1960’s | Magazines and Monsters!

Marvel’s Greatest Comics #58, 1975 (originally Fantastic Four #76, 1968)

Posted on November 19, 2014 by billyd75

Continuing from a post from earlier this year, I wanted to push forward with part two of this awesome story. Of course, the first Galactus story is best, but this one is no pushover. You get the world devourer, Galactus, the Silver Surfer, and by issues end, a glimpse of the Psycho Man, as well! Throw in some crazy inner-space travel, and you get an adventure for the ages! If I’m not mistaken, this is the first time we see the “microverse” in the Marvel Universe. It’s a place where you must shrink down to microscopic size to enter, but once there, you can revert back to normal size. Only the mind of someone like Jack Kirby could think something up like this, and then illustrate it so well, it blows your mind.

As usual, you get the brilliant artwork from Jack ‘King’ Kirby, also the crazy captions of Stan Lee, and the awesome inks of Joe Sinnott, and don’t forget the letters by Artie Simek! Yes, the gang’s all here for the second installment of another cosmic foray for Marvel’s first family, the Fantastic Four! Not lost in this story, is the sky-rider of the space-ways himself, the Silver Surfer, and a deranged being called the “Murder Machine,” as well!

Cinema Sunday: The Pirates of Blood River (1962)

Posted on November 16, 2014 by billyd75

Title: The Pirates of Blood River

Distributor: Columbia Pictures/Hammer Studios

Writer: Jimmy Sangster

Director: John Gilling

Producer: Michael Carreras

Starring: Christopher Lee, Kerwin Mathews, Glenn Corbett, Oliver Reed, Michael Ripper, Andrew Keir, Marla Landi

Released: August 1962

MPAA: PG

Everyone knows about the horror films that Hammer Studios produced over the decades, but if you look even deeper into their catalog, you’ll find some other gems, such as this one. The range of the Hammer Studio was quite wide, but of course, they’re known for their Gothic horror films. But personally, I think they’re action/adventure films are a very close second.

This film in particular, gives you a (very small) bit of horror, but mostly just some great action with pirates fighting against a Huguenot colony. Action, intrigue, love, and war. Don’t take your eyes off of the screen for a minute, because you will miss something. An all-star cast, featuring some Hammer stalwarts, but also actors like Kerwin Mathews (7th Voyage of Sinbad)! Let’s get down to the plot!

The film begins with a pirate ship sailing towards an island. On this island, there is a settlement of Huguenots. They live their lives, governed by the laws of the Bible, and are quite strict. Next, we see a young man, Jonathan Standing (Kerwin Mathews), and his lover, Maggie Mason (Marie Devereux), as they playfully run through the forest, to find a spot for some “courting.” They do, but before they can get busy, a whip strikes the back of Jonathan, and they both realize they’re in trouble. You see, Maggie is married to one of the town elders, and as stated earlier, they follow the teachings of God very strictly. Maggie runs away, but gets cornered near the river. She dives in, but as everyone else closes in on her, they back off, because the river is full of man-eating piranha. Maggie is toast.

Back in the settlement, Jonathan is tried and convicted in record time. He’s convicted by his own father, Jason (Andrew Keir), and the rest of the council to spend fifteen years at the penal colony on the other side of the island. The chances of getting out of there alive are slim, because of the brutality of the guards, so when Jonathan gets his chance, he and another man work in tandem, and make a break for it. He ends up evading the guards long enough to be discovered by a pirate, Mack (Michael Ripper), that tells him his captain can help him get back to his settlement.

As Jonathan is introduced to Captain LaRoche (Christopher Lee), he gets the feeling he’s hiding something, but also knows he needs his help in evading the guards, and getting back to his settlement, so he agrees to lead him to the other side of the island. The journey itself introduces other characters that are under LaRoche’s command. We meet Hench (Peter Arne), a man who clearly has his own intentions. We also see another, Brocaire (Oliver Reed), who despises Hench.

Once the trip is nearing its end, a couple of Jonathan’s friends, and his sister, have moved outside of the settlement, in protest of Jonathan’s sentence. It is here, when LaRoche makes his true intentions clear, and states that the pirates will plunder the village of any and all supplies. He does state that as long as Jonathan helps him, no one will have to die. A small boy sees the pirates and that they have taken hostages, so he runs off to the settlement to warn them. As the pirates approach, a huge fight scene occurs, and it looks as if it will be a stalemate. Some of the pirates manage to get inside the settlement walls, and grab the women, and use them to make the men surrender.

LaRoche then gathers everyone inside the great hall, and makes a proclamation. He states that if they don’t lead him to a treasure that supposedly resides here, that he will begin to execute a hostage regularly until his demands are met. Meanwhile, Jonathan, his sister, Bess (Maria Landi), and her husband, Henry (Glenn Corbett), concoct a plan to stop LaRoche. Inside the hall, Hench and Brocaire have had enough of each other, so they settle their difference by having a blindfolded sword duel. Hench ends up winning, and of course, in true pirate fashion, the other man dies. As people begin to be executed, Jonathan begs his father to tell LaRoche where the hidden treasure is, but he refuses. He seems to have a convoluted idea that he cannot give up some gold for the lives of his fellow-man.

