Fun STAR TREK Parody of FROZEN Song

My Disney Princess crazed daughter was begging me the other day to take her to see the “Sing Along” version of the movie FROZEN the other day, I am really amazed how my 5 year old has the lyrics to the song LET IT GO memorized, and as I was looking online for show times stumbled across a really well done parody of my little girl’s favorite song that brought a smile to this Geek Daddy’s face.  A Toronto-based musical group called Debs & Errol have put together a very well done STAR TREK parody of LET IT GO based on the signature line of Captain Jean Luc Picard “Make is So.”  Check this out:

Debs and Errol have a youtube site which features 61 parodies, covers, and original songs.  Two of my favorites are their tribute to the Peanut’s Linus & Lucy and a STAR WARS parody of Cindy Lauper’s “Time After Time” titled TIE AFTER TIE.  These two singers do a very talented job in providing enjoyable performances through the creation of a “geek” musical niche to market themselves and have some fun with their music. 

For more information about Debs and Errol check out their website, DEBSandERROL.COM, which also features a comic strip that profiles the comedic group's adventures with the music industry and their travels on the comic book & scifi convention circuit promoting their CD and website.

LEGO and STAR WARS combine for fun starfighter game

A new game app for mobile devices was launched this week titled LEGOS: Star Wars Micro Star Fighters.   It is a vertical scrolling shooter game that lets the player pretend they are flying one of six vehicles from the Star Wars universe.  You blast your way through hostile terrain destroying enemies and collecting LEGO studs.  I bought the game for .99 cents and found it to be a fun distraction but it really isn't a lengthy detailed game with only 18 levels simulating  visits to just four planets from the Star Wars movies:  Geonosis (Episode II), Yavin (Episode IV), Hoth (Episode V) and Endor (Episode VI). I didn't notice any in-app purchase options in the game which I appreciated (HATE THOSE) but you can upgrade your ships or open other bonus features by collecting LEGO blocks and studs through game play.  Once you've collected enough LEGO blocks you can also open DARK SIDE campaigns that provide additional scenarios & game play.

The game play reminds me of the old school shooter 1941 and combining that layout with the Star Wars story makes the game somewhat nostalgic with a cool retro vibe.  The graphics on the game are simplistic yet very well done without the LEGO theme overwhelming or distracting the playing experience.  What really impressed me was the soundtrack...the music sounds great and made me feel like I was sitting in a movie theater listening to the Star Wars score.  The controls are very EASY making it great for kids to be able to play or for adults to pull out on their iphone during a lunch break.  You simply control the ship you are flying with your finger moving it around the screen...simple as that.  If you are looking for an indepth game experience this will probably be too short and dull for you, but if you are looking for a game you can play for just a few minutes at a time on an iphone or ipad I believe you'll really enjoy this.  Hey for .99 cents I felt it was a pretty darn good game....and hopefully they will add some free updates with new levels and vehicles down the road.

Check out this trailer to see the gameplay:

CLICK HERE to buy LEGO STAR WARS MICROFIGHTERS.  Sorry I don't know if it is available for android though you'd think all things Star Wars would be also accessible for Droids.

DC COMICS GOES STEAMPUNK

Keep in eye out this February for some interesting artwork coming from the folks at DC COMICS.  During the month of February twenty of their most popular titles will have steampunk themed variant covers.  What is steampunk?  Steampunk is a fantasy genre that is somewhat a combination of science fiction with the Wild West.  Essentially it presents a futuristic world where technology never advanced beyond the steam powered era of the 19^thCentury British Victorian era or American Wild West.  Steampunk features lots of retro-futuristic images, in other words futuristic clothes, tools, machines and so on as the people of that time period would have envisioned them using the capabilities of that era.  

The stories themselves in these issues won’t be steampunk this promotion just involves providing variant covers…so it is a gimmick to sell some extra comic books during the month of February by the publisher.  That being said, if you appreciate cool, unique artwork these are some comic book covers you absolutely should keep an eye out for.

Here are a few samples of the upcoming steampunk variant covers:

Aquaman #28 variant by Richard Horle

Batman and Robin # 28 variant by Matteo Scalera

Batman/Superman # 8 variant by Tommy Lee Edwards

Earth 2 # 20 variant by Dan Panosian

Flash # 28 variant by Howard Chaykin with colors by Jesus Aburtov

Justice League #28 variant by Dan Panosian

Interested in actually reading a steampunk inspired comic?  You may want to check out FREE COMIC BOOK DAY which will be providing a sample of STEAM WARS, a Star Wars themed steampunk story.

A not so long ago, in a galaxy relatively close by began an epic struggle on a world seized in the grip of an evil Victorian empire.  Only a ragged alliance of rebels oppose the emperor and his black guard, but hope is fading.  While fleeing from the steam-driven war machines of her imperial pursuers, Duchess Imoen stumbles across the home of the last Dragoon: the legendary storm foil warriors of ancient lore!  This new (but strangely familiar) steam-fantasy epic will give thrills that haven't been felt since 1977!

