Fanholes Sidecast #9 - Remember When Carnage Ruled?

Fanholes regulars Tony (Chainclaw), Mike (Thunderwing), Brian (Breakdown) and Justin (Grimlock) give commentary on the episode of Spider-Man Unlimited titled "One Is the Loneliest Number"

Fanholes Episode # 34: Magic Corner Monkey Punch

This episode, the Fanholes discuss the comic Uncanny X-Force, the Buffy/Angel-verse, their favorite fighting games, and their favorite music albums!

Fanholes Episode # 34: Magic Corner Monkey Punch

Podcast Powered By Podbean

Fanholes Side Story: The Adventures of Tintin part 2

The Crab With the Golden Claws begins with a simple investigation concerning fake coins, a slip of paper and a tin of crab meat. Eventually Tintin discovers the crab tins actually contain opium. It is in this story Tintin meets reoccurring ally, Captain Haddock. Tintin, Snowy, and Haddock eventually bring down the opium smuggling gang, but not before Haddock burns down their lifeboat...while on the ocean. The adventurers also cross a desert, battle bandits, and Haddock spends some time fighting Tintin as he struggles to quit drinking.

Despite the opium smuggling angle this is a fairly light adventure with quite a bit of humor. Tintin, Snowy and Haddock bonk each other on the head enough times to qualify for a Three Stooges act. This is one of the stories written during WWII and was often delayed due to paper shortage. The Crab with the Golden Claws has been adapted several times. As stop motion film in 1947, though it was only screened for the public once, and it has been animated two times. First in 1957 and again in 1991.

The Secret of the Unicorn and Red Rackham's Treasure is a two part tale where Tintin and friends search for the treasure of the Unicorn. The adventure begins innocently enough when Tintin purchases a model ship. He is immediately met with several men who wish to buy the ship, but refuses to sell as he plans to give it to Captain Haddock. From there the story involves multiple models of the Unicorn, pickpockets, secret parchment and Haddock’s tale of an ancestor being directly involved with the sinking of the real Unicorn.

If you are new to Tintin and are looking for a good place to start then I suggest these two tales. They are considered two of the best Tintin adventures by many. They are especially relevant as material from these stories will be adapted for the upcoming feature film. Or, if you prefer, you could pick up the recently released season one dvd of the 1991 animated series. Both stories are adapted as two part episodes and are not only highly regarded, but are pretty faithful to the source material.

Fanholes Side Story: The Adventures of Tintin part 1

As I mentioned in a previous Side Story, Belgium gave us The Smurfs and The Adventures of Tintin. Tintin may not be as well known as the Smurfs though. Some 80s and 90s kids, myself included, remember Tintin from his animated series that ran on HBO. If you are not familiar with the property, or undecided about watching the upcoming feature film, then perhaps this blog can help you make a decision.

Tintin was created by Georges Prosper Remi, better known under the pen name Hergé. The first Tintin comic debuted in 1929, a serialized story called Tintin in the Land of the Soviets. When I first encountered Tintin I thought of him as Jimmy Olsen with a dog, Snowy, for a sidekick. Tintin is an investigative reporter and typically gets drawn into various adventures. You may be wondering if Tintin is a first name or last name. Well the truth is no one knows. Tintin is seemingly a man without a past, or a family. No mention is ever made of his family and he simply states ‘at home they call me Tintin.’ Many fans theorize Tintin is a pseudonym and that he visits his family between adventures.

It's interesting to note that during WWII several stories, Tintin in America and The Black Island were banned by the Nazis. Later, Hergé would continue to publish stories though a German newspaper and we be accused of being a collaborator. Many artist and writers who fled from the Nazis often looked down on those who stayed behind.

As you are aware of by now, there is a forthcoming film called The Adventures of Tintin, directed by Stephen Spielberg with Peter Jackson serving as one of the producers. This film will combine elements from several different stories. Primarily, The Crab with the Golden Claws, The Secret of the Unicorn, and Red Rackham's Treasure. Spielberg has been a fan of Tintin for quite some time now, becoming aware of the property when a reviewer compared Raiders of the Lost Ark to Tintin. Also of note, Steven Moffat, the current show runner of Doctor Who, worked on the script of this film.

Fanholes Sidecast #8 - Red Shirts Just Wanna Have Fun!

Fanholes regulars Tony (Chainclaw), Mike (Thunderwing), Derek (derekwc) and Justin (Grimlock)give commentary on the infamous episode of Star Trek titled "Spock's Brain"

Fanholes Episode # 33: There Is No Fanholes, Only Zuul!

This episode, it's an all-Ghostbusters discussion! From the movies, to the cartoons, to the comics, to the toys, to anything else!

Fanholes Episode # 33: There Is No Fanholes, Only Zuul!

Podcast Powered By Podbean