Another visit back to Saturday morning cartoons...

It had been awhile since I had watched any episodes from my D&D boxed set and I needed a fix this week. I asked my daughter if she wanted to watch some, since she had never seen them, and as most kids she was happy to watch some cartoons.

We decided to start at the beginning with the first episode, "The Night of No Tomorrow". The kids (Hank - Ranger, Presto - Magician, Eric - Cavalier, Bobby - Barbarian, Sheila - Thief, Diana - Acrobat and Uni - Unicorn) are thrown into a new world after jumping on a D&D roller coaster and their lives would change forever.

This one started off with the kids wandering around trying to find a way home (a common theme in episodes to follow), as Dungeon Master appears to give them some clues. Unfortunately there was no backstory at the beginning to describe the world they are in or how they came to meet Uni. He tells them there is a way home but they must watch out for the one with white hair. Of course Dungeon Master quickly disappears shortly after telling them this. Along their journey the find Merlin's castle floating in the sky and climb the ladder to it. They find Merlin who has a pet white bunny. After talking awhile, the five-headed dragon Tiamat (see picture above) bursts through the castle door and attacks them. After trapping the dragon, Presto decides to stay with Merlin to become a great wizard while trying to find a way home. It didn't take long for "Merlin" to reveal his true identity as Venger. The kids missed the clue about the "white hare" Merlin was carrying. Venger tricked Presto into released some ancient dragons which attacked a nearby town. Luckily the kids were nearby; stopped the dragon attack, released Tiamat who chased Venger away.

The second episode in the series was “Eye of the Beholder” and started out much the same way as the first. Dungeon Master appeared and told the kids they could get home but needed to defeat a Beholder. Along their journey they were attacked by a giant scorpion. They hid in a cave while a knight being chased by a dragon happened to run by and distracted the scorpion by his screaming. The scorpion forgot about the kids and started fighting the dragon. The kids proclaimed the knight, Sir John, a hero. After they parted ways the kids were attacked by Giant Snails who stuffed them in bags and carried them off....all except Uni. Uni ran and found Sir John and came back with Uni and by waving a torch in fear at the site of the Giant Snails actually scared them off. Once again the kids praised Sir John's heroic efforts. Eventually the kids and Sir John found the Beholder as the portal to their world opened. Instead of fleeing back to their world, they decided to stay and fight the Beholder with Sir John and defeat it.




It was great to relive these memories from my childhood with my daughter. It took me back to a simpler time, when I would wait all week for Saturday morning cartoons. This reminded me how kids do not realize how limited children’s shows used to be. Today kids can watch cartoons practically anytime they want. I am looking forward to watching more episodes with her.

Watching the cartoon again I remembered some of the actors who did the voices on the show. The two most recognizable are Donnie Most who played “Ralph Malph” on Happy Days; as Eric the Cavalier. Also Willie Aames “Buddy” from Charles in Charles and also was on Eight is Enough; as Hank the Ranger. I decided to research the other people whose voices were on the show and found out some interesting facts.

Adam Rich – as Presto the Magician was the youngest kid on Eight is Enough

Peter Cullen – as Venger also did the voice for Optimus Prime on Transformers

Frank Welker – as Uni, as of September 2010, movies Frank appeared in/did voices had grossed $5.7 billion. (thanks Rob for correcting my over-sight)

Gary Gygax – Executive Producer, as most geeks know is the creator of the D&D game. I had forgotten he was involved with the cartoon.

If you like the cartoon and do not have the boxed set, it is worth buying. It includes all the episodes on 3 DVDs, along with an episode guide and handbook. The handbook describes each character in detail and also includes a playable D&D adventure in which players can assume roles of the cartoon characters….even Uni!

Geek Snacks

With every good geek event or hobby there is almost always a few good snacks to be eaten. Here are a few of mine....what are yours?


Doritos - My fascination with these chips began in high school while playing board and card games with my friends. At that time Nacho Cheese was one of the few flavors and remains my favorite to this day. I am careful eating these while game playing though, as they can leave a lasting cheese imprint on game pieces and cards. 