FREE COMIC BOOK DAY is on May 3, 2014.  On the first Saturday in May each year participating comic book retailers provide comic books for FREE to anyone who visits their store.  To find a participating location or for more information about this event visit www.freecomicbookday.com

Actress Scarlett Johansson Banned From SuperBowl

Well she's not actually been banned from being at the game, but the SodaStream ad featuring actress Scarlett Johansson has been banned from airing during the television broadcast of the SuperBowl.  SodaStream, which manufactures machines that allow people to make their own carbonated soda beverages at home, planned on having Johansson seductively pitch their product during a tv commercial on FOX's broadcast of the big game.  Fox has banned the advertisement from airing though.  Check it out:

FOX claims the advertisement is too HOT for TV, but not because of any sultry scenes.  Rather the commercial breaks a network rule of not letting products criticize competitors, at least ones that have also purchased ad time, in commercials during the SuperBowl broadcast.  So they yanked this SodaStream ad from the game night commercial rotation because Johansson ends it with "Sorry Coke & Pepsi". 

Hmmm I do believe though that I've seen Pepsi & Coke poke fun at each other in their ads before during the game.  Could it be that the network didn't want to touch another HOT topic when it comes to this advertisement, the potential flare up from special interest groups that don't like the company SODA STREAM.  SodaStream's machines are build and imported to the United States from Israel, which wouldn't be a big deal except that the manufacturing facilities are located in contested territory of the West Bank and therefore made the business a target of criticism by some Arab advocacy, charitable, and constituency groups.  Scarlot Johansson has already been publicly criticized for her endorsement of this company by several of these groups. A conspiracy theorist might take from this that maybe rather than the content of the commercial being blocked but rather the NFL and FOX wanting to stay clear of any association to this Mid East conflict. Of course I'm not a conspiracy theorist so that is probably nonsense ... or is it?  

The ban of the SodaStream ad was probably a good thing though because their "SuperBowl" tv commercial really isn't very good and it is probably getting more attention now than it would have from airing during the big game because of the controversy.  This has been a controversy filled week for the actress who was also involved with complaints from women's issues and health care advocacy groups criticizing the newly released Captain America movie poster.  Critics contend Johansson's portrayal in the poster was photoshopped to give her an un-naturally small waist and argue that this markets an unhealthy societal image for women and girls.  What do you think of the poster?

When you see advertisements for products during the SuperBowl or posters for movies do you look at the bigger picture regarding issues like have been brought up with these two marketing pieces or do you just focus on the products being promoted in the ad?  Something to think about as we're about to be flooded with promotional messages on February 2nd as every marketer that has an opportunity tries to grab a second of your attention during the biggest television viewing audience of the year to make an impression for their client.

THE STRAIN INFECTS FX IN JULY

A few years before Guillermo del Toro directed the recent summer SciFi blockbuster PACIFIC RIM, he co-wrote with Chuck Hogan a vampire horror novel titled  THE STRAIN which reached the NEW YORK TIMES Bestseller List in 2009.  Dark Horse comics adapted the novel to a comic book series in 2011 and now the story is coming to the small screen with the cable channel FX (home to American Horror Story, The Americans & Sons of Anarchy ) airing a television show based on del Toro's novel starting in July 2014.

Picture a stormy night at JFK airport with the wind whipping and lighting crashing.  A plane routinely lands but than just stops dead on the tarmac.  All the shades on its windows are drawn down, the lights are off, and no one is answering its radio.  In addition, to SWAT and counter-terrorism units being brought in to address the situation, a crack team from the CDC (Center for Disease Control) is called in to help ascertain the situation.  This is how THE STRAIN begins.

The plane is the beginning of a vampire infestation of New York City.  These aren't the glamorized vampires of Dracula lore though but rather grotesque mutated monsters that really put the "horror" into the vampire myth.  If you've seen the mutated vampires in the movie BLADE 2, which del Toro also happened to direct, you get the picture.  If not check out the great artwork in Dark Horse's STRAIN comic books for some great visuals.  The book and TV show will revolve around how the CDC tackles this vampire epidemic.

Unlike Dracula and other vampire stories that provide a mystical element for the origin and creation of these creatures of the night, THE STRAIN takes a scientific approach to explaining them.  The vampires are infected by parasitic worms that carry a virus that is passed on to humans causing them to mutate.  The worms are introduces to a person's body through a vampire's feeding or through it entering on its own in an invasive manner through a wound or orifice.  The worms feed off of blood and as they do that they transmit an incurable vampire virus transforming the victim.

