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Post by codystarbuck on Oct 22, 2021 22:39:16 GMT -5
Well, thanks! Jonny Quest was the apex, for me, for Saturday morning tv. My dad was a science teacher, an aviation buff (he served in the Air Force, with a B-36 squadron, in Strategic Air Command) and grew up on a farm; so, this show was right up the family alley. I used to argue that things like GI Joe, where "lasers" fly everywhere and never hit anyone and pilot who eject before the missile hits the plane did more harm then showing actual death and destruction. It gave them a false sense that people didn't get hurt with firearms or in war. My generation, thanks to Jonny Quest (and others) knw that guns kill and were to be respected, that there is real danger in the world, and people die. I was a naval officer, during the Persian Gulf War and it sickened me the way that the war was presented like a video game, by both the Pentagon and the mass media, ignoring the fact that people were dying. It fit in with that same GI Joe-style mindset. By contrast, the stark coverage of Vietnam brought home the horror of war to people and made them reconsider if it was justified. Jonny Quest has its faults; but, it showed that violence, for right or wrong, had consequences.
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Post by chaykinstevens on Oct 23, 2021 6:11:26 GMT -5
This issue establishes the formula of the series, as we often got two stories, one with a regular crew (Marc Hempel and Mark Wheatley, for the bulk of the series) and one with a guest artist. We also get pin-ups from other fan pros. Most issues included a pin-up or two, but I think #1 was the only issue with two stories.
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Post by kirby101 on Oct 23, 2021 8:46:52 GMT -5
This is the coolest thing ever.
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Post by codystarbuck on Oct 23, 2021 17:54:27 GMT -5
This is the coolest thing ever. Is it just me or did Jonny look like a blond Eddie Munster, in that one shot? Wrong kind of tank . Race's rifle, too. Naw, seriously, I came across that a few years back, though I had forgotten about it. I do think the Dragonfly looks a bit more like the redesigned aircraft they had in The New Adv of Jonny Quest than the original. Must not have had good enough reference; or it just worked better in 3D.
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Post by codystarbuck on Oct 24, 2021 17:22:50 GMT -5
Jonny Quest #2Cover by Wendy Pini & Steve Rude, which makes for an interesting combo. How is Race swinging through a window? He's Race Bannon, dammit; he can attach a rope to anything and swing through a window! He's so good he can make the shards of broken glass miss Jonny and Dr Quest! Creative Team: William Messner-Loebs-writer, Wendy Pini-pencils, Joe Staton-inks, Bob Pinaha-letters, Rick Taylor-colors, Diana Schutz-editor. Pin-up by Adam Kubert Synopsis: Race Bannon is teaching Jonny and Hadji about the unification of Germany, under Otto Von Bismark, but he get's some details wrong, much to Jonny and Hadji's amusement. Race decides the lesson is over and goes for a swim. Hadji asks about how Race came to be with the Quests and Jonny tells him it was a couple of years before they met Hadji, back when Jonny's mother died. Hadji is sorry to have brought up the painful memory; but Jonny tells him it is okay and Jonny tells Hadji about his best friend.... Jonny speaks happily about their adventures together, until he talks about the day, in a rainy Paris. Jonny refers to Paris as an ugly city, though he might be a bit biased. They were there, working with Interpol, developing a non-lethal device to foil hijackers. Terrorists and kidnappers had targeted Dr Quest and so much attention was focused on him and his work that no one noticed Jonny's mother was ill, at first. The doctor tells Dr Quest that there is nothing more they can do but monitor her and keep her from feeling pain. Dr Quest takes Jonny for a walk and asks if he understands what the doctor said. Jony affirms that his mother is not going to get better. Dr Quest says he's sure Mom would say something funny about it, like hospital gowns aren't fashionable. Meanwhile, in the background, an American woman is asking about her brother Maxim, who she claims to have seen walk down a corridor. Dr Quest shares his memories of dating Jonny's mother, Judith, who came from a wealthy Boston family, but never complained as she lived under a poor graduate student's salary, while he works on his Master's Thesis. They marry, much to the chagrin of her parents. Ibn their first anniversary, they swapped gifts; Dr Quest gave Judith a watch, she gave him a lab! He goes on to say that her sense of humor and teasing was the greatest gift she ever gave him, as it kept him from thinking the fate of the world depended on his work and live a little... Jonny asks about terrorists and Dr Quest says the government has assigned an agent, Roger Bannon, to watch over them. We cut to Charles De Gaulle Airport, where Roger "Race" Bannon is arriving, after 10 hours on a plane. he is tired and grumpy, not looking forward to wet-nursing some boring scientist and his brat, when he's a man of action. As he goes through the airport, he starts noticing various sinister mercenaries, with whom he is familiar. They are moving towards Bannon. A man named Guy Malrois is at the exit door, blocking Race's way out. He says hello to Race, who hits him in the face with his suitcase and tosses a duffel bag into the man's partner, coming up behind him, and bolts through the door. More men intercept him and push himinto a car. A syringe is pulled out and Race disarms one man and rolls out of a moving car, while firing back at the car. Race bolts, to get as much distance between himself and the mercs. Meanwhile, at the hospital cafeteria, Dr Quest and Jonny talk, over cocoa. Jonny asks if his mother is going to die and Dr Quest answers honestly, that she is and they must accept that, so they can be honest with her. Jonny asks if people remain who they are, when they die and he says he doesn't know, but, at the heart of it, people are energy and energy cannot be created or destroyed, only changed. He hopes that people do stay around, in some other form, even if only in the memories of their loved ones. They go back to see if Judith is awake. Meanwhile, Race is on the run, partially doped by the hypo. He decides to go up to the rooftops to move away from the mercs. Jonny comes into his mother's room and she is awake.... She asks Jonny to open the blinds, so she can see the sky, but, there is just rain... Elsewhere, Race is running and leaping across rooftops, shots following him. He nears the hospital and spots a cable and gets an idea. Inside the hospital, the doctor tells Benton that Judith's condition is worsening and she will be going in and out of consciousness. Dr Quest goes in to be with her and Jonny decides to take a walk. Dr Quest...Benton, sits by Judith's bedside and tells her he is just going to do some work. he could only ever work when she was in the lab. Jonny is walking the halls of the hospital, lost in thought and memory. Then, his thoughts are disturbed by the arrival, into his life, of Race Bannon, through a window! Introductions are made and Race tells him he is there to protect Jonny. He then collapses. Race recovers a bit, and asks where Dr Quest is. they are interrupted by the American woman, who thinks Race is her brother, Maxim, until they are close together. She says she is sure she saw Maxim in the hospital. He has been acting weird, owes people money and she saw him go into a hospital room, but no one says they have seen him. Jonny realizes he saw him go into the room across from Jonny's mother's room. Race tells Jonny to lead him to the room and they run down the corridor. Maxim comes out of the room where he has been waiting and knocks on the door to Judith Quest's room. He enters and tells Dr Quest he is Roger Bannon, sent to protect him. he asks to talk in the security office and Dr Quest agrees. He leaves the room, missing Maxim remove a hypo and prepare to inject him. They run smack into Race and Jonny and Benton looks from maxim to Race, noticing the resemblance. Race decks Maxim before he can inject Dr Quest and proceeds to kick 7 kinds of s@#$ out of him. The next day, Judith Quest passed away. She slipped into a coma, no last words. The doctors ask to turn off the machines and they agree and she slips away. We return to Jonny, who finishes up the story and then Race calls from the water and tells the boys to grab their scuba gear, because he has found a wreck to explore... The letters page has praise from people who got advanced copies, including Uncle Elvis Orten (See Ya' at Munden's!), TM Maple, Beau Smith and Ron Fortier. SA Bennett suggests the do a Space Ghost special, with Steve Rude on art. Ask and ye shall receive! Thoughts: This is may favorite issue of the series, which is high praise, indeed, as it is a great series, filled with great stories. In just a few pages, Bill Loebs introduces us to Judith Waterson Quest and makes us care about her and what she meant to Benton and Jonny, how much of her personality shaped Jonny's curiosity and love of adventure and then gives her passing the emotional impact it deserves. Judith was the light of the Quest family, bringing joy to husband and son, making them see the wonder of the world and revel in it, rather than just focus on narrow aspects of it. Dr Quest talks about how he could only really work and achieve, when she was in the lab, distracting him. I think she made him see beyond what was in front of him, which allowed him to think laterally and innovate, making him a better scientist than even he thought he could be. With Jonny, she taught him there were adventures to be had every day in life, if you are open to them. That is writing and that is why it was and is criminal that Bill Loebs stopped getting work from comic publishers and struggled, financially. Wendy Pini & Joe Staton just hit it out of the park on the art. No, it's not some flashy Image-style brawl or a George Perez two-page spread, crammed with 18,433 characters and every broken brick in minute detail; it's better. It has personality, which helps give Judith life. It punctuates the emotion of the scenes. It is bright and vibrant when it needs to be, and sad and gloomy when the end is near. it is exciting as Race works desperately to escape his pursuers and protect Dr Quest. It captures the humor and the pathos, the high and the low. There are little touches, like Bandit playing in scenes, as characters talk. He is around doing his little comical things, in the background, while serious stuff occurs in the foreground. When Jonny finishes his story, his smiling face is excitedly drawing the attention of his friend, who picks him up, as Race calls them for an adventure. I'll guaran-damn-tee you that Judith gave Jonny Bandit. She would know that a boy needs a sidekick and Bandit would ensure that Benton and Jonny could never take life too seriously. Bill Loebs really humanizes Benton Quest, though without breaking from anything