Plastic Man: The Amazing Silly Stretchy Superhero Of DC

Posted on May 2, 2025 by bloodlinematt

Welcome back to Rotten Ink. For this update, we find ourselves in the world of DC Comics as what better way to start May 2025 off with than looking at a mini series that features one of their underrated characters like we have before with the updates on Hawkman, Red Tornado, Jonni Thunder and Steel The Indestructible Man, but this time around we will be talking about Plastic Man who was originally a character created for Quality Comics, a indie company that was around from 1937 to 1956 and was founded by Everett M. “Busy” Arnold. Once that company folded up Plastic Man along with many other characters would find a home at DC Comics. And for kids of the 80’s and 90’s like myself, Plastic Man was a pretty popular B-Team hero from DC and it’s about time that he gets the Rotten Ink treatment! So with that, let’s get this update started and go on a weird and silly ride with the stretchy hero known as Plastic Man!

Plastic Man’s real name is Patrick O’Brian, and he was created by Jack Cole in 1941. Because it’s DC, he also has two different origin stories cause Infinite Earth nonsense. His original origin has Patrick as a criminal as he grew up an orphan on the streets from the age of 10 and as he grew up he became involved in a burglary ring. One night, while trying to break into the Crawford Chemical Works, the robbery goes wrong and Patrick is shot, an unknown chemical spills all over him and his gang leave him at the scene of the crime. Patrick ends up running away in pain, and once he passes out, he wakes up in the mountains being taken care of by a monk who teaches him the ways of being good and this helps him turn on his life of crime. And Patrick’s body goes through a change due to the chemical as his body can stretch now and he can distort his body into all types of shapes and would become a true hero who would join the police and FBI in order to stop crime. The second origin story is covered here in the mini series that I will be reviewing, so for that story read the comic reviews to find out more about him and his kooky friend Woozy Winks. Over the years, Plastic Man has also became a member of such teams as Justice League, Freedom Fighters and All-Star Squadron to name a few. While Plastic Man is not as iconic as his fellow DC Heroes like Superman, Batman, Green Lantern, Wonder Woman or The Flash, he is one that has a loyal following and is iconic in his own way as the character is still used to this day.

Kenner in the 1980’s had a very cool figure series going called Super Powers that was based around the heroes and villains of the DC Universe. And during the third series the legendary Plastic Man was part of the line and was a figure that was harder to get and was a “chase” figure for the series when it was released. Growing up my brother and I collected the Super Powers toys and always were on the look out for Plastic Man, but we never found one…my brother ended up getting him decades later and has him as part of his collection. The Plastic Man’s action feature was that he grows and for the time, this feature was pretty cool for an action figure. Just wanted to briefly talk about this figure as I find it to be very cool and part of Plastic Man’s history in pop culture.

Ruby-Spears in 1979 made the cartoon show “The Plastic Man Comedy/Adventure Show” that was for ABC and aired after Super Friends and was a very popular show that had Plastic Man teaming up with Bad Luck Hula-Hula, Penny and later Baby Plas as they would stop criminals and silly super villains like Carrot-Man, Doctor Dome and many others. In the cartoon Plastic Man also worked alongside the police and would have to use his abilities to out smarty and trick his enemies. In the cartoon Plastic Man would be voiced by Michael Bell who lent his voice to many different cartoons such as G.I. Joe were he voiced such characters as Major Bludd, Duke and Xamot with other cartoons being The Incredible Hulk (1982), DuckTales (1987), Rugrats (1991) and Batman The Animated Series (1992) among many others. Other voice actors include Frank Welker, Joe Baker, Melendy Britt, Clare Peck and John Stephenson to name a few. The series would last for 5 Seasons and a total of 112 episodes and would find life again once it was reran on Cartoon Network and made it way to DVD. And this was a cartoon I watched when I was younger and back when it aired on Cartoon Network I would tape episodes on a old VHS and it was so silly and goofy that I loved every second of it as even the baddies in the episodes were so odd that it made for great watches. If you get a chance and find this DVD make sure to pick it up if you enjoy classic late 70’s and early 80’s cartoons. Also Baby Plas was terrible in the series and I use to hate the episodes that showcased him…he really is the worst thing about the cartoon series. I should also note that this cartoon series while it ran for five seasons really is two different series as at one point they add the Plastic Family and it becomes more and more about Baby Plas and the DVD set is the early episodes.

Growing up being a comic reader Plastic Man was a character that I knew about from an early age due to seeing him in the pages of DC Comics, his action figure via Kenner as well of course the Cartoon series and he always was a favorite of mine as he was silly and fun and was way cooler that the other stretchy characters in comics like Reed Richards (Fantastic Four) and Elongated Man as they lacked the charm of Plastic Man. And what is crazy is that I can even remember kids talking about Plastic Man on the playground. While he was not as popular as Spider-Man, Batman or Superman he still got some love. Heck, I can even remember some of my friends and myself drawing Plastic Man in art class. I think Plastic Man always stood out to me because he was a very colorful character who had a very goofy personality and had a superpower that is just basic as all he can do is stretch and mimic the look of people and objects. The cartoon as well as the Kenner Super Power figure also made him a standout for me as did his many appearances in my random comics when I was a youngster. While he never was one of my top heroes of the DC Comic characters, I would say he would be in my Top 15, maybe by Top 10 heroes from that company.

So as you can see, Plastic Man was a pretty big deal when I was a kid and he got way more attention from DC Comics than he does now, but sadly that seems to go for most of their heroes nowadays unless it is Batman, Harley Quinn or Batman…wait I said him already. But sadly I do not think that this will ever change at DC Comics as the focus seems to be far away from the comics and more on the movies, shows and cartoons. I would like to thank Bell, Book And Comic for having this mini series in stock and making this update possible. I also would like to remind you all that I grade these comics on a star scale of 1 to 4 and am looking for how well the comics stay to the source material, their entertainment value and their art and story. I am looking forward to reading this mini series again as it has been decades since I read it last, and it will be interesting to see how well it holds up now. So if you are ready, let’s head to New York City and see what Plastic Man has in store for us.

Plastic Man # 1 ***
Released in 1988 Cover Price $1.00 DC Comics # 1 of 4

The Eel is part of a gang, and they are breaking into a safe when the security guard shows up and opens fire hitting Eel in the arm as well as shooting a barrel full of a gooey chemical waste that splashes on his wound, The Eel wakes up in an ally after running from the scene and being left behind by his gang and his body is oddly out of shape as he tries to make is back to the gang’s hideout. But as The Eel walks down the road his misshapen body freaks out the locals who run for their lives thinking he is a monster or alien. The cops are called in as it’s now a full riot to get away from him. The Eel, still unaware of his new stretchy plastic like powers, ends up causing chaos for the cops who are crashing cars and making fools of themselves trying to stop him as they think he is a monster. Once at his old hideout even his old gang fear him and after trying to shoot him, them run away in fear just as the army shows up with the plan to kill him! The Eel’s new super powers really have caused him to be feared and wanted to be killed by the authorities. The Eel escapes via the toilet by flushing himself and winds up in the sewer, than at a bar on Skid Row and then flirting with a lady of the night only to be rejected an decides that he is just going to kill himself. But while attempting to leap off a bridge, he meets Woozy Winks, a mental patient who wants to be his friend and who thinks his powers of stretching are cool! Together they hang out and test the powers The Eel has, get him a new snazzy costume and after flipping a coin they decide to use his powers for good and The Eel becomes Plastic Man and stops his old gang from robbing a bank. While they get no reward, Plastic Man and Woozy get some press and their run at superheroes has began.

This is such a weird and silly first issue as we join Plastic Man from his time as a criminal to turning into a hero all because of the outcome of a toss of a coin. The plot has small time criminal The Eel being injured and splashed with a chemical that turns his skin into rubber that can stretch who becomes feared and the target of the police and army who after meeting a mental patient turns into a hero looking for reward money and even stops his old gang from pulling off a bank robbery. Plastic Man is this issue is super depressed by his new stretching powers and even at several points wants to end his own life as he thinks he is a freak an that the world is out to get him. But when he finally finds a friend, he is able to cheer up and find a use for his powers and that is fighting crime. Plastic Man is also super silly in nature and now with a more stretchy face makes all types of goofy expression that clearly is freaking out those around him. Woozy Winks is a very strange man who goes fishing with chewing gum, is weird in nature and who was kicked out of the asylum he was in due to politics! But while Woozy is crazy, he does seem to be a good influence on Plastic Man…well for the most part. This origin story is similar to the other “Earth” version from the classic days of the character, and I cannot stress enough how mush I dislike all the other world stuff of DC Comics as its confusing and messes with characters’ backstories, secret identities and more…but I will get off my soap box on that topic. The issue also has lots of humor with most of it being kind of dark humor, but it works as Plastic Man kind of lends himself to humor. The cover for this issue is very cool and eye catching as it has Plastic Man punching people, and the interior art is done by Hilary Barta an is great stuff as it has a crazy look to it and truly set its apart from most of the superhero comics going at this time. So with a very solid and entertaining first issue, let’s see what the second has in store for us.

Plastic Man # 2 ***
Released in 1988 Cover Price $1.00 DC Comics # 2 of 4

A group of cops are running off homeless people sleeping in a New York park when they are given a fright by Plastic Man and Woozy Winks who then start looking in the newspaper for job listing, only to find no paying work for heroes. Plastic Man and Woozy apply for a job at a bank as security guards and as they are being told no, the bank is being robbed by The Ooze Brothers who are made of a snot like substance and who defeat Plastic Man and escape with the money. But Plastic Man gives chase and almost captures them but the stolen money is now all over the streets with people grabbing it. The Ooze Brother escape into the sewer, while on the streets Plastic Man feels awful about losing the money and meets a man who runs the local circus and who’s payroll money was stolen and makes a deal with him that if he cannot get the money back that was taken from them he will work in the circus as a freak! Plastic and Woozy sneak into the Police Department files and get the file on The Ooze Brothers and end up finding their hideout where Plastic Man is able to trick and capture them in a toxic waste barrel, but Officer McNulty by accident lets them free when he comes to arrest Plastic Man. When The Ooze Brothers come out of the barrel, however, they are all stuck together and end up exploding! But Woozy shows up with paper towels and soaks them up so they cannot escape again. In the end Plastic Man and Woozy head to the circus and find that The Ooze Brothers are now working for them as a comedy freak show.

What another fun issue that has Plastic Man fighting other freaks of nature in the streets and waste dumps of New York this time around and is very entertaining as it does a great job of blending action and humor. The plot has a bank being robbed by three brothers who are made of snotty ooze and Plastic Man and Woozy try to stop them and get back the stolen money of the local circus all to prove that they are indeed superheroes! Plastic Man in this issue is really into trying to become a hero and wants to prove to the world that he is a changed man and that his stretchy powers are being used for the good of the world. Plastic Man also shows that he is smart and is able to come up with several plans that end up truly saving the day and bringing in the baddies. Woozy Winks in this issue kind of wants flip flop from being a hero to being a criminal as he really wants money and doesn’t mind the means he has to use to get it, but at the end of the day while crazy, he does have a good heart and helps his friend Plastic Man when he is in trouble. The Ooze Brothers are three brother criminals who are made out of a snot like goo and who argue and fight with each other and like to hideout in toxic waste dumps…but once defeated they find their calling working in a Freak Show at a New York circus. I should also take a moment to talk about Officer McNulty who has been the pain in Plastic Man’s side from the start and is an officer who seems to be super moody jerk that even his fellow officers do not like. I really do like that in this issue Plastic Man has to tangle with other weirdo’s with super powers as the fight between the two sides are silly, gross and fun. The cover art is cool and has Plastic Man stuck to the wall in a sewer by snot goo and like before the interior artwork is really weird and fantastic and is done by Hilary Barta once more and he was the perfect choice for this series as his art fits so well with the silly and weird story arch of this mini series. Let’s see what issue three has in store for Plastic Man and what weird situation he will find himself in next.

Plastic Man # 3 **1/2
Released in 1989 Cover Price $1.00 DC Comics # 3 of 4

Woozy Winks is feeling a little down as he feels that Plastic Man is getting all the fame for the crimes they are stopping, and Woozy feels like he is useless to the team and when his name is misspelled on their new slum office door, he is very angry and leaves to deposit some money in their bank account. As Woozy is walking, he meets a crazy man who is preaching about a better life with his master Ramalama, and after Woozy sees the beautiful ladies in this strange cult, he joins leaving the hero business and Plastic Man behind. But when Plastic Man finds out that Woozy joined a cult, he heads to their base in California to get his friend back safe to New York. While looking for him, he meets Ramalama himself, a con man who is trying to get followers and taking life insurance out for all of them with the hope of collecting on them when some of his members die after dancing for three days straight via his orders. Woozy snaps out of it after he notices that Ramalama is a very bad man who wants to kill anyone who stands against his word. So now Plastic Man, Woozy and an old Wizard that is also an enemy of Ramalama must team up to save lives from this dance-a-thon of death! Once they arrive at the concert that find that Ramalama has even more of a sinister plan as he is having his followers dance on the fault line to cause a massive earthquake that cracks open the Earth and while Ramalama falls into this crack and dies, it is Plastic Man and the Old Wizard that close it up and save the day! In the end the Ramalama cult chase after Plastic Man and Woozy as they want them both to be their new leaders!

This third issue is a fun and entertaining read, but does lack a little of the charm that made the first two issue over the top weird and silly. While this issue is lacking a little something, you have to love the idea of Plastic Man trying to save his friend from joining a cult that’s leader is so wacked out of his mind his goal is to cause his followers to stomp around and dance on a fault line to cause a massive earthquake in California as he is from New York and is mad about the health food craze! Really, that is the fun plot of this issue, and you have to love that the cult leader Ramalama dresses like a Greek God. Plastic Man in this issue is a hero like always at this point, but does kind of ignore the feelings of his friend Woozy who clearly is feeling like a second banana when it gets to getting credit to their heroic deeds. But when he finds out that his friend is in trouble Plastic Man kicks into high gear and saves his friend as well as prevents a massive quake. The Old Wizard claims that he is from Atlantis and that California is indeed the lost city, and oddly enough he really does have magical powers. Woozy Winks while at first is drawn to the cult cause of the beautiful ladies soon figures out that this cult is shady and is about making money for its leader, he also gives away the money Plastic Man and he made for rewards. The humor in this issue works well and the story is one that is fitting as so many people do fall for these cults and their smooth talking leaders. The cover for this issue is odd as it’s Plastic Man as a surfboard that Woozy is riding and you guessed it the interior artwork by Hilary Barta is great stuff. With that, let’s see what the fourth and final issue in the series has in store for us.

Plastic Man # 4 **1/2
Released in 1989 Cover Price $1.00 DC Comics # 4 of 4

Plastic Man and Woozy Winks return to New York after saving California and find that their state is being overrun by homeless people and the Mayor Of New York wants to hire them to find out why some many of them are coming from all around to his city. But just as the deal is done, a Robot appears and beats up Plastic Man and takes the Mayor away, and once our hero shakes off the beating he and Woozy head after the Robot to save the Mayor. But once more the robot beats up Plastic Man and this time they lose the trail or the Mayor but do find that all the homeless people are heading to the park so they follow. Once at the park the find the Mayor as well as more robots that are the bodyguards for the alien Zircon who comes down from the sky in his UFO to greet the homeless masses. And Plastic Man finds out that the Mayor has worked with Zircon all along as on his planet they need the homeless and he even faked being kidnapped…but the aliens are also going to steal part of New York to transport back to their planet in order to get the homeless there! As the UFO lifts part of New York into the sky Plastic Man fights with the robots as Woozy leads the homeless into the ship and together they break it down and stop the stealing of the land as well as this massive alien abduction! Superman then appears and helps Plastic Man and Woozy get the land put back into the right space as the Mayor is mocked on the evening news and the aliens are now homeless on the streets of New York trying to trade for items for the parts of their ship.

The final issue of this Plastic Man mini series is a good read and yet also a very strange ending for the series as it’s kind of lackluster when it comes to Plastic Man’s final villains being a couple of aliens and their robot soldiers as he beats them all up with ease and leaves the aliens homeless on Earth! The plot is this the Mayor of New York City has made a deal with some Aliens to allow them to take many of the Earth’s homeless back to their planet, but Plastic Man and Woozy Winks are on the case and end up saving the Homeless from getting kidnapped, and we also get to see Plastic Man interact with his first big superhero as Superman stops in for a visit. Plastic Man in this series really does turn his life around and stays true to the side of the coin that won the toss on being either as Superhero or a Super Villain, and goes out of his way to try and help save and protect people…and well he also likes award money and the fame of being a hero. And while Plastic Man can he hotheaded and his powers are not the most useful in situations he makes the best on what he has. It is also clear that while he does get angry with Woozy Winks sometimes he does respect his friend and his thankful for all his help in life. Woozy while crazy and greedy is really a good person at heart and values his friendship with Plastic Man and for the most part enjoys being his sidekick. This mini series is very all over the place and odd and that is so fitting for this version of Plastic Man as he himself is odd and all over the place as a hero, and while a superhero he kind of falls backwards into really saving the day and for most of his big “fights” with the baddies in the series he has help to truly stop them. The cover for this final issue is pretty cool and showcases Plastic Man being used as a bridge, and you guessed it, the interior art by Hilary Barta is very awesome and fitting for the character and this story. If you are a fan of Plastic Man, your superhero comics with humor, lots of weird villains and DC Comics back when they were making these awesome hero mini series, then make sure to give this one a read. I for one really enjoyed this comic series and while I do feel it fell apart at the end when it came to a big payout it still has lots of charm to it and I feel is worth the read for fans of Plastic Man. Checkout the artwork below to see the style of Barta used in this series.

This Plastic Man mini series will not be for everyone as it really is silly and goofy and is not your typical 80’s DC Hero comic so its goofy nature might scare some readers away from truly giving it a chance. And to be honest with you, I miss the DC Comics of this time as they did lots of really fun story arcs, mini series and adaptations, something they are very much lacking in these modern times. But with that, let’s take a break from comics with our next update being to the world of Horror Movies, as we will be talking about the PG-13 arachnid fright film Eight Legged Freaks! So until next time, read a comic or three, watch a film or two and as always support your local Horror Host! See you next update as we try to survive giant spiders on the attack.

From Horror Movie To Horror Comic: Escape To Witch Mountain (1975)

Posted on February 12, 2025 by bloodlinematt

Welcome back to Rotten Ink. For this “From Horror Movie To Horror Comic” update we will be taking a look at a sci-fi fantasy family film that has a tiny dash of horror that was unleashed on young moviegoers by Disney! The film is Escape To Witch Mountain, about two siblings who have psychic powers and are being tracked down by a rich man who wants to use their powers for his own gain. This one is a strange one as growing up and at school, this film was looked at as a horror film but as I grew up, the film was more looked at as a fantasy one, but for me and my memories as a kid this will be viewed as a semi kiddy fright flick. So just roll with it and have fun while reading this update. So if you are ready, grab your star case, head to the Rotten Ink Motor Home and let’s start our quest to Witch Mountain as I heard that that’s where witches come from as well as a few U.F.O’s have been spotted around the peaks.

So before we get too deep into this update, let’s take a look at the villains of this film and how they deal out their evil ways. The main villain is Aristotle Bolt, who is a very rich man who is stricken with greed and a massive ego as he thinks his money can buy him whatever he wants, and because he has an obsession with the occult and paranormal, he thinks that he can even own humans and will use his blackmailing ways to do so. He is also very mean as his greed makes him feel untouchable and he also has people that will do his bidding for a price and that includes kidnapping and lying to children. One of the people under the money control of Bolt is Lucas Deranian, his attorney who is a lair, yes man and will do whatever he is told as long as money comes his way, and because of his job of being an attorney he is able to con people into listening to him and even fakes being the orphans’ uncle. In fact Deranian is the one who sets the ego driven Bolt onto the track of the young kids with powers. And finally you also have the hired hand and muscle of Bolt named Ubermann, who is cold and does what he is told and is looking for the kids with the powers. While none of them are killers per say, all of them I think would kill in order to get what they want, and at one point Ubermann does have a gun! Bolt and his men are just mortal and have many weaknesses that include their own greed, egos and mortality as they can be killed like any normal person so by gun, knife, fire, water, force and fists. And while Aristotle Bolt and his men might be the weakest baddies we have ever covered on a From Horror Movie To Horror Comic update, they are still dangerous and can strike fear into the hearts of the poor and those who are in their way.

