Introduction

What would happen if the heroes of the Harvey Comics universe meet their equivalents in the Marvel universe?  That is the goal of this article.  The challenge is finding the Harvey Comic equivalent character in the very different Marvel universe.  Also, the Harvey Comic character deserves to meet the most famous equivalent character.  Marvel characters that had their own title are considered more important than characters that did not have their own title.  If more than one character type had their own title then the character that had more impact on the history of the Marvel universe is picked as the “adversary” for the Harvey character.

1) Archibald the Talking Wishing Well vs. Cosmic Cube

As I stated in Harvey Comics vs. DC, I have a soft spot for objects with sentience and even wrote a book on the subject called Household Fables.  Archibald the Talking Wishing Well is a sentient magical object and deserves to fight another sentient magical object.  Hot Stuff’s trident is also sentient and capable of doing magic.

The following Marvel inanimate objects possess sentience: Cosmic Cube, Krimonn the Power Prism, Resurrection Stone, the Bottle Imp, and the Sword in the Star.  The cosmic cube is one of the most important objects in the Marvel universe and far, far, far more important than the other objects listed.  The Cosmic Cube evolves to sentience and becomes Kubik.  Kubik travels to the Harvey universe and is quite amused.  Kubik wanders the enchanted forest and comes upon Archibald the Talking Wishing Well.  The two actually have a lot in common.  Both provide wishes.  Kubik can provide wishes on a global scale and Archibald can only create objects and not even change events.  Kubik decides to grant Archibald a wish!  Archibald asks to be human for a day.

Kubik and Archibald travel to Spooky Town and scare the ghosts.  They wander to Deviland and get a lava bath, courtesy of invulnerability provided by Kubik.   Kubik and Archibald watch the none stop fights between ogres in Ogreville.  Goblin Gulch is more a forest than a town and there isn’t much to see so they leave quickly.  Archibald visits Wendy at Witch Way.  Archibald starts to turn back into a wishing well.  Kubik says goodbye and leaves Archibald where he found him.  Being human makes Archibald reflect on how horrible his existence really is.  A strange carriage made of metal with a cannon attached to the top clanks towards Archibald.

2) Baby Huey vs. Howard the Duck

The anthropomorphic animals of Marvel include Howard the Duck, Spider Ham, Super Rabbit and Top Dog. Spider Ham is a parody of Spider-Man.  I deal with this subject in more detail at:

http://foxhugh.wordpress.com/2009/06/10/dc-vs-marvel-funny-animals/

Baby Huey is an anthropomorphic duck.  Howard the Duck is Marvel’s foremost anthropomorphic duck well their only anthropomorphic duck unless you count the inhabitants of Howard’s world who are of the same species.  Thog the Overmaster had previously kidnapped Howard the Duck from his own dimension and brought to the Marvel human dimension.  Thog the Overmaster is not pleased at all the success Howard the Duck has had and is jealous of Howard’s relationship since Thog has never been able to attract hot chicks.  Thog decides the ultimate torture is to dump Howard into a dimension of sentient ducks that are basically idiots.  Howard is dumped in Duckville were he meets Baby Huey.  Howard shares his cynical existential philosophy with the inhabitants of Duckville and one by one they commit suicide until Howard is alone, so very alone….

3) Casper vs. Homer the Happy Ghost

Marvel only has two real ongoing ghostcharacters: Dead Girl, Homer the Happy Ghost.  There is a bad guy named Ghost that can turn himself and objects invisible or intangible but he does this trick with a battle suit and is basically a techy rather than supernatural being.  Homer the Happy Ghost on the other hand was created by Marvel, then Atlas, in direct response to Casper.  Homer actually lasted 22 issues in the fifties and there was an attempt to revive the character in the seventies.  The second run only lasted 4 issues.

Homer is basically Casper with an ectoplasmic cow lick.  Homer even has a ghost buddy with a derby just like Spooky, Casper’s friend, called Dugan.  Zelda was the Homer good little witch version of Wendy.  Homer was happy not friendly like Casper.  The Homer universe did include Melvin the mixed up ghost, a total idiot, and perhaps Melvin was supposed to give Homer the pathos that the Ghostly Trio provided in the Casper stories.  Homer escapes from Marvel comic book limbo and ends up in Harvey comic book limbo.  Casper and Homer become best of friends and have a happy relationship.  Casper remembers his horse Nightmare that disappeared now and then but Homer soon causes him to forget about Nightmare.