done in the series. He speaks honestly to his son, about Judith dying, because it is best that he know the truth and be open to his emotions. He helps Jonny understand that life continues, but people do not, which is why we must cherish them while they are here. At the same time, e tells them that Judith will always be with them in their memories and in that, they live on. Dr Quest's line about people being energy and the Law of Conservation of Energy is similar to something I wrote for a eulogy of my father, a science teacher, when he passed away. This issue really captures the essence of humanity and the end of life, even better than The Death of Captain Marvel, in my book. Race Bannon gets to show what a badass he is, while we also come to find out why Jonny enjoys him so much, as he shares Judith Quest's love of life and adventure. It also pokes a bit of fun at Race, as a tutor, suggesting that Jonny and Hadji are teaching themselves as much as Race is. Oh, sure, they learn much from him, and Race demonstrated a wealth of knowledge, in the tv series; but, Race is a bit more of a jock than an academic. I have to admit to a bit of memory lapse. I could swear this issue also featured a visit, from Dr Zin, who pays his respects to Judith, as he had known her and Dr Quest before and she was kind to him. It is not here. It turns out, I was mixing in things from issue #15, which talks about how Dr Quest first met Dr Zin. Adam Kubert's pin-up is a bit.....different...... No idea what's going on there, but it sure is weird! Kubert will return to do the art for issue 6, then will later do the Jezebel Jade mini-series. One of the nice features of the series, and the way Comico did their covers (with nice wrap-around art), is that they included profiles of the creators (here, they did different things, in other series). It gives a nice appreciation for the people who work on the series. For instance, the name Rick Taylor isn't something burned in my memory; but, he was another Kubert School grad, who did production work (letters, inks, colors) on several indie series, such as Grimjack, Dynamo Joe and Badger, as well as coloring on Robotech: The Macross Saga. This issue epitomizes why I loved this series. It departs from the tv series; but never from what was established in it or from the spirit of it. It feels like an extension of what we saw, as kids, with a bit of a modern feel and some depth that the series couldn't always get, whether due to time or demands from H-B. There is an emotional core, working right along with the adventure. It fleshes out what we know of the characters, while also reminding us why we loved them in the first place. Race was always cool and we were jealous of Jonny and Hadji, because they got to hang with Race; but, that last page tells us more about why the boys love him then just seeing them trade judo throws. Episode Review: "The Pursuit of the Po-Ho." We see canoes move along a river, with a white man held captive by the natives. We cut to a bungalow at the edge of the jungle, with a radio antenna. A woman desperately makes a short-wave radio call to Dr Benton Quest. Dr Quest receives the call and talks to Dreena Hartman, who tells him that her husband, Emil, a friend of Dr Quest, has been captured by the Po-Ho and she needs his help. Dr Quest rounds up Race, Jonny, Hadji and Bandit and they take off in the Dragonfly and jet off somewhere to the South (presumably, since the natives are shown to be Native American, not African, Asian or Pacific Islander). The first pass over the jungle and use amplifiers, lowered on doors on the underside of the fuselage, where Dr Quest speaks in the Po-Ho language, telling them he is Aerio, God of the Air. he gives them the message that their capture of the white man has angered the Gods. They land and meet with Dreena, who tells them about Emil's abduction and the danger of the Po-Ho. The Quest team prepare to strike fear in the Po-Ho, but Dr Quest is grabbed, in the darkness, by the Po-Ho. The drums send messages of sacrificing the two white men to Ranio, the Fire God. Race prepares a rescue and tells Dreena to take care of the two boys. He sets off in a canoe but soon finds he has someone following him, on the shore and discovers it is Jonny and Hadji. He tells them to get in and Jonny says he has to help save his dad. Race says he understands and allows it. They avoid a little bit of animal danger and come to edges of the Po-Ho village. Race covers himself in purple berry juice, dying his skin, to make the Po-Ho believe he is Akezio, the Water God. He snorkels up to the shores of the village and bursts out of the water, announcing himself to the Po-Ho. He alerts Dr Quest to their impending rescue and gives a warning to the Po-Ho that if anything happens to the captives, he will tear the village apart, stick by stick. Race departs, via snorkeling, and then prepares for the attack. He swims out to the Po-Ho canoes and cuts holes into the hulls, stabbing a sleeping Po-Ho, in the process (which he refers to "playing pin-the-tail-on-the-donkey with a Po-Ho"). Dr Quest and Emil are dropped into a pit, where hot coals will be poured upon them. Race sneaks in while the Po-Ho sleep and drops a rope down to the men. Emil is removed first and Race sends him to the boat and the boys. He lowers it again to Dr Quest, but they are spotted. Race runs to the water and yells for Jonny to start the outboard motor on the boat. He does and they tear off, dragging Dr Quest from the pit, at speed. The Po-Ho, once they recover, come after them in their canoes, but they soon fill up with water and sink, thanks to Race's sabotage. Later, back at the station, Dr Quest, Dreena and Emil chat, while Race tries to clean off the purple berry dye. Emil tells Dr Quest it will have to wear off, which will take 3 weeks... (clip is edited for comical effect) The episode is fun and features several scenes which were used in the opening titles (the Po-Ho pursuing, in their canoes, the Quest team in the Dragonfly cockpit, animals startled by Dr Quest's amplified messages to the Po-Ho). However, it is probably the most outright racist of all of them, even for the time. Race calls the Po-Ho "savages" and then "heathen monkeys." On the DVD set, they blank out the dialogue after Race says "Get a load of Akezio", cutting out the part where he says "...You heathen monkeys." I'm not surprised and don't blame them for that, though I think the dvds, since you have to deliberately go out and buy them, should feature intact episodes, as originally broadcast. I'm all for editing them for broadcast on Boomerang or Cartoon Network or anywhere else where children can stumble across it. Put a warning on the dvd about some offensive content or even before the episode, itself. Regardless, someone screwed up; because, even though they drop the audio of the offensive dialogue, someone forgot to tell whoever did the closed-captioning. If you have the English subtitles turned on, you can see the offensive words, even though you can't hear them! The story is old jungle adventure stuff, as the civilized white men use native superstitions to fool them and take something (or rescue someone). The dumb savages fall for the trick and the civilized white guys win the day. It doesn't age well, though the action is exciting. I understand the point of view of anyone who is offended by the plot and dialogue and I understand the perspective of people who love the drama and excitement of the episode. I grew up with it, I always found it an exciting episode and it uses brain more than brawn to achieve their ends. However, even as a kid, I knew Race sounded rather nasty when he he yelled at the Po-Ho. The show is a product of its time and people who grew up in less enlightened (though you could argue that idea) times, with adventure fiction influences that were even worse. Terry & the Pirates was filled with racist imagery and dialogue, as was Tarzan and his imitators. Foreigners were suspicious and dark and sweaty, people spoke pigeon English and anyone who wasn't a white Westerner was prone to superstition and had the mind of a child. Jonny Quest is no different, on that note, sadly, though it did provide more noble native characters or foreigners, in other episodes. Dr Zin never speaks like Charlie Chan or Fu Manchu, though Fu also spoke with authority and education. People with scars and eyepatches are usually shifty, at best, and outright villains, at worst. This is the first episode that gave us a good look at the Dragonfly, which we would see in the opening titles. Everyone rides up in the cockpit and the plane has traditional landing gear, even if the wings are weird. It always seemed weird that they rode in the cockpit; and, yet, the plane is so big. We see the bomb bay doors open, to reveal the speakers for the PA system, for Dr Quest to play Aerio, which is different. The end titles show a hovercraft zip into a cargo bay, a door seals shut and the plane takes off (with ski landing gear), like it has a rocket assist (like the JATO rockets, on the C-130 Hercules, for special missions). Other than that, we never get a sense of what else is in the plane. We do not see a lab, nor do we see them unload vehicles. I didn't see all of New Adventures of JQ; but, the newer version of the plane had a detachable shuttle craft, a lower bat that dropped out an ATV for exploring, that gave it some scope. So, this episode bot captures the troubling aspects of the series and the greatness of it. It is imaginative, well plotted; but, also depicts racist attitudes and dialogue. The episode also has the distinction of providing the end credits that got plastered onto all of the other episodes (except "Double Danger"), on the dvd set, instead of the original closing titles for those specific episodes. There is one very good reason why: it does not include Doug Wildey's credit. At no point on these episodes, on the official set, will you see the name Doug Wildey, in the credits. You will see William Hanna and Joe Barbera all over everything. It's pretty typical. Wildey had a credit that included his box signature, positioned below the writer credits and production supervisor, stating "Art Director Doug Wildey" You will not see that on the dvd set. Instead, you see the same credits, listing William D Hamilton as the sole writer and Paul Sommer as the sole story director, when different people fulfilled those roles in various episodes. They were the writer and director, in this one. The episode continues John Stephenson as Dr Quest, while Don Messick, who would take over, voices Emil harper. Dreena is voiced by Cathy Lewis, who also voiced Jezebel Jade, in her two appearances. Henry Corden and Nestor Paiva provide additional voices (Po-Ho chief and warriors). Paiva usually voiced Latino characters, while Corden did a variety, usually the villains. Cathy Lewis does many of the female voices, but not all. Most people involved were H-B regulars, particularly Corden, Messick and other actors, like Daws Butler and June Foray (who did minor character voices, from time to time. Next issue, we get Hempel and Wheatley's first issue, on story, plus an old buddy of Race Bannon.
