The Flashback Holiday Gift Guide

 With the gift giving season looming, here are some gift suggestions for those in your life interested in the sort of media this blog focuses on:

Hey Kids! Comics! by Howard Chaykin: This collects the first limited series by Howard Chaykin about the history of comics from the 40s to the 2000s as seen through the eyes of three (fictional, though clearly inspired by aspects of real people) creators who got their start in the Golden Age. The through-line is the proof of the reputed Jack Kirby adage: "comics will break your heart, kid," or at least leave you embittered and angry, as editors and publishers profit from your work and fandom misunderstands the real history. There are 2 more volumes in the whole series.

The New Adventures of Batman: The Complete Collection: Holy Blu Ray, Batman! Featuring the voices of Adam West as Batman and Burt Ward as Robin (reprising their roles from the 60s TV series), this 1977 Filmation series was likely many young fan's first introduction to Bat-Mite and likely raised the profiles of Clayface, as well.

Wandering the Wild Wild West by Don Presnell: Its subtitle says it's a "critical analysis of CBS series" but I would say it's more a good overview of show. Still, a book well worth it for fans. There just aren't many WWW books out there!

The Atlas Artist Edition vol. 1: Joe Maneely: With this volume, Fantagraphics starts giving the Atlas Comics artists the same lavish showcases they've been giving the EC artists. The woefully under-appreciated Joe Maneely was a great place to start.

These Are the Voyages: TOS Season One by Marc Cushman and Susan Osborn: This volume and its companions are the most comprehensive guide to Star Trek the Original Series available. Cushman's commentary on the episodes as tv drama is limited (though as much as many other guides available), but he presents a wealthy of information on the development of each episode from story idea to final aired version, with quotes from interview with creative staff and memos from producers and network execs. If it has a flaw, it's that you wouldn't call the series concise; Every season is its on volume, and every volume is sizable. 

Flash Gordon: Classic Collection Vol. 1: On The Planet Mongo by Alex Raymond and Don Moore: Mad Cave Studios is the latest company to undertake reprinting the classic Sunday strips. This volume covers January 1, 1934 to April 18, 1937, and includes additional background material and an introduction from Alex Ross. I haven't looked at this version to compared it the IDW or Titan reprints of the past, but hey, this one is in print!

Comics 2015 - The Good, The Bad, The Ugly Part 1

Note: I was going to call this 5 Books I like and what it says about the current comics industry, but I realized that wouldn't be as click worthy as they title I'm using. I mention this as a sort of disclaimer for the last bit at the end of this post.  - Jim

Okay, without going into a lot of details, 2015 was a difficult time for me but I got through it. One of the few upshots was that I had a lot of time to read old and new comics.

Here are the Good:

Sandman Overture: If there was any doubt about whether a book like Neil Gaiman's Sandman would work in the modern comics market, this sure took the wind out of those sails. Not only did the series sell well, but the story with its historical settings and inventive worlds  seemed to be perfectly suited for fans of Dr. Who or Steampunk who may have never read Sandman. (Though I did wonder how "new reader friendly" it was at times.)

Still, even if the story had been phoned in, I probably would have included this comic on my list simply because of the fantastic J. H. Williams III artwork:

While Frank Miller's Dark Knight III seems to be getting a lot more attention, THIS is the type of 80's/90's comics revivals I would really like to see more of.

Kings And Canvas: This MonkeyBrains comic is a story of a fantasy world where Boxing, not swordsmanship, is featured as the dominant combat method. Introducing us to this world is a grizzled ex-champion boxer who has escaped from an island prison and is training a young mentor in the arts of boxing. I'm almost reluctant to call this a Fantasy comic as that tends to conjure up dull World of Warcraft knockoffs in my mind. This is more like a Fantastic World. Writer Neil Kleid has done a good job creating a world that has is more Frank L. Baum than Tolkien. I would also have to compliment Kleid on the fine work he's done in crafting distinct dialogue patterns for some of the anthropomorphic races in the series.

One of the tricks to selling a fantasy world is to have it look different. Artist Jake Allen succeeds here by coming up with clothing and scenery that feels like a mashup of old world European and Greco-Roman.

The above artwork is a good example of the clean and clever artwork in this book.  The series is just up to issue two, but the story has moved pretty quickly. I'm eager to see where this team goes with this world.

