Fun Audio Dramas

A recent thread on The Miniatures Page got me thinking about one of my favorite pastimes since I've been a young kid: listening to audio dramas. I grew up listening to vintage radio dramas and comedies from the golden age of radio. Then to mysteries broadcast every night on our local AM radio station. Later, I would listen to Hitchhiker's Guide, Ruby: Galactic Gumshoe, and other neat shows on public radio every Sunday evening in the early 1980s.

I thought I would mention a few recent audio dramas I h've enjoyed. Jeremy has gotten most these for me as presents over the years, or I've recorded them live. When possible, I've included links to Amazon in the section titles. Often, you can pick them up used for a few dollars or download them as MP3 files. I hope you enjoy.

Superman Lives

This was a 2.5 hour BBC 5 production from 2005, originally called "Doomsday and Beyond" when it aired. Here is a brief synopses of the story: "Epic action, thrilling suspense, and a rollercoaster ride of mounting excitement are all featured in this incredible audio experience, chronicling not only Superman's duel-to-the-death with the monster called Doomsday and how he ultimately returned, but also the story of his love affair with Daily Planet reporter Lois Lane and the true fate of his arch-enemy, Lex Luthor. The fastest-selling comic book story of all time comes to life like nothing you've ever heard before!" Yep, the classic 90s story in audio. I love it!


DC Universe: Trail of Time

The CD's in this series of "Graphic Audio" releases are an interesting combination of traditional audio books with a narrator reading the text combined with actual audio drama, complete with sound effects. There are many titles in the series. This happens to be the only one I have at the moment. It is wild, featuring many of my favorite characters.

Synopses from Amazon: "Clark Kent is living in a dark world where he has no powers, no memory of ever being anything other than human. His world is controlled by mystical forces no one can challenge, with the triumvirate of Vandal Savage, Mordru, and Felix Faust calling the shots. The Demon and Phantom Stranger approach Clark and tell him that he is really Superman, that alterations made more than a hundred years ago to the time stream are causing space-time fluctuations that will result in this particular reality becoming the sole reality, unless something is done. Since Superman is powerless in this reality, and since the alterations were made in the past, the three heroes have to travel into the past, specifically into the American Southwest of the 1870s, where Jonah Hex, Bat Lash and other DC Western heroes help them set things right again" Cool stuff!

Judge Dredd, Blakes 7, Dr. Who, and More

Check out Big Finish Productions for many audio dramas of great comics and sci-fi BBC shows. You can buy CDs or download MP3s. I own the Dredd collection and love them. Once again, these were BBC productions.

Just a note. BBC Radio 4 Extra has Blake's 7, Doctor Who, and others you can listen to online. You might want to check it out. You can record these programs right off the Internet while listening to them using a free program, such as my favorite Audacity, and save them as MP3 files. I've done this many times over the years.


Any Other Suggestions?
Well, there you go. Some ideas to get you going. If anyone has any suggestions for some good fantasy, sci-fi, or historical audio dramas that you think I or others might like, pop down and mention them in the comments.

Halloween Horror Comic Display

Using vintage horror comics from his collection, Jeremy made a special Halloween display at our neighborhood's clubhouse. A number of people have commented how they like it and remember some of the old comics.

He bought some spooky webbing and other Halloween doodads and arranged the entire display himself. Our community's annual yard sale is this Saturday at the club house, so a lot of people should be seeing the display. He'll be there selling off about two long boxes of comics he no longer wants at cheap prices, along with a bunch of other older video games and other items. Of course, all proceeds will go to buy additional comics and video games!

There's Something About Jack Kirby

Well, I seem to be on a Jack Kirby kick this week! Since I am still learning about Kirby and his work, I thought I'd mention some great Kirby websites and a Kirby freebie all centered around the same fellow, Jon B. Cooke. From his bio on his website: "Jon B. Cooke is the former associate editor of The Jack Kirby Collector and editor/creator of the five-time Eisner Award-winning Comic Book Artist magazine (for "Best Comics-Related Periodical")."

A Freebie!
The Jack Kirby Collector is a monthly print and pdf magazine put out by the same company who publishes one of my favorite comic magazines, Back Issue, which mainly covers older comics from 1970s, 80s, and 90s. If you click on the magazine's cover below, you go to the publisher's website, where you can download the issue below for free plus free sample issues of their other magazines, including Back Issue.

Virtual Museum
If you would like to learn more about Jack Kirby, his comics, and scans of his comics, you really must check Jon B. Cooke's  Kirby Museum & Research Center, which is the repository of all things Kirby.