 
These vampires develop "stingers" that shoot out of their mouths to lach onto their human prey and suck out their blood.  If the vampire doesn't kill their prey through feeding on them than the person is infected by worms that make their way into their body during the feeding infecting them with the virus and turning them into vampires too.  The vampires in the strain also lose their hair and fingernails, while gaining sharp talons and a hard skin covering for protection.  Not the most glamorous of characters are they but pretty creepy.

If you enjoy THE WALKING DEAD, you will probably enjoy THE STRAIN.  Here's a teaser trailer from FX for this new show:

For more information, about FX'S THE STRAIN visit:  http://www.fxnetworks.com/thestrain

USE A LITTLE SALINE TO CLEAR UP STUFFY NOSES

It is that dreaded time of year … cold & flu season.  Our whole family has had flu shots this year but that hasn’t prevented us all from getting stuffy noses the last few weeks as snow has piled up  and freezing temperatures have made us shiver thanks to the infamous polar vortex.  So I looked up online some tips to try and get our noses unplugged and everyone feeling a little better.

MedlinePlus, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine which is under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (note the .gov in its url: www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus ) had some great information on the topic.  The website recommended:

"Medicines are not the only way to relieve a stuffy or runny nose.  Often, gentler solutions are better.  Try these steps to thin the mucus, which can help you breathe easier and get nasal secretions back to normal.

•  Use gentle saline nasal sprays.

• Increase the humidity in the air with a vaporizer or humidifier.

• Drink extra fluids. Hot tea, broth, or chicken soup may be especially helpful."

 We were in luck because we just had just received a sample of a new product called Boogie Mist and I decided to give it a try to see if it could help get rid of those pesky boogers bugging my kids.  I’m pleased to say that it worked like a charm.

Boogie Mist is a non-medicated saline solution that flushes blockages from the nose, dissolves mucus, and moisturizes the skin within the nasal passage.  Seems like an easy enough solution, except until you take into consideration my children don’t want me sticking anything up their nose and freaked out like riled chickens when I approached them with the bottle.  Hmmm….what is a Dad to do?

Well I used it first on myself and showed them it wasn’t just fine to use but also a little fun too.  You see Boogie Mist instead of having a nozzle has a Schnozzle (scented nozzle) that makes the saline smell like grape flavor candy.  It actually is a tasty scent that is closer to bubblegum than cough syrup in the hierarchy of all things grape flavored.  Since, I made a big deal about how great the grape was the kids of course wanted to try it too.  Mission Accomplished!

Another nice feature about this product was that it doesn’t really spray into your nose but actually like the name implies mists.  My kids seemed pretty comfortable having the saline misted into their noses and I believe we’d probably have some kickback from them from a more traditional product where you are spraying a solution in with more pressure.

In addition to grape scented solution, we also tried out some saline nose wipes called Boogie Wipes.   These were nice because unlike traditional facial tissues these were moist and didn’t scratch up your nose when you blew it.  We’ve all been there before haven’t we when your nose gets raw, scratchy and hurts not from the congestion of a cold but rather from all the rubbing of dry tissues against it when you are repeatedly blow or sneeze into them.  My daughter actually said “hey Dad these are great they aren’t scratchy!” when she was using them.  Plus another great bonus to the product, just like the Boogie Mist, it smells like GRAPES! 

If you have kids at home and want to make being sick a little less miserable, I recommend checking out the Boogie Mist & Boogie Wipe products.  In addition to Grape Scent they also come in "Fresh Scent". You can buy them at Kroger, Target, Toys-R-Us, and Walgreens, among other retailers.  For more information, visit www.boogiewipes.com

DISCLAIMER:  I received a complimentary product sample from Little Busy Bodies of the Boogie Mist & Boogie Wipes discussed in this post.  The views and opinions expressed are my own.

A New Adventure: ELFQUEST "The Final Quest"

The Wolf Riders are back - the first new adventures of the elves of ElfQuest to be published in eight years start this week with the release by Dark Horse Comics of a series titled ELFQUEST: THE FINAL QUEST.  Created by Wendy & Richard Pini in 1978, the ElfQuest stories follow the adventures of Cutter and his band of elves on an Earth-like planet called the World of Two Moons.  The elves battle against pre-civilized humans who think of them as "evil spirits" and trolls who want to either enslave them or eat them depending on the circumstances.  The stories that have spanned over the last 35 years have focused on Cutter's band of Wolf Riders looking for the magical palace of their ancestors and along that journey discovering new brethren tribes of elves with unique characteristics and mysterious secrets about their origins.

Wendy Pini's ElfQuest illustrations have a  magical context to them that really emphasizes the artistic quality of artwork in the comic medium.  The stories are a little mature for elementary aged children with themes that include sex and violence, but I remember being engrossed by the mythical and mystical elements reading these stories in middle school.  ElfQuest is a great adventure to enjoy that I would recommend for someone who may be a tween or older that enjoys science fiction / fantasy stories.

