Noticias

As Hollywood adjusted to the whims and desires of Baby Boomer moviegoers heading into the 1970s, studios found themselves making fewer and fewer Westerns. Long one of the most reliably profitable genres, younger viewers who'd come of age rebelling against much of what their parents held dear were turned off by this continued mythologizing of how America pursued its manifest destiny. They rejected John Wayne, but turned out for Italian-produced Spaghetti Westerns, especially those starring Clint Eastwood. As a result, the only semi-traditional Hollywood Westerns Boomers would embrace tended to feature Eastwood in the starring role (e.g. "High Plains Drifter" and "The Outlaw Josey Wales").

One notable exception to the Eastwood rule was Michael Crichton's sci-fi/Western blend "Westworld." The 1973 film stars Richard Benjamin and James Brolin as a pair of buddies who take a vacation to an adult amusement park called Delos to live out their dreams...

Thundarr the Barbarian finally gets his own comic after laying dormant for over 40 years, fulfilling fans' wishes. A post-apocalyptic Earth, magical monsters, and mad scientists - Thundarr's unique world is set to captivate new audiences. Thundarr's comic debut is set to be Dynamite Entertainment's biggest success yet.

Dynamite Entertainment is set to make history, as they unveil the first ever comic book based on the legendary Thundarr the Barbarian. At this years San Diego Comic Con, the publisher announced the expansion of their license with Warner Brothers/Discovery. As part of this expansion, Dynamite now has the rights to produce comics based on pop culture icons such as Ben 10 and Thundarr the Barbarian.

Dynamite Entertainment announced the license expansion, and the new titles, at San Diego Comic Con, including Thundarr the Barbarian. At this point, there is no creative team or release date for the book. It is...

The Masters of the Universe franchise is a hallmark of the 1980s, with the cartoon and toyline being many kids' first foray into the sword and sorcery genre. Starring the powerful He-Man and several other now-classic heroes, the series would spark a wave of narrative "toy commercials." However, as influential as it was, it wasn't the only fantasy cartoon on the block during that era.

Thundarr the Barbarian was an earlier cartoon with no corresponding toy line or comic book, with the series coming out in the early 1980s. Though far more short-lived than Masters of the Universe, it was very similar to the later series, with some actually seeing it as the superior franchise. It even involved the talent of several comic book industry legends, turning it into a brief but high-quality classic for its time.

Related: He-Man and Silent Bob Finally Get Iconic Sci-Fi Actors in the Same...

Animated shows are among the most nostalgic series out there, thanks to the fact that many people grew up with them as children. Saturday-morning cartoons and superhero series are especially popular with kids. However, many animated superhero shows are either underrated or, in some cases, outright forgotten, especially by the sheer amount of competition in the market.

Related: 10 Cartoons With The Catchiest Theme Music, Ranked

Superheroes, despite being a multi-billion dollar movie business, have always excelled in animation. Various generations of creators have experimented with different concepts for animated superhero series, with a very hit or miss impact. Where series like Batman: The Animated Series have become iconic staples of their format, others have languished in obscurity for far too long.

Hong Kong Phooey

Hong Kong Phooey was one of Hanna-Barbera's many forays into the superhero genre after the company reinvigorated itself in the 1970s. It follows a kung-fu trained dog superhero who,...

Los Angeles, CA – Entrepreneur Josh Jones has acquired the animated film and television rights to Groo the Wanderer, legendary cartoonist Sergio Aragonés’ beloved comics character, with the intent of producing the character’s first-ever animated entertainment via Jones’ Did I Err Productions company.

Groo the Wanderer, now in its landmark 40th year of publication, is the longest currently-running independent and “creator-owned” comic book property – outlasting many of the companies that published it. The brainchild of Aragonés, who creates the stories along with wordsmith Mark Evanier, the Eisner Award-winning Groo the Wanderer has been published by Dark Horse Comics since 1998.

Jones, and his Did I Err partner Scott Nocas, will serve as executive producers on the film and/or series with Aragonés and Evanier. Did I Err is focused on partnering with creative talent who understand Aragonés’ vision and characters. Projects are being packaged for streaming services and global distribution, with...

