BAB Firsts - Karen says: Welcome to the Sanctum, Part 1

This post was originally published on November 30 2009

Since Doug has shared many of his treasures with all of us here at the blog, I thought I might welcome all of you into my comics sanctum, a place where I can meditate on all things geek. The sanctum is in a constant state of flux, with new arrivals coming in, and old favorites being pulled out of a closet or box to take their place on a shelf or wall for a little while.

I will ask you to pardon the dust, as living in the desert makes it nearly impossible to keep things dust-free for very long. Hopefully the overall cool factor will make up for that!

First off - come on in.

You see here the view from the doorway. Dead center is one of the most essential elements of any sanctum - the comfy chair. In fact, this chair is so comfy, it is often a struggle to stay awake in it. Many a comics review has started here, only to be delayed by a nap.

Behind the chair is the one item I almost regret buying, Captain America's shield. Don't get me wrong, it's a beautiful replica (and hefty too), but I still can't believe I spent so much money on it. Easily the most expensive 'toy' I've ever bought.

To the left of the shield is an autographed picture of the Man himself, Stan Lee. Also included in that photo frame is a small piece of paper, on which I got both Stan Lee and Jack Kirby's autographs back in 1975 at the San Diego Comic Con. It's a long story but let's just say that Kirby signed first and when Stan saw his signature, I wasn't sure I would get his autograph! However, Stan was a great guy and did sign - although he turned the paper upside down - so Kirby's name was not above his?

To the right of the shield is one of my favorite posters, Alex Ross' interpretation of Marvel in the 1970s. It has an amazing number of 70s characters on it, all in the beautiful Ross style. You'll notice as we look around the sanctum that a lot of my art is from Ross. What can I say? He's the best.
Also in the first pic you can see some comic boxes. Those are primarily either some of my favorite books, or new books. Besides the boxes there I have another 12 in the closet of the room, and the vast bulk, 24 more, downstairs in the vault (aka the utility closet). I really need to sell some books.

Proclaiming their prowess from the top of the comic boxes are Thor and Doctor Doom. I'm not an action figure collector but my fiance thought these were great and he knows they are two of my favorite characters, so he got them for me. They do look really outstanding. In the window are the Avengers mini-mates figures, going all out against Ultron.

In the corner atop the bookcase is my tribute to Ray Harryhausen, the incredibly skilled artist behind Jason and the Argonauts, Seventh Voyage of Sinbad, Golden Voyage of Sinbad, and so many other classic fantasy films that were my bread and butter as a kid. Harryhausen made these creatures come alive, with their own personalities and idiosyncrasies. I can never get enough of his work.


The bookcase below the Harryhausen figures holds primarily my film reference books, my comics DVD-ROMs, and my Lord of the Rings books. The Creature from the Black Lagoon holds a business card for the now defunct Parkway Theater in Oakland, California. The Parkway was an amazing place with the feel of an old glamorous theater that had aged somewhat. They would serve pizza and sandwiches (and beer), and they were home to Thrillville, a wonderful venue for all films strange and wonderful. Thrillville was a once-a-month show hosted by Will the Thrill and his wife, Monica the Tiki Goddess. It had to be experienced to believed. Let's just say I had a lot of great nights at Thrillville -and I saw the Creature in 3-D there too.

And before you ask, yes, that metallic Godzilla does look pretty weird. It opens up to reveal a secret base inside, with a tank, jet plane, launching missiles, and some sort of odd, telescoping pole. I have no idea why this exists but I bought it about 25 years ago and it still makes me shake my head whenever I see it.

Next time: The Corner of the Jedi!

UPDATE: Karen here, speaking to you from the future -well, from Jan 2, 2015. I was stunned to see this post from five years ago. The room has changed so much, especially over this past Christmas. I'd like to add a couple of pictures, just for comparison's sake -and for posterity:

In Appreciation of: Ray Harryhausen

Karen: Ray Harryhausen, the master of stop-motion animation, passed away this week on May 7th at the venerable age of 92. He was a legend in the special effects world, an unparalleled artist whose work influenced untold numbers of film-makers, writers, artists, and other creative types, and fueled the imaginations of generations.

Karen: He was one of my first guides to the world of the fantastic. His films played often on the local TV stations, and whenever they came on, I was transfixed. It took a few years before I learned the secrets of how he gave life to his creatures, but it didn't diminish their magic; if anything, it made them even more impressive.

Karen: Ray's work was elegant; his creations all had personalities of their own. He managed to convey a tremendous amount of emotion through such limited figures. The body movement of a Harryhausen figure was unmistakable -as a kid, I would imitate the strange yet graceful moves of the Cyclops or Ymir. He made monsters, yet they were all beautiful monsters.

