Tuesday, May 3, 2016
Saturday, April 16, 2016
WRATH OF KHAN
Paramount just announced that a director's cut of Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan is coming to Blu-ray on June 7th. Along with the extended Hi-def cut, the set will include the theatrical version, commentary tracks by the director, storyboards, and various documentary features. Beam me up! What about that cover? Looks a bit like a steelbook design or a new comic book. Hopefully the studio will choose to go with a more classic movie poster look in the end? More info at Blu-ray.
Friday, April 8, 2016
THE ART OF ATARI
Just announced! Dynamite Entertainment will publish a beautiful new coffee table book in October that explores the art and graphics of Atari! The 350-page collection will include rare artwork and artifacts, behind-the-scenes stories from the original artists and designers, and a foreword by author Ernie Cline (Ready Player One). Press release: "Atari is one of the most recognized names in the world. Since its formation in 1972, the company pioneered hundreds of iconic titles including Asteroids, Centipede, and Missile Command. In addition to hundreds of games created for arcades, home video systems, and computers, original artwork was specially commissioned to enhance the Atari experience, further enticing children and adults to embrace and enjoy the new era of electronic entertainment. The Art of Atari is the first official collection of such artwork. Sourced from private collections worldwide, this book spans over 40 years of the company's unique illustrations used in packaging, advertisements, catalogs, and more. Co-written by Robert V. Conte and Tim Lapetino, The Art of Atari includes behind-the-scenes details on how dozens of games featured within were conceived of, illustrated, approved (or rejected), and brought to life! Includes a special Foreword by New York Times bestseller Ernst Cline, author of Armada and Ready Player One, soon to be a motion picture directed by Steven Spielberg. Whether you're a fan, collector, enthusiast, or new to the world of Atari, this book offers the most complete collection of Atari artwork ever produced! "For me, revisiting the beautiful artwork presented in this book is almost as good as taking a trip in Doc Brown's time machine back to that halcyon era at the dawn of the digital age. But be warned, viewing these images may leave you with an overwhelming desire to revisit the ancient pixelated battlefields they each depict as well."- from the Foreword by Ernest Cline, author of READY PLAYER ONE." More info at the Art of Atari website, Amazon, and USA Today. Enjoy! If you enjoy vintage spy shows and 60s design, visit my SPY VIBE site- now nearing two million visits!
Sunday, April 3, 2016
AIRWOLF IS BLU!
New release: Airwolf- The Complete Series is coming to Blu-ray! Jan-Michael Vincent stars as Stringfellow Hawke, a reclusive renegade pilot who's assigned to top-secret missions for the CIA by the mysterious Archangel (Alex Cord). Hawke's weapon of choice is the high-tech battle helicopter of the future, Airwolf. Loaded with cutting-edge surveillance equipment and unbelievable firepower, Airwolf takes Hawke and his friend Dominic (Ernest Borgnine) around the globe in search of dangerous international spies and criminals. This 14-disc collection hits stores on May 3rd. Info at Amazon. Hear author Ernest Cline (Ready Player One) read his collection of spoken word, Ultraman is Airwolf, at his website here. Enjoy!
Monday, March 14, 2016
TOTALLY AWESOME!
Andrew Farago of the Cartoon Art Museum has announced an upcoming book that will delight fans of vintage animation and 80s culture. Totally Awesome!: The Greatest Cartoons of the Eighties will be released by Simon and Schuster on October 18, 2016. From the press release: "Totally Awesome! The Greatest Cartoons of the Eighties is the ultimate guide to 80s cartoon nostalgia, featuring the art, toys, and inside story behind icons like He-Man, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, G.I. Joe, and the Thundercats.
It was the best of times; it was the worst of times. But for a generation of fans, it was truly, truly the most outrageous of times. The last decade for both a thriving schedule of network Saturday morning cartoons and a full complement of weekday syndicated programming, the 1980s saw a television animation boom like no era before or since.
The offerings ran the gamut from the blatantly commercial (He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, created after restrictions on children’s broadcasting were altered to allow programming based directly on merchandise) to the surprisingly unmarketable (Jem, canceled despite its popularity due to its failure to sell fashion dolls) to the utterly inexplicable (The New Adventures of Mighty Mouse, helmed by underground animation legend Ralph Bakshi and future Ren and Stimpy creator John Kricfalusi).
