Working Stiff: The History Of Me Working So I can Afford All These Wonderful Toys..

Hello again friends! This time around, I had several ideas to write about. I seem to get the best responses when I talk about my past and the memories I have. So with that in mind I decided this post would be about the jobs I've had over the years, the friends I've made at them, and in some instances major life changes that may have happened at the time. So without further ado, let's hop into the Wayback Machine and travel back to 1990.

Me at the first job, I was 15. Look at all that hair!

My first job as I have mentioned before, was also one of my best. I was a longtime customer of Comic Universe. I was lucky enough to get my first job there too. I worked there for two years, using most of my earnings to finance my collecting. Some of the most important comic books in my collection were purchased while employed there. The first appearances of Batgirl, Poison Ivy and Mr. Freeze were all purchased there. Also bought during that time was the first appearance of Bane, which I had signed by his creator Chuck Dixon, who was a regular visitor to the shop.

Besides all the great comics, I became good friends with the owner Frank, his daughter Christin, and fellow employees Steve Taylor, Mike Bazis, and Phil Falco. I'm still friends with all of them on Facebook, and I remember a lot of great times with Steve and Mike in particular, Steve got me into They Might Be Giants and I've been happy to see him when we've run into each other in recent years. Mike got me the promotional movie poster for Army Of Darkness that hangs in my living room as I type this.

My next job was at the Arby's down the street from where I grew up. It's a Zac's Hamburgers now. Arby's was my first job that sucked. I wish there was another way I could say it, but it's true. The management was ok and I got along with the owner well enough, but working at a fast food place is pretty terrible. It's not the job, it's the customers. People no better than you treat you like dirt. Watching kids with great grades and college scholarships being treated like they're idiots got to me. My general dislike of the public began there while slicing beef and sacking curly fries.

That's not to say we didn't have our fun and make lasting friendships. My closest friend made in those days is Kevin Donahue. He was a bit nerdy himself and we became friends pretty quickly. We remain friends to this day and have gotten together plenty of times. He even attended Dawn and I's wedding.

The other friend of note I made was Michele Skarren. Michele has a rare distinction indeed. She was the first person I ever worked at two separate jobs with . In fact, only two others can say they did that. More on that later. For now let's follow Michele onto her next job, and mine as well...

A bank teller. Who'da thunk it? Yes after leaving Arby's, I got a job as a bank teller for Fidelity Bank that merged and became First Union Bank while I was being trained. I briefly worked at the Tinicum branch. That was in a pretty rough neighborhood as I soon learned when I had to spend my days behind thick bullet resistant glass. Thankfully I was soon transferred out to the much higher class Ridley Township branch. Working at a bank was a step up. I became the business teller and got along well with most of the customers. My nerdy ways weren't so popular with the management, but it was fun working with Michele again, and I became good friends with the head teller, Lynn Amalfitano. Lynn and her husband Vince were really good people and welcomed me into their home regularly.

After some time my parents moved to North Carolina for my Dad's job, and after another year I traveled down myself. My first job there would be the most important one since Comic Universe. My second day in town I applied at Blockbuster figuring a movie fan like me would enjoy it. They weren't interested, and as I was walking back to my car I saw a help wanted sign at the Papa John's Pizza next door. I walked in, applied, and the rest is history.

Delivering pizza was FUN! I got to drive around listening to the radio all day and walking out with at least a hundred dollars in tips daily. This job led to my first apartment and two of the best friends I have ever had. I made a lot of good friends there, but all paled in comparison to Jessica Manos and Sarah Nutter. I met Jess first. She was also from out of town, in her case California, and we quickly became inseparable. We shared a love of Batman and movies and I was sad when she finally moved back to California. That sadness was nothing from the sadness I felt when I learned that two days after she moved back she stepped out to cross a street and was struck and killed by a bus. I've had fallings out with a handful of people over the years, and many friends that drifted away as friends often do, but this was the first time someone was taken from me. I still miss her.

Life is like a pendulum though. Upswings follow downswings, but rarely do you have an upswing like meeting someone like Sarah Nutter. Sarah was just a wonderful friend. We became close friends fast and I have so many warm memories of adventures with her. I'm so happy to say that even though she moved to Missouri and I moved all over the place, we still keep in regular contact and one day we'll meet up again.

Sarah. Truly one of the greatest! This was taken the last time we saw one another,

Time to skip ahead a few years, and I was living in New Hampshire. I lived in NH for something like 7 years, and it's a beautiful place. I miss is every day, especially the people I met there. The first job I had was at a music and video store called Strawberries. I met some great folks there, including the other two people that I worked at more than one job with. Those two would be Bob Burrill and Sarah Huggins. On outward appearances Bob-E-B as we all called him was about as different from me as could be. We became friends quickly. He's one of the funniest guys I know. Sarah was a bit of a free-spirited hippie type with a heart of gold. Brionne, Christin and Amber were also great, but I really have to take a moment out to mention Genevieve.

