GI Joe #95 Cover Scan from my collection
Thanks to the dealers at Wizard World Philadelphia Comic Con I am now roughly 40 issues short of a complete run of Marvel’s GI Joe series. One of the purchases I made was G.I. Joe #95, the second part of The Snake Eyes Trilogy, and I immediately fell in love with cover art. There’s just so much to love here, a battered Snake Eyes silhouetted against flames and a Cobra insignia amidst a pile of broken (and most likely dead) Cobra Vipers.
I thoroughly enjoy the cult classic The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across The 8th Dimension, however I find this piece of marketing from 1984 to be incredibly awful. The movie is hard enough to explain nearly thirty years later, how would a kid reading Power Man & Iron Fist #110 even begin to fathom what in the actual hell the movie was all about?
Everyone ready to follow along? I’ll meet you at the bottom …
Still with me? Great. Now to make up for what I just subjected you too here’s the greatest end credits scene ever to be filmed.
Thank to the popularity the Travel Channel hit series Toy Hunter, a lot of vintage toys produced by The Ideal Toy Company are becoming very popular once again, especially their line of Evel Knivel merchandise. It’s not hard to imagine why these toys sold so well, this vintage ad from 1973 is entirely too cool.
Evil Knivel by Ideal Toys circa 1973
I pulled this ad from Marvel Team-Up Featuring Spider-Man and Mister Fantastic #17, January 1974. There is just so much to love about this ad, from the composition to the blurb about how the Stunt Cycle can jump your “encyclopedias volumes A through W”
If you have a vintage toy ad that you would like featured here, send it to jon [@] doubledumbassonyou.com
Mail order advertisements from old comic books are the gifts that keep on giving. Today’s spotlight is for the Zorcom Spaceship which is billed as a “dynamic new space adventure kids can really get into!”.
In reality it was a cardboard box with “astonishing graphics” that could be used in a variety of configurations (read standing up or on its side).
For only $12.95 plus shipping & handling you could join Zorcom in his spaceship or steal Zorcom’s spaceship … I’m not really sure what or who Zorcom is specifically. Is it a person? A corporate entity? A fleet? If only I had a time machine that could take me back to 1983 to get all the answers I desperately need!!!!
In combing through my pile of comic books from the 1980s I came across this ridiculously awesome advertisement for Masters of The Universe – The Power of He-Man video game for the Atari 2600. I have a feeling that the artwork was far more exciting than the actual gameplay. I can’t say I ever fired this up on Intellivision, anyone have any positive things to say about this one?
And looks like my assertion was correct this gameplay looked pretty rough, even by 1983 standards …
NEW YORK and PHILADELPHIA, March 19, 2013 – “Castle” Star Nathan Fillion, fellow “Serenity” and Firefly headliner Summer Glau, Eisner Award Hall of Famer Stan Lee and WWE® Superstars John Cena® and Daniel Bryan® are at the top of a standout roster of celebrity guests scheduled to appear at Wizard World Philadelphia Comic Con, May 30 – June 2 at the Pennsylvania Convention Center. It is the third in the 2013 series produced by Wizard World, Inc. (OTCBB: WIZD) and will also feature a top-drawer collection of well-known artists and writers and a variety of activities, exhibitors and special attractions.
Fillion and Lee will appear on Saturday, June 1, and Sunday, June 2; Cena is scheduled for Thursday, May 30; and Bryan will be on site on Saturday, June 1 only. Other standout celebrities attending include William Shatner (“Star Trek,” “Boston Legal”), “The Walking Dead” duo of Michael Rooker and Norman Reedus, Adam Baldwin (“Serenity,” Firefly), Jewel Staite (“Serenity,” Firefly), Manu Bennett (“Arrow,” The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey) and many others.
Additionally, all full price attendees will receive a free copy of the Exclusive Variant Cover of The Walking Dead #1 comic, available only at Wizard World Philadelphia Comic Con.
Superstar comics creators scheduled to attend include Bryan Hitch (“America’s Got Powers,” “Wolverine”), Salvador Larroca (“Avengers vs. X-Men,” “Captain America”), Leinil Yu (“Hulk,” “Fantastic Four”), Howard Chaykin (“New Avengers,” “Iron Man”) and Barry Kitson (“Thor,” “Spider-Man”).
Also featured in the autograph area are the “Buffy The Vampire Slayer” trio of James Marsters, Charisma Carpenter and Juliet Landau, the “Charmed” threesome of Shannen Doherty, Holly Marie Combs and Brian Krause, “The Fonz” Henry Winkler, “Brat Packer” Andrew McCarthy and “NCIS” star Lauren Holly, among dozens of popular celebrities.
Wizard World Comic Con events bring together thousands of fans of all ages to celebrate the best in pop-fi, pop culture, movies, graphic novels, comics, toys, video gaming, television, sci-fi, gaming, original art, collectibles, contests and more. Wizard World Philadelphia Comic Con show hours are Thursday, May 30, 3-8 p.m.; Friday, May 31, noon – 7 p.m.; Saturday, June 1, 10 a.m. – 7 p.m., Sunday, June 2, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.
For more on the 2013 Wizard World Philadelphia Comic Con, visit http://www.wizardworld.com/home-pa.html.
