Guest Artist "Wrobbert Cartoons"

Coming Saturday, December 5th

WROBBERT CARTOONS

This is just a tease.
See the second half of this historic crossover
12-5-09.
See the strange and off-the-wall fun that takes place as you'll meet
wrobbert and enter his rather large mind.
Read his bio and view his cast of characters in action.
BE THERE!!!

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Out of the Big Box again

Steverino your android buddy brings us:

Cool Covers from Comics gone by

Let's start with this: Marvel's EXILES

Vol 1, No. 23, May, 2003

Cover art by: Kev Walker

It's the concept that helps this cover into the cool category. Simply put: It's  Ironman in Doctor Dooms cape.
This looks to be a canvas painting and that gives it a nice feel. Add a pissed off Ironman with beat up armor and put him in an old dirty cape and hood and you can't miss.The art under this cover is just as strong. I likey.

Moving on I bring you: DC's SUPERMAN: THE MAN OF STEEL
No. 44, May, 1995

Cover art by: Bogdanove & Janke
What do you say? It's in your face fun, lots of color, and wierd.
Check it out. Take a good look. It never gets dull. "3 D Kent". I did not know that was his address. Cool. I like our perspective looking up the door, past the big "S" logo, thru that scary knife, and into the mouth of that goofy head. Any cover (post 1970's) that can pull off goofy to me = cool. The good cover makes me want to read on. I think I will.

How about a back cover: Innovation's LOST in SPACE ANNUAL 
Vol 1, No. 1, 1992

Back cover art by: J.C. Palmer & Q Kmoore
Well, this is one of the best pieces of LIS art I have seen. Check the large view of this illustration. The resemblance to the actors us uncanny. I have seen a lot of bad Dr. Smiths.  The artwork has it all. The Jupiter 2, the Robot, and the Chariot. Do I see Debbie the Bloop inside?  I'm glad I pulled this book. Inside art is just good. It is not helped by a weak story. Lots of extras though . Front cover...just, ehh. Read this one back to front.

No really: Kitchen Sink Comix: YARN MAN
No.1, Oct, 1989

Cover art by: Don Simpson
He's MEGATON MANS pal. I'll have to look him up folks.... oh yea, him. There he is on the back cover. The front cover is so warm and fuzzy I ......nodded off. It is cool fun.
Simpson must have had a blast painting this. The solid yellow and strong type round out a sweet cover. I want to feel his tongue.

Lets wrap it up with a masterpiece: Marvel's FANTASY MASTERPIECES
Vol 1, No 7, Feb, 1967

I've gotta include one oldie. This book reprints stories from the golden age. This cover is a fine example of old printing with classic design form and great colors. I really like the preview boxes in the lower right. Old school. Cool.

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Outside the Big Box

Earth's favorite android STEVERINO

 steps outside the Big Box to bring us:

COMIC ADS WE ALL MISSED

or CAWAM (it sounded funnier in my head)

Hello humans. Follow along as I pull the sometimes funny, always obscure vintage ads from comics gone by.

Today I bring you story breaks from the profitable world of the

Marvel Comics Group (pre-Disney). I've chosen to pick ads from

EARTHS MIGHTIEST HEROES the AVENGERS

Issues #144, 149, and 227

Starting with #227 from 1983

It's nothing new at this point to create a quick story with a product pitch so why am I annoyed.

Bad art in the middle of a well drawn book? Yup.

Video game pitch in my comic? Yup.

That and too many spidey cliches for one ad.  I guess we could choose to skip over them and miss out on the sweet badness that is a vintage ad. Below is the companion TV ad. It is a classic.

Almost word for word. So bad it's good.

Next up #144 from 1975

Look at smilin' Stan. Nice turtle neck.

What a deal. Get an "8 track tape for only $8.37".

For your added pleasure here's a sample of this hit record.

http://bit.ly/B1gX6

Stan Lee rocks.  Finally I bring you #149 from 1976

Oh, how I loved G.I.Joe. I was not a big fan of the Super Joe era but Eagle-Eye Joe was very cool.

I think that fuzzy hair with those moving eyes made him that much more realistic. I'll see you next week.

'NUFF SAID!