Sarah Huggins!

Bob-E-B!

Gen was my boss there and I did everything in my power to blur that boss / employee relationship. From the time I convinced her to let all the staff drink during an overnight shift, to the times I watched out for her as she served shots to drunken idiots at her second job, to the time I held her hair as she got sick from too many shots on her own. I helped her move into her apartment where the heat was always stuck on 100. I tied her first Christmas tree to the roof of my car...and then we held onto it as a snowstorm hit and the rope came loose and it almost fell off the roof. Good times.

Genevieve and I. 

Strawberries closed up and I got a job with Bob-E-B at Circuit City. Sarah Huggins even came along for a brief stint. There I met two more great bosses. The store manager Ken was a great guy. He was just a real pleasure to work for and he had these huge annual work parties at his house he called Kenfest. His assistant manager Becky was the one who hired me, I still remember my interview. She later became the manager herself and I remember lots of talks in her office, and spaghetti dinner at her house with other friends from work. I also remember the day the company forced her to lay me off. She cried and despite having just bought a house and being unemployed, I was the one trying to cheer her up.

Becky. She fired me but she cried so it was ok.

Other great people that I still keep in touch with are plentiful, like Marissa, Mike, Gatsu, Pat, Sarah and some others, but I can't write this blog post without stopping to mention four friends. J.P., Dave, Amanda and Aaron. On my first day on the job I met J.P. and Dave. Aaron and Amanda would com later, but all three would and continue to leave a lasting mark on my life.

An embarrassing picture of me and JP.

J.P. and I were practically inseparable. Aaron, (or Awahl as we called him), Amanda and I were all room mates at one point, and later Dave, Amanda and I were roomies. Dave and Amanda gave me a place to live for as long as I needed when I was going through my divorce.

Amanda and I enjoying a frigid New England winter!

To this day we keep in touch. All of them have visited me here more than once, and Dave comes several times a year.

Dave, Gatsu and Awahl.

After getting laid off from Circuit City I got a job at Concord Hospital. In the year or so that I was there I met a lot of really nice folks, but one stands out above all others. Evie was the receptionist for a doctor there and by all rights all I did for her was drop off and pick up mail twice a day. I spent a lot more time with others, but we got along so well that we soon became good friends. We had lunch together so often that people asked if we were married! I've seen her each time I've returned to NH and we still keep in touch. She's one of the sweetest people you could ever meet.

Evie and I, down on the farm.

After 7 years in New Hampshire I decided to go back home to Pennsylvania. I'd been through a divorce, a bad breakup after that, my Grandparents were getting up there in years and I'd reconnected with my old high school pal Dawn. I decided I needed a change. I left NH behind, loaded up a moving truck and began the next chapter in my life.

That's right, this is my first 2-Part blog!!!! Oooooh suspense! Cliffhanger! Will Paul make new friends back in his home state? Will Paul finally find a career? Tune in next time! Same Paul time, same Paul channel!

Pat Draper. One of the funniest guys I've ever known.

Marissa Berry. She trained me at Circuit City. On the end of my first day she said she couldn't love me any more if I'd fallen out of her own vagina!

Sarah Stingel. We also met through Circuit Shitty. She's a wizard with home theater hookup!

Garbage Pail Kids: The 80's Fad That Just Won't Die!

Not the author, but close enough..

When I was a kid in the early 80's, there was a fad that a lot of the kids were in to. Now kids and fads go way back. Before Shopkins and Pogs and several other flavors of the month, kids collected stickers. Back in Edgewood Elementary school, lots of kids had sticker albums filled with Scratch 'N Sniff, Lazer Blazers and Puffy stickers. Gift shops and various stores were filled with stickers and many of us bought them and put them in our albums.

One day while going through each others albums during recess, I flipped a page and saw something new that would change everything. There amidst the random stickers was a baseball card sized painted picture depicting another of the nations most recent crazes, a Cabbage Patch Kid, but this one was falling apart at the seams. It was funny and a little shocking and we all wanted to know what this sticker called a Garbage Pail Kid was. Almost overnight it seemed that every kid wanted some of these funny and subversive sticker trading cards. Locally we all knew a shop called Rios Pharmacy supposedly had them. I eventually hounded my Mom enough until she agreed to take me to Rios to get some.

An Original Series 1 wrapper!

We made the long walk and when we got there it was clear Mom didn't want to make a second trip. She splurged and bought me an entire box. I got to open the box and every pack of cards. It was fantastic!

Garbage Pail Kids cards were created by the Topps company and the first series was printed in 1985. The popular cards ran for 15 series. Each card had both an 'A' and a 'B' card, basically the same piece of art with two different names.

