Had a great day yesterday! Got to go to all of my local comic shops in one day and saw Iron Man 3. It was a fun movie, but it had some issues, especially if you're a fan of the comic books.
Let's take a look at the stuff I picked up --
I only managed to get 21 different books of the 50+ free comics that were available. These are all going to my brother. I got extras of The Tick, Hulk and the Agents of SMASH, The Smurfs, Star Wars, Overstreet's Comic Book Marketplace (I'm keeping these for myself) and The Walking Dead (for my son).
At my regular comic shop (Kenmore Komics & Games) I picked up my new books plus five packs of Marvel Greatest Battles trading cards.
At JC Comics and Cards I bought a vintage 1977 Hulk glass for $7.50 and Essential She-Hulk Vol. 1 for $5.00.
At a local sports card store I got two of the Topps Star Wars Jedi Legacy promo cards. These were given out one per customer, so I had my wife get one. She was embarrassed to ask for a trading card. But she did it because she loves me. ;)
We stopped for lunch at a local place called The Firehouse Grille and Pub and I had a donut burger. The "bun" is a glazed donut cut in half with the glazed sides facing the burger and then grilled. It was pretty darn good!
Free Comic Book Day! May the 4th! Iron Man 3! Could a day get any better?
I will be wearing a Star Wars shirt that has the cover of an old Marvel comic on it. First, I will stop by three local comic shops to get all of the free comics for me, my brother and nephew (they don't have any comic stores near them). Then, I will go to a sports card store that is giving away a Topps Star Wars Jedi Legacy promo card. Then I'll end the day by seeing Iron Man 3. Wow! What are your plans?
My family always watched M*A*S*H when I was growing up. I think it's one of the greatest TV shows ever and Allan Arbus was great as Dr. Freedman. Rest in peace.
Allan Arbus, known to many of us at the psychiatrist Maj. Sidney Freedman from M*A*S*H, has died at age 95.
The actor, who was married to photographer Diane Arbus, died on Friday at his home in Los Angeles, reports The New York Times.
Arbus, who was born in New York, was a TV regular in the 1970s and '80s, appearing on Taxi, Starsky & Hutch, Matlock and other shows. But it was his M*A*S*H character that became his best-known role.
But before he turned to acting, he married Diane Nemerov in 1941 and became passionate about photography. In 1946, they established a studio on West 54th Street for fashion photography and soon won a contract from Condé Nast to supply photos for magazines including Glamour and Vogue.
The couple separated in 1959 and divorced in 1969, when Allan Arbus moved to Los Angeles. Diane committed suicide in 1971. In 1976, Arbus married Mariclare Costello. She survives him, as do his two daughters from his first marriage, Amy and Doon; and a daughter from his second marriage, Arin Arbus, according to the Times.
Marvel Super Special #5 was released in 1978. It was actually the third appearance of KISS in Marvel Comics. The band first appeared in 1977's Howard the Duck #'s 12 and 13 and Marvel Comics Super Special #1.
Credits for Marvel Super Special #5 --
Co-Scenarists: Ralph Macchio and Alan Weiss
Writer: Ralph Macchio
Penciler: John Romita, Jr.
Inker: Tony DeZuniga
Colorist: Glynis Wein
Letterer: Irving Watanabe
Editor: Richard Marschall
Editor-In-Chief: Jim Shooter
Cover Artist: Bob Larkin
It also featured a four-page full-color pull-out poster by artist George Bush.
I still have this comic along with the poster buried in my collection somewhere. Although the poster has been removed and has tape on the corners from hanging on my bedroom wall.
A history of KISS comics can be found on Wikipedia here.
I was looking through some pictures on an old flash drive and found these. I believe these were the only Star Raiders my brother and I had back in the 70s and they were the glow-in-the-dark versions. I sold these on eBay back in 2008. Unfortunately I needed the money back then and thinned out my collection a little bit. You can read more about Tomland Star Raiders at Megolike.com.
I met Mr. LeParmentier at The Pittsburgh Comicon in 2001. Above is a picture I took of him. I also got his autograph, but I'm not sure where it is at the moment. Rest in peace.
Actor Richard LeParmentier, whose character was infamously choked by villain Darth Vader in the original "Star Wars" movie, has died at age 66, his representative confirms to TODAY.