4) Hot Stuff the Little Devil vs. Daimon Hellstrom

Hot Stuff is called a devil but does not go around tempting weak mortals but generally causing the primitive chaotic havoc one associates with demons in Dungeons and Dragons. This is important when dealing with the Marvel universe since this universe does differentiate between demons and devils unlike the DC universe but is not as consistent as Dungeons and Dragons.  Actually I think the naming system of Dungeons and Dragons was copied by Marvel minus any of the logic used by Dungeons and Dragons!  Take that Marvel!  The following list includes all devils and demons in the Marvel universe combined: Abraxas (comics), Adversary (comics), Allatou, Amatsu-Mikaboshi (comics), Asmodeus (Marvel Comics), Azazel (Marvel Comics), Baphomet (comics), Belasco (comics), Blackheart, Blackout (comics), Crimson King, Dagoth, Daimon Hellstrom, Damballah (comics), Demogoblin, Dragon of the Moon, Dragoom, Dreamqueen, Gargoyle (comics), Ghost Rider (Danny Ketch)      , Ghost Rider (Johnny Blaze), Glob (comics), Golem (comics), Haazareth Three, Helleyes, Hood (comics), Ikthalon, Inferno (demon), Kazann, KhLΘG, Kirigi, Lilith (Marvel Comics), Ludi (comics), Magik (comics), Marduk Kurios, Mephisto (comics), Nameless One (Marvel Comics), N’astirh, N’Garai, Ningal (comics), Null (comics), Olivier (comics), Randall Flagg, Roxanne Simpson, Satana (Marvel Comics), Satannish, Saturnine (comics), Seth (Marvel Comics), Shuma-Gorath, Six-Fingered Hand (comics), Skinner (comics), Sligguth, Spider-X, Stone (Marvel Comics), Suma-ket, Surtur (Marvel Comics), S’ym, Thog, Trauma (comics), Undying Ones, Vengeance (comics), Visimajoris, Y’Garon, Zarathos, and Zom

Only two demons/devils have graduated to their own title in the Marvel universe: Ghost Rider and Daimon Hellstrom.  The problem is that Ghost Rider doesn’t look very devil like and looks like, well, Ghost Rider.  Daimon Hellstrom even has a trident like Hot Stuff!  Hot Stuff has run away from Etrigan the Demon in the DC universe and gotten lost.  Hot Stuff meets Daimon Hellstrom in the Marvel section of hell which is actually a lot nicer than the DC section of hell.  Daimon is the son of Satannish and should be pretty evil due to his heritage but actually is a softy that is always helping the good guys.  Hot Stuff is crying and his asbestos diaper is soiled.Hellstrom teleports the poor child back to Deviland.

5) Nightmare the Galloping Ghost (Casper’s horse) vs. Dreamstalker

There are quite a few flying horses in the Marvel universe that can fly into the skies and battle Nightmare including: Aragorn, Brightwind, Dreamstalker, Sleipnir, Strider, Valinor.  However, only one horse has a “dream” theme and that is Dreamstalker the steed of Nightmare who in the Marvel universe is the ruler of the dimension of nightmares.   Nightmare has a terrible dream, which is kind or ironic if you think about it, in this nightmare, Nightmare runs into Dreamstalker.  Dreamstalker turns into what Nightmare wants more than anything else and that’s Comet the Super-Horse.  When Nightmare awakes, she is in the mood to wake up Comet who is sleeping next to her.

6) Richie Rich vs. Tony Stark

Royal Roy was a blatant rip off of Richie Rich published by Marvel under their Star Comics imprint and was sued by Harvey Comics for copyright infringement.  Royal Roy and later the entire Star imprint failed in the market place and were cancelled and the lawsuit was cancelled.  Royal Roy passes the type test but is a very obscure Marvel character.  Tony Stark is the alter ego of Iron Man and is a billionaire industrialist in his own right.  Tony Stark pays the bills of the Avengers including their mansion.  Tony Stark is also an alcoholic who has struggled with the demon in the bottle on and off during his career.  Tony Stark is just a lot more interesting than Royal Roy.

