chrisbaker1337

From Above: An (Info)Graphic Novel Dyslexic illustrator crafts the most minimalist comicbook ever made

Martin Panchaud’s award-winning “From Above: An (Info)Graphic Novel,” the most minimalist comic ever made, was just released in the US. I wrote an article about this utterly unique work, as well as Panchaud’s abstract adaptation of Star Wars: A New Hope.
chrisbaker1337.substack.com/p/from-above...

Working on a newsletter piece about that prog-rock Spiderman album with the Stan Lee narration...why did people act like the Julie Taymor Broadway production was the first spiderman musical when that stone masterpiece exists?

The Avengers’ Age of Analog: The Power Records Story In the 1970s, heroes came alive through vinyl adventures that would later be sampled by hip-hop greats

One could also write a scholarly treatise on Marvel Power Records, the series that let you play a radio drama style vinyl record while you read the accompanying comic book, and its profound impact on hip hop medium.com/cuepoint/the...

YouTube video by ICULOOKNATMEQT Electric Company - Spiderman meets the Spoiler

I was too young to read and would frantically try to drag my mom over to the TV to tell me what Spidey's thought balloons said. youtu.be/tM22mzqWUec?...

YouTube video by BJ the Simpson Collector Simpsons - Conjecture and Hearsay (from "The Day The Violence Died")

youtu.be/qgc9mjFlTAk

box art for the 1979 video game Atari Video Chess features a painting of a dude and several chess pieces and some computer-y mosaics. I'm not doing it justice, but it's an absolute banger

I'm going to make my own version of Troy Hurtubise's bear-proof suit, but it will be covered in Merlins and Simons and Speak & Spells

ALSO—if Midjourney ever tried to create box art as good as the original 1979 Atari Video Chess, it would lose as well.

Packaging for a bulky 1970s vacuum cleaner features a woman washing floors and mopping. Easy Cleaning the ELECTROLUX way ELECTROLUX® JUBILEE DELUXE VACUUM CLEANER For powerful, quieter Super Cleaning with Automatic Efficiency ELECTROLUX® DELUXE 3-BRUSH FLOOR POLISHER & CARPET BEAUTIFIER Shampoos rugs, scrubs, waxes, polishes floors easier, faster, better

Oh no? This Electrolux Jubilee Deluxe says different.

Forget the Winter Soldier—check out this IRL 16th-century cyborg Wave hello to Götz of the Iron Hand. Over 500 years ago, this fierce knight sported a fearsome articulated prosthetic

The OG cyborg: “Götz of the Iron Hand.” www.popculturalprecursors.com/p/forget-the...

IMAGE 1 DESCRIPTION: Frame from a Marvel film shows Sebastian Stan as Bucky Barnes with his gleaming metal prosthetic arm made of vibranium. ONSCREEN CAPTION 1 READS: Marvel’s Bucky Barnes is the latest in a line of fictional warriors who rebuild their bodies with machinery— Robocop, the Six Million Dollar Man, etc. But a real-life cyborg action hero did it first: German mercenary Götz von Berlichingen. IMAGE 2 DESCRIPTION: Vintage illustrations of Götz’s iron hand, showing the fingers balled into a fist. In addition to the articulated fingers, the metal prosthetic has a cylindrical forearm segment and some straps to hold the limb in place. ONSCREEN CAPTION 2 READS: And he did it over 500 years ago...

IMAGE 1 DESCRIPTION: Two black and white photos of Götz’s iron hand, one showing the fingers splayed and the others showing them balled into a fist. In addition to the articulated fingers, the metal prosthetic has a cylindrical forearm segment and straps to hold the limb in place. IMAGE 2 DESCRIPTION: A series of illustrations give an exploded view of how the fingers on Götz’s iron hand extend and retract. ONSCREEN CAPTION READS: In 1504, a cannonball ripped off Götz’s right hand. So he had an armorer fashion an iron limb with articulated fingers that were able to grip anything from a sword to a quill pen to playing cards. The he got back to pillaging...