I wont spoil the end, but rest assured, you will see another huge battle scene where many lives will be lost, the gold will be found, a mutiny will happen, and the piranha will get to feast once more!

OK, here are my thoughts:

Hammer does an outstanding job with this movie in a way that some of their others films just can’t measure. You get an epic pirate movie, with so many characters, you can barely keep up. It does straddle that line slightly, but most movie aficionados will be fine. When you sit back at think that Christopher Lee, Oliver Reed, Michael Ripper, Andrew Keir, and Kerwin Mathews are all in this film, it makes your head spin! All of those actors can really bring it in their perspective roles, and believe me when I say, that they truly do in this film.

The music score (Gary Hughes) offers some timely interludes, and the sets (Bernard Robinson) were magnificent. Not to be outdone, is Hammer makeup man, Roy Ashton. These actors and actresses looked like pirates and Huguenots. His work in this film should be applauded. The two “horror” scenes in the film seem slightly out of place, but don’t hinder the overall experience of the film. Heck, I would’ve loved more piranha action personally. And as always, you get some very lovely ladies (especially Marie Devereux! – image above) that give the film that Hammer feel! Check out the movie either at the usual spots (Amazon, etc.) or search for it online. You won’t be disappointed with this one!

Click here for the trailer!

Sgt. Fury and His Howling Commandos #121, 1974

Posted on November 13, 2014 by billyd75

As we can still see Veterans Day (Remembrance Day also) in our rear-view mirror, I thought it would be cool to throw out a military comic, in honor of all those who have served. What better way to celebrate, than to spotlight Nick Fury and his band of brothers! If you like military comics, this is the one for you. Fury, by himself is a great character, but when you throw in the other commandos, you get a wild bunch that is very entertaining. Whether it’s Dum Dum Dugan, Pinky Pinkerton, or Gabe Jones, you get a fantastic mix of personalities in this book for sure!

In this reprint of Sgt. Fury #19 (1965), we get a solid story from Stan Lee, wonderful pencils by Dick Ayers (RIP), inks by Frank Ray (Giacoia), and letters by Sam Rosen! The original cover was by Jack ‘King’ Kirby, but this one looks to have been touched up by someone else. Dugan looks like Frank Robbins work to me personally, but take that with a grain of salt, because I’m not very good at recognizing art styles. Well, anyways, take a look at some of the finest war comics the back issue bins has to offer!

Dr. Strange #183, 1969 “Beware The Undying Ones”

Posted on November 3, 2014 by billyd75

Well, Halloween is over, so the monster theme will die down, for now, but don’t worry, I wont stray too long from going back to the horror well once again soon! What I will do is gravitate back to my all-time favorite artist, Gene ‘The Dean’ Colan! Before his legendary run on Tomb of Dracula, Gene had a short run on the Dr. Strange title, written by Roy Thomas. The two seemed tailor-made for each others style, and we saw some absolute magic (pun intended)! In issue #183, we see a story called “They Walk by Night,” and the Doc is in his mask phase, which never bothered me per se, but I certainly prefer him “unmasked.” Colan’s style was perfect for this character, and he did do some more work with the Doc in his second volume that started in 1974. Some great covers in that series came from Gene as well.

The story is from the mind of Roy Thomas, and he’s one of my (if not tops)all time favorite writers. He seemed to excel more at team books, but make no mistake, he can write anything. This story, along with a myriad of others is proof. Let us travel to the realm of darkness, and seek out these demonic beings, so that the Sorcerer Supreme may do battle with them! Story by Roy Thomas, art by Gene Colan, inks by Tom Palmer (cover inks by Bill Everett, Colan pencils), and Jean Izzo on letters! I know (and understand) why people love to talk about Steve Ditko’s work on Dr. Strange, but I think Colan did a better job at showing the worlds of the mystic arts that the Doc traversed!

Cinema Sunday: The Curse of the Mummy’s Tomb (1964)

Posted on November 2, 2014 by billyd75

Title: The Curse of the Mummy’s Tomb

Distributor: Hammer Studios/Columbia Pictures

Writer: Michael Carreras

Director: Michael Carreras

Producer: Michael Carreras

Starring: Terence Morgan, Ronald Howard, Fred Clark, Jeanne Roland, Michael Ripper

Released: October 1964

MPAA: UR

After reviewing the first installment of the “Mummy” series from Hammer Studios, I thought it would be prudent to check out the next in the series as well! This film is pretty good, but not quite up to the standards of the first. It does however feature someone getting their arm ripped off, and a curb-stomp, so it will always have a place in my heart.

You don’t get the typical cast of Hammer regulars, but, you do get Michael Ripper! This dude is amazing, and even though he plays a small roll in this film, just seeing him on-screen is reassuring. You’ll notice in the credits, that Michael Carreras is running the show from top to bottom, so if you don’t like the film, blame him, I guess. A beautiful woman, artifacts from Egypt, and a really ticked off Mummy! Without further delay, here’s the plot!