Tony is attending a party at the mansion of Richie Rich.  Tony is on his 20^th martini.  Tony sees Richie and gives him a long lecture about how with great power comes great responsibility and ditto for great wealth.  Richie doesn’t really understand what Tony is going on about but is upset and Richie starts to cry for the first time in his life.  Tony is escorted of the grounds of the mansion.  The next morning, Tony feels about as guilty as he ever has.

7) Sad Sack vs. Sgt. Fury

I have written about comic book war heroes before at:

http://foxhugh.wordpress.com/2009/03/21/dc-vs-marvel-war-heroes/

Marvel war heroes include Sgt. Fury and the Howling Commandos, Captain Savage and his Leathernecks, the characters in the The ‘Nam series, and the Phantom Eagle.  Sgt. Fury is by far the alpha male of the Marvel war heroes.  Sad Sack did not actually get killed by a sniper when part of Sgt. Rock’s Easy Company but just played possum.  Sad Sack is unlike a Marvel toon and is kind of made out of some sort of indestructible rubber and even that description doesn’t really work.  If anything Sad Sack is tougher than any sort of rubber and kind of invulnerable.

Sad Sack has never been in combat before and is in the midst of a total nervous breakdown when he runs into Sgt. Fury.  Sgt. Fury has a sense of humor, unlike Sgt. Rock and just finds Sad Sack hilarious!  Sad Sack finds himself the butt of any number of pranks by the Howling Commandos but it’s all good natured fun, well until someone gets hurt but luckily Sad Sack is the sort of toon who can recover from just about any injury.

8) Stumbo the Giant vs. Henry Pym (Giant-Man)

Giants of myth are a big part of the Marvel landscape compared with the DC universe and include: Frost Giants of Jotunheim (Fafner II, Fasolt, Laufey, Utgard-Loki), Ice Giants of Jotunheim (Ymir), Mountain Giants of Jotunheim (Knorda), Rime Giants of Jotunheim (Bergelmir , Glump , Kai-Ra), Storm Giants of Jotunheim (Brimer, Ghan , Grondar, Hrungnir, Kagger, Nedra, Ogre, Skagg, Skoll), and Giants of Olympus (Agrius , Alcyoneus , Callias, Enceladus, Eurymedon, Eurytus, Gration, Mimas, Pallas, Polybotes, Porphyrion, Zeno).  However, none of these mythic giants has ever gotten his/her own title and on the whole are pretty interchangeable!  Mostly the giants of myth in Marvel provide hammer and mace fodder for Thor and Hercules and have zero characterization.  Ymir is probably most important of these giants.  Loki is technically a half-giant but is of normal size and would not be a good match against Stumbo is a real giant.

Henry Pym as Giant-Man on the other hand has been on the front cover of over a dozen issues of Tales to Astonish and shared the comic book with the Hulk.  Giant-Man was also a regular on the cover of the Avengers.  When you think giants in Marvel, you think Giant-Man!  Heck his name has giant in it!  Giant-Man stumbles into Tiny Town while searching for Ultron across the multiverse.  Giant-Man realizes that Stumbo has some sort of mental deficiency and talks to him in a very slow, steady voice that calms Stumbo greatly.  Giant-Man’s Ultron detector finds the dimension Ultron is hiding in.  Giant-Man teleports to that dimension.  Giant-Man and Stumbo part on good terms.

9) Wendy the Good Little Witch vs. Scarlet Witch

Marvel has many witches including:  Amanda Sefton, Agatha Harkness, Arcanna, Black Widow (Claire Voyant), Calypso (comics), Clea, Crimson Curse, Jaine Cutter, Enchantress (Marvel Comics), Jennifer Kale,Karnilla, Morgan le Fay (Marvel Comics), Lilith (Marvel Comics), Lorelei (Asgardian), Magik (comics), Nico Minoru, Pixie (X-Men), Satana (Marvel Comics), Scarlet Witch, Selene (comics), Spiral (comics), Margali Szardos, Talisman (comics), Topaz (Marvel Comics), Umar (Marvel Comics), and Witchfire (Marvel Comics).

