It’s the Easter Beagle, Charlie Brown
Posted by Michael Pinto on Mar 23, 2008 in Animation
Isn’t it great how Peanuts manages to address the over-commercialization of the holidays? Happy Easter Beagle Sunday…
Mangaka You Should Know: Tite Kubo
Posted by Guest Author on Mar 22, 2008 in Comic Books
If you’re into anime at all, you’ve probably heard of its most famous manga creators Shirow Masamune (Ghost in the Shell), CLAMP (Magic Knight Rayearth, X, Tsubasa Chronicle), and Rumiko Takahashi (Ranma 1/2, InuYasha). You may even know Akira Toriyama (Dragon Ball Z), Ken Akamatsu (Love Hina), and the godfather of manga himself, Osamu Tezuka (Astroboy, Black Jack). But these are only the most famous few drops in a sea of manga creators: Here is one of picks for the ten mangaka you really need to know— and keep an eye on:
Tite Kubo
You may have heard of a little manga called Bleach, about a high school guy and a few shinigami (death gods) that fight various evil-doers. Sound familiar? It’s only one of the biggest anime and manga hits in recent years.
Creator Tite Kubo is actually the son of a town council member in Hiroshima. His intense art style earned him an editor’s attention when he entered a manga contest, and although he didn’t win, he was able to do a few short stories. He got his big break with Zombie Powder, an action series that was serialized in Weekly Shounen Jump for a year before it was discontinued.
Solar Home of the Future
Posted by Michael Pinto on Mar 22, 2008 in Pulp Fiction
I always associate solar energy and futurism with the 70s, however this magazine ad from 1958 (just think of it — that’s fifty years ago!) shows off a rather stylish solar home of the future. I love the little touches of the indoor swimming pool and the orange jet car parked outside.
Illustration discovered via Jan from Seattle.
Mangaka You Should Know: Arina Tanemura
Posted by Guest Author on Mar 21, 2008 in Comic Books
If you’re into anime at all, you’ve probably heard of its most famous manga creators Shirow Masamune (Ghost in the Shell), CLAMP (Magic Knight Rayearth, X, Tsubasa Chronicle), and Rumiko Takahashi (Ranma 1/2, InuYasha). You may even know Akira Toriyama (Dragon Ball Z), Ken Akamatsu (Love Hina), and the godfather of manga himself, Osamu Tezuka (Astroboy, Black Jack). But these are only the most famous few drops in a sea of manga creators: Here is one of picks for the ten mangaka you really need to know— and keep an eye on:
Arina Tanemura
Arina Tanemura is a shoujo manga superstar, with hit series such as Kamikaze Kaitou Jeanne and Full Moon wo Sagashite under her belt. Her current ongoing series is Gentleman’s Alliance†, which is being released in English by VIZ.
Tanemura’s debut work was a 1997 series called I-O-N, about a girl named Ion Tsubaragi who develops psychic powers. After that she charged ahead with a collection of shorts called Firecracker is Melancholy, and dove into her first big hit: Kamikaze Kaitou Jeanne, a magical girl series about a high school girl who transforms to fight demons. Jeanne was followed up by the shorter Time Stranger Kyoko, which is a slightly sci-fi magical girl series set in the 30th century.
And finally comes Full Moon wo Sagashite (published by VIZ as Full Moon), featuring a 12-year-old girl named Mitsuki who wishes to be a pop idol but who has a throat cancer that can only be cured by removing her vocal chords— and a grandmother who is opposed to the idea of her granddaughter auditioning. When Mitsuki overhears two shinigami (death gods) talking about how she has only a year left to live, and she runs away to audition. The shinigami catch up with her and offer her a deal: if she promises to go quietly when her time comes, they will give her the ability to turn into a healthy 16-year-old so that she can audition.
Own a Life-Sized Cylon
Posted by Michael Pinto on Mar 21, 2008 in Battlestar Galactica
Shown above is the Cylon Life-Size Figure which is available for wealthy Battlestar Galactica fans for $7900:
“The Life-size Cylon figure, as seen in the reimagined Sci-Fi series ‘Battlestar Galactica’, is manufactured exclusively by Fred Barton Productions, Inc. of Los Angeles, California, and licensed through Universal Studios. Each Cylon is hand-made using only the finest materials and overseen by the ‘Robot Man’ himself, Fred Barton.”