Cheez-Its: White Cheddar - Coming in a close second to Doritos would be these little snack crackers. The extra white cheddar flavoring makes them far superior to the regular cheddar in my opinion. I enjoy these while playing Dungeons & Dragons.

Red Vines Licorice - These are great snacks for any geek occasion. No mess and fairly portable. If you do not realize it, they can also be used as a straw to add cherry flavor to your favorite pop/soda.








Oreos: Double Stuf - A little messier than the other snacks I've mentioned. I usually eat these when I'm taking a break from the geek action.

Lords of Light!

Thundarr the Barbarian: The Complete Series from the Warner Bros. Archives Collection, available exclusively at http://www.wbshop.com/. From the back cover:

"Man's civilization is cast in ruin when a runaway planet speeds between the Earth and the Moon, unleashing cosmic destruction. Two thousand years later, Earth is reborn from the ashes with a savage landscape, strange creatures, and a primitive sense of justice. But one man fights to spread peace throughout the land: he is Thundarr the Barbarian..."

Those of you who are cartoon geeks like me remember this series, probably with some fondness; straight-up adventure cartoons are and always have been a rarity, and Thundarr was a great one for the average five-year old proto-geek to discover on Saturday morning (which is what I was in 1980, when it premiered). One of the very few cartoons to feature a post-apocalyptic setting, Thundarr combined elements of science-fiction and fantasy to great effect, and sported character designs by such greats as Alex Toth and Jack Kirby. I've debated just how much of the actual episode content I should review here, and come to the conclusion that such a review is pointless; if you didn't enjoy the series when it first came out, or you aren't currently under 12, I really doubt you'll enjoy this series much. It was made when television cartoons were still considered entirely the province of children and the writing, while imaginative and energetic, keeps that firmly in mind. Still, if you can still see cartoons through the eyes of your inner 9 year old, then you'll love this series.

This collection, as mentioned above, is an exclusive from the Warner Bros. Store, as part of the Warner Bros. Archive line, a line I applaud WB for creating. The idea behind it is to take properties that have a limited customer appeal, that might be only of interest to collectors or, let's face it, geeks like you and me, and release them on a limited basis, exclusively through their online store. The packaging for Thundarr, while well made, is stripped down and utilitarian. The cover art looks like the kind of image you'd find on a bootleg at a comic book convention, and there are no special features at all on any of the four discs. It would have been nice if WB had included the mini-documentary on the creation of Thundarr that they included on their Saturday Morning Cartoons:1980's collection, but again, this is a collection without bells and whistles of any kind. These aren't complaints on my part; if on-line exclusive, no frills productions are what's necessary to get the more obscure stuff on the market then I'm all for it. One bone of contention though; the discs can only be played on a "play-only" device, which is to say they cannot be played on any machine on which they might possibly be copied. I have no issue with WB protecting their material, but they don't inform the consumer about this anywhere on their site. I have no interest in pirating exclusive WB DVDs, but I play most of my geeky cartoons on my computer in my office, so as to spare my wife the horror of my absolute geekiness. A little warning would have been nice.

One other point, and this one not so minor: WB tags Thundarr as part of their Hanna-Barbera Classics Collection. Thundarr the Barbarian was produced by Ruby-Spears, not Hanna-Barbera. For those of you who don't know, Joe Ruby and Ken Spears got their start as sound engineers, and later writers, for Hanna-Barbera. Their credits for that company are many, among them the creation and production of Scooby-Doo, Where are You? They started their own production company in the late '70's, giving us such fare as Alvin and the Chipmunks, Mr.T and the T-Force, and the first post-Crisis Superman cartoon, as well as many of the animated offerings for ABC's Afterschool Special (which, oddly, aired on Saturday mornings). Given that their names are prominently listed as producers in the credits of every episode in the series, one has to wonder at the error. Credit where credit is due, after all.

In short, if you loved Thundarr the Barbarian, then you're in luck! Hop on the ol' interwebs and pick yourself up a copy. I can't wait to see what other geek-candy the Warner Bros. Archives'll release next. Oh hey, they've just come out with a Pirates of Dark Water collection! Awesome sauce!
Intro video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LhAobPugvsk





Ryan Here.

I thought I would add to this awesome post from Rob.

