Of Muppets & Musicians

Johnny Cash meets Oscar the Grouch.

Furry Happy Monsters! REM parodies their smash hit Shiny Happy People…

Alice Cooper on the Muppet Show in 1978 performing School’s Out for Summer.

Elton John playing his 70s hit Crocodile Rock on the Muppet Show.

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Wall-E: Our Top Five Fanboy Collectables

The Art of Wall-E Because Pixar preproduction artwork is always worth showing off on your coffee table.

Wall-E Robot Tin Lunch Box Case This looks like it would be fun to mod or to bring to work.

Super Technology iDance Wall-E Tech toys date the fastest, but they also best reflect the era that they were produced in — which makes them cool to show off in the years to come.

Wall-E PosterBecause posters are a well know inexpensive interior decoration technique for fanboys.

Wall-E Tattoos Show your co-workers how hardcore you are about Pixar.

Diablo III Cinematic Teaser

This looks like fun!

Ultraman Limited Edition USB Drive

Fanboys of live action Japanese TV from the 60s will dig this limited edition Ultraman USB Drive which is produced by buffalo.jp. Each Ultraman will store 2 gigs and only 3,000 of these little guys will be produced,

Found via geekalerts.com and Geeky Gadgets.

Clever Wall-E Advert

This advert on the side of a bus shows how Pixar knows how to get all the details just right, I love the concept of this giant version of the character holding onto the door while moving through NYC traffic. Just click on the image to see it as full size.

Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea: First Trailer

Calling all Miyazaki fanboys and fangurls: this is the first trailer for the upcoming film Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea and it’s looking pretty cute! This video below shows off quite a bit of pre-production art:

…and I know you can’t get enough of that catchy theme song:

Ronald McDonald vs. Colonel Sanders

I’m assuming that this is a fan made video of a faux fast food mascot videogame, but with Japan you never quite know…

Madame Mirage is Femme Fatale Collection

The above cover for the Madame Mirage collection immediately evoked the essence of a 70s movie poster for me, although I have to admit that the featured characters are sporting film noir and goth attire. But the sultry spirit reminds me a bit of a James Bond girl which might be giving me that early disco vibe. The cover artwork is by Kenneth Rocafort, and this trade paperback will be published by Image Comics. Here’s the description:

Madame Mirage (Oversized First Issue!, # 1)

“From the magical mind of Paul Dini (Countdown, Detective Comics) comes a new, original femme fatale story that combines elements of film noir, tech, and superhero comics. Superbly drawn by rising star Kenneth Rocafort (Hunter-Killer), this volume collects Season 1 of this amazing story, a cover gallery, and insightful behind-the-scenes material, plus an all-new cover by Rocafort!”

Czech Animation Revival

It seems there’s a boom in Czech animation going on right now: Above is a clip of Alois Nebel which is based on a graphic novel set in World War II. Variety has a great article on the what’s going on there:

Czech animation undergoing revival
Fresh coin funds new wave of edgy features

“Whether weird, provocative or simply a national calling card, animation Czech-style is undergoing a renaissance, with at least 10 features slated to bow throughout the next year. “Czech filmmakers were always ready to take off in terms of creativity and stories, but were held back by a lack of sufficient funding,” says the center’s Jana Cernikova. But with the Czech Film Fund now granting $18.5 million in support, four times the level from just two years ago, filmmakers are finally free to delve into more expensive genres such as animation.”

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Mahfood Rocks: Kick Drum Comix

I get a real kick out of seeing the work of Jim Mahfood — above is a detail from the cover of Kick Drum Comix #1 which will be published by Image Comics this September. It’s part one of a two part series:

“Kick Drum Comix is an over the top full color two-issue miniseries from fan-favorite Jim Mahfood! All-new material here, including the exciting stories “Coltrane’s Reed” and “Death of the Popmaster.” Great stories, beautiful artwork, all in a full color package! ”

Below is the full cover:

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Anthony Lister: Expressionistic Superheroes

Anthony Lister is Brooklyn based painter who was born in Australia — many of his subjects are superheroes. The above painting is wonderwoman1 and below is fat bat man. His work reminds me of a deconstructed Richard Linder who became well known for his pop art during the 60s.

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Fanboys Rescuing Lost Time Lords

It’s funny how all fanboys think alike! In the 70s before I had a VCR I recorded tons of audio tapes of TV show (anything that was science fiction from Twilight Zone episodes to Space:1999). Well it seems some Dr. Who fanboys in England are now using their audio tapes to bring back to life the early lost episodes of the series:

Regenerate! Fans revive 60s Doctor Who
An army of enthusiasts is recreating lost instalments of the Doctor’s adventures with hand-drawn and computer animations

“The BBC lists 108 episodes of Doctor Who from the 1960s as officially “missing” from its archive. That’s because the original videotapes were either erased or destroyed by the BBC in the 1970s, to make shelf space for newer programming. A catastrophe for fans. But Doctor Who – as fans of the show will know – is luckier than most.

The programme has always had a very loyal, and often talented, fanbase. It was its dedicated fans who in the 1960s weren’t hiding behind the sofa, but holding microphones up to their televisions week after week, that meant that all of the missing 108 instalments still exist as audio recordings; and it has been today’s fans who have, over the past few years, been working on bringing these “lost” recordings back to life through animation.”

Happy Birthday Tite Kubo

Tite Kubo will celebrate his 31st birthday today, and I have to say that I’m very happy to admit to being a Bleach fanboy: I first heard about Bleach when the Anime Pulse Podcast first started out: They were hardcore fanboys when it came to the show. But the first thing that struck me was that it seemed like too much of a soap opera to invest the time in. Man was I wrong!