Fourth World Blog
Cooke is also doing a daily blog about Kirby's Fourth World comics, featuring Mister Miracle, New Gods, and Forever People. I'm also trying to get these comics as well as Mister Miracle. Jeremy, my son, just told me that he has some Forever People issues and is giving them to me. Why am I just learning this tonight:? Holding out on his old man again, eh? And considering that I gave him my entire Superman collection and Batman Adventures collection.... Hmmmmm..... I wonder what else he has that I don't know about!?! LOL. Anyway, click on the pic below to go to the blog.

Until next time, always remember that there is no trap from which Mister Miracle cannot escape...even marriage! No wait, that didn't come out right....

Sneak Peek of Mister Miracle #1 (1971)

Since some folks were interested in Mister Miracle, I thought I'd post a bit of a teaser from the first issue in 1971 along with an article on Jack Kirby from the same issue. I'll post a teaser from the first issue of the 1989 series a bit later this week. Does this make this a teaser for the teaser???

I love how Kirby draws the gangster in this issue, but I really love how he draws the Inter-Gang henchmen in rather "dorky" attire. Seriously, would anyone be threatened by a gang of thugs dressed like this? I've always felt that in gaming we need more henchmen figures like those Kirby draws. Sure, Superfigs makes some henchmen. Pulp Figures have some hooded henchmen. But I'd love to see more flat-top hooded guys like these or like classic AIM henchmen.(When I used to buy Heroclix singles off of gamers, I would snatch up all the henchmen figures I could for a dime a fig. No one wanted them, until Wizkids eventually stopped making them. I guess I have a soft spot for hero-fodder weenies.)

I hope you enjoy a quick look at Mister Miracle #1 from 1971, which now proudly sits on the shelf in its high-quality E Gerber Mylites bag--which I bummed off my son, of course. :-)

 

Mister Miracle: My Main Man

Jack Kirby's Mister Miracle 1971

My big excitement came at the end of last week. I finally picked up Mister Miracle #1 from April 1971 in great condition without having to pay a fortune! Whoot! I also picked up some other missing issues from the series, all in near mint condition. I love all the Mister Miracle comics and am a bit of a Mister Miracle fanboy (see his Wikipedia entry). To me, the covers are some of the most exciting DC did during the 1970s because they usually feature Mister Miracle in a death-trap situation that looks hopeless. But we know better!

There were three series. In the first series starting in 1971 and lasting 25 issues, Jack Kirby did the stories and art through issue 18. I love Kirby's writing and art style. To me, Kirby is Mister Miracle for this series. I'm working on completing this set. It can get pricey.

The second series is a 28 issue run starting in 1989. This series features Mr. Miracle and Big Barda having married and trying to live a normal life in suburbia. The take is more humorous than the first series, reflecting the humor of the concurrently running Justice League series, during which the character Mr. Miracle is revitalized and then given his own title again. The writing is crisp and fun, but for me Ian Gibson's artwork really makes the humor in the stories pop for the first five issues.

Ian Gibson's Mister Miracle 1989

 I first saw Gibson's art when reading Judge Dredd comics in early 1980s. I always thought he had a devilish style. Just look at his page from Mister Miracle to the left. I have the entire run of the second series. It's great fun and worth reading. I just wish Gibson had stayed with it more than the first five issues!

The third series is a 7-issue run from 1996. I have this but haven't read it yet, so no comments.

Well, I didn't expect to write this much on Mister Miracle or stay up this late. But I just wanted to share a little bit about a comic series folks might not know too much about. Like I mentioned, collecting the first series can be pricey, so patience is a must. The second series usually can be had very reasonably. Same for the third series.

Top 50 Animated Features of All Time

The following is a list of The Top 50 Animated Features of All Time comprised by me, J. R. Waller. I have been a fan of animation/anime for years and it is my pleasure to share with you a list of those shows that I believe to be the best examples of their craft. They each standalone on their own merits, setting the standard for all to follow. These shows and movies display the boundless creativity of their creators and showcase a wide variety of styles and genres. From “cartoons” to “anime” the list feature the best there is. From exceptional writing and direction, to captivating stories, to inspiring artistic direction and much more, these are the best and these are not just my personal favorites either but what I believe to be the essential animated features of all time. Enjoy!

