Happy FBOTM Fourth of July! In honor of freedom and such, I threw a couple of more images of Fanboy of the Month Kyle into the Gallery! Long may he wave. Or something like that. You can read more about Kyle on the FBOTM page. Have a great holiday and weekend!
Nothing makes me happier than new Muppet stuff! If you’re in the US, have a happy and safe Fourth of July. If you’re not in the US, have a happy and safe fourth of July. See? See what I did there? Is it time to start drinking yet?
Can you read a book in a week? I think many of us learned in high school and college that you can read a book and write a paper on it in one night. But, this isn’t school! This is for fun. And there’s no report due at the end. So don’t put it off any longer, go out and grab Soon I Will Be Invincible by Austin Grossman and read the hell out of that sucker! Discussion on the book begins July 9! So fire up the grill this weekend, blow up some fireworks and celebrate your freedom by reading!
Please note: “Grill,” “fireworks” and “freedom” are the exclusive properties of Americacorp, Inc.
You can read all about the FBOTU Book Club here or in the Forum.
Let me know if you have any questions or have any trouble finding the book. Happy reading!
Get the book at:
Or any fine independent bookseller near and dear to you.
For once, you can believe the hype. Wall-E is everything the glowing reviews have been promising and more. Cute enough for the kids, with enough depth for adults, it’s a funny, beautiful, heart-warming movie about friendship, humanity and hope. It tells the tale of a little gay robot named Wall-E, who loves show tunes, dancing and collecting antiques. The only thing missing in Wall-E’s life is a straight female best friend (I won’t use the H word; we’ll call her an alternative lifestyle companion). As soon as Wall-E finds her and starts making her watch Hello Dolly for the millionth time, she’s whisked away and he must embark on an inter-galactic adventure to find her and maybe some fabulous shoes.
So, I fully recommend it. But...and I hesitate to bring it up...I was left feeling slightly empty by the whole thing, and I know it’s strictly a personal issue, not a fault with the film. The film does a pretty good job of delivering a dire warning about living an unsustainable life of excess and waste. Yet...it’s from Disney...who built a corporate empire on merchandising, excess and waste. I love Disney and I’m happy to give them my money whenever they ask and buy whatever plastic bauble they dangle in front of me at Disneyland. But I’m not sure I want my lessons on responsible living coming from them. It’s definitely a Pixar message, but it’s still coming from the Mouse. I mean, upon arriving at the theater, I was given a Wall-E watch in a plastic bag, with instructions that said it was for entertainment purposes only. I didn’t even claim to tell time. I guess that makes it instantly recyclable. Which is sort of earth-friendly, I guess.
I knew Kyle was going to be trouble when he showed up late for his FBOTM shoot, dragging a huge suitcase full of his own wardrobe ideas. Once we got him outfitted, under the lights and in front of the camera, he dominated the studio. Funny, charming and full of fanboy personality, Kyle is that sexy, mischievous guy you always have to keep your eye on. He grew excited and animated as we talked about superheroes, video games, comic cons and especially World of Warcraft. Yes, Kyle is the cute boy I’ve been referring to in my WoW posts. The one who introduced me to the highly addictive game that’s since taken over my life. But that’s Kyle. With a sly smile and a wink, he’d convince you to follow him anywhere. Resistance is futile.
Check out the first of Kyle’s pics from his shoot in the Gallery. And be sure to read his lively answers to the questionnaire on the FBOTM page. Enjoy!
As I reported last week, I found the three-issue DC mini-series of Masters of the Universe at my local comic book store. I just finished reading them and am on a delirious, but ever confusing, He-Man high. If you’re a fan of MOTU, you know that there are as many origins and versions of the story of He-Man and Eternia as there are evil schemes by Skeletor. It was all sort of a big mess before Filmation came along with the animated series and pretty much set the whole thing in stone. The original mini-comics that came with the toys told the story of a barbaric world where He-Man was a simple jungle boy who stumbled into a Cavern of Power one day and became the most powerful man in the universe. The cartoon told the story of a more civilized age full of princes and kingdoms and depicted a more traditional superhero set-up and transformation for He-Man. The comic books I just read act as sort of a bridge between those two versions. Published in late 1982 and early 1983, they precede the debut of the animated series (September 1983).
