Critters #11

  
   Really, I choose this issue because of it's cover. I know you're not supposed to do that but I couldn't pass up the image of a smiling feline dressed as Santa, riding atop a flying snow mobile with gifts and a moose in tow! It's a bitching holiday scene.
   The comic itself wasn't terrible. Especially for a 1986 indy comic. It's filled with talent like a Usagi Yojimbo adventure by Stan Sakai, a yarn by Ty Templeton, and many others. 
    Only 2 or 3 of the stories in this book are Christmas themed but I can excuse this as a couple of the tales, like the Yojimbo one, were parts of a multi-issue story arc. Not a bad funny animal offering from Fantagraphic Books.
     But if the stories aren't funny, is it still a funny animal comic? Most of these adventures are dramatic. A couple episodes are sexually charged, and one is bloody- very bloody. These animals might look cute and cuddly, but it's not a comic for kids!

    Worth Consuming

    Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

1977: A Madman Turns 40: 2017- Day 31

  Upon doing research for today's article, I found a photograph and an article that answered a long-standing mystery I've had: Whatever happened to the space shuttle Enterprise?

Art Rogers, 1977.

   I came across the above photograph taken by the Los Angeles Times on January 31, 1977. It shows a rider on a horse looking on as the Enterprise is being towed to Edwards Air Force Base. Just a few months earlier, the shuttle was in Palmdale, where members of the Starship Enterprise from the cult classic series Star Trek were on hard for the christening. 

Actors from the original Star Trek TV series
on hand for the Enterprise's debut. Sept. 1976.

     The idea behind the space shuttle was that NASA could finally have a reusable ship instead of having to build a new module for their space missions. Fans of Star Trek wrote in by the thousands and demanded that the first shuttle be named after the ship used by Capt. Kirk, Spock, and Scotty. So, if the Enterprise was the first space shuttle, was was the Columbia the first shuttle to be flown into space?

Another space shuttle Enterprise mystery:
Why wasn't it on the wall of the Enterprise D conference room?

    Well, thanks to this photo and article, I finally got my answer: the Enterprise was never used for actual missions! Instead, while as Edwards, the Enterprise was used as a prototype for heat shield testing. Enterprise also wasn't equipped with actual rocket engines. But that doesn't mean that the Enterprise never got off the ground. At least 3 times in 1977, the Enterprise was used to practice free flight and landing procedures. Sadly, it just never entered the stratosphere.

Aerial photo of the Enterprise during on of it's
free flight missions in 1977.

    Today, the Enterprise is housed at the Intrepid Sea, Air, and Space Museum in New York City.  It's permanently been retired and will probably never fly since NASA grounded the Space Shuttle program just a few years ago. But it's viewed by hundreds daily and hopefully continues to inspire the next generation of astronauts and space explorers. Who knows, maybe the next generation of space vehicles will carry on the Enterprise name.

The Enterprise being towed to it's latest home,
the Intrepid Museum.

      Well, today's journey to 1977 didn't commemorate anything special or particularly noteworthy. But I did solve a mystery that I've wondered about for years. Hey, that's just part of the fun of A Madman Turns 40...

The Enterprise today.

      Live Long and Prosper!

Star Trek: The Next Generation Annual #6 (Covergence, Part II)

 Mister Spock and Data awake to find themselves pulled out of the timeline. Seeking a way to escape, the pair come across other time-stranded prisoners, including a Nausicaan, a Romulan statesman from pre-Federation time, and Captain John Harriman!
    Meanwhile, back in their perspective times, the crews of the Enterprise-A and D things aren't quite as they seem. The Devidians have manage to alter the timeline but it's still in flux. Both crews are able to determine where their missing crew mates are and converge on a joint rescue mission in order to rescue them and put time back in it's correct place. Only, since the two crews are in different time periods, they operate slightly out of sync with each other. 
    It's the ultimate team-up of Star Trek Universes that isn't a team-up. Featuring a slew of cameos, guest-stars, and Easter eggs- it could only be done via a comic book!
    If you love Star Trek, even in the slightest- you have to read this one: even if you aren't a reader of comic books!
    Essential Stuff!

    Worth Consuming

    Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.