The film opens in the year 1900, and we see that some bandits have a man captured (Professor Eugene Dubois, played by Bernard Rebel), and they first stab him in the gut, then cut off his left hand! A few miles away, at a base camp for some Egyptology/explorer types, John Bray (Ronald Howard), is trying to ease the worries of Annette Dubois (Jeanne Roland), the daughter of the man we just saw executed. Her father is overdue, and they soon find out why. The two share a moment of horny-ness, but then Sir Giles Dalrymple (Jack Gwillim) bursts in and informs them that her father is dead. A couple of the slave workers get out of line, and Bray pimp slaps one of them for his actions. After he does, one of them (George Pastell), informs him that for desecrating the tombs of the dead, they’ll pay with their lives!

No one seems to heed the ominous warning, and the relics are then packed up for transportation back to the U.K., for exhibition. Before that can happen though, the man, Alexander King (Fred Clark) responsible for all the financial backing arrives, and informs them that he’s taking the relics on a whirlwind tour, showing it off to the world. Sir Giles vehemently disagrees with this, and quits the job because he believes it is sacrilege. King then tells Bray and Annette and both of them are shocked to hear this news, but agree to join King on his “tour.” They have dinner with King, but it’s interrupted by a servant that tells them that Sir Giles requests their presence immediately. They arrive at the storage area, and find that the area has been ransacked, but nothing stolen other than the list of contents. They do find one of the servants dead (Michael Ripper – image above), and everyone looks at the mummy case nearby.

As the scene switches to another day, all are aboard a ship, setting sail for Europe. Sir Giles is still upset about the way things ended, but Annette and Bray seem to be OK with everything as they make out near a bannister. As Sir Giles heads into his cabin, he cries out, and Bray runs in to see what’s going on. Sir Giles was attacked, and the man responsible is till there, and he knocks him out as well. As the criminal tries to escape, he runs right into another man, Adam Beauchamp (Terence Morgan). Beauchamp beats the crap out of him, then tosses him overboard. He then quickly begins to slyly get on the good side of Annette (who was knocked over in the fracas). Bray is suspicious of him, but doesn’t object to his forwardness because Annette seems to like him. He convinces them to stay at his house when they get to England, and we can slowly see his intentions are not genuine.

As the show is getting ready to open, Annette and the rest of the crew check out some of the relics. One shows a picture of ancient times, and Annette translates it for everyone. We then get a flashback (just like the one in the first film), and it shows a terrible betrayal centuries ago, and how the Egyptian priest named Ra, was killed by his brother’s minions. Beauchamp gets snappy with Annette about a relic that wasn’t found, but then the mummy is unveiled, and everyone gets a chill down their spine. Back at Beauchamp’s house, he continues to wine and dine Annette. She seems to be more and more receptive to it as time passes, and Beauchamp looks more and more like a snake. Bray walks in and gets the feeling the other two wished he wouldn’t have. He gets the drift, and after Beauchamp shows him an old relic, he agrees to have Sir Giles look at it for further examination and clarification (basically, Beauchamp wanted to keep Bray away from Annette).

Over at Sir Giles house, Bray insults Giles (who’s visibly drunk), and Giles then goes to bed for the evening. Bray stays up and uses Giles extensive library and materials to check out the relic. Someone creeps into the room silently, and steals the relic (after hitting him on the head). The next evening, King is ready to unveil his show t some guests and the press. Beauchamp is there with Annette, and even Sir Giles, but Bray is not there, because he’s recovering from the attack. As King narrates the story of their expedition, he finally gets to the end, and the coffin is opened. There’s only one problem…the mummy is missing. King is livid, and of course, thinks that someone has stolen it. He calls the police, but they offer little in finding the mummy.

As King is walking home, he gives a hooker a couple of bucks, then he sees another trick, or so he thinks. Amongst the fog, he sees a shape, and that is the shape of the mummy. He believes it to be a joke, but before he can even react, the mummy grabs him by the throat, picks him up off of the ground, chokes him, then tosses him down three flights of stairs, killing him. Over at Sir Giles home, one of the servants is begging him to eat some supper, but he refuses. As she leaves, Giles hears a rustling at the doors leading to the back yard. As he looks, the doors are smashed open by the mummy, who enters, with death in his eyes. Giles shoots the creature, but it has no effect. The mummy throttles him, and then bashes his head in with a marble statue.

Across town, Beauchamp has finally convinced Annette that he’s the man for her, so she writes a “Dear John” letter for Bray, and then she heads to her room. She hears a noise, and comes to the hallway. She sees the mummy choking Beauchamp, and screams. Her scream startles the mummy, and he turns to check her out. She faints, and then Beauchamp recites some Egyptian phrase, and the mummy comes to him, as if commanded. He still slaps him down, and then leaves. Bray and the police show up, because apparently he’s figured out that the mummy is the one doing the killing. They set a trap for him, and wait. When he arrives at Bray’s abode, and tries to kill him, the police throw a net on him, and almost capture him. The Egyptian guy that has hung around begs them to stop, and bows down before the mummy. He speaks to him, but the mummy isn’t impressed. It breaks free, and curb stomps the guy for his troubles.

