Tom & Jerry

One of my fondest memories as a young boy was watching the hilarious animated adventures of Tom & Jerry-the cat and mouse misadventures of a hair brain feline and a wily mouse.

Each cartoon saw Tom matching wits with his diminutive foe Jerry in a who-can-top-who slapstick story where inevitably Tom would get his comeuppance and Jerry his  victory and prize-most of the time.

What made Tom & Jerry cartoons so much fun was the over-the-top animation by many of the industry's top animators of the time: Hanna and Barbara, Chuck Jones and Maurice Noble.

Warner Bros. has compiled 30 of the best of the best animated Tom & Jerry shorts into a wonderful 2-disc collection.  Included is a very special tribute to the animated duo from their early days through their award winning career.

Blur

Guest Review: Sopheap J. Eang

Blur, from Activision, is an action packed racing game that makes me a bit nostalgic.  The obvious objective is to be the first to cross the finish line.  Although, having the fastest car and being a good driver is not good enough here.  In order to be first, mastery of the power ups placed throughout the race track is necessary.  Power-ups range from a homing missile to lightning road blocks.  Choosing the correct ones for your situation is something to think about too.  The road block probably isn’t the best idea if you’re in first place.  The same idea with last place.  Picking up a shield won’t do any good.  The racing itself would have been enough to make this game a good choice for race fans.  But the addition of the power-ups add the chaos that will get you addicted.

If you’re the single player person, blur has plenty to offer.  The absence of any real story is a downer.  But the road to being the best is an amazing ride.  Racing on the tracks is how you prove yourself worthy of taking part in one-on-one boss races.  Winning this race unlocks their car for use and a car mod.  It sounds simple, but the objectives just to participate can be difficult, but entertaining just to attempt at.  Some examples would be to push an enemy car off the side of a mountain.  While others are more generic, finish a track with X time.  As you race, you gain fans.  Fans can be gained by completing task on the track or by just doing whatever it takes to win.  When certain fan numbers are reached, new cars become unlocked.  With this said, there are twenty-five total levels in the single player game.  Leaving you with plenty of unlockable material.  Add this with its multiplayer feature, and you’ve got a game with every penny.

The online  multiplayer adds much to the single player game.  Along with increasing the level cap from twenty-five to fifty, you’re racing against other players.  Which adds competitive gameplay.  Being out in front of the pack is nice, but you’ll find yourself swerving and picking up shields often in an attempt to stay there.  While being in last can be just as fun.  Everyone is in front of you, giving you plenty of targets to shoot at.  There is lag at times, but never enough to intrude on the fun.  Unfortunately splitscreen takes a back seat to online.  The removal of the rear-view mirror makes it harder to take down opponents who are behind you.  Other than that, the multiplayer is solid and will provide hours and hours of enjoyment. 

Too finish the package, Blur looks great.  It uses real world race tracks and over 55 licensed photo-realistic cars.  As the race goes on, your car will become damaged.  This is represented by the life bar above the car.  But it’s also noticeable just by looking at the car.  The bumpers can come off, windows could be broken.  The hood could come completely off.  These little details really show how hard the developers worked on the game.  For the future of Blur I hope to see some DLC (downloadable content) put on the market.  Blur is a refreshing take on the racing genre and is a game I would recommend to all racing fans alike.

Alice In Wonderland

Only the slightly twisted directional genius of Tim Burton could translate Lewis Carroll’s Alice In Wonderland and Through The Looking Glass successfully to the Silver Screen. Throw in Johnny Depp’s slightly askew and odd portrayal of the Mad Hatter, Anne Hathaway as the White Queen, Helena Bonham Carter as the White Queen and some famous voices as the computer animated White Rabbit, Tweedle Dum and Tweedle Dee and several other memorable characters and you’ve got an adaptation of the literary classic that cannot be matched!

The costumes, sets, computer effects and animation, lighting, makeup, physical effects and sheer scope of the film are breath-taking. This is Alice In Wonderland as it should appear-not as watered down animated films or anemic film adaptations seen so many times before.


Tim Burton captures the essence of the books and the weirdness, wonder and magic that makes the books so enjoyable so many years after they first appeared. There is something timeless about the Alice stories that strike a cord in everyone. Alice’s struggle with growing up, taking on responsibility and fitting in is something everyone can identify with.
Alice In Wonderland from Walt Disney Pictures is available on Blu-ray that also comes with a standard DVD disc and a special digital copy.


Look for some cool extras about the making of the film, cast interviews, scoring, costume design, commentaries and much, much more. Curiouser and curiouser!