Star Trek: Annual #6 (Convergence, Part I)

 Gary Seven appears on the Enterprise-A only to be murdered by a mysterious foe. Plus, Spock has been kidnapped! In Seven's stead is a woman named Isis, that claims to a fellow time agent of the Aegis. She claims that a race of aliens called Devidians are trying to alter the time line so that the Federation will fall to the Romulans!
   Meanwhile, in the 24th Century, the crew of the Enterprise-D are attacked again by the Devidians, where in their latest assault, they kidnap Mr. Data. 
     It's a two-part crossover that involves characters not just from the original series and the Next Generation but the movies and even fan fiction! Written by novelists Michael Jan Friedman and Howard Weinstein, it's an ultimate Star Trek lovers dream! Featuring a beautifully painted interconnecting cover, this was the first half of one of the best Star Trek stories that I have ever come across and I'm counting all of the series and films combined!

   Worth Consuming

   Rating:10 out of 10 stars.

1977: A Madman Turns 40: 2017- Day 30

Old Rex, circa 1940.

 I decided to take a small look at the hospital in which I was born. Rex Hospital in Raleigh, North Carolina or Old Rex as folks call it today. Well, as far as I can remember, even my parents called it Old Rex.

      It's also the place where my parents meet. 
     

Original Rex Building.

  
   The hospital was founded in the late 1800s upon an endowment by John Rex, a Raleigh tanner. But litigation over the estate dragged on for half a decade before a court ruled the final request by Rex to be valid. The first Rex hospital was established in 1894. A new version of Rex was finished during the Great Depression and by 1975-76 when my parents meet, it's days were numbered. The building where I was born was finished in 1935 and it moved to it's current locale in 1980. I don't remember ever seeing a doctor in the old facility though I am sure I was taken there for visits up until I was 3. 

Old Rex from a 2016 photo. Used now by the State as
employment offices.

   Today, the hospital building where I was born still stands. It's partially abandoned, though the North Carolina Division of Employment Security occupies some of the grounds. However, that agencies days seem to be numbered as well. The state is looking to sell the buildings along with it's 16-acres to a development firm. As of December of last year, a slew of developers were clamoring to turn the site into a mix of offices and residential units. More than likely, Old Rex will not be renovated but demolished instead.

Entrance to the new Rex ER.
My pediatrician's office would be to the left (not pictured.)

 The NEW Rex still stands today as well and the facility continues to operate serving hundreds if not thousands of patients daily. After being purchased by the UNC Healthcare system sometime around the turn of the 21st century, Rex has opened additional branches in cities far and wide throughout North Carolina. Of note, this current hospital campus is where I had my adenoids removed and tubes in my ears, I've visited the ER for numerous breathing treatments for my asthma and one broken arm and wrist, and it's the last place I ever saw my grand-mama or my mother before both passed away in 1990 and 2003.  

From the 1974 Rex Nursing School yearbook, the Nightingale.
My mom is the person on the bottom right.

      I'm not sure what possessed me to write about Rex. Maybe I miss my parents. Maybe I just couldn't think of anything else to write about. Or maybe it was just time to write about this place. My wife is getting ready to have a major procedure today and maybe the place of my birth has been on my mind because of it.

    No matter what the real reason behind my examination of Old Rex, it remains as the place where this Madman began his journey into turning 40...