For those Thundarr the Barbarian Freaks out there, you may be interested in this.

In 1982, Milton Bradley published;  Thundarr the Barbarian Game (the exact title)
This actually illustrates just how bad the 80's were for American board games.  This stands as one of the most laughable games from the era, due to the fact that it has nothing to do with the theme of the show.   I can't imagine it would be that hard to design a passable game for something with such a beloved license.









And we might as well cast the Thundarr the Barbarian movie;

Thundarr:

Alexander Skarsgarde   •    Scott Speedman  •   Micheal C. Hall

Princess Ariel: 

Natalie Portman   •   Krsiten Kreuk   •   Aishwarya-Rai

Ookla the Mok: 

Anyone really.

MCBA FallCon - Saint Paul Comic Book Convention

This weekend I attended the largest comic book convention in the Twin Cities area, Fall Con. This was the 23rd annual event for the MCBA (Midwest Comic Book Association) and was located at the State Fairgrounds. Each year a spring (May) and fall event is held, and I have attended the last few events.

http://www.midwest.comicbook.com/

I admit I am not as into the comic scene as I used to be, but I do still enjoy reading them when I have a chance. Unfortunately school has cut into my geek time considerably in the last year. Instead of reading weekly/monthly series I prefer to read limited runs or graphic novels, including older titles. I usually read Marvel comics, mostly because I am more familiar with the characters but I enjoy DC and Image as well. I recently finished the Crisis on Infinite Earths.

At this event I met up with my two comic geek friends Doug and Stuart. Both of them are much more into comics than I am and it's great to see their inner geek shine at these events. I walked in through the front doors anticipating great things inside.

The $7 entry fee is a small price to pay for the high level of geekness which hangs in the air. As usual the crowd was heavy early in the day, as the first 500 people attending received a free bag of goodies; unfortunately we did not make it there in time.

The building was lined with various vendors. Of course most of the vendors were selling comic books and graphic novels, but there were a variety of other items including; action figures (super heroes, Star Wars, He-Man, etc.), video games and stuffed geek toys. In the center of the building, a large number of artists were setup. All of them seemed to be friendly and more than willing to talk to people. Most of them were selling prints and were working on sketches and selling those as well.

A couple of the most notable vendors a the con were The Source (the Twin Cities largest game/comic store) and Half-Price Books. As usual, The Source was handing out coupons for their store which were good for 20% off everything for the current weekend. Half-Price Books is one of my favorite vendors since they have many bundles of comics, graphic novels and cart full of RPG/Game books and some board games. Unfortunately this year they did not have anything I was looking for.


The highlight for me of every con is the costumed super heroes and other characters. This event had some of the best I have seen yet. Iron Man, Nova and Predator were my favorites. Iron Man's costumer was superb, made of mostly metal. Nova's costume was custom leather and quite detailed. The regulars, Superman and Batman were in attendance. These two guys always give me a laugh as they are so serious when someone ask to take their picture; and neither one are in shape to play the role.
So if you are into comics or any of the other geeky things I mentioned, this event is for you.

Prelude to a Geek.

Not everyone carries the Geek Card..  thankfully.  No one is born a geek…  unless we're talking about the circus version…    So at some point in life all of us found something that tickled that geek nerve… 

I think that at some point everyone is on a path to geekiness and there tend to be singular moments in our lives that push us over the edge.

First off, what does it mean to be a Geek?  I think there are multiple definitions really, and often it boils down to the same types of behavior.  Wether it's comic books or quilting…  a Geek is the person that takes their involvement, knowledge and devotion to the media or hobby to a near compulsive level. 

Your a Geek if;

•you can speak about any hobby or medium ad nauseum.  You will know this when the eyes of your audience glare over or they look at you like they can't believe anyone would love something that much.

•you constantly find your self correcting people when your beloved topic erupts in conversation…  this usually results in you trying to convert one or more non-geeks to your way of life.

•you are on a crusade to increase the mass of geekdom and often find yourself with a go to list of how best to initiate a member of the masses.  Finally converting someone usually causes you to go into Geek over-drive for at least a week if not a month.

•you get nervous in a group when your secret identity as a geek is exposed…  your fear of the term Geek is equal the pride you feel for being one.