Star Trek - New Visions: This is probably going to be one of the most controversial picks on my Good list. I say that because I've heard other comic creators openly diss this series because (I suspect) of its photoshop assisted artwork. (There is probably a bit of John Byrne hate in the equation as well, though you don't really hear a lot about that now days.) So far, the stories have been pretty good, but even if they were just so-so, I'd get this comic simply because I'm dazzled by the amazing photoshop skills Byrne is displaying.

And while I completely understand the photonovel feel isn't for everybody, for an old TOS Star Trek fan like myself, this series has been a lot of fun. Where else am I going to see the return of Robert Lansing as Gary Seven and Ted Cassidy as Ruk?

Another good thing about this series is the stories are all done-in-ones. Not only does this replicate the weekly episode feel of the television series, it also makes it easy to read the comics in any order. In many ways, it's a perfect New Reader Friendly comic book.

The Vision: So far, there haven't been a lot of comics released in this latest All-New, All-Different Marvel initiative that have in fact felt All New or All Different. However there are two notable exceptions. The Vision and Patsy Walker, AKA Hellcat (which which failed to make this list because it's only had one issue so far)

Where the rest of the ANAD Marvel books seems mired in a world of fan driven continuity and corporate agendas, The Vision stands out as a unique story that combines family drama with science fiction in a way that I haven't seen done in a big two comic before. And while I know a lot of old school fans have said they would rather see the Vision in a traditional superhero comic, I've gotta call bull-shit on that because nobody would support such a book even if it did get published.

At a time when companies are trying to duplicate the success of the new Batgirl series (and mostly failing) writer Tom King and artist  Gabriel Hernandez Walta have actually come the closest by giving us a very different perspective on the superhero story.

I'd be hard pressed to put a label on this book. At times the atmosphere of looming violence and darkness make this comic feel  closer to a Horror comic than a Science Fiction or Superhero comic. Whenever Marvel continuity is evoked, there is a sense of dread and menace to it:

If I had to pick a comic that could eventually evolve into Marvel's answer to Sandman, this would be it.

The Imperium: I read a lot of Valiant comics last year. That company is doing a good job putting out superhero comics that don't feel like boring superhero comics. Imperium with its Anything Goes attitude my favorite at the moment (though I do like XO Manowar a lot too...) Written by Joshua Dysart and illustrated by Cafu, this book combines sentient mechanical men, alien warriors, extra dimensional beings and psionic despots to create a story that's as much driven by dramatic plot points as it is grand scale super-heroics.

I've often said that one of the keys to the Walking Dead's success (besides zombies) is that at anytime, something big can happen to a character and the impact will have real effects. When you read Avengers or Justice League, you know no dire consequence will have a long term effect on the story because that's just the nature of corporate comics. The Imperium doesn't play by those rules though. Like The Walking Dead, characters can do things and have things done to them that actually mean something.

The intense story line is supported by some great artwork by Cafu:

I don't know how this book sells (I'm afraid to look because so many of my favorite books end up getting cancelled now days...) but I encouraged by the news that Valiant is going to start making movies soon as that may help support what I think is an amazing title.

I'm going to end this post here and will return with Part 2 next time wherein I will examine The Bad and The Ugly of 2015.

- Jim

What is the True Origin of The Gorn?

In the Star Trek: TOS episode Arena, the reptilian aliens known as the Gorn are introduced:

Like many fans of the show, this episode enthralled me as a kid. With his fearsome appearance and lumbering approach, the Gorn fit in perfectly with those other infamous monsters from my childhood: The Mummy and The Frankenstein Monster.

In my twenties, the stiff artificial look and the improbable nature of a space-faring lizard beast struck me as cheesy. Teenage years have a way of robbing you of your ability to enjoy guilty pleasures. I seem to recall having similar conversations with fans of the 1966 Batman television show.

Fortunately, later in life, I made my peace with such things and now appreciate the show as a nice bit of action/adventure science fiction television - regardless of the low-budget costumes and dated special effects.  (And I'd argue that the Gorn costume is actually one of the more evocative looking designs from TOS.)

While a fan favorite, the Gorn don't make a lot of reappearances in Trek. There is a brief nod to them in the Star Trek: The Animated Series episode The Time Trap:

And in the In A Mirror Darkly episodes of Star Trek: Enterprise series in 2005:

And they've made a numerous appearances in parodies of Star Trek, the most recent being a commercial for the new Star Trek video game.


