Mer-Man Dimensional Coast

Hi, Wastelnd. Just scored a 5-Up in Super Mario Bros. 3 for GBA - the best version. It's been a quiet, lazy time of the year - things are getting colder, leaves are falling... but, you can always count on that ever-present beaming Florida deathheat during the day. 

I recently rewatched the instant classic Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, for roughly the... 4th? time...? followed by the mid-90s italo-horror gorefest, Casper. What a weird one. Other than that, I've been watching a ton of RedLetterMedia, with the occasional peppering of Curb Your Enthusiasm. I think I'm spiritually somewhere between Mike Stoklasa and Larry David.

The other night, I caught the great Thomas Bangalter's first DJ set since 2010ish - insanely wicked show. Sort of my first "Daft" concert, y'know! Best believe I blasted the entire set at work the following shift. I'm absolutely obsessed with Two Months Off by Underworld, and Thomas' remix of Signatune by DJ Mehdi, both from the set. Y'know, The Robots have been suspiciously active lately. I got a feeling some kind of reunion isn't too far fetched...

T-Bang witnesses a disturbing atrocity in chat...

Bus stop denizens

In the wacky world of MidLife, I've been working on a new sequence in which our lovely lead, Vienna, is smashed into the sky by a gigantic Big Lots semi; landing before an eerie bus stop, naturally populated by a smattering of zombie-types and demonoids. 

The original animated sequence basically had Vienna very directly encounter the bus stop - no real character to it, sort of awkward, stilted. I'd get into specifics, but the summary is, it was... unnoticeable. Didn't feel like a natural progression of the scene. So, I brainstormed something a little more exciting, cartoony. Fun!

A shot from the original sequence

WIP screenshotty...

Right now, I'm working on a horizontal shot of the truck barreling down a highway; specifically, editing generic little cars meant to bolt past the truck - one of many not very exciting side-quests necessary for animation. Oh well. Editing the truck was fun, at least - I hate drawing vehicles, so it's mostly traced off of a 3D model off Sketchfab, something-or-other. I think it sticks out against my usual janky art style, but then, there's a lot of semi-traced environments and characters in the surrounding sequence... so, yeah. Here's a different angle I've been editing - the gnarled truck driver is a deep-cut Godzilla Vs Megalon reference... if ya know, ya know. See any other references?

Here's another one (below) - this shot I animated a while ago, but in order to fit the new footage bookending it, I've had to go back and change the whole background... normally, I might not care about the inconsistency, but luckily I still had the year-old project file ready to go. It was originally this vague, pink-and-blue distortion of liminal signs, and windows, but now, it's the eternally blinking stoplights hanging over the crossroads just outside my window. In fact, a lot of this sequence has been shot semi-locally. Spooky. Here's (nearly) the same frame, the original on the left, "final" on the right.

Beyond that, I'm still adding stuff to Neon Pools, storyboarding little ideas for the ever-elusive Arcade sequence (one which I've stopped, paused, and started multiple times), and, occasionally, doodling the rare totally unrelated art thingie here and there. Here's a poster I recently did for my buddy Super Jack's upcoming Halloween shows!

Happy Halloween o Digital Ghosts. Oh yeah - I also just ordered the new Godzilla 1989 + Super X2 MMS! Big hype.

Review - Viras 1968 (Movie Monster Series)

Viras, the six-armed leader of an eerie squid-alien race, is one of many evil, telepathic, Japanese-speaking Kaiju invaders terrorizing the nightmare that is the Showa Gamera world; capturing who else but a pair of small boys in his odd quest to overtake Earth, much to the chagrin of the hero to all children, the Great Gamera. One thing leads to another, and... colossal Kaiju calamari.

Viras first joined the Bandai lineup in 1993 with the Gamera Series; later being ported from 8", to 6", as part of 1999's Gamera Memorial Box. 