Andrew Farago, author of The Looney Tunes Treasury and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Ultimate Visual History, is the curator of San Francisco’s Cartoon Art Museum. As a respected cartoon historian and a child of the eighties himself, he provides an inside look at the history of the most popular cartoons of the eighties, as told by the writers, animators, voice actors, and other creative talents who brought life to some of the most enduring animation of the decade, along with some of the era’s forgotten classics (and not-so-classics).
Farago and a host of animation legends will provide an in-depth look at the most popular cartoons of the 1980s, from the first pitch meeting to the final episode. Featured cartoons will include: He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero, Dungeons & Dragons, Transformers, Jem, The Real Ghostbusters, Garfield and Friends, The New Adventures of Mighty Mouse, Jim Henson’s Muppet Babies, Disney’s DuckTales, Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Thundercats, Robotech, M.A.S.K., Voltron: Defender of the Universe, Superman. Sidebars will explore trends in eighties animation, including adventures in licensing, celebrity-driven programs, second-generation characters, justly forgotten shows, and other totally radical cartoons! The book will be illustrated with the very best art from these iconic cartoons, including rare and never-before-seen sketches, cels, and storyboards.
It was the best of times; it was the worst of times. But for a generation of fans, it was truly, truly the most outrageous of times. The last decade for both a thriving schedule of network Saturday morning cartoons and a full complement of weekday syndicated programming, the 1980s saw a television animation boom like no era before or since.
The offerings ran the gamut from the blatantly commercial (He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, created after restrictions on children’s broadcasting were altered to allow programming based directly on merchandise) to the surprisingly unmarketable (Jem, canceled despite its popularity due to its failure to sell fashion dolls) to the utterly inexplicable (The New Adventures of Mighty Mouse, helmed by underground animation legend Ralph Bakshi and future Ren and Stimpy creator John Kricfalusi).
Andrew Farago, author of The Looney Tunes Treasury and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Ultimate Visual History, is the curator of San Francisco’s Cartoon Art Museum. As a respected cartoon historian and a child of the eighties himself, he provides an inside look at the history of the most popular cartoons of the eighties, as told by the writers, animators, voice actors, and other creative talents who brought life to some of the most enduring animation of the decade, along with some of the era’s forgotten classics (and not-so-classics).
Farago and a host of animation legends will provide an in-depth look at the most popular cartoons of the 1980s, from the first pitch meeting to the final episode. Featured cartoons will include: He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero, Dungeons & Dragons, Transformers, Jem, The Real Ghostbusters, Garfield and Friends, The New Adventures of Mighty Mouse, Jim Henson’s Muppet Babies, Disney’s DuckTales, Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Thundercats, Robotech, M.A.S.K., Voltron: Defender of the Universe, Superman. Sidebars will explore trends in eighties animation, including adventures in licensing, celebrity-driven programs, second-generation characters, justly forgotten shows, and other totally radical cartoons! The book will be illustrated with the very best art from these iconic cartoons, including rare and never-before-seen sketches, cels, and storyboards.
Tuesday, March 8, 2016
Tuesday, March 1, 2016
STARLOG TREK
The Starlog magazine archives featuring Star Trek (the original series) is free on-line! Check it out here.
Saturday, February 27, 2016
Wednesday, February 17, 2016
CYLON SOUND
This 16-minute video looks at sound in sci-fi with a particular spotlight on how the Cylon voices were created in Battlestar Galactica (1978). It includes interviews with actors and sound designers- check it out. Enjoy!
Monday, February 15, 2016
NASA POSTERS
We haven't made it to Mars (yet), but that didn't hold back this super cool series of retro-style NASA posters. They've offered up free downloads of the files so you can hang them in your lair. There's also a link to a site with a few posters for sale. Check it all out at NASA Jet Propulsion Lab here. The Grand Tour design below sports ships in formation- kind of reminds me of the Space Invaders motif on the covers of Ernest Cline's Ready Player One and Armada. Enjoy!
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