Pat Payne

It's a sad state of affairs when A1 can get more votes than Minmay...

(Note, the format is shamelessly cribbed from A7's much better done anime reviews. A7, don't sue me because I'm unimaginiative ) The Fantastic Four, part of Marvel Comics on the Air "Attention, all true believers -- Marvel Comics is on the air!" This 13-episode radio series served as a trial balloon to see whether radio adaptations based on the familiar Marvel Comics characters would survive. As the first of the "Marvel-Age" comics, The Fantastic Four was tapped to be the first Marvel characters to appear on radio, which up through the Golden Age was largely a preserve of the Distinguished Competetition and their Superman and Batman juggernauts. The show premiered sometime in 1975 (the actual airdates are unclear) and, whatever the listenership at the time, Marvel and their sponsors and network decided that the show was just not going to bring in any revenue. Other adaptations were in the wings (Spider-Man would most likely have been next) but never went anywhere as the great experiment faded into obscurity. Even for die-hard FF fans, it's probably the rare one that knows this show exists and can be heard on the web. Each 20-minute episode (save two two-episode story arcs) were self-contained stories straight from the Fantastic Four comics issues 1-13 (pretty much in order, too). Story -- A++ This is no adaptation of the comics. The stories ARE the comics, (coming roughly from the first year or so of the FF continuity) with Stan Lee's original dialogue changed only slightly for clarity, time and pacing, and with added narration. Only a few real big changes were made, and most of these were for the better (such as making the Thing less erudite in the opening of the first episode). To a listener of the 2000s, the episodes may come off as a little hokey and campy (particularly having Dr. Doom send the FF off on a mission to get Blackbeard's treasure chest), but then again, so would the original comic stories, and therein lies the charm. Acting -- B-/C The cast is so-so in the adaptations. Jim Pappis (sp?) as the Thing and a young, pre-SNL Bill Murray are the stand-outs, and even their work is spotty. Murray, at times shows a saucy charm and confidence, particularly when sparring with The Thing, but at others, it's obvious that he's just reading from the script. The worst acting comes from whoever plays Ant-Man in one episode...He sounds less like a super-hero and more like the boss Lumbergh from Office Space. But on the other hand, they all do workman-like jobs, and avoid drooping to the level of the usual Robotech cast. Cast Cynthia Adler (a bit player in TV and movies) played Sue Storm/Invisible Girl, Bob Maxwell (a local radio personality in New York and Detroit, apparently) played Reed Richards/Mr. Fantastic, Jim Pappis (sp?) played Ben Grimm/The Thing, and Bill Murray (yes, that Bill Murray) played Johnny Storm/Human Torch. Providing narration was some guy named Stan Lee (now, what was he famous for, again? ) The Bottom Line The Fantastic Four's foray into radio, while less than Fantastic, is still a great way to kill an hour, if you can track down the episodes. The show's never going to be mistaken for The Shadow, but you can do much worse. Give it a whirl, true believers. links: This is the site where I found the complete series Sources: The Superhero Book.

If you're not going to use the feature for a lonmg time, it's almost mandatory that you do, otherwise the batteries will leak.

This isn't going to turn out where the judge gets bribed silly by the supporters of the different women, and soon we've got chaos, especially when the judge decided to taker the prize and bribe money with him to Osaka, right? (extra points -- to something or other -- if anyone actually got the joke) Anyway, I voted for Misa.

Now, the thing is, we know that the Zentradi have the CAPABILITY for repair (Presumably, the factory satellite and Bodolza's fortress both have automated repair/refit facilities -- it would make no sense for the Protocultures to allow ships to go running around that are damaged but not ready to be written off), but that -- getting into conjecture here -- the Zents themselves are dependent upon these Protoculture-supplied auto-repair areas, so that a Zent fleet that goes rogue quickly runs out of fuel, ammo, food, booze and repairs. That's why the Zents are so gung-ho to get the Macross once they realized it HAD been repaired...they wanted the ability to do it themselves ability AFTER losing the war...