Bandai's Viras is simple, but effective - a pretty solid MMS take on the character; true to the onscreen monster with intricate, suit-replicating details, a nice scale, and very solid paint work. It really plays to his funkyweird design - the lanky space-age squidward definitely standing out among the crowd. It's texturing is especially striking - really perfectly capturing the heavy painted rubber look of the real deal. I especially like how they've stayed true to the design by incorporating his unsubtle "tentaclegs", revealing the performer inside. Kinda funny to see a standard scale Guy among the MMS.

I do think he could've used more width, and life; more squiddy, and sprawled-out, with some tangible motion to those static arms. The X-Plus does its pose very well, for example. Still, simple as it ultimately is, it's Viras!

At only two points of articulation (with a crookedly glue sealed neck, a weird shared trait between the Memorial figures), there's not exactly a lot you can do with the figure - especially with those aforementioned very lifeless arms - but, either way, that tactile sculpt and bold deco carry. 

Sadly, I don't (currently) own the original Gamera Series release; though, they're about the same, with the only actual difference being scale, and specifics in paint. I will say, I dig the slightly more accurate face on the '92 version - the MMS' face is cleaner, and more defined, but the Gamera Series' take just looks more... right. Still, they look about equal - I imagine most will be after the 6".

I don't think anyone expects All A's from "Viras"; and, being fair, this is a pretty standard, middle-of-the-road MMS - for better, or worse. These further, more obscure classic Gamera enemies really deserve the "2.0" treatment. Still, there is some real quality to this figure; well capturing the charmingly strange Kaiju - and, even beyond that, making for a perfectly weird little sofubi creature. There's a certain fun to that itself! What you see is what you get - whether you like the character, or even just scary little Japanese collectible dudes, Viras is solid.

Check out my previous MMS reviews:

Gamera 1965

Barugon

Gyaos 1967

Godzilla 1968
Anguirus 1968
Gabara

Zigra

Gigan 1972

Gigan 1972 (BC)

Godzilla 1974 / 1975
MechaGodzilla 1974

King Ceasar (BC)
MechaGodzilla 1975

Godzilla 1984

Godzilla 1992

Destoroyah (BC)

Gamera 1995
Gamera 1996

Gamera 1999

Godzilla 2001

Godzilla 2001 (2024)
Godzilla 2001 (BC)

Zilla 2004

Godzilla 2014

Godzilla 2014 (BC)

King Ghidorah 2019
Kong 2021
MechaGodzilla 2021

Gigan Rex

Gamera Rebirth

Godzilla Minus One

Godzilla Evolved

Shin Godzilla VS The SmogMonster (Now In 4K)

The stone-cold classic Shin Godzilla has returned to theaters after nine years; and, by some stroke of luck, my local run-down hell-hole of a cinema scored! So, naturally, I made my way downtown - just as the mysterious Vanessa Calrton foretold- to once again catch one of my all-time favorite films. 

The day started with a ton of rain, the lawn outside my apartment practically flooding - fitting, right? IYKYK. Sometimes I worry it'll reach our doors - my Godzilla doormat was drowned. Shocker I'd own that, right? I got a couple eddies next door, as well as a couple real snacks from the dollar store, and I was off. And yes, the edibles did, in fact, melt into an unholy brick in the car.

Sadly, not my photo. X_X

I first saw Shin Godzilla on it's original US run all the way back in 2016 - though, since it was with a friend I've since lost touch with, seeing it on its second run is sorta like reclaiming a memory. Hard to believe it's basically been ten years - the build-up to Shin was unbelievable. I wasn't exactly old enough to get in on the Godzilla 2014 hype, so it was my first time actively anticipating a Godzilla film. I posted tons and tons of odds and ends I'd find across the Japanese side of Twitter and Instagram to the Toho Kingdom forums; I even remember the first glimpse at Shin himself, a little silhouetted water bottle given to extras. In fact, there were a couple seemingly fake leaks floating around the forum that later proved true once the film's conceptual materials dropped, such as the two-headed Shin, or the odd, living spawns of gory flesh. Anyone remember "Godzilla: Resurgence"?

Anyhow, it was a pretty great experience! There were only three groups in the theater, counting Shin and myself - specifically, the Monster King Series 12" vinyl, released just after the film. One couple arrived 45 minutes late - gotta assume they just had time to kill theater-hopping, I don't know how you could miss that much context in a film such as this, let alone one in a foreign language. The behavior of Theater Goers can be a serious mystery. 