Now that we took a look at the baddies of Escape To Witch Mountain, I think that it’s time we take a look at the film itself. Like always the film’s write up will be taken from our good friends at IMDB, and after that I will write about the film’s production as well as my thoughts about the film. So if you are ready, let’s make our way to Witch Mountain and see what is in store for us.

Escape To Witch Mountain (1975)

“Tia and Tony are two orphaned youngsters with extraordinary powers. Lucas Deranian poses as their uncle in order to get the kids into the clutches of Deranian’s megalomanical boss, evil millionaire Aristotle Bolt, who wants to exploit them. Jason, a cynical widower, helps Tia and Tony “escape to witch mountain,” while at the same time Tia and Tony help Jason escape the pain of the loss of his wife.”

The Walt Disney Company was riding high in the 1970’s and besides working on classic animated films and shows, they also did live action films and some of these films had hints of horror and sci-fi as those genres of films have always been popular with movie goers. Disney wanted to make some of these type films for their audiences, and so they decided to adapt the 1968 novel by Alexander H. Key called Escape Of Witch Mountain! The film’s script was written by Robert Malcolm Young and would be directed by John Hough who was known for directing the horror films “Twins Of Evil (1971)”, “The Legend Of Hell House (1973)” and after Escape To Witch Mountain the films “The Watcher In The Woods (1980)”, “The Incubus (1982)”, “Howling IV: The Original Nightmare (1988)” and “American Gothic (1988)” showing that he knew how to make horror. The film would bring in Kim Richards and Ike Eisenmann to play the orphans Tia and Tony Malone and other names being Donald Pleasence, Eddie Albert, Ray Milland and Walt Barnes. The film was scored by Johnny Mandel and would be released on March 21, 1975 and would go on to bring around $20,000,000 at the box office, making it a success. The film was well received by both fans and critics, and over the years it has spawned sequels, remakes and has built itself a pretty big cult following. The film would release the same year as other sci-fi/horror films as The Devil’s Rain, Jaws, Legend Of The Werewolf, Night Of The Seagulls, The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Trilogy Of Terror and The Werewolf And The Yeti. And while this is not a full fledged horror film and only has very small elements of it, this is a great semi spooky adventure film that has made it’s mark on the youth who grew up watching it.

When I was a kid I can remember watching this film in school. It was around Halloween time when it was shown, and this always made me think of this film as a kids horror flick; plus I mean at times the kids are even blamed for being witches, they make a ghost like creature out of a broom & a coat, animals attack people and the kids are really aliens from another world. So as you can see, this film does have elements of sci-fi and horror and you can see how a young kid could see it as a horror film. While the kids are the stars, I always liked all the animals that helped them through their journey like the bear, horse, cat and dogs, all of whom talk to Tia and all help run off the humans on their trail. You have to also like that the film’s main villain is a rich creep who is obsessed with the occult and wants to use psychics as his key to become more rich and wants to exploit people with powers as well for his own gains, and it’s nice to see in the end him not get what he wants and to have to return to his mansion a defeated man. Besides showcasing alien kids and their powers, the film is also about not allowing sadness to take over your life as the two young kids teach widower Jason O’Day how to love again and how to let go. Another fun aspect for younger viewers is that in the end it becomes a chase film as Bolt’s men give chase of the kids and O’Day across the back roads of small towns, plus you get to see a motorhome fly and I can remember it getting a laugh at school. While by today’s standards the eerie and spooky elements of this film are lost, the sci-fi ones are still very much present and add for a great watch for the young and young at heart. Also I have to point out that seeing veteran actor Donald Pleasence in this film as Lucas Deranian was also very cool the first time I saw this film I knew him from films like Halloween, Land Of The Minotaur and Tales From The Crypt. If you are looking for a kid friendly sci-fi/fantasy/horror film to watch give this classic film a chance as it’s a fun one for sure.

Now that we have taken a look at the film Escape To Witch Mountain and Mr. Bolt and his yes men of money loving goons, I think that it’s time we review the comic adaptation done by Gold Key Comics. This will be a first time read for me, and I am very much looking forward to seeing how close it sticks to the film as well as how well the art captures the likeness of the characters. I want to thank Bell Book And Comic for having this comic in stock and making this update possible. I want to also remind you all that I grade these comics on a star scale of 1 to 4 and am looking for how well the comic stays to the source material, its entertainment value and its art and story. So with that, let’s get into the Gold Key motorhome and get even closer to Witch Mountain. And I should also note this comic is from the Walt Disney Showcase line that showcased comics based on Disney films, cartoons and shows.

Escape To Witch Mountain # 1 **1/2
Released in 1975 Cover Price .25 Gold Key # 29 of 54

Tia and Tony live at the orphanage and are getting ready to get on a bus after seeing a movie when Tia has a vision of a car across the street getting into an accident and warns the passenger not to get inside the car. A few moments later, a tow truck crashes into it. The man is attorney Lucas Deranian who rushes to tell his rich boss Aristotle Bolt about the young kids and their powers, and they set up a way for Deranian to forge records in order to act as the kids’ uncle and take them to now live at Bolt’s castle mansion. Tia and Tony along with their black cat Winkie now live in the mansion and unknown to the kids they are being watched by Bolt and Deranian via hidden cameras who witness the kids use their powers to control puppets as well as talk to a horse! That night at dinner Bolt confronts the kids about their powers, and they do answer and hear later that night that Bolt does not want them to ever leave and locks them in their room! As Tia and Tony escape the mansion they get the help of Winkie as well as the guard dogs and a horse that Tia talks to for assistance. They get into town, and Tia and Tony sneak aboard the motorhome of Jason O’Day who unaware talks to Deranian about the missing kids before driving off with the runaways onboard. Once Jason finds the kids, they have breakfast and they tell him about their powers and that they found a map in the star case that Tia carries and that they need to get to Witch Mountain! Jason agrees to take them and on their drive there Deranian has found them and gives chase, as Tia and Tony sneak out of the motor home so that Deranian will chase Jason they are captured by the town sheriff. Tia and Tony use their powers to escape the jail and even free a caged bear that helps them get to the home of Jason’s brother that he told them about and meet back up with Jason who was waiting for them there. Jason gets Tia and Tony to the mountain as Bolt as well as all of his men, the sheriff and townspeople are given chase, but after the motorhome starts to fly in the air from the help of voice that turns out to be the uncle of the kids and some of the cars wreck…it’s Jason as well as Mr. Bolt that watches as the kids get into a U.F.O. and fly away, Mr. Bolt and his goons leave to head back home as Jason who has Winkie sets out to find more kids with Star Cases to bring them to Witch Mountain.

This adaptation is a fun read but does also remove lots of moments from the film and as well tells them slightly different and sometimes that works and others it seems to rushed in storytelling and takes a little away from the moment. For instance, they cut the whole moment of Tony using his powers at the orphanage in order to play baseball as well as fight a bully. The bulk of the story is there and is about Tia and Tony, two kids with supernatural powers escaping the grip of a rich man who wants to use their powers for his gain, and when escaping they meet an older man on a cross country trip in his motor home who helps them get away from Bolt and gets them to Witch Mountain. And of course the fact that the kids are aliens and get on a U.F.O with their uncle to get back to space is intact. Our heroes are Tia and Tony, who are sister and brother that have supernatural powers that allows them to move things and talk to each other with their minds, can communicate with animals, can see future events, can get glimpses of the past as well as unlock doors and locks. They are good kids who just want to find their way home and to their uncle who they thought was dead, and along the way they end up helping save the lives of animals by giving them freedom as well as help a man deal with his grumpy attitude. Jason O’Day is a good man who takes a chance to help two runaway kids get to a place they feel is were they belong. The odd thing is they do not mention that he lost his wife and that he wished he had kids. Lucas Deranian is a thorn in the kid’s sides as he is following them all over and while in the comic Aristotle Bolt is a little more downplayed as he is around but not as a major part of the sinister plan. The film is bloodless and does not have any real frightful moments as it’s a very basic watered down version of the film’s plot. They also change the ending that has Jason driving on the search for more alien kids as the U.F.O. lands on Witch Mountain that is now the home of the aliens. The cover for the comic is ok and is your typical Gold Key style for that time that just has stills of the movie put together, and the interior art is done by an unknown artist and is pretty good and very basic and yet it works, but I also have to say that most of the characters very loosely look like the actors who played them. Over all if you are a fan of Escape To Witch Mountain and like family friendly sci-fi films with a dash of horror, then give this a read. Checkout the artwork below to see the style the unknown artist used in the issue.

Escape From Witch Mountain is a really fun film and while dated by today’s standards, still does deliver a fun adventure film for the whole family to enjoy. After watching the film again after all these years for this update, I can see were my classmates and myself thought it was a kid sci-fi horror film as it does have some elements of both. And it was also great to see that the Gold Key Comic adaptation was a good read that while cut out many parts of the film still maintained all the major plot elements even with the art being a little rushed throughout. With that I think that it’s time we leave Witch Mountain and head to back to the world of silent cinema as we will head to the Rotten Ink Theater and talk about the 1921 film The Blasphemer that is a downbeat religious film with a dash of horror supernatural elements! So until next time, read a comic or three, watch a Western film or two and as always support your local horror host. See you next update for a silent cinema chat!

From Horror Movie To Horror Comic: Invasion Of The Body Snatchers (1978)

Posted on January 13, 2025 by bloodlinematt

Welcome back to Rotten Ink and to another “From Horror Movie To Horror Comic” update. This time around we will be taking a look at a Sci-Fi Horror film, Invasion Of The Body Snatchers, from 1978 that was a remake of the classic 1956 film of the same name! This is a truly classic film and was one that I can remember watching when I was a young kid and being freaked out by the Pod People and their weird screams as they pointed at people that were not one of them yet. And while Marvel or DC Comics did not give the film the comic book treatment, the mad geniuses at FotoNovel sure did. This is the third FotoNovel we have covered here on Rotten Ink with the first being Love At First Bite that you can read HERE and the second being Nightwing that you can read HERE. This is one that I have been looking forward to doing as I am fan of this remake and this will be a first time read for me, so if you are ready let’s dive into the world of Invasion Of The Body Snatchers and see what this photo comic novel has in store for us.

Let’s start off by taking a look at The Pod People and their ways of dealing death to humans! The Pods are from outer space and once they get a person in their grip, they clone a version of that said person that acts with the others in a hive mind state of being. They travel from planet to planet as seeds and once on the planet can spread very quickly, as at first they attack the plant life on the planet before moving onto the humans. The Pod People act very strange and not like themselves, they stare and watch the normal people and are gathering in meetings to gain more people into their ranks with plans to take over the world. They chase follow and attack people in groups and they do secret strange business all around under the noses of the normal people. Their odd behavior is very unsettling to people and makes them feel confused, scared and can cause them to make mistakes that can lead to their deaths. The Pod People clone living people and once they go to sleep they do not wake up and the Pod Person will take over their lives, and the Pod Person is a perfect clone besides when it comes to behavior, but even then some have mastered even that. The Pod’s themselves use vines and flower buds to create the clones, and they can grow very quickly and take over the life of the person they appear as. The bodies of both the humans and the failed Pod People are crushed in a garbage truck in order to cover up the invasion. The real versions also cave in on themselves and turn to dust. The Pod People can use such things as guns, knives and other tools to deal death if they choose, and because they have a hive like mind they will also attack in packs. The Pod People also have a shrieking screaming that they will let out that will chill the blood of the people they are after, they also will use this shriek to alert the others to the whereabouts of a normal person. The Pods can also create weird hybrids of animal and human and these oddities cause shock in those who see them. Those who are aware of The Pods and The Pod People are often very paranoid, as they do not know who they can trust as family, friends and strangers could all be out to turn you. The Pods and The Pod People are very dangerous as they spread across the land very fast, but they can be killed like any living thing so being bashed, shot, stabbed, burnt and crushed will do them in. Super deadly and super wide spreading the Pod and the people that come out of them are very dangerous to the survival of mankind.

As you can see, The Pods and The Pod People are very dangerous to humans as they could easily wipe out towns, cities, states on continents very quickly. Now it’s time that we take a look at the film that spawned them, and like always, we will be taking the film’s plot from our friends at IMDB and after that I will write about the film’s production as well as my thoughts about the film. So if you are ready, try and avoid the pods and be aware of the people they spawn, as you don’t want to be apart of this hive mind.

Invasion Of The Body Snatchers (1978)

“When strange seeds drift to earth from space, mysterious pods begin to grow and invade San Francisco, replicating the city’s residents one body at a time.”

The 1956 film Invasion Of The Body Snatchers was a huge cult classic as viewers really enjoyed its creepy nature and a fan of that film was director Philip Kaufman who jumped at the chance at directing a remake or reimagining of the film for United Artists in 1978. The film of course was based off the novel “The Body Snatchers” by Jack Finney with W.D. Richter doing this versions screenplay with Robert H. Solo coming in to produce the film that has a modest sized budget. This newer version would take place in San Francisco, California and would be set in the then currant time, and the film would play up on the Horror elements and would bring a very uncomfortable feel to the mood. The film would cast some amazing talent that include Donald Sutherland, Leonard Nimoy, Jeff Goldblum, Veronica Cartwright, Brooke Adams and would have a cameo from Kevin McCarthy the star of the original film as well as it’s director Don Siegel. The film was your normal and yet stressful shoot with Russ Hessey and Dell Rheaume doing the special effects and once done Denny Zeitlin was brought in to score. The film was released in theaters on December 22, 1978 and was a hit at the box office bringing in a total of $24.9 million and was a hit with both viewers and critics (well most of them) and over the years has found even more of a fan base and respect. Like Complex ranked it as one of the best Sci-Fi Horror Films of all time, Rolling Stone Magazine named it as one of the greatest remakes of all time and The Chicago Film Critics Association ranked it # 59 out of 100 for their Scariest Films Of All Time. The film would be released on home media and would find even a bigger audience of new viewers and still to this day is a well respected and loved remake that adds its own spooky touch to an already spooky classic. The film in 1978 was released along side such other Horror and Sci-Fi Films as Halloween, Jaws 2, Mardi Gras Massacre, Toolbox Murders, Patrick, Laserblast, The Curse Of Bigfoot, Attack Of The Killer Tomatoes and IT Lives Again to name a few. If you have not watched the remake of Invasion Of The Body Snatchers make sure to do so as it can easily be found on DVD, Blu-Ray and some streaming sites.

This is a film that I can remember my Dad trying to scare my brother with when we were kids as he acted like the Pod People were real, and as he had my brother and I going of course my Mom made him stop…but what a fun memory that was as he did this right before I seen the film for the first time. I can also remember him telling us that Spock was in the film as we all use to watch reruns of Star Trek. The film had me glued to the screen as I was really drawn into the world it was created and the freaky screaming and pointing that the Pod People did really creeped me out! And I am pretty sure that for weeks after seeing the film my brother and I would mimic the point and yell at each other, and that is one of the best part about this film is the memories like these that I have. When I was a kid I had already seen the original 1956 film and was shocked when in the remake Kevin McCarthy showed up warning people of the Pods, and I always wondered was he playing Dr. Miles Bennell again? And was Donald Sutherland’s character of Matthew Bennell related to Miles and is this film really a sequel and the events of the first film covered up by the government hence why the people were not ready for this invasion…makes you think don’t it. While the film is only PG it still packs some spooky moments into the film and the atmosphere adds for some tense and creepy parts that will surely make you jump. Plus you cannot go wrong with watching a naked Brooke Adams playing a Pod Person shrieking at the site of Donald Sutherland. I feel that this remake often gets over looked when people talk about remakes of Sci-Fi Horror Films as most are so hung up on The Thing directed by John Carpenter being the best, but I feel they over look this one badly as it is a great take on its source material, brings spooky moments with cool special effects and adds its own scares and charm like The Thing did (I also think The Blob remake is great). If you have never seen this version of Invasion Of The Body Snatchers make sure to check it out as it’s a great slow burn that builds to a flame by the end and is one heck of a watch.

So now that we have talked about the 1978 film Invasion Of The Body Snatchers as well as The Pods and the People it creates we should now review the photo comic paperback based around it that was released by those creative minds at FotoNovel. I would like to thank the Etsy seller who had this paperback in stock and made this update possible. I want to also remind you that I grade these comics on a star scale of 1 to 4 and am looking for how well the comics stay to the source material, it’s entertainment value and it’s art and story. So if you are ready, let’s see if this FotoNovel does the film justice.

Invasion Of The Body Snatchers # 1 ***
Released in 1979 Cover Price $2.50 FotoNovel # 1 of 1

In space seeds float across the galaxy on their quest to Earth and they land in San Francisco, California and like a parasite they attach themselves to the plants as a light rain helps them grow into little pods with flowers. Elizabeth Driscoll on her way home picks one of the pods and takes it home, were her boyfriend and dentist Geoffrey Howell watches basketball, and at bed time they talk briefly about the pod as she explains that it is something rare. Meanwhile at a very expensive restaurant health inspector Matthew Bennell who finds rat droppings in the food, and for this he returns to his car to find a worker has busted a cheap wine bottle on his windshield. Before bed he calls Elizabeth to ask her to come to work early in order to look into his finding, she agrees and heads to bed. The next morning her boyfriend Geoffrey is acting very weird, and once at work she tells Matthew about his strange behavior, who wants to be their for his friend. That night Elizabeth returns home and is once more blown off by Geoffrey who goes to a late night “meeting” and she finds herself having dinner with Matthew telling him how different her boyfriend is with him suggesting they meeting his psychiatrist friend Dr. David Kibner. The next day Matthew on his way to work notices strange things as even the old man at the dry cleaners tells him his wife is acting weird. And after trying to call Elizabeth all day she finally shows up at Matthew’s office with tears in her eyes, as the two start driving she tells her friend about watching her boyfriend meet with strangers and just how odd it all ways. While driving a man runs into the front of the car screaming about things coming and watch as he runs away and then be hit by a car. Matthew takes Elizabeth to a bookstore were his friend Dr. David Kibner is doing a meet and great for his newest book, and things are very strange as the police on the phone seem to have no care nor have any information on the man who was just hit for Matthew and Elizabeth watches as a woman is speaking to Dr. Kidner about her husband acting different…and this is what is going on with her and her boyfriend. Later Dr. Kidner talks with Elizabeth and Matthew and tries to smooth it all over and put her mind at ease that nothing is truly wrong. But after Jack Bellicec a friend of Matthew’s and Dr. Kidner arrives to the Mud Bath Spa that he owns with his wife Nancy they find a un-hatched pod person that looks like Jack, things get crazy as the body goes missing and it’s clear that the town is being over taken by these Pod People and Matthew, Elizabeth, Nancy and Jack all stick together to try and get out of the city when they find that they are all in danger with some of them like Jack and Nancy already having clones that are ready to hatch, and they will awaken if the real versions end up going to sleep! And when the Pod People find their hideout they must split up in groups of two to try and survive. And later Matthew finds that Dr. Kidner is a Pod Person and soon Jack as well as Elizabeth becomes one. Matthew finds a warehouse were the Pods are being harvested to be shipped all over the world and does what he can to destroy as many as he can, before having to run away for his life. In the end Matthew shows up to work like normal as everyone keeps looking at him strangely, and when his workday is over he starts his walk home and runs into Nancy who calls him over, but to her horror Matthew has became one of them.

