Hello
Click image to enlarge.
Download the F.Y.O.C. version here.
Happy New Year! Let's go to Ontario.
It's the ides of February and I'm only getting the first chapter of the year out now. Well, there's a good reason. Me and the family are moving to Ontario. This is also the reason why you won't see chapter 47 until April (at the earliest).
Where in Ontario are we moving to? Don't know. Do me and the wife have jobs there yet? Nope. We'll figure that out when we get there. This is going to be a real adventure.
In the meantime I'm getting our B.C. condo ready for sale, packing up all our belongings and selling most of our furniture. As a result I don't have a lot of time left over for Metropolis. That makes me sad.
But I'll get back to it as soon as I can.
If anyone would like to pay me to produce Metropolis, that would really come in handy right now.
See you in Ontario.
Have a nice day.
Hello
Click image to enlarge.
Download the F.Y.O.C. version here.
Relic Radio Podcasts!!
I love listening to old-time radio. "Dimension X", "X Minus One", "Suspense" and "The CBS Radio Mystery Theatre" to name but just a few.
If you are on iTunes, you can find a very good provider of old-time radio shows in Relic Radio. If you are not on iTunes you can enjoy the website.
Every time I think I've just watched or read some new and innovative Science-Fiction I eventually come across an old-time radio show that did it first. And usually better.
The same goes for modern-day, first-world problems (be they social, political or environmental). I know I'm an old codger before my time because I say things like: "I betcha they didn't have to worry about that in the old days". Then, once more, I'll come across an old-time radio show (from the 70s, 60s, 50s and sometimes earlier) and realize "Wow, they had that problem back then too!"
At any rate, go enjoy some old-time radio. Not only are they entertaining, but you'll soon realize that the more things change, the more they stay the same.
Have a great day.
Hello
Click image to enlarge.
Download the F.Y.O.C. version here.
Classic Canadian Animated Sci-Fi!
There are a lot of reasons to love the animation studio known as Nelvana. If you love comic books, animation and Sci-Fi then you must check them out.
When I was growing up in the 70's, Nelvana put out a lot of amazing cartoons.
A Cosmic Christmas (1977)
The Devil and Daniel Mouse (1978)
Intergalactic Thanksgiving (1979)
Romie-0 and Julie-8 (1979)
It is a crying shame that you can only enjoy these classics on YouTube under some really painfully low video quality. Having said that; thank God for YouTube so we can still enjoy these classics! I've put in all the links. Enjoy them all.
They also produced the animated sequence for the 1978 Star Wars Christmas Special. Boba Fett makes his first appearance in this cartoon.
And last but not least I'd like to mention the little-known Canadian Sci-Fi classic. Rock and Rule from 1983. (Wikipedia page).
This film was Nelvana's first theatrical release. Warning: I'm about to rave like a drooling fan-boy about this movie.
To my 10-year-old self, this film totally rocked. To the adult I am today, this film still rocks. It's loud and beautiful! A simple story told very well. It comes accompanied by great music you'll want on your mp3 player! And the animation was startling. You can't take your eyes off it, even today.
You won't believe the talent they lined up for the songs in this movie. Just read the names on the poster above. I have a co-worker, she's in her 20's. I read her the names and she had no idea who any of them were. She's never even heard of Blondie!
Kids today! What is the world coming to? (Statements like this that make me certain I was born to be a codger.)
I've linked to the original Canadian version. The quality isn't great but it's still pretty good. Thanks to a company called Unearthed Films you can still get this movie from Amazon. (I've linked to the American Amazon site so you can enjoy what people have to say about the movie in the reviews.)
I watched these cartoons when I was very young. The fact that I've never forgotten them is a testament to the impact they had on me. The style of animation was like nothing I had ever seen before. They really didn't feel like cartoons for kids; even though some of them were. And with a few exceptions, we really don't see anything like them anymore. You can see some of this early Nelvana style in their later and more well-known offerings. Namely Droids: The Adventures of R2-D2 and C-3PO and Ewoks from 1985.
As you probably guessed, I've only just recently rediscovered this movie on YouTube. I stayed up late just to watch it. I just wanted to share my excitement with you all. I wonder how old my son has to be before I can show it to him?
Have a great day.
Hello
Click image to enlarge.
Download the F.Y.O.C. version here.
Harry Kremer's Mom!
As a kid, I bought comics from Harry Kremer.
As a kid, I also bought comics from Harry Kremer's mom.
Everybody who knows about Now and Then Books knows about Harry Kremer. He died in 2002. The store closed in 2007. Last time I visited Kitchener I drove passed the corner of Queen and Charles Streets. There was a clothing store there instead of a window full of comics and it broke my heart to see it.
For those of you who don't know about Now and Then Books you can read all about it here and here and here and here. As a kid I never realized what an impact that store had on comics and the people who collected them. I thought that every town had a store just like Now and Then.
I discovered Now and Then Books when I was about 13 years old. I would hop on my bike and cross town from Pioneer Park to downtown Kitchener (4.85 miles/7.81 km). I would sometimes do this on a daily basis. I didn't realize that new comics didn't come every day.
I once bought a She-Hulk graphic novel (about $8.00 plus taxes) completely with small change. Based on what people had to say about Harry, he probably didn't mind so much. Google his name and the store. You'll find lots of people who have something nice to say about Harry Kremer.
The real subject of this post is Harry's mother. The tragedy of it is that I don't know too much about her. I don't even know her name. She sat at the front desk cash register and sold thousands of comics to probably just as many high school-aged boys. She had gray curly hair and wore glasses. I remember her wearing scarfs or high collars a lot. I can't remember which; my memory fails me.
She also had a thick accent. As you browsed the bins, you could occasionally hear her call "HAR-ree!" (You can hear her voice in your head right now, can't you?)
If anyone knows her name or when she died, please let me know. This post is dedicated to my childhood memories of her.
Thanks for all the comics Mrs. Kremer.
Have a great day.
Hello
The Comic Reader file versions are ready for:
Metropolis Yearbook #1
Metropolis Yearbook #2
Metropolis Yearbook #3
and
Metropolis Volume #1
You can find them all here.
Have a nice day.