Incredible Comic Book Women

Longtime comic book artist and new author Tom Nguyen (and his bevy of beautiful babe models) present Incredible Comic Book Women: The Kick Ass Guide To Drawing Hot Babes! published by Impact Books!

Ask any veteran or wannabe comic book artist and almost without exception when asked, “What is the most difficult thing to draw?” and they’ll answer—women. Trust me, I know, I have difficulty myself.

There’s something about the way that women are put together: their curves, torso area and faces that makes drawing women difficult, but not impossible. The biggest mistake young artists make when drawing women is they tend to make them look too muscular and use too many line-especially in their faces. The whole secret to drawing women is economy of lines and simplicity of form-any drawing of a woman should emphasize the soft, subtle curves of their body, their grace and most importantly their beauty.

Tom Nguyen understands the complexity of drawing women. His new book offers step-by-step instructions, with illustrations and photos, on how to draw faces, facial features, hairstyles, expressions, age variations, dynamic poses and lighting effects and five full-length demonstrations that simulate real-life “assignments from cover art to a complete comic book page are also included.

Artist of all sorts will want to study this book as it offers excellent advice and tips on drawing women of all shapes, sizes, ages and ethic backgrounds. Hot chicks-even hotter art!

Siege: Aftermath Avengers Prime #1

I can't get enough of Marvel Comics' Avengers.  Especially after the effects of Siege and the new Heroic Age relaunch.  It's nice to see the big three of the original Avengers (Steve Rogers, Tony Stark and Thor) back together. 

Asgard has been destroyed by Norman Osbourn and his 'government' cronies, Steve Rogers is now in charge of S.H.I.E.L.D. and the nations' security and Iron Man has reverted to his old armor of several versions ago.

Together the old friends work together to piece things together and try to put the nation back on its feet after the devastating Siege fiasco.

However, Steve Rogers and Tony Stark are still on edge with each over the events of the last few years and Thor is feeling displaced.

Exploring the ruins of Asgard, the trio accidentally trigger the shattered Rainbow Bridge's interdimentional capabilities and find themselves transported who knows where. 

Steve takes on some trolls, Tony Stark tries to fix his antiquated armor and Thor comes face-to-face with the Enchantress.  And that's just for starters!

This is the Avengers the way I like it-lots of fisticuffs, drama and action!  Brian Michael Bendis and Alan Davis serve up some good old Avengers fun with a killer story and dynamic art.  Who could ask for more?  Avengers Assemble!

James Bond Heroes & Villains

Few can dispute the fact that the James Bond movies have some of the most memorable villains and heroes ever created.  With names like Pussy Galore, Goldfinger, 006, Thumper, Bambi, M, Q, Blofeld and dozens of other characters the James Bond movies never fail to entertain.

Rittenhouse Archives presents a complete collection of Heroes & Villains Trading Cards from all 22 official James Bond films.  Seventy two Cards make up the Base Set (I assembled a full set with several cards extra for trading.  Every Rittenhouse Archives Trading Card Box I've received has always contained a full Base Set), with five Cards per Foil Pack and 24 Foil Packs per Box.

Three Autograph Cards are guaranteed per Box (mine are Joaquin Cosio, Papillon Soo Soo and Olga Bisera) with randomly inserted Bonus Cards in each Box.

Look for:

• 6 Men of James Bond Cards (I have 2)
• 9 James Bond In Motion Expansion Cards (1)
• 9 James Bond Expansion Cards (1)
• 8 James Bond Prop Relic Cards
  (Renault Taxi Cloth Interior from A View To A Kill)

All of the Trading Cards are printed on heavy paper stock and varnished on one side with a brief description of each character on their backs.

Lost Seasons 1 Thru 5

For five season Lost thrilled, chilled, enthralled, puzzled, perplexed and captivated viewers with its mix of fantasy, science fiction, drama and action.  Each week viewers never knew what to expect.

What you can expect from Rittenhouse Archives is a beautiful set of Trading Cards, printed on heavy stock, of photos taken from each episode along with some interesting facts about the show on the back of each Card. Five Cards come per Foil Pack with 24 Pack per Box.  One hundred and eight cards make up the Base Set (I got a full Set) and three Autograph Cards are guaranteed per Box (I received Alice Evans, Henry Ian Cusick and Terry O'Quinn).

Randomly inserted Bonus Cards include:

• 25 Lost Stars Artifex Cards (4 for me)
• 6 The Oceanic Six Cards (1)
• 9 Lost in Motion Lenticular Cards (2)
• Flash Forward Card (4)

Special cards are also available for Case purchases.  See Rittenhouse's website for details.