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Post by brutalis on Oct 24, 2021 18:04:09 GMT -5
When people ask me why I read comic books, issue 2 here is one I can point to. Such an emotional, touching story. Why this hasn't been turned into a movie or portion of a movie is beyond my understanding. If this one issue isn't part of JQ canon then it should be! I have tears form every time in which I read it.
This story does so much to humanize and showing Professor Quest as a "real" person who gained, then lost an important piece of his life and is finding out more about life and love through his son Jonny and creating an extended family to heal his loss. All in respect and loving of his wife. That is so damn powerful and moving storytelling at it's best, proving comic books are not just kids stuff.
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Post by codystarbuck on Oct 24, 2021 18:47:04 GMT -5
Just thought I'd take a moment to highlight the cast of Jonny Quest. John Stephenson started out voicing Dr Quest. He was a major deal in forensics competitions, in school, and landed a job in radio an, then, television. He was the announcer for the commercials on I love Lucy. he did the odd character role on tv, including episodes of Mission Impossible and Hogan's Heroes. He was a mainstay of the H-B voice acting company, working on everything from the Flintstones to JQ to The Hair Bear Bunch, where he did his imitation of actor Joe Flynn (Capt Binghamton, from McHale's Navy). Joe Barbera felt his voice was too close to Mike Roads and decided to recast the role, though Stephenson would pop up doing other voices, just as Don Messick did, before he took over the role. Don Messick provided incidental voices and then took over as Dr Quest, as well as providing the vocal sounds for Bandit. Messick went back to Hanna & Barbera's days at MGM, working with them on the Droopy cartoons, thanks to a recommendation by Daws Butler. he voiced Ruff, of Ruff and Ready, H-B's first foray into tv animation and would go on to voice Boo-Boo and ranger Smith, in Yogi Bear, Pixie the mouse, Bam-Bam and numerous characters on the Flintstones, Atom Ant, Zorack (Space Ghost), Mr Peebles (Magilla Gorilla), Muttley (Wacky races), Scooby Doo, Scarecrow (Challenge of the Superfriends) and Papa Smurf. Messick often doubled as the narrator, for many H-B shows. Mike Road was Race Bannon. Road was a rugged, good looking actor, who appeared in westerns and detective shows, including starring in the series Buckskin, The Roarin' 20s, as well as making numerous guest appearances. For H-B, he voiced Ugh the caveman (the Dino-Boy segments of Space Ghost & Dino-Boy), JQ, The Flintstones, Zandor (The Herculoids), John Butler (Valley of the Dinosaurs) and then later voiced Reed Richards, on the DePatie-Freleng Fantastic Four (with HERBIE the Robot). Tim Matheson voiced Jonny Quest. Matheson is probably best known as Eric "Otter" Stratton, from Animal House, but he had been acting since he was a child. he was 16 when he did JQ and also voiced Jace, on Space Ghost, and Sinbad Jr, and Young Samson. He was a regular on The Virginian and Bonanza and appeared in the Lucille Ball & Henry Fonda film, Yours, Mine and Ours. He was one of the young motorcycle cops in Magnum Force and was Mrs Brady's "Long lost husband, Roy," in A Very Brady Sequel. Danny Bravo provided the voice of Hadji. Bravo was a child actor, who worked across the 60s, in tv and movies, including The Magnificent Seven (as one of the village children), One Step Beyond, and Wagon Train. Vic Perrin was Dr Zin, as well as characters like Dr Kareem (Curse of Anubis), Kronick (Calcutta Adventure) and Prof Erickson (House of 7 Gargoyles). He is probably best known as the CONTROL voice, on The Outer Limits and he did tons of voice work, though he also did character roles on live action tv and movies, including Mission Impossible, Rawhide, Gunsmoke, and The Untouchables. He provided voices for characters on Star Trek and vocie numerous characters and incidental voices for H-B, including Sinestro (Challenge of the Superfriends), characters in Scooby Doo, the 80s Spider-Man (the one that few people saw), and the DePatie Freleng Fantastic Four. Marvin Miller voiced Abdul Kaseem, in The Riddle of Gold, as well as a henchman, but also worked on series like Mr Magoo (as the Magic Mirror), The Fantastic four (the H-B series, with the Torch), Fantasic Voyage (for Filmation, as Busby Birdwell), and the Narrator on the Pink Panther Show. he did narration for other shows, including Police Sqad! and several Krofft shows, including Electra Woman and dyna girl. Daws Butler was the Maharaja of Galipur, in Riddle of Gold, as well as Corbin and Prof Gunderson, in that episode. Butler is legendary in animation, providing the voices of Yogi Bear, Huckleberry Hound, Elroy Jetson, Quickdraw McGraw, Hair Bear, Barney Rubble, Mr Jinks, and voices for Looney Tunes, MGM, Beany & Cecil, and Bullwinkle. he also helped train Nancy Cartwright, for voice acting. Cathy Lewis voiced Jezebel Jade and Dreena Hartman. She was an old time radio actor, along with husband, Elliot, and appeared in My Friend Irma, both on radio and tv. She was Molly, on the tv version of Fibber McGee and Molly, but is better known for Hazel, as Mr B's sister. Nestor Paiva voiced several characters, including the Po-Ho chief, Montoya, in Treasure of the Temple, and one of the frogmen and the fishing boat helmsman in Mystery of the Lizard Men. He has a long list of credits from tv and movies, including The Creature From The Black Lagoon, Road to Rio, Zorro, The Addams Family, Bonanza and numerous others. Several noted actors did single episodes, such as Jesse White (the original Maytag Repairman and voices on Stan Freberg's records, as well as character parts in movies and tv, usually fast-talking salesmen), Keye Luke (the original movie serial Kato, Number 1 Son in the Charlie Chan films and Master Po, on Kung Fu), J Pat O'Malley (another character performer, playing Irish characters), and Janet Waldo (Judy Jetson and a radio veteran, as a teenager).
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Post by Slam_Bradley on Oct 26, 2021 14:53:07 GMT -5
Finally had time to re-read issue #2.
