A Special Presentation, or Alf Will Not Be Seen Tonight

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A podcast where two obsessive lovers of 1980s newspaper comics discuss said comics and the 1980s animated specials based on them.

BitterKarella


    • May 26, 2025 LATEST EPISODE
    • weekly NEW EPISODES
    • 1h 17m AVG DURATION
    • 296 EPISODES


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    Latest episodes from A Special Presentation, or Alf Will Not Be Seen Tonight

    A Special Presentation 294: Dear Poochie w/ Mike Westfall

    Play Episode Listen Later May 26, 2025 65:53


    Oy Vey, Toy May! continues as Mike Westfall of Advent Calendar House joins us to talk about Dear Poochie, an anime about a dog who writes an advice column but also goes o globe-trotting adventures with her robot sidekick!

    A Special Presentation 293: Mad Balls

    Play Episode Listen Later May 19, 2025 79:31


    We continue Oy Vey, Toy May! with a look at TWO attempts to adapt Mad Balls, the classic 80s toy that combined the two great tastes that go great together (balls and grossness), to the small screen: A show about a punk rock group of Mad Balls who just wants to rock in defiance of the fascist government of the Mad Ball planet... and a show about Mad Balls telling gross jokes.

    A Special Presentation 292: My Pet Monster

    Play Episode Listen Later May 12, 2025 84:47


    It's Toy May, oy vey! And we're looking at the VHS live-action special made to promote the very heavily promoted late 80s toy My Pet Monster, whose unique selling proposition was that he came with orange breakaway handcuffs.

    A Special Presentation 291: LIVE FROM BABSCON!! -- MLP vs Transformers vs GI Joe

    Play Episode Listen Later May 5, 2025 47:01


    LIVE from BABScon 2025! We attended the final Bay Area Brony Spectacular, where we ran a panel comparing Hasbro's 1986 box office bombs -- My Little Pony the movie, GI Joe the movie, and Transformers the movie. Were they as bad as 1986 critics thought? The answer is maybe.

    A Special Presentation 290: Ghost World

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 28, 2025 100:05


    This is the first time that we've looked at an AWARD WINNING comic adaptation... it's Ghost World, starring a young Scarlet Jo Hansen, a young Thora Birch, and a young Stephen Buschemi. Come for the Ghost World, stay for the UN-PC ranting about rude tourists!

    A Special Presentation 289: Garfield's Feline Fantasies

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 21, 2025 98:23


    We're going back to the 80s to visit the last gasp of the classic Garfield TV specials -- Garfield's Feline Fantasies. What Garfield had an active imagination and imagined that he was James Bond and Indiana Jones at the same time? It would be kind of like this.

    A Special Presentation 288: The Freak Brothers [2 of 2]

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 14, 2025 86:02


    We're continuing out look at adaptations of 1960s Underground comix with a look at this attempt to update Gilbert Shelton's Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers to this modern, cell-phone-having world of 2020. The brothers are no longer furry or fabulous, they're just the Freak Brothers. Wow, I guess you can't even be fabulous or furry anymore because of WOKE. Makes you think.

    A Special Presentation 287: The Freak Brothers [1 of 2]

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 7, 2025 61:24


    We're continuing out look at adaptations of 1960s Underground comix with a look at this attempt to update Gilbert Shelton's Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers to this modern, cell-phone-having world of 2020. The brothers are no longer furry or fabulous, they're just the Freak Brothers. Wow, I guess you can't even be fabulous or furry anymore because of WOKE. Makes you think.

    A Special Presentation 286: The Nine Lives of Fritz the Cat [2 of 2]

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 31, 2025 62:02


    They made a sequel to Fritz the Cat and it doesn't involve either Robert Crumb or Ralph Bakshi, and, boy, you can really tell! They added more farts and racism, but somehow the old magic just isn't there!

    A Special Presentation 285: The Nine Lives of Fritz the Cat [1 of 2]

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 24, 2025 61:43


    They made a sequel to Fritz the Cat and it doesn't involve either Robert Crumb or Ralph Bakshi, and, boy, you can really tell! They added more farts and racism, but somehow the old magic just isn't there!

    A Special Presentation 284: Fritz the Cat [2 of 2]

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 17, 2025 67:55


    Robert Crumb's Fritz the Cat is p much synonymous with underground comix and the 60s counterculture. Ralph Bakshi's interpretation is extremely Ralph Bakshi, and Crumb hated it. But Crumb hates everything cuz he's a CRUMugeon. We look at an adult cartoon that is extremely good at being a Ralph Bakshi joint. It beats Fire and Ice, that's for sure!