I’m going to stop there, because I don’t want to give away anymore of the film. Let me just say that the ending is pretty cool (a bit of a twist), and involves someone losing a limb, and a bloody scene underground, where a mummy feels right at home!

OK, here are my thoughts:

Listen this flick doesn’t have a really strong lead like Cushing, but the sum of all the parts still make an interesting film that can carry your attention. Beauchamp is very sleazy, and you really can’t wait to see him get what’s coming to him. Howard, Clark, and Gwillim all do a solid job, but nothing Earth shattering. Jeanne Roland is pretty underwhelming, but easy on the eyes.

The sets are very good, and the mummy make-up looks pretty awesome. The film is certainly inferior to the 1959 flick, but this one definitely deserves a watch. I also thought that the music score was great as well. It did a nice job of sending an ominous message when needed, and thundering in when the moment was at the ‘crescendo’ (see what I did there). George Pastell was another nice touch, as he is a Hammer staple for films like this one. He always delivers a solid performance in these type of roles. Seek out a cheap copy in a bog box store or online, and settle in for a night at the mummy…I mean movies!

Click here for the trailer!

Cinema Sunday: The Terror (1963)

Posted on October 5, 2014 by billyd75

Title: The Terror

Distributor: AIP

Writer: Leo Gordon and Jack Hill

Director: Roger Corman

Producer: Roger Corman

Starring: Boris Karloff, Jack Nicholson, Sandra Knight, Dick Miller

Released: June 17th, 1963

MPAA: PG

With the scary day approaching later this month, I thought it best to showcase a movie starring one of the industries all-time greats. Boris Karloff is certainly recognized for his roles as the Frankenstein Monster, and the Mummy. But honestly, that’s just the tip of the iceberg for Mr. Karloff (William Henry Pratt). Karloff starred in many other horror films, and certainly the films with director Roger Corman must be mentioned!

Speaking of Corman films, today’s post is about the 1963 film “The Terror,” and it comes as no surprise that not only did Corman get a legend like Karloff for this film, but also a young man named Jack Nicholson! Another horror film staple, Dick Miller is in this one, and he collaborated with Corman before as well. Alright, let’s get down to this one!

As the film opens, we see an old castle, being besieged by a thunder-storm. Inside, an old man, Baron von Leppe (Boris Karloff), is trudging through the halls. He suddenly sees blood drops leaving a trail. He follows the trail, and winds up finding a cadaver hiding behind a curtain. Cue the opening credits, then we watch as a soldier on a horse, Andre Duvalier (Jack Nicholson) is very weary, and falls off of the horse, to the ground. He struggles to get o his feet, but then sees a beautiful woman nearby. A man is watching him from the top of the hill, but we cannot see who it is yet. As Andre nears the woman, she runs off, but then points him in the direction of some water. He tells her that he was lost from the regiment he was in, and that he doesn’t know where he’s located. The woman listens to his story, and tells him that her name is Helene (Sandra Knight). The two walk through the woods, and then the girl suddenly walks into the ocean and disappears. Andre goes after her, but almost drowns after being attacked by a hawk.

Andre then wakes up in the home of some old hag (Dorothy Neumann). He asks the hag where Helene is, but the hag doesn’t know what he’s talking about. Andre wakes in the night, and heads outside. He notices someone down by the river, and once again, sees Helene. She strokes his face, then hugs him. The next thing you know she’s making out with him, but then abruptly walks away. He chases after her (who wouldn’t?), but gets stopped by the old hag’s servant, Gustaf. He tells Andre that there is danger near, and shows him that there is quicksand all around. Gustaf tells Andre that the woman is possessed, and that he can go to the nearby castle to help her.

The old woman begs him not to seek out the castle, and if he must, to at least not tell the Baron she is living nearby. He rides his horse for a while, but eventually reaches the castle. He spies the young woman, but she rebuffs his attempts. he then pounds on the door, demanding to be let inside. The Baron answers, and is hesitant to let him in, but does agree to his demand. The two engage in some small talk, and then the Baron calls his man-servant, Stefan (Dick Miller), and tells him to get them some Cognac. Andre asks where the girl is, and the Baron tells him that no girl lives at the castle. He shows him a portrait of the woman, and tells him that she was his wife, and, that she’s been dead for twenty years.

Later that night, something is trying to break into the barn, and the horses are going wild. Andre is looks out to see what’s going on, and once again sees the young woman. He yells to her, but she ignores him, and walks away. He then hears some kind of wailing outside of his room, and grabs a gun for protection. The door is locked, and he demands that it be opened or he’ll shoot through it at whoever is outside. It unlocks, but when he opens the door, no one is there in the hallway. He quickly searches the castle, thinking someone must be near, but finds no one. He then heads to another area of the castle, and sees the memorial for the Baron’s dead wife. As he heads back towards his room, he hears a noise that startles him. He opens the door, and jumps back, because he thinks he sees the young woman. Inside his room, he finds a picture of the woman, and wonders what is going on in this castle.

