"Lost" returns (Yay, brother!)

Fans of ABC television series, "Lost" were treated to a remarkable two-part season opener last night that left no doubt that this is going to be a bang-up year for the show.

The first hour titled "Because You Left", confirmed (for those folks who still needed to hear it) that time travel capability is definitely a part of the islands many mysteries. All of the cast members were utilized to fine effect and the return of the "Oceanic 6" to "Lost" Island may happen sooner than expected.

The second hour titled "The Lie", scaled back somewhat on several cast members, but fans were rewarded by two unexpected cameo appearances that were just to die for. If these guests stars participation was leaked or spoiled, then thank god that I managed to miss out on that info in advance, because when they showed up - it was much more effective not knowing about it.

Needless to say, the rescued survivors have not found themselves better off for having gotten off of the island, and those that were left behind are seriously imperiled at the moment - or at several different moments - if you get my drift. [Hint; time travel really can be a bitch!]

With both Battlestar: Galactica and Lost back on the air, January is shaping up to be a very good month.

"Edgar Allan Poe's Tales of Terror" (Dell Comics; courtesy of THOIA)

"Edgar Allan Poe's Tales of Terror" (Part II)

"Edgar Allan Poe's Tales of Terror" (Part III)

The Great Karswell is running a week-long birthday tribute to suspense writer Edgar Allan Poe over at his "The Horrors Of It All" blog, and he has generously allowed me to take part by running the Dell Comics adaptation of director Roger Corman's 1963 film "Tales of Terror" which adapted several Poe stories. "The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar" is a creepy warning about the perils of hypnotism. The movie version of this story starred Vincent Price, Basil Rathbone and Debra Paget. As you read this comics adaptation (from Dell Movie Classics #793) you will definitely be able to see how their likenesses were effectively captured by that issues artist, George Evans.

Enjoy! (and a belated 'Happy 200th Birthday' to the late Mr. Poe)

Comic Books Around the World: Philippines

Darna was created by Filipino comics legend Mars Ravelo. In her more popular incarnations (the character has appeared in numerous movies and tv shows), she is an outer space warrior manifesting herself through a young girl from Earth, named Narda.

Darna was originally introduced as "Varga" in Bulaklak Magazine;Volume 4, #17, on July 23, 1947, but following creative differences with the editors of Bulaklak Magazine, Mars Ravelo changed the characters name to "Darna" and re-launched the book in 1950, with Nestor Redondo as artist. Darna later became a Philippine cultural icon.

Regardless of her many incarnations, the 1950's origin of Darna begins with a village girl named Narda who finds a small, white stone (actually a tiny meteorite from outer space). For some reason, Narda swallows the stone and then shouts "Darna!" - becoming a mighty warrior ready to defend Earth from evil forces.

Darna's powers include flight, super strength, super speed and near-invulnerability. The ruby encrusted in the winged medallion on her helmet also augments her abilities, allowing her to emit a powerful concussion blast and the medallions that make up her belt can be used like throwing stars (shuriken). Contrary to what some Filipinos may believe, Darna was not named after the magical Ibong Adarna (Adarna bird), which appears in a Philippine epic of the same name. In Bulaklak Magazine, though Narda was established as her mortal identity, "Darna" was simply an anagram of "Narda".

Darna's first adventure (as Darna) was serialized in the pages of Pilipino Komiks #77, where she was pitted against the sultry snake goddess Valentina. Here, the young girl Narda, swallowed the stone (which had the word Darna on it) and transformed into Darna by shouting out the latter name. Likewise, Darna can turn back into Narda by shouting her own name. The stone, which came from the planet Marte, remains in her body, and only her grandmother, and her brother Ding (who eventually becomes her sidekick) are aware of her secret.

A Weekend Recap (& brief review of Looney Tunes #170; DC Comics)

I had a pretty decent weekend. Battlestar: Galactica returned on Friday night, after a year-long furlough, to run out its final ten episodes, and the reveals were stunning and numerous. I missed this top-rated show, and despite my extreme irritation at the NBC execs who forced us to wait a year for these last few shows, B:G returned in top form with a terrific twist or two.

I also made a long overdue pilgrimage to Lexington, NC for a fantastic barbecue feast at Speedy's BBQ (highly recommended) if you find yourself in that neck of the woods. Chopped pork barbecue, spicy red BBQ slaw, crispy fried hush puppies, sweetened iced tea, man-oh-man, you just can't beat it guys. Hate that you missed out!