Wheels, Antiques, Rocks, Glass And Shoes

When author Michael Zarnock and Krause Publications state that the 4th Edition of Hot Wheels Variations is The Ultimate Guide they weren’t kidding! Just one look at this massive book clocking in at 5,500 number packs and with 3,100 photos includes a full identification and price listing of every Variation and it’s cool to look at to boot!

Warman’s 44th Antiques & Collectibles book by Mark F. Moran is the ultimate guide to everything antique ranging from glasswares to war memorabilia. Trusted since 1948 this guide is the bible of any serious collector with comprehensive listings, historical data and current market trends and prices. If you collect, then this is the book for you.


Before seeing Collecting Rocks, Gems And Minerals by Patti Polk I never realized how many different types of geological goodies there were. Look for full identification, values and lapidary uses. This book is packed with color photos, interesting mineral facts and full features. Rockin’!


Glass Collectors are sure to want to pick up Warman’s Depression Glass Field Guide 4th Edition by Ellen T. Schroy. Full value and identifications are included as are full color photos of each piece along with linear pattern recreations, prices and abbreviated historical facts.


Caroline Ashleigh and Warman’s Shoes Field Guide tracks the history of footwear from everything from athletic shoes to cowboy boots and everything in between. Look for values and identifications, promotional and historical documents and much more as you jump feet first into collecting shoes.

Holmes, Defenders, Animals, Valiant, Olympians, Stories and Adventures

Mill Creek Entertainment combs film archives for some of the best classic animated series, movies and live action movies and coverts them to DVDs for all to enjoy.

With the recent success of the new Sherlock Holmes movie, movie goers are taking a new interest in the classic adaptation of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s pipe smoking detective’s earlier cinema adventures.


Included in the 5-disc set are the entire 39 episodes of the American TV series and eight feature films. Actor Christopher provides and introduction to this wonderful collection of Edwardian detective thrillers.


Several other classic novel, comic strip and Pulp figures join forces to stop the merciless Ming. Look for Flash Gordon, The Phantom, Mandrak The Magician and Lothar and their young offspring as they team up to protect mankind as The Defenders OF THE Earth. The entire 65 episode animated series is included on 5-discs.


Small children are sure to love the 52 episodes of Animal Stories that run like modern day Aesop Tales. The winner of the prestigious Best Pre-School Animation Award of 2001, Animal Stories centers episodes on different animals while inter-mingling important life lessons.


Hal Foster’s Prince Valiant still runs today in newspapers. At its height the cartoon script was read and enjoyed by millions. It was even translated to a feature film starring Robert Wagner.


For the first time all 65 episodes of the animated series are brought together on 5-discs. Follow Prince Valiant in The Legend OF Prince Valiant as he begins his Quest For Camelot with lots of magic, warriors and damsels thrown in the mix. Animated to match the style of the newspaper strip, The Legend OF Prince Valiant is an epic animated series with plenty of adventure, action, sword-play and epic battles between good and evil. Look for voice actor interviews and commentaries.


I loved the Italian muscle man movies of the 1950’s and 1960’s, especially those starring Steve Reeves as Hercules.


Where else could you get lots of muscle-bound warriors pounding the living daylights out of each other, loads of magic and monsters and those girls-whew!


Get ready for some mythological mayhem as Mill Creek Entertainment takes you back in time to the age of Hercules complete with more action and adventure than you can imagine. Go ahead; indulge yourself, a little muscle-bound mayhem never hurt anyone.


Incredible stories and Classic Adventures translate literary masterpieces into full-length animated tales adapted for the small screen. Look for a huge cross-section of stories such as Ben Hur, Ivanhoe, The Mysterious Island, Journey To The Center Of The Earth and over a dozen other classic stories. It’s the perfect way to introduce children to classic of literature while making them visually exciting.

Safari To The Eighth Power

Eight new figures have just been released from Safari Ltd.: ranging from dinosaurs to a Centaur. As with all Safari Ltd. figures each one is expertly sculpted, nicely detailed, accurate to scale and surface texture and coloring, paint application is crisp with no slop over lines between pigments and no flashing is apparent for the molding process.


Travel back in time to the age of the dinosaurs. Take to the sea with the serpentine Mosasaurus. You can almost picture it gliding its light gray and white aerodynamic torso through the water propelled by its four fins and a paddle-like tail. Watch out for its large maw lined with razor sharp teeth!


Take flight with the Rhamphorhynchus as this deadly predator of the sky flaps its huge membrane wings and whips its long tail. Colored in multiple shades of brown this killer of the sky sports nasty looking claws and a mouth only a mother could love. Ouch!