An original box in my collection.

In the early 2000's they returned for a while and in the late 2000's they returned again and are still going strong. Spoofing everything from Tyson biting off ears to the Anti-vaccenation crowd, for over 30 years the Garbage Pail Kids have tried to stay topical.

Why do I love collecting Garbage Pail Kids? It should be because they're small, which for me is a nice change of pace! I guess I'd have to say they remind me of a simpler time in my life. Unlike many of the cartoons of my youth, the Garbage Pail Kids have aged well. Looking back at each painted card, they're still funny, gross and even beautiful.

Complete set of buttons!

I began collecting them again back in 2012 and now I have all 15 series of the original cards and most of the more recent ones, I've expanded the collection to wrappers, empty boxes, posters and other assorted memorabilia.

I don't see the obsession ending any time soon, and that's fine by me. My wife loves them. My son loves them. Even a few of my friends enjoy them. What's not to like about that??

My Garbage Pail Kids birthday cake made by the talented Devin Shalles.

Custom limited edition shirt. Only 100 made!

A Geek Looks At 40 or Where The Hell Did The Time Go?!?!

The Author as he would like to appear.

Bless me father for I have sinned. It's been, well, way too long since my last blog post. I'm not really sure why I haven't written anything in a while. Life gets busy. We got a dog. Not enough free time in the day, and I suppose the muse left me for a bit.

I've been thinking a lot lately about growing older lately. On July 31st I'll be 40. I don't feel 40. I don't feel 39 for that matter. It's like I woke up one day and 20 damn years went by. I suppose until recently I never stopped to think about it.

The heroes of my childhood are graying at best and dying at worst.  Seeing how few of the old 1960's Batman tv series actors are left alive was one thing, but seeing that the cast of the 90's Batman: The Animated Series are dying off is even harder to take.

I've never held anyone's age against them. I have friends that are a decade or more older than I am, and I have friends barely able to legally drink. If I feel a connection, I have no problem forming strong relationships with people in different seasons of their lives.

That being said, for the first time in my life I've begun hearing the comments. Not from my young friends mind you. They either don't think about age either, or they're polite enough to not mention it. The comments are of course comments about my rapidly approaching middle aged status.

The age when the young guys no longer see you as a threat, The age when the young women no longer see you at all. This may all sound regretful or wistful, but it really isn't. While I'm no longer the quick to excite or anger young guy, I can still summon up plenty of piss and vinegar as my bosses at work could attest to.

I remember being the young guy at Comic Universe when I was in my early teens. The guy who really tried to be a student of comic book history. Now I drop by Effin' Comics every wednesday late afternoon to be just another of the older guys bitching about how it used to be. On the plus side, I know a LOT about Comic History, and generally when I talk now, people listen.

Me. The Young guy at the comic shop back in the day.

I've gone from Luke Skywalker to Obi Wan Kenobi. From Wally West to Jay Garrick. I've become a geek mentor to some, always glad to share my knowledge. In regular life I've become a trusted advice-giver to many of my younger friends. Sometimes they listen and heed my warnings, sometimes not, but they listen, and appreciate what I've learned.

I've lived long enough to know that the Three Stooges are timeless. That gritty vigilante's are cool, but bright hopeful heroes are even cooler. That you can throw a bunch of shit into ice cream, but sometimes vanilla and chocolate are better.

I've learned that what car you drive doesn't matter and that I'll take one that's paid off and running any day of the week.

I know that you really can't expect anyone to truly love you unless you learn to love yourself first.

I've learned that no one should "complete" you. You should already be complete. Find a partner not a crutch.

I know that if you want to know what someone's really like you should see how they treat children, the elderly, the mentally challenged and the unattractive.

I've lived long enough to see Harrison Ford become both Indiana Jones and Han Solo again.

I've lived long enough to see Garbage Pail Kids return. To see Michael Bay ruin the Transformers. Some other guys ruin G.I. Joe. Oh and Michael Bay ruin the Ninja Turtles too. Seriously starting to think we need to do something about this Bay guy.

I've seen some truly terrible things too. I've seen the greatest warriors of the last century, the ones who saved the world from Tyranny with a capital "T", grow old and pass away, lost to us forever. I have a hard time with that.

I've lost too much of my hair, and it's true what they say. You don't appreciate what you have until it's gone. I've had to get glasses, but on the plus side, the women seem to dig'em!

I spend too much time pondering my own mortality. Wondering if I'll be missed when I'm gone. Wondering what my family will do with all the ultimately useless pop culture collectibles I've amassed in my life. Wondering if I've made the impact I'd always hoped I would.

This isn't meant to be depressing, although it does make my mind wander down dark and lonely pathways. Ultimately I'm an optimist. My strange unknowable mind always wanders back into the light.

