Val Kilmer
aka Batman
(1959 - 2025)

Strip Tease...

A couple strips from the "latest" season of Dexter Comics.
Unsure when the rest will see the light of day...

The soccer girls are always fun to watch.
The locker room backdrop allows us to learn the names of these two starting players.

Not sure if I've ever posted the team roster anywhere...
Something else that just began as a creative exercise.

The Early Episodes...

First Degree Burns

Dexter Comics #1
20th Anniversary Special Limited Edition Cover

The drawings are crude, but all the characters are there....
(Except for Candi, she moved to Hellford mid-semester. But not having her on the cover would be, well - Just plain dumb.)

Even dug out Candi Starr's outfit from Season 1.
She soon evolved from a typical cheerleader to a sporty athletic girl. It just seemed to make her a lot more fun, offering more possibilities for her character.

As for Dexter, Marley and Pete... Arson, petty vandalism, grand theft auto, destruction of property (and that's just the stuff they've been busted for).

Really tempted to go back and add stuff like Boba Fett wandering incompetently around, totally unable to locate Han Solo (who's also nearby). But turning the first episode into an animated GIF (with a Tie-Dye Fighter flying by) is tops on the list.

Cringe-worthy and sketchy, this is where the series began.
Available here for reference sake, Episode 51 is where I'm actually OK with some of the artwork.
Gets much better around Episode 108. It's a long way to go...

Episodes 1 - 8

Episodes 9 - 16

Episodes 17 - 24

Episodes 25 - 29

Episodes 30 - 37

Episodes 38 - 42

Episodes 43 - 50

Episodes 51 - 56

Cover Art...

Dexter, Pete and Marley do some serious experimenting in the name of science.

Shadows of the Empire

Honoring the day with some more great art, this time from the Dark Horse Star Wars Comics:

Art by Hugh Fleming
From Shadows of the Empire #4
(1996)

The Mighty Chewbacca

Peter Mayhew
aka Chewbacca
(1944 - 2019)

"A moment that rocked Star Wars fandom: Chewie dies"
-Star Wars Panel to Panel

Art by Rafael Kayanan, colored by Heroic Age
from Chewbacca #4 (2000)

The Hockey Gods Smile...

Mario Lemieux
(90-91 Upper Deck #144)

I usually keep a sharp eye at random junk sales, but it's good to keep your ears open too. Just happened to overhear some vendors discussing some hockey cards they had obtained.

Scored a small stack of early 1990s NHL Upper Deck for less than a buck a card, mostly rookie card/rookie year.

Upper Deck made its' NHL debut in 1990-91, instantly establishing itself as the manufacturer of premium cards. When I was young, a pack of Upper Deck was so expensive that it made a kid consider spending his allowance on a pack of cigarettes instead...

Hockey cards aren't worth what they used to be. But since I never intend to sell my collection, it's fun to acquire some novelty items that were impossible to get when I was younger.

Owen Nolan
(1991-92 Upper Deck  #362)

Just yesterday, I was remembering Owen Nolan's hat trick at the 1997 All-Star game...
The next day, I'm in possession of one of his Rookie Cards.

Eric Lindros
(1991 Score #329,  91-92 Upper Deck #9, 92-93 Upper Deck #88)

Mats Sundin
(92-93 Upper Deck #374)

Along with Nolan, I also found Eric Lindros and Mats Sundin... Coincidentally, these three guys were drafted first overall in consecutive years by the Quebec Nordiques (1989-1991)

Peter Forsberg
(91-92 Upper Deck #64)

Since Eric Lindros refused to play for Quebec, they had to trade him to Philidelphia for Ricci and Forsberg.

Steve Duchesne
with Mike Ricci cameo
(93-94 Upper Deck #217)

The Nordiques also got defenseman Steve Duchesne...
(Couldn't help but throw in this card from my existing collection of Duchesne with Mike Ricci.)

Chris Simon
(93-94 Upper Deck #243)

Quebec also received draft picks that turned into guys like Chris Simon, who joined the Nordiques, left God-awful Quebec, became the Colorado Avalanche, and won the Stanley Cup. Go figure.

Owen Nolan
(1991-92 Pro Set  #196)

Sweater number 88 is synonymous with Eric Lindros... Oddly enough, I'd always noticed how Owen Nolan is actually wearing 88 in his early Pro-Set cards with Quebec. No idea why... I had never seen Owen Nolan wear anything other than 11.  (Useless fact: The only teams to not have someone wearing number 11 that year were Buffalo, Quebec, St. Louis and Vancouver)

Joe Sakic
(94-95 Upper Deck McDonald's #McD-01)

Completely and totally randomly thrown into the box of cards for sale was a single card from the 94-95 Upper Deck McDonald's set. I already had a few packs from this set, but was missing mighty Joe Sakic.

Ed Belfour
(1990-91 Pro Set #598)

While nowhere near as cool as the Upper Deck cards, there was something about the 1990-91 Pro-Set. It's baffling how many cards there are... Can't believe I was missing Eddie Belfour from his "1990-91 Rookie Season".