Scooby-Doo Team-Up #22

   The Mystery Gang go to a concert put on by a Beatles-like group called the Impossibles. While there, a gigantic robot attacks the venue. It's the Impossibles, a group of 3-superheroes, who are actually the band members in disguise, to the rescue!
    Turns out that the robot is the normally friendly Frankenstein Jr. But he's been reprogrammed by one of his archenemies and is now running amok. It's up to the combined might of the Scoobys, the Impossibles, and Frankie's inventor, a young boy named Buzz Conroy, to stop him or the robot hero with have to be deactivated permanently.
      Frankenstein Jr and the Impossibles was a Hanna-Barbera cartoon that ran from 1966-1968. Though the two entities were on the same show, they had their own separate segments and never teamed up together... until now.
      If you follow my blog regularly, you'll know that this Madman LOVES Scooby-Doo Team-Up. But this comic needs to stick to teaming up with the heroes and characters of the DC Universe. It just seems to have the right chemistry that way. When this series meets up with members of the Hanna-Barbera universe, something just doesn't click. It's either too goofy or just doesn't gel with the DC issues very well. (Notable exceptions: the more serious Jonny Quest and Space Ghost issues.)
      Another problem that I had with this issue is the artwork. Normally, Dario Brizuela does both the covers and the interiors of SCTU. But he's only relegated to the cover for some reason and that's a major problem. 
      On art duties this issue is Looney Tunes artist David Alvarez. Alvarez does a killer job on that series. But what he does here is unacceptable. One of the characters of the Impossibles is called Multi-Man, who can make extra versions of himself at a time. On numerous occasions I feel like Alvarez takes the easy way out and just cuts and pastes the same image of Multi-Man over and over. 
       Maybe that's the point with Multi-Man but David Alvarez repeats this process over and over in other ways. In one scene where Frankie is throwing boulders at the Mystery Gang, it's the same rock being throw in the same scene of a dozen projectiles. Reuse of backgrounds and portraits of characters with only the shape of their mouths being changed are further offenses. This technique might have worked with the original Frankenstein Jr. and Scooby-Doo cartoons, but it doesn't in a comic book.
     Here's a little fun fact before I pass judgment, Don Messick who did the voice for Scooby also did the voice for Multi-Man on the Frankenstein Jr and the Impossibles show.
      And now my verdict. I own 11 issues of this series thus far. This book was the weakest of the lot. If this is your first experience with Scooby-Doo Team-Up, please give it another chance. It's really a great series. Even the best TV shows out there have their off days and that's the way it is here. It's not Worth Consuming but it's also not something I'd tell you to pass up. It's middle of the line but it's something in which this great series could do better.

   Rating: 5 out of 10 stars.
     
      

1977: A Madman Turns 40: 2017- Day 29

   Today is a tragic day in 1977 history. January 29th marks the sad death of comedic actor Freddie Prinze. 

    Prinze had risen to fame as a noted young comedian. In 1974, Prinze was cast as the lead role of Chico in the NBC series Chico and the Man. An immediate hit, Chico and the Man was the first series to be set in a Mexican-American neighborhood and one of the first to star a Chicano actor. 

    Sadly, fame was an enemy to Freddie Prinze. With popularity in Hollywood comes increased exposure, extra-long hours, folks coming out of the wood-work to latch on to your fame, parties, and the inevitable drugs and alcohol. 
  

Jack Albertson (Right) played Ed AKA The Man.
His character was apprehensive to the ethnic change of his East LA neighborhood.

      In 1976, Freddie and his wife welcomed a baby boy, Freddie Jr. (Fred of Scooby-Doo live-action film fame.) But as Freddie Sr's addiction got worse, his wife took their child and filed for divorce. A DUI while under the influence of Quaaludes was the last straw.

     Prinze did try to clean himself up. He took up karate as an outlet for his addiction. However, depression over his failing marriage, along with an intense daily  schedule that took him from the Hollywood set of Chico to Las Vegas for a nightly stand-up routine was too much for the comedian.

    On the night of January 28, after talking with his estranged wife over the telephone, Prinze in front of his business manager put a gun to his head... 

   The next day, at UCLA Medical Center, his family removed life support.

Prinze was good friends with singer Tony Orlando, singing background on several songs.
Orlando repaid the favor by appearing on Chico and the Man.

    According to friends, Prinze had a history of faking out friends with a Russian Roulette routine and believe that the incident was accidental. However, investigator's found a suicide note nearby. The star was also found to have drugs in his system and after several years of litigation, a judge ruled his death accidental, freeing up some insurance policies.

      Prinze's legacy lives on in many ways. His son is an accomplished actor and currently is the voice of Kanan on Star Wars Rebels. Prinze is also used as an example of dangers of fast fame amongst the Hollywood elite and his ground breaking series is seen as a cultural benchmark in Mexican-American Civil Rights and culture.

Freddie Prinze Jr, circa 2015.

      Freddie Prinze's death hits me hard for another reason. My wife is my best friend but my best guy friend decided about 6 years ago to end his life by a self-inflicted gun shot wound. I don't remember very many things completely, but I remember every minute of the day I got the phone call from his wife.

      Suicide is a permanent solution to a temporary problem. We all reach lows and there have been times I wish I could take a permanent nap. I wish I had better sign of troubles with my friend or was more aware of problems...

    If you are reading this post and you feel like giving up and you need help or you have a friend that needs help, please contact the National Suicide Hotline at 1-800-273-8255. It's completely confidential. But more importantly, it just might save your life.