I know what's important. Trying to do good when you have the chance. Trying to be someone that people can look up to, but knowing we all disappoint ourselves and others sometimes. Finding a core set of values and doing your best to stay true to those values no matter how much you feel like faltering at times.

I think many people struggle with what they think is supposed to fill their time. Those that love nature and hiking and the beach would have the basement dwellers and shopaholics think that they lead some kind of inferior lives. Bullshit. Do what makes you happy. Do no harm. Those are the real rules to follow. If hiking makes you happy then hike. If hitting the yard sales brings you joy, then do it! Never let someone else make you feel bad about what you enjoy.

I collect things. I am a collector. I have always been. I shall always be. I feel joy in going to flea markets. I feel joy in going to toy stores. I feel joy in spending too much time on Ebay and collector forums. It makes me happy.

I'm driving the poor kid to drink!

Want to know what else makes me happy? Love. The love I have for my wife and son. My wife who in my mind is truly the greatest mother since my own. My son who drives me crazy but softens my heart with his hugs and kisses. The love I have for my family, not that I show it well for some reason. The love I have for my friends. You know who you are. Especially you inner circle friends. The love I have for the people I care about is intense. Sometimes I express it with great heart and eloquence. Other times I don't express it well at all, but it's there.

I love these two weirdo's.

As I begin the second half of my life, and let's be honest, I'll be lucky to make it past 80 with my eating habits and general disdain for exercise beyond walking, I plan to go on loving intensely. I plan to go on collecting. I intend to continue being the strange eccentric person I've always been. I plan to do so proudly and loudly because unless I love you then I really don't care at all what you may think about me.

If you're reading this, I'm guessing that's exactly who you want me to continue being. That makes me happy. I don't suppose I'll ever reach a huge audience with my writing, but that's ok. I write because I enjoy it. I write because maybe if you're reading this I'm hoping you'll understand me a little better.

I plan to upsize my friends and downsize my aquaintances. I find social media increasingly tedious and invasive.

I'm not downsizing any of these fools though, they're the greatest people in the world!

I wish I was just a little bit more irresponsible though. I really would love to just walk into my job tomorrow and quit. It's a terrible company to work for, Corrupt and uncaring. On the other hand the pays ok and the benefits are good and I'm a family man now.

Thanks for tuning into this rambling mess. I truly do appreciate it, and each and every one of you.

- Paul D. Poole
Thursday May 5th, 2016

The Author as he really is, and pretending to be happy about it.

One Helluva Reporter: My Love Of Kolchak.

Darren McGavin as Carl Kolchak

Hello again friends! This time out I'll be writing about something that most of you have never heard of. It's forty-four years old, it has less merchandising than almost anything else I'm a fan of, and yet it remains one of the highest rated television movies of all times, has fanatical fans ranging from Stephen King to my mother, stars an actor almost all of you love come Christmas time and was the inspiration for the X-Files.

I'm talking about Kolchak: The Night Stalker. Based on a book by Jeff Rice, The Night Stalker was a made for television movie from 1972 that starred Darren McGavin as down on his luck reporter Carl Kolchak. Based in 1970's mob run Las Vegas, the film tells the tale of a string of murders in sin city that are being covered up by the local authorities. See, then as now, Las Vegas depends on tourist dollars and the bodies of women turning up completely drained of blood isn't good for business.

Kolchak digs into the case and quickly turns up evidence that the murderer must think he's a vampire. Trying to get a story like that printed though proves wildly unpopular with everyone from his editor Tony Vincenzo to the District Attorney.

The next generation?

When the suspect is identified as Janos Skorzeny, a man with a bloody past who manages to be unaffected by multiple gunshots, Carl quickly realizes the impossible must be true. Janos Skorzeny is a real life vampire.

Without spoiling any more, the film was smart, witty and fresh. At the time it needs to be remembered that vampires on film were usually of the Bela Lugosi type. To bring a vampire into the modern world, in an urban setting, and a non glamorous vampire at that was practically unheard of. The hero of the film was equally unusual. Darren McGavin most famously remembered now as the father in the classic, A Christmas Story, was a middle aged reporter in a painfully out of date seersucker suit and straw porkpie hat. Kolchak was a brash and world weary guy who had been kicked out of every big city paper in the country. It soon becomes apparent why. Carl Kolchak doesn't trust authority and believes in uncovering the truth no matter who it embarrasses. In a classic scene from the movie, While arguing with Kolchak about the story, editor Vincenzo shouts for him to get out. The follow exchange takes place as the reporter yells,

"What is this out, out, get out game we play? This nut THINKS he's a vampire! He has killed four, maybe five women! He has drained EVERY drop of blood from EVERY one of them. Now that is NEWS Vincenzo! NEWS! We are a NEWS paper! We are supposed to print NEWS not SUPPRESS it!!"

