ZERO?!? :(

Didn't see that coming... or did we? Lol

via Coowada Curt

It really sucks to be TJ Miller right about now, having walked away from a successful gig only to appear in a movie that draws a literal ZERO percent at RT.  -- Frank G

B1 Entertainment Presents the New Album from Bone Capone

retronerds : 252 - Always Keep a Hard Copy (Episode 78A)

Our take on the current state of the music / radio industries, Bone Capone, the usual unavoidable bit about current politics, Kid Rock, and more.

Pretty Strange

If this takes you longer than 5 Seconds to answer.. you really need to watch more 252! Lol!

The latest Frank G production

hi-res download available at : https://schizophrenicrecordings.bandcamp.com/track/religion
released July 27, 2017 
The Dick Spinach 5 :  Drums and Vocals : Steve Starks  Guitars : Bob Evans  Bass : Jay Ledbetter 
Recorded at Spinach Laboratories by the DS5  Mixed / Mastered at Reductive Media by Frank G 
(P)(C)2017 Schizophrenic Recordings / Reductive Music (BMI) 
SR1073DS

retronerds : 252 - All The News That Fits (Episode 77A)

News galore this week.  Lots of things going down in the real world.  Some good, some bad, all worth discussing...

retronerds : 252 - Brother Numpsy and the Quest for the Knife (Episode 76C)

Finishing our coverage of Spider-Man : Homecoming, with the usual bits of humor mixed in.

retronerds : 252 - @#$% You, Nancy Reagan! (Episode 76B)

Continuing coverage of Spider-Man : Homecoming and our usual diversions into the 1980s.

Let's just say, it's about damn time... 'nuff said.

Let's just say, it's about damn time... 'nuff said.

via Coowada Curt

Platoon Reunion

via Coowada Curt

Jodie Whittaker will play the first ever female regeneration of Doctor Who

via Coowada Curt

With last month's All Eyes on Me, this month's the Defiant Ones and 2015 Straight Outta Compton. Is Hollywood too focused on the show of hip hop, as opposed to the real meaning, of the men and women that defined a generation. 

via Coowada Curt

Joan Lee - 1947-2017

My heart goes out to the man... 

Via Coowada Curt

And thank God, neither did we!

via Coowada Curt

retronerds : 252 - The Sebastian Conundrum (Episode 76A)

252 News and Reviews features some sad news again this week, and we begin our 3 part review of Spider-Man : Homecoming.  Spoilers within, so if you haven't seen the film, go do that first!

Spend 6 weeks on Jamie Foxx's couch and you too can be a star...

Spend 6 weeks on Jamie Foxx's couch and you too can be a star... wait that came out wrong!

via Coowada Curt

The short list for Joss Whedon's Batgirl,  alleging that Katherine Langford is the favorite to take the role, with Elle Fanning, Jane Levy and Margaret Qualley coming in close behind.

via Coowada Curt

The coulda, woulda, shoulda's of Hollywood. What we never knew we may or may not have needed...

via Coowada Curt

I would pay good money to see Creed vs Drago! You see what John Wick did when the Russians  killed a dog?

via Coowada Curt

retronerds : 252 - That's a Lot of Laundry! (Episode 75B)

Interesting news stories, GLOW, Netflix shows, the New Edition story, and more!

retronerds : 252 - What's Going On? (Episode 75A)

The 252 take on what's happening in the world today.  An expanded version of 252 News and Reviews, the way we do when we have things to say.  It's not all politics, though. We complain about entertainment as well.

retronerds : 252 - Marvel Cinematic Universe : Part Five (Episode 74D)

Will the Marvel Saga ever end? The answer is yes -- but not in this episode. Professa Pat joins the crew for this discussion which contains Marvel info and a whole bunch of other stuff.

Lord/Miller out as Han Solo directors -- after filming for weeks?!

Phil Lord and Christopher Miller are no longer directing the Han Solo Star Wars spin-off. "Phil Lord and Christopher Miller are talented filmmakers who have assembled an incredible cast and crew, but it’s become clear that we had different creative visions on this film, and we’ve decided to part ways. 

