Wednesday, February 1, 2012

To the end of January, 2012

ONE HUNDRED THIRTEENTH DAY (Jan. 21)

Twilight Zone, “Walking Distance”; At Last, the 1948 Show ep. 2

Gilligan, “Music Hath Charms”

IT! The Terror from Beyond Space (1958 sf)

“Neighbors: The Werwolf in Pennsylvania,” New York Folklore Quarterly Vol. 7 no. 2 (Summer 1951) & “Another Werwolf,” Vol. 7 no. 4 (Winter 1951), both by Henry W. Shoemaker


ONE HUNDRED SIXTEENTH DAY (Jan. 24)

“The Monster That Challenged the World,” Al Taylor and Dave Everitt, from Filmfax No. 19 (March 1990) – decided I could do without the magazine, but kept the article about this movie.

Secret Origins – Giant Issue – 1998 reprint of 1961 comic. Now Cubby knows several DC heroes, like J’onn J’onzz and the Flash.

It Happened to Me! Vol. 4, ed. David Sutton – hit the shelves the day after I finished Vol. 3, but I think they are scraping the bottom of the barrel for “true” paranormal stories.

The Strange World of Dinosaurs, Dr. John H. Ostrom – when I was a kid, this was the greatest book on earth, and Cubby just about agrees! Now we know all about many kinds of dinosaurs and prehistoric reptiles. The amazing illustrations by Joseph Sibal really enhance the book. Dr. Ostrom was an early proponent of the “Hot-Blooded Dinosaur” idea.

NASA, “Apollo/Soyuz”; Gilligan, “The Match-Maker”

The Six Million Dollar Man, “Survival of the Fittest”

Four and Twenty Blackbirds (4/22/84) – college radio show from Edmond, OK, this one featuring William Blackfox and bagpipe music.

Sixty-four books read = 1/75 of all the books.


ONE HUNDRED NINETEENTH DAY (Jan. 27)

Gilligan, “Music Hath Charm,” “They’re Off and Running”

Six Million Dollar Man, “Operation: Firefly”

“Hold That Lion” (1947) – Three Stooges short with Shemp, but Curley makes a cameo. The only time Curley and Shemp appeared together.

The Night Stalker (1972 horror) – this made-for-TV movie introduces us to Carl Kolchak, a reporter who discovers that a vampire stalks Las Vegas

It couldn’t happen here No. 1 (Fall 1996) – Kolchak fanzine. Read it before seeing the above, so I about had to watch The Night Stalker. Introduction, episode guide, trivia, etc., concerning the movies and series.

“The Bray Road Beast: Wisconsin Werewolf Investigation,” Scarlett Sankey, from Strange Magazine No. 10 (Fall-Winter 1992) – article on the Wisconsin Werewolf.


ONE HUNDRED TWENTY-FIRST DAY (Jan. 29)

The Lone Ranger, “Finders Keepers”

Scooby-Doo: Mystery, Inc., Vol. 1

Mazeppa, “Spicy Pictures from Outer Space”; Superman, “Volcano”; Zorro’s Fighting Legion, “Chapter Eight: Flowing Death”; The Lodger (1926 horror) – very grainy copy with very inappropriate music.

Six Million Dollar Man, “Day of the Robot”

“The Little Glass Bottle,” “The Secret Cave,” “The Mystery of the Graveyard,” “The Mysterious Ship” (long & short versions), and “The Very Old Folk”: very early tales by young H. P. Lovecraft

“Bray Road Beast Update,” Linda S. Godfrey – from Strange Magazine No. 11 (Spring-Summer 1993) – the second of two articles on the Beast. Next: Godfrey’s books on the “manwolf” phenomena.


ONE HUNDRED TWENTY-THIRD DAY (Jan. 31, 2012)

The Stars Are Ours!, Andre Norton (SF novel) – now here’s science fiction! The heroes go from bare subsistance-level survival in a Dystopian future to the first starship to another solar system, and that’s just part of their adventures. Yet the story never feels rushed or contrived.