In the DC mini-series, Prince Adam is depicted as a lothario, who must hide any semblance of heroics to protect his secret identity as He-Man. To become He-Man, Adam must travel to the Cavern of Power, where the Godess hangs out and watches him change clothes. Not a bad gig. The Goddess, by the way, is the snake armored Teela as depicted in the mini-comics. Teela is a separate character, but is established as Captain of the Royal Guard and Man-At-Arms’ daughter. No mustache for Man-At-Arms yet. In the DC series, He-Man has his magic vest, shield and axe, but no Power Sword. In fact, the whole plot is about Skeletor forcing He-Man to help him track down the two halves of the Power Sword. Apparently, whoever holds both halves of the Power Sword gains access to Castle Grayskull and becomes the true king of Eternia. A lot of people mention finding the “true king of Eternia,” which must hurt Randor’s feelings a little bit. By the way, Marlena is an astronaut from Earth in this continuity.
Everyone speaks in a pseudo-medieval dialect with a lot of “ayes,” “nays” and even a “mayhaps” thrown in, except for Teela, who talks like an early 80s teenager for some reason. One of the things that I loved about the barbarian continuity of the mini-comics, storybooks and elements of this DC series, is that people rarely call Teela by her name. Everyone from Battle Cat to Skeletor, just refers to her as “woman.” When I was a kid, I learned the word beauteous from reading descriptions of Teela in the MOTU books.
The first issue of this series was released in December of 1982, presumably in time to teach kids what to ask their parents for Christmas. In terms of product placement, all the characters used are pretty central to the plot and story, except for Man-E-Faces, who just seems to be walking by when he’s forced to serve Skeletor. That happens to Man-E a lot, it seems, in every continuity. Of course, the most fabulous part of this trip down memory lane was seeing all the ads for early 80s cartoons and toys. ABC was pushing their Saturday morning lineup which included Pac-Man, Richie Rich and the Mork & Mindy and Laverne & Shirley cartoons. And CBS seemed inexplicably proud of their lineup of Pandamonium, Meatballs and Spaghetti and Gilligan’s Planet. With that as competition, it’s no wonder the Filmation MOTU series became a huge hit.
All said, a thoroughly enjoyable read and a fun find. I leave you with a little sampling of dialogue from the big, blonde stud himself: “Your foul tongue forms lies as ever, demon! The Goddess is far too powerful for even one of your ilk to seize her against her wishes. I shall warn you but once, evil one--speak to me the truth ‘ere my battle axe finds a place to rest ‘twixt your foul eyes!”
Really.
This week I decided to do a quick tribute to one of my favorite movies of all time: Addams Family Values. The first Addams Family movie is all well and good, but the sequel is campy with a capital K. The fabulous Paul Rudnick returns as the screenwriter, and it’s as if he’s been deliriously unleashed by any studio standards or censoring. The dialogue is pure Rudnick, and he’s found a trio of actresses to give voice to all his wicked one-liners. Angelica Huston, Christina Ricci and Joan Cusack may know they’re in a silly movie based on a New Yorker comic and a goofy sitcom, but they never let it show, as they each give pitch-perfect performances as if they were playing Lady Macbeth. A very funny Lady Macbeth, that is. Because above all else, the movie is funny. I’ve seen it hundreds of times, but still crack up at each of Rudnick’s classic joke set-ups. Listen carefully to the structure. Set-up, set-up, punch. Set-up, set-up, punch. It’s classic comedy with a decidedly gay point of view. How could it not be gay, with that writer, those actresses, plus Christine Baranksi thrown in for good measure. If you’ve only seen it once, or haven’t seen it lately, it’s definitely worth another look. I quote it daily, whether it’s “Canoes! Canoes! Canoes!” or the most judgmental line of all time, “But, Debbie...pastels?”
First, Morticia takes center stage (or the box in the upper left-hand corner) and reveals the challenges of being a modern woman:
“I’m just like any modern woman trying to have it all. Loving husband, a family. It’s just, I wish I had more time to seek out the dark forces and join their hellish crusade.”
Don’t we all.
Oh Wolverine, you old queen. The Sentinels are coming, Professor Xavier is missing, it’s time to get your nails done and round up the girls for one more show. Coming in a few months to Nicktoons, you can see a special sneak preview of the 26-episode Wolverine and the X-Men saga at San Diego Comic Con in July.
Side note. I was surprised to see the online sponsor of the trailer is the Conair Infiniti Hair Steamer/Straightener Wand. Way to target your main demographic, Marvel!
...I mean Hulk. Ahem, our very own GayComicGeek created this terrific review of the new Hulk movie. It’s a fun and informative romp through all things Hulk. Hopefully, we’ll see more reviews in the future! Enjoy!
