Citizen Spike

 

Made the recent Blu-Ray purchase of 2025's PEANUTS Ultimate TV Specials Collection, and it's an impressive package.  Forty of the forty-five specials produced from the first special, "A Charlie Brown Christmas" in 1964 until 2011,  the direct-to-video release "Happiness Is A Warm Blanket, Charlie Brown", pretty much everything from the period prior to Apple +'s exclusive streaming deal and the new content they've produced since.

What's not included on the set: the Saturday morning cartoon series, THE CHARLIE BROWN and SNOOPY SHOW, which ran on CBS from 1983 to 1985, and the 1988 animated mini-series, THIS IS AMERICA, CHARLIE BROWN....and five specials that were produced in the 1980s that all have crazy broadcast rights issues, usually stemming from the two physical media distribution rights holders, Paramount and Warner Bros respectively, not holding those rights, usually because somebody else owns a piece of them prior to their involvement.

Like, for instance, 1993's YOU'RE IN THE SUPER BOWL, CHARLIE BROWN!....one of the few Peanuts specials not aired on CBS (coincidently now a subsidiary of Paramount), but instead on NBC.  The word around the campfire amongst Peanuts enthusiasts is that the reason why this special has never received a physical media release beyond a 1993 VHS is because one of the special's sponsors, Shell Oil has at least a piece of the aftermarket distribution rights, and the evidence is this...the only physical media release to date was the aforementioned 1993 VHS, which was sold exclusively through a promotion at Shell gas stations...

 

And, then there's the focus of this blog post, 1988's really......weird?.....IT'S THE GIRL IN THE RED TRUCK, CHARLIE BROWN...

Why I think it's weird-  well, there's the relative obscurity of the special.  Aired twice (once during it's broadcast debut in 1988 and the Disney Channel aired it only once on October 1, 1994 as part of Peanuts' 45th anniversary celebration).  The special was then released on VHS by Paramount in 1996, discontinued quickly and soon fell out of print.  There has yet to be a physical media release in any digital format (DVD, Blu-Ray, streaming).

The 1996 VHS release

Next:  there's the format and structure of the special itself.  The only Peanuts cast member featured is Spike, Snoopy's brother (whom I believe if they ever attempt a live action adaptation of the strip, Johnny Depp is born to play....)....outside of a letter reading framing sequence featuring Charlie Brown and Snoopy.  The rest of the special is a limited mix of live action and animation, a format not featured in any other Peanuts media.  The special plays like a backdoor pilot of a live action family drama, and a cartoon just happens to be a supporting cast member...

Separated at birth?

The Backstory:  This special (which I'll refer to as RED TRUCK for the rest of this rant) is one of the few pieces of Peanuts media that I like to refer to as "Peanuts Outliers".  The reason why it's labeled as such is that RED TRUCK is a special that meets the criteria of not conforming to the standard formula...it just did stuff that Peanuts specials aren't normally known for.

Snoopy Magazine, Fall 1988

What's the difference?  Supposedly, Charles Schulz viewed this project as his magnum opus, an attempt to create a masterpiece.  Sources say that he kept referring to this as his CITIZEN KANE (Schulz was a massive fan of the Orson Welles film).  He wrote, executive produced, and cast his daughter Jill Schulz in the lead role.  So, it's the closest thing we're ever going to get to a Peanuts vanity project.  And, then...Schulz's troubles began.

 

During RED TRUCK's production in 1988, the big summer movie was the live action/animation mix WHO FRAMED ROGER RABBIT?.  Schulz began fearing that the audience and critics would see RED TRUCK's mix of the mediums as being a rip-off of that film.  Schulz directed his daughter to clearly emphasize production dates of the special (which were prior to ROGER RABBIT's release) to point out the difference in the productions in interviews.

Jill Schulz's performance wasn't viewed favorably by critics, and some said the plot of the special didn't really go anywhere.  Some critics said that the interaction between the live actors and Spike was primitive, clumsy and unconvincing...

So, RED TRUCK remains a weird blip on the Peanuts radar, it's availability...and lack of... making it an obscurity.  Again, word around the campfire amongst enthusiasts is it's rarity is due to Schulz simply being disappointed in the critical response and wanting the show to remain dead and buried.

RED TRUCK is available on YouTube and Internet Archive via uploaded VHSRip.  I can remember taping this the night it was broadcast in 1988 and it remaining this oddity that I thought I had dreamed up during my high school days, and then I'd break out my VHS copy, view it, and conclude:  "Dear God....that was acually REAL.  I did see that once."

