SpyVibe

November 11, 2014

AVENGERS REVIEW UPDATE

Avengers Review Update: viewing more episodes in the new Blu-ray edition of The Avengers Season 5 has revealed more examples of improved picture quality (compared to the A&E DVD)! That is a welcome discovery, although I'm still concerned with the speed-up I mentioned in the first-glance review here. Watched in isolation, some viewers of the Blu-ray might not notice the speed, but the pitch is slightly higher than what we are used to in the States. High enough to my sensitive ears to change the vibe of the performances. The Blu-ray pitch *might* be slightly lower than the Optimum? I've added clips from the Blu-ray to my comparison video below with A&E NTSC DVDs and the Optimum PAL DVDs. Check it out and see what you think.

Selected Spy Vibe posts: Tokyo Beat 1964, Polaroid Spy, Modesty Monday, Feraud Mod Fashion, Flint Scores!, Bond Danish, Louis Feraud, Roger Moore Day, Home Movies, New Richard Sala Book, New 007 Comics, Unseen Fleming in new 007 by Horowitz, Designing Bond Books, Foster Spies, Green Hornet Manga, Margaret Nolan Art, No 6 Festival, Barbarella Returns, 007 Audio Books Return, Harry Palmer Blu, One Million Prizes, Designer: Gene Winfield, Avengers Blu-Ray, Avengers Interview: Michael Richardson, Ian Fleming: Wicked Grin, Jane Bond Hong Kong Records, Ryan Heshka Interview, Comics Week: Man From R.I.V.E.R.D.A.L.E., Comics Week: Archie, Comics Week: Robots, Comics Week: Cold War Atomic, Comics Week: SPYMAN, Comics Week: Jimmy Olsen, Diana Rigg at 76, Gerry Anderson Doc, Mr. Hulot's Box Set, Rare Avengers Scripts, Man From Uncle UK Comics, Mattel X-15, Thunderbirds Comics, Shakespeare Spies: Diana Rigg, Shakespeare Spies I, Batman News, Monty Python Fathom Spies, Rodney Marshall Avengers Interview, Avengers Book: Bowler Hats & Kinky Boots, George Lois Design & Mad Men, Richard Sala: Super-Enigmatix, Big Fun Toys, Danger Diabolik Soundtrack, Mod Fashion Dolls, Cold War Archie, Playboy Bunny Interview, The 10th Victim Japanese and Kindle, U.N.C.L.E. Japanese Books, The 10th Victim German Edition, The Saint books return, Trina Robbins Interview, Catsuits, Batman '66 Green Hornet Interview: Ralph Garman Ty Templeton.

November 10, 2014

AVENGERS DEBACLE

I wish I had a more positive report for my fellow fans of The Avengers. We've waited so long in the States for a quality transfer and the Season 5 Hi-def release promised so much. My copy of the new box set arrived today and I have to say the Blu-ray is unfortunately not an overall upgrade. I previewed a few episodes with a fellow audiophile/videophile and we found the visuals were sometimes washed out, suffered from odd contrast (especially in the credits), and some unnatural color boost. Other footage looked SUPER nice in terms of texture and clarity, but in general, the A&E DVD sometimes looked natural in comparison. I imagine this is due to the sources being varied in quality (yet the UK Optimums look good, right?) and that there are 8 hours of episodes compressed on each of the 3 discs. Now the bad news… The new Blu-ray suffers from PAL speed-up, giving the actors a helium quality (talking at a higher pitch!) and causing movements and pacing to appear unnatural. The difference is subtle, but Steed and Peel sound unlike themselves (to my ears). Hopefully we'll see this important series get its due someday, but in the meantime, I suggest sticking with your A&E DVDs. What does speed-up sound like? The Optimum DVD discs provided improved visuals, but also suffer from speed-up. See my comparison video below between A&E DVD and Optimum DVD. Some viewers don't mind (or notice) the change in pitch- I envy them. I've heard Optimum re-pressed the DVDs with corrected speed and I'll post more about that once I can confirm.

**SEE updated review and pitch comparison video (A&E DVD, Blu-ray, Optimum DVD) here.

MYSTERY MAN: RICHARD SALA

Sneak down the secret passage of suspense with writer/artist Richard Sala, the modern maestro of macabre mystery. Fantagraphics has published many of his books, including the recent release, In a Glass Grotesquely, which includes a serialized story about a diabolical villain and his lair filled with stylish henchwomen, Super Enigmatix. Sala's trademark ink and watercolor style lulls us in with vintage charm, but be warned! Ghoulish baddies lurk within the pages, ready to bump off characters with sudden and vicious accuracy. A fellow fan of Mrs. Emma Peel, Sala's stories also often feature strong independent female adventurers. Samples of his heroines and rogue's gallery below. Sala is a frequent guest here on Spy Vibe and our conversations often cover mystery and adventure conventions and classic works like James Bond, The Avengers, Dick Tracy, Fantomas, Judex, and many others. Check out our most popular feature interviews The Adventures of Richard Sala and Super Enigmatix. Learn more: Richard Sala website, Tumblr, Violenzia, Fantagraphics.