A new director will be announced soon," said Kathleen Kennedy, president of Lucasfilm in a statement. "Unfortunately, our vision and process weren’t aligned with our partners on this project. We normally aren’t fans of the phrase 'creative differences' but for once this cliché is true. We are really proud of the amazing and world-class work of our cast and crew," said a statement from Phil Lord and Christopher Miller. 

Lord and Miller, the helmers of The LEGO Movie and 21 Jump Street and its sequel 22 Jump Street, signed on to direct the Star Wars stand-alone in July 2015. The film will star Alden Ehrenreich as Han Solo, while Emilia Clarke, Woody Harrelson and Donald Glover also star.

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/star-wars-han-solo-film-loses-directors-1015419

Trump bans recordings at WH Press Conferences

Please please... no cameras or recording devices during the White House press conference! Yes Kids, the Trump administration is officially off the reservation!

http://money.cnn.com/2017/06/19/media/white-house-press-briefing-donald-trump-media/index.html

via Coowada Curt

Wonder Woman Betta Get Her Money!

Gal did for the DCEU what the fellas couldn't... I say pay her her due!

via Coowada Curt

Cosby gets off, yells Fat Albert catchphrase. I wonder if that's how it went in the 80s?

Hey hey hey it's a huuunnng jury! Cosby is walking free and many are stunned... But apparently not Camille.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/arts-and-entertainment/wp/2017/06/17/camille-cosby-lashes-out-after-mistrial-is-declared-in-husbands-sexual-assault-case/?utm_term=.521d02f80087

via Coowada Curt

retronerds : 252 - Marvel Cinematic Universe : Part Four (Episode 74C)

Coming soon...

A Rob Liefeld drawing of Josh Brolin as Cable

retronerds : 252 - Star Wars Rebels : Part Two (Episode 71B)

Part Two of Coowada and Frank G's talk on Star Wars : Rebels.  This was recorded before we learned that there are only 13 episodes of Rebels remaining before the end of the series.  We'll have more on this subject in the weeks to come.

retronerds : 252 - Saved By The Bell : Part One (Episode 72A)

The 252 Crew talks about their memories of the classic TV series Saved By The Bell.   This segment also includes a new 252 News and Reviews.

A Charlie Murphy Story

-As mentioned in Episode 72-

Yes, there's a formula, but it WORKS.

retronerds : 252 - Star Wars Rebels (and More) (Episode 71A)

We had a couple weeks where we couldn't record, but we put together a little something anyway. This episode starts off with a News and Reviews segment that didn't make it into the last episode, then Coowada Curt and Frank G talk about Star Wars Rebels while Ralphie D is out of the house...

I think that makes it official!

It's here.

Marvel Fans Are Hoping 'Life' Is a Surprise Venom Movie.

In Daniel Espinosa’s "Life," astronauts aboard the International Space Station retrieve the first Martian life form. It’s not a tiny dude in a Centurion helmet, but a small, sentient organism that grows powerful and malevolent. While Life bears a strong semblance to horror movies like Alien, Marvel fans on Reddit are hoping Life is actually a Venom movie in disguise.

via Coowada Curt

(Sounds more like a Venom ripoff in disguise, if Marvel is not involved....  - FG)

SNOOP DOGG TO INDUCT TUPAC INTO ROCK & ROLL HALL OF FAME....

"SNOOP DOGG TO INDUCT TUPAC INTO ROCK & ROLL HALL OF FAME"

-- and it's about damn time!

via Coowada Curt

Is Spider-Man’s time in the Marvel Cinematic Universe limited?

“Spider-Man: Homecoming” co-producer Amy Pascal hinted that may be the case. Following the already agreed upon sequel to “Homecoming,”the web-slinger might once again be restricted to appearing only in films from Sony.

Say it ain't so, Sony... Say it ain't so.

via Coowada Curt

Legendary Comedian Don Rickles Dies at 90

Don Rickles, who made his name as a devastating insult comic but endeared himself to a new generation of fans as Toy Story‘s Mr. Potato Head, has died at age 90. 

