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Glico Rice Crackers
Posted by Michael Pinto on Dec 5, 2007 in Hobbies and Collections
The design of this Glico package is somewhat bland to me, but what caught my eye was the whimsical quality of the rice cracker character design. It reminds me of similar American trademarks from the 40s, 50s, and 60s:
Tokyo Metro-chan
Posted by Michael Pinto on Dec 4, 2007 in Fandom
Yeah! Beat up those no good otaku fanboys! Shown above is a street performance from the Tokyo Metro-chan which was held a few months ago. This cosplay act is based on the show Bokusatsu Tenshi Dokuro-chan: The Cutting Room Floor: Tooth and Nail
Posted by Guest Author on Dec 4, 2007 in Horror
2007 was a year filled with blockbuster films, Spider-Man returned for a 3rd (and final?) installment that introduced the world to Venom and brought joy to the lips of comic book fanboys worldwide. Johnny Depp took on the mantle of Captain Jack Sparrow and sailed around the world. Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez took us into an absurd world of violence and flesh with their homage to the 70’s exploitation films with Grindhouse. In the world of horror films it was more of a down year. Films like The Pulse, The Reaping and Captivity netted lukewarm box office at best. That does not mean that there weren’t any good horror movies out there in 2007, just that no one went to see them. My favorite weekend of the year recently passed by, a new annual tradition called Horrorfest. Lionsgate and After Dark Studios releases 8 new horror films for one week in a limited release. The fun of Horrorfest is watching all 8 movies over one weekend. 3 on Friday, 3 on Saturday and 2 on Sunday. By the last film Sunday night you’re sated on a virtual feast of death, mayhem and fantastic situations. With this being my first column I’ve decided to begin the discussion of the best horror movies you probably haven’t seen from the year 2007 with one of the ‘8 Movies to Die For’ from Horrorfest called Tooth and Nail: Pac-Man Ghost Belt Buckle
Posted by Michael Pinto on Dec 3, 2007 in Videogames
If you’re a Namco fanboy you’ll get a kick out of this officially licensed Pac-Man Belt Buckle which has the Pac-Man’s Ghost image on it. Nick’s Nippon Notebook: A Taste of Mystery
Posted by Guest Author on Dec 3, 2007 in Hobbies and Collections
After missing out on Pepsi’s popular but limited edition Pepsi Ice Cucumber flavor, I was on the hunt for a soda challenge. I guess to some extent I found it in the new Fanta Mystery Flavor from Coca-Cola Japan. Apparently it’s a combination of 2 fruit flavors but you’ll have to determine which ones by drinking it. There’s some sort of mobile phone mystery game tie in to play along with and eventually discover if your guess is right about the 2 (very artificial) flavors perhaps long after you really care to know. I notice the little fruits on the bottle have legs. Maybe they are fleeing from the scene of a crime? I remember years ago there was an old man with a now gone shoebox sized store in Akiba. It might have been a smoking den since all I think inside there were vending machines and benches. What I remember is he had a drink vending machine with one of the display cans all wrapped up in brown bag paper and question marks written in magic marker on it. I didn’t go for it because it’s surely risking something not nice tasting. Parody Preview: X-Men: Die by the Sword #4
Posted by Michael Pinto on Dec 2, 2007 in Comic Books
On a technical level this cover by Jelena Djurdjevic is great, but the minute you see that lion thing on the shirt the whole cover becomes silly. How come in the year 2007 super heroes still need to prance around in tights? The key to making a speculative genre story work is the suspension of disbelief (i.e. taking your audience on a wild ride with you), and when you’re working in a very visual medium like comic books the devil is in the details. X-Men: Die by the Sword #4 will be in comic book shops this week. Star Wars Gamecube Mod
Posted by Michael Pinto on Dec 2, 2007 in Star Wars
If your a Starwars and Nintendo fanboy you’re gong to want to bid on this goodie at eBay: AT-AT Gamecube Mod! Nintendo! (not a Wii) “Star Wars Fans!!! Nintendo Fans!!! Gamers!!! Dont miss out on this chance to own a one of a kind Item! This is an auction for my one of a kind Gamecube AT-AT mod. (AKA the AT-GC) It includes 4 wavebird controllers and the 2 memory cards that are inside the system itself (a 1019 and a 251) All the original Gamecube components are inside this mod including the heatsync and cooling fans so it will not overheat (Notice the small holes in the underside of the system for ventilation) and yes, the AT-AT pilot is also included:! All of it is in great cosmetic condition. The AT-AT itself was mint and complete before the Modification and still is (minus the electronic sound effects unit and head movement lever that were once inside) All of it’s joints are still tight and it’s paint is bright.” …check out this video of the AT-AT in action: Found via Engadget. Sampson vs. the Vampire Women
