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Reviews and commentary by Tony Isabella
"America's Most Beloved Comic-Book Writer & Columnist"
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TONY'S ONLINE TIPS
for Tuesday, February 10, 2009
I'm not a fan of "live TV." I watch very little of it and what I watch is mostly sporting events and the few programs I watch with my daughter, Kelly. I see channel-surfing as huge waste of time that could always be used more productively...while admitting the same can be said of almost all my viewing. I prefer to record shows and watch them at my convenience, skipping over commercials and thus reducing the amount of time wasted. Unfortunately, the ease with which I can record these shows probably keeps me watching more TV than I should. Sigh.
Back in the day, those prehistoric days before the invention of home video recorders and the Internet and TiVo, watching "live TV" was the only option available to me and my fellow creatures of the 1950s and 1960s. If we wanted to watch a program week in and week out, we had to sit in front of our television sets at the same time every week. Even as a kid, that didn't appeal to me.
The one show I never wanted to miss was Ruff and Reddy. Its heroes were a cat and a dog - voiced by Don Messick and Daws Butler - who had fantastic adventures that frequently involved sci-fi themes. Online research tells me the cartoons were one segment of a show featuring a host, puppets, and theatrical cartoons, but I've no memory of anything except Ruff and Reddy and their exciting serialized exploits. I recall being especially enthralled by their battles with the evil robots of the planet Muni Mula, which is, of course, "aluminum" spelled backwards.
Ruff and Reddy isn't currently available on DVD, so I can't compare my fond remembrances of the cartoons with reality. If I had to crawl back into my six-year-old brain, I'd conjecture my devotion to the animal adventurers stemmed from their friendship and loyalty. They were not super-geniuses or super-heroes. They got by courage and luck. But they always stuck by each other and, as long as they did, they could always beat the bad guys.
Not a bad lesson for a kid to take from a TV show.
Thanks for spending a part of your day with me. I'll be back tomorrow with more stuff.
Tony Isabella
<< 02/09/2009 | 02/10/2009 | 02/11/2009 >>
Discuss this column with me at my Message Board. Also, read Heroes and Villains: Real and Imagined.
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THE "TONY" SCALE
ZERO: Burn your money before buying any comic receiving this rating. It doesn't *necessarily* mean there's absolutely nothing of value here - though it *could* - but whatever value it might possess shrinks into insignificance before its overall awfulness.
ONE: Buy something else. Maybe I found something which wasn't completely dreadful in the item, but not enough for me to recommend it when there are better comics available. I only want what's best for you, my children.
TWO: Basic judgment call. I found some value, but not enough to recommend it. My review should give you enough info to decide if you want to take a chance on it. Are you feeling lucky today, punk? Well, are you?
THREE: This denotes something I find perfectly respectable. There are better books out there, but I wouldn't regret buying this item. Based on my review, you should be able to determine if it's of interest to you. Let the Force guide you.
FOUR: I recommend anything earning this rating. Unless you don't like the genre, subject matter, or past work of the creators, I believe you'll enjoy this item. Isn't it uncanny how I can look right into your soul that way?
FIVE: Anything getting this rating is among the best comicdom has to offer. You should buy/read this, even if the genre/subject matter doesn't appeal to you. It's for your own good. Me, I live for comics and books this good...but not in a pathetic "Comic-Book Guy" sort of way.
Please send material you would like me to review to:
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Medina, OH 44256
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