The legendary comedian’s longtime representative Paul Shefrin tells PEOPLE in a statement: “Emmy-Award winning iconic comedian Don Rickles passed away at his home Los Angeles this morning (Thursday) as a result of kidney failure.”

“Rickles would have turned 91 on May 8. Rickles also had great success as an actor and best-selling author,” he continued. “He is survived by his wife of 52 years, Barbara, as well as their daughter Mindy Mann and her husband Ed, and Rickles’ two grandchildren, Ethan and Harrison Mann.”

Go, Go Power Rangers???

Former 'Power Rangers' actor pleads guilty to killing his roommate with a sword!

Ricardo Medina, who once played one of the Power Rangers, has pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter for stabbing his roommate to death with a sword, admitting that he killed Josh Sutter after the two had a dispute at a Green Valley home.

Do Power Rangers suffer from PTSD?

via Coowada Curt

retronerds : 252 - GI Joe vs Transformers : Part Three (Episode 70C)

retronerds : 252 - GI Joe vs Transformers : Part Two (Episode 70B)

retronerds : 252 - GI Joe vs Transformers : Part One (Episode 70A)

retronerds : 252 - WWF Superstars : Part Two (Episode 69B)

Continuing on with Part Two of our WWF / WWE memories

retronerds : 252 - WWF Superstars : Part One (Episode 69A)

We say goodbye to several nerd icons in our 252 News and Reviews segment, then remember our favorite people/stories/moments from the glory years of the WWF and WWE (which happen to coincide with our teenage years, of course)

Deadpool Checks In With a New Teaser

Missing the Point

Here's a gross demonstration of missing the point --

In Catlettsburg, KY, the police department purchased decals of the Punisher’s skull logo, modified with colors from Blue Lives Matter, and placed them on the department’s sedans and SUVs.

Clearly no one thought to Google 'The Punisher' before they blew their wad!

via Coowada Curt

New 252 Merch Available Now at Amazon

All designs available in Mens, Ladies, and Youth styles 

- and in an assortment of colors -

Basic 252 Logo T

Deluxe 252 Logo T (Front/Back)

Agent 14 Logo T

You can't always get what you want

So you can't always get what you want when you want it!

We get a fresh young Lando for our Han Solo movie, but we gotta wait for more Earn! Due to Donald Glover's extremely busy schedule, Atlanta season 2 will not air until sometime in 2018...

This deal's getting worse all the time!

via Coowada Curt

First Look at the Upcoming Thrawn Novel

Del Rey Books has released a sneak preview of the upcoming Star Wars : Thrawn novel.  The new book is by Timothy Zahn, who created the fan-favorite character back in 1991 for his novel Heir to the Empire.  "Thrawn" is expected to shed light on both the character's back story and his whereabouts during previous films.

Full Article at USA Today

Now You're Playing With Power!

retronerds : 252 - I Want My MTV : Part Two (Episode 68B)

Remember when MTV actually played music videos?  They even had "Music Television" as part of their logo, before it became the all-'reality' channel and we gave up on them.  We're going to talk about their glory days -- from 1981 - 2001 -- and have a few laughs in the process.

What "Rosario as Ahsoka" might look like

Drum Breaks Everyone Will Recognize

retronerds : 252 - I Want My MTV : Part One (Episode 68A)

Remember when MTV actually played music videos?  They even had "Music Television" as part of their logo, before it became the all-'reality' channel and we gave up on them.  We're going to talk about their glory days -- from 1981 - 2001 -- and have a few laughs in the process.

Yep. It's Plural.

8-Bit Sidenote

We didn't forget this game (or the dozens of others we left out of this week's episodes.)  Covering everything on our lists would require a 12 part series, and people seem to have a 10 minute attention span at best...      Without further ado   :   Tecmo Bowl!

First step towards Cyberdyne taking over the world?

RealDoll founder Matt McMullen says he is using artificial intelligence and robotics to create the impression of sentience to form a genuine emotional bond between man and machine.

