Author: Rudy Panucci (Page 49 of 125)

From January, 2010, this is “Oingo Boingo Shirt,” a video episode of Radio Free Charleston. Our music this time was by Joseph Hale, The Diablo Blues Band and the Blues Girls from the CYAC production of “The Blob.” We also have a Plant Ro Duction Mini Movie and a serious message from Ann Magnuson on behalf of Covenant House.

Host segments were shot in the parking lot at The Kanawha Mall. There was no particular reason for this,other than it was sunny and that’s where we ended up.

Original production notes can be found HERE.

The PopCulteer
July 19, 2024

Before we get into today’s photo essay PopCulteer, I need to mention something.  We had one of those weeks where life happens and something had to give. This week that something was our regular STUFF TO DO column.  Between internet, car and power issues and with a trip to Louisville for Kentuckiana this weekend looming, I had to skip our weekly guide to Charleston-centric events this week. Rest assured, there’s a bunch of stuff you can do in and around Charleston this week. Google is your friend. 

Friends of ‘Berto Gathering

In late May, an avid comic book and Beatles fan and MEGO and action figure collector, Roberto Ligotti, passed away suddenly and it shook the collector communities. His fellow MEGO collectors and customizers wanted to do do something in honor of the man who sometimes called himself, “The Blue Meanie.” That ought to explain our feature image.

On very short notice a small gathering of friends was organized at The Kruger Street Toy & Train Museum in Wheeling, which was the site of the first ten MEGO Meet fan conventions. The “Friends of ‘Berto” gathering was small, intimate, bittersweet, but ultimately fun, helping some fans put aside differences and get together to honor the memory of a fallen comrade. Tables were set up, toys were sold and traded, custom figures were displayed, there were presentations and good toy fellowship and it’s safe to say that ‘Berto would have been pleased. Our impromptu trip to Wheeling came together very quickly and happened last Friday and Saturday.

Chad Gordy was the primary instigator of this fun gathering and he created a 3D-printed Blue Meanie, which was given to attendees in honor of ‘Berto and his love for The Beatles. I can’t thank Chad enough for his work putting this show together. There is talk that this could become an annual action figure show at Kruger Street, in Roberto’s memory.

An added bonus for Mel and I was the chance to take Lee Harrah with us. Lee has been through the ringer over the last few years and he needed a freaking break. It was nice to get him re-connected with his collecting buddies and out of town for a quick trip.

Below you will find photos from the show. I am rushing through this so I can get out of town for the Kentuckiana GI Joe Toy Expo, so most photo will be captionless. Sunday I’ll be running a five-minute video of the show here in PopCult, and maybe a few more photos too.

Tony DiTrapino showing off one of his custom GI Joe: Classified figures, which is sporting a head 3D printed by Chad Gordy

Scott and Austin from Power Comics. I will be telling you a whole lot more about them within the next couple of weeks.

You’ll find out about Green Cougar and BroHawk then, too.

Some of the amazing Customs on display. I think these were largely the work of Chad.

This Scooby Doo villain looked so cool that I would’ve bought it if it had been for sale, and I’m not even a fan of Scooby Doo.

A table filled with cool MEGOish goodness. I bought some.

And that is this week’s PopCulteer, check back for all our regular features and fresh content every day.

The PopCult Toybox

Next week is a big week for fans of Captain Action.  And in case you don’t know who or what Captain Action is, he was the pioneering 12″ superhero action figure, and the first toy I ever mentioned in this blog, way back in 2005. He’s seen two full-fledged revivals in the last twenty-five years, and is poised to make his third comeback, this time with new friends, an animated companion series and new disguises to wear in his efforts to fight evil.

Dr. Evil, that is.

The second time we went to Toy Fair, we even sat down and talked with Ed Catto and Joe Ahearn of Captain Action Enterprises, who have been steering his fates and adventures for the last fifteen years or so.

I’ve written about the collection of his comic book adventures, the big 2012 revival at Toys R Us, the reproduction of his card game, his life as a 4-inch action figure, and some of the teases and hints at previous editions of SDCC (that’s the San Diego Comic Con, by the way). And next week we’ll get actual pre-order info and more details on the new figures, costumes and even a convention-exclusive accessory set.