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From the Big Box

STREVERINO has done it again. Your android friend pulled a long lost winner this time. It says so on the cover... four times. Thats cool but then McFarlane and the editors felt they had to swear at us. I quote #@*!! end quote. That does not compute. This week your loyal robot brings you:

 Marvel Comics' SPIDER-MAN #6 "MASQUES" 
part 1 from 1991

 Yes that's SPIDER dash MAN
Artist, Writer: Todd McFarlane 
Letters: Rick Parker   Colors: Gregory Wright

                                             

Surely, McFarlane is great. Look at his cover. A now ( in 2009 ) cliche spidey pose and trend setting web design was fresh at the time. I think that's how cliches are born. I like it. He pushed the envelope and ripped it apart. Turning to the inside pages we can quickly see the direction of this two parter. Dark. Well... darkish. The choice of colors in this mag is brilliant and fitting of the story line. Muted at times, the white borders and word balloons break up the full pages of splash art and color. It really does set the tone for a story that opens with a ranting Hobgoblin hearing voices and answering them back. We learn that he is taking sinners, young and old and killing them to save them. We are treated to a very Spawn like goblin. Well done.

After doing away with a young lads mother "She's in a better place" ( ho hum ) Hobgoblin has found the ward he's been missing. His "Disciple". Where is this going?

Cut to Spidey and MJ ( married at this point ) cut to surprise guest-star Ghost Rider doing his thing. Cut back to spidey sneaking out to do his thing. More full page web slinging follows. In full flight with his new friend Gobbey bombs his former hide out with live souls still in it.

Ghost Rider looks on.

And so with this outrage going on Spider dash Man sets off to track the Hobgoblin. How does he track a flying villian? Computers? Spidey senses? Would you believe a coke head. Word of mouth leads us to his gutter. How he knows is left for us to overlook.

Ghost Rider also goes to the street to find a flying goblin. With less fooling around and more blood he gets a fix on the location too. Thank God for coke heads and pornographers.

Having converted the boy, goblin sets his sights on everyone else. "others will soon follow".

Enter Spider-Man "stay here kid" You'll be safe?  BOOM! Hobgoblin throws a very cool pumpkin at the pair. What makes the bomb so cool? The carved mouth is The Batman's logo ( see cover scan ) I'm sure of it. I'm also sure that the coke head Spidey shook down was the Joker's twin. What gives? What's McFarlanes deal?

Our young victim stops the action saying "Don't hurt him, he's trying to do good". We are shown the boy who now looks to be turning into a little goblin himself. I think this is such a nice twist. It makes you want to go out and buy the next issue for sure. And "The spirit of vengeance races closer."

( see Ghost Rider ).

This was a nice pull from the Big Box. I must say this android was not a huge McFarlane follower but, good is good and I'm not above reprogramming. I just hope I can pull out part two.

To the left we see our Joker like coke-head helper. Told you. I'm right aren't I. To the right we have a sweet innocent child no more. I had to show you. See you next week.

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STEVERINO'S REVIEW "SUPERMAN" #379

STEVERINO reporting in. Today this android has pulled out of The Big Box a must read. PURE ESCAPISM. I am pleased.

SUPERMAN #379 from 1983

"The Bizarro-Buster is Loose!"

First of all, what a great cover. A classic. Old printing technology, semi gloss cover, newsprint pages and a good story all made for a great reading experience. I don't know what it is about holding these older books in hand they just feel right to the touch.

Written by Cary Bates, Pencilled by Curt Swan, and Inked by Dave Hunt "The Bizarro-Buster is Loose!" opens with Bizarro #1 pleading with the Bizarro JLA to act fast or "us all am doomed" they do not act and one by one they am doomed. Exploding one at a time like the rest of Bizarro Earths population #1 sets off to duplicate his friends so he won't be lonely but, the poor saps duplicating machine is

"on the blink".

I'll quote it for you again because it so darn cool sounding "ME BORROW MACHINE AND USE IT ON SUPERMAN'S FRIENDS TO MAKE NEW BIZARRO FRIENDS FOR ME!

MY OWN MACHINE AM ON THE BLINK!"