Myth: Shammy is American/English Source: Faulty fan translation of "Shammy Milliome" to "Sammy Malone/Millome" Reality: Shammy is actually Finnish. Myth: The Megaroad is essentially a larger version of the Macross. Source: Early lineart from the TV series when they were planning to end with the launch of the Megaroad. Reality: It was, originally, but the UN Spacy removed the forward section of the ship (the main cannon) and radically redesigned the ship when its mission profile changed to a colonization ship. Myth: The Super Star Destroyer Executor...whoops, wrong myth file Myth: The entire human race is wiped out (with the exception of the population of Macross) in Bodolzaa's attack on the Earth with no survivors at all. Source: A misinterpretation of the effects of the attack Reality: There were human survivors of the attack on Earth, deep in the Grand Cannons -- Misa, for instance -- and other underground facilities (perhaps in mines/nuke missile silos for instance) as well as a human colony on the moon, where the SDF-2 Megaroad was under conmstruction, but this was still a miniscule fraction of the 6,000,000,000 people on Earth. Myth: Macross II is an official part of the Macross timeline, and shows the events that will happen in the Macross universe 80 years after the series. Source: The appearance of Macross II on the official Macross website, and in the official continuity timeline. Reality: Macross II is considered an "alternate future" within the series continuity, a "bastard child" designation given it by Studio Nue after some discussion with Big West, whom along with Bandai, commisioned the OAV without Studio Nue's input. So long as Kawamori and Nue were not believed to be interested or involved with another Macross project, Macross II was the official sequal. However, after Macross Plus and especially 7, it was realized that Macross II would conflict with them (both Macross II and Macross 7 answer the question, more or less indirectly, of where the Supervision Army came from) and so Macross II was allowed by Studio Nue to become a sequal to the fictional-within-the-Macross-universe DYRL?, thereby allowing it semi-canon status through the back door. Myth: Marcellus' briefcase contains...damn! Myth: The professor/chief engineer was imbued by the energies of the missing fold engine Source: RT novels Reality: Nope, it was just the whim of the animators that gave him no visible eyes.

This is going too far. I don't like Jack Thompson any more than anyone else on this thread, but to threaten death against him is just stupid. Not only is it against the law (terrorist threats) but it will just reinforce the image of video gamers in the eyes of Thompson and his followers. I predict that the next think that is gong to happen now is Thompson is going to come back and say: "See? THIS is indicative of the typical video game player. It proves my point that video games are bad," or words to that effect. To the writer of the letters to Thompson, I just have this to say... actually, I'll let Arthur Rimmer say it for me... whining.wav

Actually they initially started the chase/capture because reaction weapons were used against them, and they had lost the ability to make reaction weapons some time in the past. I believe they are referred to at first simply as "the lost weapons technology." I will have to rewatch the early episodes to be sure. 318427[/snapback] Actually, you might be right about that, Knight26...it had stuck in my mind though that the Zents were intreigued while the Macross was still on the ground by the fact that it had been repaired. I'll have to rewatch ep.1, but it seems thatthe thing that first intrests them is looking at pictures of the downed Supervision Army craft, noticing that it's back in working order (if no longer in a recognizable configuration) and having it fire on them. when they had believed that they had already nearly destroyed the ship.

Robotech-related myths here... 1. Myth: The Zentradi were chasing the Macross because of something intrinsically and identifiably special with the ship. Source: Robotech, where the SDF-1 was originally the laboratory of a alien scientist. Reality: The Zents were chasing the Macross for two reasons: first to eradicate the Supervision Army, although the mission was later changed to "capture" when they found the Macross' seemingly mysterious ability to repair (something Zents couldn;t do with their equipment) 2. Myth: The Macross is properly named SDF-1 Source: Robotech, natch Reality: SDF-1 is the Macross' hull number, not her name. It would be like calling the USS Enterprise the NCC-1701. 3. Myth: Hikaru, Roy, Max, et. al use "thinking caps" and near-telepathy to fly the Valkyries, only using the HOTAS controls for gross movement. Source: The RT novels. Reality: ALL flight controls are through the HOTAS and supplimental controls in the cockpit -- there is no telepathic/mental link between the pilot and his craft, at least until Macross Plus 4. Myth: Minmay can't sing. Source: Robotech, again. Reality: Minmei (as voiced by Reba Weat) can't sing to save her soul. Minmay (as voiced by Mari Ijima) can sing quite well, thank you. 5. Myth: The Global Civil War was brought to an end by the arrival of the mysterious alien space ship. Source: RT and RT novels. Reality: The Civil War (Unification War) started BECAUSE of the Macross' crash landing and subsequent push to form an UN government. 6. Myth: Hikaru is/was a pacifist. Source: Possible misreading of the dialogue in Macross ep. 1, compounded by Rick Hunter's statements early on in RT and RT novels. Reality: While it's possible that Hikaru was a pacifist, it seems more likely from interpretations of the exchange between him and Roy (Roy "I shot down 105 fighters!" Hikaru "Murderer!") that Hikaru may just be needling Roy over breaking his promise to rejoin the air circus. At no point does Hikaru flat out say, like Kaifun, that he hates the military, just that he wishes that Roy hadn't stayed so long in it. G7. Myth: Bruno Global's rank is Captain. Source: The constant references to him as "Captain Global" Reality: Global is actually a Brigadier General, IIRC. The term "Kanchou" literally means "One who is in charge of a warship," and is given to a person of any rank who is the commander of a warship. Much like in the US Navy, where it's not uncommon to see LCDRs and CDRs called "captain" so-and-so while in command of a warship. The actual rank title in Japanese for the rank of Naval Captain is "Itto-Kaisa"(JNSDF) or "Tai-sa."(IJN, USN, Generic Military)