So that I don’t mess up any of the details, I’m just going to run the press release here:

Captain Action Plans for San Diego Comic-Con
More toy and animation plans to be revealed at panel

Captain Action, The Original Superhero Action Figure™ and Dr. Evil , The Original Evil Action Figure™ known for their transformative abilities, are building on last year’s announcements. LBO, Let’s Be Onyx, a cutting-edge manufacturer of designer collectibles comprised of seasoned industry creatives has been granted the licensing rights by Captain Action Enterprises, LLC to produce groundbreaking and reimagined, high-end 1/6 scale action figures and collectibles for the Captain Action property.

LBO will be exhibiting (booth #2549) the latest designs, including a new character that opens new licensing possibilities. LBO Collective and Atomic Toybox (booth #3921) will be selling Captain Action Merchandise and collectibles, as well as accepting pre-orders for upcoming collectibles.

“We are excited to invite fans into what we have been developing and how we can build the future of Captain Action together,” said Steve Forde, GoHero / LBO cofounder.

The Captain Action Panel will focus on animation but is expected to reveal new merchandise too.

Translating Toys: From Toys to Animation Just how do toys, or any ideas, make it into the world of animation? Following on the heels of last year’s Captain Action Classic Collection, this year the team, with  special  guests Flint Dille (GI Joe, Transformers), Michael Polis  (Yo  Gabba  Gabba, Captain Action), Steve Forde (Go Hero),  Acori  Honzo  (LBO)  and Joe Ahearn (Captain Action), looks to the future with a major announcement, and offers experiences that can also be used as a primer or template for other IPs looking to launch animation in today’s competitive marketplace.   Moderated by Ed Catto (Captain Action).

This panel will be held Friday, July 26 from 7 to 8 pm in Room 23ABC at the convention center.

“Translating toys into animation is a fascinating journey that combines creativity, strategy, and a deep understanding of both mediums. I’m excited to join this panel and share insights from my experiences with GI Joe and Transformers.”, said Flint Dille.

LBO will also unveil their plans for Captain Action figures, uniform sets and co-licensing. This rebranding will infuse the Captain Action universe with a touch of the unexpected, creating a diverse and captivating world that seamlessly blends tradition with innovation.

So you can see, there’s a lot of cool stuff coming for us aging fans (and new fans) of the first superhero action figure.

What I can tell you ahead of time is that there will be the official unveiling (hopefully with pricing and pre-order info) and the first three new figures, Dr. Evil, Captain Action and Major Action.

There will also be a very limited very cool accessory set…Lady Action’s Action Attaché. This is limited to 30 pieces, half of which were pre-sold to lucky subscribers of the Captain Action Mailing List.

Here’s one that wound up in my office…

There will also be a limited edition Skate Deck featuring Dr. Evil as drawn by Tim Baron…

And it looks like Dr. Evil may not be the only enemy the good Captain has to worry about…

The panel where more details will be revealed happens Friday, July 26, at 7 PM (Pacific Time) in room 23 ABC at SDCC.

Of course, I’ll be telling you more about what we can expect from Captain Action after they spill the beans.

A bonus for comic book fans of a certain age happens Sunday, July 28 at 1 PM as CAE’s Ed Catto moderates a panel devoted to legendary Bronze-age comic book writer, Don McGregor (Black Panther, Killraven, Sabre, Detectives Inc., Nathaniel Dusk, Creepy, Eerie and many, many others). Ed and Don will chat about Don’s half-century of creating cool comics.

Hey, you know how I try to post something every day here in the blog?  Well, today things have sprung up.  The post I’d hoped to have up before noon will have to wait until later today, or possibly tomorrow, so I’m going to resort to a “flashback post” and see what was in PopCult ten years ago today.

And, it’s a book review of a comic book collection. This book is currently out of print, but it’d be a damned good candidate for DC’s new line of full-color trade paperbacks, since this one was in black and white.  Enjoy and maybe I’ll have another new post late this afternoon.