First thing I have to say is that this was such a fun read and did a pretty good job of capturing the mood of the film on the pages. While in my opinion, it’s not as spooky this FotoNovel tried really hard to bring the scares. The one major complaint I do have about it is that at times the dialogue’s color blends in with the backgrounds and makes it hard to read in some panels. The plot is this a group of friends in San Francisco have to come together to survive when they find out that their city is being over ran by space pod created people clones that are hell bent of taking over the Earth one person at a time. The hero of this paperback is Matthew Bennell a health inspector who loves his job, crushes on a chemist he works with and must stay logical, quick witted and strong when he finds out about the aliens coming to kill them all. Matthew also does what he can to survive and will do whatever he can to protect the love of his life. Elizabeth Driscoll is that love of his life a young pretty chemist who is the first to really discover that something is wrong in their city when her boyfriend becomes a soulless shell, she tries what she can to survive and while prone to slow the group down she is very sweet and caring. Jack and Nancy Bellicec are a couple who own a mud bath health spa and who find a pod person in their spa and help Matthew and Elizabeth and are also the ones who get the ball rolling on becoming the target of the Pod People who want these troublemakers cloned and out of the way. The Pod People and The Pods that spawn them are all over the city and are looking to clone people and take over the world, they are creepy soulless, emotionless beings that screech and chase around those who are normal. The Photo Comic Paperback does not bring its scares from blood and gore but brings the Horror with mood and atmosphere. All of the nudity from Elizabeth Driscoll is cut from this FotoNovel as well and in one panel they have a well placed dialogue box to block her breasts. The cover for this FotoNovel is cool but also kind of puzzling as it showcases the cracked car windshield and the crazed face of Kevin McCarthy looking in, plus they added small pictures in the corner of three of the films main characters. The photos used in the paperback are cool, but I do have to say that some are a little blurry and as I said before some of the dialogue is hard to read due to color. Over all this is a really cool photo comic paperback book and if you are a fan of the movie you should check this out. I do also want to stress that Photo Comics are not for everyone as they don’t like that the panels are done with stills and not artwork. Check out the photo panel below to see the style use for this FotoNovel.

I truly think that Invasion Of The Body Snatchers from 1978 is one of the great remakes that was made in the 70’s and 80’s that spooked movie goers, and while I know that FotoNovels and Photo Comics are not for everyone, I still am glad that they are made and gave films like this a chance in the world of comic books. And while this FotoNovel could not capture the full spooky mood and atmosphere of the film it did do its job of delivering a creepy fun read. As you can see, this “From Horror Movie To Horror Comic” update is coming to an end and for the next update we will be taking a look at a short lived Horror Host who aired his show Weird Web Theater on YouTube and his name was Mod Ghoul! So until next time read a Horror Comic or three, watch a Horror Film or two and as always support your local Horror Host! See you next update as you know its always fun to chat about Horror Hosts!

Bucky O’Hare The Master Of Croaking Toads

Posted on December 14, 2024 by bloodlinematt

Welcome back to Rotten Ink. The Holiday Season is in full swing as the air has that chill and Jack Frost is really nipping at our noses, so I say we grab a hot chocolate and put another log on the fire as we need to talk about another iconic hero character from my youth that was a star in comics, cartoons, toys and even video games. This hero is the one and only Bucky O’Hare who was very popular for a very short time in the 1990’s. I am sure many of you readers grew up being a fan of Bucky O’Hare, and this update I am sure will flood you with memories of reading the comics, watching the cartoon, playing with the action figures as well as playing the video game and that is a good thing as the holiday season should make you feel like a kid again! So with that, let’s travel to space and see what Bucky O’Hare and his crew have in store for us this winter’s day.

Bucky O’Hare is a character that was created by the team of Larry Hama and Michael Golden and who made his debut in 1984 in the Continuity Comic series called “Echo Of Futurepast” and would appear in that series throughout its run even gracing the cover a few times. And Bucky’s adventures in that series were a hit for readers who enjoyed his space themed adventures as the popularity of Star Wars and Star Trek was still very high around this time. And when Echo Of Futurepast came to an end after 9 issues in 1986, the character would finally get his own comic series in 1991 in order to help promote the character who was now getting his own cartoon, toys and merchandise, and it was clear that around this time toymakers were looking to cash in on the big success of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles as they had taken the world of comics, toys and cartoons by storm and was making many companies big money. Bucky O’Hare was already a comic star way before the TMNT were around, and he was a wise choice to try capture some of that talking fighting animal money. But while Bucky O’Hare was able to very briefly capture a big following, he quickly faded away and his comic series, cartoon and figures all came to an end and his popularity started to fade. But in some positive news, Bucky O’Hare stayed popular in England longer, and the comic series released alongside the cartoon ran for 20 issues! But while Bucky O’Hare never was able to climb to the popularity of the TMNT nor was he ever able to make that impact in culture like they did, he still to this day has a very loyal following for those who grew up with him and his crew and this to me makes Bucky a true icon of the mid 80’s and early 90’s in both cartoon and toys.

Bucky O’Hare And The Toad Wars! started in 1991 and would be released by Claster Television for First Run Syndication and would run for one season and a total of thirteen 30 minute episodes. For this series Jason Michas voiced Bucky O’Hare, and Jay Brazeau would voice Toad Air Marshall, the main villain of the series behind KOMPLEX, the computer program that would be voiced by Long John Baldry. And I should also note that Marvel Productions was a part of this cartoon series production as well, and it’s odd that Marvel Comics never did a comic series for the cartoon as it would have made a great series for Star Comics if they would have kept that branch running. The cartoon would followed Bucky O’Hare and his crew as they would be at battle with the Toads, and crazy during this battle among the stars Earth kid Willy DuWitt who travels via portals to help in these battles. The cartoon when put out on home media would only be released on VHS here in America, and sadly not all the episodes would get an official release making fans have to get the series on the Grey Market…but overseas the complete series would get a DVD release. And when the episodes aired, I watched every episode during its run as I was a fan of this fun and silly cartoon, and a cool fun fact the first episode aired on my 12^th Birthday! This cartoon was also a big hit at school as almost all my friends watched it, just like most of us also had the action figures. While the cartoon was very short lived, it made an impact on the kids of the 90’s as it was very popular at least in Waynesville, Ohio in the early 90’s.

In 1992 and after the cartoon series would come to an end, Bucky O’Hare made the leap into the world of video games, and more importantly into the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES), as a very fun side scrolling action game. The game would be released by Konami and would have you play as Bucky O’Hare as well as many members of his crew on a quest to bring down the Toads and the game offers a pretty good challenge for players and when released was pretty popular among my group of friends as many of them watched the cartoon and collected the action figures. The game is one that I own and have played over the years and even beat when I was a teenager. Now the game is considered rare and sells for around $120-$200 loose and depending on shape. Also I should say that Bucky O’Hare has gotten the Konami Handheld game treatment and also had a arcade cabinet version that could have had up to 4 players going at once. So say what you will about Bucky O’Hare now, but in the early 90’s he was super popular.

Back in 1991 when the cartoon was going strong, Bucky O’Hare and his crew would of course be made into action figures and they were done by Hasbro who at the time was a very iconic toy company as over the years they have done such series as Transformers, Pound Puppies, Cabbage Patch Kids, Battle Beasts, M.A.S.K., G.I. Joe, Inhumanoids, WWF Superstars, Rom The Space Knight and so many more. The figures would be in scale with the Playmates TMNT figures and would feature Bucky O’Hare and his crew members Dead-Eye Duck, Willy DuWitt, Commander Dogstar, Bruiser and AF.C. Blinky and the baddies in the series included Toad Air Marshall, Al Negator, Storm Toad Trooper and Toadborg. The series would also have two vehicles released, the Toad Croaker and the Toad Double Bubble. The series would only last one wave and I can remember them being on the shelves at Hills and Hearts as a kid. I had Bucky and a Toad Trooper as a kid and I can remember my friend Jeremy having way more of them. I always wanted Bruiser but could never find him, as I can remember I even asked for him for Christmas one year. And as I have grown up, I have gotten more of these figures as I really do like the Hasbro Bucky O’Hare figures as I think they did a great job on these figures and capture the look of the characters really well. So how many of you readers grew up with these figures? Check out the middle picture below as it shows what figures were supposed to be in Wave 2 and that included for the Good Guys, a new version of Bucky, Jenny, Pit Stop Pete, Rumble Bee and Kamikaze Kamo! And for the Baddies it would have added Total Terror Toad and Sly Lee-Zard.

Bucky O’Hare once the cartoon and action figures was released also had a flood of merchandise released for fans to collect over the years and this includes Home Media, Shits, Coloring Books, Lunch Box, Watch, Stickers, Video Games, Colorforms, Sleepingbags, Shoes, Watches, Puzzles, Halloween Costumes among other cool items for fans to collect and add to their collections. But sadly because the cartoon did not last very long nor did the toy series the merchandise would stop being made pretty fast. But thanks to Bucky O’Hare building a cult following over the years newer merchandise has been made about him showing that classic character never truly go away. And growing up, I had the toys, coloring books as well as the NES Game.

It’s crazy to think that in 2024 that Bucky O’Hare is not as popular of a character for the days youth and to be honest he pretty much just has a following with those kids of the 80’s and 90’s who grew up reading his comics as and watched his cartoon. But to be honest I did see a young lady that came into my job buy Bucky O’Hare toys and she was super happy to get them, so maybe the modern generation will discover and become fans of him. It is now time for us to get to the review part of this update and I would like to thank both Game Swap Kettering and Lone Star Comics for having these issues in stock an making this update possible. I would also like to remind you that I grade these comics on a star scale of 1 to 4 and am looking for how well the comics stay to the source material, its entertainment value and its art and story. So if you are ready, let’s head to space and watch as Bucky and his crew croak some Toads!

Bucky O’Hare # 1 **1/2
Released in 1991 Cover Price $2.00 Continuity Comics # 1 of 5

A fleet of Toad airships are on the tail of Bucky O’Hare and his crew opening fire on them and causing Bucky to have to give the order for his crew to get to their battle stations. As Bucky and Jenny are in the cockpit Dead-Eye Duck mans the guns as Blinky and Bruce are in the engine room trying to make fast repairs. The Toads make a direct hit and this kills Bruce The Ape and leaves the ship in really bad shape and as Dead-Eye Duck and opens fire back at the Toads, Bucky rushes to the engine room to see if he can help Blinky get it fixed so they can high tail it out of the battle, but there is no time and they must make a decision fast to try it not knowing what will come of pushing the ship to warp drive. Meanwhile on Earth in the city of San Francisco were young Willy DuWitt is working on his science fair project as the youngster loves science but seems to get picked on by fellow kids for being to smart and even his own parents give him a hard time as they are hippies and want him to protest the world…and all he wants to do is work on science stuff! Back in space Bucky makes the decision to flip the switch to warp just as Willy turns on his experiment on Earth and something big happens!

This first issue is a very fun read and drops us right in the middle of the action as Bucky and his crew are under attack and must make a decision that could kill them all…but they are already pretty much dead if they don’t choose, so it’s very much a double edged sword. And at the same time super smart Earth kid Willy is working on a science fair project that seems to match up with Bucky’s warp drive issue and you know this is leading to the meeting of the minds! Bucky O’Hare is a great Captain and his crew clearly respect him and its crazy that he finds himself in a situation that could leave them all dead all because the Toads hate all things mammal! He clearly trusts his right hand gal Jenny and respects the heck out of the shooting skill of Dead-Eye Duck and even values the words of Blinky his robot friend. Poor Bruce the ape is killed dead pretty early in the issue when he takes a blast, and I will say Bucky does not seem too sad about the loss. The Toads seem to be having fun tormenting Bucky’s crew and yet also know that they are a threat and are very skilled. The issue is filled with lots of spaceship fighting action as well as drama as Bucky O’Hare must think quick on what to do to try and save his crews life, and really you can tell it’s very stressful for him. Poor Willy DuWitt is a youngster who is smart and loves science, but seems to not be able to catch a break in the world as he is mocked and picked on by his fellow youngsters and even his own parents don’t understand him as they are protesting hippies who want him to join their causes. Of course my favorite character in this issue is Bucky O’Hare cause he is a true hero, but if I had to choose another sidekick character I would say Dead-Eye Duck cause he seems to love to kill Toads and is very skilled with his gun. The cover for this issue is fun and showcases the moment Bucky and his gang meeting Willy for the first time and is eye catching. The interior artwork is done by Michael Golden and is really solid stuff and I dig the way he draws Bucky O’Hare as well as all the ships. Over all a great first issue that does it’s best to introduce the readers to the cast and starts off the story running, and with a cool cliffhanger ending makes me want to see what’s next!

Bucky O’Hare # 2 ***
Released in 1991 Cover Price $2.00 Continuity Comics # 2 of 5

In the room of Will DuWitt, things get really dark and very odd as the darkness is like a gelatin outside his windows and when he hears a noise he heads towards it as on the ship of Bucky O’Hare a gelatin like doorway that leads to the bedroom door of Willy appears and as they investigate Bucky and his crew run into Willy and everyone is shocked and slightly scarred as it’s clear a dimension has been crossed and has caused chaos in both dimensions. Willy and Blinky figure out that the the science project and their damaged engine warp is what caused this rift and is also somehow protecting Bucky’s ship from the Toads attacks. This causes the Toads to leave to get bigger ships to attack with and Willy comes aboard and says that he can build them a new warp unit that way they can get away safely as Willy heads back to his room for parts he is followed by Bucky and Dead-Eye as Jenny and Blinky stay behind to guard the ship and the portal. As Willy gathers the parts the Mother Toad Ship appears and they storm the ship and take Jenny hostage, a short time later Blinky appears and tells Bucky of the attack and capture and this causing Bucky to spring into action! Now Bucky O’Hare along with Dead-Eye Duck, Blinky and Willy DuWitt band together with one cause and that is to save Jenny from the Toads.

This second issue is lots of fun as the plot has Bucky meeting Earth kid Willy who is their only hope to fix their warp drive and to save their butts from being blown up, but also we get the drama of Jenny being kidnapped by the Toads! Bucky O’Hare finds himself now being faced with having to trust a young Earth kid with the maintenance of his ship as well as that he is not really a spy or a danger to his crew, as they kind of just bump into each other thanks to a weird dimension portal door. And like any good Captain Bucky also makes sure to get his crew to their stations and when one is kidnapped and taken he has a call to arms to rescue her. Willy DuWitt himself as well shows that he is noble as he jumps right in to help the crew by repairing the engine and as well going with them to fight the Toads to rescue Jenny. We also learn for sure that Bucky and his crew are out numbered by the Toads who are doing what they do on the orders of Toad Commander who wants all furry lives to come to an end in their galaxy. The issue also has more ship battles to add to the action and we learn that when the dimension door is open the ship can be protected by a force field of time and dimension pieces. The cover for this issue is pretty cool and has Bucky and his friends in a small ship trying to fight off the Toads…this does not happen in this issue but it’s still a great cover. The interior art is once more done by Michael Golden and is very solid work and fitting for the subject that is Bucky O’Hare. I feel that the second issue is slightly better than the first as we are now into the heart of the story while issue one was more of a introduction to our cast of good guy characters. So now lets see what issue three has in store for us, and if Bucky is able to save Jenny and croak some Toads in the next issue!

Bucky O’Hare # 3 **1/2
Released in 1991 Cover Price $2.00 Continuity Comics # 3 of 5

Bucky O’Hare along with Willy, Blinky and Dead-Eye are back on their ship and are trying to track down the Toad Mother Ship so that they can come up with a plan in order to save Jenny…but they are having to luck! Willy DuWitt asks for a history lesson on the Toads and Blinky is happy to help as he projects it and Willy learns that the Toads were a peaceful race until they became greedy for goods and made the mistake of creating a super computer called Komplex that ended up mind controlling all the Toads and turned them into it’s army of foot soldiers with the goal to conquer the galaxy. And that the mammals of the galaxy is why Bucky O’Hare and his crew was created to fight back and stop them from killing as well as stealing the planets they conquered natural resources. And soon Dead-Eye Duck spots the ship that is feeding off a small planet for energy, and Bucky lands the ship on the other side of the planet and they wait for Jenny who uses her powers to beat the heck out of the Toads and makes her way to her rescue.

What a fun issue as the plot of this one is mostly about what has caused the Toads to turn into such a war hungry and evil race and it all came down to them being very greedy and trying to but all types of things and trusting a mega computer to solve all their issues…but the computer in turn just takes over their brain and makes them fighters for it’s own conquest for power. With the smaller plot being the rescue of Jenny who we learn is one badass lady as she has some very powerful powers an uses them in order to knock out a wave of Toads before calmly walking out of the ship. I also like that in this issue we see Willy DuWitt get his space costume that is really a Berserker Baboon’s outfit and that is a good thing as we also find out that Toads fear the Baboons! This issue also gives us our first look at Toad Commander who is the one threatening and questioning Jenny when she was a prisoner. While this is a good issue it really is more of a history lesson and the action is slowed way down and the rescue of Jenny happens way to fast, but while it is kind of a slow issue the fact we get more of a background on the world the comic series is building makes it a very solid read. The one thing that I have to say is that we are now three issues into a comic series that only ran for five issues and the biggest letdown this far is that we have not gotten to see Bucky O’Hare kick some Toad ass in hand to hand or even gun to gun as of yet. The cover for this issue is the best so far and has Bucky and his crew being surrounded by the Toads and is super eye-catching. And I am sure you guessed it Michael Golden once more did the interior art and like before it’s great stuff. With that lets see what issue four has in store for us, and if we finally get to see Bucky in action and bring down some Toads!

Bucky O’Hare # 4 **1/2
Released in 1991 Cover Price $2.00. Continuity Comics # 4 of 5

On this unknown planet Bucky O’Hare and Blinky must find the person in charge to sign some papers giving them permission to fight against the Toads while Dead-Eye Duck and Willy get on a jet scooter to scope out the Toad Mega Ship and see if they can find Jenny. As Bucky meets the strange owner of the planet a Mouse like creature who lives in a utopia room, Dead-Eye and Willy have Toad Fighter Ships aware they are there and Jenny is trying to find her way off the massive ship without exposing to much of her powers. Dead-Eye and Willy are in deep trouble an they come up with an idea to crash land inside the Toad Mega Ship as this would make it so the Toad Fighters can not open fire on them, and in horror Jenny watches as her friends come busting in as does Bucky who can see what is going on thanks to a magic mystical ball that the mouse has.

What a cliffhanger as this issue leaves you hanging on wither or not Dead-Eye Duck and Willy DuWitt survive their crash landing inside the massive Toad Ship all the while their friends can not do a thing to help them! We also get a look at Komplex who has now made himself a robotic body and is watching Jenny as he is intrigued by her witch like powers and wants to learn all he can about her and it. Bucky O’Hare and Blinky are stuck this issue dealing with the odd ball owner of the planet who will not grant them permission to fight, but does spend his time trying to give them things and even allows them to see what their friends are doing. Commander Toad wakes up after being knocked out and is still talking about his fear of Baboons and when he sees the suit on Willy he gets scared and sends out tons of Toad Troopers to protect the ship. Dead-Eye Duck does his best to try and get he and Willy out of trouble and once more shows that he has skills as he is able to out move the Toad Ships as well as at least make it in once piece to crash land inside the big Toad ship. While I enjoyed this issue I once more have to point out that we get a chase in ships, but no action as Bucky himself is trying to get a paper signed instead of fighting alongside his crew to rescue one of his own that is in danger…just very odd as the main hero in this series this far has gotten to do very little. The cover is ok and once more just showcases a space ship chase, and the interior art by Golden is good. It is crazy to think that we only have one more issue to go an this far the creative team has kind of just putted along and have yet to showcase what Bucky O’Hare and his team can do, so lets hope the final issue gives us the action we need.

Bucky O’Hare # 5 **1/2
Released in 1992 Cover Price $2.00 Continuity Comics # 5 of 5

Bucky O’Hare and Blinky soon find that the Mouse has control of reality and that the lavish utopia they were just in was not real, while Dead-Eye and Willy survive the crash but the suit of Willy’s has caught fire and Dead-Eye shoots him with foam to put the flames out. The Toad Troopers show up just in time to see Willy who looks like a Baboon be foaming around his mouth and they think he is mad and the Troopers run away in fear. The Toad Commander ends up sending a Void-Droid out in order to kill Dead-Eye and Willy who are looking for Jenny as well as a way out, and the Void-Droid is very dangerous…but Willy is able to destroy it with one shot from his squirt gun! Shortly after Dead-Eye and Willy find Jenny and the three end up in a workshop an see a Toad Ship and know that this is their way to escape. Meanwhile Mouse is flying Bucky and Blinky on a rock to their friends all the while talking about the universe and it’s secrets. While inside Toad Troopers are on the heels of Dead-Eye and friends as we end on that cliffhanger.