IMAGE 1 DESCRIPTION: A brass effigy of Götz wearing his armor. He has a receding hairline with long blond locks and a full beard. He holds his iron hand over his chest so the mailed fist is visible. The accompanying text reads “ER ABER SABS IHM ER KANN MICH AM ARSCH LECKEN.” TRANSLATION: And as for him, he can lick my ass. ONSCREEN CAPTION 1 READS: Götz became a German folk hero. This brass effigy celebrates his defiant battle cry, “leck mich im arsch.” (Translation: “lick me in the ass.”) IMAGE 2 DESCRIPTION: Poster for the 1979 German film Goetz von Berlichingen of the Iron Hand. A photo montage of Götz shaking his fist at the camera and a battle scene. The film logo features an illustration of the iron hand balled into a fist. ONSCREEN CAPTION 2 READS: Goethe wrote a play about this 16th-century cyborg’s life. Götz also inspired films & TV series.

ONSCREEN CAPTION 1 READS: Mozart composed several canons about Götz—imagine a chorus harmonizing as they chant the knight’s profane catchphrase. He also inspired a track by the Insane Clown Posse. [?!] IMAGE 2 DESCRIPTION: Artwork for the Insane Clown Posse’s single “LECK MICH IM ARSCH.” A photo of Violent J and Shaggy 2 Dope spray painting the letters ICP. ONSCREEN CAPTION 2 READS: ONSCREEN CAPTION READS: Listen to those and read more at: popculturalprecursors.com

THUNDERBOLTS FANS: Forget the Winter Soldier—check out this IRL 16th-century cyborg. 🇩🇪🦾⚔️🛡️Wave hello to Götz of the Iron Hand. 500 years ago, this fierce knight sported a fearsome articulated prosthetic.
www.popculturalprecursors.com/p/forget-the...
#thunderbolts #wintersoldier #cyborg #Marvel #MCU

ONSCREEN CAPTION TEXT: When the Mattel Power Glove launched in 1989, the motion-sensing wearable promised to transform how we interact with technology. The ads claimed that when you plugged it into your NES console, “You don’t just guide the action—you ARE the action!” There was just one little problem: The Power Glove did not work.It was dis- continued in less than a year. Unsold units clogged the discount bins at Toys R Us. IMAGE: Full page magazine ad for the Power Glove. It shows a young kid wearing a black turtleneck and RayBan sunglasses grinning triumphantly as he displays a Power Glove strapped to his arm. Crackling bolts of glowing blue energy emerge from the glove, and they are reflected in the supercool kid’s sunglasses. AD COPY: “EVERYTHING ELSE IS CHILD'S PLAY. The Power Glove!" You plug it in like any joystick. But the similarity stops there. Because now you don't just guide the action. You are the action. 3-D sensors track the position of your hand, giving you free-flowing, instant response. Its a complete connection. Intense. And powerful. Plus, the Power Glove has a unique programmable keypad that gives you amazing new ways to play almost every Nintendo game. All your joystick games become different. More exciting. And with games specifically designed for the Power Glove, you'll be blown into another dimension. So look for the Power Glove when it hits stores this Fall. Once you put it on, everything else becomes child's play.” The Power Glove itself is a gray plastic gaming controller worn like a glove on the forearm and hand. It features a bulky gray forearm unit with 17 controller buttons and a cross pad. The glove itself has a metallic-looking mesh fabric with exposed finger tips and prominent sensors across the knuckles.

IMAGE A: Frame from a circa-1990 promotional video for the The Dataglove developed by VPL Research. We see a person looking at a bulky old computer monitor while they manipulate onscreen objects using the wearable. It looks like a black glove with several protruding cables that assumedly connect to a nearby PC. ONSCREEN CAPTION TEXT A: Mattel was tapping into the virtual reality craze, and the fascination with the idea of manipulating onscreen objects with your hands. The toy company even licensed the tech in The Dataglove (created by the pioneering VR outfit VPL Research). IMAGE B: In a still from the 2002 film Minority Report, Tom Cruise manipulates objects on a huge touchscreen by means of a pair of black gloves with glowing blue lights on the fingertips. ONSCREEN CAPTION TEXT B: The Dataglove was the real-life inspiration for the gloves Tom Cruise uses in the 2002 film Minority.Report.

IMAGE: A couple of comics-style panels from the instruction manual for the Power Glove. A cool grown-up guy in sunglasses and a Members Only jacket explains to a young kid in a striped shirt and a ballcap how to utilize the peripheral. The kid is wearing a Power Glove that is tethered to a nearby CRT TV by cables. DIALOGUE: KID: “What do all these buttons do?” COOL DUDE “Lots of things. Take a look at Panel 3.” KID: “Wow! It’s like having a NES controller right on my arm.” ONSCREEN CAPTION TEXT: But something vital was lost in the process of scaling down The Dataglove’s tech to be cheaper to manufacture (and to work with the 8-bit NES console.) The Power Glove had a very slow response time to the movements of your arm. The instruction manual explained how to configure the glove for different control schemes, but it was just too slow on the uptake for most games.

