Hanna Barbera Horror

Hanna Barbera's adventure, fantasy, sci-fi, and superhero cartoons often explored horror movie subjects, although in a generally safe, kid-friendly way.  Let's enjoy a few highlights for Halloween!

Frankenstein Jr. - The Shocking Electrical Monster

"Frankenstein Jr. in:  The Shocking Electrical Monster"

Frankenstein Jr. - The Shocking Electrical Monster
Orignal airdate:  September 10, 1966

A vampiric mad scientist named Dr. Shock turns his lab assistant Igor into a giant electrical monster.  The monster then goes on a Godzilla-like rampage through the ocean and city before kid scientist Buzz Conroy and his giant robot Frankenstein Jr. save the day.  This has some great looking horror movie visuals with the mad scientist, his lab, and the monster.  The scariest part however is the fact that Buzz's Dad lets him ride around on the back of a flying robot.  Think about it... would you let a child  ride on top of a moving car?  Or a bus?  Or a train?  Well this is actually more like riding on top of a flying plane, and with no seat-belts, or straps, or anything.  Face it, that kid would be DEAD.

Dr. Shock and The Shocking Electrical Monster Plot Their Wave of Violence

UNSAFE AT ANY SPEED (Part 1)

More exciting screencaps from this episode await you below!

Space Ghost - Creature King

"Space Ghost in: Creature King"

Space Ghost - Creature King
Orignal airdate:  September 24, 1966

This one has another crazy looking mad scientist, named "Creature King."  Space Ghost's sidekicks Jan, Jace, and Blip crash land on a planet, and are soon attacked by a giant red SPACE APE. They escape the mad monkey, but then find themselves captured by SPACE BATS!  They then find themselves CHAINED UP IN THE DUNGEON of Creature King, an alien mad scientist with a menagerie of weird alien monsters.

A Menagerie of Weird Alien Monsters.

Teenage Sidekicks in Bondage

More exciting screencaps from this episode await you below!

Dino Boy in the Lost Valley - The Vampire Men

"Dino Boy in the Lost Valley in: The Vampire Men"

Dino Boy in the Lost Valley - The Vampire Men
Orignal airdate:  December 3, 1966

Dino Boy (a kid trapped in a "Land of the Lost" style valley where cavemen, dinosaurs, and weird monsters exist) decides to build a homemade kite and then strap himself to it an fly around for fun.   Naturally he crashes in to a mountain, because of course he does.  Safety tip: DO NOT STRAP YOURSELF TO A KITE AND FLY AROUND LIKE AN IDIOT.  However, the story does not end with him dying on the mountain with broken bones and a cracked skull.  Because the mountain is full of caves populated with VAMPIRE MEN.  Half-men, half-bats!  So they take them to their Vampire King to kill him and eat him, I guess.  But then Dino Boy's caveman buddy Ugh shows up and "bats" the bat-people with his big wood club.

Vampire Men Out for Blood!

UNSAFE AT ANY SPEED (Part 2)

More exciting screencaps from this episode await you below!

Space Ghost - The Haunted Space Station

"Space Ghost in: The Haunted Space Station"

Space Ghost - The Haunted Space Station
Orignal airdate:  September 26, 1981

Now we jump forward from the 1960s to the 1980s for the relaunched version of Space Ghost.  Space Ghost and his crew get a distress call from a space station and go to investigate.  The space station is shaped like a GIANT SPIDER WEB!  Seriously, if you design your space station to look like a spider-web, you're pretty much begging for trouble, like being attacked by a GIANT SPACE SPIDER, or something.  But in this case, the station has been attacked by a SPACE VAMPIRE, who has turned the crew of the station into ASTRO ZOMBIES!  And if that sounds familiar, it's because I reviewed and episode of "Buck Rogers" earlier this month called "Space Vampire," that basically had the same plot.

Grizzled Face of an Astro Zombie

These people have only been Astro Zombies for ONE day, yet they are already dressed in rags!  Man, Zombies are TOUGH on clothes.