Note that he's wearing number 30, and a mask with his trademark eagle... (his Upper Deck card below features a plain white helmet, wearing number 31. I presume because Alain Chevrier was wearing 30 with Chicago at the time)









1990-91 Upper Deck is still an awesome set, and the cards are now affordable.

So many Rookies, including Bure, Fedorov, Jagr, Modano, and Primeau.

 Still dig the nostalgic value of second/third year players...
Belfour, Joseph, Mogilny, Recchi, Richter, Roenick  and Sakic.

One of my favorite finds was what I assumed to be  Keith Tkachuk's Rookie Card (91-92 Upper Deck #698), representing Team USA at the World Junior Tournament.

Keith Tkachuk
(91-92 Upper Deck World Czech Juniors #85)

But what's with the foreign text on the back? Turns out that it's card #85 from a 100 card set called "Upper Deck Czech World Juniors". It uses the exact same photo as the English version, but I'm assuming it was only sold in Czechoslovakia, because the packaging I found online is definitely not English.

Not a true Rookie Card, nor as valuable as the English one... But still neat to have a piece of Czechoslovakian cardboard in my collection.

1997: One of the Coolest NHL All-Star Games Ever...

The 2019 NHL All-Star Game is being hosted by the San José Sharks.
Because when you think hockey, you think sunny California...

San José also held the event back in 1997, and Owen Nolan of the hosting San José Sharks demonstrated how to score three goals with style...

He points.... He shoots... He SCORES!

His third goal was on a breakaway, after pointing and firing into to the top right corner. This type of "called shot" is the kind of thing you see in baseball - not hockey!

Despite beating Dominik Hasek to complete a hat trick, Nolan and the Western Conference ended up losing 11-7. But the All-Star game isn't about winning or losing... It's about watching these guys have some fun with cool tricks and stunts like this.

San Jose Sharks Classics: Owen Nolan 'Called Shot' 1997 NHL All-Star Game
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EaUc3KVWZ94

Make Some Noise...

Two serial episodes of classic Garfield, still in his prime...

Merry Christmas, Charlie Manson!

"How could you lie like this? To children!"

South Park (Season 2, Episode 16)
This Christmas classic is the heart-warming tale of a psychopathic killer who discovers the meaning of Christmas.

The boys have an encounter with convicted murderer Charles Manson while spending Christmas in Nebraska.
(Kept an eye out, and didn't spot a single candy cane.)

The truth is out there.

Still pleasantly surprised to be finding little alien symbols, signs, and occasional visitors themselves hidden in the backgrounds of South Park episodes... The smiley face on Manson's forehead tattoo becomes an alien for one quick shot.

Beefcake... BEEFCAKE!

Enjoyed the continuity with the kids' sleeping bags... Plus a quick throwback to the first season when Cartman gets dressed, his  "BEEFCAKE!" muscle shirt is briefly seen.

 Terrance & Phillip play some reindeer games.

I'll often skip past a Christmas episode when I'm watching a season on DVD... But this holiday episode is also just a damn good episode of South Park.

"And the Grinchy Poo himself
carved the roast poo."

Charlie Manson has an epiphany while watching holiday TV specials, particularly during "How the Grinchy-Poo Stole Christmas".

God bless us, everyone.

Calvin & Hobbes Christmas Morning

I remember being a stupid kid just like that... Still hadn't discovered the joy of sleeping in.

Often noticed how the worst kids in my class got the best presents from Santa...

Calvin & Hobbes Christmas Eve

From the first Calvin & Hobbes book.

Spreading Too Much Cheer...

Garfield strip from 1988.

Soon, the God-forsaken Christmas music will be over...

Simpsons Season 4: God Bless Those Pagans!

Just picked up Season 4 of The Simpsons. To find this chunk of golden episodes for ten bucks was a real steal. So many classics from Kamp Krusty, Homer skips church, Itchy & Scratchy Movie, Duff Gardens, Mr. Plow, Monorail...

I'd almost forgotten some of the great lines from episodes like Last Exit to Springfield and Marge in Chains... Back then, episodes of The Simpsons weren't just written... They were crafted, re-written and polished.


 

Decided to consider my favorite lines from Season 4. Sure as hell wasn't easy, considering all the awesome material to choose from... But I'd say that these are special, simply because they've lasted in my mind for decades, and still make me laugh...

Kamp Krusty (Season 4, Episode 1)

Bart: "Don't we get to roast marshmallows?"
Dolph: "Shut up and eat your pine cone!"

Treehouse of Horror III (Season 4, Episode 5)

Bart: "Dad, you killed the zombie Flanders!"
Homer: "He was a zombie?"

Marge Gets a Job  (Season 4 Episode 7)

Krusty: "LOUD! That's our secret word for the day! HEE HEE HOO HOO HA HA!"

Lisa's First Word (Season 4, Episode 10)

Bart: "Can't sleep... Clown will eat me!"

Marge in Chains (Season 4 Episode 21)

Arnie Pye in the sky:
"Look out at the corner of 12th & Main cause I'm gonna be sick!"

The incredible use of a character's imagination through dreams, flashbacks (and hallucinations) can take us to some entertaining moments that are just as memorable as the stuff that "actually" happened...

