While I was writing about MANTIS last time, I got to thinking about other sub-par Super-hero TV shows from the 90’s and kicked myself for not remembering Night Man. For those of you too young to remember, Night Man was a character from Malibu comics’ Ultraverse line that came along during the early 1990’s. The Ultraverse brought us characters like the Sludge, Hardcase, and steroid poster boy Prime, but didn’t survive the decade once Malibu was bought by Marvel. Of all these characters, only the Night Man was apparently worthy of wider exposure through the medium of television well after the character had any relevance.
In the comic universe, Night Man wasn’t that bad a story, but on the small screen it was less than stellar. The series centers around Johnny Domino, saxophonist from San Francisco who when struck by lightening in a cable car accident discovers he has the ability to recognize evil, but loses the ability to sleep. Thus is born the Night Man. One little known aspect of the show is that the character of Prof Jonathan Chase, who was the lead character in the short lived 1983 series Manimal. The Night Man series can almost be considered a continuation of Manimal in that aspect. What surprised me about this series is that Night Man managed to earn itself a second season. I remember when I was a teenager and the opening credits would start at around midnight or one in the morning with that hot sax instrumental and I would quickly try to find something else to watch, but first I just had to get through the opening sequence. It was bad even by 1997 standards.
Just so you know, this incarnation of the Night Man is not to be confused with the character created by Charlie Kelly (Local businessman and cat enthusiast) from the show It’s Always
Sunny In Philadelphia. That Night Man is the fighter of the Day Man, champion of the sun, master of karate and friendship for everyone.
Let’s finish this off true believers. Here are Jon’s top 5 comic album covers.
5. Supersuckers – The Smoke of Hell
This was the first studio album by the self-proclaimed “Greatest Rock ‘n Roll Band in the World” featuring art work by post-underground icon Dan Clowes. It very much resembles the “Like a Velvet Glove” era of the artist’s work. Honorable mention: The Supersuckers had an equal awesome comic cover to the 7″ single for “Saddle Tramp.”
4. The Yardbirds – Roger the Engineer
The cover designed by Yardbirds rhythm guitarist Chris Dreja features the oafish Roger the engineer surrounded by a cluster of retarded looking birds on the back cover. It also features the best garage rock song of all time “Happenings Ten Years Time Ago.”
3. Sup Pop 200 Compilation
The legendary compilation features early artwork by Seattle alum Charles Burns and some of the first recordings by Nirvana, Mudhoney, Soundgarden Beat Happening and Cat Butt(?). Burns’ “rocker with a monkey on his back” image was the perfect statement for the burgeoning “Seattle scene.” I recommend the haunting spoken-word piece by Steven Jesse Bernstein, “Come out Tonight.”
2. Melvins – Houdini
I had this album cover on my wall for about two years before I moved into my current apartment. The image my Frank Kozik is associated with the Melvins first major label album. Delving into the context behind the art one can imagine the two kids as clueless industry reps signing a two headed mutated dog version of the Melvins, conflicted between their underground roots and the outrageousness that such an odd bad was being signed to a major label in the first place.
1. Big Brother & the Holding Company – Cheap Thrills
The album that made Janis Joplin and R. Crumb famous. This is the one that started it all and put underground comics on the fast-track to middle america. In retrospect, it’s funny to think that Crumb largely despised the hippie counterculture but was able to so accurately encapsulate it.
Honorable Mentions:
Mudhoney – Every Good Boy Deserves Fudge
Boston – Self-Titled
Daniel Johnston – Hi, How Are You?