I managed to hold out held out until they started showing translated episodes on Adult Swim and I was hooked right away. At first it seemed that the show had pretty much everything I’m not crazy about in anime: I’m a science fiction fan at heart so fantasy driven stories with Samurai outfits just aren’t my thing.

But I got hooked into the clever world that Tite Kubo had constructed. At its heart Bleach is one of the most elaborately constructed soap operas that I’ve ever been hooked on. My friends will yammer on about Battlestar Galactica, but Bleach seems to be keeping me si fi free these days. As crazy as work becomes to me I always manage to DVR the show and find that golden half hour during the week to escape the world of the living and hangout with the soul reapers. Thank you Tite Kubo…

Nod Young’s Paper Cutouts

Nod Young is a designer and illustrator based out of Beijing, China. Above is a sample of one of the amazing graphic illustrations that he’s created with a paper cutout technique. I was blown away by his wonderful attention to detail and slight sense of humor with his subjects.

Evangelion Mini Refrigerator

If you’re a hardcore Evangelion fanboy you’re going to want to own your own Evangelion Miniature Refrigerator which comes in either Rei Ayanami Blue or Asuka Langley Red. What’s strange about this fridge is that you can also use it as a food warmer too, but my guess is that this time of year you’d use it to keep your sake cool.

Tags: Anime, Evangelion

Alice in Wonderland with a Touch of Anime

I love how the cover for Avengers Fairy Tales #3 combines both that classic Victorian look with just a little dab of anime thrown in for good measure. This cover illustration is by French comic book artist Claire Wendling and will be appearing in comic book shops this week (kudos to Marvel Comics for their good taste).

Parody Preview: Wolverine: First Class #4

Paging Dr. Freud! Yes I know that sometimes a cigar is just a cigar, but this cover art is still quite silly: Although it’s so over the top that there’s a sort of lovable quality to it. The above illustration is by Alan Davis, Mark Farmer, and Paul Mounts and will storm into comic book stores today thanks to Marvel Comics.

Summer Fun: Sno-Cones for Fanboys

The Summer heat got me to thinking of the wonderful tradition of Sno-Cone toys. Shown above is a commercial for the Frosty the Sno-Man Sno-Cone maker which Hasbro first debuted in the 60s. Later in the 70s Kenner introduced their twist which was the IceBird:

So in 1979 Hasbro stuck back at Kenner with the Snoopy Sno-Come Machine (you can buy a reissued version here):

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Esther Pearl Watson’s UFO Inspired Folk Art

I came across some amazing paintings by Esther Pearl Watson, her style evokes the tradition of American folk art — however the twist is that many of her paintings feature a UFO theme which caught my fanboy eye. Shown above is Rudimentary Design and below is The Future. It turns out that Esther’s father was a fanboy hobbyist at heart, which is what inspires her artwork:

“Esther Pearl Watson grew up in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. Her family moved often, since her father’s hobby of building huge flying saucers out of scrap metal and car engines didn’t always sit well with the neighbors.”

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Dalek Masterpiece Theatre

The Daleks perform Shakespeare.

Dr. Who meets the Spanish Inquisition.

A Dalek Apple computer commercial parody.

Inspired via comicmix.com.

The Spirit: Femmes Fatale

I think one of the nice side effects of The Spirit movie hitting theaters in Christmas will be that it might just introduce an entire new generation of fanboys and fangurls the genius of Will Eisner. This upcoming book from DC Comics which is due in out in October looks promising:

The Spirit: Femmes Fatales (The Spirit)

“With Frank Miller’s movie version of Will Eisner’s THE SPIRIT set to hit theatres in December, DC Comics collects some of the most memorable stories pitting The Spirit against his most sultry opponents! Featuring 23 selected tales of mystery originally published between 1940 and 1949, these stories star P’Gell, Sand Saref, Saree, Silk Satin, Thorne Strand, Autumn Mews and many others. ”

Children of Tomorrow: Illustration by Bruce Pennington

What’s great about this cover us that the couple in the foreground seem to be oblivious to the giant spacecraft above — the proof of this is that they’re running to the spaceship rather than from it:

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Lost in Space: Giant Pez

This is for all of you Lost in Space fanboys who want to pop your Pez in style:

Lost in Space: Giant Pez

“The adventure fourty years in the making is now here at last! The Jupiter 2 finally reaches its original destination, Alpha Centauri…and the space family Robinson will never be the same again! Join the trusty B-9 Robot and the Robinson’s as they land, at long last, on the elusive Alpha Centauri. Theirs is a mission of peace, scientific exploration and the survival of the human race! The Lost in Space Giant Pez B-9 Robot is over 12″ tall and plays custom authentic B-9 Robot Dialogue and Sound Effects. Includes: three 1.5 volt batteries.”

Japanese Astronomers Hunt Space Aliens

So far we’ve discovered over 300 planets outside of our solar system, it makes one start to wonder if we might find alien life forms sooner than later (or at least a planet that might support life):

Life in outer space? Astronomers hunt aliens
Japan’s project involves astronomers filming one star over several nights

“Japan’s biggest astronomical observatories are teaming up for an unprecedented quest to find out whether there is life in outer space. The project, led by Japanese astronomers, will bring together a dozen or more observatories from all over the country to study one star that researchers see as a potential home to an extraterrestrial civilization.”