Ken Spears has passed away. He was 82-years old. Spears is arguably best-known for co-creating Scooby-Doo alongside his partner Joe Ruby. Spears passed away on Friday, November 6th, which is less than 3 months from Ruby, who passed away in late August of this year. Together, the duo formed Ruby-Spears Productions and changed the world of animation, along with their work for Hanna-Barbera.

The news of Ken Spears' passing was announced by his son, Kevin Spears. He died peacefully in Brea, California, of complications from Lewy body dementia. "Ken will forever be remembered for his wit, his story-telling, his loyalty to family, and his strong work ethic," said Kevin. "Ken has not only made a lasting impression on his family, but he has touched the lives of many as co-creator of Scooby-Doo Ken has been a role model for us throughout his life and he will continue to live on in our hearts.

Scooby-Doo co-creator Ken Spears died on Friday, November 6. He co-founded Ruby-Spears Productions with Joe Ruby, who died in August. Spears was 82.

Spears’ son Kevin confirmed his death to Variety, saying that he died from complications related to Lewy body dementia.

A Los Angles native, Spears co-created the iconic animated series Scooby Doo with Ruby. He was born Charles Kenneth Spears in L.A. on March 12, 1938. He befriended the son of animation producer William Hanna of Hanna-Barbera fame. This was his way into the animation space.

In 1959, he was hired to work at Hanna-Barbera Productions as a sound editor. It was here he met Ruby and they forged a bond and became writing partners. They wrote teleplays for projects at Hanna-Barbera as well as Sid and Marty Krofft Television Productions and DePatie-Freleng Enterprises.

In addition to Scooby-Doo, the duo created Dynomutt, Dog Wonder, Jabberjaw and other programs. While at Depatie-Freleng, they...

Ken Spears, co-creator of the beloved animated series “Scooby-Doo” and co-founder of Ruby-Spears Productions along with the late Joe Ruby, died Friday. He was 82.

Spears’ son, Kevin Spears, tells Variety that he died from complications related to Lewy body dementia.

“Ken will forever be remembered for his wit, his story-telling, his loyalty to family, and his strong work ethic,” Kevin Spears says. “Ken has not only made a lasting impression on his family, but he has touched the lives of many as co-creator of ‘Scooby-Doo.’ Ken has been a role model for us throughout his life and he will continue to live on in our hearts.”

Born Charles Kenneth Spears on March 12, 1938, Spears grew up in Los Angeles, Calif., where he befriended the son of animation producer William Hanna. Spears was later hired at Hanna’s company, Hanna-Barbera Productions, in 1959 as a sound editor. While working in the editing department,...

Very sad news is breaking today as veteran animator, writer, and producer Joe Ruby has reportedly passed away. Perhaps best known for co-creating the famous cartoon dog Scooby-Doo along with his longtime collaborator Ken Spears, Ruby died of natural causes on Wednesday in Westlake Village, California, though he continued to be creative until the very end. "He never stopped writing and creating, even as he aged," his grandson Benjamin Ruby said. The television legend was 87 years old.

Born in 1930, Ruby had begun his career in entertainment working as an inbetweener and editor for Walt Disney Productions. Following a stint in the U. S. Army, he then moved on to Hanna-Barbera Productions, where he first met Ken Spears. Sparking a years-long partnership, the two would team up to create many original characters and shows for Hanna-Barbera, such as Dynomutt, Dog Wonder, and Jabberjaw.

Of course, their most well-known work is certainly...

Joe Ruby, best known for co-creating the cartoon Scooby-Doo, died of natural causes at his home on Wednesday Aug. 26, according to Variety. He was 87.

Ruby along with his partner Ken Spears, also made Dynomutt and Jabberjaw, and the 1988 animated Superman series, as well as making cartoons out of Pac-Man, Rubik The Amazing Cube, Donkey Kong. They masterminded Space Ace, Dink the Little Dinosaur, It’s Punky Brewster, and TV movies Bunnicula, the Vampire Rabbit and The Cabbage Patch Kids First Christmas.

Joseph Clemens Ruby was born on March 30, 1933. He grew up in Los Angeles and graduated from Fairfax High School. He served in the U.S. Navy during the Korean War. Ruby trained as a music editor at the Walt Disney Studios animation program in the 1950s. He became a sound editor at Hanna-Barbera Productions, where he first partnered with Spears. They wrote a spec script and were hired as staff writers in the 1960s.