    A Special Presentation 283: Fritz the Cat [1 of 2]

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 10, 2025 60:29


    Robert Crumb's Fritz the Cat is p much synonymous with underground comix and the 60s counterculture. Ralph Bakshi's interpretation is extremely Ralph Bakshi, and Crumb hated it. But Crumb hates everything cuz he's a CRUMugeon. We look at an adult cartoon that is extremely good at being a Ralph Bakshi joint. It beats Fire and Ice, that's for sure!

    A Special Presentation 282: The Boondocks [2 of 2]

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 3, 2025 54:57


    We look at The Boondocks,the Adult Swim TV series adaptation of Aaron MacGruder's comic strip of the same name. In today's media environment, it may surprise you that a comic and TV show with such an unapologetic Black viewpoint (and so much George W Bush era satire) was able to get past all the old media gatekeepers. We discuss the comic strip that made all the little old ladies write scandalized letters to the editors to complain about that comic about the "kid with the angry eyes."

    A Special Presentation 281: The Boondocks [1 of 2]

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 24, 2025 62:20


    We look at The Boondocks,the Adult Swim TV series adaptation of Aaron MacGruder's comic strip of the same name. In today's media environment, it may surprise you that a comic and TV show with such an unapologetic Black viewpoint (and so much George W Bush era satire) was able to get past all the old media gatekeepers. We discuss the comic strip that made all the little old ladies write scandalized letters to the editors to complain about that comic about the "kid with the angry eyes."

    A Special Presentation 280: Over the Hedge (2 of 2)

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 17, 2025 82:57


    It's finally here... after 279 episodes, we're finally doing Over the Hedge, probably the biggest comic strip adaptation of all time until Garfield the Movie. It's based on the comic strip of the same name, but, since the original strip is the biggest nothingburger on the comics page, they had to give it a major glow-up... into a star-studded extravaganza!

    A Special Presentation 279: Over the Hedge (1 of 2)

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 10, 2025 60:35


    It's finally here... after 279 episodes, we're finally doing Over the Hedge, probably the biggest comic strip adaptation of all time until Garfield the Movie. It's based on the comic strip of the same name, but, since the original strip is the biggest nothingburger on the comics page, they had to give it a major glow-up... into a star-studded extravaganza!

    A Special Presentation 278: The Brave Little Toaster [2 of 2]

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 3, 2025 77:03


    For Ethan's birthday, we're looking at the NOT QUITE DISNEY classic, The Brave Little Toaster, based on the Thomas Disch story of the same name. It's about five brave appliances who go out in search of the boy who loves them. It's a weird one, but it's fun!

    A Special Presentation 277: The Brave Little Toaster [1 of 2]

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 27, 2025 60:55


    For Ethan's birthday, we're looking at the NOT QUITE DISNEY classic, The Brave Little Toaster, based on the Thomas Disch story of the same name. It's about five brave appliances who go out in search of the boy who loves them. It's a weird one, but it's fun!

    A Special Presentation 276: Dog City [2 of 2]

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 20, 2025 90:43


    Okay NOW we're talking about Dog City, Jim Henson's favorite thing to direct. It's about a city that's all dogs. Ladies and gentlemen, it's gone to the dogs! They're all dog puppets and also they do car chases!

    A Special Presentation 275: Dog City [1 of 2]

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 13, 2025 64:27


    In theory, we meant to talk about Dog City (part of the Jim Henson Hour) but instead we ended up talking about the muppets in general, the Jim Henson hour, the origin of homo sapiens and the inevitable death of our species because of billionaires, and also how lazy Bill Watterson is.

    A Special Presentation 274: The Adventures of Tintin

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 6, 2025 72:54


    Tintin is the biggest thing since Asterix, but, if you live in America, you might not have heard of him. He's a boy reporter who has adventures. Kids love Tintin (except for his controversial 1939 adventure "Nazi Supermen Are Our Superiors.") Anyway, you might not know Tintin, but Hollywood still thought you'd like a Tintin movie. Here it is!

    A Special Presentation 273: Snoopy Presents for Auld Lang Syne

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 30, 2024 69:15


    The Peanuts are back and it's another New Year's special! Apple TV has updated the Peanuts gang to tell a story of Lucy having an existential crisis. That's right. Lucy. Not Charlie Brown. It's Lucy.