Uncovering the hard truths...

That exchange tells you all you need to know about Carl Kolchak. He believes in the truth, in the power of the press, and that the truth will out, no matter who wants to keep it hidden. He ends up on a collision course with his destiny. If no one else will stop this monster he'll go on killing forever. Carl Kolchak is not always a brave man, in fact he's usually not. He may not be a well-liked man. He often rubs people the wrong way. He wants nothing more than to land a big enough story to get his way back to a nice big city paper. Success often comes with playing ball with people you don't like. Keeping your mouth shut at times. These are two things that Kolchak just can't seem to abide.

Darren McGavin plays one of the most believable, flawed and interesting heroes I have ever seen put on film. Carl Kolchak would call you a fool for even using the word hero, but in truth it's what he is. His flaws are many, and viewers of the film, and there were many, cheer his climactic victory and sat stunned at his final defeat. The rating were massive at the time and remained unchallenged for years.

So popular was the movie, that screenwriter Richard Matheson was tasked to pen a sequel. He did. The Night Strangler debuted the following year. This time Carl wound up in Seattle trying to get anyone to listen to his vampire story. Eventually former editor Tony Vincenzo takes pity on him and gives him a job at the paper he now works at. Kolchak settles down to go back to run of the mill crime reporting, but when women start turning up dead with puncture marks on their necks, he feels himself drawn into the case of an impossibly old killer stalking Seattle.

Two vintage TV magazines in my collection.

Another big hit, The Night Strangler was a solidly enjoyable follow-up. A year later Kolchak ended up in Chicago. Again with Vincenzo. Again with a crazy story. This time it wasn't a movie. It was a television series. Kolchak: The Night Stalker follows the life of the reporter that just won't quit, who reluctantly becomes the supernaturals greatest pain in the ass. For one season, Carl stumbles across everything from werewolves to Jack The Ripper. 

After one season that had some fantastic episodes written by Hammer Horror alumni Jimmy Sangster, Soprano's creator David Chase and Back To The Future director Robert Zemekis and a few turkeys to be sure, the series ended. That was the end....but much like Carl Kolchak himself, the character just kept popping up. 

My Mom introduced me to the character she loved in the early 80's and I couldn't get enough. The first bit of merchandise I ever bought was a 20th anniversary book about the series and films. Then a new original novel, "Grave Secrets". Years later Moonstone books began publishing a Kolchak comic book and graphic novel series and later short story collections and more novels. 

The first Kolchak item I purchased back in 1992, and the revised edition 1997.

Chris Carter, creator of the X-Files openly credits his love of the series as the inspiration for his own creation. They even wanted to bring Darren McGavin onto the series as Kolchak, but legal rights prevented it. Eventually McGavin did make two appearances as Arthur Dales, the man who started the X-Files. 

In recent years, books and comics continue to find an audience, and Johnny Depp has secured the rights and apparently intends to bring Carl back as a film. 

One of my biggest Kolchak joys was researching the series and films meticulously to identify everything from the type of cameras, recorders and press I.D. he used to the kind of watch he wore. I then created the most accurate costume I could. I wore it proudly at Halloween and at several horror and pop culture conventions. Most of younger folks have no idea who I am, but when someone does I get a great feeling. Not because of the accuracy of my costume, but because people recognize one of my favorite fictional heroes. Maybe even my favorite hero. That makes me happy to know the character who means so much to me means something to other people too. 

Accessories make the man!

Once McGavin was asked about the longevity of A Christmas Story. He smiled and said it would live on. That is true, but apparently so will Carl Kolchak. Like many of the monsters he faced, he refuses to die. Sadly the same couldn't be said for the great Darren McGavin. The actor who brought joy to so many over the years, especially at Christmas time passed away in 2006. He is missed.

This blog post is dedicated to Darren McGavin, to Simon Oakland who played long suffering Tony Vincenzo and to my Mom, who introduced me to my hero that I probably share the most in common with. I remember fondly discovering the series on late night reruns in the mid 1980's. Dad would come home from work about 12:30 a.m. with pizza and we'd stay up late watching together, while recording each episode with our VCR. Cherished memories indeed.

- Paul D. Poole
1/29/2016

"So, when you have finished this bizarre account, judge for yourself its believability, and then try to tell yourself, wherever you may be, it couldn't happen here."

Holy Anniversary Batman!

The Author.

It wasn't my plan to write a blog tonight, but on the eve of the 50th anniversary of the first episode of the Batman television series first airing, I knew I couldn't let such a momentous pop culture event happen without commenting on it. In this blog posting, I'd like to take a few moments to talk about the history of the series and why it's important.