Sesame Street Fever
This month, I want to take you back to 1997. I can barely remember one significant thing about 1997. Sorry. But what I do remember, very vividly, is that it was the second year in a row that Will Smith had saved the Earth and the summer. Folks, today, I want to talk about 1997’s Men In Black. MIB was the story of two men, Agent K (The rugged old vet played by Tommy Lee Jones) and Agent J (The bold and stylish rookie played by Will Smith), who were tasked with the mission to save the world from what essentially was a giant cockroach (Vincent D’Onofrio). But that’s just at it’s barest description. MIB eventually went on to make 578 million dollars worldwide. That was back in 1997. 1997! 3D was still a dead format, so… There were no inflated “$15 for special viewing” tickets, IMAX screens were still mostly being used for education, and the economy was leagues ahead of what it is currently. MIB was a monster. But then, you might be asking me, “Fleet! MIB wasn’t a comic book, what are you talking about?” To this, I say, “Yes it was.”
The original comic, by Lowell Cunningham, was published by Aircel Comics in 1990. It featured various agents of a secret organization that was designed to suppress paranormal activity on Earth as well as keeping the public in the dark about what really goes bump in the night. One of the most major differences between the comic and the movie is that the movie had the MIB policing alien activity on and around Earth, however, the comic had the MIB dealing with ghosts, demons, mutants, and other things as well as aliens. Another difference comes with the handling of witnesses. In the comic, witnesses are killed whereas in the films, witnesses are mindwiped with an alien device that causes memory loss. The other big difference is that the MIB of the comic were ultimately manipulating and controlling the ways of the planet into their designs, opposed to the MIB of the films that were just protecting the Earth from devastation.
But this isn’t a history lesson on the comic… No. This is why I love the movie so much. It’s hard to convey, but I can tell you that it’s a whole lot harder to not like the movie than it is to like it. I mean, how can you not enjoy the quips of the Fresh Prince, or the surly old-man antics of Tommy Lee Jones? The aliens were inventive, the technology looked awesome, the theme song was cool while paying tribute to the original sampled song called “Forget Me Nots”, and all the side characters were great in the roles they played. Rip Torn as the boss of the agency, Zed was a very interesting take on a boss. But then, Rip Torn is a very interesting dude. Linda Fiorentino as a medical examiner who has a knack for continuously running in the MIB, (only to be mindwiped) shared a great chemistry with Will Smith’s Agent J, so good that my mother was very disappointed that she didn’t return for the sequel (which probably wasn’t the worst decision). Then you had a pre-Monk/post-Wings Tony Shalhoub as a alien black market arms dealer with the unique ability to regrow his limbs. For the few moments he was in the film, he was also great with what he had to play with, plus, seeing his head explode and grow back is still fun to see. Then there’s Frank the Pug. Voiced by Tim Blaney, (Also the voice of “Johnny” #5 of Short Circuit 1 & 2) most folks love this “adorable” dog shaped alien in a dog suit. Personally, I’m not a fan of Pugs, but when he shared the screen with Jones and Smith, well, you can’t help but to enjoy the fun they’re having. And of course, let’s not forget D’Onofrio. He played a farmer whose skin was used as a disguise for a giant nasty cockroach. His mannerisms were priceless as the skin began to decay and sag. Plus he looked pretty creepy… So there’s that.
What’s also great here is the special effects. From the time between the previous Summer’s Independence Day movie, it seemed like the CG used in the film skipped a few generations forward. I think the only thing that really looks dated now-a-days are the effects used for creating the giant bug at the end of the film, but by no means are they awful. The practical effects are pretty sweet as well. For example, the alien humanoid-squid baby was as far as I can tell, it was completely practical, save for maybe it’s blink. Maybe. But there was a lot of imagination used to create for the movie. Between Steven Spielberg (Producer), Barry Sonnenfeld (Director), and Rick Baker (One of the greatest special effects/make-up artists of all time)… A lot of good things happened in this movie. I’d go as far to say that they created magic… They tried to recreate that magic again back in 2002. It didn’t work as well. Not to say that I didn’t enjoy the movie, it just couldn’t live up to the original, nor could it live up to the animated series that followed the first movie either. But hey, no one’s perfect. I’m just happy to hear that everyone is willing to try one more time with Men In Black 3. While only an announcement, I hope that it does come to fruition. It’s been a long time since Will Smith has saved the summer. See ya next time.