At any rate, you know who you are, and Im wondering momentary event tweaked that nerve and changed your life forever.

I am a cliche.  My Geek birth was the result of reading The Hobbit in 5th grade.

Lets back up a little….   In some ways I was a geek sooner than that, but in truth, I think most kids are…  as a kid…  when you love something…  you LOVE something…  cartoons, comics… Dukes of Hazzard…  (I know…  I just dated my self.)    I was a comic book kid.  I loved them.  In the small town I grew up in, there was one place to get them.  Granny's Nook.  More a Curio for the elderly ladies of a farming community, Granny (Egg's Grandmother) also carried magazines and on the bottom shelf of the rack, she carried a hodgepodge of comics.  I can remember sitting in that shop, surrounded by the musky smell of old-lady perfume and small collections of wooden furniture cover in doilies, reading as many issues as I could…  since I could only afford 2 or 3, I had to narrow my options…. 

…but really,  millions of kids have similar stories, an not all of them make the leap to geekiness.

Flash forward to 5th grade.  I am a decent student…  like most boys, I enjoy math and science, struggle with spelling and English in general and can't seem to pay attention during social studies.  I wasn't  aware of it at the time, but I'm pretty sure I was in a reading class due to my lack of interest.  I didn't like to read…  the stories forced on us were dry and common place.

Flash Forward again to Christmas of that year (1982.)  I am a my cousin's house…  Doug is 2 years older and his geek drug of choice was Star Wars…  We sit down to play a game with my dad and uncle.  I belly up to the table and watch in awe as they open a Milton Bradley box up and start setting up The Dark Tower.  Dark Tower, an electronic Fantasy adventure game was an experience i had never had…  you wander the circular map of the game, fighting brigands and seating for treasure in hopes of finally defeating the evil Black Dragon.  On the 2 hour drive home, I could not contain myself and talked, to exhaustion, about how cool the game was.  I realize that in a way The Dark Tower could be considered the catalyst for my Geek, but in truth, it remained just a neat game and I mostly forgot about it…

My Dad had taken notice of how much I enjoyed the game, however and had decided I was ready for a true initiation.  Perhaps a week after the visit to my cousins, on a rainy winter Saturday, I was basically bouncing off the walls in sheer boredom.  My father, who was in desperate need of a break from my incessant yammering, handed me a worn yellowed copy of the Hobbit.  

"Here," he sighed, "I bet you'll enjoy this…  its kind of about a Dark Tower." 

I grabbed the book.  It stunk…  (I later learned to love that smell)  I thumbed the pages and saw how small the words were…  my immediate reaction was disbelief…

"No way!" I said, curling my nose in disgust.

"It's got a dragon in it.  You'll like it." was all my dad said as he returned to his work.

I read the back of the book and I assume it was enough to finish convincing me I should give it a try.

I sat down and started to read.  30 minutes later, I was actually enjoying the act of reading a book…  my imagination was being guided through the most awesome story I could imagine…  Hobbits, dwarves, trolls, and huge flying eagles…  I was loving it…  My mother actually had to pry the book out of my hands for dinner.

That was it.  I was hooked.  I loved reading from that point on, and couldn't get enough of it.  As my inner geek incubated, I started to find comfort in the world of fantasy and often dreamt about how much better suited I was to that life than my own.  That Christmas I Santa brought me the red Dungeons and Dragons box and before long I was desperately trying to get my friends to share in the wonder.

I'm still a geek and I can honestly say that, many of my successes in life are because of the Hobbit… my love of reading and thirst for knowledge have served me well.

When was your geek born?

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month

While not a geek topic, breast cancer does affect many geeks....whether directly or indirectly through family members. I missed out meeting a wonderful woman (my wife's mom) who was taken by breast cancer before we started dating.

Please be aware of this special month and participate in any events if you can (even turning in yogurt tops goes towards breast cancer research).

So remember....save the boobs (now that's a geek thing!)

www.nbcam.org

Right WIng Radio Duck!

I personally consider myself a cartoon geek, and this particular piece gave me a bit of a giggle. Enjoy!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HfuwNU0jsk0&feature=player_embedded