Honestly I don't have a lot to add. That Messner-Loebs, Pini and Staton could grab this much love out of a cartoon while still giving us plenty of action and adventure is a testament to their abilities and the strength of the characters. It's honestly an almost flawless issue (the coloring was a little wonky at times). This may well be the first time anyone had a chance to identify with and be interested in Benton Quest. So that's a plus.
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Post by Prince Hal on Oct 26, 2021 15:16:53 GMT -5
Marvin Miller may be best known to the Golden Agers around here as the star of the old TV show, "The Millionaire," which ran after "Art Linkletter's House Party" mid-afternoons on our local CBS-TV station. I used to watch it right after I got home from school. Loved his voice. And Vic Perrin (who hailed from Menomonee Falls, WI, where an old fanzine, the Comic Reader, was published), was a frequent guest on "Dragnet," inevitably playing a sleaze, but he was also the voice of Nomad in the first "Trek" movie and played Tharn in the "Mirror, Mirror" episode.
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Post by Rob Allen on Oct 26, 2021 16:12:44 GMT -5
I've actually met Race Bannon.
I believe his real name is Richard Bannon but he's been known as Race ever since JQ was first run on TV. He's been prominent in the gay/kink/leather community for decades. You can find him at bannon.com, racebannon.com, or @bannonrace on Twitter.
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Post by codystarbuck on Oct 29, 2021 0:29:05 GMT -5
Jonny Quest #3Awesome Dave Stevens cover! Dave had a connection to Jonny Quest: Doug Wildey was his friend and mentor and Dave worked at H-B, at one point. Wildey was the model (both physically and personality) for Peevy, in The Rocketeer. Creative Talent: William Messner-Loebs-writer, Marc Hempel-pencils & letters, Mark Wheatley-inks & colors, Kathryn Mayer-letters & colors, Diana Schutz-editor Synopsis: The boys are in El Pietro, a Latin American country and its capital city, San Pietro, which has made tremendous progress. They are there to verify that Bartelli's comet is one observed some 1500 years before, by the Incas. Bartelli's grandson has accused them of trying to steal his family's comet. Their meeting with Minister Vardez is interrupted by Col Diaz, head of the intelligence services, who shoos the minister away, then briefs the Quests on their real mission. The country is being threatened by terrorists, led by someone called The Laughing Man, who has a seemingly endless supply of weapons and the government is losing a war of attrition... They meet their local contact, Wild Jim Cannon, an old pal of Race's. He is masquerading as a down-on-his luck pilot, who is actually keeping tabs on troop movements and arms shipments to the cult of the Laughing Man. Jonny and Wild Jim go flying, while race and Hadji go undercover. Dr Quest works on researching the Laughing Man history, when he is attacked in his room. Race is disguised as an old man and Hadji as a native boy (because Hindus and Native Americans all look alike). They see the poverty of the people and know that feeds into revolution. Hadji is sensitive to thoughts and one man's thoughts are of fear and guns and they decide to follow him to see where it leads them. Race bosts up Hadji to look in the window of a warehouse and he sees Minister Vardez working with the terrorists, loading an American arms shipment in a truck, for the rebels. Jonny and Wild Jim survey the jungle, when they are attacked from the air. Jim hands Jonny a .45 automatic and tells him to try to scare them off. Jonny applies Hadji's lessons in zen shooting. Jonny hits one plane, which collides with another, leaving only one attacker. Wild jim maneuvers the attacker into crashing and they escape. They check out the area where the planes emerged and find a statue, similar to the one Minister Vardez had, and notice the ruts of trucks in the ground. They head back to alert the others and grab a helo to return and land. Elsewhere, Hadji notices the same trenchcoated man he saw outside their window and alerts Race. He intercepts him and it turns out to be prof Bartelli. They take him to their hotel, where they find Hadji and Wild jim in the hallway, locked out of their room, with Dr Quest not answering. Race smashes in the door and finds Dr Quest looking like he went 10 rounds with a buzzsaw and he not only gave it the first 3 rounds, but the other 7. Prof Bartelli stays to watch over Dr Quest, with bandit, while the boys go with Race and Wild Jim to check out the jungle area. On the trip in the helo, Wild Jim tells the boys how Race got his nickname... They land in a clearing and make their way to the statue and find out it is a fake, made of plastic! They also found a cache of arms, but it is minor, like a display. They place is deserted and looks to have been so for some time. they do, however, find Minister Vardez, dead. race figures out it is a trap and yells for Jonny and Hadji to run, but he is cut off by Col Diaz and learn what has really been going on... Hadji gets away and Jonny stalls for time, asking about why the Laughing Man cult. He says he just used the local superstition and then the comet smashes into the fake statue, as Jonny asks about the Laughing man returning. race grabs Jonny and runs and Wild jim brings in the helo and Race tosses Jonny aboard, and then Wild jim pulls away, leaving Race behind. Hadji used an emergency flare to blast the statue and Jonny tells Wild Jim to go back for Race and he says he can't and Race would understand. jonny pulls out Wild Jim's gun and points it at him. Jonny has figured out that Wild Jim had to be in on the con, if he had been an agent in the area for so long... Wild Jim disarms Jonny, easily, and Jonny instead works on his guilt about leaving Race to die. Race is facing the enemy guns, when the helo swoops down and Race runs for it. Col Diaz takes aim, but Wild Jim shoots him. Back in the city, Wild Jim disappears. Much of the military leadership is implicated in the con and the Marines arrive to escort the Quests safely out of the country. In the end, it looks liek dr Quest is wrong about the comet, but he tells Jonny that truth is more important than who discovered what and they go off to have dinner with Mario Bartelli, though we see a comet in Dr Quest's telescope, proving he was right, but he is hiding that fact for his friend. The letters page is filled with praise for issue #1. Thoughts: Interesting little mystery, with a nice swerve, at the end. instead of the revolution we expect, it turns out that we are looking at a group of people conning the US government, as it pours arms into a Latin American country to fight alleged Marxist rebels (we presume, which would fit the period). It's a pretty good idea, as the US was pouring money and arms into Latin America, to friendly governments (many repressive) and there were rebellions going on. Peru was dealing with the Shining Path rebels, while the Sandanistas fought the Contra (ex-Samosista soldiers) rebels, in Nicaragua. Honduras and El Salvador had battles and Mexico had been creating rebels by oppressing natives in some regions (as did Guatemala, under a US-backed Right Wing government). So, this is topical, for the mid-late 80s, while also fitting into the world of the cartoon, since that kind of thing was happening in the 60s. The twist that it is all a scam helps avoid the political aspect, for a licensed comic, based on a cartoon aimed at kids (with a new show to market). JQ had some political commentary; but always in the vaguest of terms, with unnamed foreign countries pitting their agents against the Quest Team. Curse of Anubis has allusions to Nasser and his attempt at creating a United Arab Republic, to create a power base to fight the Western former-colonial powers, on the diplomatic front. Wild Jim is a bit under-developed; but, he has personality and there are enough partial stories about him and Race to give him some depth. His being a traitor is kind of obvious; but, is done well. The comet angle never really works and prof Bartelli seems out of left field and I think Bill Loebs loses this subplot, along the way. It's supposed to show that friendship trumps personal glory, to contrast Wild Jim nearly throwing away friendship for financial game and then reconsidering, thanks to Jonny's idealism. It makes for a nice metaphor, but it's a bit clumsy, within the story. This is Hempel ad Wheatley's first regular issue and they do a great job, capturing the models, but with their own touches. They had worked on First comics' Mars series, which wasn't a major seller, but had a steady following. Hempel also gave us the delightful Gregory, for DC's Piranha Press, and Tug & Buster, from his own company. Hempel & Wheatley are, more or less, the regular team for the rest of the series, with special guest artists on different issues. Yeah, it would have been nice to have Doug Wildey every month, or Steve Rude, or Kirby help us, Dave Stevens; but, they had other things to do. Marc & mark (and the rest of the Fun Bunch) do a great job with the series and this is a nice start. Episode Review: "The Curse of Anubis" This