Animator and Scooby Doo co-creator Joe Ruby has died. The co-founder of production company Ruby-Spears passed away in Westlake Village, CA on Wednesday. He was 87.

A rep for Ruby told Deadline that the animator died of natural causes after years of dealing with health issues.

The animator, who teamed with Ken Spears to create Dynomutt, Dog Wonder and Jabberjaw, was born in Los Angeles, Calif. on March 30, 1933. He began his animation career under Walt Disney Productions before shifting his focus to editing and producing.

After serving in the U.S. Army, Ruby met soon-to-be collaborator Spears at Hanna-Barbera Productions, where the two worked together to create multiple animated and live-action titles, including cartoon juggernaut Scooby Doo.

Ruby and Spears’ group of crime-solving teens and their anthropomorphic mascot first hit the screen on CBS in 1969. The series introduced Velma, Daphne, Shaggy, Fred and the beloved Scooby Doo to kids and cartoon enthusiasts across America,...

Animation writer and executive Joe Ruby, who created cartoon series including “Scooby-Doo” along with his partner Ken Spears, died of natural causes Wednesday in Westlake Village, Calif. He was 87.

At Hanna-Barbera, Ruby and Spears created series including “Scooby-Doo, Where Are You?,” “Dynomutt” and “Jabberjaw.”

“He never stopped writing and creating, even as he aged,” said his grandson Benjamin Ruby.

“Scooby-Doo” launched on CBS in 1969 after going through a number of versions. It was launched as a gentler series partly in response to complaints about violence in cartoons such as “Space Ghost.” Together with character designer Iwao Takamoto, Ruby and Spears tried a number of titles and approaches, such as making the characters part of a rock band, before settling on the now-classic combo of Freddie, Velma, Daphne, Shaggy and a Great Dane named Scooby-Doo.

Ruby and Spears wrote the first five episodes, supervising and story editing the rest of the first season.

Hundreds of 1980's illustrations from "Captain America" co-creator Jack "King" Kirby, intended for Ruby-Spears Productions cartoon series/toy lines, continue to be developed into new film projects, according to Ruby-Spears studio founders Joe Ruby, Ken Spears, Sid and Marty Krofft:

The numerous genre projects Kirby left behind include "Roxie’s Raiders"...

...a pulp-inspired adventure about a female animal trainer and her team of circus performers who are highly trained spies...

..."Golden Shield", about an ancient Mayan hero seeking to save earth in the present day...

..."The Gargoids", following scientists who gain superpowers after being infected by an alien virus...

..."The Bad Guys" and a whole lot more...

Ruby-Spears company's credits include animated series "Fangface", "Goldie Gold", "Action Jack", "The Plastic Man Comedy/Adventure Show"...

..."Thundarr the Barbarian", "Rubik", "Alvin and the Chipmunks" (1983), "Mister T", "Sectaurs", "The Centurions", "Superman" (1988), "Police Academy" and "Mega Man".

"My Dad always spoke well of Ruby-Spears,...

Hundreds of illustrations from artist Jack "King" Kirby, co-creator of "Captain America", "Fantastic Four" and the "X-Men", intended for cartoon series/toy lines Kirby produced in the 1980's for Ruby-Spears Productions, will be the basis for new film projects, according to Ruby-Spears studio founders Joe Ruby, Ken Spears, Sid and Marty Krofft:

The numerous genre projects Kirby left behind include "Roxie’s Raiders"...

...a pulp-inspired adventure about a female animal trainer and her team of circus performers who are highly trained spies...

..."Golden Shield", about an ancient Mayan hero seeking to save earth in the present day...

..."The Gargoids", following scientists who gain superpowers after being infected by an alien virus...

..."The Bad Guys" and a whole lot more...

Ruby-Spears company's credits included animated series "Fangface", "Goldie Gold", "Action Jack", "The Plastic Man Comedy/Adventure Show"...

..."Thundarr the Barbarian", "Rubik", "Alvin and the Chipmunks" (1983), "Mister T", "Sectaurs", "The Centurions...