The PopCult Bookshelf

Showcase Presents
The Great Disaster
Featuring The Atomic Knights
Written and drawn by Various
DC Comics
ISBN: 978-1-4012-4290-9
$19.99

This is one of those niche comic book collections that seems amazing in that it was even published. Presented here in glorious black and white are 570 pages of post apocalyptic comic book stories published by DC Comics between 1960 and 1983.

In DC’s self published fan magazine, “The Amazing World of DC Comics,” back in 1976, Paul Levitz (who would go on to become the president and publisher of DC Comics) wrote an article that tied together several threads of DC Comics science fiction stories and showed how the early 1960’s adventures of The Atomic Knights could be tied to then current DC series “Hercules Unbound” and Jack Kirby’s classic, “Kamandi: The Last Boy on Earth.” He created a cool chronology of “Earth: After Disaster.” Continue reading

We have a cool new episode of RFC to help you deal with the hot weather Tuesday on The AIR.   Radio Free Charleston, is one-third new/two-third classic RFCI this week.  To listen to The AIR, you simply have to point your cursor over and tune in at the website, or you could just stay here, and  listen to the cool embedded player found elsewhere on this page.  

You can hear Radio Free Charleston Tuesdays at 10 AM and 10 PM, with tons of replays throughout the week.

Our first hour is all-instrumental music, and it opens with two great new wordless tunes from friends of mine named “Chuck.”

Our first Chuck is Chuck Van Hoorhis, AKA Sgt. Van. He’s a fellow GI Joe collector who has made some really cool and innovative replacement boxes, but he’s also a great musician and composer. And there’s a video for his latest song, which opens the show, and you can see it here…

The second song in the show is the latest musical project from The Maestro, Chuck Biel, and it also has an accompanying music video, which I am dropping right here…

Since I had two great instrumental tunes to open the show, I decided to make the whole first hour word-free (except for my incessant babbling) so we had a cool theme. You’ll hear wordless music from Guitarmy of One, Jim Lange, David Synn, John Lennon and more.

For our second and third hours, by popular demand (really), I brought the first episode of Radio Free Charleston International out of mothballs for a new airing. This is the free-format show that found itself folded back into Volume 5 of RFC at the beginning of 2020. People wanted to hear it again for some reason, and with me fighting deadlines, it made life easier all the way around.

Links in the artist’s names in the first hour of our playlist below will take you to a website where you can find our more about them and maybe buy their music. Check out the playlist…

RFC V5 185

hour one
Sgt. Van and The Highway Dogs “Bill’s Van (Radio Free Mix)”
Chuck Biel “TAMILDAA”
Basilic Swing “The Man of Mystery”
Jim Lange “Shiva’s Dance”
Guitarmy of One “Jack Lord of the Sea”
Daniel Glass and Rich Tozzoli “The Devil’s Wave”
John Lennon “Out The Blue”
David Synn “Jazz Hands”
Chicago Blues Lifters “Ari’s Riff”
Well Tempered Madness“FOMO”
Steve Marriott “They Call It Love”
Frank Panucci “Waste Snot”
The Residents “Dance With The Devil”
Spencer Elliott “There’s Something In The Airlock”
YES “Mood For Another Day”

hour two
The Beatles and Led Zepplin “Helter Skelter”
The Beetlevanias “Smells Like Teen Spirit”
The Rutles “Shangra La”
Chemical Beats “Welcome To The Black Parade”
Todd Rundgren “While My Guitar Gently Weeps”
The Beatnix “Stairway To Heaven”
Be Bop Deluxe “Surreal Estate”
Kerry Livgren “Mask of the Great Deceiver”
The Buggles “Vermillion Sands”
Nightwish “The Heart Asks Pleasure First”

hour three
Ian Dury and the Blockheads “Sex and Drugs and Rock and Roll”
Madness “One Step Beyond”
Lene Lovich “Lucky Number”
DEVO “Jocko Homo”
ELP “Benny The Bouncer
Franz Ferdinand/Sparks “Dictator’s Son”
David Bowie “Blackstar”
Transvision Vamp “Velveteen”
Jellyfish “Brighter Day”
Split Enz “Bullet Brain and Cactus Head”
Hazel O’Connor “Writing on the Wall”
Kate Bush “Suspended in Gaffa”

You can hear this episode of Radio Free Charleston Tuesday at 10 AM and 10 PM on The AIR, with replays Wednesday at 9 AM,  Thursday at 2 PM, Friday at 9 AM, Saturday at Noon and Midnight,  and  Monday at 11 AM, exclusively on The AIR. Now you can also hear a different classic episode of RFC every weekday at 5 PM, and we bring you a marathon all night long Saturday night/Sunday morning.

