BIG X / ビックX Sonorama Storybook & Record

We leave the Western Hemisphere heroisms of Batman behind (see our previous post HERE), and now head off to the Eastern Hemi for BIG X, a very different flavor of super powered hero, as featured in this vintage Asahi Sonorama flexi record storybook from Japan. Legendary creator, Osamu Tezuka's boy with the iron body may not have had the same level of impact upon the world of manga and anime as his other masterful creations like Astroboy or Kimba the White Lion, but BIG X is still one heck of an action packed, WW2, sci-fi adventure about good vs. evil, and is freakin' overloaded with mad nazi science and rampaging robots. The manga ran in Shonen Book from November 1963 to Feb. 1966, while the TBS / Tokyo Movie anime TV series (now considered "lost" except for a handful of episodes) aired from August 1964 until Sept. 1965. As mentioned, this is a Sonorama flexi disc version, as well as a storybook, and below are my photos of every beautifully illustrated page, including pictures of both sides of the record. CLICK HERE to listen to the awesome BIG X theme song, and then click HERE, HERE, and HERE for more classic Japanese cartoon flexi fun found in the AEET Archive! For even more BIG X awesomeness, I've added a few pictures of my vintage villain bot "V-3" to the end of the post. I picked this up at the All Monsters Attack Convention in Indiana in 2022. He's missing the head fin, unfortunately, but it was still too cool pass up! Does anyone have a 3D printer?

BATMAN Card Game ('66)

Birthday gift to myself this year: Whitman's BATMAN Card Game from 1966. I had this as a kid and played it with my sister constantly throughout the latter half of the 70's. Featuring a simple match game type set-up, the first person to pair all of their cards and still possess the single Batman and Robin card wins. Nice illustrations on every card too, but I'm not exactly sure who the artist is. Now, even as a youngin', I remember thinking that a few of the villain choices here were a little odd (Calendar Man? Blockbuster??) Especially when compared to the other more popular, higher profile baddies frequenting the Adventures of Batman cartoon series, as well as the legendary Adam West TV show. Still, we get some of the big guns of Batman hoodlumdom: The Joker, The Riddler, Cat Woman, Penguin, and Mr. Zero, who later got himself a frigid name change thanks to the popularity of the TV show, thus becoming Mr. Freeze! Meanwhile, Eclipso and Queen Bee always seemed to me to be more tied to various other comic series storylines from House of Secrets and JLA, but ehh, what did pre-teen Steve know about the DCU in the 70's? I do know that when researching this game for today's post, there are some insane selling prices listed-- and I'm very glad I scored mine for only $5.00 instead!

Devilbubu Tales

What better day than Walpurgisnacht is there for Labubu to arrive at AEET in the guise of The Devil (Monsters Carnival series) to remind everyone of Mr. Karswell's hottest hardcover collection ever, DEVIL TALES published in 2016. Though apparently sold-out (according to Amazon), used copies actually do pop-up occasionally. If you can find one, I guarantee it's worth your time eternal, with nearly 150 pages of scorching precode 50's horror comic story gems, a demonic cover gallery, and it's all centered around the one and only Lord of Liars himself, Satan! Labubu digs Golden Age comics as much as she enjoys hanging out on the DEVIL TALES end papers, --and whoa, what's this? Here comes the king of The Monsters forest, Zimomo (Mini Series 4 Rojo version) for a monster-rama showdown supreme! We should probably all skedaddle now ASAP, as things are certain to get a little hairier / scarier around here! Everyone have an enjoyable evening, and as always, burn the midnight fires to please thee...

Mystery Number

Walpurgisnacht is just around the corner, and as always, we prepare for it accordingly with weird and mysterious postings to celebrate said halfway point to Halloween! And looky here, the January 9th, 1926 issue of JUDGE magazine, (aka the "Mystery Number" special) is preposterously possessed with just what dastardly 'Ol Scratch himself hath ordered! So if a silly supernatural kick to the funny bone is what you crave, prepare yourself for a perfect peek into the pop culture keyhole of 1920's stage and screen, the who-dunits, ghost stories, spiritualism, politics, jazz music (!!!), romance, cars, cats, and more! Not to mention the awesome array of imaginative illustrative talent on hand here as well, in particular, Jefferson Machamer with his gorgeous stylized drawings and Hella handsome, spiraling lettering, --as also featured HERE via one of the more revealing "ADULTS ONLY!" posts in the AEET Archive! 

I Heart Hot Springs, AR!

About 6 hours south of good 'ol STL MO is one heckuva getaway vacation destination spot-- Hot Springs, Arkansas! Located in the Ouachita Mountains, and just 55 miles southwest of Little Rock, this natural hot springs resort city (as the brochure states) was the first in the US to be set apart by a special act of Congress in 1832 for health and recreational purposes. I could go on and on about all of the fun things you can see, and do (and eat) there, but that's what the perfectly spot-on, beautiful illustrations in this midcentury, fold-out brochure are for! Well, here's a few anyway: biking, sports, shopping, and of course simply relaxing in one of the many hot springs-- just don't forget your swimsuit, as well as your bullet bra!