This means that RD owners will be able to talk dirty with their sexbots before getting some action.  In other news, the divorce rate between man and machine has risen 25%, due to the fact that the RealDolls are now able to tell their owners, "I can't tonight honey, I have a headache."

via Coowada Curt

Add an Alexa and some servos and you can probably do that right now.  She'd actually be very polite about it. That might make for a bad sexbot, though.   --  FG

retronerds : 252 - 8-Bit Memories - Part Two (Episode 67B)

Archie TV Universe Goes Beyond Riverdale

Last month, Archie Comics creative force and Riverdale producer Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa hinted at plans to expand their television universe beyond the Riverdale series. Those plans just got a bit more official, with the announcement of a new deal with Warner Bros.

First revealed by The Hollywood Reporter, the deal will cover multiple, still unrevealed shows to be produced by the studio and Archie Comics, based on the publisher’s vast roster of beloved characters. Pitched as the latest stage of the company’s plans to modernize its stable of characters (which included the excellent reboot of the main Archie series a couple years ago), the plan means we can probably expect more shows on the CW and beyond to be announced in the near future.

Now appearing on your favorite streaming service : Prince

Big news on the music scene!  The majority of Prince's back catalog is now available on your favorite streaming service. 

A number of albums from the 90s and 2000s remain unavailable in any format, but his biggest hits from the Warner Brothers era can now be found on Amazon Music, Spotify, Apple Music, and more. 

A large physical reissue campaign is on the way, featuring a remastered catalog, bundled with live tracks, unreleased music from the vault, concert films, and more.  

Oh, apparently, the Grammys were yesterday, too...

Excellent Character Generator for D&D 5e

This site will help you create a fully functional D&D 5e character in about 5 minutes, without a single book on hand. 

Character Generator at Orcpub

retronerds : 252 - 8-Bit Memories - Part One (Episode 67A)

After the near disastrous video game "crash" of 1984 - where unboxed copies of terrible games lined 3/$1 bins across the nation, as parents and retailers swore "Never again!" when it came to video games - a new challenger appeared with a new approach...

retronerds : 252 Presents -- Redd Dredd : Episode Two (2016 Special Edition)

As mentioned in Episode 67A of retronerds : 252

‘The Batman’ Finds New Director in Matt Reeves

“The Batman” standalone film has found its new director.

Matt Reeves is in early talks to take over directing duties after Ben Affleck stepped down from the role in late January. Affleck will still star in and produce the Warner Bros. movie.

Sources indicate that the “Cloverfield” and “War for the Planet of the Apes” director has already committed to helming the superhero pic, although a deal isn’t done yet. Variety first reported that Reeves was high on the list of directors to replace Affleck, but, until recently, meetings were still being held with other filmmakers.

Affleck will still have a significant role in the direction of the film — the first solo movie to star Affleck as the Caped Crusader — after writing the script with Geoff Johns, but he will now have more time to focus on acting.

via Coowada Curt

Jay & Silent Bob Reboot

"This is not a drill! This is an actual image from my laptop! Yes, Kids - @jayandsilentbob are coming back! Here's the story: Sadly, Clerks III can't happen (one of our four leads opted out of the flick). So I worked on a #Mallrats movie instead... which also didn't happen because it turned into a #Mallrats series. I've pitched said sequel series to 6 different networks only to find no takers thus far. Mind you, I'm not complaining: nobody gets to make EVERYTHING they wanna make in this business (do they?). And I've been lucky to make anything at all, there's so much competition out there, so many much cooler ideas from fresh folks.

And besides: I had #comicbookmen and then @tuskthemovie and @yogahosers (which all came together so crazy quickly), and the podcasts and #fatmanonbatman. With all of that, how could I bitch about no Clerks III or Mallrats 2? Then when I started directing @thecw shows, it was such a slice of Heaven on Earth, I happily put my Askewniverse sequels to the side. Since I sold #Clerks and #Mallrats years ago, they're owned by others, which limits my moves with my own material. I don't mind: back in the day, all I ever wanted to do was sell my stuff so I could be in the movie biz in the first place. So I don't own Clerks, Mallrats, Chasing Amy or #Dogma... But I DO own #jayandsilentbob.

