfette
The Smurfs #3: The Smurf King
The Smurfs #2: The Smurfs and the Magic Flute
The Smurfs #1: The Purple Smurfs

Disclaimer:  We get a small percentage of the sale price if you buy through these Amazon.com links. If you would like to support this blog, then please purchase through this link, but don't feel like you have to. If you can find it cheaper someplace else than purchase it there, especially if it's your locally owned mom and pop book store.

Free Game - Streets of Rage Remake

Streets of Rage Remake is an excellent fangame remake/sequel to the Streets of Rage series. If you've ever played any of the Streets of Rage games and wished for a sequel or have a hankering for an old-school style beat-em-up, then this is the game for you. Go here for more information and to download this great game.

Sega Genesis Hardware Revisions

A user by the name of Ace over on the Sega-16 forums has an interesting thread detailing the various hardware revisions of the North American Sega Genesis and how to tell them apart. Go here to check it out.

asciiPad SNES Controller

The asciiPad Turbo Controller for the Super Nintendo is probably one of the best controllers ever designed. While normally you should avoid third party controllers, in this case you need to make an exception. The asciiPad is a licensed controller and appears to have been made in the same factory as the original first party controllers with some of the same parts. This controller is solidly built and feels great in your hands. The cord is a generous eight feet in length. The buttons are smooth and responsive. They also feel solid under your fingers and can really take a beating. The cross pad seems to be exactly the same as the original controllers which is a real plus. The controller also sports turbo and auto turbo buttons on the A, B, X, Y,  L and R buttons. This really comes in handy on some games. This is especially true when trying to bomb jump up a vertical shaft while playing Super Metroid. It's doable without a turbo controller but trying to get the timing is really tricky if you don't have one. It also has a turbo switch on the start button which can give you a slow motion effect on many games. All in all, the high build quality along with the long cord and turbo options make this controller a winner.

What were advertisers thinking when they dreamed up the above ad? In spite of this horrible advertisement, I bought one for my Super Nintendo back in the early nineties when they first came out and have been using in steady for the past two decades. It's still going strong.

Talk about truth in advertising. The asciiPad is such a great controller that none of the other controllers can come close.

AMAZON LINK

Super Nintendo Turbo Controller (AsciiPad)


Disclaimer:  We get a small percentage of the sale price if you buy through this Amazon.com link. If you would like to support this blog, then please purchase through this link, but don't feel like you have to. If you can find it cheaper someplace else than purchase it there, especially if it's your locally owned mom and pop video game store.

Encounter

Here's a fun little vintage stop motion short from 1982 produced by Joel Fletcher. It's called Encounter and it tells the story of two knights in the middle ages who have a bit of a run-in with some aliens. He also has an article about the making of the film on his website. Enjoy!

The Rocketeer 20th Anniversary Fan Film Trailer

The Rocketeer 20th anniversary from John Banana on Vimeo.

Here's a fun little fan made film produced by French animator John Banana to celebrate The Rocketeer's 20th anniversary. Now if only Disney would hire him to produce this as an actual series.

Usagi Yojimbo: The Special Edition

Usagi Yojimbo is a black and white comic created by Stan Sakai. He's been producing the comic for almost a quarter of a century. It's about a wandering samurai rabbit set in a fictional 17th century Japan filled with  anthropomorphic animals. The artwork is gorgeous. The stories are well written and have a good mixture of action and humor. The first seven volumes of Usagi Yojimbo are available from Fantagraphics Books in an amazing two book hardcover slipcase set (shown above) called Usagi Yojimbo: The Special Edition. I had never read the series before but had heard good things about it. One day I decided to take a chance and, since it was on sale, bought the slipcase set. I'm glad I did. I started reading it and finished it within two days. I just couldn't put it down. There are rumors that once this slipcase sells out, it isn't going to be reprinted so if you have any interest in getting this, you had better act quickly. It's well worth the price.

Disclaimer:  We get a small percentage of the sale price if you buy through these Amazon.com links. If you would like to support this blog, then please purchase through this links, but don't feel like you have to. If you can find it cheaper someplace else than purchase it there, especially if it's your locally owned mom and pop book store.

AMAZON LINKS
Usagi Yojimbo: The Special Edition

Merry Marvel Marching Society

Back in the 1960's Marvel Comics had an official fan club called The Merry Marvel Marching Society. Part of the initial membership kit was a plastic 33 1/3 RPM record with a recording of Stan Lee and the rest of the Marvel Bullpen called The Voices of Marvel. The video above is the audio from the record put to pictures of each of the participants.

Doug Pratt (aka DOuG pRATt or Dog Rat) has an MP3 of this record along with the other records available through The Merry Marvel Marching Society available for download on his web page.

Golden Axe Warrior

One of the best games available for the Sega Master System is Golden Axe Warrior. It's a fun game that's similar to the original Legend of Zelda. I managed to pick up a copy online with both the box and the manual for only $10 plus shipping. It usually goes for a lot more than that so I'm happy. The video above is a video review of the game that someone posted on YouTube.

As the game came out right at the end of the Sega Master Systems life-cycle, it was largely overlooked here in the U.S. That's a real shame as the game is really fun and in many ways is actually better than Zelda. The ability to buy extra dungeon keys in item shops as well as finding them in the dungeons help prevent players from getting stuck like they sometimes can in Zelda. The difficulty level and player strength both seem to ramp up in a consistent manner and I never felt like it ever got too far out of whack.

Sega Master System

Sega Genesis with Power Base Converter

Sega Game Gear with Master Gear Converter

The original game cartridge is playable on the Sega Master System, on the Sega Genesis (with the Power Base Converter) or on the Sega Game Gear (with a Master Gear Convertor).

The game is also an unlockable title on the X-Box 360 and PS3 versions of Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection.This is probably the cheapest way to get the game, assuming that is if you already have an X-box 360 or PS3.

Disclaimer:  We get a small percentage of the sale price if you buy through these Amazon.com links. If you would like to support this blog, then please purchase through these links, but don't feel like you have to. If you can find them cheaper someplace else than purchase them there, especially if it's your locally owned mom and pop video game store.
 
AMAZON LINKS

Golden Axe Warrior 
Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection - X-Box 360
Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection - PS3

"Out of Sight" animated short

Here's a really neat animated short produced by by Yu Ya-ting, Yeh Ya-hsuan and Chung Ling as a student project. It bears many similarities to the works of Miyazaki. Enjoy!

Muppets Theatre Reel

Here's a neat little film the Sesame Street Muppets did for Loews Theatres explaining what you can and can't do during your film watching experience. I can't believe I'm not allowed to munch on the theatre seats...