actually aired before Pursuit of the Po-Ho; but, I had it in my head that this was one of the Jonny Quest Classics iisues and I want to discuss those episodes, along with Doug Wildey adapting them for comics. However, it was NOT one of those issues; so, get ready for lumbering mummies, Arab nationalists, deadly asps, and the Egyptian God Anubis! In Egypt, the statue of the god Anubis has been stolen. We see a sarcophagus fall open, revealing a mummy, which awakens and slumbers off, smashing through the wall of the tomb where he rested. We cut to the desert, where the thieves meet up with their boss, Dr Ahmed Kareem, who plans to use the theft as a flashpoint to unite Arab people against the West, after he pins it on outsiders. he contacts his old friend, Dr Benton Quest and invites him to Egypt to view his latest archeological discovery. While in Egypt the Quest team read in the papers about the theft. They travel to the dig, which requires an overnight trip, where the men accompanying them become spooked, speaking of the Spirit of Anubis stalking the desert, which Dr Kareem passes off as foolish superstition. Race points out that it is a clue, as whoever stole the statue doesn't believe in the curse. Dr Kareem avers that it will be proven to be the work of outsiders. privately, Dr Quest remarks to Race that Dr Kareem doesn't seem like the man he knew and he thinks something fishy is going on. Meanwhile, race defends them, with a bullwhip, against a desert scorpion. Race and Dr Quest accompany Dr Kareem to the excavated ruins, while Jonny and Hadji explore. Kareem's men are sent to grab them, but they elude them in a chase through a village, using a stolen motor scooter. Kareem takes Dr Quest and race into his excavation, to a hidden chamber, with a door sealing it off. inside, they find the stolen statue of Anubis on an pedestal and Dr Kareem and his men pointing guns at them. they are to be found dead, sealed inside the chamber, with the stolen statue, framed for the theft. He shoots a vase, letting loose poisonous asps, the venomous Egyptian snake. they leave, but Jonny and Hadji come thundering along on the motor scooter, past Kareem and his men and trip the circuit for the door to the chamber. Hadji uses a horn to charm away the asps and Dr Kareem catches up to them and holds them at gunpoint. Bandit alters the situation.... The men are frightened away, then the mummy of Anubis appears and grabs Dr Kareem, lifting him over his head. The chamber collapses around them, sealing them inside, as the Quest team escapes. in the end, Jonny gets his wish to travel by camel, though Bandit is a bit seasick. The episode is one of the best of the series, filled with great atmosphere, a villain with a real motive that can be believed, thrilling action, some supernatural stuff, an exotic and ancient locale, and some tremendous musical cues from Hoyt Curtain. Just listen to the punctuations of the mummy's plodding.... It slowly builds and builds, as each beat is louder and louder, until it reaches the crescendo. That would be the moment we would see the mummy reach something or crash through the wall. The episode was downright scary and thrilling, at the same time and the images stick with you for decades. Dr Kareem is modelled after Gamel Abdel Nasser, leader of Egypt, from 1954-1970. Nasser led a revolution that overthrew the Egyptian monarchy and ruled as president of the country, until his death. He nationalized the Suez canal Company, touching off a political crisis that led to a military intervention by the UK, France and Israel. Israel crossed the Sinai and british and French planes attacked the Egyptian army, in the Canal Zone. nasser bolstered defenses int he canal zone, rightly figuring that the canal was the objective. They made their stand at Port said, which fell into street fighting, as British and French forces joined in the fight. the Eisenhower Administration condemned the invasion and supported the UN resolutions that recognized Egypt's right to control the canal, within their borders, provided that free passage through the canal continued. British and French forces withdrew and Nasser gained tremendous power and prestige. Nasser used this to promote pan-Arabism, in an attempt to unite the Arab world into a political bloc, to oppose western interests in the region. This led to straining of relations with the US and Nasser courted the soviet Union for funds and armaments, in equipping his army and to finish the Aswan Dam Project. He was controversial in some Arab circles and his relations with Jordan were poor, and he was seen as a threat tot he Saudi Royal family. His only real ally was Syria. Syria's Leftist government was in turmoil and Turkish troops were massing along the border, fueling rumors that the Baghdad Pact forces were trying to topple Syria's government. Syria sought an alliance with Egypt and they formed the United Arab Republic. Yemen also sought to join the alliance and Lebanon became a battle ground for pro and anti-Nasser factions. the alliance eventually broke down with political turmoil within Syria. Dr Kareem even looks like Nasser.... The mummy is great and looks suitably horrific..... The scenes in the episode are filled with atmosphere.... Hadji does several mystical tricks in this one, from charming snakes to disappearing and reappearing in clay vases, as the henchmen try to catch them. One of the thugs refers to him as a Hindu, which I have also fallen into the trap of calling him that. The turban and his surname Singh would suggest that Hadji is a Sikh, not a Hindu, though the series never describes him as such, only the mention of "Hindu," here. In Riddle of Gold, he mentions hamburgers, implying that he has eaten and enjoyed them, which would violate Hindu beliefs that cows are sacred. Sikhs have vegetarian traditions, but it is not a doctrinal aspect and adherence varies among Sikh families and communities. there are Sikhs who are strict vegetarians and others who do consume meat. As such, that would free up Hadji to eat meat and enjoy hamburgers, without necessarily violating his spiritual and cultural beliefs. "The Curse of Anubis" was one of the episodes that was released on VHS, during the haphazard H-B home video marketing. it was paired with Mystery of the Lizard men, in the first JQ VHS release. Other releases included a set of episodes listed as "Hanna-Barbera Favorites," with "Skull and double-crossbones, "Calcutta Adventure," "Robot Spy" and "Devil's Tower." Then, there was the release Jonny Quest-Pirates from below," which featured "Pirates from Below," "Invisible Monster," and "Werewolf of the Timberland." Finally, there was a 3-tape release with single episodes on each tape, including: "Turu the Terrible," "The Quetong Missile Mystery," and "Monsters in the Monastery." these could be bought individually or in a set. The remained of the series was not released on VHS and the full series only became available in 2004, when the DVD set was released, but with incorrect closing credits and edits to a couple of episodes ("Pursuit of the Po-Ho" and "Monsters in the Monastery.") Back in the early 90s, I scooped up all of the VHS I could find and then got ahold of a bootleg tape, at a convention, that had the bulk of the episodes I was missing. I recorded the final missing ones off of TNT broadcasts, before the DVDs became available. Speed Racer had had similar problems as there were the NOW comics videos, with 2 or 3 episodes per tape and then single episode tapes from another company. I can't recall if NOW released the whole series, before going bankrupt. I later bought those dvd releases, though I soon found that ther were a select few I felt held up well and many others that I would fast-forward through. H-B had similar problems with other VHS releases. I once came across a single VHS tape of one or two episodes of Sealab 2020, which i always enjoyed, as a small child. I'm not even sure if that got a Warner Archive dvd release. Same for Penelope Pittstop and, possibly, Wacky Races, though those got full commercial DVD releases. The Jetsons and the Flintstones had similar partial VHS releases, before getting full dvd Season sets, as did Scooby Doo. in several of its iterations. H-B's sale to Turner Broadcasing didn't improve things, until the Turner merger, with Warner Bros. ironically, turner was the one who recognized the value of owning film libraries, which was his motivation for buying the MGM vault, to fuel Turner Classic Movies. His merger with Warner gave Warner one of the biggest film and tv libraries in Hollywood, controlling many of the classics and the best short animation in the industry, with Disney being the only real rival (though with their features, more than their shorts). Anyway....Next time, Tom Yeates is guest artist, as the Quest team joins a Hollywood film project, in the jungle, complete with dinosaurs!
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Post by tartanphantom on Oct 30, 2021 10:10:17 GMT -5
codystarbuck , just for the record, the individual VHS episodes of Speed Racer were distributed by Fhe (Family Home Entertainment). I had a couple of those, but ended up buying all of the special editions of the DVDs as the sets were released.