What is really GREAT is you can read ALL of the ElfQuest stories that take place before this new Dark Horse Comics series for FREE at http://www.elfquest.com/gallery/OnlineComics3.html.  That's more than 6,500 pages of material to peruse.  If you've enjoyed the stories in the past, this is a great opportunity to go back to read them again and if you've never read ElfQuest before you can see everything online to review if it may be appropriate for your child to read or if you enjoy the characters and plots enough to purchase THE FINAL QUEST. The website also has a Prologue that is available to download for FREE that kicks off the story line for the new THE FINAL QUEST series.

Dark Horse Comics will be publishing monthly issues of THE FINAL QUEST starting January 2014 that will be available in print form from local retailers or in digital format via the publisher's website prices at $3.50.  Dark Horse also has a couple page preview of ISSUE #1 on their website, check it out at:  http://www.darkhorse.com/Comics/Previews/24-774

I haven't read the new series yet, but plan on picking up #1 today for myself.  Here's Dark Horse's summary of this new comic book series for the ElfQuest franchise:

ELFQUEST: THE FINAL QUEST #1

The Wolfriders' chief, Cutter, knows that change is coming. His tribe's proximity to the Palace of the High Ones, a mysterious and magical oasis, makes this inevitable. As Cutter's daughter Ember, chief of her own tribe, shares her father's efforts to preserve the old ways amongst their kin, the human tyrant, Angrif Djun, ascends the mountain her clan call home and rocks the foundation of their peaceful existence.
* Winner of the Golden Pen Award from the Young Adult Advisory Committee!
* Brand-new Elfquest art and adventures!
* Includes Elfquest extras from past and present!

Martin Luther King Jr. utilized comic books to promote his message

On this Martin Luther King Jr holiday, I think back to the challenges of energizing a movement, capturing the attention of youth, and communicating a message to a wide audience back in a time, before I was born, that was void of the Internet, cell phones, texts, twitter, Facebook, and blogs that are such popular mediums today for people to connect with one another.  In the late 1950's television was the new exciting technology and most written messages were still delivered through newspapers, telegram, or the good old US Mail. How was a passionate Minster to reach out to gain volunteers and supporters to support him in his crusade against racial discrimination?  Very creatively, Martin Luther King Jr. used a comic book as a marketing tool to help share his vision to the World.

In 1957, a group called the Fellowship of Reconciliation  worked with Martin Luther King Jr. to publish a full-color comic book entitled MARTIN LUTHER KING & THE MONTGOMERY STORY.  This comic book brought the story of his fight to end racial discrimination to life for many people and promoted the concept of utilizing the principles of non-violence to reach this goal.   Noted civil rights veteran Congressman John Lewis credit this comic book for inspiring him and many other young activists at that time to join Dr. King's movement.

Top Shelf Productions is taking people back to that turbulent time in history by republishing the original MARTIN LUTHER KING AND THE MONTGOMERY STORY in print and digital formats.  The comic can be purchased digitally exclusively on Comixology for $1.99 or in print format through Tip Shelf Comics for $5.00  Take a look at how comic books helped change the world through this unique historical reprint.  What a great way on Martin Luther King Jr. Day to sit down with your kids and discuss the issues relating to this holiday.  Martin Luther King Jr. was much more than his "I have a Dream" speech and this comic book is a great way to look at the man and his mission.  Plus it is an interesting look at how comic books have played a role in the development of American history.

All money collected from the sale of this comic book by Top Shelf Productions will be donated to the Fellowship of Reconciliation (FOR).  An interfaith, tax-exempt organization, FOR promotes active nonviolence and has members from many religious, spiritual, and ethnic traditions. FOR-USA is a branch of the International Fellowship of Reconciliation (IFOR), which coordinates affiliates in more than 50 countries.  http://forusa.org/

For more information, visit:  http://www.topshelfcomix.com/catalog/martin-luther-king-and-the-montgomery-story/876

PAPERCUTZ BRINGS DINOSAURS TO LIFE

PAPERCUTZ is a comic book / graphic novel publisher that I have a lot of respect for which has a great catalog of titles for children ranging from DISNEY FAIRIES, GERONIMO STILTON, GARFIELD and THE SMURFS for younger kids to CLASSIC ILLUSTRATED, HARDY BOYS, NANCY DREW, and TALES FROM THE CRYPT for grade school students and teens.  I have 5 year old twins who really aren't reading on their own yet, but I've enjoyed reading PAPERCUTZ titles to them which allows them to follow along with the pictures as I tell the story.  My daughter loves the Disney Fairies comics and my son The Smurfs.  Now, PaperCutz is adding a great new title to their catalog called DINOSAURS.