I'm not usually one to care about, let alone notice 4K, 4-D, Super-Magic-Ultra-Graphics, but I did occasionally notice some difference in clarity, especially during the effect sequences. Slightly different level of contrast, more visible grain and gnarl, etc. I've also read there are some improvements to the translation/subtitle work, though nothing particularly dramatic as far as I could tell. 

What a spectacular nightmare of a movie. Really unbelievable horror, perfectly enhanced by a juxtaposed realism that can really shock in it's absurdity, yet believability. I know that's an overly wordy mouthful, but man, is it true. I'll spare you all the full Jay Sherman review, but it truly is a masterpiece; the scariest, most traumatic Godzilla film outside of the original.

It's very exciting to live in an era where the Godzilla franchise can exist both in its home country - with unusual, striking films such as Shin, or the recent Minus One - as well as Stateside - with the very fun, adventurous Monsterverse - proving just how versatile and creative the core concept of a big radioactive cartoon dinosaur can be. It's a great time to be a fan.

We Knew About Rancho Unicorno

Cookin' up some shrimp and scallops, and catching up on the new King of the Hill reboot, which just dropped a few hours ago; right now, I'm watching the original series finale (which I found a little... pedestrian?), and next on the queue will be the grand return. KotH's always been one of my on again, off again comfort series, and I'm pretty excited by the idea of Hank and the boys against the horrible hell-vortex known as our modern times. 

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Meanwhile, in the wild, wild world of MIDLIFE... 

I'm still working on various pick-ups for the Lost / Neon Pools scenes; hoping to finish a mostly complete 2.0 of the sequences sooner than later, especially seeing as I might be moving yet again in the coming months. Would be nice to crank out another full WIP workprint, especially for safety's sake. Anyhow, tonight I'm picking away at a small animation of Vienna awkwardly haunting the halls of the Interment Facility after accidentally crushing an adowable widdle aborted fetus... as these things go.

I think it's fun how ridiculously different Venner looks from shot to shot across these sequences, as it's development has, so far, spanned almost that of the entire film - unlike most other scenes, it's earliest "finished" cut was a rush job, simply so as to finish something - so, thankfully, I don't think I'll feel quite so shilly-shally about the scenes which succeeded it. Either way, it's a very important section of the picture, so I've felt it beneficial to come back time, and time again, to tweak, polish, and punch-up. I'm carving what was a sort of slow, meandering psychedelic dirge into something that, while still surreal, is significantly less conceptual, and more illustrated. Sometimes, literally.

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Well, I got through the first two new episodes of KotH - felt like a totally natural return to the same ol' Arlen, with an appropriate level of "relevant" references, and a slightly more overt cynical edge that I really enjoy. Funny as hell seeing Old Lady Peggy swear, get drunk, and confusedly throw around new-age political stuff, while still being the self-confident, blindly arrogant Peggy we loved. Same for everybody in the cast - I especially related to adult Bobby. Pretty funny how his buddy Joseph has stayed almost exactly the same, probably the least reimagined of the crew - that itself is a very clever character commentary, when you think about it. Really amazing reboot, feels perfectly in-line with the classic show, while still pretty immediately "new" in a way that's distinct, but doesn't clash with the original's vibe. 

If only Futurama could've gotten a reboot this slick. Comparing the two, it just instantly speaks for itself - one is treading the same old shyt, uninspired, and meandering in it's depressing inability to barely touch what once was; while the other really justifies it's own existence almost before clicking play. Let's not even mention the Gorillaz reboot. Or the Ren and Stimpy reboot. Or the Aqua Teen reboot. So on...

Definitely excited to see more, I've capped myself off at two so as to save some for later. I think my favorite bit thus far was definitely fat, disgusting bearded Bill - I wish they kept him that way! He was majestic!