While you savored your colorful eggs, Marshmallow Peeps, and chocolate bunnies this past holiday weekend, many ventured out to their local theaters to cheer on the Joes in G.I. Joe: Retaliation. Paramount Pictures’ Easter basket was overflowing as the action-figure fueled movie took in over $132 million across the globe. Here in the U.S. the Jon M. Chu sequel totaled in the $51 million range.

This isn’t the first cartoon franchise to hit the big screen and won’t be the last. When TV was king, Frankenstein, Jr. and The Impossibles, Pirates of Dark Water, Valley of the Dinosaurs teleported us to another place and the animation studio Hanna-Barbera reigned supreme in every kid’s universe.

Filmgoers have seen their beloved Saturday morning shows and comic book heroes transfer from the small screen to wildly, gigantic movie heroes. Whether you grew up with them as a kid planted in front...

2012 will be the first year that GeekTrant will invade WonderCon, mostly due to the fact that it was moved down to Anaheim, CA this year which is right in our backyard. We're all pretty excited about attending this year, as we've heard it's a much smaller more intimate version of San Diego Comic Con.

WonderCon is set to open on Friday, March 16th and run through Sunday, March 18th at the Anaheim Convention Center. If you plan on attending let us know, and maybe we can meet up and hang out for a bit!

I've put stars next to the panels we are interested in attending. Check out the schedule, and let us know what you are looking forward to seeing most!

Friday March 16th

12:30-1:30 Idw Presents: The Idw Panel!— Chief creative officer Chris Ryall and sergeant of marketing Dirk Wood, give out prizes, make announcements, and evade questions!

It is with great sorrow that we report the death of announcer and voice actor Dick Tufeld, best known to a generation of genre fans as the voice of the Robot on the wonderfully campy '60s TV series Lost in Space. He was 85.

The Los Angeles Times is reporting that Tufeld, who suffered from heart disease and had been in failing health since sustaining a fall last year, passed away at home while watching the NFL playoffs on January 22.

Richard Norton Tufeld was born December 11, 1926, in Los Angeles, California. He began his career as the announcer for the ABC radio programs The Amazing Mr. Malone and Falstaff's Fables before landing a gig as announcer for the sci-fi radio serial Space Patrol in 1952.

Tufeld left radio for television news in October 1955, but then transitioned to a role as announcer for Disney TV series such as Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color and Zorro,...

Shout Factory continues the adventure with the release of Conan the Adventurer Season Two Part One. 13 more episodes of the greatest warrior ever come your way filled with snake men, wizards, and muscles bulging every which way.

In much the style and world construction of such favorites as He-Man and Thundarr the Barbarian, Conan fights alongside a varied group of companions, including a magical, kooky phoenix who lives in his shield. His quest is always aimed at triumphing over the evil sorcerer Wrath-Amon, who is after all the star metal in the world.

It's a fun and action-packed ride for those of the appropriate age, wacky enough to keep things suitable for said age, despite the ever-present swordfights, and with storylines that keep things moving along nicely. Conan's cohorts offer up a nice diversity, keeping things from becoming too repetitive, as one battle after another obviously gets nowhere in the grand scheme of things.

One of the more enduring concepts introduced on Saturday morning television in 1967 was Hanna-Barbera’s Herculoids. Some of this has to do with its fabulous Alex Toth design work and much of it has to do with the unusual assortment of people and creatures that band together to fight for survival in a hostile environment.

The series debuted on September 9 and CBS aired 18 original episodes before it vanished on September 6, 1969. Thanks to the miracle of on-demand DVD manufacture, Warner Archive has released the complete series on two DVDs this week. The eleven new episodes created in 1981 remain to be rediscovered.

The series was the brainchild of Toth but episodes were directed by Bill Perez, Paul Sommer, Ken Spears, Joe Ruby, and David Scott. Clearly Ruby and Spears were inspired by this because there’s a direct correlation between this and their Thundarr the Barbarian (also available from Warner Archive). The Herculoids...

Three hipster doofuses and one awesome Tommy Lasorda-esque older man took to the stage to unveil new footage of Cartoon Network's reboot of ThunderCats.

