#Movie serial

[chernobog13]

Superman (Kirk Alyn) giving a little demonstration of how bulletproof he is.

[usstrekart]

"Bride of Chaotica!" (S05E12, Stardate UNKNOWN) is dumb fun. It is a holodeck gone wrong episode that layers in high-concept sci-fi that isn't explored too deeply with some "I really don't want to be here" moments from the Captain sprinkled in for good measure. It's popcorn Trek, enjoyable and not too deep.

I tried to emulate the feel of a classic serial poster with this poster.

[mindless-cinematic-trash]

The Crimson Ghost

[silveragelovechild]

Batman and Robin, a 15-chapter serial released in 1949 starring Robert Lowery as Batman.

[doppleganger-rental]

[abuddyforeveryseason]

I dunno... talk about a small head.

Still, not bad, all things considered. I've been trying to draw stuff that looks more modern, with lighter penstrokes and a style that's a big closer to cartoon animation than to vintage comic and manga art.

I guess that stuff is more popular because comics and manga no longer have the limitations of printing technology that prevented the art from looking rougher and more dynamic - and avoided the "rubber stamp" look of thick lines and square panels.

But because so much of what I read is from that early era, I got used to it - or, even if it's a modern book, it's going for a nostalgic look like that.

But I'm tired of superheroes, anyway. This is the first summer in a long ass time I won't be watching any new Marvel movies. And, although it's understandable that people are sick of it, it's kind of a shame because it was interesting watching that type of worldbuilding evolvnig every year - and it was something that was carefully constructed, too.

Of course, in a way, what happened to Marvel movies is the same thing that happened to Marvel comics - they kept trying to keep things from stagnating and ended up with something that no longer had the charm of the early stuff.

And it doesn't help that a lot of older people were complaining about superhero franchises killing cinema. Although, really, the only real superhero franchise is the MCU. DC tried to copy the model with the Snyder movies, but those never really got a lot of traction, and the good DC movies were the ones that tossed the franchise idea out the window.

In many ways, the movies I'm excited about nowadays aren't so much part of a shared universe, but ones released by the same production companies - A24, Blumhouse, 2AM, Miramax, Focus and whatnot.

But, I still think that, 20 years from now, people will miss the Marvel model. It was fun going to the movies to see how the story developed, must've been what it was like to go watch Republic serials every month, like my grandpa used to do when he was a kid.

He was a big fan of Zorro Rides Again. They'd release one chapter a month, through the whole year, and kids would buy a ticket to "the movies" to check it out - meaning, they'd get a ticket to see five different things, running on a loop: A newsreel, a cartoon, an episode of the serial, an A-movie and a B-movie.

Must've made for quite an outing. It's hard to imagine, now, that anyone would have the time (or the patience) to be in a movie theater for like five freaking hours to see the whole thing. And it was really cheap, too.

But, lest I also turn into another of those old guys complaining about kids these days and their short attention spans, I'll just remind everyone that they can watch all those episodes at once, for free, thanks to the magic of Public Domain:

[retrotariotr]

Batman is a 1943 American 15-chapter theatrical serial from Columbia Pictures, produced by Rudolph C. Flothow, directed by Lambert Hillyer, that stars Lewis Wilson as Batman and Douglas Croft as his sidekick Robin.

[pulpsandcomics2]

The House of Terror (1928) Ten episode movie serial

[jhsharman]

Drama Monkey

The decision to clip the end of chapter cliff hanger hype blurb. Does it dampen the dramatic tension as Archie chases the monkey? As with the cliff hanger serials of old, the resolution anti climaxes in convenient happenings, and we manage to pick it up right there.

[raynbowclown]

Flash Gordon - Spaceship to the Unknown

Flash Gordon – Spaceship to the Unknown (1936) starring Buster Crabbe, Jean Rogers, Charles Middleton Product Description  The planet Mongo is on a collision course with Earth! Flash Gordon and Dale Arden join Dr. Zarkov and blast off in his rocket ship to Mongo, trying to avert worldwide destruction. As soon as they land, Flash, Dale and Zarkov are taken prisoner by Ming the Merciless, the…

[chernobog13]

Leonard Nimoy (left) in his first role as an alien. He played Narab, a Martian who is one of the Zombies of the Stratosphere (1952).

[atomic-chronoscaph]

Les Vampires (1915)

[justyeghost]

Today's Feature Presentation:

How will Dick Tracy survive the crash of the experimental airplane and will he be able to save his brother from a life of Evil?

Find out on my Twitch Channel (or below the fold) when I bring to you the final 7 chapters of the 1937 Dick Tracy Serial.

[silveragelovechild]

Larry “Buster” Crabbe won Olympic Gold in swimming at the 1932 games in Los Angeles. He was cast as Tarzan in 1933 at the time competing studios both had the rights to make Tarzan films). He may be best known for playing Flash Gordon in 3 movie serials (plus 1 Buck Rogers).

[bevsi]

serial experiments barbie

[j0celynh0rr0r]

Trying to get away?