Of course, that trip was simply one leg of the entire journey. My companions and I also stopped by Shelton Drum's Heroes Aren't Hard To Find store in Charlotte, NC for his "Heroes Mini-Con" (just down the street from Heroes headquarters). It was the 32 year of such shows sponsored by the super-nice guy who hosts the popular, annual Heroes Convention - also in Charlotte.

As a heads up for tomorrow (or the next day), it looks like I will be hosting (courtesy of THOIA) a nice comic book adaptation of a classic Edgar Allan Poe tale, but I'm gonna make you wait until then to see which eerie story it actually is.

For now I would like to praise the fine folks at DC Comics for keeping all-ages comics alive in the form of their excellent Looney Tunes, Scooby Doo and Cartoon Network titles. I pick some of these up from time-to-time and no matter which book I buy, the end result is always a nostalgic smile on my face. Looney Tunes #170 features a trio of Daffy Duck stories (plus a couple of shorter features) that are reminiscent of the old Warner Brothers cartoons upon which this series is based.

Daffy Duck stars in “Stupor Duck Sores (Ouch!) Again” by writer Bill Matheny, penciller Walter Carzon & inker Ruben Torreiro and “The Adventures of Stupor Duck: Crisis in Coin-Op! ” by writer Frank Strom & artist Mike DeCarlo; co-starring Porky Pig and again in “Mistooken Identity” by writer Frank Strom, penciller Walter Carzon & inker Ruben Torreiro; co-starring Bugs Bunny.

This book is well deserving of higher sales than the quarterly charts indicate, but kudos to DC for keeping it on the stands.

Rayboy's Review: Guardians of the Galaxy #8 (Marvel Comics)

So, I picked up a copy of Guardians of the Galaxy #8 and discovered that the new art team of penciller Brad Walker and inker Victor Olazaba actually held my interest. That wasn’t what I expected, now that Paul Pelletier has jumped over to the "War of Kings" crossover series (of which this issue is a small part). I am a bit guarded in praising Walker, since he suffers from a common modern affliction - - - an over-reliance on large story panels as an artistic short cut. It could simply be that the regular writing team of Dan Abnett & Andy Lanning didn’t provide Walker with more than a bare bones plot to tie-into their spiffy new cosmic x-over series, but there are far too many blown up panels that really have nothing going on in them, other than a character or two knocking the living daylights out of each other, or a single face dominating the entire page (and when this type of conceit doesn’t heighten the drama of the moment, then really, what's the point?).

The opening nine pages show great promise with a flashback that fills us in on how Star-Lord ended up in the Negative Zone last month as the prisoner of Blastaar. Along the way Peter "Star-Lord" Quill ends up suffering quite a beat down from his old "Annihilation" pal, Ronan the Accuser, but since the last issue actually closed with a big page (two pages/?) reveal of Blastaar, there was no need to repeat the very same moment, on yet another splash page, to return us to this particular point of the story. We then have four more pretty nice pages that feature Rocket Raccoon’s current/temporary version of the Guardians, before the book coasts along to its end with increasing use of overblown, large-scale panels that only briefly touch base with other extended cast members. Such a waste!

I have no idea if the new creative team shuffle is permanent or if Mr. Pelletier plans on returning to this title after the "War of Kings" mini-series runs its course. If he isn't coming back, my suggestion to Marvel Comics would be to shift Tom Grummett over to Guardians of the Galaxy now that his Exiles gig is ending (that book is being cancelled) and I certainly hope that Mssrs. Abnett & Lanning can get Guardians back on track soon, the series opened with a very specific premise & team mission, that fell by the wayside with its involvement in "Secret Invasion", and now "War of Kings" threatens to do more of the same. Considering that an Assistant-Editor, Editor, Editor-in-Chief & Publisher all receive a credit on this title, I have to wonder if they feel the same way?

Rayboy gives Guardians of the Galaxy #8 ** out of ***** (but he is keeping his fingers crossed).

"Gal" Friday! Elizabeth Banks

You will probably most recognize Elizabeth Banks from one of her high profile comedic performances in films like The 40-Year Old Virgin, Fred Claus, Role Models or Zack and Miri Make a Porno, but proving that she has more going for her than just a good sense of humor, the talented Ms. Banks (who also portrayed out-going First Lady Laura Bush in director Oliver Stone's "W" \) has a horror/thriller, The Uninvited coming to theaters in a couple of weeks.

Plus, there's also these hot cheesecake photos that have earned the Massachusetts native a berth in our weekly "Gal" Friday spot.

In Memorium: Ricardo Montalban

It's tough to lose two notable genre actors within the space of just a couple of days, but both of these talented gentlemen [Patrick McGoohan died Tuesday] elevated their craft beyond simple acting.

