TMNT Factlets

Who didn't love the original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles cartoon from back in the day? First airing on television in 1987, the popularity of the show remained throughout it's long show run and also remains to this day among fans of classic t.v. It would probably be pretty difficult to find anyone who wouldn't include the original TMNT in their list of best animated television shows.

The Huffington Post has a great, insightful article with cool factlets about the show. Check it out here.

Geek Speak

Props to Kevin Smith for introducing a new show (that has just completed its first season on television) that speaks to the inner geek / child in all of us - especially if that inner geek or child had comics, toys, play-sets or just all around loved and still loves pop culture. 

I don't usually plug shows, but this one is just hilarious and an inspiration. Check it out at AMC.

The Road To El Dorado

My first encounter with the DC family of heroes was through two mediums (both television based); the Superman series of feature films and the Super Friends cartoons. Both were worthy in their portrayal of the DC mythology and represented well the super heroes we know and love today. There were so many things to love about the shows I mentioned that can never be replicated. For example, there will never be another real-life Superman like the one acted out by (Mr. Christopher Reeves). For another, Batman (of the Super Friends series) was actually voiced by Adam West, at one point in time.

Like I was saying, the Super Friends series of cartoons of the 1980s was one of the starting points towards my love of action figures, super heroes, and DC Comics in general - great story line complimented by great characters. However, it was unfortunate to note that some of the characters showcased in this cartoon series never really made it out alive (for lack of a better word). El Dorado is one example.

In 1981, before the release of the well-loved Disney animated movie of the same name, there was an ethic, obviously mocha-toned superhero named El Dorado.

El Dorado was created only for the Super Friends cartoons and has never appeared in a single DC Comic. The starring role that he played in was for Super Friends: The Legendary Super Powers Show as a full-time member. El Dorado, a Latino, was added to the roster of characters in the cartoon for the sole purpose of injecting diversity into the show's overall theme. To say that his character appeared rather stereotypical was like saying you didn't realize we was different from the rest of the Super Friends. El Dorado spoke English with an accent, and was prone to replacing the word "yes" with "si".

It was later revealed through episodes that El Dorado was, in fact, Mexican. No official origin story was ever created to explain El Dorado's past or how he got his super powers, but it has been assumed that they're empowered by ancient magic and his people's warrior-spirit, from being the descendant of Ancient Aztec Sorcerers.

His most frequently used ability was teleportation, which he accomplished by wrapping his cape over his body and vanishing. Anyone or anything he wrapped his cape around could also be teleported with him and there appeared to be no limit to the distance he could travel. Another of his frequently used powers was the ability to generate illusions. These  illusions were also capable of  generating noise and could be touched. He also exhibited some degree of mental powers, including telepathy. Later episodes expanded to include super strength, flight, and the ability to make objects appear and disappear.

El Dorado was also know for his academic prowess in all things Pre-Columbian history and has assisted the Super Friends whenever they were forced to enter unfamiliar ruins or areas in Latin America

While many non-believers may have assumed that characters such as El Dorado may have faded into the recess of time and memory, some of us fan-boys never seem to truly forget or let go of the need to re-promote such images / icons of the classic past. 

While El Dorado was scheduled to be one of the few Hanna-Barbara original heroes (along with Black Vulcan and the Wonder Twins) to receive an action figure after Samurai, the Super Powers Collection line was unfortunately canceled before the figures could be made. However, El Dorado was released in Series 18 of Mattel's DC Universe Classics along with several other Super-Friends/Super-Powers themed figures. 

You can imagine my delight that knowing that the creative directors at Mattel and DC still see it fit to cast El Dorado in this, my most favorite line of action figures.

I guess we will never know what happened to El Dorado, whether he was taken back to be among his ancestors in the Aztec heavens or managing some Beverly Hills gardening-slash-pool cleaning company. The next time you open up a bag of Doritos, spare a second and a thought for the mighty El Dorado.

Spotted In Brunei

Found on a casual walk around and noticed the revived 80s look immediately. Step two: notified Kal-el. Step three: smile in satisfaction of being a geek. Step four: tuck empty wallet into in between ass cheeks and walk away without purchasing.

Hummer vs Thunder Tank

Few vehicles (real or fictional) kick ass. Let's take the over-bearing Hummer, for example; its about the size of teenage African elephant, wheels the width of tree trunks, and a back seat that you could film a hip-hop music video in. That's a big car. But sadly, it doesn't kick ass. The ThunderTank (or Thunder Tank) does.

The Thunder Tank was the kind of vehicle that you could run over people with and then blow up their dead carcasses with. Using missiles. In fact, I would go so far as to say that the Thunder Tank could eat a Hummer for breakfast and shit out little Toyota Echoes for good measure.

This menacing machine was built by the well-loved ThunderCats mechanic and all-round handyman, Panthro, by utilizing salvaged parts of the wrecked spaceship used to transport our band of heroes to Third Earth (referring to the second episode of the original 80s cartoon series). Throughout the cartoon's mythology, we saw the Thunder Tank maintain and use a range of ass-kicking arsenal to tackle each situation that befell the ThunderCats. The Tank's gadgetry ranged from a drill, working claws for scaling walls, a crushing mouth, missiles, underwater capabilities and further defense systems. A Gatling laser gun has also been included into the cabin of the Tank's rear compartment (against flying machines).