Kamandi Challenge #1

   Have you ever played that game in which you start a story and then the person on your right adds to it and then it keeps getting passed around the group? Your story might start off as a romance and evolves into a horror, comedy, or Bollywood blockbuster. It's all up to the storyteller. Well, that's what Dan Didio and the good folks at DC Comics is doing with the Kamandi Challenge.
    2017 marks what would be the 100th birthday of comic book legend Jack 'King' Kirby. While Kirby is more noted for his work with Marvel, there have been periods where the King worked with DC. Most notably is his time in the early 70s where her created a slew of fan favorite characters including OMAC, The Demon, Darkseid, and the star of this project, Kamandi.

Dale Eaglesham variant cover.
It's sick! I love it!

    Kamandi is the last human boy on earth. A great disaster caused mankind to either die out or de-evolve into uncivilized cavemen. In turn all sorts of animals evolved, become intelligent and bi-pedal. It's Kamandi's mission to restore humanity to it's rightful place as the rulers of the earth.
     In this opening chapter Kamandi is a normal boy, living a seemingly normal life. That is until invaders arrive to kidnap him. It turns out that Kamandi's parents created a world with androids to look over the lad in their absence. However, the weaponry of the attackers is too much for the robots and the boy is swept away into a deep dark void. Now on his own, Kamandi must escape his animal jailers and be reunited with his parents.
    This origin is slightly different from Kirby's version from 1972. But I'm going roll with it for a couple of reasons. For one, I'm a big Kamandi fan. Secondly, I am told that somehow through this series, the last two unpublished (except in the extremely rare Cancelled Comic Cavalcade #2) issues are going to be finally released to the masses. Since I am trying to collect the entire original Kamandi run, I need those issues!
     The first chapter of the Kamandi Challenge was very entertaining. I'm not sure where this book is going to go but that's part of the fun. So far the assortment of writers and artists such as Didio, Keith Griffin, and Dale Eaglesham have been impressive. I can't wait to see what happens next.
     On that note, since this is the 100th birthday of Jack Kirby, I have a feeling that both DC and Marvel have some more surprises in store for the rest of 2017. I'm excited at the prospects- I just hope they get Stan Lee involved somehow.

   Worth Consuming

   Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.
     

1977: A Madman Turns 40: 2017- Day 28

   40 years ago today, a book debuted in stores nationwide that would enter into the corners of horror literature, pop culture, and our collective nightmares. The book I am talking about is Stephen King's The Shining.
  
    The book is about a man named Jack Torrance. Battling alcoholism, Jack lost his temper and his job when he caught one of his students slashing his tires. As a last ditch effort to make some cash and regain his family's trust, Jack moves his wife and son Danny to Colorado where Jack will be the caretaker of the Overlook Hotel during it's off-season.

     After first, everything seems to be okay for the family. But when the snows come, the Torrances are cut off from civilization until spring and that's when the insanity happens. Blood trickles down walls, strange sayings appear on mirrors, oh!, and some creepy ass twin girls want little Danny to play with them.

     See, it appears that Danny has latent psychic abilities and the hotel wants him. With Danny around forever, the hotel can continue to get stronger and take more victims, like the previous caretaker who went nuts and slaughtered his wife and two little girls, along with himself.

    Hey, what's Jack Torrance doing with that mallet and newly discovered bottle of scotch?

Original 1980 theatrical poster of Kubrick's adaptation.

   The Shining was Stephen King's third novel and his first best-seller. It was a massive hit that later became a hit film by one of personal favorite director's Stanley Kubrick. While Kubrick's movie is a horror classic, it's really nothing like the book. King hated it and afterwards led the author to have complete control over the future adaptations of all of his works.

In the 90s, ABC did an authentic remake of the Shining.
In part the original novel and remake, Torrance used a croquet mallet instead
of an axe as used by Jack Nicholson in the 1980 feature film.

     I remember watching the Shining as a little kid. It scared me but it wasn't a film that frightened me off. I could watch that movie over and over. One reason it may not scare me is because of personal experience.
 

In the red circle is what is reported to be the Stanley ghost.
Stephen King supposedly had a run-in with it and was part of his inspiration for the Shining.