The older fella was legendary voice actor Larry Kenney who brought chills to the crowd by intoning "Thunder! Thunder! ThunderCats! Hoooooooo!"

Sadly, nothing in the following reel had any of the oomph seen in Kenney's stage presence.

The teaser opened with an image of Thundera and I thought, "oh, how cute - they are opening with the old show before they show us the new."  No.  This is the look of the new show.  I won't go overboard and say the animation looks exactly the same as the 1980s.  I'll give credit and say it looks like perfectly good animation from the 1990s.

In the teaser we saw the ThunderCats riding light blue beasts, Lizard creatures attacking a fortress with catapults of fire and...

Have you ever known a set of twins that were nothing alike? Then you’ll have some idea of what to expect from this puzzling cartoon duo. The format divides its time evenly between The Space Kidettes, starkly reminiscent of The Jetsons in style and tone, and Young Samson & Goliath, which is comparable to Thundarr the Barbarian. Depending on your level of intimacy with Hanna-Barbera canon, you will or won’t be familiar with the three different animation styles they employed across their wildly diverse series of cartoons.

The premises for both halves are amazingly simple, but if you love this type of Hb cartoon, that won’t surprise you in the slightest. Each new 12-minute adventure sees The Space Kidettes stumble across some new invention or creature and they make the best of their situation, while Young Samson & Goliath either defeats a beast or rescues a maiden. It’s simple,...

The guys at the GeekCast Radio Network have been bashing IGN’s list of the Top 100 Animated Series for and they’ve finally decided to put their money where their mouth is by compiling their own list of the Top 100 Animated Series Of All Time – and they’ve got a little help! The GeekCast Radio Network has teamed with This Week In Geek, Chicken Pop Pod, The Pop Culture Network, Behind the Voice Actors and… us!

Yes, we here at Blogomatic3000 (well, when I say we I mean me) have compiled our own Top 100 list and that will be combined with the the lists from all the other participating sites to create The definitive Top 100 Animated Series List. As a pre-cursor to the unveiling of the combined list on the Gcrn Podcast we’ll be running down our Top 100 in two parts: 100-51 today and 50-1 tomorrow.

So without further ado,...

Maybe I just have a specific brand of Hanna-Barbera that I like, but I have to say that compared to Wheelie and the Chopper Bunch and Thundarr the Barbarian, Jabberjaw ranks as one of my favorite cartoons from the creators of Scooby-Doo. It’s just as silly and ridiculous as everything else that came out of the Hanna-Barbera factory, and it’s just as willing to throw racial stereotypes around without thinking, but Jabberjaw is just about having fun. Oh, and it’s about a shark that talks like the Three Stooges. That’s the element that was missing from Jaws.

The 16 episodes of this complete series set feature Jabberjaw and his four human musician friends who have a dynamic similar to the Mystery Inc. gang, but their band is called The Neptunes, and the Shaggy doppleganger talks like a stuttering Jar Jar binks. They live in Aqualand in an...

Maybe I just have a specific brand of Hanna-Barbera that I like, but I have to say that compared to Wheelie and the Chopper Bunch and Thundarr the Barbarian, Jabberjaw ranks as one of my favorite cartoons from the creators of Scooby-Doo. It’s just as silly and ridiculous as everything else that came out of the Hanna-Barbera factory, and it’s just as willing to throw racial stereotypes around without thinking, but Jabberjaw is just about having fun. Oh, and it’s about a shark that talks like the Three Stooges. That’s the element that was missing from Jaws.

The 16 episodes of this complete series set feature Jabberjaw and his four human musician friends who have a dynamic similar to the Mystery Inc. gang, but their band is called The Neptunes, and the Shaggy doppleganger talks like a stuttering Jar Jar binks. They live in Aqualand in an...

Suffice to say, not every studio is going to get it right every single time. Hanna Barbera has some of the most classic cartoon characters in its stable like Yogi Bear, The Flintstones, The Jetsons, Scooby-Doo, and so many others; but they’ve got a few misfires under their belt, and they’re easy to forget. Though, it was easier to forget them when they were locked away in Warner Brothers’ vault, not having seen the light of day since the transition from VHS to DVD and digital mediums. Sometimes you can revel in the retro cartoons just because they’re truly bizarre and goofy (like its recently rereleased Thundarr the Barbarian), but in the case of Wheelie and the Chopper Bunch, there’s nothing much to be said for the dusty television fossil except that it should have been left buried.

