It's a Fantastic Friday...

... and we dedicate it to honoring the work of George Perez, one of the most fabulous artists to ever draw portraits of the First Family of Comics!

 

Can you name the FF's friends behind them in this picture?

Can you name the FF's foes and frenemies behind them?

The Secret Life of Brigitte Bardot

From early 1964 until the end of 1965, Brigitte Bardot adopted the role of Captain America and prevented the re-emergence of the ancient secret society, Hydra. Here's a rare photo of Bardot in action as Captain America with her sidekick, Becky.

Men, Women, and In-Between in the Workplace

Mabel's Stratagem (1912)
Starring: Mabel Normand, Fred Mace, and Alice Davenport
Director: Mack Sennett
Rating: Six of Ten Stars

A secretary (Normand) disguises herself as a man so she can get her job back after her boss's jealous wife (Davenport) insists he fire all female staffers and replace them with males.

"Mabel's Stratagem" is a straight-forward and silly comedy about sex, gender, and sexual harassment in the workplace.  The film is 110 years old, but pretty much all of the situational and gender-based humor works almost as well today, what with all the talk about how there's no difference between men and women, how the society is rotten with power imbalance with the hypocritical rich always abusing the workers, and so on.

While the acting styles are outdated, the film is so fast-moving that viewers hardly have time to notice the excessive pantomiming and emoting (except on the part of Fred Mace who really goes above and beyond). In fact, the only serious complaint I can mount is that maybe the film is a little too fast-moving; the story would be more effective if a little more time could have been spent developing the characters. 

"Mabel's Stratagem" is only five minutes, so I recommend you click below and check it out. I think you'll have fun. 

Remembering Yvonne Craig...

 ... on what would have been her 85th birthday!

Musical Monday with will.i.am

Bang Bang (2013)
Starring: will.i.am and Shelby "Cobra" Spalione
Director: Igor Kovalik
Rating: Nine of Ten Stars

In 2012, a physicist threw 80 years worth of musical recordings into the Slaughter Valley Super-Collider and accelerated them to be speed of light. They emerged as a single, unified masterpiece that embodies the spirit of Shades of Gray. 

Click below to witness the Unifying Theme of Shades of Gray in moving pictures and music!

Bones Coffee's Sumatra Single Origin

I checked out another unflavored coffee, and it became the subject of this Sunday's review.

BONES COFFEE COMPANY: SUMATRA SINGLE ORIGIN
Among Bones' offerings is a "World Tour Sample Pack" that features five different coffees from five different parts of the world. I already did a kinda-sorta review of the Bones Costa Rica Single Source blend (in the lower half of this linked post), but I will be covering all the World Tour varieties eventually. And here are my thoughts on the Sumatra Single Source blend.

As could perhaps be deduced from above, this review is based on a 4-oz. sample pack, as are most of my Bones Coffee reviews. Unsurprisingly, the package released a smell of coffee when opened, and a nice strong aroma filled the kitchen as the hot water percolated through the ground coffee.

Unlike most coffees I drink and review, this blend is a dark roast, and, based on what I read, that is the best approach to Sumatran-grown beans. In general, Sumatran coffees are said to have earthy undertones, along with hints of herbs and spices. Bones' sell-copy for their Sumatran blend stated it should have earthy and smoky qualities, and that there should be some dark chocolate flavor in the mix. (I also read that, like with most coffee growing regions, there is no one-flavor-fits-all... that there are many factors that go into shaping the taste in a particular coffee. So I suppose chocolate touches in place of herbs and spices could be possible?)

As dark roasts go, I found the Sumatra Single Origin to be quite pleasant-tasting. Even drinking it black, I found it to be far less bitter than almost any other dark roasts I've had. I credit the supposed chocolatey undertones as well as the somewhat smokey quality that was definitely present as I drank. This is a strong and bold coffee that I think most coffee lovers will enjoy.

As someone who likes his coffee on the sweeter and mellower side, I preferred the Sumatra Single Origin blend when I drank it with the sugar free Italian Sweet Cream creamer, because, well, it was sweet and creamy with the coffee flavor still standing strong. It kept more of an edge when I tried it with the Unsweetened Almond Milk, but a packet of Stevia pushed it more in the perfect direction. In a small deviation from my usual review protocol, I tried a cup of Sumatra with Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk; the vanilla flavor and chocolate undertones seemed to enhance each other, and this was a very enjoyable drink. A touch more vanilla, and I suspect it might have been perfect.  All of the above remained true as the mixtures cooled to room temperature.

