Vandoom: The Man Who Made a Creature!

Today’s journey into Stan Lee and Jack Kirby’s classic giant monster comics brings us to the story of “Vandoom” from the fourth issue of Where Creatures Roam. Much like the story of Frankenstein, the plot involves a somewhat obsessed individual who creates a monster that comes to life. Unlike Frankenstein however, some alien invaders show up because, well... why not?

What I learned from this comic:

1. When a small wax museum on the outskirts of remote European town begins to wane in popularity, it’s due to a lack of new sculptures... not because it’s a wax museum in the middle of friggin’ nowhere.

2. Lightning can bring ANYTHING to life.

3. A monster made of solid wax can become exhausted, even fatally, somehow.

4. Animate wax sculptures > Martians

5. There’s nothing the general public loves more than a wax museum exhibit based on a story that can't be truthfully verified in any way.

Kodoja: Terror Mountain Showdown

What do giant monsters, comics and cool, groovy music all have in common? Well, in the case of the multimedia project Kodoja: Terror Mountain Showdown, quite a lot, actually. The story of the comic concerns a military robot prototype built in the 60’s. Designed to be the ultimate weapon, complete with laser eyes, retractable fists and a highly advanced computer brain capable of learning, the robot proves to be a little too effective during a field simulation when the testing area ends up completely obliterated. Around the same time, a mysterious sea quake takes place in the Pacific ocean as all the marine life flees en masse from the epicenter. Sounds like a recipe for an eventual giant monster/giant robot altercation to me! Below are a couple of preview pages from the book:

The comic is due to be released over the summer, but in the meantime you can purchase the tie-in music album by musician “Big Pimp Jones” (who also served as the book's writer) which can be ordered at this link: Record Breakin' music.

There is also a “preview mix” available for listening by Skeme Richards which you can check out by heading over here:

Hot Peas and Butta (Big Pimp Jones)- Kodoja (Non Album Exclusive mix)

If you’re at all familiar with Japanese monster movie soundtracks from the 60’s and 70’s, then you’ll totally recognize the sound that the music has used as a starting point. I particularly love the stretch between the 10:29 and 13:40 mark, which I keep replaying over and over again- it’s like a giant monster’s personal theme song by way of a funky groove. Awesome!

Further updates to this project can be followed at its official website: Kodoja.com