    Ugly Sweater Party 3: The Dark Knit Rises

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 22, 2024 126:33


    Ho ho ho, garbage for all the good little children! We've got the whole gang of pals back for another quadumvirate of questionable Quistmas specials. Mike and Ethan have holiday regulars Morbiose, Rocketshark, DMXI, Fattyatomicmutant and Glumdrop, whom we're sure you're all well familiar with by now, for such wintry delights as Nilus The Sandman: The Boy Who Dreamed Christmas, The Christmas That Almost Wasn't (with Chuck E. Cheese!), Robotech: Season's Greetings, and Transformers Animated: Human Error parts 1 and 2. We know you'll want much more than the children before!

    A Special Presentation 271: Winnie the Pooh (2011)

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 16, 2024 101:13


    So, technically, there was a Winnie the Pooh comic strip, so it is totally within our wheelhouse to do an episode about Winnie the Pooh (2011)! Is it more or less in line with AA Milne's vision of the chubby little bear all stuffed with fluff? Check it out!

    A Special Presentation 270: The 1989 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade featuring Alf [3 of 3]

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 9, 2024 85:56


    It's Thanksgiving, so we're breaking our own rule... or are we? The 1989 Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade is, of course, a cavalcade of disgusting American excess, whether you're here for the Garfield balloons, the marching band composed entirely of Ronald McDonalds, the prancing majorettes, or that weird float where skeletor is riding a dragon. Most importantly, though, ALF is here! Let's join Alf for a walk down memory lane if we can think to talk about anything beyond the commercials. Stay tuned afterwards for a really long rant about Winnie the Pooh.

    A Special Presentation 269: The 1989 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade featuring Alf [2 of 3]

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 2, 2024 63:16


    It's Thanksgiving, so we're breaking our own rule... or are we? The 1989 Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade is, of course, a cavalcade of disgusting American excess, whether you're here for the Garfield balloons, the marching band composed entirely of Ronald McDonalds, the prancing majorettes, or that weird float where skeletor is riding a dragon. Most importantly, though, ALF is here! Let's join Alf for a walk down memory lane if we can think to talk about anything beyond the commercials. Stay tuned afterwards for a really long rant about Winnie the Pooh.

    A Special Presentation 268: The 1989 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade featuring Alf [1 of 3]

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 25, 2024 63:45


    It's Thanksgiving, so we're breaking our own rule... or are we? The 1989 Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade is, of course, a cavalcade of disgusting American excess, whether you're here for the Garfield balloons, the marching band composed entirely of Ronald McDonalds, the prancing majorettes, or that weird float where skeletor is riding a dragon. Most importantly, though, ALF is here! Let's join Alf for a walk down memory lane if we can think to talk about anything beyond the commercials. Stay tuned afterwards for a really long rant about Winnie the Pooh.

    A Special Presentation 267: Bonvoyage Charlie Brown and Don't Come Back [2 of 2]

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 18, 2024 66:34


    What if Charlie Brown went to France? That's what this, the final early stage Peanuts theatrical feature film asks. Snoopy gets into typical Snoopy hijinks, but this special explores the limits of what you can do with the Peanuts formula with some nice atmospheric mystery creepiness. Snoopy loves a mystery!

    A Special Presentation 266: Bonvoyage Charlie Brown and Don't Come Back [1 of 2]

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 11, 2024 60:27


    What if Charlie Brown went to France? That's what this, the final early stage Peanuts theatrical feature film asks. Snoopy gets into typical Snoopy hijinks, but this special explores the limits of what you can do with the Peanuts formula with some nice atmospheric mystery creepiness. Snoopy loves a mystery!

    A Special Presentation 265: Halloween 5-EVER

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 4, 2024 112:19


    If it's Halloween it must be Saw, er I mean Special Presentation! Six of our regular crew, including DMXI, Rocketshark, Fattyatomicmutant and Glumdrop have joined us for the spookiest... well, not really. The most Halloween-themed... OK honestly some of these are more HARVEST themed than Halloween. But join us if you will for The Pac-Man Halloween Special, Marc Summers' Magical Mystery Special, and Spookley The Square Pumpkin!