(AP) -- Ricardo Montalban, the popular Mexican-born actor who became a star in splashy MGM musicals opposite Esther Williams in "Fiesta," "On an Island with You" and "Neptune's Daughter" and later as the wish-fulfilling Mr. Roarke in TV's "Fantasy Island," died from complications of advancing age Wednesday morning at his home at the age of 88.

Montalban had been a star in a string of Mexican movies before MGM brought him to Hollywood in 1946. More recently, he appeared as villains in two hits of the 1980s: "Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan" (reprising a role he originated on the 1960's sci-fi classic) and — in line with his always-apparent sense of humor about himself — the farcical "The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad."

Montalban had better luck after leaving MGM in 1953, though he was usually cast in ethnic roles such as a Japanese kabuki actor in "Sayonara" and an Indian in "Cheyenne Autumn." His other films included "Madame X," "The Singing Nun," "Sweet Charity," "Escape from the Planet of the Apes" and "Conquest of the Planet of the Apes."

In 1944, Montalban married Georgiana Young, actress and model and younger sister of actress Loretta Young. Both Roman Catholics, they remained one of Hollywood's most devoted couples. She died in 2007. The couple had four children: Laura, Mark, Anita and Victor. Condolences go out to his family, friends and fans.

In Memorium: Patrick McGoohan

(AP) - Patrick McGoohan, an Emmy-winning actor who created and starred in the cult classic television show "The Prisoner," has died. He was 80.

McGoohan died Tuesday in Los Angeles after a short illness, his son-in-law, film producer Cleve Landsberg, said Wednesday.

McGoohan won two Emmy's for his work on the Peter Falk detective drama "Columbo," and more recently appeared as King Edward Longshanks in the 1995 Mel Gibson film "Braveheart."

But he was best known as the title character Number Six in "The Prisoner," a surreal 1960s British series in which a former spy is held captive in a small village and constantly tries to escape. A remake of "The Prisoner" starring Ian MKellen and Jim Caviezel is due out later this year on the AMC cable channel.

My personal favorite performance of McGoohan's was Doctor Syn in Disney's 1963 classic, "The Scarecrow of Romney Marsh". Condolences go out to his family, friends and fans.

Hey, Marvel! Where the heck is "The Twelve #9"?

Solicited in late 2007, J. Michael Straczynski & Chris Weston's popular Marvel Comics series, The Twelve, took a dozen mystery men from Marvel's WWII-era (when the company was known as Timely Comics) and revived them from suspended animation after 60 years, thrusting them into a world they no longer recognized, and where friends & family members had passed away during their absence.

Starting with issue #1 (Jan. 9, 2008), the title maintained a steady publication schedule for most of the first eight issues, but that seems to have fallen by the wayside. Last year two consecutive issues, #7 & #8, each skipped a month, and since then .... nothing. Nada. Zilch. There isn't even so much as a release date listed through March 2009 for The Twelve #9 (cover; pictured at right).

Adding insult to injury, British artist Chris Weston stopped updating his online blog in October 2008 and it has been widely reported that writer J. Michael Straczynski has moved over to the "Distinguished Competition" to pen The Brave and The Bold (where among other duties he is set to re-introduce the golden age versions of the old Archie Comics heroes), plus the lure of so many Hollywood scripting assignments has likely drawn Straczynski further away from his formerly "hot' project. [I guess he doesn't give a crap about the fans who bought The Twelve.]

What gives? Does anyone have a clue about this series? Is it bad form on the part of Marvel Comics, or should we suppose that this is yet another example of editor-in-chief Joe Quesada's "growing roses" mentality?

A plug for Catskill Comics

Anyone who would like to purchase either original comic book artwork, or commission something specific, from a gang of nice professional comic book artists, should head on over to the Catskill Comics web page.

There you will find a list of available artists that includes Brett Breeding, Ramona Fradon, Ron Frenz, Mike Grell, Pat Olliffe, Ron Wagner and many other talented individuals who are ready, willing & able to satisfy your cravings for cool original art to hang on your walls (if you don't ruin them by drooling onto the pages).

Scott Kress is nice guy, and he will help you acquire that special piece from the pro of your choice. Just look at this terrific recent commission (right) of the silver age Black Knight by artist Mike Grell (DC Comics The Warlord, The Legion of Super-Heroes, Green Arrow). That is certainly well worth the price ... just look at that beautiful line work. I think I'm jealous of whoever has this piece of art. Scott helped me pick up this original not too long ago, so I thought I would mention this in the hopes that some of you might visit his site and do a little shopping for yourselves.

After all, those tax rebates will be on the way soon!