“Hare-Way to the Stars,” “Rocket Squad,” “The Hasty Hare,” Warner cartoons

At the end of month four, Cubby has seen Carl Kolchak, Steve Austin, James Bond, Godzilla, and Frankenstein. John Ostrom’s dinosaur book is a great overview of prehistoria, as mentioned. Several other books and magazines await, partly read, and Cubby’s score could have been much higher. He skips from book to book, not because of a short attention span but because there are so many interesting things to sample.

Wednesday, January 18, 2012

To Day 108

ONE HUNDREDTH DAY (Jan. 8, 2012)

Lone Ranger, “Return of the Convict;” Jonny Quest, “”The Deadly Dolls”

Victory at Sea, “Sea and Sand;” NASA, “On the Shoulders of Giants”

Gilligan. “Big Man on a Little Stick;” Scooby-Doo, “A Tiki Scare is No Fair”


ONE HUNDRED-FOURTH DAY (Jan. 12, 2012)

“Monster-God of Mamurth,” Edmond Hamilton (SF/horror ss) – 1927 story to start on early science fiction

It Happened to Me! Vol. 2, ed. Paul Sieveking – another collection of fortean anecdotes

“An Historical Study of the Werewolf in Literature,” Kirby F. Smith – folklore article from Publications of the Modern Language Association of America (Vol. IX, New Series, Vol. II), 1894. An important early article on lycanthropic legends.

Writer’s Digest Vol. 91, No. 7 (Oct. 2011) – an entire magazine that will help us in our writing career

The X-Men no. 1 – 1991 reprint of a September 1963 comic. The General promised that everyone would honor the name of – the X-Men! I’m sure.

Secret Origins no. 6 (Feb 1974) – the origin of a WW II hero, “Blackhawk”, and of a whole Legion of Super-Heroes

Gilligan, “How to Be a Hero”; Scooby-Doo, “Haunted House Hang-Up,” “Who’s Afraid of the Big Bad Werewolf?”, “Don’t Fool with a Phantom” ends Scooby-Doo, Where Are You? Seasons 1 & 2

“The Solid Gold Kidnapping” – third Six Million Dollar Man TV movie


ONE HUNDRED SIXTH DAY (Jan. 14)

Map of Arkansas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, and Texas, from National Geographic Magazine (Oct. 1974) – Cubby wants more visuals. Now he has seen beyond Oklahoma. Soon, the world!

Gilligan, “Return of Wrong-Way Feldman;” Scooby-Doo: Mystery Inc., “Battle of the Humongonauts,” “Howl of the Fright Hound”

It Came from Outer Space (1953 sf) plus extras

Frankenstein (1931 horror) – another basic movie monster seen.


ONE HUNDRED EIGHTH DAY (Jan. 16)

“Duck Dodgers in the Twenty-Fourth and a Half Century,” “Jumping Jupiter,” “Rocket-Bye Baby,” Warner cartoons

Scooby-Doo: Mystery Inc., “The Secret Serum,” “The Shrieking Madness”

Gilligan, “New Neighbor Sam”

Victory at Sea, “Beneath the Southern Cross”

Unsolved Mysteries, “Houie Long,” “John Wilkes Booth”

Gojira extras

Thistle & Shamrock #689, “Duos”

“Life-Line,” Robert Heinlein (sf ss) – first Hamilton’s first published story, now Heinlein. We’re into the Golden Age of SF!

It Happened to Me! Vol. 3, ed. David Sutton and Paul Sieveking – more fortean anecdotes

Sixty-two books read = 1/79th of all books!

Monday, January 9, 2012

The end of 2011/the Cubby Experiment continues

After Three Months/End of 2011:

At the beginning of the Cubby Experiment, it was interesting to see how much our imaginary friend could learn about the world in one day, two days, etc. Now I’m starting to think in terms of “One Month Old Cubby,” “Two Month Old Cubby,” when it comes to knowledge. So I’m kind of setting goals for him. I wanted him to finish “Who Fears the Devil?” by December 31, see a Sherlock Holmes film, a James Bond film, and read “The Time Machine” by H. G. Wells – one of the basics of science fiction. Didn’t quite do that, but Cubby has absorbed quite a bit of literature and media in three months. He’ll know even more at four months!