My 13 Favorite Comic Book Related Diecasts

 

Amongst the quirks I have that are rooted in a terminal case of arrested development is my love for diecast toy cars....a condition that was brought on by having spent a childhood in my grandfather's garage.  Being quite the entrepreneur, my mother's dad was an independent mechanic, running his own garage and body shop, as well as owning his own tow truck.  I've joked for years that I learned to drive cars by learning how to steal them, which isn't far from the truth.   Starting when I was about 12 or 13, my grandfather would take me out with him on the weekends, teaching me to drive while he was moonlighting, doing repossession jobs.  My early teen years were kinda like living out my own version of one of my favorite films, director Alex Cox's REPO MAN (1986).  So, growing up surrounded by gearheads and hot rod nuts, one tends to acquire a taste for....interesting....automotive design, and diecast cars and plastic models kits became an obsession of mine.  But, my tastes for such things are also filtered through my pop culture and comic book loving brain, focusing on cool movie and TV vehicles and comic book/superhero centric stuff...

Anyways, I was sitting around in my "studio/den/man cave",  and I looked at a few dozen examples of these toys I have displayed on some of the wall surfaces and thought, "Y'know...I should blog about this, because folks at work are probably tired of hearing me talk to myself about it all the time."  So, stealing a format from one of my favorite sites, 13th DIMENSION (Eh...."stealing" is such a harsh term.  Let's just say "borrowing liberally"...) I've compiled a list of my 13 favorite comic book diecasts.

Putting this list together, I established some loose criteria.  I've decided to exclude the multitude of Batman related diecasts that have been produced by numerous manufacturers over the last six decades due to the sheer volume of product to review, and being of the opinion that it deserves a list of it's own.

Here's a hint as to what one of my favorite Batmobile designs is...

I've also limited the list to diecasts that already exist as part of my personal collection.  I didn't want this to turn into a wishlist for product I want, and it's based upon the merits of examples of toys I've actually had a chance to review and enjoy personally. 

13.  RICHIE RICH Old Timer Car (Larami Corporation, 1981)-

This checks off a few boxes on my personal list of things I find aesthetically pleasing:  I love cheap knock off toys, and I love any of the wonderfully oddball licensed vintage merchandise I can find of the Harvey Comics humor properties.  Plus, it's pretty brilliant in it's simplicity:  slap some golden paint on some fancy looking cars (in this case a Morgan and a Rolls Royce) and it'll pass as a part of the Rich Family's automotive fleet.

12. Hot Wheels Premium: Pop Culture- Ghost Rider Charger (Mattel, 2025)

You'll find a lot of love for the various incarnations of Marvel's Spirit of Vengeance on this list due to my longtime fascination for the character.  I just dig the fact that the Hot Wheel Premium line seems to like to go deep-cut with comic book properties, as you'll see further down this list.

11. DICK TRACY (Ertl, 1990)

Admittedly, I'm a sucker for any of the merchandising connected to the 1990 Warren Beatty film....explains the unhealthy amount of Breathless Mahoney dolls I got in the basement.  This line really stands out because of the attention to detail given to the molds.  There's four cars: Tracy's Car (1936 Ford V-8 Deluxe), Tess's Car (1937 Plymouth Business Coupe), Police Car (1937 Ford Standard Sedan), and Itchy's Car (1939 Chevrolet Master Deluxe Sports Sedan).  Tess's and Itchy's rides have the distinction of possibly being the only time those particular models of automobile have ever been produced as diecasts.

10. Hot Wheels (Mainline) Spider-Mobile-HW Screen Time (Mattel. 2019)

Behold the 1970s comic book goofiness of the Spider-Mobile.  Spider-Man was having a stellar couple of months in late 1973....in issue #129, we get the first appearance of the Punisher.  Then, the following month, in issue #130, we get....this:

9. Corgi Junior Daily Planet Van (Corgi Toys, 1978)

This thing has frustrated me since owning one during childhood.  6 year old me, circa 1980, thought it was awesome to have a toy representation of a Daily Planet delivery truck, but...what's up with Clark revealing his identity to the newspaper buying pedestrians of Metropolis.  Even at a young age, I was a stickler for canon and continuity.

8. Johnny Lightning The Green Hornet- Black Beauty (Polar Lights, 2001)

The only TV superhero ride to ever compete for my heart with George Barris' 1966 Batmobile.  It's just a really slick looking design and undeniably cool.  Johnny Lightning really nailed this one.

7. Hot Wheels Premium- Marvel's LOKI Thanos Copter (Mattel, 2022)

Okay....hear me out.  What's so cool about a toy based upon an Easter Egg from a Marvel show...based upon a throwaway idea from a kid's comic published 47 years ago?  Everything, that's what.

6. Corgi Junior Marvel Comics Truck (Corgi Toys, 1975)

Another frustrating entry from my childhood, courtesy of Corgi Toys.  I was so convinced that a Marvel Comics delivery truck was a real world thing, based upon the existence of this toy, that I would actually watch for it in the parking lots of a couple of local grocery stores hoping to catch it mid-delivery when I was a kid.  One of those dreams that didn't exist, but should have, damn it.

5. Hot Wheels GHOST RIDER (with Vehicle) SDCC 2022 Exclusive (Mattel, 2022)

Again, much love for Johnny Blaze.  When they announced this convention exclusive, I can remember threatening a friend who was attending the show with bodily harm if he didn't bring me back one.  I must be a more intimidating figure than I thought, because (much to their credit) they brought me back two.