About Wizard World:
Wizard World produces Comic Cons and pop culture conventions across North America that celebrate graphic novels, comic books, movies, TV shows, gaming, technology, toys and social networking. The events often feature celebrities from movies and TV, artists and writers, and events such as premieres, gaming tournaments, panels, and costume contests.
The full event schedule can be found at www.wizardworld.com
I can’t ever recall having Mr. Bubbles in the house when I was a youth. Maybe it’s because he’s totally fucking creepy and watches small children (and their pets) in the bathtub. According to this advertisement, Mr. Bubbles “makes getting clean almost as much fun as getting dirty” … as he watches your children wash their naughty parts
After he’s plied America’s youth with Bubble Berry scented soap, he buys their silence with t-shirt, sweatshirts, and watches. I wonder if their is a sex offender registry for old advertisement characters; if not I say we start one. Mr. Bubbles is public enemy number one, followed by that damn Coco Puffs bird.
One of my new favorite pastimes is scouring through comic books of yesteryear in search of the most ridiculous advertisements. Within the pages of Iron Fist #13 from June 1977 I may have uncovered the greatest one yet in which Captain America does battle with the Sore Sir’s Apprentice.
Behold! Captain America has been thrust into a confrontation with a plethora of monsters from the laboratory of a wizard known at the Sore Sir. Being that I’m rather well versed in Captain America’s gallery of villains, I could not find any canonical reference to Sore Sir even after utilizing the power of the Internet.
Outnumbered and exasperated, Captain America who along with possessing super human strength and near invulnerability is an expert tactician. After making a threat assessment he found that his only recourse was to pull out some Delicious Hostess Cupcakes, which are immediately recognized by the Sore Sir’s Apprentices
And these Hostess Cupcakes were so fucking good that the Sore Sir’s Apprentices swore of their allegiance to their evil wizard master. Captain America must act quickly now that the Apprentices were distracted by the chocolaty cream filled goodness, springing into action he restrains them and begins a “lesson in citizenship”. The Apprentices seems okay with this turn of events as they really, really liked the Hostess Cupcakes.
A fair amount of research went into this review/analysis of Silver Age advertisement and I urge all of you to not Google Sore Sir’s Apprentice … because you will be taken to a website where you can order amateur BDSM porn that’s produced in a basement somewhere in New York City. And after this post gets published, I’m sure that StationHouse Video Distribution is going to wonder why they are getting an uptick in traffic on a cold February night. But hey, if you are into genital mutilation just go ahead and click through.
I’ve long felt that Larry Hama’s 155 issue run on the Marvel GI JOE comic book often goes unheralded. It was a lot more gritty than its cartoon counterpart, where Snake Eyes went from a scarred Special Ops Vietnam Veteran to a wacky background character.
For what it’s worth, Hama did a decent job having to shoehorn new characters and vehicles into his stories. One such character is Zanzibar, who made his first appearance in GI JOE #60. His gimmick is that he’s a modern day pirate, terrorizing the New Jersey shore points on his Air Skiff. According to the character’s Wiki:
Zanzibar was raised on a garbage scow, spending most of his formative years picking pockets on crowded piers. He tried river piracy, stock fraud and smuggling, but felt that these were too much like real work and not nasty enough for his tastes
So how did Zanzibar come into play as an adversary of the Joe Team? Zanzibar was accepted into the Dreadnoks by their leader Zartan after he was discovered stealing bootleg gas from them which he previously sold them. Apparently that initiative was all it took for Zartan to recognize the innate qualities which made Zanzibar a welcome addition to the terrorist group known as Cobra.
While Zanzibar may have the worst back story and his most pirate behavior is essentially siphoning gasoline from a band of British miscreants, he did have a pretty cool vehicle.
Meanwhile, around The League
Rediscover The 80s ran down the 8 Best Pirates from 80s & 90s Cartoons.
Branded in the 80s highlighted some standout pirates in pop culture, including The Pirates of Dark Water
Plaid Stallions highlighted some really cool Fighting Furies Pirates by Matchbox
Star Wars #1
Publisher – Dark Horse Comics
Writer: Brian Wood
Artist: Carlos D’Anda
Cover: Alex Ross
DDOY Rating:
By my reckoning, it’s been almost 2 1/2 years since I’ve review a comic book here. I’ve been on the sidelines for a while now and it would have taken something big to head out to my local comic shop and Dark Horse Comics‘ Star Wars #1 did just that.
I’ve been on a Star Wars kick lately and with a cover by the iconic Alex Ross (Kingdom Come, Marvels) and scripted by the likes of Brian Wood (DMZ), there was no possible way I could say no. Star Wars #1 brings us back to the time period immediately after the events of A New Hope.
Despite having destroyed the Death Star, the Rebellion is still on the run. Luke may be a hero, but he’s still a green X-Wing pilot. Leia is the face of the Rebellion trying to keep it all together. And then there’s Han Solo, who reluctantly signs onto the Rebellion because he really has no other options. But let’s not forget Darth Vader, who failed the Emperor and is not in a favorable position.
Star Wars #1 is fun because it doesn’t get you wrapped up in the goings on of Expanded Universe. All of the familiar characters are there, the foundation of a really exciting adventure has been laid out rather deftly by Brian Wood. With that being said, I can say that I’m very much looking forward to next month’s issue.