Karen: Harryhausen was so incredibly talented. Think about it: he could sketch, paint, sculpt, and even learned photography, so he take the pictures of the stop-motion figures himself. Any one of these fields would be difficult to take on, but he was proficient in all of them. His imagination knew no bounds. Look at the amazing array of creatures he designed over the years. From dinosaurs to mythical beasts to flying saucers, Ray could envision them all and bring them to life. 

Karen: Modern CGI effects may look more "realistic" but to me they seem to lack the artistry that Ray's work brought to the screen. Where is the soul? Can anyone name a CGI 'artist'? I have no doubt that Ray's work will be remembered for as long as there are movies. I'm grateful to have experienced the thrill of seeing his films as a child, of having them make such a powerful impression upon me, of experiencing their magic and being able to close my eyes and picture the Cyclops or Talos  whenever I please. Thank you Ray, for all the wonderful films.

I'd like to also point readers back to a previous post, regarding the (hopefully) soon to be released on DVD documentary, "Ray Harryhausen: Special Effects Titan." This is a fabulous documentary!

Ray Harryhausen: Special Effects Titan

Karen: Last weekend I hopped on a plane and flew out to my true home, the Oakland-San Francisco Bay Area. Besides seeing An American Werewolf in London on the big screen (as I mentioned on Thursday), I also caught the U.S. premiere of a documentary, "Ray Harryhausen: Special Effects Titan" at the Bal Theater in San Leandro. This is a wonderful documentary -I've seen others on Harryhausen, but this one really has it all: test footage, rare behind the scenes stuff, and plenty of footage with Ray himself. On top of this, the producers sought out many top film-makers, including Steven Spielberg, James Cameron, Guillermo del Toro, John Landis, Peter Jackson, etc., to interview about how Harryhausen has influenced them. It's great stuff.

Making this showing even more special was the fact that one of the producers, Tony Dalton, agreed to be Skyped in before the show so the audience could ask questions -despite it being 3:30 AM his time!Dalton was a delight, and explained that one of the intentions of the documentary was to help raise money for the Ray and Diana Harryhausen Foundation, which is seeking a home for Ray's models and artwork.

On top of all this, special effects gurus Phil Tippett and Dennis Muren were also in attendance, and after the film they got up and spoke about their careers, and Ray.

The finale was a showing of "Golden Voyage of Sinbad," which was coincidentally the first Harryhausen movie I saw in a theater. It was great to see it on a big screen again, after almost 40 years! The Bal Theater and Bay Area Film Events did a fantastic job.

The producers have said that a DVD of the documentary will be out "soon," so if you're a Harryhausen fan, keep your eyes peeled!

Ray Harryhausen Documentary

Karen: I thought I would share with all of you this trailer for what looks like an excellent documentary on the amazing Ray Harryhausen. Sounds like it probably won't be out until next year though.

This certainly looks promising. They assembled a lot of well-known folks to sing the praises of Harryhausen -and rightfully so! His films have a beauty that the more realistic effects of today cannot touch. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy a good CGI-laden flick as much as anyone, but Harryhausen's creations had personality and a uniqueness that you just don't see today. His movies transported me to far off magical realms and fired my imagination like no others. He's truly one of a kind.

5 Ray Harryhausen Movies to Love

With the remake of that 80s Ray Harryhausen classic "Clash of the Titans" set to come out in a month, I thought I might rank some of my favorite Harryhausen flicks. Much like comics and Star Trek, Harryhausen was a huge influence on my childhood, particularly his films with a mythological theme. Those movies had everything - monsters, heroes, wizards, gods! For a kid who loved to read the ancient myths, they were thrilling beyond belief. My only wish is that Harryhausen had made a film based on Norse myths. That would have been fantastic to see Thor and Odin, storm giants, trolls, and dragons. Ah to dream...

I'm going to present these in sort of a reverse order. Actually, except for #1, on any given day of the week I might rank them differently! All of them are highly entertaining, as are most of Harryhausen's movies. My only exception/disappointment would be First Men in the Moon, mostly because it takes so long to get going, and secondly, because of the low budget, which forced them to use kids in costumes to supplement Ray's stop-motion work with the Selenites. But I digress. Without any further ado, and presented in the miracle of Dynarama, here they are:



#5: Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger (1977). This is a very solid Sinbad entry, except for one thing: the miscasting of Patrick Wayne as Sinbad. Yes, that's American Western hero John Wayne's son up there, fighting giant walruses and giving Jane Seymour the eye. Nothing against Wayne but he just doesn't have the right spirit for the role (come to think of it, neither did Kerwin Matthews!). But who cares - Harryhausen again gives us our money's worth with such creations as Trog, the Minoton, and that funky chess-playing baboon! I think this flick gets a lower rating from me not only for Wayne, but because many of the creatures in it are simply versions of actual animals: the baboon, the walrus, the giant wasp, the sabertooth tiger. Just not quite as exciting as some of the other creations seen in other Harryhausen films. Oh, and for those so inclined , there is the lovely Ms. Seymour and Taryn Powers, daughter of Tyrone Powers. A solid fantasy flick.