The next morning, the Baron tells Stefan that they must get Andre to leave, but without any shenanigans. Andre confronts Stefan, but when he gets no answers, he then goes to the Baron. After some verbal jousting, the Baron consents and tells Andre that his wife was a peasant girl from the village below. He left one day for a war, and then later returned home, unannounced. He found his wife with another man, so he killed her. He then tells him that Stefan killed her lover. He also admits that there is a spirit torturing him, and he thinks it’s the spirit of his dead wife. Andre is skeptical, but then the Baron asks if Andre thinks he’s mad. Andre replies that he doesn’t know what to think yet. The Baron tells him that since he has seen the woman also, maybe they’re both mad. And he says it with a smile.

The following day, we see Gustaf, and he’s watching Ilsa standing by the sea. Gustaf tells the woman to go back to the sea, but she refuses, and tells Gustaf that the old woman commands her, and she’ll not relent until she tells her to. Ilsa also give Gustaf a warning to not interfere, or else the old woman won’t keep looking the other way. Speaking of the old woman, she’s back at her house, preparing a potion, and using black magic on Ilsa. A man watches from the window, take sit all in. The man is Stefan, ans he comes inside, and threatens to kill her if she doesn’t leave by tomorrow night. Stefan returns to the castle, and tells the Baron that they should kill Andre. The Baron forbids it, and Stefan gets angry.

Andre then begins to explore more of the castle, searching for Ilsa/Helene. He finds a room (possibly Stefan’s?), and begins to look for clues. He finds a pistol, and checks it out, but then turns his attention to the rest of the room. He then hears a door lock, and attempts to open it with no success. A voice then calls out to him, and he tries the door again, and it opens. As he looks for the woman, we see the Baron is nearby, and something is amiss. He hears a conversation, and bursts into the Baron’s room. No one is there beside the Baron. Stefan returns from the village with a horse for Andre, and he then asks him “who Eric is.” Stefan explains that he was Ilsa’s lover that he killed years ago. Meanwhile, out by the coastline, Gustaf is trying to help Andre, but that crazy hawk returns, and pecks his eyes out (image above)! he then tumbles down the cliff to his death. Andre tries to help, but Gustaf only has one gasp left in him, and he tells Andre to go back to the castle to help the woman.

He does return, and find the girl, and we get another make-out scene ( no woman can resist 1960’s Jack!). Her plunging neckline nightie is enough to keep his attention, and she tells him that she cannot leave the castle until the crypt is destroyed. He begs her to come away with him, but she refuses out of fear. Cue another make-out scene, and they both declare their love for the other. As Andre tells her to wait there for him to return, he walks away, but when he looks back, she’s gone again. He enters the castle, and the Baron, unaware that he’s back, opens the same gate from the beginning of the movie. He then opens a secret passageway to another room, and Andre follows him. The Baron heads down into the basement, creeping further and further into the bowels, until he reaches the crypt. he talks to the coffin, and tells Ilsa that they’ll soon be together, because Stefan is going to flood the crypt and kill him. A voice cries out to him, and tells him that he must do something. Just then, Andre bursts into the room, and calls out to the woman. The Baron struggles to stop him, and faints from the excitement.

Andre and Stefan head to the chapel, and then try to open the vault. It’s rusted shut, and they cannot open it. On their way to get a crowbar, they notice a light in the window of the former baroness’s window. They investigate, but have to break down the door to get in. Stefan warns Andre that the Baron won’t be happy about this, and just as they enter, the Baron shouts at them from behind. He’s got his pistol, and he orders Stefan to escort Andre out of the castle, and if he resists, to shoot him. His former wife shows up, and tells him to commit suicide. She tells him that they can be together again if he will. On the way out of the castle, Andre jumps Stefan, and knocks him unconscious.

I’ll stop here because to go further would be insanity!

OK, here are my thoughts:

Listen, for all those detractors out there, I get the criticisms about this movie. I cannot deny that the movie is sluggish, and doesn’t have the best acting, or sets, or special effects, or…OK, listen, Boris Karloff does a great job playing an old loony guy in a castle. There is a neat little twist at the end, and it will surprise anyone that watches this flick. It’s a total reversal of what is initially shown. The only problem I have is that there isn’t a true “villain” in the movie, or lost causes. Well, I guess the old hag is pretty much a villain, but she has motives beyond simple avarice or blood-lust.

The sets weren’t the best, but the old castle was pretty cool. It looked like something from a Tyburn or Amicus flick. You know, not quite Hammer but decent, nonetheless. The music score was actually pretty good, and we have Ronald Stein and Les Baxter to thank for that. Dick Miller plays a good henchman, and really adds just a bit of flavor to the film. Anybody that knows Corman, will be able to take into consideration that the guy made films for basically no budget, and reused everything including the kitchen sink. When you factor that in, you have to at least appreciate the film on those grounds. Nicholson was OK, but watching this movie now, after seeing many of his other films, I just can’t get into his character. He just isn’t very convincing.

Definitely give a click on the link below, because the film is public domain. Decide for yourself if it’s any good, but remember, Corman probably made this film for $50, and a few favors, so give the guy a break, huh?

Click here to watch the movie!