NINETY-SECOND DAY (Dec. 31)

Sting of the Green Hornet no. 3 (Aug 1992) and no. 4 (Sept 1992)

“I Can’t Claim That,” “The Little Black Train,” “Who Else Could I Count on?”, “Walk Like a Mountain,” “None Wiser for the Trip,” “On the Hills and Everywhere.” “Nary Spell,” “Nine Yards of Other Cloth” finish off Who Fears the Devil? by Manly Wade Wellman

It’s Obvious You Won’t Survive by Your Wits Alone, Scott Adams (comic strips)

The Best of the Spirit, Will Eisner (comic strip/book collection). Needed to finish it for:

Batman/The Spirit no. 1 (Jan 2007)

Connections, “Death in the Morning”

Victory at Sea, “Rings Around Rabaul;” NASA, “In the Mountains of the Moon”

Hound of the Baskervilles (1958 mystery) – Peter Cushing as Sherlock Holmes

Thistle & Shamrock #675, “A Celtic Feast” – cassette of Celtic music

Fifty-seven books read = 1/85 of all books!


NINETY-EIGHTH DAY (Jan. 6, 2012)

Gilligan, “X Marks the Spot,” “Gilligan Meets Jungle Boy,” “St. Gilligan and the Dragon,” “Diamonds are an Ape’s Best Friend”

Scooby-Doo, “Nowhere to Hyde,” “Mystery Mask Mix-Up,” “Jeepers, It’s the Creeper,” “Scooby’s Night with a Frozen Fright”

Twilight Zone, “The Sixteen-Millimeter Shrine”

Victory at Sea, “Marenstrum”; NASA, “Nothing So Hidden” – some odd moments on the Apollo 16 mission

Rudolph’s Shiny New Year – Red Skelton’s “Baby Bear” voice in this holiday special has always been my idea of what very young Cubby, excited about the world, sounds like.

Dr. No (1962 thriller) plus extras – now we know who Bond – James Bond – is.

Gojira (1954 sf) – seeds from the earliest times still sprout. At last we know about the monstrous reptile glimpsed on the First Day on the Ghidrah poster and given a page-long synopsis in the Japanese Fantasy Film Journal.

Marvel Tales no. 154 (Aug 1982), re-printing Amazing Spider-Man no. 18, with Daredevil, 1963

“The Gods of Pegana,” Lord Dunsay (fantasy novelette) – Cubby’s first taste of fantasy is the quasi-creation myth that influenced H. P. Lovecraft and others.

It Happened to Me! Vol. 1, ed. Paul Sieveking and Jen Ogilvie – first-hand fortean accounts

The Sunday Best of B.C., Johnny Hart (comic strips) – should have been one of the first things read, because I remember these strips from when I was almost too young to understand the dialogue. Still fun.

Where the Wild Things Are, Maurice Sendak (jv) – still a few juvenile books around. Some funky monsters presented here.

Sixty books read = 1/80 of all books!

Wednesday, December 28, 2011

December 18 - 24

You have to admit, I've found one way to fill a blog! So:

SEVENTY-NINTH DAY (Dec. 18)

The Fantastic Four no. 5 (July 1962) – 1992 reprint. First appearance by Dr. Doom; the time machine and Blackbeard story explains things that were mentioned years later.

Unsolved Mysteries, “Bugsy Siegel;” “D. B. Cooper;” “Mona Lisa”

Dark Night of the Scarecrow (1981 made-for-TV horror)

Gilligan, “Three Million Dollars, More or Less;” Scooby-Doo, “Scooby-Doo and a Mummy, Too”

Mazeppa, “Sherman Oaks’ School for the Dead;” Superman, “The Magnetic Telescope;” Zorro’s Fighting Legion, “Chapter Six: Zorro to the Rescue;” Dracula (1931 horror)


EIGHTY-SECOND DAY (Dec. 21)

“Find the Place Yourself,” “The Desrick on Yandro,” “The Stars Down There,” “Vandy, Vandy,” M. W. Wellman (Fantasy ss)

“A Christmas Carol,” Charles Dickens (fantasy novella) – plus glosses – a fun tale of the season, with ol’ Ebenezer Scrooge

Strange Creatures from Time and Space, John A. Keel (fortean) – a benchmark in “monster” reading; very early and basic, yet with advanced (read: weird) fortean theories

The Incredible Hulk no. 1 (May 1962) – 2004 reprint of the slightly bulky, slightly sulky man-monster

A Charlie Brown Christmas – animated classic. At least we’ve read one Peanuts book

How the Grinch Stole Christmas – animated version of the Seuss story, plus extras

Gilligan, “Water, Water, Everywhere;” Scooby-Doo, “Which Witch is Which?”