DINOSAURS isn't available as individual soft bound serial series comic books but rather will be sold as a series of 3 individual hardcover graphic novels with the first edition "In the Beginning ... " hitting retailers' shelves this week.  The book has a goofy paleontologist, with a name that spoofs Indiana Jones, called INDINO JONES discussing the history of dinosaurs, how things become fossilized, various geological topics, and the various time periods when these giant creatures roamed the Earth.  Rather than having stories, the graphic novel is divided into short segments or skits that each make you think of newspaper comic book strips. Looking at the artwork and reading through the text of each segment you could imagine this was a compilation of newspaper comic strips collected together for this book.  They actually have been created specifically for this book though and aren't taken from another source. The artwork reminded me of B.C. and Wizard of ID to some extent but it also has a "pop" factor from the pages of the book that provides a "wow" factor lacking from those types of comic strips.  My daughter saw me reading through the book on my computer screen and loved the graphics saying "That's a really cool comic Dad".

The stories are both entertaining and educational which I believe makes it an excellent addition to a child's bookshelf.  The artwork is bright and nicely colored in a cartoonish manner which may entice some children who may not want to read a book with realistic images because it may be to much like school work or in some cases scary for those kids who may get spooked by things.  Humor and some slap stick comedy is intertwined with the book to make the reading experience fun for the kids, and parents, reading it.  For example, in one scene while Indino Jones is looking for fossils on a beach he doesn't notice an elderly woman sunbathing as he is walking along and spouts out a statement of "old fossils on the beach".  The old woman, wearing a bikini, chases the haphazard paleontologist off the beach.

The book gives descriptions of "What is a Dinosaur" and the types of Dinosaurs ranging from popular ones such as T-REX, STEGOSAURUS, and VELOCIRAPTOR along with less well known ones such as ALLOSAURUS and DEINONYCHUS from the perspective of the dinosaurs.  Indino Jones role is somewhat similar to the paleontologist on the PBS tv show Dinosaur Train who comes in between stories featuring the dinosaurs to provide some educational information, though in this comic book he is a narrator who binds the book together plus also has a few storylines of his own and throws in some comic relief too.

 While my daughter did see a few pages of the book while I was working on this review, I decided not to read it to my kids because I thought the content was somewhat mature for preschoolers, which was a tough decision because my son LOVES dinosaurs. There are some graphic depictions of dinosaurs being killed and eaten by predators showing carcasses, exposed bones, and blood in blood.  Additionally there is some violence with dinosaurs fighting and hunting contained in the publication.  Also there was some language I didn't really want the kids exposed to including dinosaurs calling other dinos "morons" and "shrimps".  That being said I believe the content is suitable for grade school children maybe starting around second or third grades.  It may also be suitable for older middle school and high school aged students who need some extra enticements or encouragement to get into their studies.  The book does a good job of explaining "science stuff" like continental drift, extinction, fossilization in an easy to understand manner.  So the description of the book by the publisher is pretty fitting:

Think you know everything there is to know about dinosaurs? Think again! In this bronto-sizedseries, kid dinos show us what their lives were like in short, funny, teeth-gnashing bursts of prehistoric mayhem. DINOSAURS is your guided tour through the rough-and-tumble world of themightiest beasts to ever walk the earth!

All in all I believe the DINOSAUR graphic novels are an excellent addition to the PAPERCUTZ library that compliment there current lineup of titles and fits into their niche of providing quality reading materials for children and teens.  If you have a student in your life, I'd encourage you to take a look at DINOSAURS: IN THE BEGINNING.

The book is priced $10.99 and is available at local book stores, comic retailers, and online.  Volume 2 & 3 will be published in the near future.  For more information, visit:  http://www.papercutz.com/comics/dinosaurs/ 

DISCLAIMER:  I received a complimentary digital pdf copy of this book from the Publisher for this review.  The opinions expressed in this post are my own.

Spend the Holidays with Li'l Gothem

We've spent some of this holiday break the kids have from school reading DC COMIC's Batman: Li'l Gothem which is set in a FUNKOish stylized world with the publisher's iconic characters illustrated with big heads and squishy bodies similar to those funky vinyl toys.  There are two things that set these comics apart from the mainstream DC universe which makes me happy to give them a plug.

FIRST, the series is scripted to be enjoyed by readers of all ages.  DC COMICS books, television shows, video games and movies have become increasingly dark and violent which is edgy entertainment for a 40 year old dad like myself to enjoy but also media that I am hesitant to let me children have access to.  I don't want my 5 year old twins seeing Superman kill his adversary or Lois Lane being killed by the Joker.  Batman: Li'l Gothem though has limited violence and no gore in it making it more like 1960's Batman the tv show with Adam West compared to the more recent Dark Knight movies with Christian Bale.  These are fun light-hearted stories and very appropriate for kids to enjoy.  

SECOND, the artwork is done in water colors with sketchy drawings giving Batman: Li'l Gotham a whimsical feel similar to the illustrated books you see for young readers at the library.  The FUNKOized characters combined with the bright tones of the coloring make the comic enticing to young eyes and a fun change of pace for adult comic book readers.  I'd encourage you to check out the Li'l Gotham comics just for the fun of seeing its visual adaptations of the DC Universe.