Mangaka You Should Know: Naoki Urasawa
Posted by Guest Author on Mar 20, 2008 in Comic Books
If you’re into anime at all, you’ve probably heard of its most famous manga creators Shirow Masamune (Ghost in the Shell), CLAMP (Magic Knight Rayearth, X, Tsubasa Chronicle), and Rumiko Takahashi (Ranma 1/2, InuYasha). You may even know Akira Toriyama (Dragon Ball Z), Ken Akamatsu (Love Hina), and the godfather of manga himself, Osamu Tezuka (Astroboy, Black Jack). But these are only the most famous few drops in a sea of manga creators: Here is one of picks for the ten mangaka you really need to know— and keep an eye on:
Naoki Urasawa
He first made waves in the U.S. with his series Master Keaton, whose anime adaptation was released in English by Pioneer/Geneon in 2003. But Naoki Urasawa’s best-known works these days are the Fugitive-esque drama Monster and the extremely popular and still-running 20th Century Boys.
In Monster, Kenzo Tenma is a Japanese doctor living in Germany when he makes the decision to operate on a young boy who arrived at the hospital first instead of a prominent politician who arrived later, displeasing his superiors. Shortly thereafter, his superiors— and the boy, along with his twin sister —all disappear. Nine years later, he runs into the boy, Johan, again, now a man and a mass murderer. When Tenma becomes the suspect for Johan’s crimes, the doctor takes matters into his own hands. He saved the monster; he will put him away. The series is widely acclaimed for its slow yet intense pacing, thrilling and suspenseful action, and particularly its phenomenal characterizations. No character is thrown away; each has his or her own back story, and there are many of them.
Miyuki Torii Cosplay Commercial
Posted by Michael Pinto on Mar 20, 2008 in Japanese TV
The above commercial stars Japanese comedian Miyuki Torii — I just love how she’s talking to a Black Jack (a well known Tezuka manga character) cardboard cut out. And as with all clever advertising I have no idea what they’re selling…
Retro Sci-Fi Games: Gammarauders
Posted by Guest Author on Mar 19, 2008 in Videogames
It seems almost impossible to fall over in a game store without knocking over a few dozen sci-fi themed games, so we wanted to take a look at the ten best examples of the genre. Our twist? Retro! So here’s one glimpse of the future from the past:
Gammarauders
Released by TSR in 1987, Gammarauders is a crazy hodgepodge of post-apocalypticism, table-top role-playing and sci-fi comedy. From the game’s World Book:
“It was a time of peace and plenty. Men flew in multicolored suits. Women worked magic by wiggling their noses. Vehicles talked. Blond genies lived in bottles. Hillbillies invaded a land called Beverly…”
And it goes on like that. For twenty pages.
The game is played with large cardboard hexagonal areas á la Settlers of Catan, much smaller cardboard token pieces representing troops, various action cards and, the main attraction, sheets featuring the Bioborgs. Bioborgs are huge mutated animals ranging from a t-rex to a kangaroo to a penguin and more, all massive and outfitted with lethal weaponry. The players assume the role of one of the various wacky groups and gangs ranging from hippies to gangsters to samurai. The whole thing has a very over-the-top, tongue-in-cheek tone, but in fact little of the back story has much effect on the actual game play. The main appeal is the ever changing battlefield and the crazy visuals. For example, the weapon cards all feature unique designs and crazy names like the Helio-Conic Slugger, Neonuclear Flamer and Omni-Ionized Gas Emissions.
Star Trek Classic Communicator
Posted by Michael Pinto on Mar 19, 2008 in Star Trek
Shown above is a full-size replica of the classic Star Trek Communicator which was just released. While it won’t replace your iPhone this collectible features blinking lights, a moving moire pattern to impress your hippy friends, and over twenty sound effects and phrases including “Scotty here, Captain!” Star Trek fanboys (and fangurls) can order it now at Amazon.com for about $25 (transporter fees not included):
A Tribute to Comic Book Guy
Posted by Michael Pinto on Mar 19, 2008 in Comic Books
“Stop right there. I have here the only working phaser ever built. It was fired only once, to keep William Shatner from making another album!” If you identify with Comic Book Guy from the Simpsons, you’ll love this site!
Found via nerdcore.de.
Sir Arthur Charles Clarke, CBE: 1917 – 2008
Posted by Michael Pinto on Mar 18, 2008 in Pulp Fiction
Today Arthur C. Clarke passed away: What I always admired about Clarke was that he started life as a fanboy reading science fiction pulp magazines, in fact he got his first few stories published in fanzines between 1937 and 1945 (he didn’t turn pro until after WW II at the age of 29). Also for him science fiction wasn’t some far off fantasy, but rather a reality waiting to happen — the proof of this was his love of science and astronomy, which gave his fiction a sense of credibility. Here is video of Clarke reflecting on his 90th birthday from last December:
Retro Sci-Fi Games: Solarquest
Posted by Guest Author on Mar 18, 2008 in Videogames
It seems almost impossible to fall over in a game store without knocking over a few dozen sci-fi themed games, so we wanted to take a look at the ten best examples of the genre. Our twist? Retro! So here’s one glimpse of the future from the past:
Solarquest
It is a rare thing to find a game that is not only a ton of fun, but also quietly educational. Built on Monopoly’s core mechanics, Solarquest adds a bit of depth as well as a lot of polish and eye candy to the otherwise dry franchise.
