Sunday, January 29, 2017
retronerds : 252 - MAD Magazine - Part Two (Episode 65B)
Saturday, January 28, 2017
$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
Friday, January 27, 2017
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 $1 to spare at the grocery store – or whenever I went
along to the grocery store – which was surprisingly often, all the way through
high school -- but anyway…
From 1981-1992,
I read nearly every issue of MAD. Somewhere
around 1989, they lost Don Martin to Cracked.
Cracked was always a 2nd rate MAD, but at times I actually
preferred their mag. Cracked had an even
CHEAPER feel than MAD, but they also had the artwork of John and Marie Severin,
which gave the Cracked movie parodies an awesome (if decidedly NOT MAD) look
and feel. They also had Nanny Dickering,
which was a Bill Ward creation – and they'd usually throw in some Dan DeCarlo
art, too!
1981-1985, I was buying MAD AND Cracked on a regular basis – and beginning to build a decent stack of back issues. Which I read CONSTANTLY. I was not only allowed, but encouraged to read at the table. This would keep me from listening and / or contributing to whatever the adults had going on, and I could get lost in my own little world. Lots of comics, and lots of MAD. They had stuff spilled on them, pages would get torn, covers would fall off, my mom would read them, then @#$@%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.
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 :
retronerds : 252 - MAD Magazine - Part One (Episode 65A)
Thursday, January 26, 2017
DVD remembers MTM
Tuesday, January 24, 2017
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?
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!
FREE SHIPPING (US orders only)
FREE SHIPPING (US orders only)
Sunday, January 22, 2017
Saturday, January 21, 2017
Black Adam to Headline Solo Film
Dwayne Johnson's DC Villain Black Adam Getting His Own Movie
New Line Cinema and DC Entertainment are doubling down on comic book hero Shazam.
New Line, which has been for over a decade developing a movie on the longtime DC character, will concurrently develop a movie centering on Black Adam, with Dwayne Johnson attached to star as Shazam’s arch-nemesis.
The move stems from last week’s high-level meeting with Johnson and DC Films co-head and comics author Geoff Johns, after which the actor took to social media to promise “hope, optimism & fun.”
Story at Hollywood Reporter
New Line Cinema and DC Entertainment are doubling down on comic book hero Shazam.
New Line, which has been for over a decade developing a movie on the longtime DC character, will concurrently develop a movie centering on Black Adam, with Dwayne Johnson attached to star as Shazam’s arch-nemesis.
The move stems from last week’s high-level meeting with Johnson and DC Films co-head and comics author Geoff Johns, after which the actor took to social media to promise “hope, optimism & fun.”
Story at Hollywood Reporter
Friday, January 20, 2017
retronerds : 252 - Hottest TV Mom of All Time : Part One (Episode 64A)
Thursday, January 19, 2017
Chopper to English Translation
If you've ever wondered what Chopper is saying on Star Wars Rebels, these translations might help.
https://choptalk.tumblr.com/
https://choptalk.tumblr.com/
Monday, January 16, 2017
Comedy Juggernauts Unite
Talk about your comedy orgasm... imagine going to the comedy club with your loved one and comedy juggernauts Jerry Seinfeld, Chris Rock, Dave Chappelle, Amy Schumer and Aziz Ansari are on stage! Cause that's exactly what happened at the Comedy Cellar!
Via Coowada Curt
Mark Hamill is The Trumpster!
What happens when you mix a megalomaniac, like the Joker, with a megalomaniac, like Trump? You get Mark Hamill's, The Trumpster!
Via Coowada Curt
Sunday, January 15, 2017
Saturday, January 14, 2017
retronerds : 252 - Saturday Morning Cartoons : Part Two [Episode 63B]
Friday, January 13, 2017
retronerds : 252 - Saturday Morning Cartoons : Part One [Episode 63A]
Do you remember having to wait to watch cartoons? They weren't always available on demand, 24 hours a day (in stereo.) We used to base our entire Saturday (and Friday night, really) around the fact that we HAD to be up around 6AM to squeeze in the maximum amount of animated entertainment before the real world set back in. Join the guys from 252 as they discuss the best and worst of Saturday Morning Cartoons.
Thursday, January 12, 2017
Tuesday, January 10, 2017
retronerds : 252 - Episode 62 - Information Overload
The Ongoing Rights Saga of the Fantastic Four, Super Skrull : The Movie?, Fox vs Marvel : Eating Your Own Foot, Star Wars Rebels, Extended Universe, and Current Canon, Was Yoda giving a middle finger to Vader the entire time?, What Happened to the Cast of Saved By The Bell?, Remaking Good Times?!?, and lots more!
Vocal Fry Continues to be an Epidemiiiiiiiiicccc...
Vocal fry continues to be an epidemic in young adult women.
I guess Fran Drescher was kind of hot as The Nanny...
Monday, January 9, 2017
Donald Glover wins big at Golden Globe Awards
Donald Glover’s FX series “Atlanta” has won the Golden Globe Award for Best Television Series - Musical or Comedy. “Transparent,” “Black-ish,” “Veep,” and “Mozart in the Jungle” were also nominated for the award. Glover also took home the Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series - Musical or Comedy award. The show will return at an undetermined time for a second season. During his acceptance speech, Glover said, “I’d like to thank the Migos—not for being in the show, but for making ‘Bad and Boujee.’ Like, that’s the best song... ever.” He also thanked the city of Atlanta;
Sunday, January 8, 2017
retronerds : 252 - Episode 61 - Too Much Information
Saturday, January 7, 2017
Friday, January 6, 2017
Supernova Agent 14 - Opening Pokemon Evolutions Booster Box
retronerds : 252 - Episode 60 - No, that's THE Death Star
Wednesday, January 4, 2017
Tuesday, January 3, 2017
From the "I've got a bad feeling about this" Dept.
"Kelly Kelly Kelly Kelly Kelly Kelly Kelly, K-E-L-L-Y!", Our favorite singing bartender is on his way to a galaxy, far far away.
Woody Harrelson is in early talks to play Han Solo’s mentor in the upcoming “Star Wars” spinoff film starring Alden Ehrenreich, according to media reports.
Via Coowada Curt
Monday, January 2, 2017
retronerds : 252 - 2017 Year-Start Special!
Everyone does a Year-End special (including us) but how many shows give you a Year-Start special?!? We were having lots of fun with this one, and it felt like a good way to kick off a new year. Have a few laughs with us, and get ready for All-New All-Different 252 in 2017.
Sunday, January 1, 2017
Mariah Carey's Career : 1989 - 2016
Mariah Carey just killed it during Dick Clark's New Years Rockin Eve. We are talking about her career, of course, as she bitched and complained during a lip sync ultimate failure!
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