I've been reading BATMAN: LI'L GOTHAM VOLUME 1 with my kids at bedtime the last few nights. This is a paperwork collection of stories from DETECTIVE COMICS ANNUAL #11, BATMAN ANNUAL #27, and BATMAN: LI'L GOTHAM ISSUES 1 - 11.  What is nice about these stories is they also revolve around the holidays.  So this would be a nice book to pull off the shelf throughout the year to enjoy with your children during the various holidays.  Batman: Li'l Gotham Volume 1 has a stories with Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years, Easter, Mothers Day & Fathers Day.

For example in the Thanksgiving Day story, the Penguin attacks the Gotham parade in a bid to set all the turkeys free and save them from a fate of ending up on that evening's dinner plates throughout the City.  A cute and fun tromp through Gotham's city streets that includes parade floats and balloons in on the action.  Batman & Robin go trick or treating in the Halloween story and on accident walk in on a dinner gathering of all the City's super villains.  The Christmas story involves Dr. Freeze kidnapping some orphans who are on their way to sing carols at Gotham's tree lighting ceremony.  It has a touch ending you wouldn't expect.

The only downside to the publication is Robin is a real BRAT compared to the adaptations you may be familiar with but on the flip side of the coin that also presents some of the parenting challenges that Batman confronts and stories revolve around in the comic providing some good story lines and messages for young children.

BATMAN: LI'L GOTHAM VOLUME 1 goes on sale February 25th, 2014.  For more information, visit http://www.amazon.com/Batman-Lil-Gotham-Vol-1.

DISCLAIMER:  I received a complimentary digital pdf advance copy of Batman: Lil Gotham Volume 1 from the publisher to review.  The views and opinions in this post are my own.

Turbo F.A.S.T. races to NETFLIX

One of my son's favorite movies during the summer of 2013's blockbuster movie season was TURBO, the story of a snail who wants to be fast and thanks to a freak accident is transformed into a speedy racer who competes in the INDY 500.  This premise has been used by the Internet movie/television service NETFLIX in its bid to transform itself from a re-broadcaster of media content to an originator of premium programming, as it made available it's first original programming series targeted to children, TURBO F.A.S.T. on Christmas Eve.  NETFLIX made 5 (23 minute) episodes available to its subscribers on December 24, 2013 and additional new shows will be added to the site for streaming in 2014.

I watched the first episode with my 5 yr old son and daughter and they both really enjoyed it - enough that as soon as the show ended they yelled out "let's watch it again!"  The first show in this new animated series has Tito, Turbo's taco truck driving buddy, bring the racing snail home after a world wide promotional tour celebrating his win at Indy.  They are greeted by Kim Ly (voiced by comedian Ken Jeong - who voiced the character in the movie) as they return to the Starlight Plaza strip mall in a short skit which serves as a segue from the movie to the cartoon series. Tito takes Turbo to a "City" for bugs that he has created next to the dumpster behind the strip mall and lets the snail off into his new home.  That is the last scene with "humans" in it as the show focuses on Turbo's adventures in the Bug City as he is also joined by his snail family and friends from the movie - Chet, Burn, Whiplash, Skidmark & White Shadow.

Check out this clip from the new animated television series:

The animation for TURBO F.A.S.T. is refreshing in that it has a bright neon glow to it reminiscent of 80s Saturday Morning cartoons like Pacman and The Smurfs with a 2D flat hand-drawn retro feel versus the CGI three-dimensional let's try to make the cartoon look like "real life" approach that many other animated series are doing at the moment.  This is also a departure from the movie which was in a 3-D high tech animated format itself.  See the difference between a scene from the movie and a scene from the new tv show:

TURBO - the movie

TURBO F.A.S.T

Of course, the tv show has a focus on racing and the name of Turbo and his friend's team which starts off as Fast Action Race Team but they change during the course of the first show to Fast Action Stunt Team because they like the name FAST better than FART plus they do some superhero stunts making them more than just a "race" team.  Thus the name of the show TURBO F.A.S.T.  Many of characteristics of the show including the voices ( though voiced by different actors) of the snails are very similar - that may be in part because DREAMWORKS STUDIOS created both the original movie and is producing the cartoons for NETFLIX. 

You may think that with a show that focuses on snails racing and doing stunts it might be a boys themed cartoon, but the producers do a nice job making it enjoyable for both genders.  My daughter liked the show as much as my son.  One of the reasons she liked the show was they incorporated as one of the major characters a female race named BURN that my daughter really appreciated.  Another fun aspect of the show is that they give each snail a score card with video game type 1-10  rankings for various categories that they flash on the screen.  It gives the characters a little more personality plus the viewers an idea of what each snail may be better at when it comes to a race or an adventurous task.  For example, BURNS' score card gives her a ranking of 7 for SPEED, 8 for ACCELERATION and 10 for SASS.