Marvel Spectacular #13, 1974 “The Scourge of the Super Skrull”

Posted on September 30, 2014 by billyd75

Originally presented in Thor #142 (1967), this issue features Thor, accepting a challenge from a man on a motorcycle that wishes to race against him! Well, OK, that’s not the main part of the story, but it is the funniest. The story’s best parts, involved Thor fighting against the menace of the Super Skrull. This villain that regularly gives the Fantastic Four all they can handle, sets his sights on the thunder god, with a little motivation from Loki, Thor’s devious brother! There’s also a backup story “Aftermath,” and shows more of the machinations of Loki.

You get the usual magic from Kirby in this issue, but of course, the jury is still out on whether Vince Colletta did the pencils justice or not. Personally, Colletta’s inks don’t bother me as much on Thor as compared to The Fantastic Four, but to each his own. Written by Stan Lee, pencils by Jack ‘King’ Kirby, inks by Vince Colletta, and letters by Artie Simek! The glory and grandeur of the mighty Thor will always be tops thanks to the king of comics!

Marvel’s Greatest Comics #71, 1977 “The Madness of the Mole Man”

Posted on September 24, 2014 by billyd75

Switching gears for a moment away from the Marvel team books, I’d like to showcase this one adventure of the Fantastic Four. There very first adversary, and always a classic, the Mole Man, is back, and ready to finish off Marvel’s first family! The brilliance of Jack Kirby shines through, as we see a subterranean skirmish, a wonderful photo collage of outer space, and the electronic wonders of Kirby’s limitless mind. You come to expect this when you read anything Kirby, and that is the greatest testament to the man’s status as a comic book genius.

Honestly, you can never go wrong with Kirby/Lee Fantastic Four. These issues had a certain newness to them, and a charm that no other comic book has had ever, or in a very long time. Written by Stan Lee, art by Jack ‘King’ Kirby & Joe Sinnott, and letters by Sam Rosen! A marvelous splash page of the Mole Man attacking the team is just one of the gems in this issue! Enjoy!

Cinema Sunday: The Frozen Dead (1966)

Posted on September 21, 2014 by billyd75

Title: The Frozen Dead

Distributor: Warner/Seven Arts Pictures

Writer: Herbert Leder

Director: Herbert Leder

Producers: Robert Goldstein, Herbert Leder, Tom Sachs

Starring: Dana Andrews, Anna Palk, Philip Gilbert, Kathleen Breck, Karel Stepanek

Released: October 1966 (U.K.), November 15, 1967 (U.S.)

MPAA: UR

It’s been a while since I reviewed a Nazi zombie flick, so why not check out another one? Of course, that question is redundant, but let’s not lose sight of something more important. Why aren’t there more movies like this around? I actually like this movie more than the previous one I reviewed (Shockwaves), and it pains me to say that because Peter Cushing is in the other movie, but not this one. Alas, not every movie has Cushing in it, and most are poorer because of that simple fact.

Anyways, as we forage on to the meat and potatoes of this flick from 1966 (also the year that Hammer Studios released Plague of the Zombies, The Reptile, Rasputin the Mad Monk, Dracula Prince of Darkness, The Witches, and so on), that never seems to get any adulation. Be advised, this one is a bit convoluted, so it’s going to be a long one. Alright, I now present to you – The Frozen Dead!

The film begins in a wooded area outside a large mansion, and we hear an incredibly terrifying scream. From a window of the mansion, a creepy looking butler-type dude watches, as a man, Karl Essen (Alan Tilvern), is leading a chain gang towards the house. These men have a strange look about them, and suddenly one actually attacks Karl. He’s quickly shrugged off though, and then Karl uses his whip on him, beating him mercilessly.

Inside the mansion, Dr. Norburg (Dana Andrews) is working in his laboratory. Karl joins him after putting the men in a locked room, and the two begin to conduct an experiment. Dr. Norburg remarks that a General Lubeck (Karel Stepanek) is coming to check on his progress, and he can’t understand why Lubeck chose now to visit. Karel makes an odd facial expression, and Dr. Norburg then realizes that Karl is the one that reported to General Lubeck about their progress. Karl attempts to deny communicating behind Dr. Norburg’s back, but quickly realizes it’s useless. Dr. Norburg tells Karl that he’s been aware of these “secret” communications for sometime now. General Lubeck has also told Dr. Norburg to revive another one of his “soldiers” and have him ready for inspection upon his arrival.

You see, it has been made clear, that Dr. Norburg is part of some secret scientific experiment, where he freezes, then later revives frozen Nazis for some unheard of purpose. Dr. Norburg then commands Karl to get the latest subject ready for unfreezing. Meanwhile, there’s a knock at the front door, and the creepy butler opens the door. General Lubeck and Dr. Tirpitz have arrived, and immediately go to the laboratory to see Dr. Norburg’s progress. Dr. Norburg and Karl are excited to see them, and then the process is begun. As they begin to revive one of the subjects, another knock at the door occurs, and when Joseph (the butler) answers the door, we see Dr. Norburg’s niece, Jean (Anna Palk), has arrived home, a week or so early from school. She also brought a friend, Elsa Tenney (Kathleen Breck), who seems a bit leery of showing up unannounced. Jean assures her it will be OK with her uncle, and they head inside.