Over ice, I think the Sumatra Single Origin worked best black with a little Stevia added (which surprised me). It was also quite delicious with the Unsweetened Almond Milk. Interestingly, the coffee flavor seemed a bit washed out when I tried it with the sugar free Italian Sweet Cream creamer. Over all, though, I think this is a coffee that works best hot or at room temperature.

(That said, since I thought this blend might get tastier with a stronger touch of vanilla, I tried it in my half-assed version of a "White Russian", but using Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk and vanilla flavored vodka... and it was very, VERY tasty!)

Despite having enjoyed, to a greater or lesser degree, every cup of the Sumatra Single Origin blend that drank, I will probably avoid Sumatran coffee in the future. Why? Because while I've often heard that coffee is supposed to give you gas, this is the first time my buzz has resulted in exhaust fumes.

So... if you're ever trapped with me and five other people in a lift and you are trying to figure out who dealt what you have smelled, ask what I've been drinking coffee-wise. If I've been drinking Sumatran coffee, you will have to look no further.

Ko-Ko the Clown goes dancing with spooks!

In observance of Friday the 13th, we bring you a haunting cartoon!

Ko-Ko Sees Spooks (aka "Ko-Ko's Haunted Hat") (1925, 1950)

Starring: Max Fleischer
Director: Dave Fleischer
Rating: Seven of Ten Stars

Ko-Ko and his pet dog enter a mysterious house where they alternately fight and party with ghosts.

As with most cartoons starring Ko-Ko the Clown, this is another fun mix of live-action footage and animation--although less than in others and the live action portions aren't central to the going-ons beyond Ko-Ko initially forming from several 13s doodled by Max the Cartoonist. (That opening sequence, plus the head-scratcher, completely random climax are almost entirely disconnected from anything that happens in the main body of the cartoon--except perhaps as a way to logically explain how Ko-Ko at one point is able to make a dozen or more copies of himself.)

The bulk of the cartoon takes place inside a haunted house where Ko-Ko ends up in a number of situations that you'd expect in a place like that. My personal favorite moments is Ko-Ko convincing his dog to go into the haunted house, and then later when Ko-Ko is making time with a female ghost (who is a hottie in his imagination). There really isn't anything here that isn't goofy, nonsensical fun, and I am sure you'll enjoy this spooky little film from beginning to end.

(The version embedded in this post is the 1950 re-release where it was retitled "Ko-Ko's Haunted Hat". It's the best version of this great short film that we could find on YouTube.)

We're tempting fate...

 ... on this Friday the 13th. Stand clear!

There's a student film project in crisis!

Black and White Short Film (2022)
Starring: Michael Buss, Emma Thurston, and Branden Hume
Director: Branden Hume
Rating: Six of Ten Stars

A student filmmaker (Hume) desperately needs an appropriate idea for a class project. He turns to an actor (Buss) brainstorming help... with mixed results.

 "Black and White Short Film" is a comedy that I'm certain every arts student and professional creative can relate to: The problem of needing to fit an idea to a specific length and format, or even coming up with an idea that will fill a specific length and format, on a deadline. Those people "fortunate" enough to be their friends or colleagues will also be able to relate. Meanwhile, those out there with normal lives and "real jobs" will at the very least find the gags here very funny.

This is another of those films I found in an obscure corner of YouTube that I think deserves to be seen. This is a simply made film with naturalistic acting and a concept I found to be very clever. (And which may actually have been borne into existence from the very situation that is chronicled.)

Click below to check it out. I'm sure you will find the next five minutes well spent if you do. 

 

In memory of George Perez

After a lengthy illness, legendary comic book artist and writer George Perez passed away on May 6, 2022. He is best remembered for helping to reshape the DC Universe in the "Crisis on Infinite Earths" mini-series in the mid-1980s--a work so full of impactful imagery that it resonates across the comic book genre to this very day; for reinventing Wonder Woman during the late 1980s and into the 1990s; and for his ability to cram dozens and dozens of heroes and fierce action to pages... and yet it was always crystal clear what was going on.

Perez's career spanned four decades, and, although his style matured and changed over the years, his art remained consistently beautiful and the figures in it always epic in appearance and stature. Today, we present a gallery of his work, in his honor and memory.

You can enjoy some of Perez's portraits of more famous female superheroes by clicking here, and some grand imagery of the Batman Family by clicking here. His portraits of Wonder Woman have also been featured on many Wonder Woman Wednesdays.