FAREWELL, ALBERT FINNEY...

You were a masterful song and dance man, but when it came to projecting reckless inebriation, you had no equal. The proof prevails in "Under the Volcano" and "Saturday Night and Sunday Morning."

You were also no stranger to action and adventure, crossing paths with Bourne and Bond; and when it came to contention, you performed as Joseph Fouche in "The Duelists" and in the case of mystery, as Hercule Poriot in "Murder on the Orient Express".

In the weird and horrific, you were just as grand, wrestling the surreal and macabre in "Big Fish"; "The Corpse Bride", "Looker"; and "Wolfen".

Many will remember you best as "Annie'"s dear ol’ Daddy Warbucks; to others, you'll be forever linked to the cantankerous and repentant "Scrooge".

Thank you very much, Mr. Finney, for lifting our spirits and showing the world that it's a wide range of emotions that makes us all human. 

Doom Patrol Expands DC's Live-Action Universe

The pay-for-it DC Universe introduced its new, live-action series, "Doom Patrol" via a pilot planted within "Titans": the latter a series I praised until its finale, which left me mighty miffed. (My fingers are crossed that what transpired was, in truth, a sadistic trick, to be revealed and remedied at Season 2's start.) 

With that said, I did enjoy the "Doom Patrol" pilot and believe that its eleven-episode expansion could become DC's small-screen answer to Marvel's "X-Men", another excellent example of '60s, misfit fusion. 

"Doom Patrol'"s current cast features Timothy Dalton as the Chief (replacing Bruno Bichir); Brendan Fraser emoting Robotman (replacing Jake Michaels), with Riley Shanahan occupying the armor; Matt Bomer voicing Negative Man, with Dwain Murphy (allegedly) still under wraps; Joivan Wade as Cyborg; Diane Guerrero as Crazy Jane; and the amazing April Bowlby as Elasti-Woman. For the record, Alan "Powerless" Tyduk animates Mr. Nobody, a living shadow cut from the more-or-less Lamont Cranston cloth, only inclined to screw with minds for the sheer fun of it. (Devan Chandler Long will eventually join the cast as magical muscleman, Flex Mentallo: quite an underrated/underused character in the DC universe.)

I like eccentrics with hearts of gold (I fancy myself one). I also like folks who work against the odds, whether they harbor special abilities or not. I'm presuming the live-action Doom Patrol could become an inspiration to dynamic underdogs everywhere. 

Like "Titans", the team's success rides on whether its characters stick to their roots. If they perform contrary to expectations (as shown in "Titan'"s initial season adieu), a righteous backlash could strike. 

No matter what the future may hold, I intend to see this one through, trusting that by time "Titans" and "Doom Patrol's" characters re-rub elbows, all the disconcerting infirmities will have bid bye-bye. 

"Doom Patrol" begins Feb 15, with an episode premiering per week. 

TERRIFIC TEAM-UP IMAGE: HITCHCOCK VS CASTLE/PSYCHO MEETS HOMICIDAL

GOODBYE, JULIE ADAMS...

Whether by your long-term, first name, Julie, or the short-term Julia and Betty, you were prolific on levels that most performers could only dream, starring in every genre imaginable, whether on the big or small screen. 

Some of your most memorable roles were in "Bend of the River"; "The Dalton Gang"; "The Man from the Alamo"; "The Gunfight at Dodge City"; "The Private War of Major Benson"; "Slaughter on 10th Avenue"; "Psychic Killer"; "The Killer Inside Me"; "Tickle Me"; "Underwater City"; "The Texan"; "The Big Valley"; "The Rifleman"; "Bonanza"; "Twelve O'Clock High"; "One Step Beyond"; "Climax!"; "The Girl from U.N.C.L.E."; "The Incredible Hulk"; "Search"; "Lost"; "Ironside"; "Capitol"; and "Murder, She Wrote".

However, your stand-out role was as Kay Lawrence in Jack Arnold's 3D classic, "Creature from the Black Lagoon", where  you not only enchanted the Gill-man, but many a bug-eyed boy. 

Thanks for all the sweet memories, Ms. Adams. Your adoring fans will miss you more than mere words can ever convey. 

Collection Recommendation: Aquaman, the Complete Filmation DC Classic Series

Aquaman became an A-list superhero to many through the Filmation Associates '60s "Adventures of..." television episodes. Initially matched with the Man of Steel as part of "The Superman/Aquaman Hour of Adventure", the thirty-six story stretch converted to a repackaged, half-hour format when Kal-El's episodes joined those of Batman and Robin. (The Aquaman banner-series hosted other superheros in separate segments, including the Flash, Green Lantern, Hawkman, the Atom and the Teen Titans. Ah, DC bliss...)