I'm quite happy with my BA from the University of Oregon, my diploma from the high school of hard knocks, and my 3 gold stars from the junior high of getting the $#!7 kicked out of me...

He said something about midget siamese twins attached at the nipples. 317595[/snapback] I thought his muscles just got so big there wasn't enough blood left for his brain and he collapsed into a coma. 317605[/snapback] I assumed that his head had grown so big that he wasn't able to get to his computer desk...

Wai...Char-chan to Seyla-chan wa kawaii!

LOL! IMHO, this game is probably going to be a non-event. It sounds pretty dumb, although the fact that it shows a student going against bullies does appeal to me a bit (when I was in junior high and high school I was a daily target of very vicious bullying). Of course, I'm sure that the fact that it's set in a high/reform school setting will raise some hackles among parents' groups. Oh, and Ghadrack: We can do without the ad hominem attacks, thank you very much. If you have proof that the anti-game people beat their wives and watch kiddie snuff films, then, by all means, present it. But please, until then, leave the ad hominem attacks at home. I don't like these guys either, but there's enough to say about them without getting into slander (for instance, I do remamber reading that James Dobson, the leader of Hocus Pocus on the Family once said that it was permisible and noble for Christians to steal and destroy Dungeons and Dragons books ... from freerepublic.com ... See what I mean about proof?)

Dang you and your observant nature, you brigand!

Writing and acting stank, however the special effects, costming and production values were great. If they could have made it a silent movie...

Maybe its just me, but I haven't seen The White Drew Carey around lately either.

LOL! Maybe we ought to pin that one at the top of each forum.

The AI drone goes crazy and starts killing people after getting hit by lightning. And the astronauts get blasted by radiation that gives them super powers. Spoilers over. 317093[/snapback] Oh you forgot, one fo the pilots lands in super-hot lava, is ressurected by an evil warlord and turned into a cyborg killing machine with a cool black helmet, while a group of Resistance fighters meets in a bar in Casablanca to try to get the cynical barkeep to give them the letters of transit, and a gigantic monkey climbs the Empire State Building...

Lupin III Urusei Yatsura Last Exile Excel Saga Full Metal Panic and FMP: Fumoffu!? Those are just my recommendations.

Munimula!!! 316747[/snapback] Hummakavulla!

Personally, I wish people would drop the rape metaphor altogether when talking about Lucas/HG/BSG/Uwe Boll/etc. It sounds like we're trivializing a supremely traumatic event by claiming that "our childhoods were raped by (insert object of gripe)". I'll get off my soapbox now, before the mob comes after me.

What. . . "nee?" 316626[/snapback] No, not "ni..." you couldn't get very far in life without saying ni...

I didn't see it either at first, but it's in his sig: "Gone till Roy grows up or resigns. Put this in your SIG." Wow. . . trying to start a revolution over Stealth. . . 316430[/snapback] Oooooh--ooooooh, the forbidden word we must not hear!

It's too bad Yoshi's gone. I had an addiction to Yoshinol and never got the recipe from him

Misa, definetly. She is lovely and once she gets oer some of ther nagging personality problems, the Macross character I would most like to date. After her: Kim (who's just plain cute) and then Sally S Ford (who I was surprised didn't make the poll.)