Spider-Man Folders 2008

The final set of Marvel Comics folders that I have features Spider-Man from Marvel Comics. I bought these the same time that I bought the Dark Knight folders. The covers are mostly pin-up shots of Spider-Man wearing either his classic blue and red costume or his black costume. Other characters that appear include Venom, Sandman and Carnage. The interiors of one and four are the same while the interiors of two and three are the same.

Spider-Man folder #1

Spider-Man folder #2

Spider-Man folder #3

Spider-Man folder #4

Spider-Man Wall Clinger 2004

I found a Spider-Man wall clinger from 2004 at a local thrift store on Saturday for fifty cents. He has the classic colors instead of the movie colors. The back of his left leg has 2004 Marvel, Gosrich Group, Inc. and Made In China. He originally came with a bottle of bubble bath that was not found at the thrift store.

Back of Spider-Man wall clinger

Front of Spider-Man wall clinger

Blog Alert: Pappy's Golden Age Comics Blogzine

Fans of golden age horror, crime and science fiction comics will want to check out Pappy's Golden Age Comics Blogzine. The blog offers scans of a complete comic book story for visitors to read. Currently, he has scanned "Big Racket", a story featuring Johnny Dynamite, a one-eyed private dick in the tradition of Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer, from Dynamite #4 (November, 1953).

Pappy's Golden Age Comics Blogzine also features pirates and superheroes on occassion.

Tonto And The Devil Spirits Cartoon

News has it that Johnny Depp will be playing Tonto in Disney version of The Lone Ranger. I grew up watching Clayton Moore as the masked man and I watched the animated version in the 1970s. I also remember listening to the radio show in the late 1970s while I did homework around four o'clock. I even have a cassette with an episode from the radio show.

The only Lone Ranger comic book that I have is the first three issues of the four part mini-series from Topps in 1994. There is a new comic series being published by Dynamite Entertainment but I have yet to pick up a copy.

I can kind of see Johnny Depp as Tonto but I would rather see someone like Jay Silverheels in the part. It is going to be interesting to see who Disney will cast as the Lone Ranger.

Meanwhile, enjoy this complete episode from the 1960s animated series:

The Last Days of Krypton by Kevin J. Anderson

I have never read a book by Kevin J. Anderson before even though he is a best selling science fiction writer. He has co-authored Dune prequels with Brian Herbert, written numerous Star Wars novels and had great success with his own series titled The Saga of the Seven Suns. Being a fan of Superman, I just had to pick up The Last Days of Krypton when I saw the paperback at the local newstand.

Anderson puts his spin of the final fate of Superman's homeworld. Events such as the meeting of Jor-El and Lara, the discovery of the Phantom Zone, the theft of Kandor by Brainac and the reign of Zod are included. At 467 pages, the science fiction book is fast paced and is a must read for any Man of Steel fan. I give The Last Days of Krypton by Kevin J. Anderson an A+.

The Batboat

We had McDonald's again last night so I ended up getting another Happy Meal. This time around, I got the batboat, which is the first toy in the set. The box was the same and I had a hard time getting the mini ski boat to go very far. I did like that feature of having Batman's head turn around depending on if the mini ski boat is inside the batboat or not. The batwings on the back can rotate so that makes for a cooler feature. Overall, I give the batboat a 7 out of 10.

Wrapper for Lego Batman Happy Meal batboat
Side view of batboat and mini ski boat
Front view of batboat
Front view of batboat and mini ski boat
Back view of batboat
Top view of batboat

Comics That I Bought Today

I took a road trip to Hutchinson, Kansas and bought several comics at Hastings. I don't take road trips very often and that's about the only place that I buy comics anymore since they don't have a comic book shop. I mostly picked up comics from Dark Horse and DC.

Dark Horse Comics Includes Conan #49 (torn cover), Conan #50, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull #2 and Indiana Jones and the Tomb of the Gods #1.
DC Comics includes Challenge of the DC Super Friends #6, Final Crisis #2 (Wonder Woman) and Final Crisis #2 (Batman).
DC Comics includes Batman and the Outsiders #9, Batman and the Outsiders #10, Brave and the Bold #15 (Nightwing and Hawkman) and Brave and the Bold #16 (Superman and Catwoman).
DC Comics includes Superman #678, Superman #679, Wonder Woman #22, Wonder Woman #23 and Comics Value Pack featuring 3 DC Comics from Metropolis Collectibles (shown is Adventures of Superman #614, not shown is Green Lantern #74 and Hawkworld #16).

My Favorite Webcomics

I added a new section in the sidebar featuring my favorite webcomics that I currently follow and they include:

Commissioned - follows the misadventures of a bald artist and his friends in real-life and in roleplaying games.