Whelp, as you can see, this comic series just never got finished as the terrible Continuity Comics never released the rest that was just a reprints of a over priced 1986 Graphic Novel that was around 48 pages that they charged $40.00 for. And if Continuity didn’t fill every issue with a mountain of ads this series could have been fully released. And I am not sure why the comic was not finished, but if I had to guess maybe low sales or even just pure laziness from the company. The plot of this issue has Dead-Eye and Willy surviving the crash inside the Toad Ship and finding Jenny all the while Bucky is stuck with the Mouse who just babbles on about how smart they are and the secrets of the universe…like Bucky never makes it to the Toad Ship in this issue…so silly. One part of the comic that was really awesome was the Toad Troopers running in fear when they think Willy DuWitt is a rabid baboon due to the foam he was sprayed with to put out the flames as his suit was on fire. I feel that if you were a reader who was a big fan of Bucky O’Hare or even just discovered the character thanks to the toys and cartoon this unfinished mini series did the character dirty as he never gets to showcase why he is such a bad ass green fur rabbit captain from outer space. As this whole series besides the first issue they do not showcase him as the hero we the fans know he is. Plus I feel that they make Dead-Eye Duck, Jenny, Blinky and Willy DuWitt seem more like the heroes as throughout the five issues they see more action and bring down more Toads than Bucky does. While the pacing is off from issue to issue it makes sense as the comics are just taken from the old Graphic Novel and it was clear Continuity put zero time and care into these single issue reprints as they took this chance just to over kill the comics with ads and the same ads in almost every issue at that. The cover for this issue is really cool and shows Bucky, Dead-Eye and Willy all looking like they are ready for action as a portal is behind them. The whole comic series interior art was done by Michael Golden and his style is pretty cool and very fitting as I feel he draws not only Bucky O’Hare great but also space in general. I really did enjoy this series up to the unfinished end and think that Bucky O’Hare deserved better than how Continuity Comics treated him and that publisher would close up in 1994 after many years of legal issues, poor sales and readers pointing out just how poorly their comics were done. To sum it up a fun read for sure but unfairly treated by a terrible publisher who clearly had no respect for their readers nor creators. Checkout the artwork below to see the style use by Golden in this series.

Bucky O’Hare was a great character who entertained his fans through the 1980’s and early 1990’s, and some could say even to this day as new fans have found his comics, cartoon and toys and have discovered just how cool he and his crew are. I really wish that at the time of his cartoon’s release that a company like Marvel Comics or Archie Comics would have gotten the comic rights as I truly think that they would have done him justice and would have more than likely given a true final issue and not pulled the plug before the story was even finished. And for those who have never read or watched Bucky O’Hare, give it a shot this holiday season and see if you become a fan. Well with that, our Bucky update has come to an end and our next update will be our big Christmas Eve one and will be about the Greek God Zeus! So until next time, read a comic or three, watch a film or two and as always support your local Horror Host. See you next update as we spend some time on Mount Olympus with the father of such heroes as Hercules!

Coloring Time With The First Avenger Captain America

Posted on November 18, 2024 by bloodlinematt

Welcome back to Rotten Ink, my friends and readers. For some reason I am feeling very nostalgic for Marvel Comic coloring books as again I had many of them growing up and can remember reading and coloring pages inside them. This time I have been thinking about covering one based on my other top all time favorite superhero, Captain America! So for this very quick update, I think I am going to stay in the lines and have a fun time looking back on the past and showcasing that Captain America has had more adventures in all types of media and not just in the pages of Marvel Comics! And if you have not read my last coloring book update, check out my Incredible Hulk one here.

Captain America has been in comic books since 1941 and has been a staple in his own title as well as The Avengers, both titles that are still going strong to this day. But besides those comic adventures he has had many other media ones that help add to his legacy and please his fans and readers who want more Cap in their lives. I mean let’s start with the fact that back in 1944 a Republic 15 Chapter serial simply called “Captain America” was released in theaters chapter by chapter. In the series actor Dick Purcell played Captain America…but he does not play Steve Rogers as this character is not used and is for some reason called Grant Gardner. A few years later in 1966, Captain America was part of the cartoon series called “The Marvel Super Heroes” that brought the old Jack Kirby comic art alive. This animated series only lasted a short time ending the same year it started. But while this series failed, Captain America went on to star and cameo in many more cartoons over the years including the 90’s Spider-Man series that was a must watch on Fox. Cap would go on to be in two made for TV films with the first being “Captain America” that was released in 1979 and aired on CBS and later in 1979 the sequel was released called “Captain America II: Death Too Soon.’ These films had actor Reb Brown as Steve Rogers/Captain America, and the second film stars Christopher Lee as the main villain. In 1990 Captain America got another chance at the movies, and originally it was supposed to hit theaters. The film would go direct to video in 1992 and had Captain America fighting with the Red Skull. Actor Matt Salinger was cast to play Cap. Starting in 2011, thanks to Disney and Marvel Studios, Captain America would get his run in theaters with “Captain America: The First Avenger” and would have sequels over the years with “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” in 2014 and in 2016’s “Captain America: Civil War” and in each film actor Chris Evans played our star spangled hero. This version of Captain America would also go on to be in the Marvel Universe films for The Avengers and have cameos in many others. Not to mention that Captain America has also starred in animated films Ultimate Avengers: The Movie” and its sequel “Ultimate Avengers 2: Rise Of The Panther,” both released in 2006. I am not going to lie, all the stuff mentioned above is all stuff I loved watching over the years, and I 100% think Chris Evans is Captain America in all media! Oh and Captain America has even been the star of some fan films as well as knock off films like “3 Dev Adam” that has Cap teaming with wrestler El Santo to take on a sinister and evil version of Spider-Man.

Besides serials, cartoons and movies, Captain America has made his mark and delivered adventures in other forms of entertainment that include video games with titles like 1987’s “Captain America: The Doom Tube Of Dr. Megalomann” that was for many of the home computer systems like Commodore 64 and ZX Spectrum. Then in 1989 for home computer systems again, the game “The Amazing Spider-Man and Captain America in Dr. Doom’s Revenge” was unleashed on gamers. One of my favorite games based on Cap was released in 1991 at the arcades and later on home systems like Nintendo, Sega Genesis and Super Nintendo and was called “Captain America And The Avengers,” and this is one of the only arcade cabinets that I own! The next game released was in 2011 and was called “Captain America: Super Solider” and came out for PS3, WII and X-Box 360. The above are just the solo adventures of Captain America in the world of video games as he has shared and had cameos in many others mostly in Avengers and Spider-Man games.

And let us not forget that Captain America has had many adventures in the pages of not only comics and coloring books but also paperback novels with one of my favorites being “Captain America: Holocaust For Hire” that was written by Joseph Silva and released in 1979…it’s a cheesy good read. He also of course has graced trading cards that I can remember friends and I making a game around via the characters stats on the back of the card. And let us not forget board games and role-playing games including HeroClix that he stars in or can be chosen in with one of the coolest and most vintage being the old Milton Bradley Games….classic and so cool. The vast amount of action figures of Cap have allowed his fans for decades to create their own adventures with the Star Spangled Hero having him duke it out with the likes of Destro, Darth Vader, Skeletor and General Urko. One of my favorite toys growing up was the Mattel Secret Wars figure of Captain America, and I have always had a soft spot for the Mego Cap action figure. So as you can see, Captain America really is a comic book superstar who is also a true American icon and has delivered so much entertainment to fans and readers.

Sitting here and thinking about it, I must say that it’s crazy that coloring books based on comic book characters have original stories in them, no matter how barebones and cheesy they are…they are still new adventures for them. And I want to thank an Amazon seller for having this coloring book in stock and making this update possible. I want to also remind you that I grade these issues on a standard 1-4 star system and am looking for how well the comic stays to the source material, its entertainment value and its art and story. So grab some crayons and let’s see what this coloring book adventure has in store for us.

Captain America: Coloring Book 1/2
Released in 1966 Cover Price .49 Whitman/Marvel # 1 of 1

Captain America follows a young woman who is holding an explosive and is attacked by Batroc The Leaper who ends up stealing the explosive cylinder and tries to sell it to a group of bad business men. But before they can buy it, Captain America shows up and has a fight with Batroc that leaves the villain getting beat down and running away. The business men get away with the cylinder, and Captain America returns to the woman who informs him she changed the cylinders and the bad guys have a fake! Captain America goes home and is visited by Nick Fury who tells him that a UFO has landed on Earth and robotic aliens are now in the city! But these robots are really made by AIM and one appears in the room with Captain America and Nick Fury, and after a short fight Cap is able to force a knock out pill into the robots mouth winning the fight and ending the terror in the city.

Wow this one is bad…I mean really bad! The plot of this coloring book adventure seems like it was told by a four-year-old child who was also distracted by playing Candy Crush on their cellphone, also while the TV is on playing the newest Minions movie. Now I get it this coloring book is geared towards very young kids, but really this one is a mess of a story. The plot has Captain America stalking a woman who has a cylinder that has a powerful weapon inside it, and while creeping around, he fights Batroc and then later uses a pill to defeat a robot…yeah a pill knocks out a robot….what were they thinking with that one? The one thing that is very cool is that it throws in normal Cap baddie Batroc The Leaper into the mix as well as has Nick Fury stop in for a cameo. Captain America in this coloring book seems to always be happy with his action even though he fails at capturing Batroc The Leaper and allows the business men to get away as well as the woman he was following has to be rushed to the hospital…what are you proud of Cap? This is definitely not the Captain America we all love from the normal Marvel Comics as for this coloring book he seems like he is incompetent. Bartoc The Leaper is one of the main villains, and he as well fails at everything he does and runs away in the heat of a battle. The sad thing is that while this was a very cool old school story told about one of my favorite superheroes, it’s just not very well done and is very boring and unfitting for such an iconic comic character. The cover is great and is super eye catching, and the interior art is okay and has a really cool kid friendly look to it. Over all this coloring book is pretty bad and unless you’re a major fan of Captain America, I would skip it. Check out the artwork below to see the style of this coloring book.

As you can see, Captain America’s coloring book adventure is not really well done and for the most part is so cheesy that it does seem like the idea came from a youngster who had been guzzling down soda while chasing it with pixie sticks and talking 1000 miles a minute to their dad who was used his hyped up kids idea as he was behind on his deadline for this coloring book. And while the Incredible Hulk coloring books were not ground breaking, they were way better than this Captain America one. So let’s put the crayons away as for our next update will not be about coloring books and will be the big Thanksgiving Day update and will be about Sylvester And Tweety as I can not think of any better Looney Tunes character to spend Turkey Day with. So until next time, read a Captain America comic or three, watch a movie or two and as always support your local horror host! See you next update as who knows maybe Sylvester will finally catch Tweety this time and make him into the Thanksgiving bird!

The Mighty Gigantic Grape Ape!

Posted on May 22, 2024 by bloodlinematt

Hanna-Barbera cartoons were very big in my youth as I grew up in the 1980’s and 1990’s, and they seemed to be on every Saturday and Sunday mornings, with me watching many of them when they first aired and others via reruns on USA Network’s show The Cartoon Express. And while you longtime readers know that Yogi Bear is my favorite Hanna-Barbera character, another one that is at the top of my list is Grape Ape as his cartoon was so silly and entertaining that he became a must see toon for me. And over the years I feel that I have not covered enough of the classic Hanna-Barbera cartoons that shaped my childhood as up to this point we have only covered FooFur, Inch High Private Eye, GoBots and Yogi Bear and now Grape Ape will be joining their ranks. So if you are ready to go on an adventure with a massive purple ape who is called Grape Ape, let’s get this update started!

The Grape Ape Show was a cartoon that was created by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera to release via their Hanna-Barbera Productions for ABC to air for their Saturday Morning Cartoons lineup. The show would start airing on September 6, 1975 and would end on December 13, 1975, lasting for one season and a total of 16 episodes. Even though it would only run for a very short time, the cartoon would remain airing in reruns until 1978 and was very popular with the kids. The show would then end up in airing on the USA Network as part of their Cartoon Express and would find even more fans and viewers and would make Grape Ape an even bigger star in the world of cartoons. Oddly enough over the years the show has not gotten the complete series released on VHS, DVD nor Blu-Ray even though it remains a highly requested series for Warner Brothers to release. But for some reason you can get the series only digitally via Amazon. I know for many of you readers it is shocking to thank that only 16 episodes were made for Grape Ape as when I was a kid it seemed like he was always on via reruns.

Grape Ape is a 40 Foot Tall purple-furred ape that is very childlike who wears a green jacket, black bowtie and green hat that has only two things he can say and that’s “Grape Ape, Grape Ape” and “Beegly Beagly”. He has a very big sweet tooth and likes to eat ice cream and due to his size, he is very misunderstood by those who come across him as to them they see a giant monster but really his is sweet and super friendly. Because of his size he can also move cars like toy cars and can easily save the day as he is always looking to do the right thing. Besides The Great Grape Ape Show, he has also appeared in such cartoons as “Laff-A-Lympics” as part of Scooby-Doo’s team and over the years also has made a cameos of some sort on shows like Dexter’s Lab, Harvey Birdman Attorney At Law and Robot Chicken. Voice actor Bob Holt was behind Grape Ape in his original run who was a well-known cartoon voice actor in his time.

Beegle Beagle is a talking dog that is the best friend of Grape Ape and is the one that drives him around, gets him into all types of adventures as well as is the one who takes him out for ice cream! Beegle was a fan of the color red as he would wear that color for his hat as well as vest and would also rock a very cool bone bowtie. And it is clear that while Beegle does some silly things and wants to make money off his giant friend from time to time, but it is also very clear that he cares and will watch out for Grape Ape. Beegle can also drive a car and he is how the two get around as Grape Ape sits atop the vehicle. Marty Ingels is the voice behind Beegle Beagle and he was a very popular voice actor for the time as he also voiced such characters as Pac-Man and The Devil for Darkwing Duck. Beegle Beagle is the perfect style cartoon straight man to the childlike antics of Grape Ape.

Over the years, Grape Ape has had some very cool merchandise based around him and many of his fans truly enjoy getting these collectables for their collections. Like if you are a fan you can get Grape Ape toys, dolls, shirts, posters, board game, air freshener, coloring books, buttons, comics and stickers to name a few. And growing up I can remember having a Grape Ape coloring book and over the years got the comics. And for many collectors, they really enjoy the Funko Pop release of Grape Ape. But as you can see lots of cool stuff to collect and shows just how big Hanna-Barbera use to be.

So as you can see, Grape Ape was a very cool classic cartoon series that was very popular with the kids at the time and was a cartoon that my brother and I always had to watch when on as how can you not like a giant ape and his wise talking dog friend. I would like to first say thanks to Hanna-Barbera Productions for making so many amazing cartoons that shaped so many kids’ childhoods. I would also like to thank the Etsy Seller who had both of these issues in stock and made this update possible, as these comics are a little rare and hard to find. I would like to also remind you all that I grade these comics on a star scale of 1 to 4 and am looking for how well the comics stay to the source material, its entertainment value and its art and story. So let’s see what Grape Ape has in store for us in the world of kid comic books.

The Great Grape Ape # 1 **1/2
Released in 1976 Cover Price .30 Charlton Comics # 1 of 2

“The Great Grape Ape Escape” in their trusty van Grape Ape and Beegle Beagle are following a car full of mobster bank robbers and watch as they pull over and run into the bank to steal the money. Grape Ape ends up putting their get away car on top of a building, but this does not stop them as they end up taking Beegle Beagle hostage and make him drive them to the airport so that they can make a clean get away. But while in the air Grape Ape grabs the plane from the sky and delivers the mobsters to the cops and saves the life of Beegle Beagle. “The Great Grape Ape Sees A Ghost” while driving around and using their last bit of money to wash the van Beegle Beagle and Grape Ape run out of gas and decided to take a challenge to stay a night in a haunted house to win $100.00! And Beegle Beagle gets inside and is scared of the ghosts that haunt it, but once Grape Ape removes the roof to join his friend the Ghost flee in fear and while they win the prize money the end up owing it back due to the damage caused by Grape Ape entering it! “Bring Em Back Alive Clive” while driving down the highway Grape Ape by accident knocks himself out by running into an overpass and he ends up on the highway, but his troubles soon become worse when Clive, a conman who runs a circus, nabs the knocked out ape with a crane and takes him prisoner, but soon when Grape Ape wakes up he wonders around causing damage and Clive ends up climbing into a giant robot version of himself, only for it to crumble after one punch from Grape Ape! In the end Grape Ape and Beegle Beagle leave the circus and Clive is happy to see his prisoner leave!

The first issue of Grape Ape features three short stories with each of them showcasing Grape Ape and Beegle Beagle in all sorts of strange adventures from being in a haunted house to stopping back robbers and even escaping a circus and all the while the lovable giant ape has a smile on his face and a playfulness in his heart. Grape Ape is very kind and childlike in the issue as he has no fear of ghosts and does not even seem to understand that he has been Ape-napped by a conman! But because he has no fear this does allow him to scare some ghosts as well as annoy and bring down some mobsters who were very mean spirited in nature. Beegle Beagle does what he does best and that is watch over his giant friend as well as drive them around from place to place. But sadly due to his size and the fact he is a dog, he does seem to get treated poorly by the crappy people they come across on their adventures. The plots for these three stories are very simple and have a quick pace and some truly silly and fun moments, but because they are so basic they do lose a little charm as I feel that at least with this first issue they lack the true kids comic silliness of say the Whitman Looney Tune Comics. But with that said, I do feel that the comic series also did a good job of capturing the charm of the cartoon it’s based on…so I would have to say that over all it really is a entertaining comic for fans of Grape Ape. My favorite story of course is The Great Grape Ape Sees A Ghost as you can never go wrong with a spooky tale of a haunted house and ghosts. The cover is fantastic and showcases both Grape Ape and Beegle Beagle enjoying some ice cream while the interior art is really well done and truly looks like the cartoon versions, but sadly I could not find who the artist was so this is another for Unknown Artist to claim as his own. I have to say this is a really good comic if you enjoy classic Hanna-Barbara Cartoons.

The Great Grape Ape # 2 **1/2
Released in 1976 Cover Price .30 Charlton Comics # 2 of 2

“Timberrrr!” while driving through the woods Grape Ape and Beegle Beagle come across a fallen tree and find that the giant Paul Bunyan and his ox Blue are the ones doing it as they are stealing all the lumber for themselves and chasing off all the other lumberjacks! Grape Ape ends up standing his ground against the giant lumberjack and finds out that both Paul and Ox are robots being controlled by a rich man who truly wanted all the lumber for himself. Grape Ape destroys the robots and saves the day and even gets a job offer before he and Beegle Beagle ride off into the woods. “The Great Grape Ape vs. Snap Dragon” while driving through California Grape Ape and Beegle Beagle come across a town that is being tormented by a power shovel that has gone rogue and is destroying the town and drinking up all the gas and oil as it now spits fire! But Grape Ape has seen enough and decides to help the town and does so by punching and breaking the power shovel ending its reign of terror, and with that the town’s people are thankful and Beegle Beagle and Grape Ape continue their quest. “Frisbee Fun” while driving around Beegle Beagle and Grape Ape watch some kids play with Frisbees and this makes Grape Ape sad as they are too small for him to use, but just then UFOs from Mars try and invade and Grape Ape grabs one and flings it back into space causing them all to flee and stop the invasion! Grape Ape is a hero but all he really wants is a Frisbee his size to play with.

The final issue in the very short lived Grape Ape comic series is a pretty entertaining one as we once more join him and Beegle Beagle in three adventures that this time have them fighting robots as well as stopping an alien invasion and of course all the while Grape Ape is a hero that is doing what he thinks is right and that is stopping the baddies. Grape Ape in this one seems to be ready for a fight as he beats the heck out of robot versions of Paul Bunyan and Blue as well as a fire breaking Power Shovel with his big bare fists and even tosses a UFO away with ease and has fun doing it! The one think that I do have to point out that the comic gets wrong is they have Grape Ape say more words than he should and that kind of makes its feel slightly off. In other words Charlton Comics needed to have Grape Ape not say as much as he does through both these issues. Beegle Beagle in this one seems more like a background player as he is featured in all three stories it’s clear that Grape Ape is the true star and is the one who gets almost all the panel time. I have to say also that Snap Dragon the Power Shovel gone crazy truly reminded me of the made for TV film “Killdozer” mixed with Godzilla and a Dragon…and I for some reason really enjoyed that showdown the best as I think it is my favorite story in the issue. Plus you have to once more enjoy the fact that this issue brings the Horror and Sci-Fi elements into the stories. I have to say that while it does have a very small amount of flaws that makes the comic feel slightly different from the cartoon I do think that if you are a fan of Grape Ape, you will really like these comics. The cover for this second and final issue is great and has Grape Ape squaring up against Snap Dragon and is super eye catching, and Unknown Artist once more did a great job of brining top notch interior artwork that does look like the toon its based on. If you really do enjoy Grape Ape or just Hanna-Barbara cartoons, make sure to checkout this series. Take a look at the artwork below to see the style used in this comic series.