   The Overlook is based on a real hotel called the Stanley Hotel. During a stay in 1974, Stephen King was so freaked out by the place and a nightmare that he had, that he used it as the backdrop of a novel he would craft in part with his personal struggle with alcohol. I actually known people who have stayed at the Stanley. A very good friend in high school stayed last year. But more importantly, I had an uncle and aunt who stayed in the 90s and brought me a tee-shirt that said "I survived room 217. The Stanley Hotel Estes Park, Co." 

  I loved that shirt. I hate that I can't find it. So last year when TeeVillain posted a shirt for the Overlook, I bought me a one right away! 

  

    Before I go, I wanted to point out the irony. On the same day that the Shining hit book shelves, the North East of the US was hit with the largest blizzard in American history. A blizzard and a book about people trapped in a haunted hotel during blizzard season- on the same day?! A major publicity stunt by the Master of Horror? Possibly! Coincidence? I think not!

The legacy of King's frightening book was
played up in an episode of Friends.

    Talk about creepy...

1977: A Madman Turns 40: 2017- Day 27

Cover to issue #1.

    This month marks the 40th Anniversary of one of my favorite comic books- The Rampaging Hulk. It actually is more like a magazine or tabloid. because it was printed over-sized like a copy of LIFE Magazine. The book was printed in black and white and served 2 purposes A) to be a little more edgy in order to appeal to older readers and B) be used as a promotional tool for the live-action Hulk TV series starring Bill Bixby and Lou Ferrigno that debuted a year later.

    This first issue of the Rampaging Hulk recaps Hulk's origin as a gamma bomb transforms Bruce Banner into a big Green Monster. But instead of being a full retelling of the Incredible Hulk comic book, this series takes Hulk and his sidekick, Teenager Rick Jones into the stratosphere. While vacationing in Rome (where all superheroes go after they get their powers for some much needed R&R), Hulk and Rick are kidnapped by alien invaders called the Krylorians. 

    Under the guise of friendship, the Krylorians actually want to use the Hulk as a weapon against those who oppose their harsh rule. Rick helps the Hulk figure this out and the duo escape. While on the run, they meet Bereet, a rebel who uses her techno-artworks as weapons against the Krylorians.
 

Bereet.
Her weapons were kept in her satchel.
It's like the TARDIS: bigger on the inside.

     For the next several months, Hulk, Rick, and Bereet's adventures are chronicled as they seek to overthrow these alien tryants. But then all of a sudden in the middle of 1978, this storyline abruptly stops. Gone is Bereet. The Hulk is back on Earth and who knows where Rick Jones went. That's because the editors lead by Stan Lee decided to shift the focus to being more like the TV show as I mentioned earlier. (Later issues of the Hulk comic would tie-up the loose ends to the Bereet storyline. Turns out it was all part of a series of very popular films that Bereet made on her home planet!)

   In the new Rampaging Hulk format, Bruce's name is changed to David as like on the show. (Rumor has it that CBS execs though the name Bruce was a homosexual name and requested Stan Lee change it on the show. Honest!) Each issue has Banner travelling the US searching to be cured from the Hulk transformations. More often than not, trouble finds Banner and he turns into a giant monster. 

    One thing about this new format that was not like the TV show were guest stars. Characters who also had their own Marvel Magazines such as Moon Knight and the Man-Thing made appearances in Rampaging Hulk. It's the closest fans the show would get to an actual superhero team-up until the Hulk TV-Movies in the 80s that featured Daredevil and Thor.

Cover to Marvel Essential
Rampaging Hulk Vol. 2.

    I never read these books in their original form. I found giant-sized treasury editions called Marvel Essentials that reprinted these stories plus some of the background articles on production of the Hulk series and that issue of the Hulk comic that tied-up Bereet's storyline. I enjoyed both and they are now permanent fixtures of my collection. A little silly, a lot of action and a whole lotta Hulk.

   Worth Consuming!

   Rating: 8.3 out of 10 stars.

Young Justice, Volume 1 (Family Comic Friday)

     Last November, it was announced that acclaimed Cartoon Network series Young Justice would finally be getting a third season after a massive write-in campaign on Facebook. It has been 3 years since the show went off the air abruptly. Lots of fans were highly disappointed in the cancellation I was one of those fans. I was also one of those fans who demanded more of that awesome series.

     I'm not really sure why Cartoon Network cancelled the show. It had strong ratings, critics loved it, and DVD sales of seasons 1 and 2 were very strong. One thing that the show didn't have much of a following in was readership of the comic book tie-in.