EIGHTY-FIFTH DAY (Dec. 24)

The News no. 1 (Nov. 1973) – the first issued of what became The Fortean Times. A miscellanea of odd news stories. The most interesting bit was probably the frog-fall of 1954. The funniest concerned a pair of “witches” who intended to fight a magic duel in England – which was to start by sacrificing a cat. One witch didn’t show, the other “was seen running away from Hampstead Heath pursued by hundreds of laughing children.”

Famous Monsters of Filmland no. 68 (Aug. 1970) – quite informative issue, with long articles on Lugosi/Dracula, the Phantom of the Opera, George Pal, and the amazing Mysterious Island of 1929, plus mini-reviews of Frankenstein, the Wolf-Man, the Creature, etc. If Cubby was still unfamiliar with the “basic” movie monsters and horror films, that’s been corrected.

Sting of the Green Hornet no. 1 (June 1992) – the Hornet is back – but who is the shadowy character who tells Walter Gibson what to do?

Marvel Tales no. 138 (Apr. 1982), reprinting Amazing Spider-Man no. 1 from 1962. Who is this newspaper guy writing bad things about Spidey? Plus the first appearance of astronaut John Jameson.

“Canon Alberic’s Scrapbook,” M. R. James – a ghost story for Christmas

Gilligan, “So Sorry, My Island Now;” Scooby-Doo, “Go Away Ghost Ship”

Star Trek, “Man-Trap” – a great new sf show for Cubby to watch

The Lone Ranger, “Six-Gun’s Legacy;” Jonny Quest, “Skull and Double-Crossbones”

Santa Claus Conquers the Martians (1964 sf) – a true holiday classic! Not.

Frosty the Snowman (1969) – more of a classic

Mazeppa, “These Boots Were Made for Walkin’”; Superman, “The Electric Earthquake;” Zorro’s Fighting Legion, “Chapter Seven: The Fugitive”

Wednesday, December 14, 2011

December 7-14

SIXTY-EIGHTH DAY (Dec. 7)

Meet the Werewolf, Georgess McHargue (jv folklore) – Now we’ve been introduced to the werewolf! Vampires we know from the film Nosferatu. And all sorts of creatures cavorted through Famous Monsters magazine.

“The Joker,” from Batman no. 1 (Spring 1940) – but this Clown Prince of Crime is worse than most monsters!

Gilligan, “The Big Gold Strike;” Scooby-Doo, “Backstage Rage”

Connections, “The Trigger Effect” – Amazing and disturbing look at the net of interconnected technology we live in. Now here’s edifying TV!

“Chair of Death,” “RFK Pictures,” “Anastasia”, and “Bermuda Triangle,” Unsolved Mysteries


SEVENTIETH DAY (Dec. 9)

“Prof. Hugo Strange and the Monsters.” “The Cat,” “The Joker Returns” finishes The Batman Chronicles Vol. 1

Mammoth Book of Illustrated Crime, Colin & Damon Wilson (true crime) – The Wilsons’ stated desire was to describe the history of the last century and a half using crime tales, and they succeed. (Of course, they define everything from violent acts of war to making whiskey during Prohibition as “crime”.) Cubby learned a lot from this book about everything from the Mafia to Watergate to Hollywood scandals.

Gilligan, “Waiting for Watubi,” Scooby-Doo, “Bedlam in the Big-Top”

The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms (1953 sf)

Forty-eight books read = 1/100 of the way through all the books I estimate Cubby will ever read. Yes, most of them were for youngsters, but it’s a good boost for his ego. That’s not counting twenty or so books he is part-way through!