As you can see, Grape Ape not only was a great cartoon but also a very fun comic book series as Charlton Comics proved that they knew how to make kids comic based on popular toons at the time and you can never go wrong with their series based on Hanna-Barbara Cartoons! And really this update was a blast to work on as it made me not only feel like a kid again but also brought back my love for the character Grape Ape that I feel is very much overlooked in this modern time…I say give me Grape Ape over 99.9% off all the modern cartoons flooding the airwaves now. Anyways I now just sound like an old man yelling at the clouds so with that I think our time with Grape Ape and Beegle Beagle has come to an end and our next update will take us to the Ultraverse as we take a look at Sludge the monster hero of Malibu Comics! So until next time, read a comic of three, watch a cartoon or two and as always support your local Horror Host. See you next update for a muck monster of a gooey good time.

Belvedere: The K-9 That Comic Strips Forgot

Posted on February 12, 2024 by bloodlinematt

It’s time to grab that glass of milk and open up the Rotten Ink Daily News and find the Rotten Funnies as we once more take a look at a classic comic strip that made the newspapers worth opening! Don’t get me wrong, I have a very soft spot in my heart for the newspaper but after the Virus Crisis of 2020 I feel like almost all news is bad news…well that is being a little dramatic. While looking through my paperback books that are compilations of comic strips I decided that I wanted to take a look at one that I did not grow up reading and one that I knew very little about, as I am sure I am like many of you readers as I love to learn about things and characters and that’s why I choose that comical dog Belvedere as this update’s topic. Bratty animal comic strips are ones that I enjoyed in my youth and even still somewhat to this day as Garfield is fantastic and Snoopy of Peanuts is a true icon of comic strip history. So I am pretty excited to see what Belvedere brings to the table when it comes to comic strips. So sit back, drink that milk and maybe have some ham and eggs and let’s take a look at that dog named Belvedere.

The creator of Belvedere is George Webster Crenshaw, who was born on October 23, 1917 in Los Angeles, California. He was a student of UCLA as well as Harvard and made an impact in the world of animation as he worked on such Disney films as “Fantasia” and “Pinocchio” as well as several “Donald Duck” cartoons. He also worked with MGM on many “Tom and Jerry” toons. He also had his hand in the world of newspaper and magazine comic strips with much of his work being published in publications like The New Yorker, Reader’s Digest, Woman’s World and The National Enquirer. Plus he did some comic book writing for characters like Bugs Bunny, Mickey Mouse and Woody Woodpecker. But much of his comic strip work was not a major hit with most lasting less than two years. He did such titles as “The Muffins” that lasted from 1957-1959; his next was “Nubbin” that would go from 1958-1972. His shortest lived strip was “McGirk’s Works” that started and ended in 1959! “Sompkins” was from 1971-1978 and his only major hit was Belvedere that was from 1962 all the way to 1995. George Webster Crenshaw would pass away on September 6, 2007 and while he is no longer with us, he has left behind many comic strips that bring laughter and delight to readers all over the world.

The characters that make up this single panel comic strip universe are the following: Orville and Emma are a married couple who have a good house, good neighbors and a great relationship that includes home cooked meals and fun vacations and getaways. Emma likes to cook and go on hikes, while Orville is a man who likes to fish and hunt. The couple owns three very odd pets with their talking and sarcastic bird being named Chi-Chi. He is a handful as he is also very honest and at times mean in his words to Orville. The cat is Jezebel, a sweet black kitty who struts around the house and town. And lastly is the dog Belvedere who has white fur with black spots and is a canine with attitude as he does what he wants and throws fits like a spoiled child if he doesn’t get his way. He also has a feud with the local dog catchers as well as the butcher who he tries and steal meat from. Also around are the townspeople, co-workers as neighbors, and let us not forget the other animals that are part of this comic strip universe.

So as you can tell, Belvedere is a comic strip that had a decent run in papers and while long gone from being printed and showing up in the Sunday Funnies, many of his comic strip humorous adventures can be found in paperback books and one of them is what we will be using for this super quick update. I want to thank a seller on Etsy for having this book as part of a lot that I was able to get for a really good price. Also want to remind you readers that I grade this book on a standard 1-4 star system and am looking for how well the comic stays to the source material, its entertainment value and its art and story. So lets get to the one and only Belvedere!

Belvedere: The Odds Are **
Released in 1982 Cover Price $1.75 Tor Books #? of ?

Much like all these comic strip paperback books they feature one page jokes and stories so it makes it very hard to cover for these reviews. So like always, I will pick 10 of my favorite gags from this book and give you a taste of the style of humor used in Belvedere and again in no real order. # 1 has Orville and Emma on vacation and has Orville looking shocked as King Kong has grabbed a young woman, and he is seconding guessing if they should have chosen this spot. # 2 has Emma and Orville eating a hot dog from a stand on a peer and Belvedere is throwing a fit like a toddler as Emma tells Orville just to buy him another hot dog. # 3 has that sneaky Belvedere stealing a UFO from aliens who are confused to where their spacecraft went! # 4 has Orville sticking out of the floor and Belvedere is in a fighting stance as Emma tells her husband that he should give up, as you cannot teach judo to a dog. # 5 has Belvedere making a Bubble Gum Pizza and it’s a massive bubble as Orville looks on. # 6 has Orville and Belvedere at a secret fishing hole and are about to be eaten by a massive water monster. # 7 has Belvedere using boomerangs to knock out dogcatchers who laugh as they think they are toys! # 8 has Belvedere using voodoo to turn a dogcatcher into a frog! # 9 has Orville showing off a wild hog mounted on his wall to his friend, the hog is wearing a party hat and he tells how wild the hunt was. And # 10 has Orville and Belvedere looking for bones in a dig and the pet doghouse found the skeleton of a Centaur!

Let me start off by saying that Belvedere is a good kid friendly read and has the fun and mischief adventures of a pet dog with attitude, but I also want to say that George Crenshaw milks the same jokes several times in different strips and follows that same formula of a sassy animal much like Garfield and Heathcliff do. Now I am sure many of these jokes that he recycled over and over were spread out over months and maybe even years…but when put into this book, they stand out at being reused like the jokes of Belvedere telling someone to look one way as he steal meat and even jokes of him having fits over not getting his way when it comes to food. I also 100% think that the comic strip only can be funny in the visuals as the jokes that are told rely on them to work. I must say I do like the friendship between Belvedere and Orville. It’s one of the best things about this comic strip as the pair have fights and such but also spend time hunting, fishing and having adventures. And I would say that the friendship reminded me of Charlie Brown and Snoopy as far as they are not just owner and pet but also best friends. Sadly while Chi-Chi and Jezebel are around and do offer some laughs, they definitely take a back seat in this book. Emma is pretty funny and plays well off her husband as well as Belvedere. The cover for this paperback is pretty eye catching and has a vet making the mistake of thinking she is going to give Belvedere a shot! The interior art style of George Webster Crenshaw is good Sunday comic strip look that reminds me of slightly of Reg Smythe (Andy Capp) meets Dik Browne (Hagar The Horrible). To sum up Belvedere, while it is a fun and silly comic strip it is one that I found myself losing interest in the more the creator reused the jokes and gags. But with that said, I also say you readers should not only check out the art style of George Webster Crenshaw below, but also check out Belvedere as you might enjoy his style of humor.

For you readers who enjoy funny animal comic strips I would say that you might enjoy Belvedere as he does have some pretty funny gags and has a classic strip charm to him. I really do hope that you enjoy these updates that are all about comic strip characters and the paperback books that bring collections together as I have been having fun reading them and writing these updates about them! For our next update, we will be sticking with the Dog theme as well as the comic strip one as well as we will be taking a look at that massive Marmaduke! So until next time, read a comic strip or three, watch a dog movie or two and as always support your local horror host. See you next update as it will be for the dogs……you get it? As this month has turned into comics about dogs.

Star Trek The End Of The Kirk Generation

Posted on January 13, 2024 by bloodlinematt

Welcome back to Rotten Ink. This update is something very special as it will be the final update about the Star Trek films that featured members of the original cast, and of course, the film is Star Trek: Generations that was released in 1994 and featured Captain Kirk along with a few other members of his crew in small rolls as they passed the silver screen torch to Captain Picard and the cast of Star Trek: The Next Generation. I have had a very fun time covering these adaptations of the Star Trek films as they were ones I grew up watching and they kept Captain Kirk and his crew alive in media as their show was long over with on TV. So I think it’s time that we come aboard the Enterprise and set off with the final film adventure of Captain Kirk as this is truly the end of the Original Star Trek cast updates here at Rotten Ink, and I hope that you readers enjoy it.

Okay before we get to deep into this update, I want to also now take a brief moment to introduce the crew that made up “Star Trek: The Next Generation” as they are the main focus of this film as well as comic adaptation. First up is Captain Jean-Luc Picard, a very smart and strategic Captain who comes off cold at times but is truly a caring person. He is played by Patrick Stewart. Commander William T. Riker is second in command on the Enterprise; he as well is very smart, is a ladies man and has a sly attitude. He is played by Jonathan Frakes. Lieutenant Commander Geordi La Forge is the ship’s chief engineer and is blind and must use a visor to see. He is played by LeVar Burton. Lieutenant Worf is the ship’s chief of security and is a Klingon and is the muscle of the crew. He is played by Michael Dorn. Commander Data is the operations officer and is an android that battles with wanting to be more human. He is played by Brent Spiner. Lieutenant Deanna Troi is the ship’s counselor. She is half human and half Betazoid and is the love interest of Riker. She is played by Marina Sirtis. Doctor Beverly Crusher is the ship’s chief medical officer and semi love interest for Picard, and she is played by Gates McFadden. Other returning characters include Wesley Crusher, the annoying son and acting ensign for the Enterprise played by Wil Wheaton. Guinan, the ship’s bartender and advice giver played by Whoopi Goldberg. Lieutenant Tasha Yar was the original chief and security before the character was killed and she was played by Denise Crosby. Miles O’Brien was the ship’s conn officer and transporter chief; he would be later transferred to the Deep Space Nine base and he was played by Colm Meaney. And lastly Doctor Katherine Pulaski who was the ships doctor for a short time when Crusher was away, and she was played by Diana Muldaur. This is just a really fast crash course of the crew of the USS Enterprise-D as to really dive into each crew member would be a massive update of its own.

So now that we have briefly talked about the crew, let’s now take a look at the 7^th film in the Star Trek movie series and the final movie voyage for the Original Star Trek cast. Like always, I will be taking the film’s plot from our friends at IMDB and then I will write about the film’s production as well as my thoughts about the film. So if you are ready, let’s beam up to the Enterprise and take a look at Generations.

Star Trek: Generations (1994)

“With the help of long presumed dead Captain Kirk, Captain Picard must stop a deranged scientist willing to murder on a planetary scale in order to enter a space matrix.”

The films starting the Original Star Trek cast were coming to an end due to them all getting older as well as the box office dropping for them, but on TV, Star Trek: The Next Generation was a big hit and fans wanted to see Captain Picard and his crew on the big screen and so did Paramount Pictures and plans began to make a film staring them in production. Paramount Pictures ended up having Brannon Braga and Ronald D. Moore write the screenplay for the film as they both were working on Star Trek: The Next Generation at the time and were the perfect pair to handle this task. And when the story was coming about, the studio had some requests as well: the film had to have a funny Data subplot, that the film have an epic bad guy and that the original cast only appears shortly at the start of the film with Captain Kirk being the one that would come back in the end as well. The film’s plot went through many different ideas that also included having at one point a member of The Next Generation Crew dying, and one of the early ideas would have had Captain Kirk and Captain Picard along with their crews at odds with each other and having to battle one another with one Captain having to die…this would have been an epic film and would have really ruffled the feathers of many Trekkies as it’s clear that Kirk would have lost as Paramount wanted Picard and crew to be the new stars of the films. But after going back and fourth, the script was locked and a budget of around $35million was given, with David Carson coming on to direct after Leonard Nimoy turned it down. The cast of Star Trek The Next Generation Patrick Stewart, Jonathan Frakes, Michael Dorn, Gates McFadden, Brent Spiner, LeVar Burton, Marina Sirtis and Whoopi Goldberg made up the main cast with Malcolm McDowell being cast as the main villain named Soran and Jacqueline Kim playing Demora Sulu the daughter of Hikaru Sulu a crewmember of Enterprise-B. The original cast brought in was William Shatner playing Kirk and James Doohan returned as Scotty with Walter Koenig once more as Chekov. The filming took place toward the end of Star Trek The Next Generation’s run on TV, and this allowed them to rough up the set more as the set was planned for demolish to make way for Star Trek Voyager that was on its way to TV. Once done the film was scored by Dennis McCarthy who worked on the music for such shows as MacGyver, Dynasty and V to name a few and also did the score for the 1980 Bigfoot Horror Film called Night Of The Demon. The film would be released in theaters on November 18, 1994 and was meet with good reviews from critics and fans as many liked that blending of the Original Cast with that of the Next Generation…plus Trekkies loved seeing Captain Picard with Captain Kirk fighting to save the Universe. The film ended up making over $118million worldwide and would rank at # 15 for the year. The film would also beat out such other films as Ace Ventura Pet Detective, Stargate, Wolf, Beverly Hills Cop III, The Shadow, Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein and Wes Craven’s New Nightmare to name a few. The film would also be a big hit when released on home media and would gain even more of a fan base.

When Star Trek Generations was first announced I was both excited and also a little sad as this was clearly the sign that Captain Kirk and the original crew’s film series was truly at an end and that the films were now in the hands of Picard and his crew. Now keep in mind, I grew up a big fan of the original series thatI can remember watching in reruns with my Dad and Brother, but I also have great memories of watching Star Trek: The Next Generation on a small black and white portable TV I had when I was a kid, as the show would air before reruns of Tales From The Crypt on FOX. Many critics and even some fans for years had been mocking the age of the original cast and this became more and more of a chatter and it was clear that the box office drop of the films as well as the age chatter was sealing the fate of Captain Kirk and his crew…and this was gearing up to be their final adventure on the big screen. In 1994, I was super busy at school and was also at this point moved to a new school so I was not able to see the film in the theater and had to wait for the film to be released on home media and rented it from the local small video store and can remember enjoying it as I liked that the film made Captain Kirk the hero in the past as well as the future and they worked around any limitations that William Shatner had and delivered one heck of an entertaining film and a fitting send off for Captain Kirk. While I enjoyed the film, I also have to say that I was a little disappointed that Spock, McCoy, Sulu and Uhura did not appear in this film as it would have been great to have seen them all together that one last time. The film is one I would end up buying on VHS and later would upgrade to DVD and is one I have watched at least every three years or so. I will say that also when this film was released in 1994 it had a buzz going as the Trekkies I knew seemed to be really excited about Captain Picard being the new focus of the films, and for me while I was looking forward to seeing Picard, I cannot stress just how sad it was to see Kirk go away. Over all I am a fan of Star Trek: Generations and have to say that it was a nice send off for the original cast even though not all of them appeared in the film. I will get more into my thoughts in the review of the comic so be prepared for that.

Like all Star Trek films that came before it, Star Trek: Generations had a great amount of cool merchandise released for fans to collect. Such things as books, magazines, posters, home media, toys, model kits, trading cards, shirts, soundtrack, stickers, buttons, pins, comic book and so much more! And of course over the years I have had many of these things in my collection as of course I have the comic book, the film on VHS and DVD, the soundtrack on CD, action figures and I had some of the trading cards. So if you are a big fan of Star Trek: Generations, make sure to track down some of this merchandise as they are worth having if you are a collector.

So as you can see, Star Trek: Generations was Paramount’s attempt to try and breath new life into the feature length film series for Star Trek and you can tell that while they cheaped out on the budget, they really did want these Star Trek films to continue with this new cast. Now for those wondering, Juliet has reviewed this comic before on her big update about Star Trek: The Next Generation and if you have not read it, make sure to do so here. I would like to thank Bell, Book And Comic for having this comic in stock and making this update possible, and I would also like to remind you all that I grade these comics on a star scale of 1 to 4 and am looking for how well the comic stays to the source material, its entertainment value and its art and story. So with that, let’s head to the bridge and see how Captain Picard and Captain Kirk will save the galaxy this time.

Star Trek: Generations # 1 ***
Released in 1994 Cover Price $3.95 DC Comics # 1 of 1

Captain Kirk has jumped from a ship and as he lands he meets up with Scotty and Chekov and the three the next day the three are at a press event for the new Enterprise and meet the new Captain named Harriman as well as Demora Sulu, the daughter of Hikaru Sulu who is a member of the crew. And as the Enterprise heads off into space they get a distress call from The Lakul, a ship holding refugees and among these refugees is Guinan and Soran who are among those able to be saved and beamed aboard, but Soran seems to want to go back to the ship that is being ripped apart by time…and worse the Enterprise is being torn to shreds, but Captain Kirk comes up with a plan and saves everyone on board besides himself. Now 78 years later, the Enterprise is run by Captain Picard and he and his crew are on the Holodeck as they are promoting Worf and doing so via a classic navel way, but the fun is cut short when they get a distress call and find Soran as one of the survivors who informs them that the attacks was so quick and he has no clue who did it. Meanwhile the android Data is having an Emotion Chip implanted in order to understand humans better and gets the help of La Forge to install it. Once more Soran is wanting to head back to the destroyed lab ship and begs Captain Picard to let him return to it. Meanwhile the crew have discovered that Trilithium might have been used to blow up the ship, and when Data and La Forge are on the wreckage looking for it they are attacked by Soran. Picard seems very distracted and his crew has noticed and Counselor Troy speaks to him and learns that his brother and nephew have died in a fire and he is now thinking of death and legacy. But things quickly turn deadly as Soran has caused a Level 12 wave that will destroy everything in its path and as Worf and Riker beam down to the destroyed lab and are attacked by Soran who has La Forge hostage. We learn that Soran is working with the Klingons to create a weapon of mass destruction and as Picard learns about Soran from Guinan as well as a place called the Nexus that once you enter you do not want to leave as well as an event called The Ribbon that will rip through the galaxy. Meanwhile Soran is forcing La Forge to tell him all that the Enterprise knows. Picard and Data figure out that Soran wants to use The Ribbon in order to get back to the Nexus but this will also cause another shockwave that will kill nearby planets and they have to stop this and head to the projected planet that the event will hit. At the planet The Enterprise and The Klingons are at a standoff as Soran and Picard are on the planet having talks to try and stop this destruction as La Forge returns to the Enterprise and later the Enterprise must destroy the Klingon Bird Of Prey but they also suffer some serious damage and must split the ship in order to save lives and they crash to the planet below banged up but alive. Meanwhile Soran is able to set his plan in motion and Picard is taken into the Nexus and there he has a family of his own and they are celebrating Christmas together, but while there he sees Guinan who breaks the Nexus’s hold on Picard who ends up finding Captain Kirk and talks him into leaving the Nexus as well to stop Soran and close the Nexus for good. Captain Kirk and Captain Picard do just that and stop Soran as well as The Nexus opening via The Ribbon…but Kirk passes away being the hero. In the end the Enterpirse is gone but Picard and his crew live on and will get a new ship to have more adventures.