4. Hot Wheels Premium: Pop Culture- ACTION COMICS #1-Action Sedan (Mattel, 2025)

I know, I know....this is some deep-cut fanboy nerd stuff.  It makes me happy to think I live in a world where this exists.  If I would have seen this at age 11, with my nose stuck in a copy of the latest issue of CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS, my head may have just exploded.

3. Hot Wheels Premium- Marvel Spider Machine GP-7 (Mattel, 2021)

Seeing this makes me hope that Mattel would produce a SHOGUN WARRIORS revival...we got a diecast miniature of Leopardon (Japanese Spidey's giant robot) in the original line, but sadly we didn't get a bigger scale plastic robot version.

2.  AHI SGT. ROCK diecast vehicles (REMCO/AHI, 1982)

I love that period of time in the early 1980s when Remco decided to try and ride the coattails of Hasbro's G.I. JOE and Mattel's MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE by using two DC Comics licenses to produce some knock off lines, SGT. ROCK and WARLORD.

I love the fact that these exist.  I don't love the fact that finding vintage examples in any kind of decent condition is near impossible, especially carded examples.  There's also the issue that finding these things, period, is like finding hen's teeth, because unless it's a packaged example, there's really no way of determining if the toy belonged to this line (meaning that there's no real clear copyright information stamped onto the toys themselves, so once you remove the packaging, there's no real way to distinguish these from any other generic war toy).  I own only a couple carded examples, because it's been my experience that carded examples of these toys are non-existent at local toy shops and shows (at least in my neck of the woods).

I think this is an ambulance from the SGT ROCK line, but unsure.

1. Hot Wheels 2011 SDCC Exclusive Wonder Woman Invisible Jet

This goddamn thing is either the most brilliant piece of marketing and promotion ever.....or, the cruelest joke ever played on comic book fans.  I can't decide which.

What's the punchline?  It's so invisible...it's non-existent.  It's a f#@king plastic bubble glued to a piece of cardboard.  There ain't no plane in there.  Surely, you jest, you might say.  Nope.  And don't call me "Shirley" (insert rimshot here for the AIRPLANE! reference).  What's even worse is I was one of the lucky ones who purchased it at the show for the going price at the moment, which I think was 25 bucks, but I might be mistaken...but there's some current online vendors that are asking RIDICULOUS prices for this now (Upwards to the $500 range).  Fanboys and their money are easily parted.  I can remember after buying this, remarking to a friend:

"Y'know....we oughtta go down to Tractor Supply and buy a 40 pound bag of black gardening stone and a couple hundred plastic bags.  Print off some labels with the SHAZAM! logo on it.  Sell bags full of black rock...pieces of the "Rock of Eternity" for 10 dollars a bag here at the show.  Pocket a couple grand and walk away."

"With One Magic Word..."

John Byrne Era SUPERMAN: Action Comics

 

I was a massive fan of what I now refer to as "the John Byrne Era" of SUPERMAN.  I'm speaking specifically about the creative and editorial initiatives that came as the aftermath of DC Comics' 1985 canon and continuity clean sweep CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS, spearheaded by writer/artist John Byrne's reimagining of Superman's mythos...

John Byrne, 2017 NYCC

From Wikipedia:

Near the end of his time at Marvel, Byrne was hired by DC Comics to revamp its flagship character Superman. This was part of a company-wide restructuring of the history of the DC Universe and all of its characters following the limited series Crisis on Infinite Earths. Byrne's reworking of Superman in particular gained widespread media coverage outside the comic book industry, including articles in Time and The New York Times.   At the time, Byrne said, "I'm taking Superman back to the basics ... It's basically Siegel and Shuster's Superman meets the Fleischer Superman in 1986."

I was hooked with the initial six issue launch mini-series, entitled MAN OF STEEL, and Byrne's 22 issue run on the relaunched (and renumbered) core title, SUPERMAN, is good...but the real standout for me has always been Byrne's 17 issue tenure on Superman's "birthplace" ACTION COMICS (issues #584-#600).  Why?   Well, I had been a huge fan in previous years of the DC title DC COMICS PRESENTS, which was essentially "Superman Team-Up", and thought that the format change up on ACTION that reflected PRESENTS was an interesting way of showing how this "new" universe (translation: new canon and lore) interacted with this "new" Superman...and vice versa.

Action #584, the first issue of the "new era" of Superman

A particular favorite of mine was the early attempt at "unfucking" (my term) the Legion of Superheroes canon, trying to figure out why they exist if their main inspiration, a teenage Clark Kent who operated as Superboy, no longer existed.

Then,....there's these issues. The infamous ones where the Darkseid henchman, aptly named "Sleez", attempts to break Superman's will by....manipulating him and Big Barda into making a sex tape?  Approved by the Comics Code Authority, indeed....

 

Issue #598 was the introduction of the Checkmate organization, which we just saw turn up in James Gunn's new DC cinematic universe at the climax of PEACEMAKER season 2...

  

Byrne's ACTION run concludes with issue #600, which also served as the title's 50th anniversary issue...