Call it campy. Call it cheesey. Don't call it an invalid portrayal of Batman. For all the younger generations raised on a dark and gritty Dark Knight, this wasn't always the way it was. While darker in the early days and more a swashbuckler in the 40's, by the 1950's Batman and Robin had devolved into a series of garish battles with aliens and monsters. Gone were the days of villains like Penguin and Catwoman. Sales plummeted and DC Comics contemplated cancelling the series for good.

Talking Joker with Cesar Romero's voice. NECA Robin. Mattel Cowl. Figures Toy Company Boxing Riddler, Dick Grayson and Bruce Wayne.

By 1965 DC decided to reinvent the character, by bringing back the old classic foes, and jettisoning so many of the characters and concepts that had arguably taken the character away from his roots. Still, it was hardly a dark comic. Batman was still pals with Superman, a member of the Justice League and brightly colored. Keeping that in mind, the series that debuted in January of 1966 was not only a good representation of the comics, but in some instances darker than the comics.

Getting that out of the way, anyone who watches the series and doesn't understand that you're supposed to laugh with it isn't paying attention. One of the brilliant parts of the series was the way it was written for two audiences. The kids ate up the derring-do and villainy. The adults enjoyed the in-jokes and clever satire.

NECA's Quarter Scale Dynamic Duo.

The star of the series, Adam West, was a working actor but not famous by any means, and Robin, Burt Ward, was a total unknown. While the heroes may not have been household names, the villains sure were. Right out of the gate, well known comedian Frank Gorshin, famous for impressions, set the tone for the series as the Riddler. The pilot episode sets all the familiar elements into place. A crime and the reveal of the villain behind it. The police knowing they're outmatched. The police calling Batman for help. Batman and Robin on the case. The end of the half hour episode concludes with a cliffhanger ending. In a true first for television, the very next night, the conclusion aired. This was how the series aired for the first two of the three seasons. In the third season it aired once a week and the stories for the most part were either single part episodes or two part episodes airing over a two week period.

Batman became a massive overnight hit with viewers. Quickly "Batmania" swept the nation. Merchandise flooded stores and everyone in Hollywood wanted to appear on the series as a villain. When that wasn't feasible, cameos were cleverly placed in other areas. The most popular were the "window" cameos. Batman and Robin would be climbing up a wall with their Bat-Ropes, and some celebrity would open a window and have a brief discussion with them.

More from Figures Toy Company and Funko Pop's.

Famous car customizer George Barris designed the Batmobile off an unused concept car body, and that car is still one of if not the most famous Batmobile ever created. I wrote a previous blog post just celebrating that car. Feel free to check it out.

The first season actually adapted several comic book stories, and villains like The Penguin, The Joker, Mr. Freeze, Catwoman, False Face and the Mad Hatter made appearances. Several villains were created just for the series in this first season, most famously Victor Buono as King Tut. Tut was really Professor William Omaha McElroy, a quiet professor of Egyptology from Yale who when struck on the head developed a second personality, that of the reincarnation of the famous boy king, Tut. Gotham City of course was the reincarnation of ancient Thebes. Tut of course believed it was his destiny to rule.

Figures Toy Company's King Tut

While only making one appearance in the series, Roddy McDowall starred as The Bookworm, a brilliant mind but also a frustrated and failed novelist. It's one of the very best episodes of the series and it's truly a shame that the Bookworm never made another appearance.

Figures Toy Company's Bookworm

Other episodes that really stand out in the first season are the Jokers debut in "The Joker Is Wild", The Mad Hatter's debut in "The Thirteen Hat", the first and only False-Face story, "True Or False-Face", and the last Riddler episode of the season, "Death In Slow Motion".

After the season ended production began on a feature length film. Batman: The Movie premiered that summer, this time with an increased budget, the Bat Boat, Bat Cycle and Bat Copter were shown, and The Penguin, Riddler, Joker and Catwoman all teamed up to form United Underworld.

The second season premiered in the fall. Right out of the gate the season began with one of the weakest episodes of the series. With twice as many episodes ordered, the quality began to dip. All the popular villains returned including King Tut. Several new villains appeared. Most were forgettable with two exceptions. Vincent Price made his first appearance as Egghead, the world smartest crook and Cliff Robertson as a mean and not too bright cowboy villain named Shame.

Figures Toy Company's Shame and Mad Hatter

Second season highlights include the first three part episode teaming the Joker and Penguin together, Egghead and Shame's debuts, Walter Slezak's appearance as The Clock King in an episode written by Batman co-creator Bill Finger, Eli Wallach's appearance as Mr. Freeze and Batman and Robin teaming up with The Green Hornet and Kato.

