Friday 80s Flashback for July 26, 2019

[The Great Conjunction] -- In honor of 1982's The Dark Crystal, which turned 35 in 2017, and its new spinoff series, The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance, I thought this week's Flashback should revisit the original movie's soundtrack. The Dark Crystal was billed as the first live-action movie with no human actors on screen. And even without that distinction, The Dark Crystal was still an amazing feat of puppetry and animatronics. I like to say this film is a mix of The Hobbit (in terms of themes) and The Muppet Movie (in regards to the technical elements of bringing the characters to life). It is definitely one of the more creative movies of the early 80s, if not the entire decade. Jim Henson and Frank Oz -- with the help of David Odell (screenplay), Brian Froud (concept artist), and others -- created a fully fleshed out fantasy world of the planet Thra.

Thra | source: Muppet Wiki

Speaking of "and others," Trevor Jones' musical score was -- let's say instrumental -- to that effective bit of world-building. The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack was released on vinyl and cassette in 1982, CD in 2007, and digitally in 2017. In addition to the standard CD release in 2007, a limited edition CD set was also available, and it featured a reissue of the original soundtrack album on disc 1 and a previously unreleased film score on disc 2. For our purposes, I've embedded the the playlist for the reissue of the original 13-track score. Trevor Jones originally wanted to use acoustic instruments and strange electronics, but instead opted for an orchestral score performed by the London Symphony Orchestra. Enjoy!

Flashback: "When single shines the triple sun | What was sundered and undone | Shall be whole, the two made one | By Gelfing hand or else by none." (prophecy about the Dark Crystal)

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Well, that's all till next week. Dedicated 80s-philes can find more flashbacks in the Prophet or Madman archives or via Bookended's 80s Flashback tag. As always, your comments are welcome on today's, or any other, flashback post. And if you like what I'm doing here, please share the link with your friends. If, however, you don't like the flashback, feel free to share it with your enemies.

I'll see you in seven!

Goodbye San Diego Comic-Con

 Saying goodbye to this view. Thank you, Marriott Marquis SD Marina!

Friday 80s Flashback for July 19, 2019

[Comics!] -- I'm currently in San Diego for the San Diego Comic-Con (SDCC). It started with Preview Night on July 17th, and it will roll through until Sunday, July 21. This year is the 50th anniversary of the venerable Nerdhalla. It was founded in 1970 as the Golden State Comic Book Convention. As it grew, this convention was later rebranded with the name we have come to know and recognize. SDCC bounced around to several locations in San Diego until it landed at the San Diego Convention Center where it has been held since 1991. SDCC is now widely recognized as a juggernaut of TV and film events. So much so that critics regularly complain it's "not about comics anymore!" However, there is still plenty of comic book related activity at SDCC, as Comic Spectrum pointed out last year and in 2016. To celebrate SDCC this year, I've selected several 80s tunes inspired by, or about, comic books. What made the latest playlist? Read and hear more the jump.

SDCC last minute reminders

Print out all your confirmations: SDCC Merchandise pre-order, Exclusives Lottery wins, tickets to parties, anything that you think you can get on your phone, don't trust it and print it. Some places only accept the print out too.

Make sure you have binoculars, sunscreen, swimsuit, a few pairs of shoes, extra socks and underwear, and business cards if you are handing them out this year. If you are cosplaying make sure you have all the parts for your costume. And most of all, YOUR BADGE!

I was trying to go from memory for packing and I decided that I shouldn't trust that, so I pulled out my travel folder and found a fun checklist from Crazy for Comic Con's 2012 post!! It was perfect, it helped me remember to get the binoculars out and into my carry on. I love to use them when in our hotel room, if we are lucky enough to get a view.