In reading about the Gorn, I was able to find some interesting bits about the costume on the In Memory Alpha Gorn page, but I couldn't find anything about the writers creation of the character. I have a feeling that the character is inspired by the Ming's Lizard-Men from Flash Gordon, but I wasn't able to find anything to substantiate that.

 While their physical resemblances are remote at best, the name Gorn is basically Gordon with a few missing letters. And the Arena episode itself, with its desert environment resembles the desert looking Mars from the old Flash Gordon serials:

But the similarities in environment is probably due to more to easy access to the desert locations near Hollywood than anything else. (Quite a few Star Trek episodes take place in such barren regions.)

It's also possible that the Gorn is a call back to another green, fearsomely fanged alien older than Flash Gordon's Lizard-men - Tars Tarkas of the Edgar Rice Burroughs novels:

Check out this version of the green martian on the Dell comic from 1952.

While the design is similar, it's not really a smoking gun. The problem is, Lizard Men, whether they were from space or lost lands, were sort of a staple of early pulp fiction:

So, it's entirely possible that the Gorn were a call back to just a classic looking creature.

Of late, there have been more modern revamps of the Gorn (like this one from the Star Trek video game)

 I suppose this is a way to make them more ferocious, but I remain a fan of the more anthropomorphic look.

What do you think? Is the Gorn too cheesy to exist in the current Star Trek movie mythos?


- Jim

Filmation, Star Trek Continues and Southern Bastards

As I mentally prepare myself for Dawn of the Planet of the Apes today, I thought it might be a good time to let you know about some other awesome retroness I've been enjoying lately.

First up is Star Trek Continues. This is a fan produced web based video series on YouTube that casts several talented actors in the roles of the original Star Trek series. They've got 3 episodes up currently with the latest being a fantastic twist on the classic Mirror, Mirror episode.

If last summer's Into Darkness left a bad taste in your mouth, this is what you need to wash it out.

Next up is a comic series with a definite retro vibe: Southern Bastards by Jason Aaron and Jason Latour. It's basically a spin on Walking Tall (sort of a sequel) which at times feels a bit like a ritural dance, but Latour's artwork sells the story.

I've been giving Aaron's Original Sins heck on this site (and rightly so) but this is more like his excellent run on Scalped.

Finally, this last item is something I picked up at HeroesCon 2014 at the Twomorrows Publishing booth. A complete history of the Filmation animation studio.

 I've always been a fan of many of the classic Filmation cartoons, so I enjoyed reading about the history of the studio as they developed some of the shows that brightened up my Saturday mornings.

Among the many interesting facts in the book is the revelation that at one time DC sued Filmation for infringing on their Aquaman character when Filmation created a similar character called Moray (which was a part of Filmation's Tarzan and the Super Seven show)

 Now while comic companies suing to protect their intellectual property is nothing new, what made this case significant was that DC was trying to say that Manta and Moray were too derivative of Aquaman. It was this argument that allowed DC to win against Fawcett Comics when they said Captain Marvel was a Superman ripoff. As the book explains, DC had less success against Filmation.

Here's a clip of the old Manta and Moray cartoon:

Have a great weekend!

- Jim

Star Trek The Mirror Cracked A Photo Comic

While I don't often recommend/review comics on this blog, I read one last night that I think a lot of readers of this blog would love for several reasons: Star Trek: New Vision #1 The Mirror Cracked by John Byrne

While I'm a big Star Trek TOS fan, I've only been lukewarm on the comic adaptations I've tried. There have been one or two I've enjoyed, but more often than not, I find the comic book adaptations read more like a slow hard science fiction novel instead of a jaunty hour long adventure show. Also, sometimes the artwork suffers (unfairly) by comparison to the television version which can be distracting.

However, legendary comic creator and Star Trek fan John Byrne has started creating new ST comics in a fashion that seems to solves the art problem completely with stories that have the fun pacing of the television show. In what must be a painstaking process, he is taking images (video captures) from the old shows and Photoshopping them into comic panels. Like this:

By doing this, he creates a comic where the characters look exactly like the actors AND has the feel of a comic book (instead of a fumetti which I've always disliked.) The panel by panel feel gives you the pacing and camera angles you expect from a television show.

The Mirror Cracked is actually the second Byrne PhotoNovel. The first one came out late last year and featured a return to the Where No Man Has Gone Before storyline.