Scanning back through episodes of the original 80s show, the Thunder Tank can be seen as transporting all the ThunderCats in its rear cabin, with Cheetara running alongside. Predicaments have also occurred in instances where the Tank has run out of precious Thundrillium. And yet, the Tank (and Panthro) was always there to save the day.

Great 80s cartoons were almost always followed by great lines of toys. The ThunderCats line, produced by LJN, released 3 main series of figures, with many side action figure with a total of 37 different figures. To accompany this range of memorable character figures were vehicles to match, which included 2 playsets, 6 vehicles, 6 accessories & 2 monsters. Of these, the most famous pieces were the Thunder Tank and the Cat's Lair.

The Thunder Tank play-vehicle featured front seating enough for one figure (usually Panthro) with the ability to accommodate one more character in the Gatling gun during the Tank's attack mode. Attack mode was amazingly cartoon-like (meaning to say, it was true to the show's depiction) with the pounce-ready pose known and seen from the series - gaping mouth and raise claws revealing guns underneath. 

It is unfortunate that we rarely see the detail and the sheer thought that went into this play-vehicle in today's sets. A true shame. 

The Thunder Tank has now become a real collectible only for the dearest of fans with the perfect balance of Thunder-craziness and money to obtain. It is probably wrong to say few vehicles kick more ass than the Thunder Tank; in fact, it may be more correct to say few things even kick more ass than the goddamn Thunder Tank.

Poster-Size

This entry was inspired by a picture. Not just any picture, in fact. It was a movie poster. 

Movie posters aren't much to shout about really. They usually were character-less Hollywood mechanism that some times obscurely hinted a coming feature film, and then they were gone. Movie posters are still around but they pale in comparison to the tweets, rumors, forums, blogs and fan-sites around today that get movie news international faster than illegal migrant workers.

This blog entry was inspire by one of these movie posters. This movie poster was released in 1989 and wasn't just another PR plot - this one was simple, didn't have captions, no air-brush scenes and was the starting point for a fever that swept many nations, captured the imagination of superhero fans everywhere, and began a saga that promises (now) to carry on until The Dark Knight Rises in 2012. 

To quote an unknown (yet fellow) article writer, this was the one that started it all....

A Retro Spider

There were many close-to-feature Marvel characters that never really made it into the limelight as much as others had. Take, for example, Hawkeye, or Firestar, or the Sub-mariner (Namor). It a little like that situation when a friend ask you if you personally know that person walking in the distance, and you reply "I know 'em, but I don't really know 'em."

In the comics, Jessica Drew became Spider-Woman in 1977. She subsequently had her own cartoon show in 1979. And I'm sure, like myself, only a handful of Bruneians can remember it ! 

The series was produced by DePatie-Freleng Enterprises and Marvel Comics Animation, and aired until 1980 for only one season of sixteen episodes, on the ABC-TV network. It was DePatie-Freleng's final series before being reincorporation as Marvel Productions (info courtesy of Wikipedia)

According to the title sequence (of the cartoon), Jessica Drew was bitten by a poisonous spider as a child; her father (Alexander Drew) saved her life by injecting her with an experimental "spider serum," which also granted her superhuman powers. As an adult, Jessica is a magazine editor, but when trouble arises, Jessica slips away to change into Spider-Woman.

Pundits like to say that the Spider-Woman show was specifically created for the Spider-Man series (also of that era) to have a female / feminine-orientated counterpart - an idea formulated by Marvel long before any other comic companies thought of it. Just watching the title sequence is enough to give one the hint that the production of the show relates back to the Spider-Man ones.

Spider-Woman is yet another childhood cartoon show of the superhero vein that has come and gone so abruptly. I'm glad I got the chance to revisit the memory this sunny morning years down the line, especially when I should be working.

PS: Spider-Women is now a playable character in the Marvel Ultimate Alliance video game series.

In With The New...Review

Almost everyone in Brunei remembers the Thundercats - practically no other morning cartoons was nearly as popular as it. It was well written, had great villains and an even better band of heroes, an annoying comic relief character in the form of Snarf, and a line of action figures and play-sets that could complete an entire museum exhibit. God-forbid that the writers of 2011 would dare to re-version this landmark series. But they did.

And television is all the better for it !

The new series that fan-boys heard of and has now been running past the middle of it's first season aired on July 2011 (this year) re-vamped the entire mythology - the Thundercats we knew are no longer, instead, they all living in a thriving kingdom called Thundera (still on Third Earth).Where Lion-O was a bikini-bottom wearing young man with a Jew-fro, the 2011 version is an even young teenage ego-ass learning the swords abilities slowly and from scratch. Each episode of the 2011 series contains an element where the young Lion-O learning something new about how to word the sword and this own temperament.