More exciting screencaps from this episode await you below!

The Super Powers Team: Galactic Guardians - The Fear

The Super Powers Team: Galactic Guardians - The Fear

The Super Powers Team: Galactic Guardians - The Fear
Orignal airdate:  October 2, 1985

The Scarecrow stumbles upon Batman's greatest fear when he tries to flee down Crime Alley, the MURDER site of Bruce Wayne's parents.  Batman usually uses his iron will to resist Scarecrow's Fear Rays, but in Crime Alley he breaks down in TERROR.  This was the first time the murder of the Waynes was shown outside of the comic books, and it is remarkably intense and mature for an episode of The Super Friends.  The episode is filled with rain, lightning, SKULLS, and shadows.  It's probably the best episode of the Super Friends ever, and it was written by Alan Burnett who would later go on to produce Batman: The Animated Series, and you can definitely see the roots of that series start to develop here.

The walls close in on Wonder Woman, as seen through the mouth of a skull!

UNSAFE AT ANY SPEED (Part 3)  Oh, man, now even Batman and Robin are getting in on the act, "Ghost Riding" on top of Wonder Woman's Invisible Jet!  At least Robin is holding on for dear life!  Batman is standing upright, not holding on to anything!  Dudes, in real life, you would both be DEAD.  Seriously, you two are supposed to be role models to little kids for Pete's sake!  FOR SHAME.

More exciting screencaps from this episode await you below!

More screencaps after the break...

Swamp Thing "Snap Up Swamp Thing" Vintage 5 Inch Action Figure - Kenner (1990)

Kenner "Snap Up Swamp Thing" (1990)

Enter the boggy waters of MONSTER MONTH Day 12 with Swamp Thing!  This is "Snap Up Swamp Thing" which was part of Kenner's Swamp Thing toy line based on the Swamp Thing cartoon.  This figure has limbs that come loose from his body and are only attached by a string, which lets him lie on the ground in pieces looking like a pile of mossy logs.  Then, you press a button on his back his pieces "snap up" back together.

BONUS!  MUSIC VIDEO:
Blur - Swamp Song

Amazing Heroes Series 2 Kickstarter is Live!

AMAZING HEROES SERIES 2

www.freshmonkeyfictionkickstarter.com

Fresh Monkey Fiction's Amazing Heroes quickly became one of my favorite toy lines when I received my first set of action figures earlier this year.   The  figures were made in the style of 1980s superhero action figures, such as Mattel's Marvel Secret Wars figures.  Amazing Heroes featured mostly public domain characters from the Golden Age of Comic Books in the 1930s and '40s, but with a couple of newer licensed characters as well.  Check out my reviews for the Series 1 figures:

Fresh Monkey Fiction's Amazing Heroes

Amazing? Indeed! It's the Amazing Heroes Amazing Man Action Figures!

 

Some of the figures from Series 1

Now Fresh Monkey Fiction are back with a new Kickstarter campaign for Series 2 of this awesome retro superhero line.   Again, it's mostly classic Golden Age characters, but with a few licensed characters as well.  

LICENSED FIGURES

The licensed figures in Series 1 were Captain Action, who originated as an action figure in the 1960s, and Madman, Mike Allred's classic indie comics superhero.

Nexus

For Series 2, Madman is back, this time in his "Cosmic Madman" outfit.  He also comes with an alternate David Bowie tribute head that is too cool.  I might have to buy a second Madman figure so I can display both heads.  

Next up is Nexus, Mike Baron and Steve Rude's sci-fi superhero who debuted in comics in the 1980s.  I've always thought that Nexus was one of the coolest looking indie comics superheroes, and it's great to finally have an action figure of this cool character.  

The final licensed figure is Mike Grell's Jon Sable.  Jon Sable was a freelance mercenary who first appeared in the comics in 1983.  Like Nexus, this is Jon Sable's first appearance as an action figure.  This is another comic character that I have fond memories of from when I was a kid in the '80s.  I might have to start digging around through my comic collection and pull out some old issues to reread.