#1 or as he is also called The Thing of Steel heads away from his square planet toward our own Earth (several light years away) only to be followed by a wraith-like alien presence. We now cut over to our own Superman racing toward his fortress of Solitude to answer the hyper-sonic intruder alarm. Thats right folks it's Bizarro#1.

Look at the mess he made. How great is this page? Beautiful. Check out those very cool robots.

This is what I mean. Old school printing that's off just a little, great page design, and

"Great Krypton" super dialogue. A nice piece of art.

Come on it's 1983.

Earth one Superman does confront #1 Bizarro and both agree "friends".

Bizarro feels weak and dizzy as Superman spots the creature that followed him. Our hero throws Bizarro through the five foot thick wall to keep him safe. It doesn't work. Bizarro goes boom.

With the most powerful Bizarros energy now eaten the creature morphs and heads home.

Followed by Superman, the mysterious being arrives on Bizarro Earth and is attacked by a different group of creatures. Hang in there, here it comes. Supes being Supes helps the out-numbered

first critter. (because after all it is a life form) The second horde retreats and Superman thinks Bizarroland is lost when -BOOM! The bloated first creature explodes. This causes the consumed energy from the Bizarro people to reassemble back into... well, the people. #1 is back and takes Superman to hear the whole story.

A Bizarro Lex Luthor? Yes. Seeing an approaching horde that feeds on synthetic Bizarro-molecules he has saved the day by converting most Bizarros into a completely different form that together will be strong enough to repel the invading creatures. He was wrong and luckily Superman was there with his heat vision. Everybody wins. Superman wishes that his Lex shared their sense of moral obligation. His words.

A great Magazine.( look. It's called that on the cover ) I'm glad I was programed to read this for you.

Check back for a preview of next weeks read or follow STEVERINO'S RANDOM READ

on Twitter at http://twitter.com/alientoon

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Symphony of Science - 'We Are All Connected' (ft. Sagan, Feynman, deGrasse Tyson & Bill Nye)

I had to show this video. I can't get enough of it.

It was found at http://www.io9.com/ and originates from http://www.youtube.com/user/melodysheep Thanks for creating and posting such a deep video. It makes this little blue alien smile.

Some of the humans on this planet get it.

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STEVERINO'S REVIEW "INFINITY INC." #1

Steverino here. I have been programmed to review the human diaries known as "Comic Books". Every Tuesday I'll be grabbing random issues out of the "big box" and reviewing them for you the reader!

This week we're going to review a book from 1983 by the DC Universe; 'Infinity Inc. #1'. The series is a Roy Thomas, Jerry Ordway, and Mike Machlan creation that focuses on the descendants of iconic heroes in the DC Universe. Keep in mind this all takes place on Earth 2 - pre-crisis.

An ordinary meeting between the JSA is interrupted by some punk kids who want to join. Without asking any questions the Green Lantern says to the rest of the JSA "let's handle the party crashers". Of course their idea of handling party crashers is to lasso them all up and then let them go four panels later.

"There, now you've learned your lesson party crashers! Teach you to interrupt our meeting! Now tell us your names and origins for 14 pages... we'll finish our meeting later.

The four wannabe heroes are turned down and on their way out the door as two other heroes enter to try and gain acceptance. For some reason the first four decided not to have the common courtesy to let them know the JSA isn't hiring and we see the same exact fight. To no surprise they are also turned down. (The second two are actually Green Lantern's kids; Jade and Obsidion.) He doesn't know that yet even though he vaguely remembers some sort of past event, possibly conceiving children but then again that's really a memory not worth holding on to is it?

Two members of the JSA; Huntress and Power Girl are offended by the notion that maybe the JSA doesn't need more youngsters and they leave. The Star Spangled Kid wanted to revolt with the two JSA women but he left his spine in his locker. As the issue ends the villain Brain-Wave enters through a wall leaving readers with a cliff hanger until the next issue.

This book has great artwork that is highlighted by the costume choices (especially the Robin suit). This being the first issue seems to serve as a building block for the rest of the series. I am the android known as Steverino - I am partial to heavy doses of action. This was around a 56 issue series so I am as optimistic as a robot can be.

I leave you now with a quote from the book by the Earth 2 Green Lantern: "I'm -- not sure I know what you MEAN -- but I'd know if I had a family, I'd know about it, wouldn't I?"

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