IMAGE: Frame from the film Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare with the titular character brandishing his signature murder weapon: a weathered leather work glove with a metal apparatus attached to the back. The device consists of four long, curved steel blades extending from the fingertips, resembling sharp knives or razor claws. The blades are tarnished and stained, attached to individual metal finger plates which are connected by rivets and small metal joints. The leather portion appears worn, dirty and slightly burned, with frayed edges and dark stains. The twist is that this has been outfitted with the control panel of the Mattel Power Glove. ​​Freddy Krueger wears a slouchy, wide-brimmed brown fedora hat with a weathered, distressed appearance. His face is severely burned and scarred, with mottled reddish-pink skin that appears melted and textured with deep ridges, craters, and blisters. His ears are partially missing, and his lips are often pulled back in a permanent grimace. He wears a distinctive red and green horizontally striped sweater with frayed edges and signs of wear, which has become an instantly recognizable element of the character's appearance in the 'A Nightmare on Elm Street' horror franchise. ONSCREEN CAPTION TEXT: Despite its commercial failure, the cyberpunk promise of the Power Glove (and its cool retrofuturist design) made it a pop cultural touchstone. An active fan community still mods the device and makes games for it. Read more about why people refuse to let go of the glove in my newsletter. popculturalprecursors.com

BEFORE THE HUMANE AI PIN, THERE WAS THE POWER GLOVE. The 1989 controller & the 2024 virtual assistant both failed within a year. What can they teach us? Why does the glove still have fans? Read my story.
www.popculturalprecursors.com/p/before-the...
#uxdesign #wearables #retrogames #nes #mattel

We need less cozy sf and more polycom sf

In Red Mars, when negotiations between the planets were collapsing, there was a point where Chalmers was taking part in several meetings simultaneously

Como Andor Se Inspirou Em Um RPG de Mesa - Movimento RPG A segunda temporada de Andor está próxima. Mas no aguardo de seu lançamento, vi o texto How Andor Got Its Backstory from a Tabletop RPG...

My piece about Andor getting its backstory from tabletop RPGs was translated by the Brazilian site Movimento RPG!

Que a Força esteja com vocês, gamers de língua portuguesa!

movimentorpg.com.br/drama-espaci...

#StarWars #Andor #DisneyPlus #EscritaParaTV #RPGdemesa thx @estrelagustavo.bsky.social !

IMAGE DESCRIPTION: Detailed schematics of the bulky Zero G Stormtrooper assault armor, designed to be worn during outer space combat. ONSCREEN CAPTION: Behold the badassZero G Stormtrooper assault armor! This schematic appeared in the 1989 Imperial Sourceboook, a supplement for players of the 1987 Star Wars Roleplaying Game. The tabletop RPG gave geeks a chance to go far deeper into the sci-fi universe than the films ever could…

ONSCREEN CAPTION: Blueprints of the X-Wing fighter from the 1987 Star Wars Sourcebook. These RPG books gave players all the background details they’d need to stage their own epic sci-fi scenarios in the galaxy far, far away... IMAGE DESCRIPTION: Detailed blueprints of the X-Wing fighter.

ONSCREEN CAPTION: In fleshing out the backstory of George Lucas’ universe, the RPG designers added storylines, characters, species names, and their own narrative flourishes. (These specs for the Millennium Falcon include the scribbled note “Modifications noted and approved—HS.” Han Solo himself signed your RPG handbook!) IMAGE DESCRIPTION: Detailed blueprints of the Millennium Falcon.

ONSCREEN CAPTION: I wrote about how this all-but-forgotten TTRPG was the source of innumerable story details that still play a vital role in the ongoing Star Wars saga—especially the new season of Andor. Read about it (and see more cool excerpts from these books) at the Pop Cultural Precursors newsletter. popculturalprecursors.com IMAGE DESCRIPTION: Book cover of the 1987 title Star Wars the Roleplaying Game. Book cover features a montage of characters and vehicles and locales similar to the movie poster: Luke and Leia and Han Solo firing blasters, Darth Vader swinging a lightsaber, Obi Wan, Chewbacca, R2D2 & C3P0, X-wings and TIE fighters, the Death Star—the whole schmear.