1. Honey & Clover II, 2006, J.C. Staff
2. Mushishi, 2005, Artland
3. Fullmetal Alchemist, 2003, BONES
4. Honey and Clover, 2005, J.C. Staff
5. Millennium Actress, 2001, Madhouse
6. Haibane Renmei, 2002, Radix
7. Kino’s Journey, 2003, A.C.G.T
8. Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind, 1984, Topcraft
9. Spirited Away, 2001, Studio Ghibli
10. 5cm Per Second, 2007, CoMix Wave Inc.
11. Planetes, 2003, Sunrise
12. Eureka Seven, 2005, BONES
13. The Girl Who Leapt through Time, 2006, Madhouse
14. Princess Mononoke, 1997, Studio Ghibli
15. My Neighbor Totoro, 1988, Studio Ghibli
16. Spongebob Squarepants, 1999, United Plankton Pictures
17. Porco Rosso, 1992, Studio Ghibli
18. The Big O, 1999, Sunrise
19. Last Exile, 2003, Gonzo
20. Trigun, 1998, Madhouse
21. Rocko’s Modern Life, 1993, Joe Murray Productions and Games Productions
22. Kiki’s Delivery Service, 1989, Studio Ghibli
23. Howl’s Moving Castle, 2004, Studio Ghibli
24. Fantastic Mr. Fox, 2009, Regency Enterprises and Indian Paintbrush
25. The Triplets of Belleville, 2003, France 3 Cinema, Les Armateurs, Production Champion, RGP France, and Vivi Film
26. The Big O II, 2003, Sunrise
27. Samurai Jack, 2001, Genndy Tartakovsky
28. The Iron Giant, 1999, Warner Bros. Animation
29. Rugrats, 1991, Klasky Csupo
30. Whisper of the Heart, 1995, Studio Ghibli
31. Castle in the Sky, 1986, Studio Ghibli
32. The Place Promised in Our Early Days, 2004, CoMix Wave Inc.
33. Voices of a Distant Star, 2002, CoMix Wave Inc.
34. Batman: The Animated Series, 1992, Warner Bros. Animation
35. Hey Arnold!, 1996, Snee-Oosh, Inc.
36. The Twelve Kingdoms, 2002, Studio Pierrot
37. Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea, 2008, Studio Ghibli
38. Justice League Unlimited, 2004, Warner Bros. Animation
39. Aria the Animation, 2005, Hal Film Maker
40. Rahxephon, 2002, Bones
41. The Cat Returns, 2002, Studio Ghibli
42. Doug, 1991, Jumbo Pictures
43. Rurouni Kenshin, 1996, Studio Gallop, Studio Deen, and SPE Visual Works
44. Steamboy, 2004, Sunrise
45. The Castle of Cagliostro, 1979, Tokyo Movie Shinsha, and Topcraft
46. Mobile Suit Gundam, 1979, Sunrise
47. Dexter’s Laboratory, 1996, Cartoon Network Studios and Hanna-Barbera
48. Justice League, 2001, Warner Bros. Animation
49. Wolverine and the X-Men, Marvel Animation, Toonz Entertainment, First Serve International, Noxxon Entertainment Inc., 2008
50. Mobile Suit Gundam 0080: War in the Pocket, 1989, Sunrise

Aeronef Inspiration & Painting Problems

A few months ago I puttered along a bit on my Aeronef project, re-priming the figures, drilling and placing the rigging into the decks, and gluing on the other bits. My goal is to paint them using some of the anime-like images below as inspiration.

Masking Paint Problems
I masked off several of them using blue painters tape, began working on some of the patterns, but discovered that painters tape does not like craft paint, pulling off bits of it. Ouch! I haven't tried masking hobby paints like Vallejo or Reaper and am wondering if I will get the same results. Is this an acrylic paint problem? I let the paint dry before removing the tape.

Many years ago when I custom painted model railroad equipment, I would spray them using model railroad hobby paints and use plain masking tape to mask them. I never had a problem. One thought I literally just had was to paint the base coat, dulcote it, mask it, paint the new color, dulcote, mask, and so on until done. Perhaps that would prevent the blue tape from peeling up the paint? Down side is that it would take a lot more time to work on each ship.

I would like to mask straight lines instead of free-handing them. Does anyone have any suggestions and experience with this?

Dick Giordano: A Belated Tribute

Able to work with photos again since building the new computer last week, I was looking through all my old photos. I came across the photos I shot last year at Mini-MegaCon here in Orlando. It was a smaller (and quieter) version of the enormous MegaCon comic and game convention. Mini-MegaCon was also the first comic con Jeremy and I have attended.

I came across this photo of Dick Giordano of DC Comics autographing Jeremy's copy of Crisis on Infinite Earths. Dick passed away on March 27 this year. He is survived by his wife, Marie, who is sitting next to him in the photo.

