Time Capsule: CompleatBellairs at 25

Bellairs fandom hit the Internet 25 years ago today when the Compleat Bellairs debuted. The site was the first major online presence to celebrate John Bellairs and Brad Strickland. For eight years this unique and artistic site reigned supreme with character biographies; book synopses detailing the good, the bad, and the ugly; quotes, reviews, inspired art, and other features for fans.

It doesn't take a tabergan to see time fly.

• More: Interview: Jonathan Abucejo (March 2001)

Something About Instant Bellairs Manga!

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Time Capsule: January 20, 1996

Let’s say you’re an tech-savvy, undergraduate education major and you want to contribute something new and unique to the World Wide Web thing all the kids are talking about. How does one go about that? 

First, boot-up the dial-up modem. Next, use Netscape Navigator or American Online ("Welcome!") to search the 100,000-or-so existing pages to figure out whether someone else has anything on that topic. If you find something interesting, make sure your mouse trackball is clean so you can roll the pointer into place and click the image that appears on your 640x480 resolution monitor.

It seems an archaic ritual but that’s how it was 20 years ago when the CompleatBellairs first went online and helped bring the books of John Bellairs and Brad Strickland into the digital age.

Bellairs Cam: Your Eyes On Thy Picture

Is there something strange in your neighborhood, a mysterious house or odd sculpture that either resembles or reminds you of something from John or Brad’s books? Then get your camera ready!

Compleat Bellairs offline

The Compleat Bellairs website is (temporarily?) offline. Comments from founder Jonathan Abucejo on October 21 noted that the server administrator had recently cut costs and "one of those costs was hosting my sites for free. I've sent an e-mail to the original server hosts and have been waiting for a response from them, in terms of pricing and such. Haven't received word yet."

A week later, on October 26, Abucejo again posted to the compleatbellairs discussion group that he had yet to receive a reply from the other server host. "It may be time to look at other avenues; however, that hosting service has all the most recent Interactive Board submissions. It's vital that I get that from them even if they don't choose to host the Compleat Bellairs anymore!"

Testimony: Lewis Barnavelt: Friend for Life

by Jay Cook (2003)
(Originally published at the compleatbellairs.com)

When I was in elementary school in rural Indiana, I spent a rainy Saturday afternoon watching cartoons and drawing while eating my way through a plate of cookies. Soon Vincent Price's mug appeared and began narrating a series of short films based on scary children's books. I continued to draw and munch on cookies, and occasionally looked up at the rather poor acting and special effects being shown on the television.

Interview: Jonathan Abucejo

The Defender of the Faith speaks! The webmaster of the Compleat Bellairs, Jonathan Abucejo, sits down to discuss his vast creation, its history, and his Bellairsian interests.