Another fun thing that someone did and I "stole" :) was creating a secret Facebook group with your friends so that you can safely post where you are and when so a potential meet up could happen at any time. Instead of trying to text everyone or Tweet out your info publicly, I though this was a great idea. So I created one for my group of friends and I am hopeful it will work for us. *Crosses fingers and toes for good service in the center*

I also highly recommend using the My Sched that is offered by CCI. If your friends all use it and you are connected by social media then you can see your friend's schedules and see if anything overlaps. My hubby and I even use it for each other!!

Last but not least, have fun, be nice, sleep well and remember we are all here for the same reason... the love of comics and all that entails.

-Dangrdafne

Friday 80s Flashback for July 12, 2019

[High 'n' Dry] -- 38 years ago this week, Def Leppard released their second full length album, High 'n' Dry (1981). This record charted at #38 on the Billboard 200 in the US, and #26 on the UK's Albums Chart. Those are good rankings, but Def Leppard didn't really achieve breakout status until 1983, with their third album, Pyromania. And after the success of Pyromania, High 'n' Dry entered the charts for the 2nd time. The first time around, High 'n' Dry released two singles: "Let It Go" and "Bringing On The Heartbreak." The latter of the two was remixed and re-released as a single in 1984. This is a seminal record in the annals of hard rock history. But I have to admit, I didn't really pay attention to it until after Pyromania. But looking back on it, I can see Def Leppard's craft developing. Was it evident that their brand of working class hard rock was going to conquer the charts? Well, I don't know about that. But I do know the band's guitar riffs and vocal tracking were developing quite nicely. At least, if you're a fan of that kind of thing, and I definitely am. 

For this week, I couldn't pick just three tracks. So, I'm featuring the entire album. Enjoy!

Flashback: "Let it rock, yeah | Let it roll, let it | Let it go, let it go."

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Well, that's all till next week. Dedicated 80s-philes can find more flashbacks in the Prophet or Madman archives or via Bookended's 80s Flashback tag. As always, your comments are welcome on today's, or any other, flashback post. And if you like what I'm doing here, please share the link with your friends. If, however, you don't like the flashback, feel free to share it with your enemies.

I'll see you in seven!

SDCC 2019

So next week at this time we will be in San Diego anticipating the start of SDCC 2019, the 50th anniversary of SDCC. How amazing is that??

I am very excited for this trip and can’t wait to see all my friends and all the amazing panels and wares to be had on the floor. We don’t have many exclusives to get, except for one in the portal. We did our best to use our credits appropriately but only time will tell if it works out for us. Hopefully the 80th anniversary SDCC Batman will come home with us. What are you looking for this year?

I have some friends on panels this year so I was sure to put their times on my calendar and we always see the animated film on Friday night. Other than that there are no parties on the schedule with the ending of Game of Bloggers and the Hero Within closing party. While I am sad to not have the parties to go to and the time to see certain people, I am happy to have the time open. Hopefully we will still see everyone we want to.

What are your must do panels? Do you have any parties planned?

I am also just looking forward to being away and hanging out in San Diego. It is one of my favorite places to visit and the bonus of seeing my childhood best friend is a huge factor in my love of the area.

I hope everyone attending has safe travels and may all the odds be in our favor to get the exclusives we want and seats at the panels we want. Happy SDCC!!!!

Friday 80s Flashback for July 5, 2019

[Enola Gay] -- August 6, 1945: A Boeing B-29 Superfortress dropped an atomic weapon on Hiroshima, Japan. It was the first atomic bomb used in combat. That bomb was codenamed Little Boy, and the plane that delivered it was the Enola Gay. 35 years, 1 month, 21 days later, the British synth-pop group Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD) released "Enola Gay." "Enola Gay" was the first and only single from the band's sophomore album, Organisation (1980). Some fans apparently thought the song was a coded message that the band members were gay. But that's a misunderstanding. In fact, "Enola Gay" might very well be "the prettiest ever song about an atomic bomber," especially for an anti-war song. And for this week, I've selected three versions of it. You can check them out after the jump.

A Cage Match in a Comic!

Steel Cage #1 is an anthology of three debut comic stories. Each story features top notch, veteran creators. Don't believe me? This book features: