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So I was going through some of my boxes the other night and came across a couple of these pack-in comics Dark Horse produced for the early 1990s Aliens action figure series. They’re 16 page mini-comics, measuring about 4 1/2 by 4 inches, centered around whatever character/critter figure with which the comic was distributed.

Unfortunately, I don’t have them all…I only bought figures of the actual Aliens, and thus, alas, I do not have the full Space Marines Versus Aliens story serialized in the mini-comics. But, by God, at least I do have the Gorilla Alien: Jungle Attack comic:

That’s a swell Mark Nelson cover you’re seeing there…Nelson being the fellow who drew Dark Horse’s original six-issue Aliens mini-series way back when.

Art chores inside this particular installment were by a pre-Starman, way pre-Ex Machina Tony Harris. This is a nice shot, showing the Gorilla Aliens on the move:

And here’s a Gorilla Alien gettin’ Blown Up Real Good:

Some of the other minis had some interesting creators involved, like Dave Johnson drawing the Ripley installment, which kind of makes me wish I’d gone ahead and picked up the rest of the figures in the line. Especially since I remember seeing them on clearance racks for $2.99 a pop for a couple of years after their initial release. Ah, well…can’t buy and store everything.

I’m still in a partial Low Content Mode on the site, here…so I thought I’d show off a few buttons I’ve picked up for the collection in recent months. Above is, of course, a button for The Critic, starring Jon Lovitz. That was a generally amusing show, I thought.

Here are a couple of Presidential candidates for whom I can easily imagine the pros and cons of both:

The next button is a promo piece for the Heroes TV show:

Boy, that show went from “media/fandom darling” to “oh, that’s still on the air?” more quickly than any other show I’m aware of. It’s not a bad program, though it does have a tendency to meander. This season’s been pretty good, I think, but the “Heroes is ending!” rumor mill is going strong yet again.

Now, I’ve no idea about this next button:

I realize the answer is only a Googling away, but I find myself preferring the mystery.

So, that new DVD release of the 1988 Ruby-Spears Superman cartoon…I’ve only watched episode #1 on the first disc so far, and I’m surprised at just how…primitive it all seems, especially considering it was on the air only about four years prior to the debut of Batman: The Animated Series. I’ll get into more detail later, I think, but did want to draw attention to this bit from the opening credit sequence:

If this segment from the show’s opener was taken from an actual episode, and Titano turns up later on one of the two discs in this DVD set, I will be a very happy man. (I suppose I could check an online episode guide and find out for sure..but what’s the fun in that?)

• Blah blah blah Chris Sims blah Eugene Ahn blah blah blah new episode of the War Rocket Ajax podcast blah blah James Lucas Jones of Oni Press blah blah. So give it a listen!
• Today is the DVD release of the 1988 Ruby-Spears Superman cartoon that I remember reading about in the fan press at the time, but never saw one frame of it, aside from maybe a still here and there on the internet. I guess it’s mostly notable for being the first media adaptation that incorporated elements of the Superman comics revamp of the mid ’80s (i.e. the corrupt businessman version of Lex Luthor), and it involved comics veterans Marv Wolfman and Gil Kane, so I’m looking forward to seeing it.
• Andrew’s run of Nobody’s Favorite columns are quickly becoming everybody’s favorite, and here’s another example why, featuring a “classic” Marvel character. And you can’t tell over the internet, but I’m really sarcasta-quoting as hard as I can on “classic” there.
• A couple of other ongoing features at pals’ blogs: Dr. K’s Blackhawk Wingsday, examining Blackhawk comics of yore, and Dave’s Space Cabby Sunday, quite possibly the best comic book series about a taxi driver in space.
• Originally posted on Halloween, but I’m sure you won’t mind a little Halloween leftovers…it’s the horror webcomic “Copy Protection” by Kevin Church and Paul Horn. Good, creepy stuff.
• Oh, yeah, the cat’s out of the bag, now…I’ve been one of the contributors to this, along with some swell funny folks, so drop by and check it out.

Sadly, I have found myself occupied with a surfeit of things and stuff to accomplish, leaving me with little time to attend to my website here. Now, if it were just the things, it’d be fine, but it’s the stuff that gets you.

Anyway, I’m calling today a “Low Content Mode” day, so I will leave you with the above August 1978 issue of Teen Beat to ponder. I certainly hope that Andy chap gave Shaun back his girls, what with Shaun being ready for marriage an’ all.

That would be a Batman: The Animated Series bookmark, from 1992. Boy, these sure didn’t go over well when we first had ’em. Maybe seventeen years later, I’ll have a bit more luck moving them along.

NO, DON’T CROSS THE STREAMS

…since I’m a bit short on time and low on energy, but I just wanted to point out this new weblog that I just noticed in my referral logs: Love and Maggie, a clearinghouse of news and links for the work of the Hernandez Brothers. A very nice resource for fans of Jaime, Gilbert, Mario, and their army of characters.

The site mentions Jaime and Gilbert’s appearance at a store in Portland, OR to celebrate Wonder Woman Day…and my old friend Matt reported to me that he got to meet them there and talk about my hometown (and Matt’s former stomping ground) of Oxnard for a few minutes. And he got his Ill Repute album covers signed. So, you know, cool.

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On a completely unrelated note, reader Paul asked me why I haven’t mentioned this yet on my site, and…well, I’m not sure why, exactly. But apparently Akiva Goldsman has expressed an interest in making a new movie based on Swamp Thing. Now, Mr. Goldsman is the man who wrote Batman and Robin and you all know how much I liked that. And he wrote the Lost in Space remake, which, um, I sorta liked, kinda — DON’T LOOK AT ME LIKE THAT. But anyway, I don’t have an opinion one way or another just yet…it’s just all talk at the moment. Once a script is settled on and people start getting cast (“Rob Schneider is…SWAMP THING”) I’ll probably have more to say.

Hey, maybe they could give it to the guy who made Return of the Swamp Thing, so we could have an origin movie just as crazy that completely nuts sequel! Sure, it’d make about ten bucks in the theatres, but I’d be happy and that’s what’s important.

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One more Swamp Thing bit of media business: he gets a brief mention on a recent episode of the Colbert Report, which you can see right here (starting at about the 9:30 mark). Thanks to reader Rob for letting me know!

• Ambush Bug #7 (of 6) – Sigh. Anyway, scheduling issues and numbering shenanigans aside, I’ve mostly enjoyed this new AB series. Some of it felt like it was trying maybe a little too hard, and some of it did feel like the old, seemingly effortless zaniness of the originals. But, overall, it was good to have Mr. A. Bug back on the shelves again.
• Bart Simpson #50 – Features the debut of Sergio Aragones as a regular contributor to the title. I do so love the Sergio, so I’m greatly looking forward to this.
• Batman: The Killing Joke New Printing – Apparently the final printing in the original squarebound comic Prestige Format, and using the original coloring. This is nice, since I’ve had a number of people interested in the story but not wanting the new, recolored hardcover edition, and all I have of the comic book versions is the first printing. Oddly enough (and I’m pretty sure I’ve mentioned this before), this comic was reprinted, what, seven, eight times, with tens of thousands of extra copies? And yet I never see the reprints in collections…it’s always the first print. Go figure.
• Groo: Hogs of Horder #1 – That’s two Sergio comics this week! Excellent.
• Ignition City San Diego Comic Con Edition #1 and Auxiliary Edition #4 – Seems like every week there’s yet another Auxiliary or Supplemental or Random Comic Con Edition of this particular title, of any given issue.
• Invincible Hercules #137 – Have I mentioned this is my favorite Marvel title? This is my favorite Marvel title. Just the right mix of super-melodrama and outright goofiness.
• Muppet Peter Pan #2 – These comics never fail to make me smile. Well, at least make me frown less. I’m a bit of a frowner. :(
• New Mutants #6 Zombie Variant – Please. Just stop.
• Vincent Price Presents: The Tingler #1 – Probably one of my favorite Vincent Price films…”Scream! Scream for your lives!”
  
  I think, in one of my End of Civilization posts, I mentioned that this series should come with built-in electric shockers to replicate the original movie presentation. Alas, customers who buy this book from us will just have to settle for the gentle kiss of my taser, so that they may enjoy the full Tingler experience. No need to thank me.

• I’m getting a lot of e-mails about this post of comics strip mash-ups by Ryan Dunlavey, including a Nancy & Sluggo/Sin City crossover you won’t soon forget. Dunlavey does a superior job mimicking the different art styles, and all the strips are very funny. “Spy Vs. Spy Vs. Alien Vs. Predator” is an especially good’un.
• Those no-good sons-of-bitches Chris Sims and Eugene Ahn have inflicted yet another War Rocket Ajax podcast upon the world. I warn you…don’t listen to this terrible, terrible podcast! Fear it! Shun it! Oh, sure, they might try to lure you in with their interview with fine writer Matt Sturges, and sure, it guest-stars folks from that vastly superior podcast Awesomed by Comics, but don’t let them fool you! In the name of all that is good and holy in the world do not download the latest episode of War Rocket Ajax! Don’t let them kill again!
• Andrew whips out another Halloween-themed Nobody’s Favorite, and it’s one we had a little fun with around these parts when that particular story was coming out.

