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Parody Preview: Daredevil vs. Depression 2.0
Posted by Michael Pinto on Mar 20, 2009 in Comic Books
Looking at this grim cover of Daredevil #117 (which hits the street next week) my thoughts that the economy is more of a threat to the world than any super villain! This cover is by Marko Djurdjevic who usually does some amazing work, but like the stock market this isn’t his highest point. By the way for you purists, here’s the unblemished cover: Read more… Trailer for the Upcoming Haruhi Suzumiya Nintendo DS Game
Posted by Michael Pinto on Mar 19, 2009 in Animation, Videogames
Here’s the latest trailer for Suzumiya Haruhi no Chokuretsu (also known as The Series of Haruhi Suzumiya) which is being produced by Sega for the Nintendo DS and due for release on March 26, 2009. Here are some screenshots from the game: Read more… In Search of Loch Ness, Bigfoot, Chupacabra and Jackalope
Posted by Michael Pinto on Mar 19, 2009 in Hobbies and Collections
This Cryptid Silhouettes Pin Pack which I found on Esty reminded me a great deal of the 70s TV show In Search Of… which featured Leonard Nimoy exploring a new topic every week like UFOs or Bigfoot. This pin collection features Loch Ness, Bigfoot, Chupacabra and Jackalope (although I don’t recall any episodes dealing with Chupacabras or Jackalopes). The pins are illustrated by artists Quincy Pearson and Adam Maron. Read more… NASAtelevision: The Next Best Thing to Being an Astronaut
Posted by Michael Pinto on Mar 18, 2009 in Science
In my humble opinion one of the best ways of following the space shuttle this week is to watch the NASAtelevision channel on YouTube (or you can watch it live here) — sadly this is the sort of thing that the SyFy channel should be doing, but maybe this yet another sign that mass media is in decline. Shown above is the crew of the space shuttle being welcomed to the International Space Station, I just love the nautical touch of them ringing the bells. Below are the highlights from the 2nd day: Read more… As a Fanboy I’ve Always Deeply Hated the SyFy Channel
Posted by Michael Pinto on Mar 17, 2009 in Television
I’ve loved science fiction for almost as long as I can remember my life — as a child I grew up screaming if my parents would drag me from watching a Star Trek re-run (in black-and-white no less) to waste time on something trivial like dinner! And I came of age in that magical time of the late 70s to the early 80s and watched every new TV show from Space:1999 to Red Dwarf. And you want to know a little secret? I’ve always hated the Sci Fi channel (now branded the SyFy Channel) from day one — here’s why: Read more… Pixar vs. DreamWorks: Why Up Will Upstage Monsters vs. Aliens
Posted by Guest Author on Mar 16, 2009 in Animation
Editor’s Note: In this column animation critic Joe Strike gives us his take on the upcoming Pixar film ‘Up’ vs. Dreamworks’ ‘Monsters vs. Aliens’. And this one goes easily to our Pixar Pals of Emeryville CA, as their upcoming Up easily clobbers Katzenberg and Ko.’s Monsters vs. Aliens – and that’s just based on seeing the first half of Up vs. all of MvA. Read more… Monsters vs. Aliens: The Winner Ain’t the Audience…
Posted by Guest Author on Mar 15, 2009 in Animation
Editor’s Note: In this column animation critic Joe Strike gives us our first review of Monsters vs. Aliens. A few weeks back Jeffrey K came to town to hype his latest, first-in-3D animated feature Monsters vs. Aliens. Did you know (Jeffrey does) 3D is the third revolution in motion pictures, right after the introduction of sound, then color? Neither did I; in fact the film seemed more like the old paddleball in your face routine – which is literally how it begins. OK, I enjoy a meta-gag as much as the next guy, but after JK talked up what they were gonna do with the technology, I expected more than visual quotes. (And yes, the 3D was very cool-looking all the way through.) Read more… Who Watches the Plot Holes in the Watchmen? Fanboys of Course!