I have to say it first thing DC Comics and the creators of this adaptation did a great job of bringing this film to comic pages and keep the story going fast and showcase all the main characters from the cast. The plot has Picard and his crew responding to a distress call at a starship lab only to pick up a survivor who is really a madman and wants to use a natural solar event as well as a powerful bomb to open a path to another dimension, but in order to do this millions of people will die! And it’s up to Captain Picard and his crew to stop it as well as find Captain Kirk who was lost in the other dimension for over 70 years! The issues villain is Soran a brilliant scientist who has turned mad after his family was killed by The Borg and after finding a place called The Nexus were time does not matter he is willing to kill millions to return to it after being taken away from it via Captain Kirk in the past. He is cold very cold and does not care who he has to kill to get what he wants and is even willing to work with the Klingons by building them a weapon of mass destruction in order to get to his destination. The Klingons this time around are lead by The Duras Sisters who want to cause war and bring the Klingons back to their glory of being feared around the galaxy. Captain Picard is a great leader to his crew, but his a little shaken when he learns that his brother and nephew have died in a fire and this causes him to question death and how we all die, but he like always fights through his mental struggle and is able to save millions of lives with his quick thinking. The rest of the crew as well do what they can to help stop this massacre as well as help Picard, and Data himself has some major issues when his Emotion Chip goes wrong and causes him to have breakdowns and overloads with feelings. The true hero of this story is Captain Kirk who in the past saves many lives from an explosion even though he was retired from Starfleet, and his heroic act causes him to be stuck in the Nexus for over 70 years and once talked out of the Nexus by Picard he ends up given his life to stop the explosion…showing once more that Kirk is the best Captain. The comic also features Scotty and Chekov as they appear in the past events along side Kirk and it was also cool to see the daughter of Sulu. The cover is very eye catching for fans of Star Trek: The Next Generation as it showcases Picard and his crew and the interior artwork for this issue is really good and captures the likeness of the actors who played these characters and the artist behind it was Gordon Purcell. To sum it up this comic adaptation is very well done and does the film justice. Checkout the art bellow to see the style used by Purcell.

Star Trek: Generations is truly the passing of the torch from one crew to another and after this film Captain Picard and his crew would have three more films before they would end up being replaced with a reboot series that would feature a younger version of Kirk, Spock and McCoy. And I am not sure what Rotten Ink has in store for the future when it comes to Star Trek as I might end up covering the Next Generation movie series and the comic adaptations of them or I might even just cover the comics based on Deep Space Nine and Voyager, or does the Enterprise dock for good here at Rotten Ink…but only time will tell really on what I choose to do. But one thing is for sure is that I had a blast covering all these Star Trek films as they were apart of my childhood and it was fun revisiting not only the films but also the memories of the films and re-reading the comics. Our next update will take us away from space and will instead take us to the world of Horror as we take a look at The Screaming Skull. So until next time read a comic or three, watch a Star Trek film or two and as always support your local Horror Host. See you soon as I am sure this skull has lots to scream about!

The Toys That Time Forgot: Dino-Riders

Posted on December 14, 2023 by bloodlinematt

Welcome back to Rotten Ink! Christmas 2023 is just around the corner, and I know that many of you friends and readers are thinking about many of your past Christmases and all the memories you had being around your loved ones as well as some of the cool gifts you got under the tree those years. And for some of you kids of the 1980’s and early 90’s I would think that Dino Riders made their way under your tree from Santa and made that years holiday just a little more cooler! And that is why I think it’s been long over due for me to cover Dino Riders as growing up they were pretty popular for a short time and a friend of mine to this day loves all things them! So let’s drink some Eggnog and have some cookies as its time to gather around the Christmas tree and talk about a classic toy series that spawned toys, comics and more. Let’s travel to that time when Dinosaurs were decked out in weapons and when aliens wanted to take over the Earth.

Dino Riders was a cartoon TV Show that lasted for one season and a total of 13 episodes with the first episode being VHS releases before being aired on TV via syndication as part of the “Marvel Action Universe” block. The production company behind the show was Marvel Productions who was owned by media company New World Pictures, and they had the idea to try and dominate the Saturday Morning Cartoon market by making toons based on their films as well as some popular properties that also included Robocop. The cartoon started in 1988 and would end just as fast as it started and while the show was semi popular with the kids, it just failed to gain the attention it needed to keep it going. In 1990 they did one direct to VHS animated special to promote the change in the toy series Ice Age, and it as well made only a minor splash. Besides a few episodes being released on VHS in America, the cartoon never got a DVD or Blu-Ray release and can only be found on the Grey Market on physical media or on different region releases. The cartoon was about a race of humans called The Valorians on the planet of Valoria who are being attacked by an alien race called the Rulons and each use armored dinosaurs as their war machines once both sides get stuck on prehistoric Earth. Growing up I remember this cartoon and would watch it from time to time as I found it to be entertaining and like all kids I liked dinosaurs, let alone dinosaurs with weapons attached to them!

In 1988 Tyco Toys released the first series in the Dino-Riders figure line that was pretty awesome stuff for the time of their release as you could buy the figures of the Valorians (humans) or the Rulons (monster men) that each came with their own weapons and armor, or you could buy the sets that include a figure as well as a dinosaurs that came with all kinds of attachments to weaponize them out. The figures themselves are the size of Mattel’s M.A.S.K., just slightly smaller and bulkier, and are pretty cool with many of the Rulons figures having the same insect or snake head with different outfit paint schemes. Meanwhile the Dinosaurs are very well done and very detailed and some even had mechanical parts that would make them walk and move and that made them must have toys for a while among my group of friends. The toys’ first two series all were about the dinosaurs and the third series would be more about the Ice Age and would feature mammals like the Woolly Mammoth and Sabre-Tooth Tiger. The human figures as well would be cavemen and are really cool! The figures would run from 1988-1990 and would only have the three series before disappearing from toy shelves. The only rebirth for the series as of this posting was in 2020 when Mattel released a very limited set of Dino-Riders that are in scale with the classic plastic green Army Men. Growing up I had some of the figures and would only have one of the dinosaurs that was the Torosaurus and I had him fight with my Imperial Godzilla and King Kong figures. And like I said before, for a short time Dino-Riders was popular at my school, but they were very short lived in popularity as my friends and fellow classmates quickly moved onto the next big thing in toys. I think what hurt the toys the most was the price point for the bigger dinosaurs and figures in the series scared many parents from getting them, and toy stores didn’t want to give those big figures that much shelf space so in my area they were very short lived at the box stores making them out of sight and out of mind. Tyco was bought out of Mattel in 1997, and the fate of Dino-Riders are now in their hands, so who knows if new toys will make their way to stores worldwide anytime soon.

I just want to take a moment to chat slightly about the third line in the series called “Ice Age” as I remember when these came out but could never find the figures at the stores my parents went to. I really wanted the Sabre-Tooth Tiger as well as some of the human Cavemen figures as to me they were really cool looking figures as even around this time I had some of those Playskool “Definitely Dinosaurs” figures of the Cavemen and they were fun but cheesy and the Dino-Riders Cavemen figures would fit into the M.A.S.K. figures I had and they could be added to the Toy War that I had going on at that time. Now these figures sell for super high prices and the market for them seems to not be lowering so having one of these Caveman figures for my collection just seems not to be in the cards. Well who knows, maybe one day I will find one cheap at a garage sale or at a flea market. Do you readers and friends remember the Ice Age set from Dino-Riders and did you have any in your collection?

Dino Riders really is a toy series that was pretty big when I was a kid that sadly over time has been pushed more and more into the forgotten zone and that’s because unlike so many other 80’s toys, it never got a film nor re-release of the toys making it never again in the eyes of new collectors. My friend Garrison Kane is still a big fan of the series and use to have a massive collection of the toy series, and I can remember him talking about Dino Riders all the time whenever toys came up in conversation. But now we are at the time for the comic review and I have to say that if Marvel Comics would have had Star Comics still open in 1989 this would have been a great series for that kids’ branch! I would like to thank Bell Book and Comic as well as Lone Star Comics for having these issues in stock and making this update possible. And I of course would like to remind you that I grade these comics on a star scale of 1 to 4 and am looking for how well the comics stay to the source material, their entertainment value and their art and story. So if you are ready, let’s take a trip to a place were dinosaurs and technology mix.

Dino-Riders # 1 **1/2
Released in 1989 Cover Price $1.00 Marvel # 1 of 3

On the planet of Valoria, a war is going on and inside a base Questar is working on a machine and orders Serena and Tark to get onto a nearby ship…this order does not set well with Tark who is mad that he and Serena’s relationship has fallen apart. Questar has gotten 200 of his people on the ship and the countdown starts as the enemy The Rulons are getting very close, but the ship is able to get past their ships and to safety for the time being, while Lord Krulos the leader of The Rulons wants his men to follow them and take prisoners. Questar on the ship installed what he is calling The Space-Time-Energy-Projector that will allow them to jump to a new dimension and away from their enemies for good, but when they make the jump Lord Krulos’s ship is also pulled through and they land near Earth in the time of Dinosaurs! And of course on the planet as soon as they land Lord Krulos orders his men to capture some of the dinosaurs to use them as a battlewagon as he still wants war with Questar’s men. Meanwhile Questar is having issues as some of his people do not like his leadership and they are fighting among themselves, all the while Questar is trying to get dinosaurs on their side to help fight. Tark challenges Questar to a battle for leadership and as the two are fighting by their old law The Rulons appear and are ready for the attack and the two have to put their differences aside for the time and mount up on their dinosaurs for battle. Questar and his brave men defeat The Rulons in this battle, but Questar has to shoot Tark who was going to shoot him in the back and those on the side of Tark arrest Questar for murder!

This is a pretty good first issue to kick off this comic series that is based on a toy line as well as a short-lived cartoon. The plot is very simple as it as a race of humans having to flee and dimension jump in order to get away from their alien enemies only for them by accident to be swept into the jump and they all find themselves on Earth during the time of Dinosaurs and the two sides are still at war and use these amazing creatures in their battles now. The main hero is Questar, a wise leader who has chosen by his father to lead his people. He is very smart but also does not like killing or endangering living things for this war…but he will kill if he has to. He is respected by many of his people but small section do not like his leadership as they think his more take charge brother Tark should be in charge. Tark however is a man filled with rage as he thinks he should be the leader due to his age as well as he blames Questar for losing his girlfriend Serena who know is in love with Questar. Lord Krulos is the leader of The Rulons, a race of aliens who look like insects and serpents and who love war and want to rule the galaxy. They use mind control on other living beings to make them take part in their conquests of planets. Lord Krulos is very cold and loves to see his enemies die…in other words he is one bad dude. This comic does a great job of bringing a story to these characters and while it’s based on the first cartoon episode, it still packs a fun read punch for those kids who enjoyed this toy series. The cover is very cool and eye catching with the interior art being well done by Kelley Jones. Over all a great issue that makes me look forward to reading the next as the cliffhanger of Questar being arrested for murder makes you wonder how he can prove it was self-defense and is Tark really dead!

Dino-Riders # 2 **1/2
Released in 1989 Cover Price $1.00 Marvel # 2 of 3

Questar is on trial for murder and people are split on if he killed his brother in cold blood or self-defense with even those not at the trail arguing with each other. While Lord Krulos has found himself a large T-Rex that he wants as his new ride into battle and The Rulons attack the beast to get it under mind control they are unaware of the trail of Questar who has been found Not Guilty and can return to leading his people…this does not set well with many. As Questar is riding around on his dinosaur to clear his mind he is attacked by Lord Krulos and his T-Rex and its Serena who saves him from being killed and they two talk about the trail as well as the powers Serena has and most important how they can not let The Rulons get their hands on The Space-Time-Energy-Projector as this would give them way to much power and make it easier for them to take over planets. As Questar and Serena return to base they find it is under attack by Lord Krulos and his T-Rex and they know this is a fight for their lives and after tripping up the T-Rex a very angry Lord Krulos fires a shot at Aries that Questar jumps in front of wounding the leader but saving the life of Aries who was a Tark supporter who now has a change of heart. Lord Krulos ends up retreating when the mind control box falls off the T-Rex and now the beast is mad. And once more Questar leads him people into victory and as well gets the respect of some of his doubters.

Not Guilty! Is the verdict on if Questar killed his brother in cold blood and this makes many of the people happy but also drives those who were friends of Tark further away from supporting their leader who they think only got freed of the chargers cause of his ties to the court and those who were the Judges. Questar in this issue goes from having to prove he is innocent, to almost being killed by Lord Krulos twice, to being mentally blasted by Serena and finally proving that he is a leader for his people as he would even take a laser blast for them…Questar is your typical 80’s cartoon hero and I dig him as I think he is truly strong willed but also has a side to him that’s frustrated on how he is viewed by some of those he protects. I also need to say that Questar and his people have these telepathic powers that allows them to talk mentally to the dinosaurs as well as look into the minds of each other. Serena is also a hero as she saves not only Questar, but also has more of a raw power that allows her to send a power blast to a persons mind that can kill them on the spot. I also have to say I like that Lord Krulos gets a T-Rex as his ride and feels so powerful that he heads toward his enemies base in order to show out as well as try and kill a few people. It’s crazy to think that we only have one more issue in this series as it looks like Marvel pulled the plug on it really quick and did not allow it to find it’s readership, and that’s a shame as this comic should have been apart of the Star Comics line and it could have been a solid series for young readers who not only liked the toys/cartoon it was based on but also liked dinosaurs. The cover for this issue is okay and has Questar looking like he is in pain and it’s not all that eye-catching. The interior art is done by Kelley Jones again and it great stuff as his style fits really well and he draws dinosaurs really well! Another great issue and I think they could have really kept this series going if they only would have given it time to grow.

Dino-Riders # 3 **1/2
Released in 1989 Cover Price $1.00 Marvel # 3 of 3

Tark has been found by The Rulons and he is hurt badly but Lord Krulos wants the human broken and used as a slave to get to Questar and his people and Rasp takes Tark and infuses dinosaur DNA into him causing Tark to become a humanoid monster on a rampage and he is able to hold off The Rulons army even lifting the dinosaurs with ease and not feeling any pain. After beating up The Rulons the now humanoid Tark rushes off into the jungle where he meets a baby Triceratops who takes him to his mother that was attacked by a T-Rex and as Tark morns with the youngster he then has to rush off as The Rulons have tracked down Questar and Serena and they fire a shot that hurts her and this causes Tark to throw a big rock at the T-Rex they control knocking off the mind control box and causing the beast to chase the baddies away and Questar to get to Serena. Trak then returns to the young Triceratops and fights off the T-Rex that has returned to kill the young dinosaurs…Tark is able to kill the giant beast and as he stands there the dinosaurs gather around him and he is now The Lord Of The Dinosaurs.

This is a very interesting way to end this series as our heroes Questar and his people are hardly in it as it more follows Tark who is found alive by is enemies and after having experiments done to him turns into a half human and half dinosaur humanoid who is super strong, un-hurt, able and now is the master of all the dinosaurs on the planet. And yeah that is the plot as we truly do just follow Tark as he comes to grips with his new powers, beats up The Rulons and a T-Rex and knows that he cannot return to his people looking the way he looks now. I like that Tark stays loyal to his people and is able to break free before he can get mind controlled and he knows that he needs to be an outside protector to not only his people but also the weaker dinosaurs that are being used and even killed by the predators of the planet. Lord Krulos for once shows fear as he clearly sees that his race has created a fighting machine that has good in it’s heart and could defeat his army and himself in minutes! Its great to see this warlord be scared as he has struck fear into many people’s hearts. While this issue is very interesting I also wish the final issue would have had a final showdown between Questar and Lord Krulos as the way the series ends we get no real closure to the war as well we have zero clue if Tark ever lets himself be seen by Questar. With this issue as well I feel that the creative team had plans for more issues and it was Marvel that pulled the plug in the middle of their story arch. The cover for this issue shows a T-Rex scaring young Triceratops and is pretty eye-catching for readers who like dinosaurs, and Kelley Jones returns to do the interior art and it of course is great stuff. While I am a little disappointed as I feel this issue while good does miss the mark of being attached to the Dino-Riders as it has very little to do with the cartoon or figures and is more about a building a new player in the world. And to sum it up I have to say this is a good series that for the most part does do justice to the source material. Check out the artwork below to see the style of Jones that he used in these issues.

Dino-Riders is truly a very underrated toy series as well as a cartoon series and it was a perfect fit for comic books and I really do wish that Marvel Comics would have given it more of a chance besides canceling the series only after three issues and never given it a full ending as the final issue really is more of a set up for a returning character that we never do get to see play out. And again this should have been part of the Star Comics branch that Marvel foolishly gotten ride of in 1988 a year before this series was released. And I hope this update triggered some great memories of Tyco’s Dino-Riders as with this being the Christmas season it’s always fun to remember back to ones youth. And with that, the next update will also be a great one to look back on as it as well was a cartoon and a figure line and is still a very popular character to this day and I am talking about Voltron The Defender Of The Universe! So until next time, read a comic of three, watch a cartoon or two and as always support your local Horror Host! See you next update as we talk more robots of the 80’s!

Tube Toons: Incredible Hulk (1966)

Posted on September 4, 2023 by bloodlinematt

Do you remember waking up early on Saturday Mornings to rush to turn on the TV in order to watch your favorite cartoons? Or maybe for you it was rushing home from school to catch a few cartoons before prime time TV started for the evening. As if you grew up in the 1960’s-1990’s I am sure you have memories of the cartoons of your youth and just how much they meant to you at that time, I mean heck many of these cartoons also helped shape what toys we bought as well as at times what comics we read. And while Comic Book reviews will always be the Bread and Butter of Rotten Ink I do have fun branching out and doing other media themed updates like “Horror Host Icon”, “R.I.W Wrestling Legend”, “Wild West Round Up”, “Made For TV” “Forgotten Reels” to name a few and that is why I have decided to add “Tube Toons” to Rotten Ink updates that allows me to look back and review classic cartoon series from the past. And we are going to start with a cartoon series from 1966 that was based on the Marvel Comics character The Incredible Hulk! So grab some cereal or a soda from the fridge as its time for use to go back to the past when Cartoons was king in kids entertainment.

In the 1960’s cartoons was very popular as stations tried to get more kid friendly programs on the air in order to get viewership up and to build the market. In 1966 Marvel Comics was gaining popularity and Grantray-Lawrence Animation decided to turn the comic heroes into cartoon heroes and so “The Marvel Super Heroes” was created and was a 30 minute show that would feature 7 minute chapters for the hero that was the subject of that episode. The Heroes that made up this series was Captain America, Iron Man, Thor, Namor and The Incredible Hulk and the show would last for 1 long season and a total of 65 episodes and would be syndicated. The cartoon was very odd as it was very cheaply done and was really just copied images from the comics crudely moved around to tell the story, but with that said it was also very cool as they used the artwork of such iconic comic artists as Jack Kirby, Steve Ditko and Don Heck. And from all accounts Marvel’s publisher Martin Goodman is the one who made the deal with Grantray-Lawrence Animation and is the one who selected what heroes they got to use. And Jacques Urbont was hired to write the theme songs and they became super iconic and in these modern times out shadow the cartoons themselves. The cartoon was liked by kids at the time and over the years has built a cult following with fans like the simple nature of the animation and cheesy voice acting and theme songs. And an interesting side note is that when this cartoon aired on WNAC-TV in Boston the station shot live action segments that features actors as Captain America, Hulk and others and they were scripted by Jerry Siegel who was the co-creator of the DC Comics superhero Superman! And for this first Tube Toons update I choose to cover The Incredible Hulk cartoons from The Marvel Super Heroes series as you long time readers know that Hulk and Captain America are two of my all time favorite Superheroes. The Hulk was voiced by Max Ferguson who was a Radio DJ while the voice of Bruce Banner was Paul Soles who is best known for voicing Hermey in the 1964 TV Special Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer as well as voiced Spider-Man in the 1967 cartoon series. And other voice actors involved included Vita Linder as Betty Ross, Paul Kligman as Thunderbolt Ross and John Vernon as Major Glenn Talbot. And growing up I had some of these episodes on old VHS tapes and loved watching Hulk as it captured the classic feel of the first few issues of the comics.

So we are now at the point of this review that we will be reviewing the 13 episodes of this cartoon series and this is going to be a fun ride to the past when cartoons was more simple and were must watch TV for kids. First I would like to thank an Ebay seller who had this and other Marvel Cartoon series in stock and made this themed update possible. For these Tube Toons updates I will be telling the plot and then reviewing each episode as well as giving the episodes a star rating of ½ – 4 stars. I will also be showing screen grabs from the episode to help give you a look into these cartoons. So with that lets turn on the TV sit back and see what kind of adventures we are going to go on with The Hulk!