  Andrew also has a post about two horror-film tie-in video games for the Atari 2600. To think these were “controversial” at the time! Now they just look sort of quaint, almost like you’re playing little abstract paintings. Still fun, though!

• Tim reviews three recent comics from Marvel and DC in his usual entertaining way.
• …And Kevin and Ming should have a new installment of their strip The Loneliest Astronauts up at noon EST on Tuesday. Ming draws this comic beautifully, and Church supplies some strong gagwriting, and the whole work is just this wonderfully packaged bit of art that, if there’s any fairness in the world, will be eventually collected into a nicely-designed hardcover.

• So you know those multi-colored Lantern rings that a Comic Shop Near You will hopefully be getting over the next few months and distributing to the customers in what I am sure will be in a fair and equitable fashion? Shops got samples of each of the rings (save the Black Lantern rings, already received weeks ago) to use for promotional purposes, like, say, me ‘n’ Employee Aaron wearing ’em around the shop like the fashion plates we are. When we received the sample black ring in advance of their arrival at the shop, my wearing it around the store resulted in lots of requests from customers on how one could obtain a black ring of their very own. And sporting the yellow ring recently has resulted in similar inquiries.

  I only bring this up because I see folks selling full sets of the rings on the eBay. And apparently not just pre-selling the rings prior to release…there are people selling sets of the actual promo rings that stores received a week or two ago. I’m guessing these are shops doing so (it can be hard to tell without an attendant “About Me” eBay page), but it seems a shame to go for the short term profit rather than using the rings in-store to encourage some excitement about the related funnybooks. Then again, maybe these stores aren’t reaching the sales plateaus required on the specific DC books you had to purchase in order to receive the rings, so they don’t need the promos and who am I to judge?

• Bully the Little Stuffed Bull is probably too young and sensitive to be reading such scary comics, but I’m glad he did this Separated at Birth post featuring a certain swamp creature of some note.
• In other Swamp Thing news, RetroCRUSH did a list of The Top 20 Pop Culture Plants, and Swamp Thing puts in an appearance (though with a superfluous hyphen) at #4, right between Jack’s Beanstalk and Shel Silverstein’s The Giving Tree. Surely fine company to be in.
• In other other Swamp Thing news, Reader Jef told me a tale of spotting a drink called a “Swamp Thing” on a menu and, my site looming large in his mind as it does in all people about to make important drinking decisions, gave it a go. He describes it thusly:
  

  “The drink consists of lemon, lime, whatever fresh herbs they have handy (this time I got parsley, chives, and mint, all picked from planters at the bar) muddled together with sugar, Pimms, gin, and a bit of soda water. It was a pretty funky drink, but I would probably order it again.”

  And he also photographed it thusly:

  
  Well, that’s certainly very yellow-ish. I wonder what the Arcane drink would look like? Probably filled with insect parts, I’d imagine.

  Anyway, thanks to Jef for sending this along…I got a kick out of it!

• My Canadian twin Steve recently posted that much discussed Batman/Joker/Naked Catwoman pic drawn by Bruce Timm to illustrate all the horrible stuff that would corrupt the minds of children should they even see the barest hint of it in their cartoons…so of course this marks the second time I’ve linked the image on my site. But I did so just in case the Photobucket image disappears…I now have a back-up source. Plus, it gave me a chance to say “NAKED CATWOMAN” on my site again, because brother, bring on the perverted Google search referrals in my site logs.
• So in the last week or so, I saw this in Green Lantern Corps #41:
  
  …and since the bad guys didn’t come out of any kind of glassware, I’m assuming that’s supposed to be “vile.”

  And I saw this:

  
  …from right above the logo on Titanium Rain #1.

  Okay, nobody’s perfect (except, if I may quote Employee Timmy, Jesus and Batman), and goodness knows I’ve made my share of spelling errors and typos on this site, and I’m sure there are probably one or two or a dozen right here in this very post for you folks to jump on and mock as soon as I publish this. But I also don’t have any editors (“Noooooooooo!” “Quiet, you.”) and I’m not asking you to pay out $3 to $5 per entry to read my site, so long as you don’t count my subtle gesturing toward yonder PayPal Donation button. And while we’re a long way from, as I recall, Valiant Comics’ consistent inability to tell “it’s” from “its” or “who’s” from “whose,” it’s still just slightly embarrassing to see these errors creeping in. (And before any Marvel fans get too smug, please enjoy.)

• And speaking of which…you have been reading Fake AP Stylebook, right?