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Tuesday, December 28, 2010
  1975-1985


In the 1970s, DC and Marvel concurred that they co-owned a copyright on the trademark "super-heroes" - and so a third party -Mego- convinced them that they should allow all of their top properties to rub shoulders as part of the same line of toys. And so they did. This time of peace was short-lived - but it did seem to be a wonderful thing, at the time... Even though the action figures were particularly odd at times - and seemed to belong in Barbie's dollhouse rather than in the G.I. Joe cavern or tavern - or wherever that very gay Joe was hanging in fact - but that is another story. Onwards with the joint toyline - for better and for worse.

 


Trust me; they made better commercials too - unfortunately only when they trimmed the toyline! Granted, there was a certain unfortunate extension of the line first, before that - one that made both brands of super-heroes co-habitate with the casts and crews of such alternate universes as "POTA" and Star Trek as well. This odd turn of events didn't make it any worse for the toy collectors who would be enchanted, normally, to be allowed to mix-and-match characters like this, all on the same scale too, figure-wise... Imaginative kids such as me always welcomed the chance to make very different characters meet up for the very first time; all I know is that it was the norm, for me already, way before ay diversification of toyline occurred! I remain convinced that I am the only one who has ever orchestrated, even in this day and age, a gathering that included the Flintstones, the Smurfs and the Pillsbury Doughboy! But I am digressing... Mego's original (at the time) idea paved the way, years later, for the Remco mish-mash (mixing together Warlord, Conan, Hercules, Arak, Machiste, the Mighty Crusaders, NWA Wrestlers and such critters as the "Warrior Beasts" too!) Not only that but it can easily be said that, in doing such a thing, Mego ignited a trend that eventually snowballed into a myriad crossover events in more than one media: as it is, now, every imaginable character property can be seen meeting up with another one - if the slightest show of demand is there! That all began, surely, with Mego allowing kids to have DC heroes and Marvel heroes battle it out with each other's rogues gallery *and* land smack in the middle of the Planet of the Apes as well - maybe after being beamed there via Star Trek's technology! My only complaint is that Star Wars wasn't part of the same collection, too... Well, you can't have it all! As it was, Mego's assemblage was sufficient to inspire many things, some less tasteful than others; it begat certain undeniable funny moments in toyland though, such as this one:

 


Okay - maybe that was too infantile, even for big boys who play with toys, still... Mego was the premiere action figure maker of the 70s though; despite all of its goofs, visible flaws and on and on... Its disappearance from the market, after a scale-down of the figures, both in dimensions as in numbers, attempt failed in the early 80s, was totally predictable. And then, some ten years after Mego's heyday, the action figure industry finally got it all together and truly got it right: but separately. The joint trademark was no longer reason enough to share a line of action figures - so each went their own way and "may the best line win" they said...! DC...

 


And then Marvel...

 


The winner seems to be very obvious there! They changed everything... I guess. And from simple action figures, these things became mini-statues worthy their weight in gold or something...!


 
  


 Good luck finding one of those now precious collectibles in anything close to "mint condition" - at an affordable price, that is! Then again - maybe you should save yourself the time hunting these down and forking over any abusive amount of dollars for them in the first place - and donate a part of or all of that sum to a good cause; like the poor who have nothing in this world or the environment and its millions of living creatures that are dying because mankind wants nothing but... profit. The very concept of "collecting" was created by people who know nothing more than profit in their daily vocabulary. Collecting, ultimately, may be the most pathetic aspect of consumerism, due to its quickly attained level of total and complete lack of usefulness. Remember *that* now...!

.

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Saturday, December 25, 2010
  Christmas
Aye, it is.
It's Christmas Time - 
again.



And there will be 
scary ghost stories - 
according to one 
old Andy Williams 
who must be senile 
and confusing it 
with All-Hallows' Eve! 

It's the most wonderful 
time of the year - 
that much he ascertains.
Hearts will be glowing 
when loved ones are near.
And tales of the glories
of Christmases 
long, long ago... 

I always liked history myself,
but still...

It will be a gay happy time, 
he furthers...

It is official - 
he is senile. 

But that is not the 
main concern right now... 


What is, 
you ask?


That Christmas 
is, has been, 
and always will be 
as long as the world 
endures, 
a time of peace 
and serenity.
One huge paradox 
right there; 
for the world continues 
to be a hellhole 
all throughout 
the year - 
24/7, non-stop, 
without a pause 
for peace 
nor serenity, 
much less 
to remember 
the reason 
for the 
season -
the one true 
reason 
for it all...


And thinking of it 
should make us 
remember 
the pain, 
the suffering 
that continues  
all over the globe... 


For He Was Born 
To Suffer...
For He Was Born 
To Die 
For Us... 


I always thought 
of these things 
whenever it was 
"Christmas Time - 
again"


And it shocked me 
that others 
would not even 
think of the 
very same things 
on the exact
same occasion... 


Because it is 
Christmas Time 
again 
for everyone - 
everyone in 
abundance 
and everyone 
in need...


That 
and many more 
reasons 
explain why 
my favorite 
Christmas Song 
is not 
Mr. Williams' 
classic 
nor 
any other classic
but this one 
right here:











Merry Christmas 


+++




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Born in the Age of Aquarius, destined to seek out truths in many an art form, trained as a historian and a journalist but truly a prose-lover... Luciano is out to dispel any clichés and reinvent them all both to the tune of a little something called the truth as also to his own image - and being old-fashioned, he does not mind that distinction one infinitesimal tiny bit at all...! "There are two ways to spread the light; be the candle... or the mirror that reflects It." I have chosen to be the latter... okay? ~*~ "To be not only a seeker of light... but a dream weaver of light" ~*~ For as surely as the moon reflects the light from the sun, you and I can reflect the Light from Above - and be, indeed, the light of this world! ~*~*~*~ NOTE: THERE ARE COOKIES ~ from at least three parties~ ON ALL OF MY BLOGS! ~*~ accept it!

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