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Post by codystarbuck on Nov 1, 2021 21:22:38 GMT -5
Jonny Quest #4Jonny's got a girlfriend...Jonny's got a girlfriend...... and she's a looker! Creative Team: William Messner-Loebs-writer, Tom Yeates-pencils, Dan Adkins, Bret Blevins, Sam Keith, Steve Leialoha, Steve Rude, Dave Stevens, Al Williamson and Tom Yeates-inks, Ken Feduniewicz-colors, Diana Schutz-editor. The large number of inkers is due to Dan Adkins being hospitalized, with 10 pages to go, leading the the rescuers. The credit says Dan Adkins & Friends, for the inks, while Aunt Didi lays out who did what, on the editorial page. Synopsis: Dr Benton Quest is awakened at 3:00 AM, but his special security phone, reserved for major emergencies. However, it isn't Ronnie on the line.... Benton is roped into investigating the possibility of sabotage of Stuart Gold's movie, "She-Devil of Monster Island." Sounds like a Roger Corman flick. Everyone is getting a free vacation out of it; but Race warns that Hollywood types are all loopy, unable to tell reality from fantasy. Race fills Jonny and Hadji in on all the quirks and short-comings of actors, despite not knowing any. They have a long journey, by plane, train, land rover, boat and horse-drawn wagon, until the wagoneer says he can go no further, because of the monster. They meet up with a PA and Race proceeds to act like an ass and gets playfully put in his place. ...by the PA, who turns out to be the director, Marge Drake. However, some of his stereotypes hold true, as the leading lady, Marley frost, is doing her prima donna bit. She blows past Race, who she calls a "muscle-bound gashead." Bet she and Race end up an item! Marge introduces the gang to her assistant, Jack Niles and special effects guy Foster Cane (and, yes, he is a big, bearded guy). He believes Dr Quest is their to fix their equipment and trucks, which is news to Benton, until he is shown a telegram from Stuart (Still in LA), who describes them as mechanics and security. Marge talks to them on one of the sets and explains they have been filming for 3 months, but are only half done. They have been plagued by accidents (hope they have a better armorer than other films). She basically sweet talks Benton into caving and helping. Jonny asks about Stuart and we learn he was Benton's college roommate and source of exasperation, yet they remained friends. he can't quite explain it... The next morning, on set, Benton has to fix the leg motors of a robotic triceratops, while Race oggles Marley Frost, in a bikini. He assumes she will throw a fit when she finds out how cold the water is, but she dives right in and paddles about, for her scene. the monster is cued, but it nearly crushes Benton. It comes charging at Marley and Race hops on and deactivates it, the hard way, which impresses Marley. Told ya! Race soon finds himself dragooned into playing a gangster, in the film. He tries his best George Raft, instead of Robert DeNiro, and it doesn't go well, as they go through take after take. Finally, Marley takes pity on him and gives him an acting pointer and Race nails the scene. Foster shows Jonny and Hadji effects rigs, while Benton works on a hoist motor. After a faceful of oil and a mouthful of expletives, bento storms off, to Jonny's amusement (Hadji didn't know Dr Quest knew words like that!). They witness a fight between the director and the actor playing the mad scientist. Then they see Marley wander off into the jungle and follow. they discover that she is teaching a real triceratops tricks! She discovered the dinosaur and found her to be the purest creature. She was going to train her for an act; but decided she should be untouched by the perils of the outside world and asks Jonny & Hadji to keep her secret. Race hangs out with Clyde, the "mad scientist," who is watching videotape rushes. Race notes he is taking digitalis and Clyde tells him he has a minor condition, but keep it quiet. It's hard enough to insure a film. Race notices a grip on the monitor, who he knows to be a mob thug. Later, the gang trades intel... The next day, Hadji learns that Cane is in on the sabotage, that he owes money to the mob. They are trying too shut down production, though the original intent was not to harm anyone. On the set, Dr Quest is set to run Porky, the robot dinosaur, though he thinks the scene is potentially dangerous. They start the scene and the robot ignore Dr Quest's control signals. race tries to stop it, but is knocked unconscious. Jonny reveals that foster Cane is a rat, but he claims he isn't controlling the robot. Jonny, dangling from the effects lift, disarms him and Marley helps get Race to safety. The robot charges at them and White Hat, the real dino, saves them. Marge keeps the camera pointed at the action. White Hat succeeds in destroying the robot, but Callan, the legbreaker, has a gun. Stuart owes the mob for two pictures ao and they are sabotaging this one to get the insurance money, which kicks in if the movie doesn't get made. Marley calls his bluff, with one of her own, making him think she has a percussion grenade, just long enough for Dr Quest to deck the hood. Yep, not Race; Dr Quest! The picture is finished and the UN is setting up a preserve, to safeguard White Hat and Steven Spielberg wants to make a film about her (Where she will be the first dinosaur to have "father issues," no doubt!). They get a message from Stuart, who is trying to con Benton into rescuing some of his guys from an atoll, where they are about to be sacrificed to a fire god, on a volcano. The letters page has more advance praise for issue 1, including from Lou Mougin, who did background pieces on Airboy, at Eclipse and watched JQ in Prime Time, back in the day. he's a Gold Key fan (including Doug Wildey's work on their Tarzan comics) and likens the approach to the series tot he best of Gold key, which is apt. Keith Wilson and Ken Fundiewicz provide a JQ pin-up, based on "Shadow of the Condor." A preview of next issue shows the Dave Stevens cover, with the return of Jezebel Jade! Thoughts: Amusing issue, with a nice mystery, at the center. Stuart would make a nice recurring foil, for Dr Quest, roping him into trouble. I could just imagine him in the series, voiced by Jesse White (who did the best conniving con artists and slick salesmen in Hollywood, and, voiced Pasha Peddler, in "Calcutta Adventure.") Foster Cane is an obvious reference to Orson Welles, and Foster resembles him, if he were blond. Callan may or may not be a tribute to Edward Woodward's reluctant counter-intelligence agent, though the mobster looks nothing like him. No immediate counterparts come to mind for Marge, Marley, Clyde or Jack Niles. Tom Yeates gets to draw real dinosaurs, especially my favorite, the triceratops (I had a motorized triceratops toy, as a kid and they are the coolest of the dino world, in my book). He also gets to draw a jungle setting, beautiful women and different character types, showcasing his tremendous skill. I would have liked to have seen more of him in comic books; but, he's done quite a bit of work in comic strips and I have a book collection of the first 4 John Carter novels, with his amazing illustrations.. I liked that this series mixed action-adventure plots, mysteries and comic plots, giving a nice variety to the Quest team adventures. The tv series had a good blend, though comedy was found more in moments, in episodes, rather than a complete comedic episode. The Comico folks aren't afraid of doing an issue just for laughs. Episode Review: Intelligence One agent Corbin is visiting Dr Quest, who performs a test on a gold ingot. It proves to be a fake and comes from what was thought to be a depleted mine, in Jahilipur, which is under the control of a maharaja. Dr Quest identifies the metal as zanium and says the only other person who could synthesize it and detect the fake gold if Prof Gunderson, who disappeared in Jahilipur. Race thinks it is not a coincidence. The government arranges for Dr Quest to film a tiger hunt, using his hobby as a cover. They are to be guests of the Maharaja.... The maharaja turns out to be in cahoots with the mysterious Dr Zin, who has sent his agent, Abdul Kaseem to represent him. He signals Kareem, who poisons the maharaja with a rigged lighter (it shoots out a needle that injects the poison) and he replaces the maharaja, despite his pet leopard's frenzy. It soon becomes apparent that the "maharaja," is trying to kill the Quests, as they face a series of accidents, including a decoupling of their rail car, in the mountains, and a sabotaged tiger hunt. They eventually investigate the maharaja's mine, where Bandit leads Jonny and Hadji to Prof Gunderson, alive and well and making fake gold of Dr Zin. Kareem makes prisoners of everyone and sets up explosive to destroy the mine, along with the Quests and Prof Gunderson. Bandit puts out the powder trail fire and saves the team and then the maharaja's leopard breaks free of his chain and mauls Kareem, killing him. Dr Quest (via the video link) tells dr Zin that he is beaten and Zin vows that they shall meet again. Thoughts: This is the first Dr Zin episode, and was broadcast before "Calcutta Adventure," where we learn how Hadji joined the team. Dr Quest asks Hadji how it feels to be back in his homeland and he says it is great, except they do not have hamburgers, which is not necessarily incorrect, for a Sikh, as I mentioned, previously. Don Messick has his first episode as Dr Quest and he is joined by fellow Flintstones voice actor Daws Butler, who voices Corbin and the maharaja of Jahilipur. Marvin Miller handles Kaseem, while Vic Perrin is Dr Zin. It is a little weird hearing Butler, as the maharaja, as he sounds a little too broad, for this series, sounding a bit like Snagglepuss. He also handles the voice for professor Gunderson. We learn the name of the security agency that Dr Quest works with, Intelligence One, though the name was visible on the files, in "Mystery of the Lizard Men." The plot has Dr Zin developing fake gold that is nearly undetectable, which would cause economic chaos, as much of the world was still on the Gold Standard (which is long dead, no matter what investment groups would like you to believe). The episode is filled with quite a few Indian stereotypes, as most of the people are in traditional costume. India was still a relatively newly independent country, in the 60s, under the leadership of Jawaharlal Nehru, who would give way to Gulzarilal Nanda, but was working to modernize; so, a mixture of tradition and new styles would seem to be accurate, though H-B leans a little heavy on the traditional. The idea of a maharaja is pre-Independence, though it is not entirely clear if Jahilipur is part of India or a neighboring state, like Nepal. There is a village called Jahilipur, in India, in Uttar Pradesh State. Dr Zin knows who the Quests are and Dr Quest remarks that they meet again, on the video link; but, this is the first time we see Zin. None of the episodes have Zin & Quest encounter each other for the first time, as every one remarks that they are known to each other. This is an exciting episode and Kareem's masquerading as the maharaja makes for lots of intrigue and suspense. We get a few old school perils, like being perched on the edge of a cliff, teetering, as well as tied up with gunpowder burning towards explosives. bandit takes care of that by dropping his fat little butt onto the fuse, extinguishing it (with a slight yelp). I'm sure Doug would have preferred to have him piddle on it; but, network censors are killjoys. Dr Zin is, essentially, a mixture of Fu Manchu and Dr No (who is a Fu clone), in the series. He's more modern than Fu, using science to gain power, though Fu does the same, in the Christopher Lee films). Zin is a modern man, though not modern enough to realize that there are easier, more subtle ways to gain power, in the modern world. Despite the stereotype, he makes for a great enemy for the Quests and his episodes are usually some of the best ("Double Danger" is a bit of a mixed bag, though it gives us Jezebel Jade). He appears in four episodes: "Riddle of the Gold," "The Robot Spy," "Double Danger," and "The Fraudulent Volcano."