All in all TURBO FAST is a fun ride of a show that I give a nod to for children's viewing.  The few episodes we've seen so far from the initial 5 released show a pattern of promoting a theme of teamwork, overcoming obstacles, and following your dreams.  Both the movie and tv show send the message it is OK to dream BIG, which I believe is a great thing to communicate to our youth.

For more information, visit:  http://movies.netflix.com/WiMovie/Turbo_FAST/70271773?locale=en-US

Make way for the extreme team.

Join Turbo and his posse on the Turbo Fast Action Stunt Team.  Filled with outrageous comedy, action and laugh out loud fun, "Turbo FAST" amps up everything to the extreme: extreme adventures, extreme challenges, and extreme excitement.

Genres: TV Shows, Kids' TV, TV Cartoons

This show is: Witty, Exciting

(Source: NETFLIX website) 

A Nostalgic Look at Youth & Comic Strips

My 4 year old son has a small teddy bear he drags along with him everywhere that looks remarkably similar to Frank in the comic strip Frank and His Friend so when I saw this panel from the new book FRANKAND HIS FRIEND:  SPECIAL COLLECTOR’S EDITION by Curio and Co. I couldn’t help but chuckle.

Frank is the stuffed toy in this cartoon series that tags along with his “friend” the boy who owns and loves him.   The comics are filled with humorous reflections of life through the eyes of a child’s toy – you can’t have a purer prism to filter life moments than that.  This table top coffee book is a collection of 70s era newspaper comic strips that bring you back to a time when most adults started their morning or wrapped up their evening supposedly reading about world events but more likely were perusing the comics page.  In today’s world of the Internet and satellites where everything so “right now” in our faces, it is nice, maybe you could say nostalgic, to remember a time when newspaper comic strips were popular culture that were talked about at the office water cooler or the lunchroom at school.

FRANK & HIS FRIENDS is a combination of childhood adventures in the style of Calvin & Hobbs with the 70’s era pop culture feel of Pete’s Dragon.  The book jacket notes the comic strips are from illustrator CLARENCE ‘OTIS’ DOOLEY whose work was syndicated across the country from 1975 to his untimely death in 1986.  It notes “However, though Frank and His Friend was published for only nine years, it has continued to inspire artists. From Arthur Bloomer’s Rumpus Room Rascals to the tow-headed underdog of Raining Cats and Hamsters, most of our favorite characters of the last twenty years owe something to the influence of Frank and His Friend.”

You may read that and go WOW! that's incredible, but I don't recall ever hearing about this author or his comic strip Frank & His Friends...don't feel bad because there is NO such person.  The fact is that Frank & His Friends isn't a collection of old newspaper strips but rather a brand new cartoon meant to replicate a bygone era created by the staff at the publishers of CURIO & CO.  To immerse the readers into this experience they've gone as far as to create a fictional author and back story surrounding the comic strip to enhance the nostalgia value and authentic feel of their creation.  In reference to this the publisher has noted, "This allows Curio & Co. to poke fun at today's impatient culture and create an 'instant heirloom' for collectors who want their history in half the time." They point out, "Dooley, of course, is as imagined as Frank.  He's just one more character in the sprawling fictional landscape of Curio & Co., which has created something more than a new paperback here.  It's an entry point to a world of intertwining back-story threads that are as much fun to unravel as the imaginative pathways of our childhoods."

What is nice about Frank & His Friends is that there is a Norman Rockwellish tone to the artwork and messages in the comic strips that also makes this an attractive publication to share with older generations.  The crisp artwork with its simplistic themes and youthful tones can also be shared with  younger generations too as a fun children's bedtime story or a nice fireside read on a cold winter day.

My father is notoriously hard to shop for when it comes to getting presents for him.  Yet as I write this post I’m having flashbacks of him reading the newspaper comics while drinking coffee every morning before work as we got ready for school and our Sunday morning ritual of rushing home from church so we could watch Little Rascals & Lone Ranger reruns together on TV.  I believe I may have just found a perfect gift by wrapping up Frank & his Friend: Special Collector’s Edition to put under the Christmas tree for him this year.

The FRANK & HIS FRIENDS: SPECIAL COLLECTOR’S EDITION is 128 pages of fun priced at $19.95. I’d encourage you to pick it up as a great addition to any home library’s book shelf or a wonderful gift for a loved one.  

For more information, visit:  http://www.curioandco.com/

DISCLAIMER:  I received a complimentary review copy of this book from the publisher.  The thoughts and opinions in this article are my own.

