Happy Birthday to the REAL Captain Kirk!

Chris Pine is a decent replacement, but...

...as Sean Connery IS the one, true James Bond, William Shatner IS Captain James T Kirk!

If any proof be needed...

BTW, Trivia Point: The photo above features Captain Kirk vs...Captain Midnight!
Richard Webb (Finney in "Court Martial" was tv's Captain Midnight in the 1950s)

Comix Class: MOVIEMAKING ILLUSTRATED

Our "brother blog", Secret Sanctum of Captain Video presents a long out-of-print handbook which utilizes Silver and Bronze Age Marvel Comics artwork to demonstrate cinematography in storyboard fashion.
In fact, noted comic and animation artist Scott Shaw! used it in his storyboarding class...

I used to teach a class in storyboarding for the animation union here in Los Angeles. At the time, there was a tremendous influx of comic book talent from the Philippines come to work in animation. Many of these artists had no previous experience working in this field, plus there was a certain learning gap due to language and culture. Although this book really isn't particularly well-done (comics and film AREN'T as similar as some folks think), I frequently used pages from it when trying to help my Filipino students. Once they figured things out, many of 'em went on to do LOTS of professional storyboard work in the animation biz.

Considering how many current artists have problems grasping the essentials of storytelling (not illustrating, storytelling), perhaps an updated version of this should be standard reading.
Until then, this will have to do.
Class is already in session.
Don't be late and bring an Apple (iTouch or iPad will do) for the teacher. ;-)

Who Knows What Evil Lurks in Letterbox on Blu-Ray?

The Shadow Knows...

Almost 20 years after its theatrical release (has it really been that long?) and 15 after its release on DVD in a pan-and-scan version, The Shadow is finally getting a letterbox release! from Shout! Factory.
(Note: I do have the laserdisc and the Academy Award screener VHS, which are letterbox (and the laserdisc has DTS stereo), but I've been waiting for a DVD edition.
Unfortunately, this is Blue-Ray only, so I'll have to ask a friend in England to send me the British DVD, which is letterbox.)
The somewhat-sparse extras include new interviews with Alec Baldwin, Penelope Ann Miller, Tim Curry, director Russell Mulcahy, production designer Joseph Nemec, III, director of photography Stephen H. Burum and writer David Koepp, plus the original trailer.
Sadly, no commentaries, and they didn't even include the rather cheesy, yet kool Taylor Dane music video...
Ah, well...
BTW, the complete, never-reprinted, two-issue comic adaptation of the movie by Michael Kaluta is on our brother RetroBlog Secret Sanctum of Captain Video™ .
Even though the script is fairly close to the movie (with a new framing sequence), visually, it's a totally-different experience!

Reading Room: "When Time Stood Still"

It's the gift that keeps on giving...

...a trip through time and space on New Year's Eve!

Illustrated by Myron Fass, this never-reprinted tale from Avon's Captain Science Comics #4 (1952) is a classic example of how weird and wild (and totally-illogical) sci-fi can be!

Reading Room: "Premonition of Death"

Some things just can't be explained by current science...

...but that doesn't make them any less real!

Is this another lost "Kirby Klassic" from the 1950s?

When Prize Comics' Monster of Frankenstein title was revived during the horror comic boom of the early 1950s, besides a wonderfully-gruesome version of Dick Briefer's Monster, it featured a number of two to four page "fillers".

Most of these tales appear to be, at the very least, laid-out by Jack Kirby.

This story is a prime example.

The Grand Comics Database lists the story's illustrator as Marvin Stein, who worked primarily for the Simon & Kirby studio, so this most likely was an S&K "inventory" story laid-out by Kirby and meant for insertion wherever editorial material pagecount came up short.

Sadly, the writer of the story is, as in so many cases, unknown...

Reading Room: SPACE ACTION "Prisoners on Solar"

Solar power is cheap and easy to access, right?

At least until someone takes control of the Sun (or a reasonable facsimile thereof)!

Considering that, even in the 1950s, we knew the Sun wouldn't die out for billions of years, you have to wonder when this story from Ace's Space Action #1 (1952) is set!

Apparently the unknown writer didn't know or didn't care, since no date is given.

But the art by Lou Cameron and Rocco Mastroserio shows technology only a couple of hundred of years ahead!

Go figure...

The Secrets of GULLIVAR JONES

Back when the ill-fated John Carter movie came out...

...we ran the never-reprinted adventures of his predecessor, Gullivar Jones: Warrior of Mars, but we indavertantly left out these kool examples of otherworldly art, like this promo piece by George Perez and Frank Giacoia from Monsters Unleashed #7 (1974)!

...or the painting by Frank Frazetta for the Ace paperback that re-introduced Gulliver/Gullivar to 1960s audiences eager for pulp high adventure!

and, last, but not least...

...George Perez's rejected splash page (page 2) for the Gullivar Jones tale that appeared in Monsters Unleashed #8 (1974).

The story ran without a splash page, probably due to tight deadlines.