Posted by Michael Pinto on Mar 14, 2009 in Comic Books
I think it’s safe to assume that by now most fanboys are going to their second showings of Watchmen or waiting on the DVD at this point. The one thing I’m noticing is that as time goes on I start to notice more and more plot holes and mistakes in the film. So without further ado here’s my laundry list (warning: this list will contain some plot spoilers, so if you still haven’t seen the film please don’t read ahead): Read more… Just a Typical Day at the International Space Station
Posted by Michael Pinto on Mar 13, 2009 in Science
With all of the excitement today about space junk threatening the International Space Station it dawned on me just how easy it is to forgot how untypical life is on a space station. Shown above is a spacewalk from this week which didn’t even make the news, yet it’s an amazing under taking. What you’re seeing here is the crew if the International Space Station conducting a four hour plus spacewalk which included an experiment and photography of the Russian segment of the station. They’re doing this in advance of the next Discovery mission which will deliver a new set of solar panels which will make the station easier to spot from the ground. Read more… The Star Trek Happy Meal: To Boldly Burp Where No Fan Has Gone Before
Posted by Michael Pinto on Mar 12, 2009 in Star Trek
Full Metal Alchemist Goes Moe
Posted by Michael Pinto on Mar 11, 2009 in Animation, Hobbies and Collections
It’s funny the one thing that always hit me about the character designs in Full Metal Alchemist is just how cute they seem to be, but this set of Full Metal Alchemist Choco Minto pushes it to the next level. These figurines are part of a merchandising push that ties in with the debut of the latest series which stays true to the storylines established in the original manga. Here’s a trailer for the upcoming series: Read more… Spock as a Stenciled Street Art Icon
Posted by Michael Pinto on Mar 10, 2009 in Star Trek
While wandering around Kenmare and Mott in Manhattan I spotted this stenciled Spock street art which features him in his Wrath of Khan outfit sporting a Marilyn Monroe hairstyle. Clearly a homage to Warhol (as shown by the near by tomato soup spray can below) the artist is Mr. Brainwash. Special thanks to Hrag Vartanian to identifying the street artist via his fast thinking tweets. Read more… I Got to Get a Konata Statuette!
Posted by Michael Pinto on Mar 10, 2009 in Animation, Hobbies and Collections
Captain I’m Afraid This Retro Star Trek Lunchbox is Inauthentic
Posted by Michael Pinto on Mar 9, 2009 in Hobbies and Collections, Star Trek
You can now pre-order the Star Trek Original Series Lunch Box — but frankly the design of this schlocked out trinket misses the point in my book. For starters the side of the lunchbox misses the spirit of the entire show, the typography and graphic symbols have nothing to do with the late 60s. But the biggest missing part is that a lunchbox from that era wasn’t always photographic — in fact for a science fiction show you’d expect to see an illustration. And this I present to you the real deal, an authentic Star Trek lunchbox from the 60s: Read more… Watchmen: My Fanboy Hangover
Posted by Michael Pinto on Mar 8, 2009 in Comic Books
From the moment I read Watchmen all of those years ago I always wanted to see it as a film — and I guess the lesson here is is that you should be careful what you wish for because you may just get it. After seeing the film I was left with a vey flat empty feeling, yes on a superficial level the director got almost every frame right but there was something lacking: the soul of the comic book. Read more… Star Wars Mice Invade Etsy
Posted by Michael Pinto on Mar 7, 2009 in Hobbies and Collections, Star Wars
A long time ago, in a galaxy far far away there were these cute little mice! I know this sounds like we’re kitbashing Star Wars with the Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy but these adorable sci fi rodents are the precious creations of the House of Mouse and can be found on Etsy on their very own page. There are 14 mice in the entire collection so far and they run between $35 and $40, but bet of all if your favorite character is missing they’re open to doing custom orders. Shown above is Princess Leia mouse and below is Darth Vader mouse. Read more… If Watchmen Was a Saturday Morning TV Show…
Posted by Michael Pinto on Mar 6, 2009 in Comic Books
This Watchmen parody is a perfect tribute to bad 80s Saturday morning cartoons. My favorite reference is to Jem and the Holograms… Third Trek Trailer: Kirk Takes the Helm of the Enterprise
Posted by Michael Pinto on Mar 6, 2009 in Star Trek
FIRE EVERYTHING! It’s hard to go wrong with a line like that? This latest trailer starts to flesh out the story — clearly it’s a coming of age tale ala the first Star Wars movie which would be an ironic but a good reboot for one of my favorite space opera franchises. This new trailer has all sorts of new footage that looks cool like bar fights (this brings me back to what made the original series cool — no drinking Earl Gray tea!) and some cooling looking Starfleet cadet training exercises that involve doing space jumps in orbit above Mars. But I’d say the most interesting thing is that we see Kirk taking the helm of the Enterprise. Read more… Manga Guides for Geek Topics
Posted by Michael Pinto on Mar 6, 2009 in Comic Books