     Recently, I found a trade paper back edition of the first few issues of the series. I was totally blown away by it. Briefly, the book gives a kind of overhead that's just like the series. How the team of Robin, Aqualad, and Kid Flash got together with the niece of the Martian Manhunter and a clone of Superman from Cadmus, a research facility of questionable means is taken straight from Cartoon Network. 
     After the intros, the book follows the plot of the series but ventures off unto it's own after that. The Young Justice team are used as a covert strike force by the Justice League. Their main enemy are the secret villains of the League of Shadows. Plus, Superboy seeks both his place in this world and Superman's acceptance. It's great stuff full of action, twists, and turns.

     Anybody wanna guess who the writing talents are behind this amazing series based on the equally amazing series of the same name? Why it's Art Baltazar and Franco of Tiny Titans fame. The artwork is just as breathtaking. The combined efforts of Christopher Jones (Batman '66) and Mike Norton (Hack/Slash) looks so much like the characters of the series. Overall, this was the right group to chronicle the paper adventures of Young Justice.

     This series has been out of circulation since 2013. So why am I reviewing their efforts now? Well, with Young Justice 3 just in the development stage, the hype for the comics is very low. But that's not going to be for long. Copies of this book can be found in bargain bins for a dollar or less. But, that's not the case on Amazon. 3 of the 4 trades that collect this series are being listed for prices of anywhere $20-$100+!

      I'm telling you folks, this series is going to get hot quick! When your children fall in love with the new series and you can't find these comics, don't come crying to me! You've been warned!

      Young Justice is not an all-ages book but it is family friendly. Readers aged 10- up will delight in these adventures. You just have to find them and for a collector like me, that's half of the fun!

    Worth Consuming

     Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.
      

Showcase Presents: Weird War Tales, Vol. 1

   

   Collecting the first 24 issues of Weird War Tales. I enjoyed this book but the first few issues are kinda rough. I don't think the editors knew quite where this book was going. Most of the first stories are either based on true but odd events or of the horrors of war itself. It's not until about issue 13 that this series really becomes the series that I know and love.
     The main reason for the diminished quality is the lack of a consistent host. The first few issues either don't have a host or it involves soldiers huddling around a campfire or bunker telling ghost stories. Even worse, DC would try out something really strange, like a living mound of seaweed to spin those weird war yarns. But by issue #13, they decided to use the living embodiment of Death and comic book history was made.
     With Death, any time period was now open to a good weird war tale. From the times of Vikings and Romans to the robot wars of the 22nd century, if people died, Death would be there. There's even one story set during Vietnam which I thought was very interesting as the Comics Code Authority actually made mention or use of Vietnam off limits in comics for a brief time. 
      Featuring a slew of comics greats like Ross Andru, Joe Orlando, and Marv Wolfman- the main star of this series is Joe Kubert. I don't think this series would've gotten off the ground if not for his efforts. Just about every one of the first 20 or so issues has either a cover or story by him. I think he even took over editing duties around issue #8. So that explains the advance in quality at some point.
     I really would love to have these in single issue form. But seeing how sub par some of these first issues were, I'm kinda glad I didn't. This is a good way to get the first two dozen books without spending and arm and a leg to get them. Plus, now I can save money up to buy the later issues which are far more superior.
     An interesting time capsule looking into the early days of a classic comic book series that combines war, sci-fi, horror, and everything weird.

    Worth Consuming

    Rating: 7 out of 10 stars.

1977: A Madman Turns 40: 2017- Day 26

Postcard detailing the Blizzard of 77, Buffalo NY.

 The Winter of 1977 was cold- darn cold!

  It's got to be why I love snow. 

A record is made.
Chicago Tribune, January 26, 1977.

   40 years ago yesterday, Chicago wasn't able to get above freezing and that marked a record 30-consecutive days that the thermometer's of Windy City weren't able to rise above 31 degrees F. 

     To make matters worse, 40 years ago today, an arctic wave of air began to make it's way into areas of Toronto and the Northeast. Over the next couple of days, wind gusts over 40-69 MPH were documented. On top of that was snow. Lots and lots of snow. As a result, by January 28th, Buffalo would see over 100 inches of snowfall. It was and still is a record. On top of that, snow drifts were measured of up to 40 feet! That's 4 basketball goals high!
    In this day and age, states governments will wait until the last minute to request federal help. But on this day in history, Congress actually was on top of things. Seeing how bad the weather had been and was predicted to be, Congress signed the Emergency Natural Gas Act. Signed the same day it was passed, President Carter allowed areas to declare emergencies that would normally hamper relief efforts. Thus if an area experiences a shortage of fuel, companies and the government can rush in supplies without being charged for transportation taxes and interstate fees.