November 8, 2014

TOKYO BEAT 1964

Youth Culture: Life Magazine helped to fuel a fascination with Japan in anticipation of the Summer Olympics scheduled for October 1964 with a special September issue. Ambassador Edwin O. Reischauer wrote about the partnership between the US and Japan (see my upcoming spy novel to learn about some shocking secrets he kept from the public!), and author Yukio Mishima shared his frustrations with both cultures. Much of the issue focussed on tensions between traditional and contemporary society, with features like "The Modern Paradoxes" by Brian Brake and "The Talisman," a short story of rebellion by Masao Yamakawa. A major highlight was "The Young in Revolt," an in-depth essay photographed by Michael Rougier (seen in top photo below). Rougier and correspondent Robert Morse followed a sub-culture of teens obsessed with a Tokyo Beatles band and captured both dynamic abandon and intimate fellowship among the "lost ones." The aim may have been to document disaffected youth, but the images tell us much more about cultural revolution and new styles of expression. Life's timing couldn't have been better, as A Hard Days Night debuted in Japan in August of 1964. Forty years later, I would film and photograph The Silver Beats, a Beatles cover band at the Tokyo Cavern Club. Although my generation's scene was much more subdued than Rougier's, it was a highlight of my art life to publish a photo of the group in Rolling Stone and to help the band land a spot in Liverpool's Beatles Week events. The series of images below from 1964 serve as a valuable window into 1960s Japan, exploding with new-found freedom and the pulse of Beat Music. Learn more: Rougier Tokyo Beatles, Japanese New Wave cinema at Criterion, Life 1964, Groovy Imitation Bands, Tadanori Yokoo, Japanese Group Sounds DVD, protest movement article Japan Times.

Selected Spy Vibe posts: Polaroid Spy, Modesty Monday, Feraud Mod Fashion, Flint Scores!, Bond Danish, Louis Feraud, Roger Moore Day, Home Movies, New Richard Sala Book, New 007 Comics, Unseen Fleming in new 007 by Horowitz, Designing Bond Books, Foster Spies, Green Hornet Manga, Margaret Nolan Art, No 6 Festival, Barbarella Returns, 007 Audio Books Return, Harry Palmer Blu, One Million Prizes, Designer: Gene Winfield, Avengers Blu-Ray, Avengers Interview: Michael Richardson, Ian Fleming: Wicked Grin, Jane Bond Hong Kong Records, Ryan Heshka Interview, Comics Week: Man From R.I.V.E.R.D.A.L.E., Comics Week: Archie, Comics Week: Robots, Comics Week: Cold War Atomic, Comics Week: SPYMAN, Comics Week: Jimmy Olsen, Diana Rigg at 76, Gerry Anderson Doc, Mr. Hulot's Box Set, Rare Avengers Scripts, Man From Uncle UK Comics, Mattel X-15, Thunderbirds Comics, Shakespeare Spies: Diana Rigg, Shakespeare Spies I, Batman News, Monty Python Fathom Spies, Rodney Marshall Avengers Interview, Avengers Book: Bowler Hats & Kinky Boots, George Lois Design & Mad Men, Richard Sala: Super-Enigmatix, Big Fun Toys, Danger Diabolik Soundtrack, Mod Fashion Dolls, Cold War Archie, Playboy Bunny Interview, The 10th Victim Japanese and Kindle, U.N.C.L.E. Japanese Books, The 10th Victim German Edition, The Saint books return, Trina Robbins Interview, Catsuits, Batman '66 Green Hornet Interview: Ralph Garman Ty Templeton.

November 4, 2014

YOUNG BOND RETURNS

New Release: "Before the man became the legend. Before the boy became the man." The Young Bond series continues this week with the publication of Shoot To Kill. Penned by author Steve Cole (Astrosaurs, Z-Rex, Doctor Who), the story follows Bond to Hollywood on his first (young) adventure to the United States. The cover sports an exciting urban design in black and silver, which includes a vintage pistol motif around the title and a silhouette of Bond leaping from a Zeppelin (you can see a 3D version on the official website). Although the logo seems slightly large and out of balance, the design aims for an elegant Hollywood vibe and promises a thrilling ride! Order the first edition at AmazonUK here. Shoot to Kill is the 6th novel to focus on the young adventures of James Bond. Author Charlie Higson began the series in 2005. His Bond books include Silverfin, Blood Fever, Double or Die, Hurricane Gold, By Royal Command, and The Young Bond Dossier. Learn more: Young Bond website, Ian Fleming Publications, Young Bond editions.