However, only the Scarlet Witch has had her own series.  The Scarlet Witch was also ranked 97th in Wizard‘s “200 Greatest Comic Book Characters of All Time” list.  Wendy has left Zatanna with her make over (Harvey Comics vs. DC Comics).  Wendy loves how she looks but wonders if she can get more make up tips from other sexy witches in other dimensions.  Wendy spies the Scarlet Witch with her crystal ball and decides she loves what she has done with red, Wendy’s favorite color. Wendy arrives in front of the Scarlett Witch.  The Scarlet Witch begins combing Wendy’s hair.  Wendy doesn’t mind having her hair combed and has Casper do that all the time well until Homer started hanging around.  Homer doesn’t make Wendy happy at all.  Then the Scarlet Witch starts calling her “daughter”.  Ok, Wendy can even accept the daughter stuff.  However, the Scarlett Witch goes through her gigantic closet and tosses out outfits left and right like so much garbage.

Finally, the Scarlett Witch yells, “No more wooden hangers ever!”

Wendy decides the Scarlett With is nuts or as they say in Witchland, one straw short of flying broom, and quickly teleports out of the Marvel universe.

Spooky Town Grinning Goblin Brewery Lighted Musical Building

Product Description

Brand New Lemax Spooky Town Lighted Building.

Spooky Town Grinning Goblin Brewery Lighted Musical Building Feature

• Exterior Colored Lighting Casts and Eerie Glow
• Volume Control and Power Switch for all functions
• Adaptor included
• Porcelain lighted and musical house
• It Measures Approximately 9 3/4″ X 9 2/3″ X 6 1/2″

Spooky Town Dead City Police Station Lighted Musical Building

Product Description

Brand New Lemax Spooky Town Lighted Building.

Spooky Town Dead City Police Station Lighted Musical Building Feature

• Exterior Colored Lighting Casts and Eerie Glow
• Volume Control and Power Switch for all functions
• Adaptor included
• Caged prisoner moves around
• Approx. size: ( H x W x D ) 9.06 x 6.69 x 5.71 inches

Spooky Town Vampire Bat Aviary Lighted Musical Building

Product Description

Brand New Lemax Spooky Town Lighted Building.

Spooky Town Vampire Bat Aviary Lighted Musical Building Feature

• Exterior Colored Lighting Casts and Eerie Glow
• Volume Control and Power Switch for all functions
• Adaptor included
• Porcelain lighted and musical house
• approx. size: ( H x W x D ) 7.8 x 7.68 x 4.8 inches

We hope you enjoyed this week’s in-depth look at the Universal Studios Monsters Village from the Bradford Exchange.  As promised, we have some pictures of the accessory sets to share with you today, all courtesy of the B. Mapes Estate!

The second accessory set, Dracula Rises, features three different Dracula figures, all of which recreate scenes similar to those in the 1931 film starring Bela Lugosi.

The fourth set, Black Lagoon, allows you to recreate thrilling scenes involving the Gill Man and his victim, Kay!

The fifth set contains two large pieces.  You’d best Beware the Full Moon!

Set Six is the one with the most characters, a whole mob of them in fact!  Feast your eyes on Frankenstein’s Town Mob.

The seventh release is another famous creation scene.  This time, it’s the Bride of Frankenstein!

The eight set brings Lon Chaney’s most famous film to life: The Phantom of the Opera

Thank you, Ms. Mapes for sharing your collection with all of us!

If you enjoyed this week’s posts, check back with us every day, as we will surely have more articles about haunted villages, decorations, and, of course, the world famous Universal Studios Monsters!

This week, we have highlighted the Universal Studios Monsters Village Collection from the Bradford Exchange.  Today, we bring you information on the accessory sets that could be purchased to accompany the regular village collection.

While the buildings themselves each came with a “free” accessory, the Bradford Exchange offered a separate line filled with additional figures and scene-setters.  There were thirteen sets of figures released in total.  Each set included two to four figures.  The following list details the contents of each set.