The basic idea is that you’re zooming around the solar system buying up every major rock (mostly moons) you can find. Instead of moving in a fixed path, players may choose to orbit around the home planets for as long as they wish, building up fuel and cash. Once a player has bought up a planet’s surrounding moons they essentially have a monopoly and gain more money for rent and fuel when another player lands there. There are also special rules to allow cutthroat laser battles that are sure to end friendships and destroy marriages.
The Cutting Room Floor: Doomsday
Posted by Guest Author on Mar 18, 2008 in Horror
Neil Marshall Writer/Director of the Descent and Dog Soldiers returns to the big screen with Doomsday. In 2008 the Reaper virus lays siege to Scotland, killing people by the thousands. In response the British government puts up a 30 foot wall around Scotland, separating it from the rest of the world and trapping those infected within. Anarchy ensues as people rape, loot and kill in a lawless land while the rest of the world looks on.
Fast forward thirty years. The rest of the world has turned their back on England, London has become a third world haven for the downtrodden who live on the streets because they can’t afford to live anywhere else. It is among the masses that victims of the returning Reaper Virus are found. Martial Law is declared by Prime Minister Hatcher (Alexander Siddig a.k.a Dr. Bashir from Star Trek:Deep Space 9) and a plan is drawn up to find out why some people survived within the quarantine zone of Scotland and to find the cure for the Reaper virus.
Eden Sinclair played by Rhona Mitra ( Shooter, The Number 23, Underworld: Rise of the Lycans ) is chosen to lead a team back into the wasteland to find a survivor and the cure. The team, of course, is filled with throw away good guys who’s only job is to get slaughtered and make Eden look all the more bad ass.
Sandcastles on Steroids
Posted by Michael Pinto on Mar 17, 2008 in Hobbies and Collections
Shown above is Neptune’s Sandcastle, the largest sandcastle in the world, which was sculpted for the 2006 Virginia Beach Neptune Festival. It’s from this fun article I came across:
10 of the Most Amazing Sand Sculptures From Around the World
Retro Sci-Fi Games: The Hitchhiker’s Guide
Posted by Guest Author on Mar 17, 2008 in Videogames
It seems almost impossible to fall over in a game store without knocking over a few dozen sci-fi themed games, so we wanted to take a look at the ten best examples of the genre. Our twist? Retro! So here’s one glimpse of the future from the past:
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy Text Adventure
First off, no, I never got the Babel Fish. At least not on my own.
The text-adventure version of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy is one of the most evil games ever created. It’s also, as most inherently evil things tend to be, a huge amount of fun. Not surprising since the source material is brilliant and the game was adapted by author Douglas Adams himself. The game follows the plot of the book just about as much as the books themselves follow any sort of plot. Much like the book, the player is simply called to react to the events transpiring around him. From the bulldozing of the house to the trip to space and the travels of the Heart of Gold, everything just sort of happens. Naturally there are a lot of new bits and a lot of missing bits, but collectively all of the bits make for a great experience.
Bollywood Horror Posters
Posted by Michael Pinto on Mar 17, 2008 in Horror
Shown above are two samples from an amazing gallery that features posters from classic Bollywood horror films. On the left is the poster for Khoon Ki Pyasi Dayan and on the right is Gumnaam from 1965. The website is here:
Are the Aliens Dumb?
Posted by Michael Pinto on Mar 16, 2008 in Science
I think it’s more a matter that intelligent life-forms that have technology are rare:
There is life out there but it’s probably stupid
“EXTRA-TERRESTRIALS will probably never phone Earth in a way we can understand because they are unlikely to have evolved human-like intelligence. Australian National University astronomer Charley Lineweaver said no other organism on Earth had evolved with intelligence matching that of humans, so it was highly improbable an extra-terrestrial lifeform would think like we do or have built technologies like ours.
“If human-like intelligence were so useful, we should see many independent examples of it in biology and we could cite many creatures who had involved on independent continents to inhabit the intelligence niche,” Dr Lineweaver said. “But we can’t. Human-like intelligence seems to be what its name implies – species specific.” Although he was sure there was other life beyond Earth, he doubted there was intelligent life, such as that, pictured, from the film ET.”
Retro Sci-Fi Games: Mighty Men & Monster Maker
Posted by Guest Author on Mar 16, 2008 in Videogames
It seems almost impossible to fall over in a game store without knocking over a few dozen sci-fi themed games, so we wanted to take a look at the ten best examples of the genre. Our twist? Retro! So here’s one glimpse of the future from the past:
Mighty Men & Monster Maker
It has been said before, but memory is an odd thing. You can be minding your own business, idly cruising through the nether-regions of the intertoobes, when all-of-a-sudden you see something that instantly sends you through the looking glass. You’re two feet shorter and [redacted] years younger. The light looks oddly diffuse, the walls tower over you at strange angles and you’re laying on your grandmother’s living room floor forming weird creatures and mental dreamscapes with Tomy’s Mighty Men & Monster Maker.