With ratings dropping, the decision was made to change the format. Yvonne Craig as Batgirl was added and the series began airing only once a week. The quality really declined here mostly due to the change in format and budget cuts. The series seemed to forget its concept and often teetered on the brink of self parody. That said there are still some real gems in the third season. Returns by Egghead and Shame, two of King Tuts absolute best appearances, Joan Collins' excellent debut as the series only super powered villain, The Siren, and Eartha Kitt's taking over the role of Catwoman from Julie Newmar who was unavailable at the time. While Julie is the preferred Catwoman by most, the more villainous turn taken by Eartha Kitt is refreshing.

Sadly the series went out with a wimper instead of a bang, with the last few episodes being real stinkers featuring some pretty bad guest villains like Zsa Zsa Gabor and Ida Lupino.

A Batarang Bottle Opener!

Still, all in all the series stands as a colossal success. Played for the last 48 years in reruns for future generations to enjoy, the popularity of this incarnation is at an all time high. The home video rights were mired in legal issues for year, only recently finally being resolved. A truly beautiful quality release on DVD and Blu-Ray is now available, and DC Comics who long treated the series as an eyesore in the history of the character they only wanted to present as a dark urban vigilante, even published a comic series in the series continuity.

Batman 66 ran for 30 monthly issues only recently ending, however specials and mini-series are still being made. New tales featuring the characters as they appeared gave us more appearances by the Bookworm, and thanks to likeness rights, he even looks like Roddy!

Merchandise has been coming out ever since the licensing and DVD deals were made. Everything from bendy figures to Batman's cowl to King Tuts very first action figure have been released. As you may have guessed, I own many of these. Just today Lego announced a massive 60's Batcave set is coming in March complete with Batmobile, Bat Copter and Bat Cycle!

Copy of original script signed by Adam West. Vintage Autographed photo by Adam West and Burt Ward. Vintage charm bracelet and Batman and Robin Society pin.

In closing, it's now past midnight. As I finish this it's tuesday, january 12th. 50 years ago tonight Adam West first donned the cape and cowl, revitalized a failing comic book character and made history. Happy Anniversary Batman and Robin. You changed the world. You inspired a lot of people. That's truly the best a couple of heroes could ever hope to achieve.

- Paul D. Poole
1/12/16

Dawn and I in The Batmobile!

The World's Richest Duck

The Author and Scrooge. I'm Holding His Dime.

Scrooge McDuck is one of my heroes. Yes you read that right, one of my personal heroes is a fictional cartoon duck. Before I delve into why, how about a little history of Donald Duck's famous uncle.

Scrooge McDuck first appeared in a 1947 Donald Duck comic book written and drawn by Carl Barks. "Christmas on Bear Mountain" introduced the World's Richest Duck to the world but he wasn't really the Scrooge we all know yet. He was created as a one shot character and since he was a rich miser and it was a christmas story, naming him as an homage to Charles Dickens' Ebenezer Scrooge was a bit of a no-brainer.

A short time later, Barks realized that having a rich uncle would be a great springboard for adventure tales featuring Donald and his nephews. Within a few years Scrooge was so popular that he got his own comic series.

Barks retired in 1967 and during the previous 20 years, his exceptionally well crafted stories and art made Donald Duck and Uncle Scrooge the best selling comic books in the world. How loved were his treasure hunting adventure tales? Remember the opening of Raiders Of The Lost Ark? Spielberg and Lucas admitted they borrowed the opening from their favorite comic series, right down to the giant rolling boulder!

Scrooge's first animated appearance was a brief cameo during the opening of every episode of 1955's The Mickey Mouse Club. Disney animators were well aware of the massive popularity of the World's Richest adventurer, however not really a humorous character, the Disney story men could never really come up with a gag for an animated short with the character. In 1967 that would change.

Disney was making a series of fun educational cartoons and when approached to make one about the history of finance and currency, who better to host than Uncle Scrooge? In "Scrooge McDuck and Money", Scrooge and the Money Bin (already well known to America's kids) made their debut onscreen. In the cartoon, Scrooge teaches Huey, Dewey and Louie about the history of finance. I actually remember seeing this on an old reel to reel projector in school in the early 1980's!

A Scrooge Clock Featuring Art From "Scrooge McDuck And Money"

In 1983 Scrooge came full circle by starring as Ebenezer Scrooge in "Mickey's Christmas Carol". 1987 showed the lovable skinflint turn up again in "Sport Goofy". As a side note, this was also the first animated appearance of Barks' other creations, Gyro Gearloose and The Beagle Boys. In many ways, this played a lot like an unofficial pilot for Ducktales.

Uncle Scrooge Gumball Machine.