 1.  It’s Alive! – Dr. Frankenstein, Fritz, and the Monster rising from his slab
2.    Dracula Rises – Dracula and victim, Dracula rising from his coffin, Dracula hiding in the garden
3.    Mummy’s Curse – Imhotep, Mummy in Sarcophagus, Ankh-es-en-amon and Imhotep
4.    Black Lagoon – Captain Lucas, Dr. Reed, Creature in the water, and Kay on the rocks
5.    Beware the Full Moon – Maleva in the wagon and the Wolf Man trapped in the forest
6.    Frankenstein’s Town Mob – Man with dogs, Villagers with torches, and the Monster
7.    Bride of Frankenstein – Dr. Frankenstein, Dr. Pretorius, and the Bride in bandages
8.    Phantom of the Opera – Phantom Fleeing, Phantom and Christine in boat, and Christine at tomb
9.    Invisible Man – Invisible Man in lab, Invisible Man outside, Villagers
10.  Uncovering Artifacts – Various Archaeologists, “tools,” and “maps”
11.  Dracula’s Vampires – Count Dracula in the catacombs and his three brides
12.  Grave Robbers – Fritz with cart, Elizabeth, Dr. Waldman, and Priest
13.  Searching for the Creature – Archaeologists and “Creature Claw Rock”

The figures are only a few inches tall, but they are jam-packed with detail. Take a look for yourself.  These shots are of the figures on display at the B. Mapes Estate.  Tomorrow, come back to view a number of snapshots of the sets, which you can use for your own collecting reference, should you own these figures.

For the past few days, we have been detailing the Universal Studios Monsters Village Collection from the Bradford Exchange.  Today, we continue to share with you descriptions and details of some of the miniature buildings, each of which measures in at about seven inches.  Pictures are graciously provided by the B. Mapes Estate.  Tomorrow, we will tell you all about the accessory sets, so join us then!

The seventh piece in the series is the Bride of Frankenstein’s Castle.  This one lends itself well to the Gothic theme of the village.  With its series of chimneys and vine-covered walls, it manages to combine the classy with the creepy, just like the Bride herself!  This piece comes along with its own Bride of Frankenstein figure, striking a very familiar poise.

The eighth structure in the collection is the very forbidding Phantom’s Paris Opera House.  This building has the most unique design of all and is very detailed.  It has a ton of windows, but the “stone” figures which adorn the roof are probably the most eye-catching decorations on this one!

Issue number nine is The Invisible Man’s Inn.  It is probably one of the most-detailed in the collection.  The accessory that comes along with it, the Invisible Man himself, is also one of the best accessories in this village collection.  He’s not all there – you can see through his hand!

The final piece we will be showcasing comes from later on in the collection.  It is called the “Haunted Rita,” based on the boat of the same name in Creature from the Black Lagoon.  Coming in at issue number sixteen, it is probably one of the most popular pieces – if only because it is one of the most iconic images from any Universal Monster film.  Can you spot the Gill Man’s claw coming from out of the water?

This village can still be ordered via the Bradford Exchange website.  Each piece is $69.99 plus shipping.  Check back here tomorrow for more information on this great set!

We’ll be back tomorrow with the complete list of accessory sets for this village collection.  See you then!

The Bradford Exchange has had some rather unique village collections, but the one that is probably most interesting to you, our lovely readers, is the Universal Monsters series.  Yesterday, we outlined the complete village collection, providing you with the names of each piece and a description of the accompanying character figures.  Today, we are going to provide more details and show you what some of the pieces look like with picture courtesy of the B. Mapes Estate.  (Thank you, Ms. Mapes!)

The first house in the collection is Frankenstein’s Laboratory.  Like all the buildings, it measures about 7″ in height.  The design is partially inspired by the lab as seen in the 1931 classic, but it takes influences from other famous movie structures as well.  Bats and torches adorn the walls.  And Fritz, Frankenstein’s mad assistant, can be seen peeking out from the window.

The second piece in the series is Dracula’s Castle.  This one is almost completely inspired by the castle seen in the 1931 movie.  It is very detailed.  There are evil trees surrounding the property, vines climbing the walls, and dozens of bats – including some encircling the topmost tower.

The next building in the collection is The Mummy’s Tomb.  This one is very neat, because it has a whole area where you can display figures on the actual piece.  You can position characters just outside the entrance to the tomb and all along the walkway.  Of course, that makes for great scenes, especially when Kharis is involved!  This one even has torches that light up!

As you can tell by the photos, the Hawthorne Village pieces are very detailed, most of that detail comes from the delicate sculpting.  Every shingle has texture.  Every stone in the wall has depth.  This is what sets these pieces apart from similar villages from the likes of Department 56 and Lemax.  The paint schemes, however, fall somewhere between those of  the detail-oriented Department 56 villages and the mass-produced application of Lemax.  But they aren’t really anything to complain about, considering that these buildings are actually smaller than your average Lemax or Department 56 piece.  Taken that into consideration, they are actually fairly good.  The pieces don’t give off too much light, but that is where exterior ambiance lighting comes into play.  And the Universal Monsters buildings lend themselves wonderfully to that!