#4: Clash of the Titans (1981). A wonderful tale of Greek mythology with Harry Hamlin as the hero Perseus, Burgess Meredith (AKA the Penguin from TV's Batman) as his wise counselor, Ammon, and an assortment of well-known stars in the roles of the greek pantheon. Really, how did they get Laurence Olivier to play Zeus? Hamlin is rather bland but nice to look at. There are some great moments -and monsters - in this movie; Perseus' confrontation with Medusa is thrilling and suspenseful. I'll never forget that tail rattle! The appearance of the Kraken, rising hundreds of feet above the ocean waves, is just amazing. The remake has a lot to live up to.





#3: The Golden Voyage of Sinbad (1974). aka Groovy 70s Sinbad. That's John Phillip Law as the very cool Sinbad in this film - you might recall him from Barbarella (or maybe not). In any case, he's my favorite Sinbad and seems to have a good time with the role. The rest of the cast is pretty good too. I always dug the masked Vizier, who, not unlike Dr. Doom or Darth Vader, had a horribly-scarred face hidden beneath his mask of gold. However the Vizier was a good guy. Scream-queen Caroline Munroe plays a girl with a mysterious tattoo, and is Sinbad's love interest. And Tom Baker -that's right, Dr. Who himself - does a great turn here as the evil wizard Koura. But who cares, let's talk about monsters! The battle with the many-armed Kali is definitely a highlight of this film. Although Harryhausen comments that he was unhappy with the full-sized statue in the excellent book, Ray Harryhausen: An Animated Life, the sequence is still dazzling. We also get a terrific battle between a brutish, giant one -eyed centaur and a griffon near the end. Although it is not a Harryhausen effect, I always liked the Oracle that appears in a sheet of flames; that seemed conjured right out of my dreams. But that's the beauty of these films: they are like dreams come to life.



#2: The 7th Voyage of Sinbad (1958). I've got three words for you: Cyclops versus Dragon! Perhaps the most spectacular monster throw-down in any Harryhausen film, these two creatures elevate this film to a high position, despite the general blandness of Kerwin Matthews as Sinbad and Kathryn Grant as the princess. You also have to get past the kid genie, who becomes pretty grating after awhile. On the other hand, my favorite evil wizard of all time is here: the menacing Torin Thatcher as Sokura, who just dominates when he is on-screen. But let's talk creatures. This film is chock-full of 'em. We get the cyclops (actually there's two of them, they're just never shown together), one of Harryhausen's most dynamic and expressive beasts. I love the scenes where he's going to roast Sinbad and his crew! Next up is the Roc, a vicious, giant, two-headed bird, and its baby, who is so fluffy and cute, he should be in a toilet paper commercial. There's a sword-wielding skeleton, and a dancing snake-woman too. But the show-stealer is the dragon, huge, sinuous, and breathing flame. I recall as a kid being fascinated by watching the dragon's sides move in and out as it breathed. It almost made me think it was real!




#1: Jason and the Argonauts (1963). The king-daddy of fantasy flicks. I re-watched (for probably the 50th time) this film just recently to refresh my memory, and there wasn't a dull moment. This film is just a thrill to watch from beginning to end. Our hero Jason is caught in a game of the gods, as he tries to regain his father's throne by recovering the mythical Golden Fleece. Along the way, he encounters the colossal bronze warrior Talos, the vicious Harpies, a gigantic sea-god, the 8-headed hydra, and the famous skeleton warriors. To top it all off, there's a wonderful score by Bernard Herrmann. Seriously, go buy the soundtrack -it'll make you want to go out and fight monsters!

My two favorite parts of the film are the sequences with Talos and the skeleton fight at the end. When the giant Talos climbs slowly down from atop the stone store-room he has been guarding, you hear his metal body creaking. Even Hercules runs in fear from this titan. Talos chases after those who have stolen from the gods (Hercules steals a giant knitting needle, of all things) and in a spectacular scene, straddles the bay, grabbing Jason's ship the Argo as the sailors frantically try to row away from him! He tosses the ship like a toy, and the sailors go flying into the water. When they reach the shore, the giant greets them, and Jason manages to exploit his weak spot, a screw in his heel. When Jason springs this, Talos' molten blood comes gushing out, and the giant dies, pitifully clutching at his throat. This was Harryhausen at his finest, giving an emotional depth to a character of extremely limited facial expression. Towards the end of the film, as Jason and his men make off with the Fleece, he is confronted by a group of skeleton warriors conjured from the teeth of the Hydra. The scenes of Jason and his men sword-fighting with the skeletal terrors are fantastic examples of the high degree of skill that Harryhausen had to employ to make such scenes look real. Yet they do - for every stroke there is a parry, for every blow received, a reaction. It's a thrilling sequence, and probably inspired many a Dungeons and Dragons game.