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Post by brutalis on Nov 1, 2021 23:02:36 GMT -5
A fellow lover of Yeates doing jungles and dino's! Will read that EVERY time. His Tarzan stuff is highly suggested. Also, I'm right there with you on the best and coolest dinosaur ever being Triceratops.
Was great seeing Dr. Quest landing a punch that would make Bannon proud.
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Post by codystarbuck on Nov 6, 2021 20:54:50 GMT -5
Jonny Quest #5Nice 45! Pistol ain't bad either! (Ba-dump-bump!) Jonny looks like little Davey Stevens, in a blond wig! Creative Team: William Messner-Loebs-writer, Mitch Schauer-pencils, John Nyberg-inks, Steve Haynie-letters, Rick Taylor-colors, Diana Schutz-editor Pinups by Robb Phipps/Mike Gustovich/Kurt Mausert; back cover by Mitch Schauer/Brett Blevins/Rick Taylor. Synopsis: Dr Quest and Race have gone of for a debriefing, in Washington, as well as a scientific conference and have irresponsibly left Jonny and Hadji on their own, on Palm Key, away from any other adult supervision or emergency response. How has social services not gotten involved here? Ooh...foreshadowing! They even took the hovercraft!..... Race has left lessons for Jonny & Hadji, on video cassette. What's to keep them from fast-forward? Or taping Danger Mouse over them? Bandit turns up with the mail (How does it get there? USPS doesn't have hydrofoils!) It is addressed to Race, from jezebel Jade and Jonny and Hadji rationalize a reason to snoop. Inside is a video cassette. Um...boys......I'd leave that alone if I were you........... Oh, they have Cinemax?.........Oh, well, then; probably nothing you haven't seen! It turns out not to be a naughty tape to tease Race; but, an image of Jade talking like a bad 50s sit-com idea of flirting..... Jonny and Hadji smell a rat, especially when Jade says "It's only money!" They notice a flicker and replay it, with frame advance and spot a message, with a sign that says "2:00 pm, My Place, September 14." That is the enxt day and Race and Dr Quest won't be back yet. So, Jonny and Hadji use Dr Quest's credentials to con airline bookings, and the ticket agent doesn't challenge this, despite the fact these guys are minors. They fly to Hong Kong, then ask around the harbor, to find Jade's Junk (get your mind out of the gutter, that's a Chinese Junk...a ship!). It would help if they spoke Cantonese, but they find someone who speaks English and leads them to a pier and a junk. Inside, they find a sign that says Jade, Inc and no Jezebel Jade. They poke around and Jonny finds gold plated burglar tools, inscribed "To Jade, with respect and affection-Simon T" They wait around 2 hours, then some guy stumbles in, with a message for Jade and then dies. Jonny and Hadji get an idea and hide the message.... They are disrupted by some mountain of a bruiser tearing up the place and tell him to get lost and he relates his life story, while threatening them. Wow, so he was Koji Kitao? He keeps rattling on about how tough he is and then he gets taken down by two kids, a bottle of root beer and a chair . Yep, he's Koji Kitao! He comes to a couple of hours later and finds the kids gone. He leaves and Jonny and Hadji follow him, figuring he will lead them to Jade. Sure enough, he leads them to a hotel, where Jade is tied up and held prisoner. This Hassan dude is looking for something and Wing reports in, then Jonny and Hadji hit the room like pint size versions of the Road Warriors. They free Jade and Bandit brings her a gun and they escape; but, it turns out Jade wanted to be captured so she could send them on a wild goose chase, while she escaped and searched for a secret package. Turns out, the dead Englishman was her contact and Jonny & Hadji tell her about him, the blood, and hiding the package. She is happy and to celebrate, she lets the boys take her to dinner and pay for it! Now that's mercenary! Jonny asks about the package and Jade says Dr Zin and Ben Hassan have been tearing up the Orient, looking for it. She asks about Sir Percy's body (the dead guy) and Jonny says they stashed it under the bed (seriously, how has social services not intervened with Jonny and Hadji?). They suggest hiding his body in the old crate in jade's office and she nixes that idea and says why... They are interrupted by assassins and Jade creates havoc and they escape. They go from one shoot-out to another, until they are rescued by Dr Zin, whose rivals are the attackers. The fly away in his car and then land on his Sky Fortress... Not sure who is more envious; SHIELD, SPECTRUM or UNIT. We find out that various mergers of interested parties have taken place and Ben Hassan has joined Dr Zin. They demand the object, but Jade wants to know why and Dr Zin quiets them and explains it is a piece of technology from an ancient, advanced civilization (ala Atlantis, Mu, Hyperborea, Bedrock) and Dr Zin wants to possess it, more than anything. Jade cracks wise about Sydney Greenstreet... They are escorted to separate cells; but, Jade turns up to release the boys, with a sonic key she lifted from a guard. They go out on the weather deck and make their way to Dr Zin's flying car. Jade suckers the guards and the boys start up the car. Jade joins them and they fly away and head back to Jade's, to retrieve the hidden package. They run into a very alive Sir Percy, who faked them out, with food coloring and then he played dead to learn who Jade was negotiating with. However, Dr Zin and Ben Hassan turn up to make him really dead! With him is Old Tom, the man who helped them find Jade's Junk and saw them hide the root beer bottle, which he holds. In the gunfight, Dr Zin gets winged; but he is fine. He offers Jade a fee for turning over the package. The boys reveal they hid it in the refrigerator, with the other root beer bottle s and the one they hid over the side was a fake, which they swiped from EA Poe's "The Purloined Letter," which Race had assigned them (hide in plain sight). It turns out Dr Zin doesn't buy into the mystical mumbo jumbo; but, an influential man does, who can destroy 20% of the world's rice crop, driving up the value of the rice that remains, of which Dr Zin controls 30%. Jonny asks about people starving and Zin admits "a few...the dregs of society." Jade is visibly POed and she ends up turning down Zin.... Jade calls Interpol and Zin leaves, vowing revenge. Jade gives it to Jonny, to take to Dr Quest, then decides to join them, to get out of town, for a while. On the way out, Hadji asks who Sydney Greenstreet was and Jade references The Maltese Falcon. Thoughts: Terrific fun and a nice mystery, with homages of The Maltese Falcon and similar films and mystery novels. Loebs sets up the bottle business, with the mention of "The Purloined Letter," one of the earliest detective stories, featuring one of the first recurring detectives: C Auguste Dupin. Poe created Dupin for "Murders in the Rue Morgue," and then he reappeared in "The Mystery of Marie Roget" and "The Purloined Letter." Dupin was likely inspired by the real life French detective Eugene Francois Vidocq. Vidocq was a criminal and deserter of the Army, who eventually reformed and founded the Surete, the French national police. He pioneered many modern police procedures, such as undercover work, cross referencing of files, plaster molds of footprints, ballistics and the formal study of crime: criminology. He pioneered indelible inks and bond paper, the earliest security features for documents. Vidocq would inspire many detectives, including the French figure Lecoq, Victor Hugo's inspector Javert, Doyle's Sherlock Holmes, Balzac's Vautrin, and Dumas' Monsieur Jackal. Loeb's also references Simon Templar, aka The saint, the 'gentleman thief," created by Leslie Charteris (Leslie Charles Bower-Yin). The Saint drew inspiration from Maurice Le Blanc's Arsene Lupin and EW Hornung's AJ Raffles. All are burglars, but who target people who are deserving of their misfortune, while the aid the innocent. The character was featured in a series of novellas, a comic strip, a series of films (starring Louis Hayward, George Sanders and Hugh Sinclair, in succession) and a few tv series (the