BEFORE YOU WATCH ANDOR S2: Check out how the rich backstory of the acclaimed series came from a 1980s tabletop RPG! The surprising story of how Disney+ STILL uses Star Wars lore dreamed up by game devs. www.popculturalprecursors.com/p/how-andor-... #StarWars #Andor #DisneyPlus #TTRPG #TVWriting

ONSCREEN CAPTION READS: “Dig the amazing paintings featured on the boxes of classic Atari 2600 games! To say the least, this was not an accurate depiction of the low-res graphics of the games themselves.” ACCOMPANYING IMAGE IS BOX ART OF A CLASSIC ATARI 2600 GAME: The box art for the Atari game Missile Command is a vivid hand-painted artwork depicting a dramatic sci-fi scene: a futuristic control room with a determined operator at the helm, surrounded by glowing radar screens and missile trajectories. Explosions and streaking missiles dominate the background, illustrating the chaos of an intense battle. The vibrant colors and dynamic composition evoke a sense of urgency and action.

ONSCREEN CAPTION READS: “But one of these games, Adventure, crammed a sophisticated fantasy role-playing adventure into just 4 kilobytes of ROM. It also originated the term “Easter Egg,” a secret bonus feature hidden in the code by the game’s developer.” ACCOMPANYING IMAGE IS BOX ART OF A CLASSIC ATARI 2600 GAME: The box art for Atari Super Breakout is red, and it features a dynamic hand-painted artwork showcasing a futuristic, colorful scene: vibrant streaks of light and geometric shapes representing bouncing balls and bricks in motion. There are also multiplu images of an astronaut with a bubble helmet, which is presumably a personification of the rectangular rebound bar the player controls in the game. The design captures the energy and excitement of the gameplay, with bold colors and abstract patterns creating a sense of speed and intensity.

ONSCREEN CAPTION READS: “These hidden features spread from Adventure to other games, and then to software, DVD menus, and more. The plot of the book Ready Player One hinges on the Adventure Easter Egg, and so does Spielberg’s film adaptation.” ACCOMPANYING IMAGE IS THE MANUAL OF A CLASSIC ATARI 2600 GAME: The game manual for Atari Basic Programming is black, and it features hand-painted artwork featuring a futuristic, abstract design: vibrant geometric shapes and glowing lines evoke the concept of programming and digital logic. There is also a human using booth hands to manipulate an array of controllers, as if they were the operator of a gigantic retrofuturistic super computer. The composition is dynamic, with bold colors and patterns suggesting innovation and creativity in the realm of technology."

ONSCREEN CAPTION READS: “In honor of the 45th anniversary of the first Easter Egg, I published an in-depth article about the phenomenon featuring an interview with the creator of the classic game Adventure, Warren Robinett. Read more about it in the Pop Cultural Precursors newsletter. popculturalprecursors.com” ACCOMPANYING IMAGE IS BOX ART OF A CLASSIC ATARI 2600 GAME: The box art for Atari Adventure is orange, and it features a highly detailed painting of a sword and sorcery scenario. At the top is an elaborate castle with towers and roofs and parapets. A road leads downward from the castle to an elaborate hedge maze, and two heroes in pointed caps with walking sticks walk down the road towards the maze. A giant orange dragon sits inside the maze holding a key aloft in its bony talons. The dragon’s snake-like body coils through the maze and wraps around a tree. Several other heroes in pointed caps are lost in the maze, and we can only see their heads. A gleaming bejewelled crown or chalice is visible in the foreground.

The 1980 game Adventure established the term “Easter Egg” to describe a hidden feature. 🥚🎮Read about it in this image gallery & get the full story at the link below. What's your favorite Easter Egg? www.popculturalprecursors.com/p/the-45th-a... #atari2600 #easteregg #8bit #retrogames #videogame

I played the heck out of this as an adolescent. Finding the easter egg was always a thrill. Random note: you could choose to play the gme in hard mode wher all the walls were *invisible*, for an extra challenge.

How Andor Got its Backstory from a Tabletop RPG In 1987, 'Star Wars: The Roleplaying Game' added vital details to the sci-fi universe that are still used today in movies, games, novels, and streaming series

Here’s a neat article to get you ready for Andor that talks about something I had a hand in creating, a long time ago ….

popculturalprecursors.substack.com/p/how-andor-...