The fourteen-minute, '67-'70 Aquaman solo segments hold (to all who grew up with them) classic status, with remarkable pacing and colorful imagery. Each compact adventure presents the expected good-over-evil formula (similar to Adventure Cartoon/Trans Lux's "The Mighty Hercules"), but the underwater milieu distinguishes it from most other children's productions of the period, with of course, the obvious exceptions of Marvel's preceding, Sub-Mariner cartoons and Gerry Anderson's puppet-performed "Stingray". 

Such associated, legendary DC names as Arthur Curry and David Hyde aren't part of the series' scheme, but that's okay. For this saga, Aquaman, King of the Seven Seas, is a viable enough label, as are Aqualad and Mera. Oh, and while we're namedropping, let's not forget their pals, Tusky the walrus and those valiant seahorses, Storm and Imp.

The stories are similar, with baddies attempting to invade Atlantis, many of whom are sea-based, with others emanating above--way above, that is, like outer space--only to be thwarted by Aquaman's exceptional, physical prowess and sweeping, telepathic command of his oceanic friends. 

Among the villainy, Black Manta, Aquaman's prime antagonist, stands out. He's an aquatic Darth Vader, a decade before Vader arrived, with a demeanor as cold and hard as his menacing exterior. (Too bad more of the pirating egomaniac wasn't woven into the series, but what's there is effective and remains the incarnation to which most middle-age folks subscribe.)

Monsters (a nifty, common denominator among '60s kid-adventure shows) are faithful highlights throughout, my favorite specimen being a Venusian serpent that adapts extraordinary size when saturated by Atlantean water: a sort of submerged variant of Ray Harryhausen's "20 Million Miles to Earth" Ymir.  Cool... (For the record, a group of resurrected Vikings are just as monstrous in their own weird way, rather like Buddy Baer's creepy conquistador in "Giant from the Unknown". Neato...)

To liven the characterizations, the assigned voices all hit the mark, with Marvin "Robby the Robot" Miller as Aquaman; Jerry "Adventures of Gulliver" Dexter as Aqualad; Diana Maddox as Mera; and television icon, Ted Knight, not only as the robust narrator, but as Black Manta and varied personas throughout the series' run. 

Indeed, Filmation did an outstanding job with this adaptation. It deserves a look (or sentimental revisit) for anyone into superhero lore and still stands as the best representation of Paul Norris and Mort Weisinger's oceanic Arthurian king. Considering some of the spectacular (re)interpretations that have since surfaced (the James Wan blockbuster included), that's saying a lot.  

Though one can catch episodes of "Aquaman" on Boomerang and samples via Dailymotion and YouTube, for a guaranteed binge of splashy fun, the entire WB/Filmation DVD (2-disc) collection can be purchased at Amazon for a fair sum: 

https://www.amazon.com/Adventures-Aquaman-Complete-Collection-Classic/dp/B000TSTEMS/ref=sr_1_fkmr1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1546551642&sr=8-1-fkmr1&keywords=aquaman+animated+series+dvd.

FAREWELL, CLIVE SWIFT...

You had the special knack to make us laugh on "Keeping Up Appearances", but when need be, you weren't afraid to face the thrills and chills.

Hitchcock fans know you best from the bloodcurdling "Frenzy", but you also appeared in such edgy excursions as "Death Line"/"Raw Meat"; "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde '80"; "Praying Mantis"; "The Stalls of Barchester"; "A Warning to the Curious"; and for the sake of grand, mythological splendor, "Excalibur".

Your television work was just as far-out and creepy, with two "Doctor Who" adventures under your belt ("Voyage of the Damned" and "Revelation of the Daleks"), in addition to roles on such haunting anthology series as "The Ray Bradbury Theatre", "Tales of the Unexpected", "Dead of Night", "The Frighteners"; "Shadows" and "Beasts". 

You'll be dearly missed, Mr. Swift, but never forgotten. Your sprightly spirit will continue to uplift and inspire whenever we view your wondrous and varied work.

RAVENWOOD: STEPSON OF MYSTERY VOL IV UPDATE...

Last February, I announced my participation in Airship 27 Production's "Ravenwood: Stepson of Mystery, Vol IV".  Publisher Ron Fortier has confirmed that Ed Catto will illustrate the edition.

Catto (see below image) is a legend in the business: a Captain Action entrepreneur and Captain Graves artist. (He illustrated Airship 27's latest release: Wayne Carey's "Company of Shadows".)  For certain, Catto's creative flair will enhance the newest Ravenwood tales. (In addition to my story, Vol 4 will include works by Lance Stahlberg, Dewayne Dowers and Michael Black.)

The Ravenwood adventures were conceived in the '30s by Frederick C. Davis to accompany "Secret Agent X" periodicals. The one-name, occult investigator possesses mystical powers and tackles his exploits in the style of  "Kolchak: the Night Stalker", "Grimm", "Sleepy Hollow" and "The X-Files". 

Be sure to revisit "bizarrechats" for those inevitable, Ravenwood updates...