Posted by Michael Pinto on Dec 1, 2007 in Horror
The vampire women capture and drain the blood of human beings to make themselves beautiful, and just what’s so wrong about that you PETA protesters? Sampson vs. the Vampire Women was directed by Mexican filmmaker Alfonso Corona Blake in 1962 under the original title Santo vs. Las Mujeres Vampiro. Max Headroom Returns
Posted by Michael Pinto on Dec 1, 2007 in Television
Shown above is the new old Max Headroom, played by original actor Matt Frewer. The good news is that Max won’t be back as a Hollywood remake: Channel 4 resurrects Max Headroom “Channel 4 is to bring back 1980s creation Max Headroom to front a series of TV ads to raise awareness of the digital switchover. The campaign, which breaks this Saturday, features Matt Frewer, the actor who played the original Max Headroom. Ads will feature Headroom criticising Channel 4, which created the stuttering digital host in the 1980s, for ignoring his vision of a digital future.” Nick’s Nippon Notebook: Meet the Beetles
Posted by Guest Author on Dec 1, 2007 in Hobbies and Collections
While gashapon (capsule toys) of beetles are far from uncommon, I noticed this series of dung rolling beetle miniatures utilizes the capsule as a replica of a dung ball (click on the image above to view the vending machine at full size). There have been enough stories of actual live beetles sold from vending machines to maybe make some people believe that it’s commonplace, ranking right up there with school girl underwear vending machines. While I’m sure someone must have tried the idea, it’s a fallacy that either is commonplace. I’m sure someone must have tried it back in the 1990s sometime, but it’s more legend than something one may likely run into. Remembering Evel Knievel
Posted by Michael Pinto on Nov 30, 2007 in Hobbies and Collections
Sadly Evel Knievel has passed away, but his legend lives! No fanboy’s childhood in the 70s would be complete without wishing for an Evel Knievel toy for Christmas! Looking back at it I can see why kids liked Evel, back in the 70s it was the era of the sensitive man from Woody Allen to Alan Alda to the lovable loser Ziggy. But it’s hard for a boy to see these complex characters as role models, while Mr. Knievel’s simple philosophy was “I’m not sure if I’ve run out of bones on my body to break”. Everyone looked up to Evel, even Fonzie from Happy Days – but when Fonzie tried to imitate Evel he only managed to jump the shark. Here’s a commercial from that now gone golden age: Somber Smithsesque Superman
Posted by Michael Pinto on Nov 30, 2007 in Comic Books
Alex Ross brings his characters to life, not just by using a photo realistic technique but through the emotions that he brings into his illustrations. On this cover for Justice Society of America Vol. 2: Thy Kingdom Come Part 1 you get a real sense of isolation and age in the man of steel. My hat is off to DC Comics for this cover, in another era this amazing artwork would have been rejected for not being upbeat enough or action packed, and the result is that we get something much more powerful and compelling. DC Comics Preview for February 2008. Anime Network Online Player: Not Quite Ready
Posted by Michael Pinto on Nov 30, 2007 in Animation
I watched the above video clip and raced to the Anime Network website, and man was I let down! I’m what you call a pre-sold audience, I’m an anime fanboy and I love watching stuff on my computer. Well I launched their player, it started up a bit slow but so far so good. Next it played a commercial, now I’m willing to watch a bit of advertising before the show (that’s what pays the bills!) but the commercial skipped and jumped and timed out. It was for a horror film too, so I wanted to watch it but I couldn’t make out what was going on. Next the Anime I wanted to watch started to load up – and load up – and load up – and then it crashed my browser! Nope it’s not me, I watch video all the time on YouTube, DailyMotion, and even CNN (which plays well enough that I don’t mind the commercials) and I have a broadband connection too, but the Anime Network Online Player just doesn’t like my computer. I hope Anime Network can fix the tech side of things because the service looks interesting (and would be worth a second try). Popgun, Vol. 1
Posted by Michael Pinto on Nov 30, 2007 in Comic Books
Popgun, Vol. 1 is available this week in finer comic book shops across the land. This 400+ page book is a group effort and features the work Mike Allred, Dave Crosland, Erik Larsen, Corey Lewis, Joseph Michael Linsner, Jim Mahfood, Khary Randolph, Jamie S. Rich and a cast of thousands. It’s a bit on the artsy side, but that’s how I like it! Ideal Space Toys: Fire Rockets!
Posted by Michael Pinto on Nov 29, 2007 in Hobbies and Collections
What’s great about these toys from the early 1960s is that they were created before the era of dumbing playthings down in the name of safety. Can you imagine the warning labels that would be on these toys today? Warning this space base may cause you to polk your eyes out! Found via the wonderful website tvdays.com. Archibald Aardvark: Amazing A+ Artwork!