GOLDEN AGE HEROES AND VILLAINS

Captain Future

Of course, the bread and butter of the Amazing Heroes character from Series 1 were the Golden Age comic book characters, and it's no different for Series 2.  Series 2 has the heroes American Crusader, Wonderman, and Captain Future, and the villains Blackout and The Puzzler.  There is also a Puzzler Henchman figure, which would make a great "army builder" figure for those that are in to that.

ORIGINAL CHARACTER

There is also one original character: Chrometurion.  I think the folks at Fresh Monkey Fiction came up with this guy as an excuse to do a shiny silver looking figure (which is kind of reasonable, I guess?).  He's a blank silver figure with a black cape, and seems to be filling the slot that "The Blank Slate" held in Series 1.

BUT WAIT THERE'S MORE...

American Crusader

That's all the figures that are officially part of Series 2, but there will also be stretch goals if the Kickstarter exceeds it's minimum requirements.  The first one is The Black Bat, who is a bad ass looking pulp fiction hero, in the same vein as The Shadow, or his contemporary character from DC Comics: Batman.

And Fresh Monkey Fiction promise there will be more stretch goals to come, as the Kickstarter progresses, so stay tuned for those.

If you haven't already, go check out the Kickstarter page at www.freshmonkeyfictionkickstarter.com and go see it all for yourself!

Amazing Heroes "Amazing Man" 5 Inch Retro Action Figures - Fresh Monkey Fiction (2016)

The Modern Age and Golden Age Collide as Amazing Man Meets Amazing Man!

I reviewed the first series of Fresh Monkey Fiction's Amazing Heroes action figures back in January, but there were two figures that weren't released until a bit later, so I'm catching up with them right now.  It's Amazing Man!  Amazing Man was originally a character from the Golden Age of Comics, and was created by Bill Everett, who is famous as the creator of Marvel Comics' Sub-Mariner and Daredevil.  There are two versions of the Amazing Heroes Amazing Man action figure.  First, there is the classic Golden Age version of the character.  This figure is available direct from Fresh Monkey Fiction at their online store.  Then there is the newly revised version of the character, which is currently being published by Gallant Comics.  This version of the figure was created exclusively for Gallant Comics and is available to purchase from http://www.indyplanet.us/product/john-aman-amazing-man-action-figure/

Golden Age and Modern Comic Books.  Amazing Man Fighting Green Nazi Gorillas in WW2, and Fighting Radioactive Green Slime People With Mohawks (or something, I haven't actually read it yet) Today.  Bottom Line: If You Are GREEN, Amazing Man is Going to KICK YOUR ASS.

Both figures are the same action figure with a different paint job, but they went beyond just changing the costume details.  The Gallant Comics version has green eyes and unique pointy eyebrows, and the Golden Age version as a darker skin tone.

The Gallant Comics Version Comes With a Custom Backer Card, While the Golden Age Version uses the Standard Amazing Heroes Style Card

I've written about the Amazing Heroes figures before, so if you want more details about them check out my previous review.

And now we can eagerly await the launching of the Kickstarter for Series 2 this summer!  Check out the lineup:

Until then, there are more photos of Amazing Man (Men?) after the break...

With Secret Wars Accessories Borrowed From The Falcon and Dr. Doom

Amazing Heroes 5 Inch Retro Action Figures - Fresh Monkey Fiction (2016)

Fresh Monkey Fiction's Amazing Heroes

The Amazing Heroes are finally here!  I first wrote about these figures in March of 2014, back when the Kickstarter campaign was preparing to launch.  Well, fast forward nearly two years later, and the campaign was a success, the figures were produced, and they are now being shipped to all of their Kickstarter supporters around the globe.  If you weren't one of the Kickstarter supporters, you can still order them direct from Fresh Monkey Fiction's online store, where they should start shipping as soon as they have all of their Kickstarter orders filled.