Tygra is Lion-O's brother, Cheetara is a member of the speedy royal clerics (priests of Thundera) and still has an out-of-my-mind cleavage, Jaga is more ghostly but doesn't wail as much as he did in the 80s, all the voices have changed from what they once were and the supporting characters (the Berbils, Slithe, and even Driller) are as wild as ever, in their own fashion. The themes are darker and more mature with a very Japanese anime feel.

Going deeper into the production semantics, this reboot is executive produced by Sam Register; who was also executive producer or producer for such action themed shows such as Teen Titans, Ben 10 and Transformers: Animated.

While it may not sound so enticing up front when foreshadowed by the children-orientated Teen Titans and Ben 10, the Thundercats 2011 series is worthy of a chance to getting your attention. Reviews from IMBD lay claims to the shows worthiness:

"The idea to make a remake was based on the idea that at the core there was a lot the original show could have offered still and this is what the remake does. It goes further much further into detail."

"To really enjoy Thundercats 2011 most will have to put aside the cartoon they fell in love with. This is a darker distinctly styled incarnation yet thankfully it stays true to the original spirit of the Thundercats."

"The original series may have been cheesy, but I think the teachings they gave to us kids back then, were valuable ones, that in today's world, you just don't see anymore. They barely had violence, and they sure didn't have blood or something that could cause little kids to freak out."

(By the way, there is a little bit of bloodless yet shameless killing in the new series)

If you loved the Thundercats of the 80s, you won't see many hints of its elements in this 2011 re-version. And perhaps that's what made it more than what meets the eye. Wait ! That's a Transformers alliteration.

Power Collection

No one wanted to give away at the pedestrian crossing

In an earlier entry, we managed to have a look at the purchasing checklist for the ever-amazing Super Powers Collection that was produced right out of the 80's. It should be said, personally, that the Super Powers Collection is very close to my heart as I remember absolutely loving these figures when I had them.

The Super Powers Collection was obviously based on DC Comics superheroes and supervillains and was created by Kenner Products.

It was so in 1984 that DC Comics awarded the toy license of their characters to Kenner Products, following in the steps of Mattel's popular He-Man toy line. Winning the license away from Mego Corporation and Mattel, Kenner devised hidden mechanisms within the figures that would trigger an action when the figures legs or arms were squeezed. This emphasis on each figure's super power led to the naming of the line - The Super Powers Collection.

Brand from the past

When Marvel's Secret Wars toyline by Mattel came onto the retail toy scene, it was set up as direct competition for the Kenner line. These figures, similar in scale to the Super Powers Collection, introduced a competing marketing strategy between manufacturers of Marvel and DC action figures. This started the trend of Marvel and DC using competing toy manufacturers to produce their toys—a trend that continues to this day.

Superman is really this old !

Each figure in the first two series of The Super Powers Collection were also packaged with a mini-comic featuring that character's adventures.

Once the line was produced and shipping, DC Comics and Kenner went forward with a large merchandising campaign which included; DC Comics producing three comic book mini-series featuring characters from the toy-line, Hanna Barbera also produced two animated series, called Super Friends: The Legendary Super Powers Show and The Super Powers Team: Galactic Guardians.

Our standards were lower when we were kids - but our imagination was better.

In all, three series of figures and accessories were released (in 1984, 1985, and 1986), but after three years of production the line collapsed. Coincidentally, Kenner's Star Wars line stopped shipping to stores the same year the Super Powers line ended.

Comic creator Jack Kirby received some of the only royalties of his long career for redesigning his characters for Kenner. Artist George Pérez also received royalties for his design of Cyborg and redesign of Lex Luthor and Brainiac. Most all other designs (and much of the packaging artwork) were based on José Luis García-López's classic DC Style Guides.

Needless to say, the collection is highly prized today. Certain figures such as Cyborg, Golden Pharaoh, and Plastic Man remain rare to this day while the Flash and Superman are easily found. Another reason the Super Powers Collection is so highly sought after is the inclusion of both popular and little-known characters throughout the line.

While the First Series featured well-known characters, the Second Series concentrated on figures from Kirby's New Gods Saga, and the Third Series mixed both DC Comics acquisitions from other companies and figures created solely for the line. Foreign cards, figures, and even characters add to the collectible appeal of the line.

Kenner's Super Powers Collection eventually released 34 figures, eight vehicles, one playset, and one carrying case.

Today, the Super Powers Collection is available from private collector-level resellers and can be found from time to time as vintage action figures. Mattel's current DC Universe Classics line draws inspiration from the Super Powers figures, with figures such as Mantis and Steppenwolf being re-cast in this line.

Classic Gets A New Look

Change is a good thing !

I look a long hard look at the Classic Articulation site and one of the first things that popped into my mind was the A-Team and the 2010 remake of this classic television series. I though to myself, if Hannibal and his team of intrepid, colorful do-gooders could be remade in the image of a 2000 Hollywood blockbuster, then Classic Articulation could do with a change as well.

So we said goodbye to the format that we loved so well and decided to embrace the 2010 with a retro mod look that you just can't miss !

Have a great week in preparation for the fasting season.