And while the technique impressed me with that annual, the story didn't quite grabbed me. Still, I was quite taken with the potential of the format, so I was very eager to read The Mirror Cracked when it came out this week. I don't want to give too much away, but this issue gives us another look at the Mirror, Mirror universe as Bearded Spock must journey to our universe to stop an alliance between evil Kirk and a Klingon Commander named Kor.

As you read the comic, it's hard not to be impressed with the effort Byrne has put into the artwork. I think I read somewhere that it actually takes him MORE time to do a comic this way than to draw it.  What you might not notice is what a fine job he's done with the story and dialogue. Every character sounds pitch perfect and the story moves at a fast clip with several plot twists. The last page even had a vibe like the ending of Trouble of Tribbles which put a nice smile on my face.

I highly recommend this comic if you are a fan of the old show!

- Jim

The Secret Origin of Star Trek?

I recently started watching an old black and white television series called Riverboat on DVD a western series starring Darren McGavin and Burt Reynolds set on a steamboat during the 1860's. Upon watching a few episodes, I was struck by a number of similarities between Riverboat and another favorite show of mine, Star Trek.
 

Remembering that Gene Roddenberry worked as a western writer for several years prior to producing Star Trek, I wondered if there was a direct connection between the two shows. Was this the show that gave Roddenberry the inspiration for Star Trek? I did some research and was surprised by what I found.

Mild Similarities

• They featured a ship’s Captain as the leading role
• Both had a hard drinking chief engineer among the cast
• Both had a Scotsman as a featured crew member
• On both shows, the crew of the ship is armed
• Both shows featured appearances by Abraham Lincoln

Similar Episodes


There is a whip fight between Captain Kirk and a tall villain in Gamesters of Triskelion is similar to the whip fight between Riverboat's Captain Holden and a tall villain in Duel on the River. In both episodes the captain nearly strangles the villain.

The Star Trek episode Miri echoes the Riverboat episode 3 Graves. In both episodes a doctor works to determine the cause of a plague which has rendered an area deserted.

The infamous space hippies episode of ST Way to Eden is reminiscent of the Riverboat episode Guns for Empire as in both episodes a group of people are searching for a utopian society.

The ST episode Conscience of the King is similar to Riverboat's Trunk Full of Dreams as both feature a father/daughter acting troupe. In both episodes the father plays the role of MacBeth.
 

The last episode of Riverboat, Listen to the Nightingale, featured both Jeanne Bal and DeForest Kelley.

The 1st episode of ST, The Man Trap, was a story featuring the same pairing of Bal and Kelley.

Possible Direct Links


In both shows the ship that the crew travels on is called the Enterprise

A number of people worked on both shows including:

• Writer Gene L. Coon
• Actor Composer Alexander Courage
• Producer Fred Frieberger
• Composer Gerald Fried 
• Elmer Bernstein, who composed the score for Riverboat, also scored 4 episodes of Star Trek
•  Wouldn't DeForest Kelley have mentioned the similarity between the two shows during the initial production stages of the show? (especially the name of the ship.)

Now while all of this is an impressive amount of circumstantial evidence suggesting a link between the two shows, I was unable to find a real smoking gun. That is to say, Gene Roddenberry never mentioned Riverboat as an inspiration for Trek in any interview that I was able to find. He has gone on record several times as saying that he initially pitched Star Trek as a sort of Wagon Train in space. That strikes me as odd because a wagon train suggests that there would be more than one ship with some of the ships possibly having families on them. That's not Star Trek at all. That description actually suits Battlestar Galactica better. So why would Roddenberry refer to Wagon Train when it not only didn't accurately describe his concept but might even cause some confusion?


Here's what I think happened: It seems likely that Roddenberry who was pitching scripts to various westerns at the time would have at least heard about Riverboat, either on his own or through other writers at a local watering hole. I suspect he was taken with the idea of an ensemble show set on a ship and filed it away in the back of his mind. Later when it came time to pitch Trek, he realized that using Riverboat in space wasn't very good because Riverboat was a bit of a failure. (It  only lasted two seasons, and never scored very high in the ratings.) Instead he used Wagon Train as his hooky reference when pitching Trek. As time went on and Trek became its own creation, he forgot Riverboat altogether.

One final coincidence (after the fact) - Based on references in the show, a small town in Iowa has declared itself the official birth place of Captain James T. Kirk (with Roddenberry's blessing.)

The name of that town is: Riverside.

- Jim