Dr. Norburg tries to explain to General Lubeck that he can easily revive a body, but it’s the brain that is posing the greatest difficulty. He exclaims that he needs a live brain to study, and learn how to revive it that way. He then shows them a room full of “zombies”, or the revived Nazis. Most of them are catatonic but have one memory that has been revived along with their body. Each Nazi keeps acting out one memory from their earlier lifetime, before they were frozen. One of them attacks General Lubeck, and we then find out that it is Dr. Norburg’s brother (Edward Fox). Back in the lab, Karl and Dr. Norburg attempt to revive the last Nazi, and poke him in the brain, giving him life. Just then, the door bursts open, and Karl surprises Dr. Norburg, and he pokes the brain a bit too hard, and the experiment is a failure.

Dr. Norburg tells his “buddies” that he’s invited an American doctor to help him, and that this man has great deal of experience in this area of expertise. Karl tells Dr. Norburg that he can get him a brain (from the morgue), but Dr. Norburg tells him that a dead brain is no good. later that night after everyone is in bed, Karl is creeping around, and peeks in on Jean. She hears the door squeak, and gets up to investigate. Karl hides, and then takes a trip to Elsa’s room. She starts to wake up, but Karl sticks a needle into her neck, and then carries her off. The next thing we see, Elsa is downstairs, with a pair of hands nearing her neck. Karl then wakes Dr. Norburg and tells him there’s been an accident. We see Dr. Norburg’s brother, leering over her dead body. Karl tells Dr. Norburg that they should use her brain for the experiment, but Dr. Norburg is hesitant. Eventually, Karl tells him that General Norburg wouldn’t be happy if he let this opportunity pass by unused.

The next day, we see Karl buying a train ticket for a woman. We don’t see her face, but we know it’s obviously not Elsa. Jean wakes up, and immediately goes to Elsa’s room, and finds her missing. She searches for her, but cannot find her anywhere. Back at the train station, we see Dr. Ted Roberts (Philip Gilbert), as he gets off of the train. He arrives at the house, and Karl invites him inside, he then is shown to his room (the last occupant was Elsa). Jean is then told that Elsa asked to be taken to the train station early in the morning, and that she would call when she gets to London. Later, Dr. Ted walks around the bed of his room, and he sees a pair of feet dangling out from under the bed. He asks the person if they need a hand, and Jean comes out from under the bed, and is annoyed. She’s looking for some evidence that there was foul play with her friend, Elsa. Jean then storms out of the room.

Down in the lab, Dr. Norburg and Karl are marveling about the “head” that’s being kept alive. Dr. Norburg tells Karl to keep it locked up, and to tell no one. He then invites Dr. Ted to visit his lab, and the two discuss their love of science. Dr. Norburg then shows Dr. Ted a wall that has human arms hanging out of it, and the other side has electrical wires attached to them. With a couple of buttons and switches, he activates the arms and makes them move as if alive. Dr. Norburg and Dr. Ted head upstairs, and run into Jean. She’s all excited because she found a button from one of Elsa’s suits. Dr. Ted tells her that he saw a woman with similar buttons on a hat get on a train as he got off the day before. Jean is still unconvinced that Elsa left without telling her. Downstairs, Karl wants to peek at the “head”, so he unlocks the cabinet. We now see the hideous head of Elsa (blue for some reason), and it sneers at Karl with hate-filled eyes.

At night, Jean is having a nightmare about Elsa, but is it just a nightmare or Elsa calling out to her mentally? She screams out loud, and Dr. Ted comes in to see if she’s OK. She tells him that it was a nightmare, and he comforts her. She tells Dr. Ted that she had a dream that Elsa was dead, and decapitated, and that her body was buried nearby. Dr. Ted then tries to put the moves on Jean, but she’s not having it, and takes a sedative. He asks her to show him around tomorrow, and she’s hesitant. She agrees to show him around, but also to visit the train station and ask about her friend boarding the train.

The next day they go to the train station, but the man at the gate said that he didn’t see the woman’s face. Just as they are about to give up, Jean sees a man boarding the train with Elsa’s baggage. They try to stop him, but the train takes off too quickly. Jean then snaps at Dr. Ted, and they split up. She then visits a Mrs. Miller (a neighbor perhaps?), and asks if her husband just boarded the train with someone’s luggage. The woman gets furious, and tells her that her husband knows no other women. She leaves, and the scene switches back to the mansion, and Dr. Ted walking around the estate. He then hears one of the Nazis scream (like at the beginning of the flick), and investigates. Dr. Norburg sees that the Nazis aren’t doing well, and questions Karl about it. Karl snaps at him, and blames the “head” in the box.

As Dr. Ted is about to find the Nazis, Karl hits him over the head, knocking him unconscious. He wakes in the office of Dr. Norburg, who in-turn blames his brother. Dr. Norburg then tells Dr. Ted about the “accident” that killed Elsa, and that they lopped her head off and are keeping it for study. He then shows it to Dr. Ted, and the two of them are in full arousal about the achievement. Elsa looks at both of them with bad intentions, and then Dr. Ted agrees to help Dr. Norburg with his experiments. That night, Jean (and her plunging neckline nightie) is visited by Dr. Ted, and makes another attempt to seduce Jean. Down in the basement, Karl sees that the Nazis are scared of something, and we see Elsa trying to communicate with Jean telepathically. She wakes up in the night, and realizes that something is incredibly wrong.