classic ITV series, with Roger Moore, as well as the Return of the Saint, with Ian Ogilvy). The Roger Moore tv series is probably best known to modern generations, though the earlier film series was quite popular, in the 30s. I've always argued that Roger Moore's James Bond is actually Simon Templar, masquerading as Bond. of course, there was the later Val Kilmer movie, which had very little to do with the original character, film series or tv series, though it didn't totally suck (just mostly). Jade was always a great character, though she only appears in two episodes of the cartoon series ("Double Danger," and "Terror Island"), very much modeled on Terry & the Pirates femme fatale, The Dragon Lady, as well as the comic strip heroine Modesty Blaise (more here than in the cartoon). This gives her a bit of background detail (which is very Modesty Blaise), which proves to be Dr Zin's undoing, when he belittles the "dregs of society," from which Jade came. This issue also gives us Dr Zin's Sky Fortress, which will reappear. It joins a long line of aerial bases, from Robur's Albatross (Jules Verne's Robur the Conqueror, aka Clipper of the Clouds), Captain Scarlet's Skybase (base of SPECTRUM, the security agency for which Scarlet worked), the SHIELD Helicarrier (and The Yellow Claw's Sky Fortress) and UNIT's Valkyrie, from the revived Doctor Who which was patterned after Skybase). It is not totally far-fetched, as the US Navy had three airships that could launch and recover aircraft (The USS Los Angeles, which conducted the initial tests and could carry 3 planes, when its hangar was installed; the USS Akron and USS Macon, which each carried 5 Sparrowhawk spotter/fighters) and the US Air Force has maintained a flying control aircraft for Strategic Air Command, since the 50s (not to mention Air Force One, to a certain extent). Granted, those are flying command and control centers, not aircraft carriers or aerial bases. Dr Zin's appears to be a cross between an insect and an outboard motor, in shape, while having a rather functional design, such as geodesic dome areas, solar panels, lifting jets and propulsion jets, and docking bays. We will see more of it, in the series. The tv show had nothing like it, as Dr Zin operated from a castle, somewhere in Asia (or so we were led to believe). There are many references to Dashiell Hammett's The Maltese Falcon and, especially, to the 1941 John Huston film adaptation, starring Humphrey Bogart, Mary Astor, Sydney Greenstreet and Peter Lorre. Bogie is detective Sam Spade, who gets drawn into a search for the Maltese Falcon, a fabulous statue, "The stuff of which dreams are made!" in the film, Sydney Greenstreet portrays Gutman, aka "The Fat Man," who is searching for the Falcon, using agents, such as Peter Lorre's Joe Cairo ( a psychotic killer). Greenstreet 9and Lorre) also appeared in Casablanca, with Bogie, playing a similar character. Here, Dr Zin is Greenstreet, setting his agents in search of the ancient object. ben Hassan can be likened to Joe Cairo, which makes Jonny Sam Spade. I wouldn't quite put Jade in the role of Mary Astor's Brigid O'Shaugnessy, as she has elements of Spade, as well. If you have never seen The Maltese Falcon, rectify that quickly. It is one of the seminal hardboiled detective films (as the novel was, in literature), as well as one of the classics of film noir. Huston wrote and directed and the cast was superb and the film has been copied and homaged endlessly. It also makes more sense than The Big Sleep (which was Howard Hawks and even Raymond Chandler lost track of a character, in the novel), even if Jeff Bridges didn't play a modern version of Sam Spade (I never "got" The Big Lebowski, until I saw one of the Cohen Bros, in an interview, mention Phillip Marlowe and then it all fell into place) If only Dave Stevens had done the interior. Mitch Schauer isn't bad; but he doesn't have that classic touch. Schauer had done some work on mark Evanier's DNAgents, at Eclipse, but his day job was animation, working for Hanna-Barbera and DePatie-Freleng/Marvel Productions. John Nyberg had worked for First Comics, on Starslayer, Dynamo Joe, Badger, Nexus and Whisper. Steve Haynie had also worked for First, on grimjack and Nexus, as well as Grendel, for Comico. Koji Kitao, who I referenced, was an ex-sumo wrestler, who had been notorious for a bad attitude and poor performance, after being elevated to yokozuna. He was noted for being a bully to the younger sumo assigned to attend him and a group of them refused to serve under him. He allegedly had an argument with his stable master and struck the man's wife when he left. He was expelled from sumo and moved into the world of pro wrestling. he worked under a mask for the US-based AWA and under his own name, in New Japan Pro Wrestling. he joined the upstart independent company, Super World Sports, along with former sumo-turned-pro wrestler Genichiro Tenryu. In 1991, at a joint show, co-promoted by the WWF and SWS, Kitao stopped cooperating with WWF Wrestler John tenta, aka Earthquake. Tenta was a former sumo, himself, at a young age, out of Canada. Kitao started acting like he wanted to "shoot," (have a real match) and Tenta started getting stiff with him and made motions like he was "going for the eyes," and old wrestling standard for real fights by outsiders, to ensure not to break kayfabe). Kitao was fired, as was the great Kabuki, who instigated the breakdown, by advising Tenta to be stiff, to draw out Kitao's temper, hoping to get rid of a problem child. Kitao had been a source of conflict in SWS (and elsewhere) due to his attitude that he should be a star, while showing a lazy effort. Basically, he had a much higher opinion of himself and his "skills," than anyone else, just like Wing, who talks about how tough he is. Episode Review: "treasure of the Temple" The Quest team is in the Yucatan, exploring old Mayan ruins, when they run into a series of accidents, orchestrated by a man named Perkins, who is after a hidden treasure, somewhere inside a Mayan temple. He tries to scare off the Quest expedition with various demons and accidents, with the aid of the Quest's guide, Montoya. He shows what an SOB he is by staking out a native, to be buzzard food, but he is rescued by Jonny and Hadji. At one point, Perkins and Montoya set fire to Jonny and Hadji's tent and they only escape because Bandit wakes them in time to get out, before the tent is consumed by fire. The boys discover a hidden room with the treasure, and Perkins and his men try to grab the Quests, but Race beats up about a half dozen, before Perkins gets the drop on them, with a pistol. He locks them in a room, to die inside the temple; but, the native who they rescued helps them escape via an underground river. Perkins and Montoya follow, but the river is filled with crocodiles, who get to snack on Perkins, after Race shoots down some stalactites, dropping Perkins in the water. Thoughts: The episode gets kind of violent and gruesome, as Perkins employs some pretty lethal methods. This is pure pulp stuff, complete with nastiness and grisly death. You can kind of understand watchdogs getting a bit upset, with this one, though it was a prime time show, not Saturday morning (until re-runs). Perkins is one of the more vile villains, as even Dr Zin and some of the others, have limits and Perkins isn't insane, like Dr Ashida, or a foreign agent. he's just a nasty piece of work, searching for treasure, willing to kill anyone, including children, to get it. He gest eaten by crocodiles, though that part is offscreen. Some of the animation gets off-model, at times, a problem plaguing the early episodes, especially. This isn't one of my favorite ones, though it is a good pulp story and has a lot of parallels to the later Raiders of the Lost Ark (which swiped from everyone, from Secret of the Incas to Uncle Scrooge). It's not quite the monster fun of "Turu the Terrible" or "The Dragons of Ashida;" nor the horror of "The Invisible Monster," or mystery/horror, like "The House of Seven Gargoyles." They make death a little more palatable by being more stylistic and gonzo.
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