So while I love playing with someone else's new toys on @cwtheflash and @Supergirl, I'm getting eager to play with my old toys again in the inter-connected View Askewniverse I spent the first half of my career creating. And so all last month, I had the time of my life laughing while writing "Jay and Silent Bob Reboot" - a fun flick in which the Jersey boys have to go back to Hollywood to stop a brand new reboot of the old "Bluntman & Chronic Movie" they hated so much. It's a tongue-in-cheek, silly-ass satire that pokes fun at the movie business's recent re-do obsession, featuring an all-star cast of cameos and familiar faces! And I already met with the good folks at Miramax and they're into it, so I'm hoping we'll be shooting in the summer! Never give up, kids. You CAN do anything you want in life, so long as you're patient and malleable." - #KevinSmith

Star Wars Episode X : The Untameable Erection?

Rosario Dawson wants to play Ahsoka Tano in a live action film.  If we're not going to let Ashley Eckstein do it (and I suppose we always knew they weren't...) I can't think of anyone better than Rosario.  Dual Nerdgasm.

retronerds : 252 - Comic Book / Manga Artists - Part Two (Episode 66B)

Join the 252 Crew and special guest Kat as we continue to discuss our favorite Comic / Manga artists.

Fun With Shooting Titles

I so hope that this is true. The working title for the Star Wars young Han Solo stand alone is going by Red Cup!

via Coowada Curt

---------------------------------

It is definitely true.

Interesting...

Nintendo Switch Super Bowl Ad

Stranger Things 2 Teaser

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2 Big Game Spot

New Lando spotted with OG Lando. They were not, however, in Orlando.

Apparently, annoying fans took these not at all conspicuous 

fake selfies so that we could witness this historic moment.  

retronerds : 252 - Comic Book / Manga Artists - Part One (Episode 66A)

Join the 252 Crew and special guest Kat as we discuss our favorite Comic / Manga artists.

Holy going backwards Batman!?!

Justice League 2 is pushed back, the Flash goes back to page one rewrite, and now this!?! Ben Affleck announced that he will no longer direct The Batman... The DCEU weeps while the MCU smiles.  Of course, these things have been known to change...

via Coowada Curt

Catching up with The Music Meister

Appearing soon in live action form on Supergirl and Flash, the Music Meister made his debut  (being voiced by Neil Patrick Harris, no less) in a 2009 episode of Batman : Brave and the Bold.

retronerds : 252 - MAD Magazine - Part Two (Episode 65B)

The conclusion to our MAD Magazine roundtable with the 252 Crew and JK -- and then we wander off into other territory...

The Best Movie Based on a Jack Chick Tract - Ever

Sn-OOPS!

$9.99 for a comic book?

Yes, you read that correctly... Amazing Spider-Man #25 is a $9.99 96 page monster super-sized comic book. 

Dan Slott and Stuart Immonen create a 40 page Spider-Man story kicking off the new Norman Osborn storyline. Dan Slott and Giuseppe Camuncoli tell a short story, Hannah Blumenreich writes and draws her Spider-debut, Cale Atkinson creates a new story about the A-May-zing Spider-Aunt,and – possibly – a Peter David and Mark Bagley launch for the new Scarlet Spider series. While all of that sounds pretty cool, it still doesn't justify the fact that a new Marvel comic -- from their current flagship title -- is going to cost $10. Remembering when I quit buying because they hit $1.... and my Dad quit buying because they hit $0.15....and so on.

Nice One, DC's Legends of Tomorrow!

I want to give a nod to this week's episode of DC's Legends of Tomorrow. A thanks for the not-too-subtle reminder that many of us wouldn't be who we are today without the talent, imagination and magic of George Lucas!

***Mini spoiler below*** 

It was an awesome scene -- the Legion of Doom, trapped the Legends in a trash compactor with George Lucas -- I was just waiting for The Atom to get on comms calling for Threepio!

via Coowada Curt

Couch Commander in Chief?

MAD – The Usual Gang of Inspirational Idiots

Hey everyone – Frank G here, with an expanded version of what I was talking about on this week’s episode of 252.

Now, I realize that many of my sentences begin with this statement, but : “Back when we were kids…”, many of us got our first taste of subversive material when we found – or a hip older relative handed us – our first copy of MAD Magazine.