I’m also going to  embed a low-fi, mono version of this show right in this post, right here so you can listen on demand.

After RFC, stick around for encores of last week’s episodes of  MIRRORBALL at 1 PM and Curtain Call at 2 PM.

At 3 PM we give you an encore of two classic episodes of The Swing Shift.

 You can hear The Swing Shift Tuesday at 3 PM, with replays Wednesday at 8 AM, Friday at 10 AM and 8 PM and Saturday afternoon, only on The AIR . You can also hear all-night marathons, seven hours each, starting at Midnight Thursday and Sunday evenings.

We are back to acrylic painting this week, after a weeks-long diversion due to MG.  Because of the oppressive heat and my severe dislike of it I chose to do a “wish” painting. I painted a winter scene…one that attempts to mix nature with industry, and offers up enough snow to make me forget for a while that it’s hot enough to melt titanium outside.

This was done with acrylic paint on thick illustration board using cheap brushes (and some dental brushpicks for the fine details on the transmission towers). It’s a bit of imaginary realism, whatever that means.

I was happy enough with it to use it here, so I hope it helps cool you down too.

To see it bigger try clicking HERE.

Over in radioland, Monday at 2 PM on The AIR, we bring you encores of a classic episode of Psychedelic Shack, and then at 3 PM a recent edition of Herman Linte’s weekly showcase of the Progressive Rock of the past half-century, Prognosis.  You can listen to The AIR at the website, or on the embedded radio player elsewhere on this page.

Psychedelic Shack can be heard every Monday at 2 PM, with replays Tuesday at 9 AM, Wednesday at 10 PM, Friday at 1 PM,  and Saturday at 9 AM. You can hear Prognosis on The AIR Monday at 3 PM, with replays Tuesday at 7 AM, Wednesday at 8 PM, Thursday at Noon, and Saturday at 10 AM.

At 8 PM you can hear an hour of excrutiating cleverness from Noel Coward on a recent episode of The Comedy Vault.

Tonight at 9 PM for the Monday Marathon We bring you ten hours of Sydney’s Big Electric Cat featuring Sydney Fileen’s shows dedicated to specific years from 1978 to 1982.

It’s time to plug a great toy show that’s within easy driving distance of Charleston,  and your PopCulteer and his wife will be there. It’s a week earlier than usual this year, so head’s up folks!

The Eleventh Annual Kentuckiana GI Joe Toy Expo happens next weekend in Louisville, Kentucky. It’s Saturday (with a Friday preview night) and it happens at the Paroquet Springs Conference Centre, at 395 Paroquet Springs Drive, in Shepherdsville, KY, just like last year.  It’s not far at all from the South Louisville Antique Toy Mall, so most toy collectors ought to have an easy time finding it.  This is a great show. I’ve been to several in the past, and above and below you’ll see videos I made to document the visits. Up top it’s our clip from last year. Below you’ll see several videos from the years preceding.

There will be dozens of dealers with great vintage GI Joes, plus GI Joe from the Real American Hero era and brand-new custom uniform sets and figures for 12″ and 3 3/4″ GI Joes. Plus there will be tons of other action figures and toys for sale. You might find MEGO, Big Jim, Super Joe, Johnny West, Major Matt Mason and many other great toys from the past.

Collectors can expect new convention sets from several cutomizers and independent toymakers . This is some terriic stuff that is keeping the 1/6 scale hobby alive. The unofficial theme this year is GI Joe’s 60th anniversary, and several cool limited edition sets will be available at the show.

Visit the Kentuckiana GI Joe Toy Expo Facebook event page for more information. It should be a great time, and your PopCulteer will be there, so come up and say “howdy” or something.