Posted by Michael Pinto on Nov 29, 2007 in Comic Books
It’s a trick of the trade, you see it all the time: You have an amazing cover, but then you get the olde “bait and switch” and the interior of your comic book looks like it was the intern’s lucky day. Well what I love about Archibald Saves Christmas #1 is that the interior panels look even better than the cover art! I also love the originality of both the concept and look of this book, the plot reminds me a bit of Who Framed Roger Rabbit and the artwork looks like RAW Magazine from the 80s kitbashed with a black-and-white Max Fleischer cartoon. It’s nice to see Image Comics doing something innovative, and the illustrator Grant Bond and the writer Dwight L. MacPherson are worth adding to your check list. Nick’s Nippon Notebook: Bingo Bongo
Posted by Guest Author on Nov 29, 2007 in Hobbies and Collections
I came across the above can of grape flavored Bingo Bongo soda that I found in an Osaka vending machine. I can’t help but to notice more than a little resemblance to Oingo Boingo’s Danny Elfman. Well as per Bingo Bongo there’s not much more to it than seeming to be a pretty odd potential infringement case… Nick Kent is a New York based artist who works with electronic media and is an occasional pop culture pundit. Keiko Yamada: Heaven Goes Goth
Posted by Michael Pinto on Nov 28, 2007 in Comic Books
Back in the day (the era of Robotech) if I wanted to buy a manga I had to travel all the way into Manhattan from the burbs and hunt down one of the two or three Japanese bookstores in town. But I’m so happy to see that American publishers like DC Comics are not only bringing in manga, but shojo manga at that! Shown above is the cover for Go Go Heaven!! Vol. 5 by Keiko Yamada. I love the soft water color quality of the illustration, it’s a nice change of pace from the typical superhero stuff. DC Comics Preview for February 2008. Talking Translator = Universal Translator in Beta?
Posted by Michael Pinto on Nov 28, 2007 in Star Trek
Shown above is the Talking Translator, which in a crude way reminds me a bit of the Universal Translator from Star Trek. Although this primitive 21st Century version will only cost you about $70. Speaks and displays 12 languages, including French, German, Spanish, Italian, Russian, Japanese, Mandarin Chinese, Swedish, Portuguese, Dutch and Turkish but not Klingon. Silly humans! Found via GeekAlerts. NASA: Mars Mission Emerges
Posted by Michael Pinto on Nov 28, 2007 in Science
The good news is that this sounds like a serious proposal to go to Mars, the bad news is this is planned for the year 2031. You know I think the genius of JFK wasn’t so much announcing a moon mission, but the idea of doing it within the same decade: NASA manned Mars mission details emerge “A 400,000kg (880,000lb) Marship would be assembled in orbit using the Ares V cargo launch vehicle for a 900-day mission to the red planet, according to details that have emerged about NASA’s new Constellation programme’s manned Mars mission. The spacecraft would take a “minimal crew” to Mars in six to seven months, with the crew spending up to 550 days on the surface, according to the programme’s design reference architecture 5.0, currently in development. Each of the three to four Ares V rockets used to launch the Marship elements into low Earth orbit would need a 125,000kg payload capacity and use a 10m (32.7ft) fairing. Crews would be sent every 26 months, will need up to 50,000kg of cargo, use an aerodynamic and powered descent method and the 40min communications delay between Earth and Mars would require autonomy or at least asynchronous operation with mission control.” The Love Bound Train
Posted by Michael Pinto on Nov 28, 2007 in Comic Books
I first met Griffin Waldau and Ava Savitsky at a MoCCA event earlier this year. Their initial work got my attention right away as it’s inspired by Williamsburg, Brooklyn (a subject very close to my heart). Well they’ve now launched their full website The Love Bound Train, and what I love about it is that they’ve taken a true multi-medium approach to what they’re doing by creating graphic novels, designer toys, and cute related knick-knacks at the same time: “This project started with an idea to create a set of collectible dolls to capture the personalities, sites, and sounds of a rapidly gentrifying brooklyn neighborhood complete with the less-than-reliable mass transportation that we must all deal with to get us to and from our homes, works, and playscapes. The Love Train itself is of course a reflection of the vehicle of choice in our neighborhood. The experiences and characters seen within have all been observed during the frequent ventures into the dark underbelly of this city.” …check out their blarg blog too! Suydam Self-Portait Tribute
Posted by Michael Pinto on Nov 27, 2007 in Comic Books
I love how this cover for Moon Knight #15 by Arthur Suydam is paying tribute to Norman Rockwell’s Triple Self-Portait from 1960. Marvel Comics Preview for February 2008. Spiderman Loves to Eat Oranges
Posted by Michael Pinto on Nov 27, 2007 in Animation
From 1980 comes this public service announcement showing that Spiderman would prefer an orange over a cash reward. Although I wonder how he would eat it with that mask? |
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