Con Fun

I had a blast yesterday at Planet Comicon, Kansas City's biggest comic convention. I posted some of the cool art I got at my comic book blog but there were a lot of non comic book related stuff there too. There was a big Star Wars presence there as many people came in costume. Most of the outfits were very well done as these shots prove.







My favorite Star Wars costume was this cool Bossk outfit. You don't see the fearsome bounty hunter at cons as much as the others. Bossk is much cooler than Boba Fett in my opinion.



There were also some very cool non Star Wars costumes there. One of my favorites is this cool Alien outfit. My friend's son wasn't fazed by the fearsome monster.



It was cool meeting Sarah Douglas, who played the Kryptonian criminal Ursa in the first two Superman movies. I got a cool signed picture and picture with her. She was very nice and I was glad to meet somebody from one of my favorite movies.



Overall it was a fantastic show and I had a great time as usual. It was great to see some buddies I hadn't seen in a while and get some cool stuff.

It's Talk Like Shatner Day!

In honor of the immortal William Shatner's birthday today, voice actor extraordinaire Maurice LaMarche has decided to impart his wisdom in teaching us all to talk like our favorite space hero (and my favorite cop). After all, as he says, if pirates get a day, then Shatner definitely deserves one.

Batman The Brave And The Bold

One of my favorite new TV shows is Cartoon Network's new Batman show, The Brave And The Bold. Like the 1970's comic, it features Batman teaming up with different DC Universe heroes every week. The show has a distinctive 1970's/80's cartoon feel to it and the animation is pretty good. It's great to see more obscure heroes like Adam Strange pop up. This promo for a recent show pretty much shows how great the show is.



If you like cartoons and superheroes, then I highly recommend this great show. It's on Friday nights at 7:30 Central time on Cartoon Network.

Happy St. Patrick's Day U2 Style

I thought I'd post the ultimate Irish band's finest moment in honor of St. Patrick's Day. Nothing celebrates the best of Ireland like this 12 minute version of Bad from Live Aid in 1985. Maybe Bono will bring the mullet back for the summer tour.

USS Nevada Album

I recently got a bunch of stuff my grandfather collected while he was in the Navy during the 1930's and '40's. The neatest thing was this very cool leather bound album he had while he served on the USS Nevada in the Panama Canal zone in the mid '30's. It's full of pictures of the ship and his shipmates. It also has the log he kept while at sea.



He also had a bunch of cool Navy battleship postcards which were in pretty good shape considering their age. These two of the Indianapolis and the West Virginia are two of my favorites.





I really loved getting this stuff and I'm proud that he served so well during his time in the service.

Blue Ridge Mall Community Fair 1970

The Blue Ridge Mall in Kansas City was the closest mall to me growing up. I spent a lot of time there, mostly playing video games in the Spaceport arcade. I had forgotten the original sign for the mall until I saw this ad for their annual community fair in 1970. I love the 1950's style of the sign and wished they had never changed it. Oh well. The mall's now gone, replaced by a Wal-Mart. Ugh! This ad is from the 9/18/70 Kansas City Star.

Chiefs Kickoff Week 1970

This would have been a really fun event. The Chiefs were just a year past their Super Bowl win and were incredibly popular at the time. The Metcalf South Mall is still there at 95th and Metcalf although it's mostly empty. I think the only things left in it are Macy's, Sears, and the Glenwood Arts movie theater. It still has that late 60's look to it though. Maybe they'll do something with it someday. This ad is from the 9/16/70 Kansas City Star.

Steve Martin Live!

I was going through some old Kansas City Star microfilm at work yesterday when I found this great ad for a show featuring my favorite childhood comedian. Like many kids of the late 70's, I loved the zaniness of the Wild And Crazy Guy. This would have been a pretty good bargain, a college basketball game and Steve Martin. What more could you want? The ad is from the 12/3/76 Kansas City Star.

Childhood Bedsheets

I kept a lot of stuff from my childhood but two of the cooler things I have are my old bedsheets and pillowcase from around the time I was 10 years old. I loved football and the logos of all the teams at the time. I was fascinated by them and I was very happy that I got these cool sheets featuring many long lost logos for several different teams. You gotta love those old Patriots and Chargers logos.



I also have my old Star Wars pillowcase. As you can see I used this often over the years to sleep on. It's pretty faded but it's still one of my favorite childhood items.



I keep hoping for the day my wife lets me put these sheets on the bed again. It'll probably never happen but I guarantee I'd sleep better.

Eisenhower Library And Museum

Last weekend my buddies and I drove two and a half hours west to Abilene, KS, home of former President Dwight Eisenhower and his Presidential Library and Museum. Eisenhower was one of my favorite presidents and I have a great interest in World War II so this is one of my favorite museums. There are many outstanding items on display here. One of my favorites is the actual table Ike and his generals used to plan the D-Day invasion in 1944.



Another one of a kind item there is the actual pen used in the surrender ceremony of the Germans in 1945.



There were a lot of cool uniforms worn by soldiers, sailors, and airmen throughout the war, including the famous Eisenhower jacket and a full uniform from the famed Screaming Eagles from the 101st Airborne Division.





The museum covers Ike's entire life, including a comprehensive wing devoted to his presidency and the Cold War era of the 1950's. There was a very cool display devoted to the typical 1950's living room that I thought was great.



Every item in the museum has been meticulously maintained and all the items look great. This range that was used in the White House back then looks brand new.



I had a great time there and I wholeheartedly recommend going to any of the Presidential Museums across the country. I've been to five of them and have enjoyed them all but I think the Eisenhower Museum is my favorite. It's a great road trip.

Viva Knievel!

I recently found my beloved beat up dirty Evel Knievel action figure from my youth. I spent countless hours in my driveway recreating classic jumps like the immortal Wembley Stadium jump from 1975 where Evel crashed in a glorious blaze of glory. I recently found this great interview Evel did with Dick Cavett in 1971. Enjoy hearing from the world's greatest daredevil in his prime. You gotta love that suit!

The Mainstreet Is Coming

I was really excited last night when I drove by one of my favorite childhood movie theaters. The former Empire is being renovated and is going to reopen soon as The Mainstreet, which was its original name when it opened in 1921. Downtown Kansas City hasn't had a movie theater in over 20 years so this is long overdue. AMC has placed a replica of its original vertical marquee seen above. It's a pretty faithful reproduction, as this shot from the theater's early days shows.



The exterior is pretty much done and is beautiful. The building had sat vacant since 1985 and was looking really bad. They're still working on the inside but hopefully the theater will be ready by the end of the month. I can't wait to get shots of the theater from outside my car.



This great theater will give me a reason to go downtown again. Now if KC would only get a hockey team for the Sprint Center down the street.