Because the con was so small and attendance was much lighter than hoped for, media guests had a lot of time on their hands to sign autographs and chit chat with us folks. (You know you're getting old when conversations with media guests quickly shift from comics to discussing medical problems!) Anyway, Dick and Jeremy had a nice chat. Dick and his wife are just gracious people. Jeremy loves Crisis, and Dick was surprised and pleased to see a young kid excited to get an autograph on an older comic, one of Dick's favorite series he told Jeremy.

It was a real pleasure to meet Dick Giordano before he passed away. We could tell he was having a hard time that day, but he kept smiling and laughing and gladly signing autographs all afternoon. And telling stories about the good old days to a kid who likes comics from those good old days. Yeah, he was a really nice guy. A real gentleman that day.

Do You Have The Latest "Ant Man"?

I'm not really quite sure what to say about this photo other than those guys sure look impressed with the selection of comics. My son, Jeremy (aka Rover Dill), built this scale comic shop several weeks ago. It occupied a corner of our enclosed patio until we had to dispose of it this week. We hated doing it but had no choice. Even though the store was making a good profit, selling mostly to pro-wrestlers and evil villains, it was starting to get "unwanted" customers of the small, crunchy kind.

For the floor, Jeremy used tiles from Home Depot. Eveything else is cardboard. He practically used my entire bottle of $5 Weldbond, which is the best white glue ever made, and an entire box of finishing nails. He snagged images of comic book covers off the Internet, shrank them using Paint Shop Pro, and printed them. It was pretty neat. He saved the "comics." Maybe someday he'll open up a new store in the better side of town.

“Monster” by Naoki Urasawa

Occasionally, Junior League Member Rover Dill (aka my son, Jeremy) will be posting some reviews of his favorite manga, anime, and comics. He is solely responsible for them. I hope you enjoy them. Some, such as Last Exile, have been a great VSF/Aeronef influence for our games. --Bob Waller

One hardboiled thriller comin’ right up! Naoki Urasawa is a renowned manga artist best known for his stunning ways of intricate storytelling combined with heart pounding suspense, and Monster is no exception. This is one graphic novel (manga) series that you will defiantly want to check out.

“Brilliant doctor Kenzo Tenma risks his reputation and promising career to save the life of a critically wounded young boy. Unbeknownst to him, this child is destined for a terrible fate. Conspiracies, serial murders, and a scathing depiction of the underbelly of hospital politics are all masterfully woven together in this compelling manga thriller.” -Monster volume 1 description

The manga itself is set in Germany, where young Dr. Tenma is making a very promising career for himself as a neurosurgeon at Eisler Memorial Hospital in Dusseldorf. Soon enough though, Tenma notices that the hospital’s director Dr. Heinemann, is using him to heal only important patients in order to boost the hospitals reputation. Tenma receives a call one night from the hospital, who has taken a boy (Johan) in after being shot in the head during a murder at his house, leaving his sister in shock, and his parents dead. Tenma is forced to make a decision on weather or not he should save the boy in surgery, or the mayor who comes close to the same time. He disobeys the director’s orders of saving the mayor and saves the young boys life instead. Tenma soon goes on a downward spiral due to his disobedience with the director. He also loses his fiancée who is the directors daughter. In all of this though, he makes his way to the top of the ladder due to a series of unnerving events at Eisler.

Dr. Tenma’s life once again takes a dramatic turn for the worse nine years after his encounter with the young boy he had saved. Dr. Tenma soon realizes that the boy he had once saved has turned into a true monster, one who not only has criminal power, but political power as well. Dr. Tenma then sets off on a heart pounding journey around all of Germany in his search for the young man, constantly hoping to kill the monster he has created while unraveling the dark mystery that is Johan Leibert.

Monster is definitely one of the best reads, not only in manga, but in the whole comic community, that I have ever come across. The journey Dr. Tenma takes leaves the reader on the edge of his seat in a way that only Urasawa can do. The series delves into the mind of a criminal, explores the black and white of the human condition, and displays one of the most masterful stories around. Filled with murder, suspense, intrigue, action, and plenty of deep character development, Monster does not disappoint as it’s a fresh break, and a rare gem among manga, and graphic novels. Highly recommended.

Note: Monster is 18 volumes large in total, and as of now 13 have been released here by Viz Media. The volumes are priced at $9.99 each and can be found at most bookstores, but they can be hard to find at times. Monster is also rated T+, and is recommended for audiences of 16 years of age and older. It contains realistic, and graphic violence, and adult themes.

Viz Media: http://monster.viz.com/story.php