Comic relief
Thirty-five years ago at this very moment, you would find me
on a bicycle peddling madly up Lancaster Drive
to WedgewoodPlaza. The bike was metallic green,
which was cool, but not as cool as the banana-seat bikes that were appearing in
the neighborhood. Entering the outdoor plaza by the hidden bike-safe entrance,
I weaved around the bowling alley, passed by the cinema, and pulled up in front
of Gray Drugs. At about the third aisle, the owners perched a tall rotating
metal rack filled with comic books. They cost 10 cents, then 12, 20, and
beyond. My allowance allowed for the purchase of one comic book because of the
additional expenses that accumulated during a week, such as candy and baseball
cards. The store employees might hover, but they never rushed the selection
process. My inclination went toward the most number of pages, though a good
cover could win out.
On Saturday, May 6, I will once again ride my metallic green
bicycle (still no banana seat) to my neighborhood comic-book shop. And I don’t
need to bring any allowance — it’s Free Comic Book Day! For five years, the
comics industry has supported its retailers and customers with this promotional
bombshell. You show up at the comic shop and they give you a comic book printed
just for the occasion — maybe even more than one; maybe you pick. But who
cares? It’s free! Everything from the Archies to the
X-Men is a possibility, alongside a bushel full of independent and downright
creative titles.
Local participating stores include Comics Etc.(Village Gate,
473-7150), Hammergirl Anime (370 Jefferson Road,
475-9330), All Heroes (4410 Lake Avenue, 865-9113), Lost Worlds (92 Main
Street, Macedon, 315-986-7858), Collector’s Choice (54 Main Street, Brockport,
637-8556), and Joe’s Comics in Geneseo (243-4240). Be
sure to call ahead for hours, directions, policies, and whether or not a
metallic green bicycle is required.
— Craig Brownlie
Totally tubular
Compared to the kid’s series of
my youth, today’s Saturday morning shows seem to have lost a good deal of
their… insanity (Teletubbies and Boohbah notwithstanding). Cartoons and commercials from the ’80s overflowed with
cracked out, throw-everything-against-the-wall-and-see-what-sticks creativity
that almost surely sprang from their creators having too much fun in the
drugged-out ’70s. How else could you explain the Care Bears, He-Man, Garbage
Pail Kids, or The Noid? Who in their right mind would
think that Dinosaucers,
about talking dinosaurs from space,or
the equally ridiculous (if more self-explanatory) Biker Mice From Mars, were good ideas for
TV shows?
But if, like me, you still have
a soft spot in your heart for those gonzo cartoons of yore, you’ll agree that
www.retrojunk.com is pretty much the greatest website ever made. A massive
compilation of video files featuring TV theme songs and commercials from the
’70s, ’80s, and ’90s, there’s enough here to give you a nostalgia high for
days.
When my friends and I recently
discovered the site, we spent literally hours poring over all our favorite
theme songs. Shows and commercials can be searched for alphabetically by title
or by decade. Particular favorites of ours included the openings to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (naturally), Muppet Babies, and Gummi Bears, which came complete with
sing-a-long lyrics. It isn’t possible for us to be bigger dorks, I know,
although I earned extra derision from my friend when I ecstatically raved about
finding the theme to Kids Incorporated (anyone else remember that show? Bueller? Bueller?). Visit the site, but be prepared to regress to your
6-year-old self on the spot.
— Adam Lubitow
This article appears in May 3-9, 2006.