The next morning, Jean is having breakfast with her uncle and Dr. Ted, and she asks to see his laboratory. He’s caught off-guard, but relents to her request, and tells her that she can visit as soon as he and Dr. Ted are done with an experiment. He gives Karl a look, and then we see him down in the lab, inspecting the head. Dr. Norburg sees that Karl is getting agitated. but he tells him to calm down. Dr. Ted is creeped out by the head, so they agree to put off the experiment for another day. General Lubeck thinks that Karl may have given out information about the experiment, so he tortures him until he gives up that he knows the “Smith’s” from in town. They are the ones that aided him in the ruse at the train station. They are also former Nazis that would be in trouble and get deported and charged with war crimes if the police found out. Speaking of the police, Jean has told them that there are some shenanigans going on, and pointed them in the direction of the Smith family.

Karl begins to crack up, and General Lubeck has had enough of his timidity. Lubeck decides to deep freeze Karl to shut him up, and Dr. Norburg realizes this is getting out of hand. Lubeck orders him to continue with the experiment, so he gets the head out of the box, and tells Dr. Ted it is time to continue. Dr. Norburg has the head wired to the arms in the wall, and he commands the head to move the arms. The arms never move, and Dr. Ted seems to be losing his interest in the project, and also that he suspects something has happened to Karl. Dr. Norburg gets furious when Dr. Ted contradicts his theories on why the experiment failed, and now General Lubeck and Dr. Tirpitz are also wondering if things can go ahead as planned. Will the experiment be completed or will the head survive!

OK, here are my thoughts:

I don’t care what anyone says, this film rocks! Where else can you see Nazis Popsicle guys, a severed head, a wall of arms, and oh yeah, two beautiful women!?! This film was brilliant because of how quirky it is from start to finish. The very small cast is quite good, and everyone is professional and spot on with their characters. Anna Palk initially started out a bit like the dopey girl in distress, but she quickly became more than that when she began to investigate further into the disappearance of her friend. Dana Andrews (Night of the Demon, Battle of the Bulge), gives a great performance, and makes you believe in Dr. Norburg, who’s a tortured soul, to say the least. Alan Tilvern also gives us a great “Igor” for lack of a better description. You do feel terrible for him at the end, but then you remember what he did earlier, and you for get that notion.

The sets were pretty good, nothing crazy awesome, but definitely sufficient for the film. The music score (Don Banks) was as to be expected when you see the name attached. Banks has always done a good job in my opinion, and deserves a pat on the back. You can definitely poke holes in this film, no doubt about it, but you should also give it its due and sit down to watch it sometime. It really does leave you feeling creeped out but also like you just saw a solid film. Maybe you can argue that there’s too much going on at certain points, or maybe that the Nazis, Lubeck and Tirpitz, are kind of unnecessary, and nothing more than a device to move the plot along but really, they aren’t that much out-of-place. Either way, the film deserve some attention from horror/sci-fi fans out there in the world!

Click here for the trailer!

Fantasy Masterpieces #10, 1980 “A World He Never Made”

Posted on September 18, 2014 by billyd75

This issue is my first grab of this title, and I can’t wait to get my hands on more of them! When you see the wondrous world that ‘Big’ John Buscema creates just in the first couple of pages, you’ll be awestruck. He can really make you believe that you’ve exited your body, and entered another world. His uncanny ability to capture characters, especially when they’re in an emotional distress, coupled with his great use of anatomy, is what made him so very special.

In this story, the Surfer is trying to further understand the human race, and that’s something that has proved most difficult for him since his former master, Galactus, banished him to Earth. After witnessing a cop trying to help a suicide attempt on a bridge, the Surfer dresses up like Dick Tracy to “blend in’, and assess mankind down among the people! He hangs out in South America for a while, but realizes that a militaristic group has taken control of the area, and will kill anything they deem untrustworthy. In a subplot, out in space (but nearing Earth), the beloved of the Silver Surfer, the beautiful Shalla Bal, is a passenger aboard the ship of Yarro Gort, and he means to embarrass the Surfer, and take Shalla Bal for his own!

A good story with powerful art! Buscema was such a master at anatomy, and facial expressions specifically. He really knew how to get everything out of a character in pain, or that was suffering. The back-up story is one I own in a couple of different formats, but it’s still very cool. Jim Starlin gives us “The Terrible Trial of Adam Warlock” (Strange Tales #180, 1975), and the whole cast is here for the ride! Pip the Troll, Gamora, and the Universal Church of Truth! Other creators include – Dan Adkins (inker – SS story), Sam Rosen (letters – SS story), Stan Lee (writer – SS story), Tom Orzechowski (letters – Warlock story), Alan Weiss (inker), Len Wein (editor), and Danny Fingeroth (reprint editor)!