CTRL+ALT+DEL - a webcomic featuring two gamers.

Dire Destiny - a black and white fantasy webcomic with amazing storylines.

Penny Arcade - another comic featuring two gaming geeks.

Sidekick Girl - featuring Valerie's misadventures as a sidekick to Illumina.

Wondering Ones - a black and white science fiction comic with tracker/scouts battling a military force set on domination set in a vastly depopulated Northwest in 2066.

Amazing Spider-Man Folder

In the previous two posts, I talked about the Captain America and Thor folders from 1975. This post deals with the Amazing Spider-Man folder that I also got at the same time. I was a littled disappointed with this one because the cover is from Amazing Spider-Man #135 (November 1974) and features the Punisher with the words "Origin of the Punisher!" Unfortunately, the inside and back panels features old webhead fighting the Shocker. I never had the issue so I don't know if the Shocker actually appeared inside or not. The outside spine of the Amazing Spider-Man folder does have tape on it but there is only one little piece on the inside.


Front of Amazing Spider-Man folder

Interior

Back

Scanned cover

Interior panel (left side)

Interior panel (right side)

Top panels from back

Bottom panels from back of Amazing Spider-Man folder

Thor Folder

Like I mentioned in yesterday's post, I picked up the Thor folder along with the Captain America and Spider-Man folders. This is pretty well-worn and I even attempted to keep the bottom part together with tape. The Thor folder has the cover from issue #229 (November 1974) and is copyrighted by Marvel Comics in 1975. The panels featured inside and on the back retells the God of Thunder's orgins. I never had this issue but I found out that the comic book featured Hercules in a story called "Where Darkness Dwells, Dwell I!"


Cover of Thor folder

Interior

Back

Scanned cover

Interior panel (left side)

Interior panel (right side)

Top panels from back

Bottom panels from back of Thor folder

Captain America Folder

I picked up the Captain America folder along with Thor and Spider-Man folders (more about those in future posts) in the mid-1970s. I had a few of the Captain America comics but I don't remember ever having issue #193 (January 1976). Jack Kirby returned to the character that he helped create at Marvel Comics starting with Captain America #193 so it was a landmark issue.

Not only was the actual comic cover reprinted in larger than normal size but the inside flaps and the back cover had actual panels from the comic book. The back has a copyright of 1975. I actually used the Captain America folder for several years during my middle and high school years. Yes, I was often picked on for being a comic book nerd at the time.


Cover of Captain America folder

Interior

Back

Scanned cover

Interior panel (left side)

Interior panels (right side)

Top panels from back

Bottom panels from back of Captain America folder

The Joker Helicopter

McDonald's started selling Happy Meals with Lego Batman toys for the boys and Madame Alexander's The Wizard of Oz dolls for the girls today. I managed to snag The Joker Helicopter, which is the second toy out of the eight available. The cockpit has the Crown Prince of Crime, a pop-on blade, a rotating spotlight and an odd-shapped missle that is yellowish in color. The missle can be placed in a spring slot underneath and released by pushing a button on the back.

Two panels of the Happy Meal box is devoted to the Lego Batman toys while the other two panels is devoted to the Madame Alexander's The Wizard of Oz dolls (remember when each Happy Meal toy series had their own boxes?). My sister got the first toy in that set, which is Dorothy. There is a find the five hidden Jokers game, find hidden foes and a bat-signal pop-out that you can attached to a flashlight. I don't know if there are other boxes but there should be since the only toys shown is the bat-boat, Mr. Freeze, Penguin boat (?), Batman and Robin.


Lego Batman Happy Meal box #1

Lego Batman Happy Meal box #2

The Joker Helicopter unopened

The Joker Helicopter opened

Side view of The Joker Helicopter

Angle view of The Joker Helicopter

Front view of The Joker Helicopter
I like the missle and the rotating blade but the spotlight seems like a useless feature. I would rather have the cockpit open up so I could see the Joker better. Overall, I have to give The Joker Helicopter a 6 out of 10.

For those who are curious, my Happy Meal consisted of a cheeseburger, fries and a Sprite.

Blog Alert: Siskoid's Blog of Geekery

I used to read Legion of Super-Heroes from DC Comics back in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Dawnstar, Shadow Lass, Princess Projecta Timberwolf and Wildfire were my perhaps my favorites. The LSH is the subject of several posts at Siskoids's Blog of Geekery along with Star Trek and other science fiction goodies.

Superman Folders

I picked up three Superman folders along with the two three-ring binders in 2006. I'm not sure but I believe there might have been a fourth folder that featured him flying.