    A Special Presentation 264: The Spirit [2 of 2]

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 28, 2024 75:50


    Frank Miller was a big deal, briefly, right after Sin City and 300, so they thought, heeeey, why not let him write and direct the big screen debut of Will Eisner's superhero comic strip The Spirit? Frank Miller brings his signature style and incomprehensible fashy sensibilities to this big of hot garbage. Never have you watched Samuel L Jackson and Scarlet Johansen embarrass themselves so!

    A Special Presentation 263: The Spirit [1 of 2]

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 21, 2024 61:00


    Frank Miller was a big deal, briefly, right after Sin City and 300, so they thought, heeeey, why not let him write and direct the big screen debut of Will Eisner's superhero comic strip The Spirit? Frank Miller brings his signature style and incomprehensible fashy sensibilities to this big of hot garbage. Never have you watched Samuel L Jackson and Scarlet Johansen embarrass themselves so!

    A Special Presentation 262: Transformers One

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 14, 2024 65:21


    Technically, we're cheating on this episode, but it's OUR show, so we can cheat if we want to: We both happened to see that new Transformers movie, Transformers One, so we thought we would talk about it. Ethan, a life-long Transformers fan and aficionado, and Mike, perpetual newbie, have big opinions on this film. In short: It's pretty darn good! If you like robots and sci fi, give it a shot!

    A Special Presentation 261: The New Scooby Doo Movies meets the Addams Family

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 7, 2024 78:34


    So technically, this counts cuz the Addams Family was a comic! For legal reasons, they had to bury this episode of The New Scooby Doo Movies where Scooby Doo meets the Addams Family! Mike and Ethan have very different opinions on Scooby Doo, but first enjoy a prolonged conversation about MEAT.

    A Special Presentation 260: You're a Good Sport, Charlie Brown & You're the Greatest, Charlie Brown

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 30, 2024 56:45


    We're back to our roots, watching Peanuts specials! God, there's so many of these. There's like a million of them. This week, we're looking at "You're the Greatest, Charlie Brown" and "You're a Good Sport, Charlie Brown" - two Peanuts specials about Charlie Brown being forced to participate in team sports that he hates! He actually wins, though. WHAAA!??

    A Special Presentation 259: Popeye w/ Morbiose!

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 23, 2024 85:59


    One of our favorite recurring guests Morbiose returns to talk about Popeye... and not just ANY Popeye, but the live action motion picture starring Robin Williams and Shelley Duvall. Morbiose has good feelings for MOST of this film, except for ONE thing, and Mike is really mad about Harry Nilson's funeral dirge music.

    A Special Presentation 258: 5 Years! [2 of 2]

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 16, 2024 69:33


    Can you believe we've been doing this podcast for 5 years? We sure can't! Join us for a trip down memory lane where we ostensibly talk about our most popular episodes, but as usual, we get sidetracked to talk about random stuff like Piers Anthony and also babies. Mike has a new niece so he's talking about babies a lot lately!

    A Special Presentation 257: 5 Years! [1 of 2]

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 9, 2024 61:55


    Can you believe we've been doing this podcast for 5 years? We sure can't! Join us for a trip down memory lane where we ostensibly talk about our most popular episodes, but as usual, we get sidetracked to talk about random stuff like Piers Anthony and also babies. Mike has a new niece so he's talking about babies a lot lately!

    A Special Presentation 256: Hey Hey Hey It's Fat Albert

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 2, 2024 73:02


    This was never a comic strip, BUT it WAS a TV special... so this week we're looking at the long lost but recently rediscovered 1969 special HEY HEY IT IS FAT ALBERT, the special that inspired the later TV series. We talk about how it is Fat Albert time and also the complicated legacy of his creator.

    A Special Presentation 255: Archie - To Riverdale and Back [2 of 2]

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 26, 2024 64:35


    Archie's big appeal is that he makes being a teenager look SO COOL. So what if Archie was middle-aged? What then, smart guy? This TV special about Archie's high school reunion posits just such a scenario -- and the crazy thing? It's not too bad. But you wouldn't think it considering that we mostly talked about Christian media rip-offs and fucking the muppets.

    A Special Presentation 254: Archie - To Riverdale and Back [1 of 2]

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 19, 2024 62:14


    Archie's big appeal is that he makes being a teenager look SO COOL. So what if Archie was middle-aged? What then, smart guy? This TV special about Archie's high school reunion posits just such a scenario -- and the crazy thing? It's not too bad. But you wouldn't think it considering that we mostly talked about Christian media rip-offs and fucking the muppets.