Incredible Hulk
Year: 1966 Type: Animated Brand: Marvel Episodes: 13

Episode 1: The Origin Of The Hulk

Bruce Banner along with fellow scientist igor are watching a test on a gamma bomb and General Thunderbolt Ross is growing impatient on the delays of the test and starts to get lippy with Bruce, that is until Ross’s daughter Betty enters and calms him down and apologizes to Bruce for her fathers manners. As the general and his daughter leave Igor lets his rage be knows that Banner should have shared the secrets of the bomb with him. Right before the gamma bomb is to explode Banner notices teenager Rick Jones driving into the test site and rushes off in a jeep to try and save him, but Igor does not tell them behind the launch to stop the bomb as this is his way to get Banner out of his way. Banner is able to get Rick to safety but he himself takes a big hit of radiation. Banner wakes up in a doctor office alongside Rick and later in the night he turns into a green skinned beast called The Hulk who is ragged that he is locked in a room and busts his way out with his super strength and even attacks some of the army men on his way out. Rick follows the Hulk as he wants to try and help the confused creature. The Hulk heads toward the military cottage of Bruce Banner and inside he finds Igor who is looking for all the gamma bomb notes of Banner and when seeing the Hulk he pulls out a gun and fires. The Hulk takes down Igor as Rick finds the gamma bomb formula notes and wants to turn it into the army as Hulk tries to remember who Bruce Banner is, not remembering he is in fact Banner. And when the Hulk gets angry he attacks Rick and just before he is about to smash him he turns back into Banner just as the army comes in looking for the Hulk. Once the army leaves Rick and Bruce try and figure out what happened and why he turns into the Hulk as Igor is taken to a jail cell and is thinking of revenge and sends a message to the evil Gorgon about The Hulk and this makes the strange super deformed being mad that one in the world might have the same power as he. The Gorgon makes his way to America while Banner turns back into the Hulk and makes his way towards the home of Betty Ross and when he finds her outside she faints just as the Gorgon shows up with a gun that shoots a will destroying pellet! The Gorgon fires two bullets and both The Hulk and Rick Jones are now his mindless minions who follow him back to his ship, while Betty wakes up Thunderbolt swears he will find and stop The Hulk. When The Gorgon gets to his base The Hulk has turned into Banner and he know knows that the two are one and the same, this also makes Gorgon sad as he does not want to be like he is and wishes he could turn normal. Banner turns the Gorgon back to a man using gamma rays and then he and Rick are sent back to America as the now human Gorgon blows himself and his army up in their castle base.

Review: This first episode is awesome and does it’s best to capture the first issue of The Hulk but man do they make changes as they cut the fact the Banner turns into the Hulk at night like a werewolf and they also do not use the grey skin at first as they go straight to the green. And while the animation is very crude by todays standards I for one love every cell of it as it brings be back to the golden age of comic collecting and made me feel like a kid all over again as it was the origins of Hulk done as a cartoon using the comic panels moving around to do so. The main villains in this episode are the jealous and scientist spy Igor who is the one that gets Banner struck by gamma radiation, the deformed and monstrous Gorgon who wants to control The Hulk and as well bring down America and lastly would be Thunderbolt Ross who is in control of the US Army and views the Hulk as a monster that must be destroyed. And if I had to choose who the most dangerous one in this episode would be I would say Gorgon mostly because of his pellet gun that weakens the minds of those he shoots and turns them into his slaves. The love spark between Bruce Banner and Betty Ross starts in this first episode as does Banner’s friendship with Rick Jones the teenager who had no one in life. I have to also point out that Max Ferguson’s voice for The Hulk is clearly inspired by Boris Karloff’s voice for The Monster in the film Bride Of Frankenstein and that makes it even more awesome. Over all I have to say that this is a great first episode for the first every Hulk cartoon every made.

Grade: ***1/2

Episode 2: Terror Of The Toad Men

A spaceship filled with Toad Men aliens is making its way to Earth, while The Hulks is causing chaos in a town just by his appearance as the police are warning people to get off the streets and are even firing their guns at him and this makes Hulk go on the attack and Rick Jones has to sneak in and lure him away before anyone gets hurt. As the sun comes up The Hulk turns back into Bruce Banner and he and Rick figure out that the transformation takes place at night and set out and find an mountain cave that will act as a research base for them as well as a holding spot for The Hulk. The Toad Men have arrived at Earth and use a beam to hold Bruce and Rick in place as they have came for the mind of Bruce and they kidnap them and head back to space, but they have no use for Rick and send him in a capsule back to Earth as Bruce is relived that his friend is at least safe. Once night falls Banner turns into the Hulk and beats up the Toad Men and even uses one of their own guns against them before locking them up to explore the ship. While on Earth General Thunderbolt Ross notices the Toad Men ship just above the Earth and sends missiles to blow it up and when it crashes to Earth the Toad Men escape and Hulk turns back into Banner and is accused of being a spy by Ross. Meanwhile a fleet of Toad Men spaceships are now invading Earth as Betty begs her father to let Bruce Banner out of his cell as she knows he is no spy nor traitor to his country. But when the night comes Banner turns back into The Hulk and goes on a rampage and heads back to the home of Betty and kidnaps her as Rick follows Hulk to try and rescue Betty as well as get Hulk to safety. The Toad Men’s attack on Earth starts as they use the moon to cause destruction and chaos, and this even knocks The Hulk out until morning. Once back as Banner he attends to Betty and gets her home safe, then uses his gamma ray bomb gun to shoot the Toad Men’s ship that sends them all away. In the end Thunderbolt Ross thanks Banner for his work with some pushing from Betty and Banner and Rick hurry back to their mountain cave base to lock Banner up for the night.

Review: This second episode is a fun one as it pits Bruce Banner and his monstrous side The Hulk not only against the Army lead by Thunderbolt Ross but also the invading aliens The Toad Men who are hell bent on destroying and then ruling the Earth. The Hulk in this episode wants to straight up kill people and threatens the life of Rick Jones as well as Thunderbolt Ross and even uses a gun at one point to shoot some of the Toad Men. Meanwhile as Bruce Banner he hates his life as The Hulk and fears what he might do when he is no longer in control, as it’s more and more clear that he has major feelings for Betty. Its also cool to see the gamma bomb now a ray gun being used to defeat the aliens showing that good things can also come from that invention. Rick Jones keeps up on trying to watch over and protect both Bruce Banner and The Hulk while Betty Ross tries her best to protect Banner from her own fathers judgment. The episodes baddies are of course Thunderbolt Ross who once more wants to use the army’s might to stop The Hulk and uses his own opinions to try and belittle Banner as it’s clear he is no fan of the scientist. And the Toad Men are the other villains as they are mean men from outer space who have no issues killing, kidnapping and destroying and have the weapons and means to do so. Both of the episodes villains are on equal ground for me as they both try and ruin things for Hulk as well as Banner, but I guess I would have to give the edge to Toad Men as they have the bigger and badder weapons. Over the second episode is good it just lacks a little something that would make it as good as the first, and in this one you can also notice lots of re-used animation in order to save on the budget.

Grade: **1/2

Episode 3: A Titan Rides The Train

The Leader is sitting in his lab and we see that he was once a normal man who after being hit by gamma rays in a accident has turned him into something beyond human and highly smart and has created humanoids that he will use to take over all the governments in the world and wants to start first at the military base that Thunderbolt Ross is in charge of and the one Bruce Banner lives on! While on the base a new nuclear device needs to be delivered by train and Bruce Banner is sent along with Major Glenn Talbot to make sure it gets delivered safely, while The Leader sends one of his humanoids to fetch the device and bring it back to him. As the humanoid drops from a helicopter to the train Talbot locks up Banner and the stress turns him into The Hulk and starts to attack The Humanoid who is made out of a kind of rubber that he can not hurt. And during the fight the nuclear device breaks free and is in danger of exploding and The Hulk knows this thanks to the memories of Banner and after he defeats the Humanoid Hulk is able to get the device safely on the sand and turn back into Banner just as Talbot shows up and puts him under arrest. Banner is later let out in order to supervise the test of the nuclear device under the strick watch of Talbot, while The Leader is mad and wants to pit his mind against the power of the Hulk and is building an army of his humanoids to do so and even gets information from super villain and master of disguise The Chameleon on were Banner is now. While on the test island Banner gets nerves and runs away to turn into the Hulk as Talbot is now alone with the monster, and unknown to the both of them The Leader has the island surrounded by the humanoids. As Talbot hides inside the test lab behind steel doors, The Hulk is outside being attacked by the Humanoids who have orders to capture him and bring back to The Leader. The army shows up on the island as well and attacks Hulk who is already got his hands full with the Humanoids who are shrugging off his hits. The Hulk falls into the ocean and swims away as he is about to turn into Banner and the Humanoids return to The Leader as the army is confused. Once the Hulk turns into Banner he is kidnapped at ocean by enemies of America and is going to be forced to work for them that is until he turns back into The Hulk and these fools learn not to mess with him after he uses his thunder clap to knock them all away. Meanwhile Talbot gets word that Banner was spotted on an enemy ship and he now really thanks he is a traitor to America.

Review: This episode ends on a cliffhanger as Bruce Banner is looked at by the army as a spy and a traitor to his country, all because he cannot let them know he is The Hulk and because of this he has been kidnaped by baddies and is being seen as one himself. Meanwhile The Hulk is being hunted by not only by the American Army but also by The Leader and his humanoid men and this is why The Hulk hates everyone as they all seem to always want to cause him harm. The baddies in this episode are The Leader and his humanoids as well as Major Glenn Talbot who for some reason really seems to hate Banner and wants any reason to lock him up and call him names. And you would have to be crazy not to think that the episodes main threat is not The Leader as he is fueled with a big brain and the means to bring nations down and even be a pain in the side of the powerful Hulk. The animation of The Leader at times had me laughing as the mouth movements and the animation made him at times look very silly. Over all I just feel that this is a good solid episode and brings one of The Hulks biggest bad guys into the world of cartoons and the fact we now have both Hulk and Banner as fugitives of America makes the next episode be even more important in this saga.

Grade: ***

Episode 4: The Power Of Dr. Banner

Thunderbolt Ross is having a big conference with fellow military and government workers about Banner turning on his country and Talbot volunteers to go behind enemy lines to get him back, Ross shoots down the idea for now. Meanwhile The Hulk has destroyed much of the enemy’s base and the evil Captain armed with a powerful proton gun and when he misses The Hulks rampage continues that is until he turns back into Bruce Banner and now fighter plans and tanks are firing at the scientist who must run for his life. But after the bad army kills innocent people the rage comes back to Banner and once more The Hulk comes out to smash, while back in America Thunderbolt Ross gets the location of Banner and he and Talbot stick to the idea that Banner is a traitor while Betty tells them they are wrong. Meanwhile The Hulk destroys all the baddies tanks and uses his thunderclap to destroy many of them, and then Hulk tries to leap his way back home to America, but gets tired and takes a break in the Himalaya Mountains. Once Hulk is turns back to Banner he finds himself taken hostage again and this time the new kidnappers want ransom money from America and Ross ends up having to send Talbot with money to pay it and get the scientist back. Talbot arrives and gets Banner and as the two flee the area rocks give way and Banner falls off the side of a mountain, but lucky for Banner he turns into The Hulk and is also able to save Talbot who as also fallen over now. Talbot blacks out as The Hulk leaps away and when the Major awakens he thinks that Banner is dead from the fall. The Hulk is able to find the home of Bruce Banner and when he rests he turns back into the scientist and is found in the home by Thunderbolt Ross who once more has him arrested, but the Pentagon calls and tells Ross to let him free. Meanwhile Banner is ragging mad that Talbot is telling the press that he is a spy when in fact he is not and before he is freed from jail he once more gets mad and turns into The Hulk and busts out ready for another rampage on the army base and this time he takes Talbot as a prisoner and heads into the nearby mountains that Ross then has blow up with a sun beam blast. As Thunderbolt along with Betty and soldiers head to recover the believed dead body of Talbot they are shocked to find him alive as well as Banner who is with him and this truly clears Banners name as they all think he saved the life of Talbot.

Review: This is another fun episode that has poor Bruce Banner being put through all types of stressful situations from being kidnapped twice, to being called a traitor to his country, being arrested several times, turning into The Hulk after mass amounts of stress and finally looking bad in the eyes of Betty. The main baddies in this episode are the kidnappers as well as Thunderbolt Ross and Talbot who I think are the more dangerous as they want to not only kill The Hulk but also ruin the life and reputation of Bruce Banner. And I think out of the two army men its Talbot who has a more weird hatred from Banner as he almost seems gleeful to have him arrested as well as he is so wanting him to be found guilty at a trail. Both of the kidnapper groups are just into power as well as money and Banner is just the means to obtain both and The Hulk is just an annoyance to their plane. And The Hulk is shown in this episode that if he gets to tired from battle he will return back to being Banner and that leaves him open for some bad situations. Over all this was a good entertaining episode that allows Thunderbolt Ross and Major Talbot to shine at being the main pain in the side of both Banner and The Hulk.

Grade: ***

Episode 5: Micro Monsters

Bruce Banner and Rick Jones have a chat about The Hulk and how Bruce must travel back to the island to work on his nuclear device and needs to be safe doing so. Meanwhile The Leader has set his eyes on the device and wants to sell it to a foreign terror and use the money he gets to help his goal of running the world, and to get it he shrinks his humanoids to micro size and sends them to the island and when he zaps them from affair they will grow and do his bidding. Once on the island Banner finds the micro men that look like an odd sand all over and also finds that Talbot is once more on duty to watch over him as he still does not trust Banner even after he thinks he saved his life. But once the humanoids grow they knock out Talbot and attack Banner who turns into The Hulk and starts the brawl with them all to the delight of The Leader who also wants to capture his foe and they do so when the use lots of knockout gas. Back and the secret mountain base Rick Jones gets worried when he does not hear from Banner and knows that something must have went wrong on that island, as the army from the sea watch as The Leader uses a beam to zap up the nuclear device and The Hulk and they try to blast them out of the sky…and they fail. And once on the island the army find Talbot and they all think that Banner and The Hulk are working together and stole the nuclear device. Once back at The Leaders base he starts running tests on The Hulk that he keeps knocked out with the gas, as he want to control him and his power. When The Leader leaves his lab The Hulk turns back into Banner who thinks quick and uses some gadgets to send a Morse Code message to the army that is heard by Rick Jones as well as the army who trace the massage and lead by Thunderbolt Ross and Talbot the whole base heads to the location as does Rick Jones. Meanwhile The Leader returns to find The Hulk missing and in a few moments thanks to the returning gas Banner becomes The Hulk again and destroys the nuclear device and the lab catches fire and traps The Hulk as The Leader escapes via his little aircraft ship. The army enters the base and opens fire on The Hulk as Rick Jones rushes in to try and save his friend as Talbot tells Rick that both The Hulk and Banner are traitors. Meanwhile Hulk escapes and starts to track down The Leader who is talking to powerful dictators about the destroyed nuclear device and how he can offer them something better a Giant Humanoid and to prove its power he sends it to destroy the military missile base and as the army tries to fight off this Giant they are joined by The Hulk who goes after it as well. The Army uses a Super Missile and kills the Giant Humanoid with it and they think The Hulk as well, but he got away as he grabbed Rick Jones and leaps away.

Review: This is another fun episode that has The Hulk and Bruce Banner once more in the sights of The Leader who wants to take over the world using not only his Humanoids but also Banner’s nuclear device as well as The Hulk himself and of course he fails at this task, but what he does do is get Thunderbolt Ross, Talbot and the rest of the army to once more turn on Banner and think he is a spy. It’s like Banner just can not catch a break in this cartoon series as no matter what he does the villains always seem to manage to make him look like scum to the military. The Leader and his Giant Humanoid are super dangerous in this issue and do cause destruction, and we should also not rule out his micro growing Humanoids who also are a pain in the butt to whomever they are sent after. Rick Jones is as always a loyal friend to both Banner and his monster side The Hulk and even almost dies, but some how The Hulk’s transformation back to Banner heals him…strange stuff. Talbot and Thunderbolt Ross are as angry as ever and just seem to get joy at being bitter and rude towards Banner. What a fun and silly episode and has enough Hulk fighting action to bring the entertainment.

Grade: ***

Episode 6: Brawn Against Brain

Thunderbolt Ross is in his office telling his daughter that Banner is really missing cause his giant red robot he built is a flop, but Banner shows up and starts working more on the robot as it has a showing the next morning. The Red Robot is more like an armor that will allow who ever is inside it to withstand even an atomic bomb and if this can be perfected it will be a game changer for the army. As Banner works on the robot late into the night he notices a shadow watching him and gives chase fearing it’s a spy, but the excitement triggers the change into The Hulk who leaps away allowing the unknown person not now get inside the robot on the test day and uses the robot to attack the army who all think its Banner inside. When The Hulk arrives back he and the Robot have a big fight, that leaves Hulk turning back into Banner and being found by Thunderbolt Ross and cleared of being in the war machine Robot that is wondering away into the desert, and who finds Banner’s hidden mountain cave base. Meanwhile Banner is in his lab trying to find a way to bring down the Robot as Thunderbolt Ross and Talbot are having a meeting about still trying to pin Banner for a spy. Banner heads to the mountains and tracks down the Robot, as Betty and Talbot also show up an the Robot flings a big rock at them that is smashed by The Hulk after Banner gets worked up and Betty thinks Talbot is who saved her life. The Hulk and The Robot start fighting again and The Hulk stops a missile that his foe as launched in order to blowup the army base, and when doing so he also knocks the Robot into a bottomless pit! The Hulk is knocked out by the missile blast and the army shows up and takes him prisoner, and Thunderbolt Ross wants answers from our chained hero. The Leader meanwhile does not get word back from his agent that he sent to steal the Robot so he sends in the master of disguise The Chameleon to find him, and once at the base Chameleon makes himself look like Thunderbolt Ross and sets out to meet The Hulk who has now turned back to Banner and has escaped the chains that held him. The Chameleon next knocks out Banner and makes a mask to look like the scientist to try and get more information, and when Betty visits the lab and figures out he is not the real Banner he starts to attack her and this triggers the real Banner to change back into The Hulk who saves Betty as well as many of the soldiers on the base as The Chameleon sets off a bomb in order to escape and The Hulk takes the blast.

Review: This is a pretty fun and entertaining episode as we have The Hulk going up against not only a Robot created by Banner and now controlled by a enemy spy but also that’s sinister Chameleon who can look and act like anyone! And The Hulk being the monster hero he is somehow out smarts and beats them both with the poor Robot spy falling into a hole that he will never return from. Plus we also get a very small cameo from The Leader who is still a pain for Banner and The Hulk and of course Thunderbolt Ross, Talbot and The Army are around with one strange thing being is tat in this episode Ross acts as if this is the first time really meeting Talbot…very strange. Betty Ross is around but we do not see Rick James at all. The fights between The Hulk and The Robot are great as this is the first time we see Hulk having to outsmart his enemy as his punches are not doing anything. Lots of reused animation in this episode and I really think that while cheap it does help give this cartoon its charm. I also like that this episode plays up on the fact that The Hulk is a hero but yet never gets the credit he should, plus we also kind of set up the romance tension between Betty Ross and Talbot! Over all a really great episode and has two really good cheesy fight scenes.

Grade: ***

Episode 7: Within This Monster Dwells A Man

The Leader is looking via a view screen around the army base and spots Banner working in his secret cave lab, but this villain is looking for The Hulk. Banner meanwhile has figured something major out but his excitement turns him into The Hulk and a bullet that ricochets from soldiers target practicing hits him in the head given Hulk a bad and painful headache and he passes out. The Leader uses a beam to zap The Hulk to his lab so that he can study him and his power. Once at the lab The Leader and his Humanoid henchmen remove the bullet from The Hulks head saving his life, but The Leader has to use sleep gas on Hulk and keep him prisoner when he turns down leading his army in world domination. When The Hulk wakes up he starts destroying the lab and even fights with the Humanoids who are blasting him with rainbow rays, The Leader rushes to stop them as he during the bullet removal placed a device that will help him mind control Hulk. Once saved The Leader puts The Hulk through all types of tests he sends Hulk to another world to steal from a powerful being named The Watcher who welcomes Hulk on his arrival and allows him to walk around as The Leader tells The Hulk to steal a sphere that he thinks is going to be the ultimate machine, but Hulk is attacked by a big red alien who as also been sent to steal that object! The Hulk and this alien fight as The Watcher sends them to another part of the planet so their fighting does not destroy his machines, after a hard fought battle The Hulk beats the red alien and is able to grab the ultimate machine and return to Earth, The Leader is happy and thinks he will have all the knowledge of the galaxy but its to much and The Leader “dies” from it all, The Watcher comes to Earth and takes his machine back and The Hulk is now free of The Leaders control.