Review - Godzilla 2001 (Bandai Creations)

One of my favorite Godzillas is the evil, undying demon of 2001's Godzilla, Mothra, and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack - better known as GMK. So far, I've looked at both the original 8" MMS figure, as well as its 2024 6" reissue; though, between these similar versions, was an original take by American Bandai subsidiary, Bandai Creations - a sub-series featuring unique figures inspired by, but often quite distinct from MMS - released in 2005, as part of BC's third wave.

BC's Godzilla 2001 is a pretty representative example of the sub-series' earlier works; generally true to the intended design, but oddly exaggerated in small, but substantial ways that throw the overall likeness. The figure looks a bit like if you took the Japanese figure and threw it through the Content Aware Scale; very strange, questionable proportions - such as the clownish feet, mitten hands, and bowling pin head - though still carrying the character's core "look" somewhere in there. As an aside, as a kid, I actually didn't recognize this guy as GMK specifically - I assumed it was some odd, generalized spin on Godzilla '54. It's just so... wonky. 

I think the figure's strongest aspect is it's face; from some angles, they did a pretty solid job capturing GMK's evil snarl, and serpentine hunch - though, from others, he's like if Willie Tanner morphed into a Godzilla. The body somewhat captures the incarnation's massive build - even that beer belly - yet also, gives him this warped, anemic look, as if GMK went on Ozempic. Another one of GMK's defining characteristics - his huge, misshapen spines - are very rounded down, and undefined; sculpted into long, unbroken "chunks", with filled-in blank spaces between each spine, which themselves are angled upward very unnaturally - a quirk you'll find across various MMS-types of the time.

There is a certain awkwardness to the overall figure, between it's wafting arms, perfectly straight tail, and weird proportions - though, I'd be lieing if I said it doesn't capture GMK at all. It's nowhere near the accuracy of the MMS, but, I can reasonably see the vision. I'll even add that the figure's detailing is pretty solid, covered in a tactile variety of wrinkles, scales and bony grooves - credit where credit's due. Though one would assume it's based directly on the MMS predecessor, it's so off, I almost wonder if it could've been referencing some specific concept art, or illustration? Whatever the case may be, points for trying it's own thing, but, unfortunately, it just doesn't come together. 

GMK features six points of articulation, just like the MMS - neck, both shoulders, both thighs, and tail. As mentioned before, his arms are sculpted in a sort of lifeless "wave" - though, you could also see it as a vague action look, lending themselves somewhat to creative posing.

Cast in black, solid whites define GMK's eyes, teeth, claws and spines - sprayed just before the midpoint of the tail - with a light maroon tongue. Straightforward as it may be, the figure's paint is very cleanly applied. Not a whole lot to say. 

Directly comparing him to his Japanese counterpart(s)... no contest. I could go into specifics, such as the differences in paint, proportions, et cetera, but I think the photos really speak for themselves. At best, the BC GMK is a uniquely stylized take - at worst, it's just very, very off.

It's worth mentioning the BC figure was the only 6" scale GMK until the 2024 reissue of the 2001 original - so, for many a fan, he probably filled that niche well enough. Still, even in that very specific case, I think anyone would agree he just doesn't hold up to standard. 

BC's GMK is an odd little guy - not terrible, but not especially good, either. Things just really fall apart from the neck down. These days, there's not much of a reason to hunt him down in particular, what with  the aforementioned MMS reissue; though, many a fan is quite nostalgic for the figure, being so readily available across most retailers at the time. I'd imagine most who want, or own him fall into this category - myself included. While there's not much draw to the toy, it's a unique take on the character, and it's got it's own oddball appeal. 