It snowed so high, in places, kids could actually touch the streetlights.

    But in the case of Buffalo, this act really didn't do very much good. Plows weren't equipped to handle this much snow.  Plus the strong winds blowing off the Great Lakes made it to even when the snowing stopped, any progress made was immediately covered up again. Temps staying below freezing for about another week didn't help either and it would be a solid month before things in the region got back to business as normal.

A home in upstate New York,
almost entirely covered by snow.

    Fun Fact for your geeks out there- this crippling storm is cited as a major reason that DC Comics suffered from a huge sale slump. The publisher was unable to receive artwork on time and it was also late in publishing books to stores nationwide. Another blizzard a year later, didn't help sale any. Thus, by the summer of '78 DC cancelled over a third of it's titles in what is called the DC Implosion.

Firestorm: The Nuclear Man.
A victim of the blizzard and eventual DC Implosion.

    

This sort of thing still happens today. Late last year when a pipeline exploded in Alabama (TWICE!), companies were allowed to make extra deliveries of fuel without penalty as pumps were running out of gas faster than you could count. Just a couple of weeks ago, my state of North Carolina had below freezing temperatures and snow for several days, marking the closing of businesses, cancelling of events and school, and the need for shelters and emergency service reserves being activated. It was actually pretty early for us to get snow this year and I hope that wasn't our only dose of it! 

   Come On Blizzard!!!

     

Slapstick #2

  At a college football game, a menacing warrior named Bro-Man arrives on earth from the same dimension that gave Slapstick his cartoon powers.     The foe demands to battle earth's champion. After disposing of several vivisected security guards and the home team's mascot, it looks like Slapstick is the only person capable of opposing this foe. But the newfangled mercenary doesn't do assignments like this for free. That is unless the agents of SHIELD's new inter-dimensional task force has anything to say about it.

    This web comic-cum-paper series just keeps getting funnier and funnier. It's also pretty dark and there's ample amounts of gore and insanity. I love this series. It's perfect for me! 

     I'm very impressed with this series. There literally are no rules here and it's not predictable in the least. For a newly rebooted Marvel Universe fraught with quite a few missteps, this is a underappreciated example of something the House of Ideas actually got right.

   Worth Consuming

   Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.
     
      

1977: A Madman Turns 40: 2017- Day 25

  As I plod along in the A Madman Turns 40 project, I'm listening to more music from 1977. Myself, I am not musically inclined but I like a lot of different stuff. My parents were the same way. Who knows, maybe some of the stuff I'm discovering from that year was stuff I was introduced to while in the womb...
   

  Today I'm looking at an album that dropped 40 years ago this week. I can't find the exact day. Some sites say January 25th (which is today) and some sources list it's debut on the 27th or 28th. The album I'm talking about is Santana's Festival.

    Festival was Santana's 8th studio album and it really feels like one. There's the rhythmic beats of drums, Latin jazz, smooth r&b, and scorching 70s glam rock guitar riffs all throughout this record. I'm not really a Santana fan but since I am trying to be very well-rounded in my exploration of 1977, I decided to give Festival a listen to in my class at the culinary school.

Carlos Santana in concert, 1977.

    For the most part, the students liked it. A couple were bopping along to the tune. Another student said it reminded her of her father who loved Santana. 

    For a couple of songs, I was reminded of Herbie Hancock's Watermelon Man. Not the original composition but his 1973 remake that incorporated a style mixed of Sly and the Family Stone, James Brown, and Cuba beats. Just with that song, some of Santana's compositions were both Cuban sounding and so very funky. 

Herbie Hancock's Headhunters.
The album has a similar vibe to Festival.

    Well, that's my look at 1977 for today. Santana's Festival can be found on Youtube, Amazon, and iTunes. If you are looking for a mix of Latin flavor with rock undertones and a popping Cuban beat, be sure to check this album out. 

Back Cover of Festival. 2-CD set re-release.

     Tune in tomorrow as this Madman will explore another piece of 1977 history.