The final piece we will be showcasing today is the Wolf Man’s Lair.  This is the fifth structure in the collection.  This one takes a lot of liberties, but it is one of the most desired of the collection nonetheless.  It comes complete with its own full moon and an interior courtyard that is perfect for making little scenes with the monster accessories.

This village can still be ordered via the Bradford Exchange website.  Each piece is $69.99 plus shipping.  Check back here tomorrow for more information on this great set!

Tomorrow, we will share with you images from four more pieces.  And on Thursday, we will detail the accessory sets that go along with these unique decorations.  So check back with us then!

In the mid-2000s, the Bradford Exchange acquired the license to the Universal Studios Monsters and began to produce highly detailed collectibles based upon these timeless characters and their respective films.  The company created a train set (featuring images of the Monsters), as well as miniature figurines, and, of course, a haunted holiday village comprised of several famous buildings and structures from the Universal Monster movies.

The collection, part of the Hawthorne Village, could be obtained by purchasing a subscription, where a new 7″ building and scale figurine would be shipped every month.  This week on the Big Scare, we will be posting the particulars of the village.

Today, we have the list of all the buildings released (and their accompanying character figurines) as well as some photos of the collection on display.

Tomorrow, we will share with you more pictures of the village and the figures.  And the next day, we will give you the complete list of accessory sets.  Until then, enjoy these images taken at the B. Mapes Estate.  All photographs were taken by The Big Scare and are used with permission of the B. Mapes Estate.

This village can still be ordered via the Bradford Exchange website.  Each piece is $69.99 plus shipping.  Check back here tomorrow for more information on this great set!

Welcome, old friends and new, to The Big Scare, the site that prepares you for all of the tricks and treats in store this upcoming season.  We have a variety of terrifying topics to cover, so let’s waste no time.

First of all, let’s discuss the posting schedule.  Throughout August, we will be sharing updates every Wednesday, the day upon which Halloween falls this year.   Beginning September 3, we will be posting each weekday, providing you with decorating ideas,  haunted histories, as well as links to some of the most interesting (and eerie) items available to purchase this season in our Spook Spotter.  But why wait ’til then?  There’s already a number of finds that Spook the Cat is waiting to dig his claws into…

Let’s start with the biggies.  Many of you enjoy collecting life-sized animatronic figures and displaying them around your haunted homes and personal cemeteries.  This year, we have heard about some interesting ones, including an officially licensed Wicked Witch of the West and a limb-ripping werewolf.  Both will be available at Spirit Halloween Superstores.

For those of you who enjoy the more quaint – and smaller – Halloween fare, we suggest you take a look at the new figures and buildings available from Lemax.  Michael’s Arts and Crafts stores already are displaying their Spooky Town items.  If you haven’t had a chance to see the display in your local retailer, you can check out the offerings here.

Now let’s give you some updates on past Spook Spotter items.  We previously announced the release of a Bride of Frankenstein model from Moebius Models.  That item is now available, and you can order it here.   Secondly, we mentioned another series of  Dark Shadows action figures.  Those have been delayed until 2013, but it looks as if they are still being produced.  We will keep you updated.  In addition, all of the Universal Monster items from Diamond Select and Mezco are on schedule, and many of them will be released this fall.  We will let you know when they hit shelves.

Finally, you have probably noticed some changes around here, aesthetically speaking.  We are pleased to announce that we have a whole new cast of characters who will be helping dismember… disseminate, rather… all of the Haunted Headlines.  You’ve already met Spook the Cat.  Look forward to hearing from his friends Luna the Wolf, Eek the Owl, Swoop the Bat and a whole slew of others who are just dying to meet you!

Well, that does it for this week.  Check back next week when we share some insight on tracking down great Halloween items at low prices!