Review: First thing I have to say is that the colors used in this episode are great as they are bright and give life to the animation. This also has a great plot that has The Leader saving as well as controlling the life of The Hulk and forcing him to fight a Red Lizard Skinned Alien as well as steal from The Watcher who all you Marvel Comics fans will know from Fantastic Four and What If comics, and having The Watcher in this episode made it feel a little more epic and as well opened up the world as we know that aliens and other worlds are now out there. I like that The Hulk knows that The Leader is a scumbag and even when forced to work for him you can tell he does not care for him, plus The Hulk and the Red Alien fight was great and also reminded me of Star Trek for some reason. The episode also marks the death of The Leader who’s brain shuts down, even though us comic readers know he will be back. We do not see Betty Ross, Thunderbolt Ross, Rick Jones or Talbot in this episode as this one is mostly all about The Hulk and we even get very little Bruce Banner and this was a nice change of pace and made for one very fun watch. Really enjoyed this one and I would say The Leader is the meanest and most heartless of the villains we have seen this far in the cartoon series.

Grade: ***1/2

Episode 8: The Space Phantom

The Hulk is at a meeting for The Avengers at Tony Stark’s mansion and on hand is Iron Man, Thor, Giant Man and Wasp and unknown to them the Space Phantom has came to Earth looking to take it over and even takes on the appearance of a normal man of the street that he sends to limbo. The Space Phantom makes it to Stark’s Mansion as he was watched them from space and knows their secrets and is greeted by The Hulk who is zapped and sent to limbo as well so that Space Phantom can look like him and get close to the other Avengers members and when doing so he causes them all to fight among themselves by acting out as Hulk. Still looking like The Hulk the Space Phantom is roaming the streets and causing chaos when he is stopped by Rick Jones who The Space Phantom alerts to the truth of who he is and leave Rick stranded out in the middle of nowhere as he goes back to cause more damage to The Avenger’s friendship and first he starts a fight with Iron Man and as the fight starts The Space Phantom runs away and this makes Iron Man attacking the real Hulk who is back from limbo, just as Rick Jones is able to send a message to Giant Man and Wasp about The Space Phantom and his powers. Giant Man breaks up the fight between Hulk and Iron Man as The Space Phantom attacks Wasp and then takes the identity of Giant Man and then jumps to looking like Iron Man causing confusion for The Hulk and the other Avengers. Wasp goes and gets Thor and they take down Space Phantom who is still acting as Iron Man, and soon Space Phantom finds himself in limbo after failing to take over the look of Thor who is a God. After it’s all over The Hulk quits The Avengers as he thinks all his teammates hate him.

Review: This episode brings The Avengers into the cartoon world and features The Space Phantom doing his best to break up and bring down the team and while he mostly fails he does lead to The Hulk leaving the team, so I guess he kind of wins in the end. The Space Phantom can take the appearance and gain the powers of who ever he chooses as well as they are human and the real person is sent to limbo until he changes his look again. And because of his powers Space Phantom is one very dangerous alien who really wants to take over the Earth. The Avengers are around and Giant Man and Wasp are the ones trying to keep it together and the egos of Iron Man and Thor are out of control and lack of trust and respect is what makes them think The Hulk is a monster on the loose. The animation in this episode is the weakest it has been the whole series and at times characters are not even colored in right and also the episode has kind of a dark tint. And something about the pacing just feels off to me, with the highlight of the episode being the brief fights between Hulk and Iron Man that sadly do not last long. While it was a fun watch and it was awesome seeing The Avengers I do think this far this is the weakest episode in the series, but again have to stress it is still a good watch. Plus this episode did also make me look forward to watching and covering the 1966 cartoons for Iron Man and Thor, and yes in the future they as well will be getting the Tube Toons treatment.

Grade: **1/2

Episode 9: Incredible Hulk vs. Metal Master

Thunderbolt Ross is angry that Bruce Banner is late to test a missile launch as his daughter Betty and Rick Jones try to calm him down, The Hulk is around and is trying to figure out how to get to the mountain cave base without being seen by the army that is out on patrol. The Hulk is getting frustrated as the army gets closer and he knows that he needs to turn into Banner, but for some reason he cant. The army gets a code red alert and head back to base as The Hulk enters the cave and uses a ray to turn back into Banner and for a brief moment Banner gets the body of a bodybuilder before it fades. Once back at Banner he checks in on his missile only to see it melting at the hands of Metal Master an alien who is from another galaxy who can damage and destroy anything metal that was banished by his world and has set his sites on ruling the Earth! To show off his power Metal Master destroys a tank as well as army helmets and as he leaves he makes a point once more of his power, Rick Jones who was at the scene the whole time rushes to the cave base to try and get The Hulk to help. But things are bad for The Hulk as well as when he changed this time he has the face of Bruce Banner and must wear a rubber mask to hide his appearance, and then sets out to find Metal Master. The Hulk finds Metal Master who throws tons of metal at him but the Hulk keeps on smashing the objects, and its only by tricking him that Metal Master is able to knock him out. The Army finds the knocked out Hulk and take him to a cell that he cannot break free from as Rick Jones tries to tell Thunderbolt Ross that The Hulk is their only chance of beating Metal Master. Rick Jones tries to enlist in the army and is shot down by Thunderbolt Ross for being to young and when seeing Hulk he is threatened as Hulk thinks Rick told the army about his mask. The Hulk ends up escaping and returns to the cave lab and turns back into Banner and Rick Jones joins him and they use his CB Radio club the Teen Brigade in order to following the movements of Metal Master who is destroying cities. Banner turns back into the Hulk and is now caring a massive gun that is made out of plastic and with the help of Rick and the Teen Brigade they lure Metal Master to them and when he can not melt the fake weapon the stress gets to him and after a threat from Hulk he turns things back to normal and rushes back to space. After returning to the cave and becoming Banner again he knows he must see Betty who has been worried sick about him.

Review: This is a very interesting episode as not only do we see The Hulk fight Metal Master and use a mixture of his might and brains to defeat him, but we also see that his transformations between Hulk and Banner is getting more out of control and unpredictable and even at times he becomes a hybrid of his two sides. And The Hulks mood as well is very up and down as at times he even threatens his friend Rick Jones with a beating and death. Poor Betty Ross who cares about Banner is also left in the dark so much by her love who disappears and puts himself in dangers way and yet never goes out of his way to alert her of his safety. Thunderbolt Ross who loves his military life you can tell is at his wits end with both Bruce Banner and The Hulk and he wants both to go away. Metal Master is an alien who can destroy all things metal, and while dangerous he is also not very bright as he was scared of plastic…a plastic gun painted to look like metal. I also like that this episode introduced the Teen Brigade the friends of Rick Jones who uses their radios to help him and The Hulk on cases an to avoid the army. This is a good episode and man I really am enjoying re-watching these cartoons.

Grade: ***

Episode 10: The Ringmaster

Thunderbolt Ross really wants to stop The Hulk from having anymore rampages and even tries to get Rick Jones to tell him the location of the green skinned hero. When Rick will not tell him, he has the army follow him to his home and try to break in as Rick tells the Hulk to get to the cave base. Meanwhile in a nearby town two FBI Agents find that everyone in town is frozen in place like statues and that some one has robbed the town of all its wealth, while The Hulk saves kids on a bus that has stalled on train tracks. Meanwhile we meet The Ringmaster and his band of evil circus workers who have an idea of kidnapping Rick Jones in order to gain control over The Hulk who would come looking for his friend. Rick meets Hulk at the cave base and tells him good work on saving the kids and then heads to the circus that has just gotten to town and this leads to Ringmaster kidnapping him and leaving many of the towns people under his trance. Word gets around that Rick Jones is missing and Thunderbolt Ross alerts the army to be on the look out for him as Hulk turns into Bruce Banner and he and Betty also worry about the missing young man. Bruce then rushes back to the secret cave base and turns into The Hulk to find Rick as the circus keeps up its crime wave. Finally The Hulk finds the circus and makes quick work of many of the performers who try and attack him, but finally he is blasted with a very high-powered water cannon and is chained up. The Hulk breaks free and lets Rick Jones go who goes to get the FBI as Hulk plays along in being an attraction for the circus. As the FBI shows up Hulk helps capture Ringmaster and then is swarmed by the army lead by Thunderbolt Ross and has to leap to escape capture himself.

Review: This is another great episode of this cartoon series that has The Hulk going after The Ringmaster and his circus that have been robbing people blind from town to town and make the mistake of thinking they can use him as an attraction by kidnapping his good pal Rick Jones! The Hulk and Rick in this episode have a bond that allows Hulk to hear the thoughts and screams of Rick to alert him when he is in danger, this is odd and yet is the key to make this episode work and allow Hulk to find his missing friend. The Ringmaster can use his hypnotizing ways to steal, and the voice actor playing him is fantastic and brings charm to this otherwise cheesy comic villain. I also like that the circus has many weird performers like a lion man, a guy dressed as the devil and one who looks like Tarzan Lord Of The Apes! Thunderbolt Ross and the army are also thrown in to be a pain in the butt for Hulk. Some of the animation for Betty Ross is terrible as they glued one of her eyes on weird and it makes for some humors moments. Over all an action packed episode that could have had a slightly better ending as Hulk makes way to quick of work of Ringmaster and his goons.

Grade: ***

Episode 11: Enter Tyrannus

Thunderbolt Ross is showing video of The Hulk to Bruce, Betty and Rick and tells Banner he needs his help to capture Hulk! Meanwhile in another world Betty is being watched by Tyrannus The Lord Of Darkness who has a plans on kidnapping her to force Banner to not use his nuclear bomb knowledge against him as he tries to take over the world, and after taking a drink from his fountain of youth he starts working on his plan that has him act as a scientist and get Betty to escort him around and then he lures her into a cave and keeps her prisoner. But Banner follows and turns into The Hulk to go into the cave and try and get her back, while Tyrannus sends Thunderbolt a message that if he fights back against his approaching army that he will kill Betty. The Hulk and Rick Jones find Betty but they are quickly defeated when Tyrannus uses a gas to knock them out and then keeps them prisoner as well and Hulk is turned into a gladiator and must battle his fire-breathing robot for his amusement. The Hulk destroys the robot and then goes after the crowd who watched the fight, only to be zapped by Tyrannus he threatens to once more kill Betty if Hulk does not listen to orders. Days pass and Hulk is now being used as slave labor but Tyrannus has grown bored with him and gives the orders that he is to be killed, but Rick is able to get Betty and they rush to Hulk’s cell and tell him he must fight back as this is the only way they will all survive. The Hulk does just that and after beating up guards he is able to get Betty, Rick and himself back to the army base. But just as quick The Hulk is taken back to Tyrannus’s castle to find him old and needing his help as he is dying of old age as Mole Man has taken the fountain of youth! The Hulk takes the job after he once more finds that Rick and Betty are captured by Tyrannus who is dying and goes after Mole Man who’s army puts up a good fight, but soon learn that nothing can stop Hulk! And as the armies of Mole Man and Tyrannus go to war The Hulk turns back into Banner and watches as Tyrannus finds some water from the fountain and turns young again, he also learns that he sent Betty and Rick back home. And once turning back into The Hulk he finds his way home as the war between the two sides continue underground.

Review: This is a cool episode mostly as I find the underground war between Tyrannus and the Mole Man over the fountain of youth to be interesting as both men are driven by ego and have mindless followers that will die for them. And what makes it even more amazing is throwing in The Hulk, Rick Jones and Betty Ross in the middle of this war and even seeing Gladiator Hulk for the first time outside of comic media! While Tyrannus is evil as he wants to rule the world as well as threatens to kill a woman in order to get his way, you do have to feel for him once he starts to turn old and death is at his door and he tries to bribe and use those he tormented to help him live longer by getting the fountain back. I also like that Thunderbolt Ross is also put into a bad spot when he is threatened not to fight the invasion or his own daughter is dead…very cruel move by Tyrannus. While this episode is very entertaining it is also flawed in spots as some of the animation is terrible and looks like construction paper being used to animate arms and hands, plus I think the ending is a little lackluster as its Hulk returning to the surface world and screaming for Rick…just a little anti climatic as we do not see Hulk fight Tyrannus nor Mole Man. But with that said, while it might be one of the weaker episodes in the series I still very much enjoyed it.

Grade: **1/2

Episode 12: Terror Of The T-Gun

Thunderbolt Ross and Talbot are getting frustrated with Bruce Banner as they need him to test his newest invention the weapon called the T-Gun, but that night the stress gets to Banner who turns into The Hulk and has the army after him as once more he goes on a rampage and starts to figure out that he is truly stronger than any man or weapon, and Hulk finds himself alone in the desert thinking about things. Thunderbolt Ross is given the task to test the T-Gun with or without Banner around and he has even put Rick Jones in a jail cell do to the youngster’s connection to The Hulk, Rick begs them to let him go as he knows he is the only one who can get stop The Hulks rampage who now is on the hunt for Rick who is his only friend. The Hulk makes it back to the military base and Thunderbolt Ross shoots him with the T-Gun that sends Hulk to another place that is destroyed and the only thing he can see is a statue of himself that looks hundreds of years old. The Hulk finds himself being attacked by futuristic knights who have laser guns, and he must use all his power and strength against them. The Knights end up capturing Hulk as they want to study him as well as know of the legend of him, while back at the army base Thunderbolt Ross is in trouble when his superiors find out he used the T-Gun on Hulk, as they knew it was a Time Gun. King Arkham is the leader of the knights and when Hulk awakens he is taken to see The King who tells his captive that he would like for him to join him in the fight against The Executioner a man who has been killing the knights, Hulk refuses and Arkham has his knights attack; once more The Executioner sets an attack on the Kingdom and The Hulk brings down his robot war machines and challenges The Executioner to a fight and the two start to have an epic battle. Meanwhile back in our time Thunderbolt Ross is questioning Rick Jones on the location of Banner, and Thunderbolt rips him apart and sets him free all the while calling him names. The Hulk ends up being a pain in the side for The Executioner who ends up sending him back to his normal time, while Rick Jones makes the mistake of telling Major Talbot that Bruce Banner is The Hulk! The episode ends with The Hulk now back in his own time and he is very mad and wonders if he should challenge the whole human race.

Review: This is a odd episode as The Hulk finds himself in the future being attacked by futuristic knights as well as the Thor villain The Executioner all the while trying to find a way back home, while Thunderbolt Ross in our time is in trouble for using an experimental weapon that caused the time travel for the green skinned hero. This episode also shows that no matter what time it is The Hulk will always be hunted and attacked by people and that his anger toward mankind is well warranted. The biggest plot twist in this episode is that Rick Jones spills the beans of the Banner and Hulk connection to Talbot after he thinks his friend is dead, as now Banner is in even more danger as Talbot has always had it out for him and now knows his terrible secret. The fight between The Hulk and The Executioner is fast and yet very fun as both are super strong and will now allow themselves to be defeated, and its cause Hulks power that The Executioner is the one to send him back to his time as he did not want to put up with his might. It was cool to see Major Talbot back in a episode as he has been gone for awhile, plus it was cool to see a Thor baddie being the main villain in this episode with The Executioner. Over all a pretty entertaining and good episode that added action, drama and sci-fi elements together well for a cartoon from the 1960’s based on a comic book from Marvel Comics.

Grade: **1/2

Episode 13: A Man Called Boomerang

The Secret Empire have gathered for a meeting and watch video of The Hulks attacks on the base ran by Thunderbolt Ross, but why they are watching is cause they want a powerful missile that is at the base to use in their own evildoings. And to get this missile for them they hire the super villain called Boomerang who is paid a very large sum of money. Meanwhile at the army base The Hulk is once more annoyed as the army attacks him, while Thunderbolt Ross alerts Major Talbot that his daughter Betty is missing and that he thinks The Hulk is who has done it and wants him and the other soldiers to get her back…unknown to the Rick Jones over hears this plan as well as claim and is able to tag along with Talbot. A short time later Talbot and Rick find Betty who was just out for a walk, but Boomerang is also watching and gets an idea that he will kidnap Betty himself to use as leverage to get the missile, and he does just that as Talbot and Rick are helpless to save her. Once back at the base Thunderbolt Ross is beyond mad that his daughter has been kidnapped and is even more mad at Talbot and Rick for allowing it to happen. As Boomerang makes his escape with Betty she is able to beg Hulk for help who does just that as he goes to rescue her from this super villain who throws discs with perfect aim and speed, and The Hulk finds that his foe will not be a pushover as Boomerang finds out that nothing can stop The Hulk! The army spots the fight and heads that why as Boomerang in order to escape Hulk gives him Betty and then gets into a secret helicopter that shows up piloted by The Secret Empire. The Hulk is please that he has rescued Betty and as it starts to rain he even makes a shelter for them on the side of a mountain in order to get her out of it, she asks him to now take her to her father Thunderbolt Ross, Hulk refuses as he reminds Betty that her father tries to kill him and she agrees that he has never given him a chance. After the rain stops Hulk leaves to get Betty and himself food, but runs into the army who attacks him even after he tells Thunderbolt where he can find his daughter who is now safe, and its Rick Jones who once more defuses the situation from getting worse and The Hulk brings Thunderbolt Ross and Rick Jones to Betty. Meanwhile Talbot is able to bluff and save the missile from getting into the hands of Boomerang who leaves after a threat of Talbot blowing up the whole base killing them both is played. In the end The Hulk is brooding on a mountaintop when Rick Jones joins him and lets his friend know that he is a hero.

Review: The final episode in this cartoon series is a good one and has The Hulk proving to Betty Ross and even the army to a point that he is not a monster but a hero as he not only saves Betty but he also helps delay and stop the stealing of a missile by Boomerang who is working for a terrorist group called The Secret Empire. The main baddie in the episode is Boomerang who uses his discs to try and keep Hulk at bay, but soon finds out that he is out matched and is forced to retreat and even once back on track he is force to leave again by Talbot who stands his ground. Rick Jones is once more tries to be the voice of reason as he tries to bring Thunderbolt Ross and The Hulk together in order to defeat a common enemy and get Betty Ross to safety. And really while Hulk is a hero in this episode so is Talbot as both of them together is who bring down the plan of Secret Empire that could have spelled doom for America if they would have gotten their hands on that missile. The final episode was a cool one to end on as well as The Hulk is able to somewhat redeem himself in the eyes of the army as well as all the baddies are defeated and all ends well for our cast of characters.

Grade: ***

The was such a blast to watch again after all these years and I have to say they held up very well for me as I found myself loving every second of these very basic cartoons that where as cheesy as one would think they would be coming from the 1960’s! Sure at times the animation is bad and reused in spots that do not fit, and sure the series is very disjointed as major plot developments seem to disappear from episode to episode as do some characters…but these elements add to the charm. Some plot points that come and go with no explanation from episode to episode are Banner’s transformation to The Hulk starts off as only doing so at night to being stressed to even having to use a gamma ray gun and this sometimes changes from episode to episode and I could see being confusing for young viewers. Talbot as well comes and goes and the fact he finds out that Banner is The Hulk never comes into play and that’s also odd. Some of the animation parts that made me laugh out loud is when Betty Ross’s eyes were put on mis-centered making her look like Sloth from the movie The Goonies as well as when at times they would use what looked like green construction paper with crude thumbnails drawn on them to act as Hulk’s hands…funny stuff. And Tube Toons will be here to stay for awhile as I really want to cover the 60’s cartoon series of Captain America, Thor, Iron Man and Sub-Mariner as well here at Rotten Ink so over the next few years look for those updates. I also and here to say that these theme updates will also break off and cover a few more cartoon series in the future. But with that, let’s leave cartoons behind as the next update will take us to the lab of Dr. Frankenstein as we take a look at the 1994 film Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein and the Topps Comics adaptation of it! So until next time, read a comic or three, watch a cartoon or two and as always support your local Horror Host! This next update should be a spooky good time as we get closer to Halloween 2023.