Filled with puns (including the very premise “car-toons...

Suffice to say, not every studio is going to get it right every single time. Hanna Barbera has some of the most classic cartoon characters in its stable like Yogi Bear, The Flintstones, The Jetsons, Scooby-Doo, and so many others; but they’ve got a few misfires under their belt, and they’re easy to forget. Though, it was easier to forget them when they were locked away in Warner Brothers’ vault, not having seen the light of day since the transition from VHS to DVD and digital mediums. Sometimes you can revel in the retro cartoons just because they’re truly bizarre and goofy (like its recently rereleased Thundarr the Barbarian), but in the case of Wheelie and the Chopper Bunch, there’s nothing much to be said for the dusty television fossil except that it should have been left buried.

Filled with puns (including the very premise “car-toons...

One thing I forgot to mention in another Warner Archives review was that it had the moniker .Hanna-Barbera Classics Collection. implying more were on the way. So we can travel from Saturday morning to our doomed future and follow the adventures of Thundarr. Not that it.s a Hanna-Barbera production. In the year of our lord nineteen hundred and ninety four, a rogue planet comes between the Earth and the Moon that causes destructive changes to the atmosphere. This cataclysm caused society to break down, but our heroes adventures are set two thousand years after this destruction in 3994. Into this harsh realm strides Thundarr the Barbarian (Robert Ridgely) with his sun sword that only he can wield.

You know you’re scraping the bottom of the barrel when an official studio DVD release resembles a bootleg purchased out of the trunk of some guy’s car. Thundarr the Barbarian–a third-tier Saturday morning cartoon produced by Ruby-Spears for the undemanding children of the early 1980s–must have some fans somewhere. They deserve better than the package assembled for them here. Hit the jump for my full review.

The show itself certainly doesn’t justify much. It’s a hastily redressed riff on Star Wars, presenting a colorful, kid-friendly variation of the post-apocalyptic wasteland scenario. Thousands of years after a “runaway planet” devastates the surface of the Earth, a new world arises: full of “savagery, super science and sorcery” the opening titles assure us. That gave the animators the means to slap whatever they wanted onto the screen and still make it fit within the context. (Rumor has...

Oh great and mighty god of guilty pleasures I lift up to you this 4 disc DVD set of Thundarr and give praise and thanks for it's stilted animation, over the top voice over performances and downright surreal visual sensibilities. Running from October 1980 to September 1982 this Hanna Barbera classic is classic mainly for those who remember it but unforgettably kitschy fun for anyone who encounters it now. My two kids ages ten and six are addicted.

There is something hypnotic about the repetitious quality of these cartoons. Thundarr, Ariel and Ookla the Mok, ride, then they spot a human in trouble because of some mutant race trying to enslave or eat them, then they use the sunsword, Ariels magic and Ooklas mighty strength to defeat the invaders, then one of them gets kidnapped, then there's a rescue party, then.... you get the idea- there are no ideas just action and the ideas implicit in the scenarios.

It’s amazing to me, looking back, to discover that the Thundarr the Barbarian DVD release is in fact the complete series at 21 episodes. Now available through the increasingly interesting Warner Archive (here), I’m not surprised to learn that it was one of their most requested DVD releases.

I feel as though I watched the adventures of Thundarr, Ookla the Mok (name your band today!), and Princess Ariel for years, and I suppose I probably was, but I can hardly wrap my head around the idea that there were so few episodes. Saturday morning cartoons, back in the days when that meant something, came and went, but Thundarr is a pop culture treasure. How can there only be 21 episodes of something so ingrained in the collective psyche of my generation? I can’t imagine running into anyone who wouldn’t catch a reference. I feel like Kevin Pollak in...

Though the animated Thundarr the Barbarian series was only on the air for two seasons and 21 episodes, it's earned a place in the memories of kids who grew up in the early 1980s.