Retro Sci-Fi Games: Simon
Posted by Guest Author on Mar 15, 2008 in Videogames
It seems almost impossible to fall over in a game store without knocking over a few dozen sci-fi themed games, so we wanted to take a look at the ten best examples of the genre. Our twist? Retro! So here’s one glimpse of the future from the past:
Simon
Sure, it would be easy to wonder why this simple little kid’s game of follow-the-leader should make it onto this list. To you, all I have to say is Close Encounters of the Third Kind.
Simon is obviously a pan-dimensional communications device sent to test the evolutionary progress of civilizations across the universe. To the casual observer it may seem like a simple match game. While most people think that “winning” is simply hitting every candy-colored note at the right time, most fail to realize that the way we lose is just as important. Our behavior is very closely monitored during this “play,” while all of our vital statistics and higher brain functions are sent out at light speed every time our fingers touch the pads.
Comic Book Artists in Action
Posted by Michael Pinto on Mar 15, 2008 in Comic Books
Shown above is Drawing Superheroes which features well known comic book artists in action at their studio. Part one features John Romita and Joe Kubert, while part two (below) has John Buscema and Bill Sienkiewicz:
Sailor Moon vs. Saku Saku
Posted by Michael Pinto on Mar 15, 2008 in Japanese TV
Shown above is an episode of Saku Saku from a while ago which featured Sailor Moon as a guest, well not the animated one but an actress playing an incredible simulation. Being a talk show I never have any idea what’s going on, but for some reason I can’t help but keep watching (they always seem to have quite a bit of fun). Speaking of Sailor Moon, it seems like there will be a live action version of the show. But for your immediate entertainmenthere is part two of our faux Sailor Moon interview on Saku Saku:
Retro Sci-Fi Games: Metroid
Posted by Guest Author on Mar 14, 2008 in Videogames
It seems almost impossible to fall over in a game store without knocking over a few dozen sci-fi themed games, so we wanted to take a look at the ten best examples of the genre. Our twist? Retro! So here’s one glimpse of the future from the past:
Metroid
Barren landscapes. Strange alien life-forms. A mysterious civilization. A harsh and minimal soundtrack. Absolutely no dialog. All of these things combined to make Nintendo’s Metroid an immediate sci-fi stand-out on the system.
In the game, the player is thrust directly into a foreign land with very little explanation. The seemingly unending caves twist and turn like a maze, going both vertically as well as horizontally. The confusion is pushed even further with the several impenetrable doors and other seemingly impossible to reach areas. This was something new to many gamers. The idea of backtracking and unlocking secret areas all the way back where you started from was still a relatively new one for home-consoles. While these days it has come to be more of an annoyance to some gamers than a special feature, it certainly made for interesting, if not laborious, secret hunting as well as serving to extend the life of the game greatly.
Tokidoki “Kaiten Sushi” Journal
Posted by Michael Pinto on Mar 14, 2008 in Hobbies and Collections
Shown above is the Tokidoki “Kaiten Sushi” Journal by artists Simone Legno which will be released on July 2nd from Dark Horse Comics:
“Back by popular demand! You cannot stop the popularity of adorable Tokidoki. Our first journal and stationery set sold more than any other sets, so we’re extremely excited to present a second journal, designed by Italian-born artist Simone Legno. The image speaks for itself. This journal will be sought after and treasured by many!”
Retro Sci-Fi Games: Space Invaders
Posted by Guest Author on Mar 13, 2008 in Videogames
It seems almost impossible to fall over in a game store without knocking over a few dozen sci-fi themed games, so we wanted to take a look at the ten best examples of the genre. Our twist? Retro! So here’s one glimpse of the future from the past:
Space Invaders
One of the great things about certain types of sci-fi is that they leave a lot up to your own imagination. Sometime the things that are left unexplained are the most intriguing. You can select the things you think are interesting and build them up in any way you see fit. I mean, this is exactly what the fan-fiction industry [community] is built upon.
Space Invaders is one of those less-is-more sorts of situations. The basic premise, heck, the only premise, is that the aliens are coming and they want us dead. Where are they from? How far have they traveled? What is it about us that they find so offensive as to throw literally everything they have at us? It’s enough to paralyze even the most iron-clad ego. Fortunately, the game gives you exactly zero chance to ponder the finer points of pan-galactic diplomacy. Before you can even survey the playing field, the electric disintegrator rays are raining from the sky and it’s time to boogie. You can try and hide behind your shields, but eventually those space bugs are going to crush you, so shut up and pull the trigger.