In 1988 Ducktales debuted. Based largely on the body of Barks' work (over 500 Duck stories), Ducktales even adapted stories from the comic books, most notably his origins in the Yukon Gold Rush. Ducktales brought Scrooge, Duckburg, Gyro Gearloose, Gladstone Gander, The Junior Woodchucks, Magica DeSpell, The Beagle Boys, Flintheart Glomgold, Glittering Goldie and the Money Bin, all Barks' creations, into America's living rooms. Ducktales did make some changes though. For starters it softened Scrooge a bit. Second, Webby, Mrs. Beakley and Launchpad were all created for the show. Webby was there to soften Scrooge a bit and Launchpad to take the place of Donald Duck who had always worked for his Uncle Scrooge in the comics at the rate of 30 cents an hour. In the comics, Donald accompanied the elder Scrooge on most adventures.

Original Animation Cel From Ducktales. Scrooge Holding His Number One Dime.

Post Ducktales, Scrooge has appeared in multiple video games, Mickey's Once Upon A Christmas, Mickey's Twice Upon A Christmas, the House Of Mouse series, and brief appearances in the newest animated cartoons.

Through all but his first two appearances, Alan Young has provided the voice for Scrooge. Alan Young got the role due to the fact that he actually co-wrote an adaptation of A Christmas Carol for Disney Studios in the late 1970's. It was for a record actually, and he performed Scrooge's voice in that production. They used him in the animated Mickey's Christmas Carol and Ducktales and he's voiced him ever since. In 2013, the then 93 year old actor again provided the voice in the Ducktales: Remastered video game.

Autographed from Alan Young. A gift from my wife, Dawn.

One thing that always upsets me is when people who only vaguely remember the character assume he's a mean spirited, crooked capitalist. Scrooge has in fact since his earliest days, lived by his personal and oft-repeated motto that he made his fortune "by being smarter than the smarties and tougher than the toughies and I made it square!".

Another misconception is that the giant Money Bin is filled with gold coins. It's filled with pennies, nickels, dimes, etc. Each is a symbol and memory of one of McDuck's victories and as such he can pick up any coin or bill and tell you exactly how and where he earned it!

My Money Bin birthday cake from a couple of years ago.

Scrooge McDuck was born poor in Scotland in 1867. He was one of three siblings, with his two sisters Matilda and Hortense. Hortense, his younger sister, is Donald Duck's mother. Scrooge's father made him a shoeshine kit when he was a boy and Scrooge earned his first dime cleaning the filthy boots of a ditch digger. Wait! An American dime? That's right. After all that hard work he was ripped off by being paid with a foreign coin! It made him vow to never be duped again, to always be fair in his dealings and also inspired him to come to America, the land of opportunity, to seek his fortune.

My Number One Dime display. I sewed the pillow and on it sits a real 1875 Seated Liberty Dime.

As with many though, Scrooge found his dreams didn't come easily. after many failed attempts and much back-breaking work, Scrooge through truly inspiring persistance, joined the Yukon Gold Rush and finally, dressed in rags and half starved and beaten, discovered the Goose Egg Nugget. Scrooge's first million was earned.

In Don Rosa's "The Life And Times Of Scrooge McDuck", the author gathered all the various nuggets of information Scrooge had revealed about himself in Bark's tales and told the definitive origin of Uncle Scrooge. In a truly inspiring series, Rosa weaves these facts into a story that will make you marvel at the young Scrooge's persistance, cheer his eventual victory, and dismay at his downfall. When Scrooge's obsession to become the richest man in the world is finally realized, it is done so by pushing his family away. He has everything he wanted but at the high cost of losing everything truly important. For years Scrooge becomes a recluse until his nephew Donald and Huey, Dewey and Louie come into his life and force him back into the world. This is where Bark's stories begin.

Here I am the second time I met Don Rosa.

I love "The Life And Times Of Scrooge McDuck". It's one of the best stories I have ever read, It truly has it all. Drama, adventure, comedy, and lessons we could all learn from. I'm also not alone in this opinion, as Don Rosa's masterpiece won the prestigious Eisner Award. I cannot recommend it enough. I actually own a spare loaner copy so I can spread the joy of this tale to anyone interested.

The two sketches I got from Don Rosa. He drew one each time we met.

Scrooge is a world traveler, the greatest fictional adventurer of all time, he's outfoxed the Dalton gang and helped inspire Teddy Roosevelt to get into politics. The important thing that makes Scrooge so great is his wealth. Not the cubic acres of cash, but the wealth of memories. The hard work and experiences. We could all take some lessons from that.

Did I mention my Scrooge Tattoo? In the style of Don Rosa. Tattoo by Nicki Gaulin.

These are the reasons Scrooge is one of my heroes. An inspiration honestly. It's also why I've amassed a pretty sizable Scrooge collection! I don't see that ending any time soon,

- Paul Poole
1 / 09/ 2016

The Author at home with a small sampling of my Scrooge collection.