Thundarr takes place in the year 3994. Civilization on Earth is in ruin after a runaway planet sped between Earth and the moon and unleashed "cosmic destruction." The planet is divided into territories that are ruled by magic and science. Thundarr (Bob Ridgely), a barbarian, and his friends Ookla the Mok (Henry Corden) and sorceress Princess Ariel (Nellie Bellflower) travel the countryside and use their powers, courage, and wits to liberate enslaved humans and battle mutants, wizards, thieves and robots.

The complete series has just been released on DVD in a four disc set. It sells for $29.95 from the Warner Archive Collection. You can also try to win a...

Ruby-Spears was a strong competitor to Hanna-Barbera and Filmation when they arrived during the 1970s. For ComicMix fans, their brightest moment may have been the imaginative and visually interesting Thundarr the Barbarian, which aired a mere 21 episodes. But, boasting the designs of Jack Kirby and Alex Toth, along with the writing prowess of Steve Gerber, Martin Pasko, and others, the show has remained a fan favorite.

We were reminded of the show’s potential when the first episode was included in the Saturday Morning 1980s set from Warner Home Video. Now, their sister division, Warner Archive, has released a complete four disc set of the series. Amazingly, though, Lords of Light! an eighteen minute piece all about the creation and enduring appeal of Thundarr the Barbarian that was on the former set, is missing here.

The series ran during the 1980-1982 seasons, on ABC. Thundarr is a nomadic barbarian (aren’t they all?...

Starting three years before He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, Thundarr the Barbarian was Hanna Barbera’s foray into the world of science fiction and fantasy adventure. It’s a ridiculous foray and one that’s so bad it’s good like only old nonsensical cartoons are. If the cartoon needs a conflict, chances are an evil wizard will pop up to play the part. If a situation demands it Thundarr can defy physics. If a situation demands it, metal bends like noodles when sliced. If a situation demands it, a propane tank attached to a rocket can sustain a brain and be a villain. The whole series is a silly mess, but when you consider that there are nods or rip-offs of many other popular culture icons, it becomes a game of I Spy with pop culture references couched in the classic animation style of Hanna Barbera that...

The weekend’s here. You’ve just been paid, and it’s burning a hole in your pocket. What’s a pop culture geek to do? In hopes of steering you in the right direction to blow some of that hard-earned cash, it’s time for the Fred Weekend Shopping Guide - your spotlight on the things you didn’t even know you wanted…

(Please support Fred by using the links below to make any impulse purchases - it helps to keep us going…)

Warners has been dipping into their vaults for many high definition releases of their classic films, and the films starring Humphrey Bogart have been getting particularly nice attention, starting with their beautiful restoration of Casablanca and now continuing with a one-two punch of both The Treasure Of The Sierra Madre and The Maltese Falcon (Warner Bros., Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$24.98 Srp each), both getting restorations as nicely...

This week’s DVD and Blu-ray releases are truly some bankruptcy inducing titles. With two truly epic Blu-ray’s from Criterion to talk about, as well as a slew of new releases and catalog titles from various distributors, you’ll have to choose wisely, or perhaps just take out a loan on your house to pay for them all.

I know, I know. Tuesday was days ago, and we’re almost upon Tuesday again, where we’ll see a whole list of new titles. As those who follow me on Twitter know, I had a rather large event happen on Wednesday, which threw a wrench into my blogging plans. Nevertheless, I wanted to get these titles up, as I think they are incredibly important, and should be considered if you’re looking to drop some cash on DVDs and Blu-rays.

Before I get into this week’s new releases, I...

Jack Kirby earned his reputation as the "King of Comics" by his prolific body of work and for co-creating the early Marvel Universe characters like Captain America, the X-Men, the Hulk and The Fantastic Four. And while Kirby passed away in 1994, a number of his previously unseen concepts may introduce a new generation to Kirby's creations.

According to the New York Times, Joe Ruby and Ken Spears — the founders of Ruby-Spears Productions — have teamed up with Sid and Marty Krofft (“Land of the Lost”) to develop a treasure trove of Kirby's creations into films, TV series, comics and video games. The material stems from over 600 production boards created by Kirby during his employment at Ruby-Spears in the '80s.

Some of the most promising concept art revealed so far include “Roxie’s Raiders,” featuring a female adventurer — more like Indiana Jones than Lara Croft — and her team; “Golden Shield,” which...