My Easter Egg vid gets a shoutout at the end of this:

The box art for Atari Adventure is orange, and it features a highly detailed painting of a sword and sorcery scenario. At the top is an elaborate castle with towers and roofs and parapets. A road leads downward from the castle to an elaborate hedge maz, and two heroes in pointed caps with walking sticks walk down the road towards the maze. A giant orange dragon sits inside the maze holding a key aloft in its bony talons. The dragon’s snake-like body coils through the maze and wraps around a tree. Several other heroes in pointed caps are lost in the maze, and we can only see their heads. A gleaming bejewelled crown or chalice is visible in the foreground.

NEWSLETTER: The 1980 game Adventure established the term “Easter Egg” to describe a hidden feature. The practice quickly spread to other games, as well as to software and DVDs. I spoke to Adventure's creator Warren Robinett. #atari2600 #easteregg #8bit
www.popculturalprecursors.com/p/the-45th-a...

This is my shit.

Eeeeeee, this is such great SW lore. And no surprise to the kid who collected all the ttrpg guides she could get her hands on in the late 90s, because they had the best details of the kinds she needed she needed for her fanfics.

Really interesting post. The West End Games Star Wars RP system had a lot of flaws, but was (and is!) so much fun. WEG's system was always a better fit than d20. I still have all these sourcebooks at my parents' house. But there's a lot of historical impact I didn't know about, or had forgotten.

* whistles innocently * oh what’s this? Sounds interesting. Who would cause such a thing to happen?

How Andor Got its Backstory from a Tabletop RPG In 1987, 'Star Wars: The Roleplaying Game' added vital details to the sci-fi universe that are still used today in movies, games, novels, and streaming series

Good read: How Andor Got its Backstory from a Tabletop RPG popculturalprecursors.substack.com/p/how-andor-...

If only more of us were practical-minded Arbiters and Ledgerman, and fewer of us were careless spendthrift Mavericks and Wizards, we could've joined together to make this game real—and ascended to the ranks of the Supreme Coneholders... www.kicktraq.com/projects/152...

How Andor Got its Backstory from a Tabletop RPG In 1987, 'Star Wars: The Roleplaying Game' added vital details to the sci-fi universe that are still used today in movies, games, novels, and streaming series

The origins of Andor—and a huge chunk of Star Wars lore—in an influential indie role-playing game. @chrisbaker1337.bsky.social on fire here:

open.substack.com/pub/popcultu...

Book cover of the 1987 title Star Wars the Roleplaying Game. Book cover features a montage of characters and vehicles and locales similar to the movie poster: Luke and Leia and Han Solo firing blasters, Darth Vader swinging a lightsaber, Obi Wan, Chewbacca, R2D2 & C3P0, X-wings and TIE fighters, the Death Star—the whole schmear.

How Andor Got its Backstory from a Tabletop RPG: In 1987, 'Star Wars: The Roleplaying Game' added vital details to the sci-fi universe that are still used today in movies, games, novels, and streaming series. #starwars #andor #ttrpg
popculturalprecursors.substack.com/p/how-andor-...

The TV Cowboy Who Built the Modern World of Merchandising 75 years ago, Hopalong Cassidy became the first superstar of the small screen. Then he built a gargantuan product licensing and sponsorship empire.

Everything you always wanted to know about Hopalong Cassidy. By @chrisbaker1337.bsky.social
popculturalprecursors.substack.com/p/the-tv-cow...

Vintage advertising image of a boy dressed in full cowboy regalia gazing at a black and white image of Hoplong Cassidy on a gargantuan wooden Motorola 16K2 television console with a tiny 16-inch screen.

NEWSLETTER: 75 years ago, Hopalong Cassidy became the first superstar of the TV era. Then he built a gargantuan product licensing and endorsement empire that put Walt Disney to shame. Read about it and see some of his 2500+ branded products here.
popculturalprecursors.substack.com/p/the-tv-cow...

Movie poster for the groundbreaking 1914 animation Gertie the Dinosaur. It reads “Winsor McCay’s Gertie! Wonderfully Trained Dinosaurus. Windsor McCay: America’s Greatest Cartoonist! A Prehistoric Animal that Lived Thirteen Million Years Ago, Brought Back to Life. A Most Marvellous Work of Art, Science, and Humor. She’s a Scream.”

NEWSLETTER: Before Jurassic Park or King Kong, there was Gertie. A few months before World War I kicked off in 1914, audiences thrilled at the spectacle of the first realistic special f/x dinosaur.
popculturalprecursors.substack.com/p/110-years-...
#jurassicpark #kingkong #dinosaur