    A Special Presentation 253: Alf Loves a Mystery

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 12, 2024 92:56


    This week, Alf WILL be seen tonight! Did you know that Alf loves a mystery? It's true! In a bizarre and forgotten ritual known as the PRIME TIME SPECIAL STARRING ALL YOUR FAVORITE SIT COM CHARACTERS TELLING YOU ABOUT UPCOMING SATURDAY MORNING CARTOONS SERIES, Alf pens a caper about stolen jewels and junior gumshoes. And Foofur's in it too!!!

    A Special Presentation 252: Hollywood Dog [2 of 2]

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 5, 2024 60:38


    Hollywood Dog was a pilot for a proposed live action/animated sitcom about a dog that lived in Hollywood, based on the comic from the LA Weekly by R.P. Overmyer. For a long time, this was considered lost media - but now it's been found! It's exactly what you would expect from a show called Hollywood Dog, but join us for a discussion of early 90s commercials and our very good ideas for a political movement based on free chips.

    A Special Presentation 251: Hollywood Dog [1 of 2]

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 29, 2024 60:09


    Hollywood Dog was a pilot for a proposed live action/animated sitcom about a dog that lived in Hollywood, based on the comic from the LA Weekly by R.P. Overmyer. For a long time, this was considered lost media - but now it's been found! It's exactly what you would expect from a show called Hollywood Dog, but join us for a discussion of early 90s commercials and our very good ideas for a political movement based on free chips.

    A Special Presentation 250: Asterix at the Olympic Games w/ Jerna

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 22, 2024 95:30


    It's Asterix! You all know and love Asterix, that indomitable Gaul who conquered both Rome and the hearts of a continent in his wacky adventures. This week, we look at Asterix's move into the live action arena with Asterix at the Olympic Games, joined by our good friend resident Flemish-Belgian comic knower Jerna! Find more of Jerna's work at: https://bsky.app/profile/jernacious.bsky.social https://jernacious.itch.io/ https://jarnevanvooren.com/

    A Special Presentation 249: The 5000 Fingers of Dr. T [2 of 2]

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 15, 2024 69:06


    Dr.Seuss was a newspaper political cartoonist and that TOTALLY makes any Seuss vehicle fair game for our show, so says us! This week we look at the 1953 flopstravaganza The 5000 Fingers of Dr. T, with digressions about Star Wars and the horror of childhood piano lessons.

    A Special Presentation 248: The 5000 Fingers of Dr. T [1 of 2]

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 8, 2024 117:56


    Dr.Seuss was a newspaper political cartoonist and that TOTALLY makes any Seuss vehicle fair game for our show, so says us! This week we look at the 1953 flopstravaganza The 5000 Fingers of Dr. T, with digressions about Star Wars and the horror of childhood piano lessons.

    A Special Presentation 247: The Garfield Movie [2 of 2]

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 1, 2024 84:29


    Join us as we go where we've never gone before: The movie theater! We took a look at the Garfield Movie, currently in theaters, the fat cat's first foray into cinema since the live action Garfield series! Were we surprised? We were surprised! And you will be too as we talk about the lasagna that makes you gay, the TV that glowed, and also the correct spelling of the word "eggcorn."

    A Special Presentation 246: The Garfield Movie [1 of 2]

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 24, 2024 62:06


    Join us as we go where we've never gone before: The movie theater! We took a look at the Garfield Movie, currently in theaters, the fat cat's first foray into cinema since the live action Garfield series! Were we surprised? We were surprised! And you will be too as we talk about the lasagna that makes you gay, the TV that glowed, and also the correct spelling of the word "eggcorn."

    A Special Presentation 245: Garfield Goes Hollywood

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 17, 2024 94:07


    In honor of the new Garfield movie in which Garfield goes Hollywood, we looked at the classic Garfield TV special... Garfield Goes Hollywood! In theory, we instead mostly talked about the lasagna that makes you gay. Oh, we're gay now btw. Probably because we ate the lasagna that makes you gay!

    A Special Presentation 244: Lucky Luke

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 10, 2024 87:19


    It's Lucky Luke, the Franco-Belgian comic about the American west, adapted into a cartoon series by Hanna Barbera. We were so excited to talk about it that instead we ended up talking about Willy Wonka, fentynal the cop killer, and Donut the gay Christian dog. Any excuse NOT to talk about Lucky Luke!

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