Back in the day the gold standard of computer programming books were the O’Reilly books which featured distinctive woodcuts of various animals on the covers — well look out O’Reilly because a publisher in Japan has introduced a series of of mangas on an entire range of geek topics! If you don’t speak Japanese No Starch Press is starting to translate this line of mangas into English. The first title in the series which is already out is The Manga Guide to Databases “Princess Ruruna is stressed out. With the king and queen away, she has to manage the Kingdom of Kod’s humongous fruit-selling empire. Overseas departments, scads of inventory, conflicting prices, and so many customers! It’s all such a confusing mess. But a mysterious book and a helpful fairy promise to solve her organizational problems—with the practical magic of databases.” If Gerry Anderson Directed Star Trek…
Posted by Michael Pinto on Mar 5, 2009 in Star Trek
As both a fan of the original Star Trek and Space:1999 I love this re-edited opening title which was put together by Rick Kelvington. Watch out, Watchmen! This Film is Fanboy Approved…
Posted by Guest Author on Mar 5, 2009 in Cinema, Comic Books
Editor’s Note: In this column animation critic Joe Strike gives us our first review of the Watchmen film. They got it right – they didn’t fuck it up too bad. That only begins to describe my reaction to Zack Snyder’s Watchmen. On the ‘faithful-to-the-source-material-in-terms-of-capturing-its spirit’ scale I give the film 4.95 stars out of five. I credit the film to Snyder because it’s definitely his version of A____ M____ and Dave Gibbons’ ‘unfilmable’ graphic novel. It’s also a paraphrase of what Snyder said back in 2007 when he was starting work on the project: “I hope some rainy afternoon in England A___ M____ will watch the movie and say ‘they didn’t fuck it up too bad.'” Since you’re reading this on a site called fanboy.com, you know A___ M____ removed his name from the film (and turned down the zillions of $ of booty it will generate, handing it over to Gibbons) because of his distaste for what Hollywood’s done to his books; you also know the book inside-out, the way its themes echo through its huge cast and various subplots, or the counterpoint between the main story and the pirate comic ‘within the comic.’ (I don’t intend to review the movie here, plenty of people are already covering that end of it, but even so, plenty of spoilers ahead – you’ve been warned…) Read more… Star Trek XI New Toys: Design Critique
Posted by Michael Pinto on Mar 4, 2009 in Hobbies and Collections, Star Trek
The new Star Trek film will be hitting theaters in May, but early signs of merchandising are already appearing. Playmates has just introduced a line of toys which will be hitting the streets this month. So far we’ve only seen a trailer for this film, but these toys give us a first real glimpse into the look-and-feel of the film. It’s important to remember that the original Star Trek series was a real breakthrough in terms of production art — a spacecraft no longer had to look like a rocket or a flying saucer, so there’s a real tradition that’s at stake here. That and frankly if Paramount wants to reinvent the franchise they’ll have to top the amazing work Lucas has been doing these past couple of years with Star Wars. Read more… The Original Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head
Posted by Michael Pinto on Mar 4, 2009 in Hobbies and Collections
This is a commercial for Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head from the early 60s or late 50s, you’ll notice that unlike later editions that the original toy kit assumed that you’d be playing with an actual live potato. The toy was invented in 1949 by George Lerner and early versions of the toy were controversial as people viewed it as wasting food (this was just after World War II when food rationing was common). The toy began life as a premium in breakfast cereal boxes, but in 1951 for a mere $5,000 Lerner sold the idea to the company that would later become Hasbro. By 1952 over a million kits were sold, in 1953 Mrs. Potato head was added who was later also joined by Brother Spud and Sister Yam. And alas sadly in 1964 the kit switched to plastic potatoes… Found via vintagetvcommercials.com. Relakkuma Embraces Solar Power
Posted by Michael Pinto on Mar 3, 2009 in Hobbies and Collections
At the recent Toy Fair in New York I was almost depressed at the sheer number of green themed toys that seemed to be destined for landfills. The trouble with most of these toys is that they were plain old plush dolls with some connection to an endangered animal — which on the surface isn’t bad but doesn’t really engage your imagination on any level. That’s why I’m drawn to this Japanese toy which is based on the popular bear mascot Relakkuma: This novelty item features Relakkuma (also known as Relaxuma) and his honey-colored friend Korilakkuma are enjoying the soothing effects of a faux hot tub. When you place the toy in sunlight their wobble as if they’re relaxing in the faux water. You can pre-order the Relakkuma Onsen Solar Mascot from National Console Support. |
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Having watched the original series since my early childhood one of my early disappointments in life was the 1979 film Star Trek: The Motion Picture: You have to understand for me this was like Beatles getting back together again, but then producing a bad disco album. So it’s not surprising that I’ve blocked most of my memories associated with that “film” out of mind. But one thing that that the Paramount marketing dept. got right was the merchandising, and in this case I had forgotten that fast food giant McDonald’s had created a series of Star Trek themed Happy Meals to coincide with the film. Shown above and below are commercials that promoted fast food for Star Fleet officers in training. 
The above advert is for the upcoming April issue of 