Harryhausen not only made some classic films: he inspired entire generations of film-makers and special effects artists. He is truly one of the titans of film effects, and all modern fantasy films owe a great debt to his genius.

Our Wish Lists

It's Christmas Eve, kiddies!

Get yourself in bed, and no peeking down the stairs!

Doug: Wouldn't it be cool if, in addition to world peace, I found these things under my tree this Friday?

Sal Buscema: Comics Fast and Furious Artist from TwoMorrows Publishing.

Let's hear some love for Big John's little brother, Sal! If you're a Bronze Age fan, and I'll assume you are since you're here, then Sal's your man. Amazing Spider-Man, Marvel Team-Up, the Incredible Hulk, the Defenders, Peter Parker, the Avengers -- you name it, Sal drew it! Sal's long been due some love for his contributions, and I'd love to read this new retrospective.

Mego 8" Super-Heroes: World's Greatest Toys from TwoMorrows Publishing

I've chronicled a couple of times my love for Megos. I had the chance to thumb through this tome last summer, and will heartily recommend it to any early '70's action figure enthusiasts. This book is very colorful, incredibly detailed -- from what I could tell, all variations in packaging, clothing, head sculpts, etc. are depicted in photos large enough to do justice.

DC Universe Illustrated by Neal Adams

I own the 3-part Batman Illustrated by Neal Adams and am looking forward to this and the coming volume 2. I have Adams' Green Lantern/Green Arrow work collected in two tpb's; I do not have his Deadman volume. Anyone out there want to recommend that? I should say that I've read some reviews of this book and some Adams fans are put out that Neal was allowed to re-ink and re-color some of his work here and it wasn't all that pleasing. I can't comment on that, but thought I should at least state it.

Marvel Comics in the 1960's from TwoMorrows Publishing


The main premise of this book is available online at the Silver Age Marvel Comics Cover Index, but I wanted the book format. My biggest complaint is that the original cover art was much cooler than what shipped. I'm a sucker for comics history, so I'm looking forward to reading this take on Marvel's expansion throughout the Silver Age.

And last but not least, how about the blue and yellow Goliath figure from Hasbro's Marvel Universe line? At 12" tall, he will fit in just fine with my Marvel Legends, and give me a nice survey of the career of Dr. Henry Pym -- I already have the little and 6" size Ant-Man, the Giant-Man build-a-figure, and Yellowjacket. This will be perfect!



Karen: Well, Santa has already left a really big box under our tree this year. I have a sneaking suspicion that a rather large bust or figure might be inside. I'll get back to you after the 25th!
For myself, there's a few things out there I'd really like. Doug, I also would like to get that Sal Buscema book from Twomorrows, and I have the Marvel Comics in the 1960s book, so if you get that one, we can do a review on it! Now as for other presents I'd like to receive, this first one is definitely on its way, as I just ordered it! The Marvel Masterworks series has been moving into the 1970s, and I've already got the Warlock and Captain Marvel editions. I was really excited to see that Deathlok was getting the MM treatment! This volume has ASTONISHING TALES #25-28, 30-36, MARVEL SPOTLIGHT #33, MARVEL TEAM-UP #46, MARVEL TWO-IN-ONE #27, 54 and CAPTAIN AMERICA #286-288 - basically all the Deathlok you need!



One other book I'd like is Keep Watching the Skies by Bill Warren. This is a massive (1040 pages!) book that examines the classic sci fi movies of the 50s and 60s. As this is a period of great interest for me, and the book comes highly recommended, I really hope to get it some time soon. The price is a bit steep but I'm sure it's something I would reference again and again. You never know when you'll need to have info on Invasion of the Saucer-Men at your fingertips!




It would be great to get this boxed set of Ray Harryhausen movies at Christmas - then I could sit back and watch flicks on my days off! This set contains the films 20 Million Miles to Earth, 7th Voyage of Sinbad, It Came from Beneath The Sea, and Earth Vs. The Flying Saucers, all pretty entertaining stuff. But I'm a Harryhausen nut - I can never get enough of seeing his little creations running around!


I hope everybody gets something nice from Santa -and may everyone have a safe, healthy, happy holiday.