I’m taking a page out of Fleet’s blog book this week (with his permission of course) and bringing you a cool comic movie adaptation that many of you have either forgotten, or perhaps remember fondly. I speak of 1982’s Swamp Thing, directed by none other than Wes Craven of Nightmare On Elm Street fame, also it’s less then memorable sequel, the Return of Swamp Thing from 1989.
The first Swamp Thing film came along before the Alan Moore run in the comic and followed pretty closely to his comic book origin but once the origin is established, it veers off into some early 80’s camp. I’m of the mind that comic movies of this time can be so bad that they are entertaining, and Swamp Thing certainly falls into this category. Something the films do to depart from their comic book counterpart is the characterization of Swamp Thing as super-hero of the bogs and shy away from him as an accidental force of nature. I suppose movie-goers of the time weren’t ready for a comic book character with substance. They just wanted him to punch the bad guys and get the girl. Flash forward to 1984 at DC comics when Alan Moore took over the writing duties of the monthly Swamp Thing comic, and was producing comic stories that were worthy of being considered fine literature. Writers like Moore on Swamp Thing, Neil Gaiman with the Sandman, and Grant Morrison on Doom Patrol were writing comics without limits and forging a revolution in comics. So what happens in 1989 when they produce a second Swamp Thing movie? It’s even worse than the first. The one redeeming quality I’ll grant credit to their efforts for is their inclusion of Born On the Bayou by Credence Clearwater Revival on the opening credits. Beyond that, it was more rubber plant suit bad guy fighting action and lot’s of explosions! When I was a kid, I actually enjoyed the sequel. It was a swamp based super-hero that made me home-sick for Louisiana (although the movies take place in Florida) In 1990, there was even a Swamp Thing TV series which aired on USA and lasted a baffling 72 episodes.
Any mention of Swamp Thing nowadays invokes thought of Alan Moore’s high-brow approach to the character that ushered in the Vertigo era of comics. Mention Swamp Thing over 20 years ago, and images of Dick Durock in a bad rubber suit with some moss, leaves and vines glued to it come to mind.
The X-Men animated series in 90s was awesome. I was already a big X-Men comic book fan and when FOX decided to make a cartoon I was excited, it lived up to all the expectations I had as a kid. Even now as 27 year old adult I still enjoy it and think how much they did the greatest comic book team justice. I mean the first episode you have the Cyclops, Jean Grey and Wolverine love triangle, on top of that Gambit, Rogue, Storm, Beast, Jubilee and Professor Xavier all sound and act they way you would picture it. I mean when I read X-Men comics I picture them as the voices of the animated series. The show made me a even bigger Wolverine fan, they captured his toughness, and mystery of character almost perfectly. It’s probably my favorite portrayal of Wolverine.
All the villains were there, Magneto, Apocalypse, Sentinels, Sabretooth, and even Mojo were done perfectly. You had other X-Men characters introduced Bishop, Colossus, Cable, Dazzler, Iceman, Archangel, etc., but my favorite was the Nightcrawler episode. They didn’t shy away from Nightcrawler’s spirituality and were able to show the how it gave the character his strength despite his demonic appearance. As someone who values his own spirituality and faith I thought it was one of the best episodes of the series.
They had all the great stories; Phoenix and Dark Phoenix saga, Asteroid M, Weapon X project, Days of the Future Past. They captured the essence and history of the X-Men in a 30 minute Saturday morning cartoon. In all honesty the animated series made me cherish the comic even more and were so much better than all 3 X-Men movies. No television or movie comic adaption has done it better, with the exception of Batman the Animated Series.
One of my favorite bookstores in St. Louis. Star Clipper offers not only the best selection of comic books and graphic novels in the city, but also a cornucopia of art, design and pop-culture related books and magazines. 
