Night of the Living Dead

So, I'm at the gym on the exercise cycle and glance up at the bank of television screens mounted above me, and witness on one set the withered faces of Bob "Bob" Newhart (81 years old) exchanging dialogue with David "Illya / Ducky" McCallum (76 years old) in an episode of NCIS. On the adjoining screen was a new commercial with Bob "Showcase Showdown" Barker (87 years old) plugging State Farm Insurance - complete with iconic microphone in hand.

I watched their silent faces, secretly pleased to see a trio of familiar friends, and wondered who else in the room might share my private delight. An array of younger, harder bodies were oblivious.

I reflected on my own rapidly aging and saggy status, and pedaled my exercise bike even harder.

A Reboot That Works

While the first season of Fox's Human Target had an amazing pilot, later episodes ran the gamut from "damn good cup of coffee" to "eh, is this all you got?" More often than not, they fell under the latter, with the primary reason to watch at all being Jackie Earle Haley's deadpan portrayal as the man of mystery with only one name: Guerrero.


However, the second season reboot - which added two new female cast members, more reliance on pop music in the weekly scores, and a international espionage spy hook - is overall a better show. Mark Valley has settled into the role as the wry Christopher Chance and now wears it with a mix of humor and "tormented hero with a dark past" that is very engaging. Chi McBride's Winston huffs and puffs, but peeks into his quirky private life have helped to humanize the character. Count me in as pleasantly surprised (although the "Guerrero as master torturer jokes" have outworn their welcome).

Of course, for the past two weeks, Fox has been running double episodes on Wednesday nights back to back, which is never a good sign (especially since the show has only a 13 episode order). This usually is a sign of burning off a series, and that has me worried about a third season.

In other words, watch it now ... while you still can.

The Many Humiliations of Illya Kuryakin Part 2

Poor Illya K! We all know that kinky torture sessions are as common as brushing your teeth when you are a licensed agent of U.N.C.L.E., but even my hardened eyes are shocked at this sight! Illya clones or evil twins? Napoleon Solo on the dark side! Barbie with bunny ears? What fresh hell has our long-suffering hero landed in the midst of THIS time?

Lots ... Big Lots

Just an F.Y.I to fellow James Bond aficionados who don't fancy paying $$$ for their Bond DVDs ... the Big Lots retail chain is currently selling the ENTIRE series from Dr. No through Die Another Day (basically, every Bond film until Daniel's Craig's debut in Casino Royale) for a mere $4.00 each. Sure, these aren't Blu-Ray discs, nor the recent 2-disc sets with yet even more fine-tuning in the way of remastered picture and sound, but since the majority of the Bonds I already owned came from these initial "Special Edition" releases from MGM, my collection is now complete for under $20.00.

Frankly, Octopussy isn't even worth the $4.00 I just paid (see this previous entry of Bond as a literal Clown ... this after he swings from a jungle vine and gives a Tarzan yell and NO I AM NOT MAKING THAT LAST PART UP). Oh, and an extra "shout out" to the hacks within the MGM art department for the ghastly photoshopped cover. Nothing says license to kill like a ghoulish Roger Moore standing before a hellish landscape of fire, a helicopter, and some turrets. The original movie poster would have been a vastly superior choice. Both are shown below for your viewing pleasure.

The Many Humiliations of Illya Kuryakin Part 1

... See the glum expression being worn by our pal Illya in the cover photo? Perhaps he is sad at having his head confined in a tiny box, while fellow agent Napoleon Solo gets the full body glory shot, but I think it is because he read the script for this issue and wonders what fresh indignities will be thrust upon him next within the U.N.C.L.E. organization.

Don't feel bad, Illya. James Bond also has clown make-up on his resume (although I think you remain the only member of the 1960's spy fraternity to be shot out of a cannon). As witnessed in both story and cover blurb of Gold Key's The Man From U.N.C.L.E. #13.

Why Steranko Still Matters

Click the classic cover and enjoy the homages!

PLAN 9 FROM U.N.C.L.E.