Detritus of the Mind

So once again, real life has been kicking me repeatedly in the butt.  But I still want to keep this going.  I plan to finish the Bierbaum Legionnaires this year (friggin' finally! ), but after that, I have a list of possible subjects to address.  The only thing I wanted to review that I've put on the back-burner is X-Men 2099 , and that is entirely because the Great 2099 Creator Walk-Off still can't be verified/refuted/what-have-you.  If it's true, it's important to address; if not, I don't want to keep repeating it as fact.  When it's a comic rumor and Brian Cronin can't help you verify or deny it, you're in trouble. So here's a list of potential projects to review: - Several comic series are on the proverbial docket.  I have a couple that are either notoriously bad or have hidden potential buried in layers of badness - namely, Marvel's Mutant X  for the former and DC's Son of Vulcan  mini for the latter.  I wanted to do a review tha...

So, in case you wanted some supplemental links and side opinions to go with the Pilot Program, I've created this endnotes page.  It's a little sparse - for some reason, even the internet doesn't care about 80s failed toy-derived cartoons even as its wallows in nostalgia for them - but what I can share is pretty entertaining. For anyone interested in watching the Pilot Program subjects,  I've compiled a YouTube playlist in order of the write-ups.   The only multi-part subject is Poochie , but the rest are the full shows.  Enjoy and then let me know your impressions of the subjects, if you feel like it. In what may be a case of "something in the water", this past month has seen two of my favorite video game related places cover the last two subjects on their respective platforms. First, we have  the Retronauts podcast and a career review of Rare , starting with their ZX Spectrum days as Ultimate Play the Game. As someone who knows little about British...

The Pilot Program is a look at various merchandise-centric cartoons that were released as specials in the 80s & 90s; while they were clearly set up to go to series, they never did.  Every entry will look at a new show, who made it, what it was selling, and whether it would’ve made a good series. BUBSY (1993) SUMMARY: Bubsy is a great hero – just ask him, and he’ll tell you at length.   After inviting his twin niece & nephew over for their birthday gift of tormenting his designated sidekick Arnold the Armadillo, he sees a news story interviewing a scientist who invented a virtual reality helmet that can wish anything its wearer wants into existence.   He wants to test it because the call goes out for someone brave/crazy to try it, but a woman named Allie Cassandra wants the helmet to wish herself up some more swag.   She sends her minions Buzz & Sid to steal the helmet and kidnap the twins as a snack for themselves.   After much wackines...

The Pilot Program is a look at various merchandise-centric cartoons that were released as specials in the 80s & 90s; while they were clearly set up to go to series, they never did.  Every entry will look at a new show, who made it, what it was selling, and whether it would’ve made a good series. BATTLETOADS (1992) SUMMARY: Morgan, Dave, & George are the biggest losers at Oxnard, CA’s Waldo P. Oxnard Junior High; they’re deemed a bad influence on each other, and at the principal’s insistence, they try & fail to find new social circles.  After failing miserably, they retreat to the Stop-N-Scarf to play games; suddenly, the screen glows and out come Princess Angelica & her friend, Professor T-Bird.  Their entire galaxy has been conquered by the vicious Dark Queen, who wants to steal the Galactical Amulet Angelica wears to gain more power.  After asking the boys for help, he sprays them with “the genetic essence of the ancient Battletoads”...

The Pilot Program is a look at various merchandise-centric cartoons that were released as specials in the 80s & 90s; while they were clearly set up to go to series, they never did.  Every entry will look at a new show, who made it, what it was selling, and whether it would’ve made a good series. FLUPPY DOGS (1986) SUMMARY: The Fluppies are dogs that talk like humans, can switch between being bipedal & quadrupedal, and come from a land of ice with a perpetual aurora borealis (a “rainbow sky”, as they put it).  A band of five, however, have been pulled from their home and are stuck bouncing around dimensions.  Using a crystal key & Ozzie’s ability to sniff out the doorways, they eventually make their way to Earth.  Once there, they are caught and taken to the pound, where their leader Stanley is adopted by a woman.  This woman, Mrs. Bingham, is getting her son Jamie a dog for his birthday, but Jamie is disappointed that his new dog...

The Pilot Program is a look at various merchandise-centric cartoons that were released as specials in the 80s & 90s; while they were clearly set up to go to series, they never did.  Every entry will look at a new show, who made it, what it was selling, and whether it would’ve made a good series. STAR FAIRIES (1985) SUMMARY:   Princess Sparkle lives in the land of Wish-Come-True; from her home at Castle Wishstar, she receives every wish desired by a child who has ever wished on the first star of the evening (you know, the “star light, star bright” rhyme).  However, she’s getting overwhelmed from the sheer volume of requests, so she petitions the Wishing Well for a helper.  It directs her to Mount Wishmore to make her own wish with her magic wand on a shooting star; the magic from the wand then turns into five new helpers for her – Spice, Jazz, Nightsong, Whisper, and True Love.  Each sets out to help a child with their wish, and all but Spice ...

The Pilot Program is a look at various merchandise-centric cartoons that were released as specials in the 80s & 90s; while they were clearly set up to go to series, they never did.  Every entry will look at a new show, who made it, what it was selling, and whether it would’ve made a good series. ROSE PETAL PLACE (1984) SUMMARY:   A long time ago in a Victorian mansion named Rose Petal Place, the owner’s daughter cried over her beloved garden and wished her flowers could live forever despite her family’s impending move away from the mansion.   Her tears brought the flowers that they touched to life as little pixie-like girls, with their leader being Rose Petal.   Thanks to Rose Petal’s magical voice, the garden continues to thrive even though the mansion itself is falling to pieces.   However, an evil spider named Nastina wants the garden to wither & die so she can take it over.   She first tries to kill Rose Petal & her friends duri...