Exterior of my first Superman folder from 2006

Interior of my first Superman folder from 2006

Exterior of my second Superman folder from 2006

Interior of my second Superman folder from 2006

Exterior of my third Superman folder from 2006

Interior of my third Superman folder from 2006

Superman Three-Ring Binders

In 2006, I managed to pick up the following Superman three-ring binders at the local Wal-Mart Super Center:


Superman three-ring binder #1 from 2006

Superman three-ring binder #2 from 2006
I liked that the bar code and information was on back of a small S shield. The first three-ring binder has Superman flying above his name in red with a yellow background (my digital camera captured the color wrong). His cape wraps all the way to the back cover. The second three-ring binder has a large colorful S shield on a blue background filled with smaller S shields in black outline. Both of the Superman three-ring binders come with non-removeable plastic protectors on the inside.

The Dark Knight Folders Part 4

The final two-pocket folder promoting The Dark Knight movie spotlights the batmobile. The front features an actual photgraph of Batman's customized vehicle. The back artwork features the front, back, side and top views. The inside left flap has a blueprint-style side view while the right flap has an angle view. Like the previous three school portfolios, a ruler is on the edge of the left flap. Batman does appear as a small white shadow above on the upper left corner of the front (he almost looks like he is made of exhaust fumes).


Front of The Dark Knight folder#4

Back of The Dark Knight folder #4

Exterior of The Dark Knight folder #4

Interior of The Dark Knight folder #4

The Dark Knight Folders Part 3

The third two-pocket folder featuring artwork based on The Dark Knight movie features a cover with Batman looking as if he just leaped out of a helicopter or off a very tall building. The left flap of the interior features the batcycle while the right flap features the batmobile. Like the previous portfolios, a ruler is printed on the edge of the left flap.


Front of The Dark Knight folder #3

Back of The Dark Knight folder #3

Exterior of The Dark Knight folder #3

Interior of The Dark Knight folder #3

The Dark Knight Folders Part 2

The second two-pocket folder that features artwork based on The Dark Knight movie has a cool wraparound cover of Batman swinging through Gotham City. The inside right flap actually features him from the first portfolio. The left inside flap has a stylish blue bat-symbol along with a ruler on the edge. This is my favorite one by far due to the wraparound cover that would make a cool poster.


Front of The Dark Knight folder #2

Back of The Dark Knight folder #2

Exterior of The Dark Knight folder #2

Interior of The Dark Knight folder #2

The Dark Knight Folders Part 1

I picked up four two-pocked folders featuring artwork based on The Dark Knight movie yesterday and I will be posting pictures of them over the next few days. They were only eighty-eight cents each at the local Wal-Mart Super Center.

First up is The Dark Knight folder featuring Batman standing on a rooftop. He looks like he just spotted his prey and is about to attack. The left edge of the interior does have a ruler while the right flap shows Batman running.



Front cover of The Dark Knight folder

Back cover of The Dark Knight folder

Exterior of The Dark Knight folder

Interior of The Dark Knight folder

The Last Days of Krypton by Kevin J. Anderson

I actually found the paperback edition of The Last Days of Krypton by Kevin J. Anderson a week and a half ago at a local newstand. I waited until this afternoon to pick it up with a few other items that I will be showing here in the days to come. I rarely buy new books but I had to have this one since it deals with Superman's home world. I actually started reading The Last Days of Krypton earlier this evening and I am enjoying it so far. Not only is Jor-El and Lara introduced before they fall in love in the first few chapters but the discovery of the Phantom Zone is also shown. The front cover is lenticular and has green rocks and a green S shield coming at the viewer from an exploding background. As an added bonus, there is an eight-page preview of Superman/Batman: First Encounter.


Front cover of The Last Days of Krypton by Kevin J Anderson


Back cover of The Last Days of Krypton by Kevin J Anderson

Superman Crunch Cereal

When Superman Returns was about to hit the theaters, Quaker released a slew of edible products featuring the Man of Steel. The Limited Edition Superman Crunch Cereal was basically Cap'n Crunch with red shield shapes that turned the milk blue. The back of the box has a board game and directions on how to play the Superman Returns Instant Win Game online. I would have preferred a mini-comic featuring Superman joining forces with Cap'n Crunch to combat Lex Luthor and Jean LaFoote instead of the board game.

Here are the pictures of the Superman Crunch Cereal box:


Front of Superman Crunch Cereal box

Back of Superman Crunch Cereal box
Other edible products featuring the Man of Steel that Quaker produced included Superman Edition Life (not found in local stores), Chewy Cranola Bars with Superman chocolate chips (I enjoyed a box of them) and Pata Roni Four Cheese Pasta Superman Limited Editon (never looked for these so I'm not sure if the local stores stocked them or not).