The Amazing Heroes gather on top of Battle Mountain

If you're not familiar with these figures, they are 4.5" superhero action figures, done in a retro 1980's style.  If you're a fan of Mattel Secret Wars figures, Kenner Super Powers figures, or even Remco's Mighty Crusaders, then this is a line you should check out.  Most of the characters are public domain super heroes from the Golden Age of comics in the 1940s, as well as Captain Action, who first appeared as a 1966 action figure, and Mike Allred's Madman, who first appeared in the 1990s.

Madman tooling around in the Batmobile with Super Powers Batman, while The Black Terror and Secret Wars Spider-Man look on.

The figures come in collector friendly packaging.  The backer cards slide on and off, so the figures can be removed from the packaging, and then put back in, without damaging anything.  There are also several different cards to choose from.  There is a standard one-size-fits-all card that features small portraits of all the characters on the same card.  Then there are Artist Edition cards that feature the characters drawn by modern day comic book artists.  Finally there are Golden Age Comics cards that feature artwork from the original comics.

Madman, Champion of Mars, and Silver Streak in their Artist Edition packages

Some of the characters have accessories, or cloth capes.  All of the accessories fit in the characters hands very well.  Captain Action even has a removable hat.  And The Blank has an extra head, so he can be The Blank with a full head of hair, or one of his bald "mindless minions."  The capes seem to be high quality and hang nicely.  In fact, everything about these figures is really well done.  None of the figures I received have any paint flaws, stuck or broken joints, are any defects of any kind.  Even though I know these figures were a "labor of love" by the folks at Fresh Monkey Fiction, these are high quality, professionally made toys, absolutely on par with anything you can buy at your local toy store.  I am so pleased with these figures, they are everything I hoped they would be when the Kickstarter campaign first launched.  Now I'm eagerly awaiting Wave 2!  But let's not get ahead of ourselves... check out my photos of the Wave 1 figures, and let me know what you think of the Amazing Heroes.

More photos after the break...

Super Powers Collection "Aquaman" Vintage 5 Inch Action Figure - Kenner (1984)

Kenner Super Powers Aquman Action Figure (1984)

Aquaman was one of the characters featured in the first wave of Kenner Super Powers figures in 1984.  He originally came with a trident which I sadly no longer own.  He also came packed with a mini-comic where he teamed up with The Flash to fight The Penguin.  I was going to say that was an odd combination of characters, but then I thought about it, and penguins are aquatic birds, and The Flash does have the power to run on water, so I guess it works.

Mini-Comic

Squeezing Aquaman's arms together activates his power action:  a "deep sea kick," which is basically him kicking his legs like he was swimming.  Which is perfect for this character, and I often imagined him swimming under water as a kid while playing with it.  Check out the photos after the break as Green Lantern pays a visit to Aquman...

Aquaman and His Pal Mr. Fish

BONUS!  MUSIC VIDEO:

Songs and Stories About the Justice League of America - Aquaman


MORE PHOTOS AFTER THE BREAK...

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Aquaman Sits And Chats With a Fish

Aquaman: "Be honest Mr. Fish, Do these trunks make my aquabutt look fat?"

"Why, hello there, old chum!"

"Look, Mr. Fish!  It's my Super Buddy Green Lantern!"

Aquaman: "Would you like to hold Mr. Fish, Hal?"  Green Lantern: "Err... no thanks, Arthur."  

Super Powers Collection "Green Lantern" Vintage 5 Inch Action Figure - Kenner (1984)

Kenner released Green Lantern as part of the first series of Super Powers figures in 1984.  The figure came packed with a lantern that he could carry in his left hand, and a mini-comic featuring Green Lantern teaming up with Robin to fight The Joker.  By squeezing his legs together, you would activate his "Power Action" feature, causing his right arm to rise up, as if he was aiming his Green Lantern power ring.  I don't have his lantern, so I did the next best thing and gave him a green fish to hold in his hand instead.  This in turn attracted Super Powers Aquaman, sniffing around the fish.  Enjoy my photos.