]]> http://fenwaythedog.com/2012/03/18/green-lights-grey-lights/ Sun, 18 Mar 2012 21:49:05 +0000 Fenway the Dog http://fenwaythedog.com/2012/03/18/green-lights-grey-lights/ Thank you Michael for bringing up the issue of dogs and color blindness in response to my “thinking Green on St. Patrick’s Day” post yesterday…it had been hours since I had visited WikiAnswers and so I returned.  Despite our more limited chromatic acuity, I would like to think that we dogs are able to identify and appreciate green as much as the next guy; apparently we are better able to see it at night with our  higher concentration of rod cells (you probably knew that and that’s why you were inquiring).  This is one of the main reasons that dogs are not cab drivers or interior decorators.  As I scrutinized my last bog entry for anything I should reconsider, I realized a deeper meaning in my list (thank you Michael for helping me with enlightenment).  I still love all of those things regardless of their color…in fact, I would like all of them with my eyes closed or to experience them in black & white and shades of grey.

Scanning through my photos I found some images that I thought you might like to contemplate with regard to color.  Baseballs- same (and can’t you almost smell the leather casings?); scary clowns from last year’s halloween Spooky Town at Fenway Park -I can hardly look at them in color or black & white. I have trouble with the real ones- how can they not step on my tail with those big distracting noses and giant feet?; sprinkles- might be better in color, but they still make me happy despite their lack of nutritional value; and finally, this picture from just inside the Yaz door at Fenway- a wheelbarrow full of the finest grass clippings you have ever seen (I can for sure smell them in my mind’s eye).

thanks for reading, and sorry again about the clowns,

Fenway the Dog

Red lights are perfect to illuminate Castle Dracula

We have already covered village basics – building, accessories, and display options -  thus, I believe it is time to delve into the more intricate details of making your Spooky Town come to electric life!

In the beginning of Halloween villages, lighting was a very simple concept.  You inserted a clear bulb into the cord which came with your ceramic house, plugged it in, placed it inside the miniature building, turned the switch, and then your haunted home was illuminated.  And while it is still that way to a certain extent, there are a lot of things people are doing with their villages that are rocking the old dynamic, especially considering the vast array of colored bulbs, LEDs, and elaborately lit village buildings which are all now available for use by Halloween enthusiasts.  The end result of village lighting is no longer just to provide illumination, but to create an atmosphere for your display.

There are several options you have for making your buildings pop – electrically speaking.  First, try to limit the number of clear C7 bulbs you use.  Change them out with red, blue, orange, and green bulbs of the same size.  The brighter colors can be used to signify fire and blood.  The darker colors can be used to set an ominous ambiance.  In addition, if you want to make it appear as if some of your buildings are on fire, use a flicker bulb.

Small LED lights can be placed along the side of buildings to add differing colors to certain areas.  For example, purple LEDs can actually make certain elements appear to glow if the paint is right.  (Think the black light effect.)  Additionally, Lemax offers “black spotlights” which actually light up entire areas of your display.

Even if you don’t want to add additional lighting, the lights you have in and on your buildings can and should be used to accentuate other areas and structures in your display.  For example, Lemax houses often come equipped with “lightning” effects.  They are so bright that they can illuminate the surrounding pieces in your display.  Consider grouping all of your buildings with “lightning” illumination together so it looks like a huge thunderstorm and illuminates entire sections of your village.  Or place your houses so that the light cast from one shines on another or creates scary shadow effects with your accessories.  The possibilities are truly endless. If you missed the first and second installments of our series on making your own Halloween village, please check them out now! And be sure to check out the new line of Lemax houses at this link.

There are certain things I associate with Halloween.  As a kid it was always trick or treating.  Picking my Halloween costume was one of the most exciting things I got to do all year long.  Strangely, I only recall a couple of my costumes.  One year I had the Ben Cooper costume of Dick Van Dyke’s character from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.  I don’t know why I picked that costume because I wasn’t a huge fan of the movie.  Another year I dressed in the Ben Cooper version of Walt Disney’s Snow White.  Once again, I’m not sure how that happened.  It was far from my favorite Disney movie and I was a boy.  Either way, that’s the costume I ended up wearing.  My cousin was my trick or treat chaperone, and she said after the first dozen or so houses saying what a cute little girl I was that I started saying, “Trick or treat, I’m a boy” when I knocked on the door.