Ah, Greg. You have served us well as June’s Fanboy of the Month. The days have flown by and next week we’ll be welcoming a brand new FBOTM for July. But we’ll never forget you, Greg! You’ll always have a home right here...because I own the rights to the photos. Check out the last of Greg’s photos in the Gallery and be sure to tune in next week to meet adorable, yet slightly wicked Kyle!
Have a great weekend!
Before I ran any other errands today, I sped off to the comic book store to load up on weekend reading. On a whim, I decided to check the boxes of old stuff for He-Man comics. Lo and behold, there I found all three issues of the DC Comics Masters of the Universe mini-series! Only $2 each! Woohoo!
Then, it was off to Target because, you know, it’s a day of the week, so I had to go to Target. There I was looking through Indiana Jones action figures and Camp Rock dolls (WTF?) when I hear as plain as day, ”BY THE POWER OF GRAYSKULL!” A few aisles over is a big TV playing a promo for the Mike Young Productions’ He-Man DVDs that just came out a few weeks ago.
Two He-Man references in one day?! I came right home and rubbed He-Man’s furry underpants for luck!
Hopefully, some Fanboys of the Universe fan in Japan will grab these new Star Wars USB hubs and send them to your hard-working and ever-vigilant moderator. I’m sure we could work something out. A trade, perhaps? That’s a segue cue, if ever I heard one. Speaking of trade, why not head over to the brand new FBOTU Swap Meet in the Forum and unload those 200 Ewoks you bought in a fit of Endor pride? Or post a want ad for a 14” Wampa? Or offer up your body to a cute Japanese fanboy in exchange for an R2-D2 USB port that lights up and makes sound when you plug stuff into it? (I mean the port lights up and makes sound when you plug stuff into it, not your body. Though...) Tragically, that sort of trade is not allowed. (Please go to the Meet-Ups forum for that.) Otherwise, enjoy the FBOTU Swap Meet and happy trading!
I love Futurama. I loved it when it was on. I loved it in re-runs. I loved it on DVD. So I was extremely excited about its return. However, the first of four straight-to-DVD movies, Bender’s Big Score, left me feeling sort of meh. But I was willing to cut them a little slack. It’s hard to take several years off, then jump right back into the story and characters. So I focused all my pent-up fanboy expectations on the second release, The Beast with a Billion Backs. Good news, everyone! It’s a better offering than Bender’s Big Score, but if you’re looking for more than a passing feeling of satisfaction, you might be disappointed. I really believe that Futurama works best in the 22-minute format. The pace is quicker, the jokes fly faster and you get just enough of all the characters. These films have a decidedly slower pace, too many of the jokes rely on gross-out humor and by the end, it’s kind of hard to care about any of these folks anymore. The animation is great, the voice acting is top-notch, and I will watch it again, but I’m reluctant to recommend it to anyone but a diehard Futurama fans. Here’s hoping the third time’s the charm, and the third installment keeps improving the game.
Isn’t it nice to spend a warm, lazy summer day on the beach or by the pool with a good book? Or crank the A/C, have a tall glass of lemonade and luxuriate in a cool bath with a real page-turner? If you’d rather be reading a real, live book right now, there’s still plenty of time to join the FBOTU Book Club! Our first selection, pictured above in the strong, capable hands of our FBOTU Book Buddy J.D., is Soon I Will Be Invincible by Austin Grossman. As some of you have already learned, it’s a witty and engaging story set in the comic book universe of superheroes and supervillains. It’s a fun, quick read, so why not pick it up at your local bookstore or order it online and start reading today!
You can read all about the FBOTU Book Club here or in the Forum.
Let me know if you have any questions or have any trouble finding the book. Happy reading!
Get the book at:
Or any fine independent bookseller near and dear to you.
It’s the Muppets‘ world; we just live in it. In a brand new, super-sized podcast, Nick, Adam, Johnny M, Razz-Bel and I bring you up to date on all things Muppet. Whether you’re a diehard fan or have strayed from the felt fold, you’re gonna love hearing us all geek out on the Muppets. Here are a few highlights:
Why Don’t You Get Things Started?
The guys discuss The Muppet Show Season Three DVD that’s in stores now. You’ll be surprised to learn Liberace was not the gayest thing about this season!
Muppet News Flash
We rip off the latest Muppet headlines straight from MuppetNewsFlash.com, and Adam continues his quest to destroy all that is good in the world by starting World War III with me over Emmett Otter’s Jug Band Christmas.
Tinseltown: The Best Gay Muppet Comedy About Pig/Bull Love You’ll See All Day
If you haven’t seen Tinseltown, go to Logo and check it out. You won’t be sorry. Be sure to give it a good rating, so we can get some more! Nipples!
Enjoy! As always, thanks for listening!