Black and white, printed on the lowest grade of paper imaginable – very similar to the stuff with the giant lines in kindergarten – MAD seemed normal enough at first – like an oversized, less colorful comic (originally, it WAS a color comic, but that was long before our time) --- or maybe a long collection of newspaper comic strips.  From the humorous letter department, through the film parodies, fold-ins, and all the other regular features – MAD was everything a kid could want – despite being written above our heads.  Well, not MY head, because I was an odd child, but the material was not aimed at preteens – it was written for adults, primarily, with the sort of Looney Tunes style humor that works on multiple levels.  As a result, you could re-read your MAD collection through the years and get entirely new laughs as you grew to understand the world.

The initial attraction was based on the cover of whichever issue we first discovered.   I remember EXACTLY which issue was my first, and I remember where I got it.  MAD 206 – Apr 79.  The first time I spotted it, it was in my Dad’s magazine pile.  We used to go to the comic shop together – Comic Kingdom in Detroit, one of THE first comic specialty stores – I would get my 2 DC comics (He was a DC guy, and always steered me away from the Marvels) and he would get a few magazines.  OMNI, Playboy, and occasionally – MAD.   This particular issue had Alfred E. (though I didn’t know his name at the time) standing on his head in a burning building, next to a fire extinguisher that said “In case of Fire, turn Upside Down”.   I HAD to see the inside.  Now, at first, this was very similar to trying to sneak peeks at Playboys.  A brief peek inside when no one was around, but you’d almost never hit one of the GOOD pages.  I saw lots of ads for cigarettes and booze when I’d get 30 seconds alone, but never ONCE saw any nudity. Go figure. Anyway, my dad must’ve seen me peeking at MAD, so he just handed it to me.  Nothing really unsuitable for kids in there – especially not in 1979.  I read the whole thing a couple times, laughed at some of it, didn’t get some of it, and went on with my day.   A few weeks later, I was helping my grandma clean out the attic after my uncle moved out, and we found his old stash of MAD.  She figured they were comics and gave me the whole stack.  I treated them with care, but I breezed through those before I left the next day, and I was officially hooked.

My FAVORITE part of MAD was (and is) “The Lighter Side Of…” – Dave Berg’s semi-autobiographical strip about average people leading average lives (with an above average level of snark and sarcasm.)  You’d usually get 6-9 little strips per issue, all grouped together into a three-page article.  In my first issue, there was a Lighter Side in which a guy invited his parents over for dinner without calling to tell his wife.  They walked in and there was a shot of the wife at the top of the stairs waiting for her husband -- totally naked except for high heels.  This was the first time I remember thinking the kid version of “Daaaaamn!”  She was all legs and ass and heels and…. A lifelong preference was formed in an instant.  So, thank you for THAT, Dave Berg… In general, the strip was mildly humorous in that “yeah…I’ve been THERE” sort of way that MAD did best.  I say “did’ because they kinda blow these days.  We’ll talk more about that later, though.

I would have been 4 years old when this came out.  Apr 79 = Jan 79 on sale date.  I turned 5 in Fall 79. I would say that a LOT of my particular sense of humor comes from the MAD magazine influence.  Especially starting at such an early age.  After that first issue, I didn’t see another for a few months, then Superman : The Movie came out and there was a MAD parody – with a Superman cover.  

I asked for (and received) that issue, and another a few months later with Empire Strikes Back and Alfred E. as Yoda on the cover.  Before long, I had convinced Mom to get me a copy whenever she had $1 to spare at the grocery store – or whenever I went along to the grocery store – which was surprisingly often, all the way through high school  -- but anyway… 

From 1981-1992, I read nearly every issue of MAD.  Somewhere around 1989, they lost Don Martin to Cracked.  Cracked was always a 2^nd rate MAD, but at times I actually preferred their mag.  Cracked had an even CHEAPER feel than MAD, but they also had the artwork of John and Marie Severin, which gave the Cracked movie parodies an awesome (if decidedly NOT MAD) look and feel.  They also had Nanny Dickering, which was a Bill Ward creation – and they'd usually throw in some Dan DeCarlo art, too! 