"You won't be needing this anymore."

"If you should die before you wake..."

"Now how 'bout a hug?"

"It's Lisa in the Sky... No diamonds though"

"Lie in the snow and count to 60"

"I am evil Homer. I am evil Homer"

Greed & Jesus... And Being Offended!

A couple of appropriate (and sequential) Garfield strips from 1996...

The second strip gave me an extra chuckle - Over the nonsense in Nebraska where some elementary school principal claims that candy canes are shaped like a "J" for Jesus... There really is no end to what people will claim to be offended about.

Goalie Art Gallery...

Masked Men Sporting Comic Book Heroes, Villains, and Video Game Characters...

A while back, something unique on the mask of goaltender Peter Budaj caught my eye. It looks like a Simpsons character... Well I'll be damned... It's Ned Flanders! Browsed online for some pics to further research his intriguing mask, and realized that he's worn several different masks featuring Ned Flanders on the side or back. (Alternatively, while playing for the Colorado Avalance, Budaj also wore masks bearing the likeness of The Hulk, and Altaïr from Assassin's Creed.)

A trend has emerged during the past few decades of the National Hockey League, with cool graphics appearing on goalie masks. At one time, masks were usually painted with team logos and a few racing stripes... Which quickly evolved into scary masks to intimidate opponents... One of the most chilling masks has got to be the skull mask worn by Warren Skorodenski of the Chicago Blackhawks during the 1980s.









Today, the artwork has evolved immensely, some of the designs are so intricate that the artwork can only be truly appreciated in a freeze-frame or photograph. Goalies express their individuality through the art on their masks, which might also serve as a distraction to opposing players.

Even as a fairly avid hockey fan, I was surprised at the number of comic book and video game characters have appeared on the masks of NHL goaltenders... Which suggests that when they're not stopping pucks, it would appear as if some of these guys are just obsessed with comics and video games as the average male...


The artists behind Kari Lehtonen's mask definitely score extra points simply for the variety of characters that have been incorporated into his mask at one time or another... He's also had characters from Kill Bill and Final Fantasy X.

 Kari Lehtonen has even worn a mask featuring the Joker, as played by Heath Ledger...

Lehtonen's Joker tribute can be a bit confusing, because Pasi Nurminen (another goaltender from the now-defunct Atlanta Thrashers) had previously worn a mask featuring comic book renditons of Batman & The Joker.

I've also found this pic of Nurminen with a South Park style character on his mask. Not sure if he ever wore it in a game, but it's interesting trivia.

While in Dallas, Chuck Norris
(aka Walker, Texas Ranger) has
been spotted on Lehtonen's mask,
at least during the pre-season...

The characters seem to have disappeared from Kari Lehtonen's motif, and his mask was painted with the new Dallas Stars logo... (Which ironically resembles the logo of a now-defunct gaming website...)

Ilya Bryzgalov's Star Wars mask, Yoda, with Darth Vader and R2D2. As a Star Wars fan, I personally think that this is one of the slickest masks that I've ever seen...













The mask originally featured Yoda yielding an Orange Lightsaber to match the colors of the Philadelphia Flyers... This led to an outrage from Star Wars fans who mistook it for a red lightsaber (used only be evil Sith Lords).













The color of Yoda's light saber drew so much attention that even LucasFilm caught wind of it, and promptly requested that the color of Yoda's light saber be changed to green. The force is strong with
LucasFilm lawyers... (Who up until this point, believed that Ice Hockey existed only on the planet Hoth.)

Another netminder has also been seen with Yoda lurking on the back of his mask... Wade Dubielewicz had Yoda depicted on the back plate of his helmet while playing for the New York Islanders.

Corey Hirsch wanted a haunted house on his mask. His artist suggested the house from Albert Hitchcock's Psycho, and Hirsch couldn't have been more thrilled with the look of his Vancouver Canucks mask.

During his time with the Blackhawks, Marvin was again
featured on his helmet, this time with a Native American
headdress in lieu of Roman soldier's helmet.

Marvin the Martian (who wears a Roman helmet, similar to the one on the Ottawa Senators logo), appeared on Patrick Lalime's helmet while playing for the Senators. Marvin the Martian seems to have followed Lalime to St. Louis and Buffalo, where the Martian has been spotted with blue plumes instead of red.

I can't even imagine how many hours I've watched the Coyote try and kill the freakin' Roadrunner... That's why I had to mention the cool Wile E. Coyote mask worn by Mike Smith while playing for the Phoenix Coyotes. Note the blue Roadrunner feathers in the Coyote's teeth!

The day that Roberto Luongo was traded back to the Florida Panthers, sports newscasters dug up a bunch of old footage of him playing for the Panthers... I'd completely forgotten that he'd had the Pink Panther on his mask. Note the sunglasses for the Sunshine State.

One of my childhood favorites... While playing for the Pittsburgh Penguins, Ken Wregget wore a mask featuring Danny DeVito as the evil villain "The Penguin" from Batman Returns.

While in the crease for the New York Rangers, Steve Valliquet appropriately donned a Spider-Man mask. There are two variations that I know of, both cool in their own respect.