Check out my previous MMS reviews:

Gamera 1965

Barugon

Gyaos 1967

Godzilla 1968
Anguirus 1968
Gabara

Zigra

Gigan 1972

Gigan 1972 (BC)

Godzilla 1974 / 1975
MechaGodzilla 1974

King Ceasar (BC)
MechaGodzilla 1975

Godzilla 1984

Godzilla 1992

Destoroyah (BC)

Gamera 1995
Gamera 1996

Gamera 1999

Godzilla 2001

Godzilla 2001 (2024)

Zilla 2004

Godzilla 2014

Godzilla 2014 (BC)

King Ghidorah 2019
Kong 2021
MechaGodzilla 2021

Gigan Rex

Gamera Rebirth

Godzilla Minus One

Godzilla Evolved

Review - MechaGodzilla 1975 (Movie Monster Series)

The grand finale to the original Showa era Godzilla series, 1975's Terror of MechaGodzilla is one of my all-time favorite kaiju films; a uniquely dark, thoughtful, and yet expectedly - and hilariously - surreal last hurrah, best summed up by the show-stopping line, "Even If You Are A Cyborg... I Still Love You". Heart wrenching. 

Following it's defeat in 1974's Godzilla Vs MechaGodzilla, the mechanical monster is rebuilt by the ape-faced Black Hole Aliens using technology designed by an excommunicated doctor, sent spiraling into poverty after proposing a controversial method of controlling Kaiju; joining forces with the invaders as he ties the rebuilt MechaGodzilla's brain to that of his cybernetic daughter, Katsura - an unwilling pawn in the aliens' master plan. Cold, beaten, and ominous, MechaGodzilla 2 is a terrifying Terminator compared to his dexterous predecessor - effortlessly demolishing Tokyo and Godzilla alike with an empty stare. It may sound a bit out-there, but in that insanity, is a truly compelling, and exciting film, celebrating everything - from the uniquely retro storytelling, to wild, creative imagery- that makes the Showa era so celebrated.

The MMS MG'75, alongside an obscure clear variant, was first released in 2002; reissued soon after in 2004 with no altercations. A black MG'75 (based on the Godzilla Island TV series) was later included as part of 2005's Godzilla 50th Anniversary Memorial Box, and reissued solo by Hyper Hobby in 2007 - just before MMS' long hiatus. A mere 13 years later, 2020's  "Metallic Green" variant was released - which does not appear to be green, at all - followed by 2021's "Damage Color" variant, a slightly more shiny, but ultimately identical take offered through the Godzilla Store.

Spurred by these reissues, mystery companies such as TWcare - who we've covered before - have begun pushing bootleg copies, as well; lacking in paint, but still, just about the same figures, running as low as $20. That's a bargain. I'm glad so many once rare figures have become accessible, one way or another - between the reissues, and bootlegs, it's night and day compared to about a decade ago, when this dude was somewhat sought after.

Then, there's also the similar  - but different! - MG'74s released by BC in 2009, and MMS in 2024; if you want a full comparison between the three caballeros, check out my MMS MG'74 review. Anywho, tonight we'll be looking at the original 2002/4 MG'75, a real MMS highlight.

A lumbering tank, Bandai's MG'75 carries lot of mass, striking a movie accurate battle pose as he aims his newly fashioned rotating finger missiles with a diabolical glare.  Really perfect likeness on that head. I think there's something odd going on with his proportions, particularly those squat legs, and lanky arms - let alone, his massive fingers - but the figure's really incredible detail carries, and it all works effectively in supporting that pose. In spite of these quirks, the figure is very tactile, and real - beyond the menagerie of screen-accurate mechanical intricacies Bandai's known to love, there's even subtle details such as vague, concave wrinkles across various parts of the body - particularly, the thighs, and chest - emulating the physical materials of the suit. So cool. You really get the sense there was a lot of love going into this sculpt, from top to bottom. 

At six points of articulation, there's a fair bit to work with - much more than the average MMS; though, like figures such as BC's Godzilla 2014, or the MMS Gamera '96, you're pretty much limited by that predermined "perfect" pose - but hey, what a pose. I really dig MMS that bring their character to life in this manner, and MG'75 is one of the greatest examples. I'd much rather have some fun extraneous articulation than barely any at all; it's funny to me how the pre-posed, and otherwise much slower MG'75 got six points, whereas the MG'74 released over a decade later - a version of the character with plenty of spring in his step  - got two.

