Happy Birthday Arthur!

Today marks the 70th anniversary of the debut of Aquaman, King of the Seas!

Aquaman first appeared in More Fun Comics #73, which hit stands on September 25, 1941. He is one of the few comic book characters to keep appearing in comics from the Golden Age into the present. While he wasn't always in his own, self-titled comic, he appeared as the star or back-up star in other comics, such as Adventure Comics and Justice League of America.

The character has had many roles in his long career, from super hero do-gooder to King of Atlantis and founding member of the Justice League, DC's premier super hero team.

Arthur has been married, not always happily, to Mera since 1964. The couple had a son, Arthur Jr., who perished after being held captive by the villain Black Manta. Arthur was also a father figure to Garth, another outcast from Atlantis, who would become his sidekick Aqualad.

I could go on and on with the history of the character, but I wouldn't do him justice. Instead, I direct you toward the awesome website The Aquaman Shrine, where a full-fledged celebration of Aquaman's 70th Anniversary and the debut of the new Aquaman #1 is occurring today!

Head over and join in the fun!

And thanks for all the adventures, Arthur!

Here's to many, many more!

70 Years and Still Making Waves

This Sunday marks Aquaman's 70th Anniversary, to the day - He debuted on comic racks on September 25, 1941 in issue #73 of More Fun Comics! Also, next Wednesday marks the debut of Aquaman #1, the brand new ongoing series from DC Comics! Quite a week!

The Aquaman Shrine is celebrating this event by throwing a party! Who will be attending this party? None other than Dan Abnett, Tony Bedard, Kurt Busiek, Nick Cardy, J.M. DeMatteis, Ramona Fradon, Pat Gleason, Dan Jurgens, Paul Levitz, and Joe Prado!

Also, there will be special surprises will be in store and this event will be fun for comic book fans of all ages!

In addition, the Shrine will be following up the big 70th birthday party with EXCLUSIVE CONTENT from Aquaman artist Ivan Reis every day leading up to the release of Aquaman #1 on September 28!

I may do a little something here on Sunday, to help celebrate this major milestone for my favorite super hero, and I will definitely be attending the party at The Shrine. Hope you'll join us there!

Reason #3 Why I Love TV

The New Fall Season

I have been a TV viewer since I was a little kid and one of the best times of year has always been September and the new Fall TV Season.

Now, I know things are different these days. With so many cable channels and so many shows, there is more than one "TV Season". And I'm fine with that, love the variety that is available to us today and some of my favorite shows are no longer located on the broadcast networks.

But being a kid from the "old days," I still get that feeling of excitement when we get into this month and a bunch of shows start premiering all at once.

The herald for this time used to be the Fall Preview issue of TV Guide, which I would scoop up at the grocery checkout and read like a book. Loved seeing what new shows were coming to the small screen, what actors and actresses were going to be appearing weekly and which old favorites were facing changes, in format or time slot, or weren't coming back at all. Remember, this was pre-Internet. Sometimes you didn't know your favorite show was a goner until this issue arrived!

In fact, I remember reading that Gates McFadden wouldn't be back as Dr. Crusher for the second season of Star Trek: The Next Generation in the Fall TV Guide "Returning Favorites" section that year. I was NOT happy. But, she was back for season three, so all was right again.

Some of the shows I am looking forward to this Fall include Terra Nova (Monday on FOX); Unforgettable (Tuesday on CBS); Ringer (Tuesday on CW); Person of Interest (Thursday on CBS); Grimm (Friday on NBC) and Once Upon a Time (Sunday on ABC).

I wanted to like ABC's Charlie's Angels remake, but after last Fall's failure Undercovers, I am not holding out much hope. The cheesy days of TV when this worked may be gone for good.

You can check out TV Guide's Fall Preview Online.

Here's to a great Fall Season and good luck to the new shows. Not all of you are going to make it to June. But that's part of TV life!

Ideas?

October is fast approaching, and as usual I am planning a month of Halloween/horror related posts.

Also, I am once again taking part in the great Countdown to Halloween.

My request here is for ideas. Anything you all want to see?

A particular movie? Show? Book? Costume? Character?

Drop some thoughts in the comments. Will see what I can make out of them!

And thanks!

Vigalondo's Extraterrestrial

Director Nacho Vigalondo has made a new film called Extraterrestrial, the teaser is below. He is the man behind the great flick Timecrimes, which I reviewed here.

Teaser EXTRATERRESTRIAL (English) from Arsenico / Sayaka Producciones on Vimeo.

Loved Timecrimes, so I would definitely give this a go!

Interview with me at Zombos' Closet

Hey, how cool is this?

I was interviewed about Halloween and why I love it over at Zombos' Closet!

Check it out: My Halloween: Caffeinated Joe

Thanks for the opportunity, sir!

Books in Waiting

Okay, I like to read. And I read eclectic stuff, whatever interests me at the moment. Usually fiction, as I love delving into new worlds, or continuing stories of other worlds and beloved characters.

I asked my daughter to take a picture of the shelf I have with books waiting to be read. I have all these, plus about five or six more upstairs.

~ click to enlarge, if you're bored ~

So, as you can see, some interesting stories waiting to be read. A Clive Barker book I have had for years that is just so long, and his writing can be daunting. But I will give it a go one day.

Also have some Final Destination books, Supernatural books, Robert Frost's book of Poems, book about classic game shows, Great Expectations from Dickens, a Murder, She Wrote novel. I could go on, but you get the gist. Lots to read.

Not a problem, mind you. Just sharing. Paperbackswap.com has been a great place for someone like me. I am able to unload old reads I don't mind parting with, books that others are looking to delve into. And in their place, I use the credit to get yet another book I am dying to read. Or, at least for now, add to my shelf.

Currently, I am reading The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson. I have loved the movie for years and the book is great. Eleanor is a fascinating character.

Oh, and in the picture, on the left, are pics of my daughter and youngest son from several years ago, as well as a statue of one of the Wild Things.

Hope I didn't bore you with this little glimpse into my life.

Sam Goes Back to School

My Etsy Shop

Okay, you may notice a different widget on the sidebar there -->
I posted a bunch of my handmade items for sale on my Etsy shop, since the holidays are coming around.
I also do custom work (see my plastic canvas post for last Halloween) for pretty much anything that can be made using plastic canvas and yarn. I have hundreds of patterns and there are many more online, so if you are looking for something unique and different for yourself or for a gift, give it some thought.
I take time and do my best when crafting an item.
Here's what is for sale right now:

Dark Matters: Twisted But True

Recorded and watched the premiere of the new Science Channel show Dark Matters: Twisted But True. And I liked it!
The show takes a few topics from history and relates them through a combination of narration (by actor John Noble), interviews with specialists in related fields and reenactments of the events.
The premiere episode began with the story of the Philadelphia Experiment, followed by the saga of a Russian scientist who was trying to create a human/ape hybrid and ending with the story of the battle between Edison and Westinghouse over selling electricity to the masses.
To me, it is like a combination of the creepy 1970s show In Search Of... and the campy late 1990s show Beyond Belief: Fact or Fiction. And a good combination, at that.I enjoyed it and have set the DVR to record it again.
Here is a video from the show's site:
   
  Dark Matters: Twisted But True airs on Science Channel Wednesdays at 10:00 PM.