With its large armor plated side, back and tail ridges the Kentrosaurus is a multi-green stomping machine as its easily walks across most terrain on its hammer-like feet with its large spiked tail held high and its side front spikes protruding to ward off any interlopers.


A modern day cousin of the huge thunder lizards is the Iguana. Safari Ltd. has done an excellent job of recreating the creature with its rough skin, long claws and toes, snake-like tail, body markings, large open maw with lower jaw skin flap and curiously intelligent looking eyes.


Learn all about the Life Cycle Of A Frog with Safari Ltd.'s five-stage depiction of the event starting with the eggs and moving on to the tadpole, tadpole without gills, tadpole with legs and finally the adult frog. Fascinating!


Don’t you just love cute little critters? And what’s not to love about the Guinea Pig. It’s absolutely adorable with its short stubby brown and white, fuzzy body, small ears and black button eyes. Its little pink feet are almost hidden by its plump body and its tiny mouth is almost lost on its pink snout. Awww!


What a crab! No, I’m not describing someone’s attitude I’m talking about Safari Ltd’s Blue Crab. Painted multiple greens and blues this crustacean is a flat, fast beach comber that looks like something from another planet with its eight legs, two large claws, triangular body and black eyes and hidden maw. Good thing it’s not a real crab-we Southern folks love our Blue Crabs, especially for food!


Time to cross the veil to a Mystical Realm and confront the half human, half horse Centaur. This muscular mix of man and beast is dressed in full body armor made of leather and metal. In one hand he carries a large bronze shield and raised in his other hand is a huge mace. Best be careful around this bearded warrior, you might just find yourself flat on your back looking up at his hooves!

Previews, June

Look for lots of new goodies coming in August courtesy of Diamond Previews June issue.

Comics books to clamor for include Spitfire 31, Deadpool #1000, Ultimate Comics Avengers 3 #1, Spider-Girl: The End #1, Avengers & The Infinity Gauntlet #1Shadowland: Bullseye #1, Shadowland: Moon Knight #1 and other Shadowland #1s, Magnus #1, Superman: Earth One, Green Lantern: Emerald Warriors #1, Guardians Of The Globe #1, Morning Glories #1, Lucid #1, The Scourge #1, Dracula #1, Torchwood #1, The Last Phantom #1 and Neonomicon #1.

Books to read include: The Art of Struzan, DC Comics: The 75th Anniversary Poster Book, DC Super Heroes: The Ultimate Pop-Up Book, Jerry Robinson: Ambassador Of Comics, The Essential Superman Encyclopedia, Mad's Greatest Artists: Sergio Aragones, James Bond: The Book Of Bond, James Bond: Cars & Vehicles, Lost Encyclopedia, Star Trek The Original Series 365, James May's Toy Stories, Star Wars: Year By Year A Visual Chronicle.


Toys to play with are Little Red, Juggernaut, Jonah Hex and Rambo.


Games to enjoy are Smallville, Warhammer, Monsterpocalypse, Web Of Spider-Man and D&D.

Shrek Forever After

If you enjoyed the latest Shrek movie from Dreamworks you’re going to enjoy the new Shrek Forever After video game from Activision available in all game formats.

Playable as a single player or in groups of four, Shrek Forever After lets Shrek and his friends (Fiona, Puss In Boots and Donkey) travel between two realities while they solve puzzles, fight Rumplestiltskin’s army and gain experience and skills.


Playing the game is like watching the movie: special effects, animation and environments are crisp and full of detail and almost match the quality of the computer animation used in the film.


Players’ response times, movements and interaction with other characters is smooth with no lag time, funky overlaps or unnecessary awkward moves. Follow Shrek as he suddenly finds himself in a wickedly twisted version of his reality where ogres are hunted, Rumplestiltskin is ruler, no one knows who Shrek is and nothing is as Shrek remembers it.
Shrek must set things right, find his true love and save his friends. Each character has their own unique abilities and with perseverance can obtain coins to acquire new skills and upgrades. It’s a unique Ogre opportunity to make Shrek’s fairy tale have a happy ending. Shrek Forever After is rated E10 for cartoon violence comic mischief and mild lyrics.

Ford, Dodge And Chevy

Revell/Monogram Models just released a quartet of new models in its 1 to 3 Level categories. Categories range from no glue and paint application to moderate to challenging levels requiring glue, paint and some assembling skill.


The Custom Ford Expedition Level 1, Snap-Tite 1:25 Scale Model comes in green with actual rolling wheels. This baby is packed out in chrome, custom wheels, window and side panel decals with tinted lights and black luggage rack. Look for a fully detailed custom interior and lots of exterior ‘extras’ and easy to assemble collection of 38 pieces with Peel ‘N’ Stick decals-perfect for the inexperienced and/or young model enthusiast.