1981-1985, I was buying MAD AND Cracked on a regular basis – and beginning to build a decent stack of back issues.  Which I read CONSTANTLY.  I was not only allowed, but encouraged to read at the table.  This would keep me from listening and / or contributing to whatever the adults had going on, and I could get lost in my own little world.  Lots of comics, and lots of MAD.  They had stuff spilled on them, pages would get torn, covers would fall off, my mom would read them, then @#$@%ing WRITE NOTES on them or use them as a cutting board when trimming coupons (at least I THINK she was trimming coupons…)  My MAD collection was definitely well-loved. 

Even so, I generally did NOT fold the back cover twice to do the MAD Fold-In.  My brain has always been good at connecting things and filling in blanks, so 99% of the time, I could just look at the image and text and see what the end result would be – thus keeping my mag in the grocery store version of “mint” condition.  At least until one of my parents grabbed it…A large portion of my knowledge of 70s (and early 80s) films comes from MAD magazine parodies.  I read them all, so I was learning the basic plots of the top movies from around 1972-1985 before I was ever able to see an R rated movie.  Horror films, drama films, crime films.. all the stuff that I wouldn’t be likely to watch at a young age – but still got consumed via MAD.  I learned about A Clockwork Orange, The Godfather, 2001, Alien, most of those 70s disaster films, and all of the teen sex comedies – long before I would actually see them.  For the most part, I DID go back and watch them all.  I think that’s something that kids might be missing now.  They don’t seem to like older films a lot of the time, but then they never got introduced to them through those old MAD mags.  Don’t like old movies, don’t like reading… WTF is wrong with these kids today? 

The only things I -didn’t- like were the occasional bits that had really bad art.  In a magazine filled with Don Martin, Dave Berg, Sergio Aragones, Mort Drucker, Al Jaffee, etc, there would be an occasional fill in bit that looked so bad, I couldn’t comprehend what was going on.  I would usually skip any article that was extremely heavy on text, too.  Those three page humorous poems about sports and things like that.   If I didn’t know the subject matter, I read.  If I didn’t LIKE the subject matter (ie, sports) I occasionally skipped it.   For the most part, the magazine maintained a high example of low quality, if that makes any sense.

One of the best things about MAD was that 100% of its content was there for entertainment.  The letter column was humorous, the ads were fake (and usually parodies of existing ads,) not a single page took itself seriously.  Today’s MAD is a different beast.  First of all, it’s printed in full color on slick paper, like every other magazine.  It loses half the charm – or more – right there.  Next, we find REAL advertisements scattered throughout.  I was shocked the first time I saw that.  It took me a few seconds of looking before it registered – there IS no joke – from that point, I essentially lost interest.  I grabbed a subscription a few years back, because it was a super cheap promotion, but 2-3 issues failed to show up, and the ones that did were mediocre at best.  My kid found bits of them entertaining.  He’s not sure about old school MAD, because it's black and white.  I guess that explains why they have made those changes, eh?  Kids today…  Modern MAD still manages to entertain at least once or twice an issue, of course :

Rogue One Secrets Explained by the Lucasfilm Story Group

retronerds : 252 - MAD Magazine - Part One (Episode 65A)

The 252 Crew welcomes Special Guest JK for this week's discussion of MAD Magazine, in addition to the latest from 252 News & Reviews.

DVD remembers MTM

"There are no words. She was THE BEST!  We always said that we changed each other's lives for the better."    - Dick Van Dyke

retronerds : 252 - Hottest TV Mom of All Time : Part Two (Episode 64B)

We've reached the final rounds! The Tournament continues with only ten contestants remaining, who will be selected 252's Hottest TV Mom of All Time?

Touring San Francisco in Watch Dogs 2

Full Sabine Suite from Trials of the Darksaber

Listen : Sabine Suite (Link goes directly to mp3)

Discuss below.

T-Shirt Special! $10 + FREE SHIPPING -- LIMITED TIME

For a LIMITED TIME - Put one of these ridiculously cool retronerds : 252 T-Shirts on your back for $10!
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A look back at the long forgotten Welcome Back Kotter comics

Ranking all 10 Covers of the Kotter comics