LeParmentier died suddenly, his son Tyrone told Derek Maki, who represented the actor. No further details were available.
LeParmentier's name may be unfamiliar to many, but "Star Wars" fans well know his most famous scene.
"Don't try to frighten us with your sorcerer's ways, Lord Vader," says LeParmentier in his role as General (sometimes described as Admiral) Motti. "Your sad devotion to that ancient religion has not helped you conjure up the stolen data tapes, or given you clairvoyance enough to find the rebels' hidden fort--"
At that point, LeParmentier's character stops speaking and grabs at his throat as if he was being choked by an invisible hand. Darth Vader (voice of James Earl Jones) then delivers one of his most famous lines, "I find your lack of faith disturbing."
LeParmentier also had numerous film and television appearances, though his most famous after "Star Wars" was the role of Lt. Santino in 1988's "Who Framed Roger Rabbit?" He also provided the narration for the 2004 video game "Soldiers: Heroes of World War II." He was also a screenwriter.
Annette Funicello, the dark-haired darling of TV's “The Mickey Mouse Club” in the 1950s who further cemented her status as a pop-culture icon in the '60s by teaming with Frankie Avalon in a popular series of “beach” movies, died Monday. She was 70.
Funicello, who was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 1987 and became a spokeswoman for treatment of the chronic, often-debilitating disease of the central nervous system, died at Mercy Southwest Hospital in Bakersfield, Walt Disney Co. spokesman Howard Green said.
Funicello and her husband, Glen Holt, had moved from the Los Angeles area after a 2011 fire gutted their home in Encino.
Bob Iger, Disney’s chairman and chief executive, said: “Annette was and always will be a cherished member of the Disney family, synonymous with the word 'Mouseketeer,' and a true Disney legend. She will forever hold a place in our hearts as one of Walt Disney’s brightest stars, delighting an entire generation of baby boomers with her jubilant personality and endless talent. Annette was well known for being as beautiful inside as she was on the outside, and she faced her physical challenges with dignity, bravery and grace. All of us at Disney join with family, friends, and fans around the world in celebrating her extraordinary life.”
Funicello was a 12-year-old dance-school student when Walt Disney saw her performing the lead role in “Swan Lake” at her dance-school's year-end recital at the Starlight Bowl in Burbank in the spring of 1955.
She joined a group of other talented young performers hired to become Mouseketeers on “The Mickey Mouse Club,” the children's variety show that debuted on ABC in October 1955 and quickly became a daily late-afternoon ritual for millions of young Americans.
Like her fellow female Mouseketeers, Funicello wore a mouse-eared beanie, a blue pleated skirt, and a white, short-sleeved turtleneck sweater with her name emblazoned in block letters across her chest.
But there was something special about the Mouseketeer with the curly black hair that unexpectedly turned her into the ensemble cast's biggest star.
Funicello made her acting debut on “The Mickey Mouse Club” serial “Adventure in Dairyland.” She also appeared in two of the popular “Spin and Marty” serials about a Western dude ranch for boys, with Tim Considine and David Stollery in the title roles. And in 1958, Disney showcased his prized Mouseketeer in her own “Annette” serial.
Mr. Disney, as Funicello always called her boss, also licensed Annette lunch boxes, Colorforms dolls, coloring books, comic books and even mystery novels featuring her in fictionalized adventures.
After “The Mickey Mouse Club” ended production in 1958 and went into reruns, the 15-year-old Funicello was the only Mouseketeer to remain under exclusive contract to the Disney studio.
She made her feature-film debut in “The Shaggy Dog,” a 1959 comedy starring Fred MacMurray. It was the first of four Disney feature films she appeared in over the next six years, including “Babes in Toyland,” “The Misadventures of Merlin Jones” and “The Monkey's Uncle.”
Funicello received a big career boost when Disney agreed to loan her out to American International Pictures to make “Beach Party,” the song-filled, low-budget 1963 comedy in which she was first teamed on the big screen with Avalon.
In the wake of the success of “Beach Party,” Funicello and Avalon co-starred in “Muscle Beach Party,” “Bikini Beach,” and “Beach Blanket Bingo.”