Two Level 2 models include the Revell Muscle ’67 Dodge Challenger 426 Hemi 2 ‘n 1 muscle car available in sky blue and a customized silver with twin full-body black strips. Custom chrome wheels, a fully-detailed V8 engine in chrome trim of stock with hoses and belts make this 133 piece model pure magic.


With its straight across front chrome grill, two-door cab and full chrome trim, splash boards, lights and mirrors it also comes with full interior details-GO!


The Car Show ’39 Chevy Coupe Street Rod is a two-tone, Level 2 beauty painted in cream and copper brown. It’s a two-door cruiser with oversize wheel wells, wraparound chrome grill, custom wheels, chrome bumpers and full body trim.


Take a good look at the small tucked in windows and windshield and revved out chrome coated engine that make this Coupe super!


The Special Edition ’62 Chevy Impala 2 ‘n 1, optional parts, new tooling classic Chevy comes in olive brown with stock engine and body trim and The Sled red and white racer with custom chrome wheels and supped up engine.


Both vehicles are two-door, packed with interior detailing and bring a whole new meaning to the word ‘customized’.

Star Trek: The Children Of Kings

I applaud Pocket Books and author David Stern for writing about a seldom explored era in Star Trek lore: the years that the starship Enterprise was captained by Christopher Pike. As any old ‘Trekker” knows, (I’m not a “Trekkie” since I am a fan of the series since it first broadcast in 1966), Pike was originally supposed to be the Captain of the Enterprise when Star Trek went on the air.

But, in a surprise move NBC requested a second Star Trek pilot be made that was less “cerebral” since NBC considered their audiences too dumb to understand at the time and so Gene Roddenberry replaced Pike with Captain Kirk-a man of action and notorious womanizer.

In the original series' pilot Christopher Pike was the Captain, Dr. Boyce (I like that name) the physician, Number One the First Officer and Mr. Spock the Science Officer. Their missions took them to both hostile and welcoming worlds that were as every bit as interesting as any Captain Kirk’s crew explored.

Captain Pike had a strong sense of discipline and loyalty to his crew. Less congenial than Kirk, Pike was a man who lived by the book but with the capacity to look outside the box for solutions when necessary.

In The Children Of Kings Captain Pike and his crew discover that Starbase 18 has been destroyed and all clues point to the Klingons and a new secret weapon. But, Pike is not so sure, especially when the Orions are thrown into the mix.

Do the Klingons have a new cloaking device and what of the Orions who have long been known to practice piracy and what of the Captain and crew of a disabled Orion ship that the Enterprise assists?

Regardless who, or what, is to blame for the destruction of Starbase 18, the threat of total annihilation hangs over the heads of Captain Pike and the Federation unless the threat is stopped. The Children Of Kings explores the tenuous relationship between the Federation and the Orions and delves into the reasons behind the tensions between the Federation and the Klingon Empire. For a Star Trek history lesson be sure to pick up The Children Of Kings.

The Women Of Star Trek

Rittenhouse Archives recently released a new set of Star Trek Trading Cards that spotlight the ladies of Star Trek. As hard it is to believe there used to be a time when strong female lead characters were few and far between in the world of TV. Sure, there were comedy sitcoms and the occasional drama that starred woman but they were often portrayed as weak and dependent on their male counterparts to get them out of trouble.

When Star Trek was first broadcast in 1966 not only was there a strong, independent female costar (Uhura) on the series but she was black as well. Talk about ground-breaking!


Strong females have always played pivotal roles in each Star Trek series either as heroines or protagonists. Uhura, Janeway, Seven of Nine, Dak, Troi and dozens of other female characters kept the shows fresh and relevant.


The new Trading Card Set from Rittenhouse Archive, consisting of 81 Base Cards (I assembled one full Set), consists of photo Cards of each character in chronological order of appearance by series.


As with all Rittenhouse Trading Cards, this series has some outstanding randomly inserted Bonus Cards. Three Autograph Cards are guaranteed per box (I received Terry Ferrell, Denise Cosby and Michele Scarabelli) and two Relic Cards per Box (I got as piece of Janeway’s uniform and T-Pol’s outfit).


Also look for nine Portrait Gallery cards (three for me), nine Leading Ladies Cards (one in my Box) and nine Romantic Relationships Cards (again one).


Five Cards come per Foil Pack with 24 Packs per Box. The more boxes and cases you buy the bigger and better Bonus Cards. Check Rittenhouse Archives’ website for full information.