Largely a muted, sporadically sparkly metallic silver, dark silver detailings highlight MG'75's build, with red "ears" and mouth-missiles, orange eyes, shiny gold pupils, and, of course, blue and orange "MG2" logos. Overall a pretty spectacular paint job, very much matching '75's gruff, tattered appearance, with appropriate dashes of fun eye-catching flair in the golden pupils - an insanely cool choice that brings the figure even closer to the onscreen monster - or even just the nicely tarnished body. 

MG'75 is one of my favorite MMS - really top-of-the line stuff. I'd go as far as to say its one of their best works. I think it's only real issue are those sort of questionable proportions, but even then, it all works perfectly in and of itself. Finding him shouldn't be too hard, what with those aforementioned reissues, and knock-offs; but, as is almost always the case, I gotta recommend hunting down the original. Definiely one of MMS - and the Black Hole Aliens' - finest creations.

Check out my previous MMS reviews:

Gamera 1965

Barugon

Gyaos 1967

Godzilla 1968
Anguirus 1968
Gabara

Zigra

Gigan 1972

Gigan 1972 (BC)

Godzilla 1974 / 1975
MechaGodzilla 1974

King Ceasar (BC)

Godzilla 1984

Godzilla 1992

Destoroyah (BC)

Gamera 1995
Gamera 1996

Gamera 1999

Godzilla 2001

Godzilla 2001 (2024)

Zilla 2004

Godzilla 2014

Godzilla 2014 (BC)

King Ghidorah 2019
Kong 2021
MechaGodzilla 2021

Gigan Rex

Gamera Rebirth

Godzilla Minus One

Godzilla Evolved

Digital Bleeps

Been a slow season; drawing, working. Existing. Lately I've been working on a couple large, but small scenes for the MidLife: Fate project with lots of background zombie extras - always a fun creative challenge, especially when working within specific poses, or environments. When the zombies aren't one-off sporadic designs, they're weirdo references- you'll notice lots of sneaky little cameos in the WIP shot pictured to the left; JTHM, HatBox Ghost, the Queen of England... so on.

I've been going back to various earlier segments, sprucing things up, and sort of tieing things together - particularly sections a bit too meandering in their beta state; though, I try not to get too Richard Williamsy about it, endless perfectionism and whatever. It's all meant to look a bit jank, style-wise, so that's something I gotta hold on to - as tempting as it is to mull over every microscopic detail. Still, fun to chip away, expanding concepts and making things as narsty as possible.

It's especially hard not to go too hard with the animations themselves - an ongoing goal of mine is to do things a bit more limited, retro, maybe even Anime style, rather than the increasingly intricate stuff I've been experimenting with - awesome as it looks. Gotta find ways to cut back, without sacrificing my own interest. 

Well, what's on the tube, Smogmonster? ALF. Duh. But beyond that, I've been repeatedly passing out to Matt McMuscles' Wha Happun; a cool YouTube series covering the hellish development of games, movies, and... yeah, that's mostly it. Really zen, love the guy's way of speaking, and snappy research. Plus, he's a buff skeleton. What's not to love.

I've also been binging SpongeBob non-stop; people say there's some point in the series where things significantly fall off, but I dunno, it's all cozy fun. The first few seasons are stone-cold classics, sure, but I've yet to find any particular stretch of "ass content". Forgettable, maybe, but not nearly as abhorrent as Cartoon Tubers lead you to believe. Eugh. Odd Bunch. Just a comforting show, I like the goofball positivity. 

Speaking of which, my depression's been fading. I'm even considering dropping Zoloft; something I wouldn't have at all considered as recently as a year ago, but these days, I find my more manic anxiety has sloped away to... meh? Nothing? They say a guy's brain finishes maturing around 25, and yeah, I definitely feel it. Maybe it's one of those self fulfilling things. Either way, a storm has passed - a lot of things I feel spurred my mental issues as a younger 20-something have now long, long passed, and I don't find myself getting quite as Squidwardly quite as often. Wack. Here's hoping that all goes smooooovely. 

Hopefully I'll have more time to pick away at my Movie Monster Series reviews soon; I definitely wanna look at the Cybot Godzilla, one of my favorites as of late. Still, the 30 reviews I've cranked out thus far ain't bad. Here's to then, whenever then comes.