As I got older Haunted Houses became the reason for the season.  Janet, the same cousin I mentioned earlier, took me to my first haunted house as well.  It was scary, but fun as well.  I also recall they had a pretty neat gift shop at the end of the tour.  Throughout junior high and high school, haunted houses were the highlight of Halloween.  I would get together with a group of friends and we would hit various haunted houses in the area.  Some were really lame to the point that we would come out laughing.  A couple of them were a little scary, but not nearly as much when you’re with a group of friends.  We stopped going before the advent of Haunted Trails and Haunted Hay Rides came about.  I think we took my son to one of the Haunted Trails once, but by the time he had gotten old enough to enjoy a haunted attraction we had moved to Clendenin where Judgement Houses were more prevalent.  They don’t tend to meet my idea of a fun time.

The next stage in Halloween enjoyment was horror movies.  Even as a child I enjoyed a monster movie, if somebody decided to air one for Halloween.  For some reason New Year’s Eve tended to be the holiday where one of the stations would run all night horror movies when I was young.  After cable came along, AMC would have Monsterfest and HBO or Cinemax would usually have several scary movies.  Of course the best horror movie marathons were created by renting VHS horror classics or rarities.  

The final Halloween thing I have come to enjoy is decorating.  For several years, the wife and I would hang up and set out all sorts of scary themed decor.  The mantle would be filled with the Universal monsters from Sideshow Toys, MacFarlane’s Monsters and Tortured Souls from MacFarlane Toys, and Silent Screamers from Mezco.  Over the last few years the living room has become overrun by my DVD collection, but recently I discovered Spooky Town by Lemax, and I have been pushing the DVDs on the top of the entertainment center back and setting out these pieces.  

Trick ‘r Treat does an excellent job of creating a film that captures the feelings produced by many of these things.  There are four stories, but characters from the different stories cross over into the other stories as well.  It’s like the movies Go and Elephant where the background character in one scene becomes the main character in another scene and we relive those events from their perspective.  The first story concerns a young couple who have different thoughts about Halloween.  The husband loves the parties and scary decorations, the wife isn’t nearly as thrilled with it.  In fact she hates Halloween.  The second story concerns a high school principal who just also happens to be a serial killer.  The third story involves a group of four hot young ladies looking to party the night away.  Well three of them are looking forward to the party.  The fourth girl is still waiting for Mr. Right to experience her first time.  Story number four concerns a scary legend and a cruel prank gone wrong.  The final tale deals with an old man that scares off any kids that come to his door until Sam sneaks inside.  Sam, the burlap sack masked character from the DVD cover, is the spirit of Halloween vengeance.  He chases the old man around and gets him ready to meet some kids from his past.

All of the stories are well done and enjoyable, and most of them do a fairly decent job of providing an unexpected twist.  Of course how unexpected the twist is will depend on how many EC comics you’ve read.  The acting is perfect in this film as well.  For such a small film it boasts several big names including Dylan Baker, Anna Paquin, and Brian Cox (the original Hannibal Lecter).  That this film was essentially buried by the studio that produced it is a real crime.  Rumors claim that part of the reason relates to the dismal box office of Superman Returns which was written by this film’s writer/director, Michael Dougherty, and directed by Bryan Singer whose production company was responsible for making Trick ‘r Treat.  I hope the film will get discovered now that it is on DVD.  I found it at K-Mart for $5, so it’s very affordable. 

I give Trick ‘r Treat 3 1/4 stars.  The DVD also includes the animated short that inspired the film.  Titled Season’s Greetings it tells the story of young Sam, his bag of treats, and the man stalking him.  It’s a wonderful companion piece to the movie.

For the past few years I’ve been collecting pieces from Spooky Town. With the sale of the house I couldn’t really put them out for display, but now that I’m in an apartment, I can put anything out I want. So when Oct rolled around it was time to load up the car with all my stuff from my parents house and decorate my house to the gills…Halloween style!

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It certainly was nice to finally be able to decorate and put all this stuff out. I really felt at home once everything was out and lit up. I had almost forgotten how fun it was and how much I enjoyed this part of the season. So that was that, Spooky Town and all my other decorations went up and and the Sniper’s first Halloween was all set. We meant to get more pics of the house, but we have many, many, many more years to take care of that. For now, these pics will have to do.

Up next is Thanksgiving. I’m really looking forward to some family time with Jess and Chase. I can’t wait to have them around for decorating my grandmother’s fence (family tradition) and all the other festivities that come with the holiday season. Stay tuned, more to come.