SEVENTY-SECOND DAY (Dec. 11)

Lone Ranger, “High Heels;” Jonny Quest, “Shadow of the Condor”

Gilligan, “Angel on the Island;” Scooby-Doo, “A Gaggle of Galloping Ghosts”

The Six Million Dollar Man, “Population: Zero”

Phantom of the Opera (1925 horror) – should have been paired with the last “Mazeppa” showing.

Pat Savage, Woman of Bronze (Oct. 1992) – one-shot comic from Millennium. Doc Savage and his crew may be the characters Cubby has seen the most, at this point.

A Study in Scarlet, Arthur Conan Doyle – Now we’ve been introduced to Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson

The Who, “Who’s Better, Who’s Best” (cassette)


SEVENTY-FIFTH DAY (Dec. 14)

“Yes, We Have No Bonanza,” Three Stooges short

Gilligan, “Birds Gotta Fly, Fish Gotta Talk;” Scooby-Doo, “The Spooky Space Kook”

Star Ka’at, Andre Norton and Dorothy Madlee (jv sf) – managed to get in a second Norton book

Don’t Step in the Leadership, Scott Adams (comic strips)

Sergeant Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, The Beatles (cd)

Fifty books read = 1/96 of books

Thursday, December 8, 2011

Nov. 27 -- Dec. 4

FIFTY-EIGHTH DAY (Nov. 27)

What’s New, B.C.?, Johnny Hart – comic strips with funny versions of cavemen, dinosaurs, ants, etc.

“Frost and Fire,” Ray Bradbury -- Really long and strange sf story about people on a planet where you are born, live, and die in eight days

“The Choccolocco Monster: Jokester Reveals 32-Year-Old Prank,” Matthew Creamer, article from the Anniston (AL) Star, Oct. 31, 2001 – Amusing hoax from 1969; bored fifteen-year-old plus fur coat plus cow skull = monster.

Fantastic Four no. 1 (Nov. 1961) – 2005 reprint of Silver Age comic. New superheroes to stand beside Superman, Batman, and Captain America

Doc Savage: Curse of the Fire God no. 3 (Nov. 1995)

“Peril in Paris,” from Detective Comics no. 24 (Dec. 1939)

The Lone Ranger, “Tenderfeet”; Jonny Quest, “Double Danger” introduces Jade

Gilligan, “President Gilligan”; Scooby-Doo, “What the Hex Going on?”

Victory at Sea, “Guadalcanal”; NASA, “Houston, We’ve Got a Problem”

Mazeppa, “The Reverend Dr. Menleaux Park;” Superman, “The Bulleteers,” Zorro’s Fighting Legion, “Chapter Five: The Decoy”


SIXTY-FIRST DAY (Nov. 30)

Gilligan, “The Sound of Quacking;” Scooby-Doo, “Never Ape an Ape-Man”

The Six Million Dollar Man (1973 TV movie) – the pilot for the series. Oddly, we’re about 2/3 through the novel Cyborg, but Cubby couldn’t resist. The stock footage at the beginning reminds him of the NASA films.

Thistle & Shamrock #703, “Rising Scots” and #705, “Same Tune, Different Planet”

“The Case of the Ruby Idol,” from Detective no. 35 (Jan. 1940)

Doc Savage, Curse of the Fire God no. 4 (Dec. 1995) finishes this mini-series

“Here There Be Tigers,” “Uncle Einar,” “The Gift,” “The Time Machine,” “The Strawberry Window,” “The Dragon,” “The Exiles” finished R Is for Rocket by Ray Bradbury

Notes on the Second Month: Cubby has finished 43 books, including a second Bradbury. So many to go! His TV viewing has strayed to Gilligan’s Island, Scooby-Doo, and the Three Stooges, but a little kid likes such things. Cubby now thinks of Dr. Seuss and similar books as being for “little kids,” even though he only started reading two months ago. So we’ll have to feed him more informational items in the future.


SIXTY-FOURTH DAY (Dec. 3)

“Professor Hugo Strange,” Detective Comics no. 36 (Feb. 1940); “The Spies,” no. 37 (March 1940); “Introducing Robin, the Boy Wonder,” no.38 (April 1940)

Dogbert’s Clues for the Clueless, Scott Adams (comic strips)

Gilligan, “Good-Bye, Island”; Scooby-Doo, “Foul Play in Funland”

When Worlds Collide (1951 sf) – another science fiction epic!


