Thursday, May 28, 2015

Informative TV Intros

Something that came out of my guest spot on the Fire & Water Podcast (#fwpodcast) was Shag going completely overboard on posting TV Intros on their Tumblr Page. This lead to me waxing nostalgic (shocking, I know) on TV intros that actually set up the viewer to know what the premise was. You see, back before DVR's, Netflix, and Binge Watching, TV shows never knew if their viewers were around for the previous episode. The intro was a way for viewers to be brought up to speed on what the show was all about, and also give us a cool way of seeing the opening credits. Here are a few of my favorite examples of this lost art.

The Incredible Hulk


Knight Rider


Star Trek (The Animated Series)*


Quantum Leap


Battlestar Galactica


Street Hawk




* Yes, I know it's the same as the original, but I happen to love the animated version.

Thursday, May 21, 2015

Conway's Corner Podcast Crossover


I was lucky enough to be asked to join the Conway's Corner Podcast Crossover (#ConwayXover), organized by Michael Bradley. This crossover has two goals. The first is to make sure that everyone knows that creators should be paid for their characters appearing in media other than comics. You can read all of Gerry's thoughts on the subject on his Tumblr site.

The second goal would be to highlight the work of Gerry Conway himself. Gerry is an amazing writer and has been working on comics a good while. While most know him as the creator of Firestorm and Killer Croc, as well as the man who wrote the story in which Gwen Stacy died, he also worked on characters such as The Mighty Thor, who is near and dear to my heart.

Here's a list of all the participants in this event:

Superman & Batman Podcast - Michael Bradley w/guest Aaron Moss  - Superman/Batman teamup from World's Finest #269, plus the Conway-written Red Tornado story from the same issue.
http://www.greatkrypton.com/2015/05/22/superman-batman-episode-32/

Fire & Water Podcast (Rob Kelly and Irredeemable Shag)
Episode 125 - Gerry Conway Interview on Creator Equity
http://fireandwaterpodcast.blogspot.com/2015/05/125-gerry-conway.html

Flowers & Fishnets (Ryan Daly) - Episode 11 covering Black Canary and Green Arrow stories from World’s Finest #245.
http://blackcanaryfan.blogspot.com/2015/05/episode-11-conways-corner-crossover.html 

SuperMates - (Chris & Cindy Franklin) - w/ Kyle Benning, Superman Family 186-187.
http://supermatescomic.blogspot.com/2015/05/super-mates-episode-31-conways-corner.html

From Kid to Flash (Mythmaking ETC) (Chris Ivey) - http://mythmakingetc.blogspot.com/2015/05/from-kid-to-flash-18-conwayxover.html 

The Hammer Podcasts! (Gene Hendricks) - Episode 12 covering Thor 224, http://twotruefreaks.com/media/podcasts/TheHammerPodcasts/mp3/THP-Episode012.mp3

Quarter Bin Podcast (Alan Middleton) - JLA #188,released Tues 5/19.  http://relativelygeekypodcast.blogspot.com/2015/05/qbp-052-justice-league-of-america-188.html

Between The Pages Blog (Karen Williams) - The Sweet Superhero Stories of Gerry Conway.
http://betweenthepagesblog.typepad.com/between-the-pages-blog/2015/05/the-sweet-superhero-stories-of-gerry-conway.html

Vault Of Startling Monster Horror Tales Of Terror (Shawn Engel) - Tomb of Dracula
http://twotruefreaks.com/media/podcasts/TheHammerPodcasts/mp3/THP-Episode012.mp3

Comic Book Time Machine (Ben Avery) - Superman/Spider-man and (maybe) the unofficial crossover in Amazing Fantasy, Justice League, and Thor, Amazing Adventure 16, JLA 103, and Thor 207
http://comicbooktimemachine.com/superman-vs-the-amazing-spider-man-conways-corner-crossover-group-cbtm049/

Task Force X (Aaron “Head” Moss) - Episode 10 - Action Comics #521. Available at http://headspeaks.com 

Head Speaks (Aaron “Head” Moss) - Episode 11 - Covering Firestorm #1-2,  Available at http://headspeaks.com Normally Head Speaks often uses language not suited for the entire family.  Younger viewers are normally discouraged.
http://brotherhead.blogspot.com/2015/05/episode-11-conway-corner-podcast.html

LanternCast (Chad Bokelman and Mark Marble) - Episode #220 - The Collaborative Conway Crossover Caper!
http://www.lanterncast.com/lanterncast-episode-220-the-collaborative-conway-crossover-caper/

Pop Culture Affidavit (Tom Panarese) -- Cinder and Ashe #1-4.
http://twotruefreaks.com/media/podcasts/popculture/mp3/80YearsofDCComicsPartSix--CrimeDrama.mp3

King-Size Comics Giant-Size Fun (Kyle Benning) - http://kingsizecomicsgiantsizefun.blogspot.com
w/ Rob Kelly, DC Special Series #1, a Dollar Comics Issue that features a Conway penned Aquaman story. http://traffic.libsyn.com/kingsizecomicsgiantsizefun/5_Star_Edit_4334.51.mp3

Hey Kids, Comics! (Andy and Micheal Leyland) - Covering AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #128.
http://twotruefreaks.com/media/podcasts/heykids/mp3/232HeyKidsVol432LukeCagesSweetBadassSound.mp3

Superman Forever Radio (Bob Fisher)


I'll try and update the links as the episodes are released.

Thursday, May 14, 2015

AC Boardwalk Con!


If you're reading this on the day it posts, I'll be at AC Boardwalk Con doing some table set-up. If you're in the Atlantic City, NJ area, why not come on down this weekend and say "Hi"? Two True Freaks will be at Table 1910 in the Creator's area of the con.

Don't forget to check out our Facebook Event for any of the latest happenings!

Thursday, May 7, 2015

RIP Nigel Terry

Most people would probably expect me to write something on the passing of Grace Lee Whitney, being the huge Star Trek fan that I am. I have seen many fine posts about her already, so I will leave that topic to others.

I would like to say a few words about Nigel Terry, however, who is in two of my favorite movies of all time, "Excalibur", along with Nicol Williamson, and "A Lion in Winter".

In "A Lion in Winter", Terry played Prince John. Yes, the same one that was set against Robin Hood, but also the same man who signed the Magna Carta. In this movie, though, JOhn is the youngest of King Henry II's three surviving sons, and is a self-serving coward. Terry does a great job showing the gears turning in John's mind.

His more famous role, though, is as King Arthur in Excalibur. This is the best portrayal, bar none, of the most famous king in the world, and that falls squarely in the shoulders of Terry. He has to play the character at various stages of life. We first see him when he' 18, and Sir Kay's squire. Next, he's in his late twenties, when he fights Lancelot. This continues all the way up to his old age, which I'm going to say is late 60's/early 70's, when he is mortally wounded at the end of the film. The fact that he pulls it off, and that you believe him at each stage, is incredible.

He has had many other parts over the years, including guest starring in Doctor Who, but these are the two that I will always remember him for.