Tannhäuser Tuesday - Hellboy Pt 3

Here are the tokens for Hellboy. 

I received some comments from old pal Rhydderch about the Hellboy powers and agree with some of his points so there will be a tweak to his Character 2-Page Sheet. I'll get that up next week. 

If you have any comments on Hellboy or any of the other BPRD, let me know as I am looking to move on.

I'll be working on the Agent card next. It'll be a twofer - both agents will have the same powers, but there will be two cards for two different figures.

IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT

Pulp of the Week - The Invention of Hugo Cabret

The Invention of Hugo Cabret

Written and illustrated by Brian Selznick

I am the last person in my house (family of 5) to read Brian Selznick's glorious novel / picture book hybrid, The Invention of Hugo Cabret. It is a two inch thick short novel that is rich with wonders and surprises. Selznick intersperses his text with double page pencil drawings that advance the plot and enhance the characters.

 

Selznick says that he was inspired to write this story after reading a book about a collection of automata (mechanical performing figures) that was donated to a Paris museum and then neglected to the point they had to be discarded. Selznick said, "I imagined a boy finding those broken, rusted machines, and at that moment, Hugo and his story were born."
 

Martin Scorsese is making the film of this book (which many friends of mine love) but it wasn't until reading it that I truly understood why Scorsese wanted to make the film of this story. It reaches back into the very roots of cinema in wonderous ways.

The book itself alternates between prose and art in a quite brilliant manner. It is not like a long comic book, nor a heavily illustrated novel. The prose flows to the art  and back and every page turn is a delightful surprise. The art often propels the action forward, drawing your eye to details that might take far longer to describe than you want at that moment. You see it and turn the page eager for the next revelation.

It is a quick read, but Brian Selznick has crafted a very memorable and enjoyable book that will stick with me for a long time to come.

 

I give The Invention of Hugo Cabret 9.5 out of 10 stars.

Tannhäuser Tuesday - Hellboy Pt 2

HELLBOY

There you have it, the rest of Hellboy for Tannhäuser. Now if only we had some agents...

Tannhäuser Thursday - Oksana revealed

 

 

Oksana

Has Harbinger

Tannhäuser Thursday - Daedalus Revealed

This month's Previews catalog had the above ad along with an ad for the previously seen Asteros single figure box. Hopefully this means Asteros and Daedalus will be out by January.

Tannhäuser Tuesday - BPRD - Hellboy Pt 1

Pulp of the Week - Doc Savage #19

September 1934 - Fear Cay

The paperback cover of the astoundingly well titled nineteenth Doc Savage adventure, Fear Cay, shows Savage struggling on the beach of a desert island as he is getting wailed on by the 131 year old Dan Thunden. Fear Cay is great fun for a number of reasons.

First off is the already mentioned Dan Thunden. He is a spry, strong, tough SOB that claims to be well past a century old, putting his birth near 1800. He is a good match for Doc and is hiding a secret at the aforementioned Cay.

The book also marks the return of Pat Savage in a good featured role as she is mistaken for a starlet. Pat is also featured on the pulp cover with Doc. The real starlet is also a peach and it's a treat to get two strong female leads here. Strangely enough, the starlet is attracted to Doc.

A secret crime syndicate, Fountain of Youth, Inc. has been getting payments from the richest men in America and the gang behind it makes the mistake of getting Doc Savage involved. This takes him to the Caribbean to the titular Fear Cay.

As usual, Doc and his crew get captured, but this time Doc has a new trick. He unties himself by contorting his legs and then using his prehensile toes to untie the rope.

I'm sure I would not want to see that in a movie.

For this review I read my Bantam paperback, May 1966 (2nd printing.) I give Fear Cay and 9 out of 10. It is one of the better ones so far. The pulp was written by Lester Dent. Walter Baumhofer provided the (1934.09) original cover which features Doc and Pat. James Bama provided the great cover for the Bantam paperback.