SIXTY-FIFTH DAY (Dec. 4)

Amazing Fantasy no. 15 (Aug 1962) – 2002 reprint of the first Spider-Man story. Another costumed hero in the comics! Spidey’s was only one of several stories in that issue. Comics books used to be a lot longer – and cheaper!

“Restless Knights,” Three Stooges short

Wine, Women, and War (1973 TV movie) – second Six Million Dollar Man movie. They were trying to make Steve Austin look like James Bond. (Reminding me: Cubby needs to see the first Bond movies, if he’s watched this and The Avengers episodes.)

Saturday, December 3, 2011

November 18-25

FORTY-NINTH DAY (Nov. 18)

Victory at Sea, “Mediterranean Mosaic”

NASA, “The Eagle Has Landed” – as promised since the First Day, the story of men landing on the moon!

Gilligan, “Voodoo Something to Me”; Scooby-Doo, “A Clue for Scooby-Doo”

“The Batman Meets Doctor Death,” from Detective Comics no. 29 (July 1939), and “The Return of Dr. Death,” from no. 30 (Aug. 1939) – Batman’s mighty free with his Bat-Gun and bright red Batmobile.

Bartholomew and the Oobleck, Dr. Seuss (jv) – We missed a Dr. Seuss somehow. Cubby, at less than two months, feels himself beyond such things already. But with the mysterious green Oobleck falling from the sky, this second Bartholomew book is also quite fortean.

Day the Earth Stool Still (1951 sf) – Another alien arrives in another flying saucer, like The Thing, but Klaatu isn’t so bad.


FIFTY-FIRST DAY (Nov. 20)

Strange But True, Donald J. Sobol – juvenile accounts of real-life mysteries from the creator of Encyclopedia Brown.

Day of the Ness, Andre Norton and Michael Gilbert – finally a book by Andre Norton (or, at least, co-written). Juvenile sf tale of a bizarre group of aliens menaced by the ugly, troll-like Ness, and the earth boy who helps them (with contributions by Susie the cat).

Doc Savage: Curse of the Fire God no. 1 (Nov. 1995) – The Man of Bronze begins another comic book adventure. I’ll be superamalgamated!

The Lone Ranger, “The Renegades”; Jonny Quest, “The Robot Spy”

Gilligan, “Good Night, Sweet Skipper”; Scooby Doo, “Mine Your Own Business”

Day the Earth Stood Still DVD extras; the Three Stooges, “We Want Our Mummy”

The Avengers, “The Gravediggers”


FIFTY-FOURTH DAY (Nov. 23)

“Batman vs. the Vampire” Part One, from Detective Comics no. 31 (Sept. 1939), and Part Two, from no. 32 (Oct. 1939).

Marvels no. 0 and no. 1, from the trade paperback (1994). We see the early Human Torch, Namor, and Captain America, with cameos by Lois Lane and Clark Kent, Doc Savage and Lamont Cranston, and Popeye the Sailor!

INFO Journal no. 22, March 1977

Gilligan, “Wrongway Feldman”; Scooby Doo, “Decoy for a Dognapper”

Mazeppa, “Shampoo and Tattoo;” Superman, “The Arctic Giant;” Zorro’s Fighting Legion, “Chapter Four: Bridge of Peril.”


FIFTY-SIXTH DAY (Nov. 25)

“You Know the Tale of Hoph,” “Old Devlins Was A-Waitin’,” Manly Wade Wellman

Doc Savage: Curse of the Fire God no. 2 (Oct. 1995)

“Batman Wars Against the Dirigible of Doom,” from Detective Comics no. 33 (Nov. 1939)

King Kong (1933 sf) – Quite a follow-up to The Lost World, and it’s a Thanksgiving tradition (at least in the New York area) to watch it on Turkey Day. We’re millionaires, boys! I’ll share it with all of you!

The Giant Claw (1957 sf) – Saw this and am not proud of the fact, but it’s becoming a Thanksgiving tradition to watch this turkey as well.