     Worth Consuming

     Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

1977: A Madman Turns 40: 2017- Day 24

Kevin Tighe as Roy DeSoto, Randolph Mantooth as John Gage (L-R)

    My wife's birthday is today. So I thought I would devote today's A Madman Turns 40 to her favorite TV show as a kid and all-time: Emergency!
   
 The show ran from 1972 until May of '77 on NBC. The series starred Randolph Mantooth and Kevin Tighe as paramedics John Cage and Roy DeSoto. Roy is and was my bride's favorite.

The only appearance of Roy's wife, Michelle (center),
taken from the 2-hour pilot.

      At the time of this show, 911, emergency medicine and the paramedic program was in it's infancy. Most episodes revolved around the perils Roy and John would face answering emergencies throughout Los Angeles County. From injured hang gliders to over turned RVs, Roy and John would save the day. Many of these places are remote and without the paramedic program, the victims traditionally would have died from their injuries.

The show's theme was crafted by Nelson Riddle.

Riddle also created the 1966 Batman theme.

    Roy and John were more often than not assisted by their firefighting brothers at Station 51. Mike drove the truck, Engine 51 with wiseacres Chet and Marco assisting with rescues and manning the hoses. Together, the crew put out fires, saved people from power lines, and even had to tackle a sniper once.The man in charge was Captain Stanley (there was another Chef for the show's first season and as a rule in our household, we don't talk of him.)

Squad 51 and Engine 51 leaving the firehouse on call.
Hopefully, they are going to put out a brush fire.
Those episodes are my wife's favorite.

    Roy and John drove the Squad car. In those days, ambulance companies were all privately owned and you had to wait for their arrival. Usually Roy rode in the back of the ambulance with Johnny following them to the nearest hospital which always managed to be Rampart Hospital. (They could be in San Diego and the nearest hospital would still be Rampart in LA...)

    The staff at Rampart consisted of 3 doctors, Kelley Brackett, who despite initially being hesitant of the paramedic program, became Roy and John's biggest advocate. Young M.D. Mike Morton started off as brash and trying to throw his weight around but eventually became a skilled doctor. Bobby Troup rounded out the trio as Dr. Early, an elder statesman with a healthy sense of humor. His in-real life wife, singer Julie London played nurse Dixie McCall, a Korean War nurse who ran Rampart's nursing staff like clockwork.

     Not only was Troup and London married in reality, London was the ex-wife of series creator and producer Jack Webb. Yes- that Jack Webb of Dragnet Fame. Talk about a way to avoid paying alimony- you get not only your ex a steady gig but her hubby too! 

An early photo of husband and wife duo,
Bobby Troup and Julie London.
Pun NOT intended!

   Jack Webb's production company Mark VII Limited crafted a total of 129 episodes. Along with the live action series, an animated version aired from 1973-76 called Emergency+4. There was also action figures, toy emergency kits, comic books, board games, and a couple of lunch boxes marketed during the shows run.

During Emergency's first season, characters from Adam-12,
another Mark VII show, made cross-over appearances.
But in a season 4 episode, Johnny is upset that a
call keeps him from watching Adam-12 on TV.
Cue Wa-waaaah music...

    As mentioned earlier, Emergency! ran until 1977. But the show wasn't over then. Over the next 2 years, a total of 6 movies of the week continued the adventures of Roy and John. At this point in their careers, the guys had become captains and went to various cities to educate and observe in their paramedic programs. My wife has mixed emotions about these films as Roy and John play some really diminished roles in them.

     Though Emergency! has technically been off the air for 40 years, the show's legacy lives on. Hundreds of young boys and girls were inspired by the show to pursue a career as a fireman, EMT, or doctor thanks to this show. For a couple of brief years, Emergency! aired in rerun on TV Land and inspired another generation to the point that another favorite show of my wife's, Chicago Fire, have an Engine #51 and at least twice had characters mention how the show impact them to serve others. 

First Season Promo for my wife's new favorite show.

      Before I go to celebrate my wife's special day, I want to share with you her present. It's an episode from a short-lived 1974 TV show called Sierra. In this episode, Roy and John from Emergency! crossover to help the rangers at the Sierra National Park establish their own paramedic program. Even though Roy and John have a very limited role, this is something my girl has never seen before, so it's like finding her a lost episode. (Sorry it's in 6 parts and not in the best quality...)

   Enjoy...

   Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Part 5

Part 6