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Thursday, January 31, 2013
Monday, January 21, 2013
Mad Scientist Shipping Soon
The most excellent fanzine Mad Scientist (Issue # 26) is ready for pre-order and should be shipping soon. Just look at that cover! To secure your own copy, please go here.
Wednesday, January 9, 2013
Ultraman's Scrapbook
Looking back on G-FEST 19, one moment that stands out was a Sunday panel with Bin Furuya. While answering questions about his career, he also brought a few tangible items from his personal collection that were pretty impressive. One of those items was his own photo scrapbook, which he freely shared with us participants. It was a rare opportunity for Western fans to flip through the pages of Ultraman's scrapbook!
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| In this still from Monster Zero, Nick Adams and Akira Takarada are in the orange flight suits. Mr. Furuya is one of the black and grey Xians. |
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| This is a great shot of Bin Furuya and his alter ego. |
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| A gathering of Ultra-heroes: Kohji Moritsugu (Dan Moroboshi from Ultraseven); Susumu Kurobe (Shin Hayata from Ultraman) and Bin Furuya (Ultraman's man in the suit). |
Tuesday, January 1, 2013
Sayonara 2012
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| The Monsterland Ohio Boys meet Ultraman, Bin Furuya |
The year began with a bang: we had the rare opportunity to attend a filming of Animal Planet's hit series "Finding Bigfoot" and meet the cast. The questions we were given to ask ended up being included, and ever since the episode aired we have had people mention the fact that they had seen us on TV. Although the "best-of" show never ended up on iTunes, I'm hopeful that it will be included on future DVD releases. We were expecially pleased that cast member Ranae Holland visited the blog and gave it a glowing review on her Facebook fan page.
Another highlight of 2012 was having articles included in G-FAN issues 98 and 100. By strange serendipity, my transcript of a panel called "Discovering the Daikaiju Genre" appeared in the milestone hundredth issue, and seemed to fit perfectly from a thematic standpoint. (I have Martin Arlt to thank, so thank you, Martin!)
G-FEST XIX lived up to the hype (and then some). The dynamic duo of Akira Takarada and Bin Furuya helped attract an unprecedented number of fans. We were happy to contribute to the festivities with a Kid's Thread that went very well, and I had the fun of being invited to participate in a panel at the last minute. On a personal note, having my mom and dad on hand made this a very special occasion, in addition to renewing friendships with our kaiju friends from across the globe. The unique fellowship among G-FESTers is one of the main reasons this gathering has become an annual event for us, and we hope to bring more family and friends along for G-FEST XX.
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| with Robert Scott Field at G-FEST XIX |
It was a good year for home video releases. Chief among them was Criterion's Blu-ray release of "Godzilla," featuring David Kalat's commentary track. The Blu-ray release of "Godzilla vs. Biollante" was a pleasant surprise. Christmas additions to our collection were the UltraSeven series and Daimajin trilogy. There should be plenty to watch and review in 2013.
The end of the year was puntcuated by a meeting of the Cuyahoga Kaiju Club. We were able to get together to enjoy some "traditional monster violence." S.H. MonsterArts figures have become very popular with some in the club, and it was cool to see figures like Mechagodzilla up close. Hopes are pretty high for "Pacific Rim" and what it might mean for the impending Legendary Godzilla film. Even though we were there very briefly, it was great to see everyone in the CKC, and it sounds like our group is going to be well represented at G-FEST XX.
We wish you monster fun in 2013!
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