This week we go back to the first Radio Free Charleston of 2010. “Bettie Page Shirt” features music from Highway Jones, Ryan Hardiman, and Blue Million. There’s also animation by Frank Panucci, a Plant Ro-Duction Mini-Movie, and a cameo by now-retired professional wrestler Daizee Haze.

Host segments were shot at a pre-ghost-mall Charleston Town Center, and musical performances were recorded at The Boulevard Tavern, Trinity Lutheran Church and Bruno’s, one of which is still in existence (it’s the church).

For the full production notes, go HERE.

The PopCulteer
July 12, 2024

As I briefly mentioned Wednesday, this weekend I am headed back up to the The Kruger Street Toy & Train Museum for a special toy show/memorial for Roberto Ligotti, a beloved member of the MEGO collecting community known to his friends as ‘Berto. This event is not private, but having come together in mere weeks following ‘Berto’s passing, it’s not expected to be heavily attended. However it is open to all MEGO collectors who would love to pay tribute to our fallen friend. You can buy a ticket in advance or at the door.  Admission also gains you entry to the wonderful Kruger Street Toy & Train Museum, which hosted MEGO Meet for its first ten years.

Because of this quick trip and some outside deadlines, today’s PopCulteer is a simple photo essay…one that I’ve been keeping up my sleeve for four weeks now.

Four weekends ago, when Mel and I drove up to Wheeling for the annual Marx Toy & Train Show, we made a side trip to the FiestaWare Factory Store in Newell, WV. It was not our first trip. This is sort of like visiting Mecca for Mel, only with much more colorful plates.  Since I’m going to try to write this blog four days in advance to accomodate the trip and the magazine article I’m working on, you will get to take in the bright, shiny and color images from our latest trip to Newell.

Enjoy…

I just realized that I’m going to have to come up with captions for almost twenty photos of brightly colored dinnerware. Forgive me if I go a bit off the rails.

Here are the bowls alongside one wall. Note how they are arranged by color.

On the opposite wall, across the store, we find plates, rammakin-thingys and assorted crockery.

A trick of perspective: These covered baking dishes are not actually bigger than the tiny people in the background.

Continue reading

I’ve been telling you about comic books written by Anthony Stokes for almost two years now, and he has a new Kickstarter campaign that ends in just one week.  This is a special one because it’s a spin-off of the first project of his that I discovered, which was a mini-series called Decay.

Decay is quality storytelling, with a fresh take on horror that is so compelling that the idea of new chapters of the story are a huge treat for me. Decay is a supernatural revenge tale about a young man who is gunned down by drug dealers, but then revived by his grieving sister…who happens to be a Voodoo priestess.  As I’ve said before in this blog, Stokes is a very gifted storyteller and in Decay he’s woven familar elements into something really new and exciting.

After the five issues of Decay, Stokes is going back for more in the Decay universe. His new series, Prescription Paradise, comes at this situation from a different angle.

This time around, a small-time drug dealer gets set up with a bad batch of drugs. He overdoses and then gets brought back to life to life by his cousin using a voodoo ritual. Once revived he works his way up the supply chain to get revenge on the supplier who set him up.

This is a different take on the original story, which featured a young victim who was more of an innocent bystander. In Prescription Paradise our undead protaganist knows who his target for revenge is, and how best to exact it.

From the Kickstarter page…

Prescription Paradise #1 is a 52-page square bound graphic novel that is a gritty anti-drug crime story. I concieved the idea as a response to the opioid epidemic and I hope it provides some much needed catharsis to those who have been affected by it. It features beautiful illustrations by Marco Perguini and letters by Es Kay.

This campaign ends in a week, and it’s already two-thirds funded. In addition to digital and print versions of Prescription Paradise, you can add digital or physical copies of any of Anthony’s previous works, including Decay, which is available as individual issues or a trade paperback (which includes a bonus short story).  The time to click through to the Kickstarter is now, because time is running out.

Anthony always delivers, not only in terms of quality, but also very promptly with his rewards. I’m sure that Prescription Paradise will be no exception in either regard.