THERE IS A NEW SHERIFF IN TOWN

Disney Junior introduced a new animated show to join its popular kids focused television lineup on Friday the 13^th called SHERIFF CALLIE’S WILD WEST.  The follows the exploits of a calico cat, voiced by the singer Mandy Moore, who serves as the Sheriff of the frontier town of Nice & Friendly Corner using a magical lasso and cow-girl know how to keep the peace.  The show utilizes Wild West folklore and Country music to impart social skills and lessons for young children ages 2-7 encouraging them to be good friends and neighbors.

My 5 year old son was home sick from preschool and we watched the Friday the 13^th sneak peek preview airing on the Disney Channel together.  The episode focused on dealing with the issue of “being a good sport” when one of Callie’s sidekicks becomes the best horseshoe player in town he becomes an arrogant jerk so the Sheriff teaches him a lesson by graciously beating him at his own game.  While the show has a cute premise with the Sheriff, her deputies a cactus and a red robin, and a town full of characters that look like they were pulled from a Richard Scary book, it just didn’t capture my son’s attention.  It wasn’t that the show had a girl for a main character, because he loves to watch Disney’s newer cartoon brands Sophia the First and Doc McStuffins rather the content was a little more focused towards younger children.  I’d say that if he was a few years younger that he’d love this show, though the songs in it with their country twang just aren’t as catchy as those in Sophia and Doc, so while the age rating for SHERIFF CALLIE’S WILD WEST is 2-7 I’d probably say it is more geared for children 2-4 years old.  Both my 5 yr old twins feel the Disney Junior cartoon HENRY HUGGLEMONSTER is too immature for them as well, so if you have a younger child I’d recommend this and for kids that are 5 and older they may watch but not necessarily love this new cartoon. 

This is a quality production that shows DISNEY is committed to giving PBS KIDS dominancy in quality childhood programming a run for the money as they continue to produce and air programs like SHERIFF CALLIE which really is comparable to Dinosaur Train, Daniel Tiger, and Peg + Cat in catering to a 2-5 year old audience.  As a parent, I hope this “battle” will encourage both networks to continue to develop and expand new and interesting programs for children with safe age appropriate content and dependable education and social skill development content.

The Friday the 13th Sneak Peek Show EST air times are: 8:45 am , 2pm & 7:20pm

For more information, check out the show’s website:  http://disneyjunior.com/sheriff-callies-wild-west

SHERIFF CALLIE’S WILD WEST is scheduled to join JAKE AND THE NEVERLAND PIRATES, SOPHIA THE FIRST, DOC MCSTUFFINS &  HENRY HUGGLEMONSTER on DISNEY JUNIOR’S regular weekly lineup starting January 20, 2014.  

ROBOTS, MONSTERS & ALIENS ... OH MY!

The release of PACIFIC RIM this summer really geeked me out because I grew up a huge fan of Giant Robots versus Monsters stories which really haven't been that popular last few decades until Guillermo del Toro re-energized the genre with his blockbuster movie.  In the movie, aliens breed giant monsters and send them to Earth through a trans-dimensional portal to wipe out the human population so the aliens can recolonize the planet for themselves.  To defend the planet, giant robots called JAEGERS are created to fend off these monsters which have been named KAIJU (Japanese for "strange creature).

While they may seem cheesy now, I never missed a chance to watch The Adventures of Johnny Sokko & his Flying Robot

Ultraman

or Godzilla

I remember watching these tv shows and movies as an elementary school kid while playing with my Shogun Warrior toys recreating epic battles between robots and monsters...those were the good old days.  Now maybe with PACIFIC RIM and the upcoming new GODZILLA movie a new generations of kids, and their geeky dads, can enjoy a renewed era of story-telling in this genre.  Check out this trailer to the new GODZILLA movie coming out in 2014:

Can't wait for the new movie to come out to get a your monster madness fix, well don't fret because IDW Publishing has a new line of Godzilla comic books on the market now and next week you can purchase the graphic novel accumulation of the first story arc of the series in GODZILLA: RULERS OF EARTH VOLUME 1 hitting store shelves on December 17, 2013.

In the Godzilla comics there are two variety of monsters, ones that have evolved from radiation and pollution mutations on Earth and ones, that like in Pacific Rim, are sent by aliens who want to take over our world for themselves.  The comic also introduces a new cast of characters called Megazoologists who are academics studying these new creatures and often time need to be rescued by the military cast who are fighting off these monsters.

The artwork in this comic is bright and crisp giving the impression that you are watching an animated special on TV versus reading a publication.  The quality of the artwork really enhanced the story and made the book interesting to flip through.  Plus the story lines were well scripted making for a fun read.  Due to violence and graphic nature of the book it may be a little much for young children, but for an older grade school kid, teen or adult who has an interest in monsters I'd recommend adding it to their bookshelf.

For more information, visit http://shop.idwpublishing.com/comics/series/godzilla.html

DISCLAIMER:  I received an advance copy digital pdf of GODZILLA: RULLERS OF EARTH VOLUME 1 to review from the publisher.  The opinions in this post are my own.