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Most automobile buffs know that the Ford Edsel was one of the biggest flops in the history of the horseless carriage. There are many reasons why cars like the Edsel fail to capture the hearts of the American public but in the case of this relic from the late 50s it came down to one simple fact, the car was ugly.  Classic Car: The Definitive Visual History (DK Definitive Visual Histories) - $30.99 @ Amazon.com Well, maybe ugly was a bit strong but in a time when cars were starting to look a little more sporty the Edsel was a bit of a dinosaur with a huge front grill. The Edsel was named after Henry Ford’s son, no small honor, and it had its own division of the company devoted to its creation. As TIME reported in 1957 when the car debuted, the company had spent 10 years and $250 million on planning one of its first brand-new cars in decades. As it turned out, the Edsel was a classic case of the wrong car for the wrong market at the wrong time. It was also a prime example of the limi...

 This past week I discovered an interesting little tidbit in Facebook feed from a paranormal group about Native American encounters with giant hominoids in ancient times. Included in the article was the above illustration that sparked my interest simply because it looked like the cover of an old Turok Son of Stone comic book. Nostalgia aside, the accompanying story jarred my memory of something I had read years ago about the discovery of a giant skeleton in Lompoc, California sometime in the 1800s. This again sparked my curiosity and I was able to find the story with a quick online search. In 1833, a group of Mexican soldiers stationed in Lompoc, were digging a powder-magazine pit on the old Lompoc Rancho one morning when they unearthed a human skeleton. This skeleton, found beneath a layer of cemented gravel, was 12 feet tall. The giant had double rows of teeth on its upper and lower jaws and was surrounded by burial offerings such as carved shells, huge stone axes, and porphyry...

Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe #1 January 1983 Marvel Comics $5.49 @ Atomic Robot - Order Here Character/artist listing: Abomination by Ron Wilson; Absorbing Man by Ron Wilson; El Aguila by Dave Cockrum; A.I.M. by Luke McDonnell; Ajak by Ron Wilson; Alpha Flight by John Byrne; Alpha Primitives by Ron Wilson; American Eagle by Ron Wilson; Anaconda by Mark Gruenwald; Angar the Screamer by Brian Postman; Angel by Brian Postman; Annihilus by Luke McDonnell; Ant-Man by Brian Postman; Aquarian by Mark Gruenwald; Arabian Knight by Mark Gruenwald; Arcade by Bob Budiansky; Ares, God of War by Paul Smith; Ariel by Paul Smith; Arkon by Bob Budiansky; Arnim Zola by Jack Kirby; Asgard by Peter B. Gillis; Asgardians by Ron Wilson; Atlantis by Peter B. Gillis; Atlanteans by Paty Cockrum; Attilan by Peter B. Gillis; Attuma by Walt Simonson; Aurora by John Byrne; Avengers by John Byrne; Avengers Mansion by Eliot Brown; Avengers Quinjet by Eliot Brown; Alien Races by Paty Cockrum. Marvel Comic...

I normally don't write reviews of stores but our family had a great time looking through the Bricks & Minifigs store in Pearland, Texas. As a child that loved to play with Legos way back in the 70s I can't help but marvel at how the toys have evolved from just simple colored bricks to complex shaped pieces where just about anything can be built in detail. I used to try and build Star Wars stuff back in the day and with what I had on hand and my creations never looked anything like the real deal. With the kits available today I could have built a nearly spot on replica. You really had to use your imagination back then. The Lego company has a rather fascinating history: The name ‘LEGO’ is an abbreviation of the two Danish words “leg godt”, meaning “play well”. It’s our name and it’s our ideal. The global economic crisis forces carpenter Ole Kirk Kristiansen to produce new easy saleable products. The beginning of the LEGO Group starts with wooden toys, such as cars, airplanes ...

Ever since I started this website back in 2020 I have wanted to do a regular feature about the hundreds of movie stills in my own personal collection. So far I have managed to post about a mere ten of these images. For some reason I just can't seem to find a couple of minutes to pull a photo out of a box and plop it down on my scanner.  Creature From the Black Lagoon: The Legacy Collection (Creature from the Black Lagoon / Revenge of the Creature / The Creature Walks Among Us) by Universal Studios DVD - $9.44 @ Amazon.com I need to be a lot more disciplined about getting these things posted so that fans can get as much enjoyment out of them as I do. I'm certain that many of these may not have ever been seen by many movie fans. Today I have a great promotional image from the 1955 Universal horror classic Revenge of the Creature. I would have to assume that it is Ricou Browning in the Creature costume and not Tom Hennessy, who replaced Ben Chapman in this film. Strangely the capt...

One of the great things about working in Baton Rouge is watching all the different types of locomotives in operation on the Canadian National. I have to tip my hat off to the CN for not repainting all of their locomotives in their signature colors like all other railroads. I love to drive by the CN engine facilities near downtown because I never know what I'm going to see in the yard.  It's kinda like playing railroad roulette. Canadian National Railway (Railroad Color History) Hardcover - $26.99 @ Amazon.com In my time working in the Louisiana capitol I have seen locomotives from the old Illinois Central, The Elgin, Joliet and Eastern Railway and The Grand Trunk Western. The Illinois Central power is right at home in Baton Rouge because the CN is operating on their old trackage which they acquired via merger in 1999. Likewise 'The Jay' became part of the CN system in 2007. It's the sheer volume of Grand Trunk locomotives in the area that I find most fascinating. So...