Monthly Archives: December 2022

NEW YEAR’S EVE REQUEST: ARENA KILL

mascot sword and gun pic

BALLADEER’S BLOG

A reader requested that I review the Marvel Comics sci-fi dystopia/ alien invasion series Killraven, the Warrior of the Worlds. I already did from 2019-2020, but in honor of New Year’s Eve here is a look back at one part of that review, which was posted on New Year’s Eve of 2019 into 2020, the exact date that the story itself was set on. 

FOR PART ONE OF BALLADEER’S BLOG’S EXAMINATION OF THIS OLD, OLD MARVEL COMICS STORYLINE CLICK HERE  The revisions I would make are scattered throughout the synopsis below.

Killraven Arena KillAMAZING ADVENTURES Vol 2 #37 (July 1976)

Title: Arena Kill  

Synopsis: NEW YEAR’S EVE, 2019 into 2020, which is why I held off the extra day or two to post this review, since I wanted it to actually appear on the REAL December 31st, 2019.

Northern Florida, in the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge along the Suwanee River. Killraven and his Freemen continue their guerilla uprising against Earth’s alien conquerors. They have encountered another of the pitifully few bands of humans who also defy the aliens.  

We jump right into the middle of some action, as Killraven is pitting his sword against the two battle axes wielded by Brother Axe, the leader of this rebel colony. Brother Axe’s dozens of followers and Killraven’s own Freemen stand in a large circle around the combatants, watching the battle.

Killraven 2The cause of the conflict soon becomes clear – Brother Axe is skeptical that Killraven really is THE Killraven, the world-famous scourge of Earth’s alien conquerors. He suspects KR and his band may be fakers trying to bamboozle him or – even worse – undercover human quislings trying to pinpoint the location of Brother Axe’s rebel band so they can betray the band to their alien masters.     Continue reading

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MLJ COMICS SUPERHERO PANTHEON

For this weekend’s light-hearted, escapist superhero post, Balladeer’s Blog will feature MLJ, the company that later became Archie Comics.

FoxTHE FOX

Secret Identity: Paul Patton, newspaper reporter and news photographer.

Origin: When his co-worker Ruth Ransom got kidnapped, Paul Patton felt he could fight crime AND enhance his journalism career by first donning a costume and thwarting criminals as the Fox and then getting a “scoop” on those adventures, complete with photos. And this was decades before Peter Parker made a living with news photos of his exploits as Spider-Man.

First Appearance: Blue Ribbon Comics #4 (June 1940). His final Golden Age appearance came in 1942. 

Powers: The Fox was at the peak of human condition. He had acrobatic skills greater than Olympic athletes and was a master of all forms of unarmed combat. His stealth skills were the equal of any burglar or ninja. The white eye-lenses on his mask permitted him to see in the dark.   Continue reading

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BEST OF SEPTEMBER 2022

Balladeer’s Blog’s annual end of year retrospective concludes with this look at September’s best. October and November were too recent to need examining.

bl sadMODERN PARODY HALL OF FAME – My look at NINETEEN of the greatest comedies which parodied entire genres or specific movies. Needless to say, expected films like Blazing Saddles, Airplane, plus Monty Python and the Holy Grail got inducted into this Hall of Fame, but many unexpected and/or obscure examples made the list, too. Click HERE.

POLITICAL CARTOON AND MEME ROUNDUP: SEPTEMBER 16th – You can take a look at them HERE.

THE EMPEROR OF THE AIR (1910) – “Ancient” science fiction. Disgruntled scientists band together to create a futuristic flying fortress with which they wage war on the world at large. Their headquarters is a high-tech compound in Spain. Read it HERE.

chase logoCHASE (1973-1974) – From Balladeer’s Blog’s Forgotten Television category came this review of Chase, a one-season series about a special police unit that used experts on motorcycles, helicopters, speedboats and other such vehicles. HERE

TRANSGRESS WITH ME: SEPTEMBER 8th – The latest installment of this recurring segment that is only for the daring and the iconoclastic. It’s HERE.

red sonya for realROBERT E. HOWARD’S REAL RED SONYA (1934) – My review of the only story that THE Robert E. Howard ever wrote about his often-misrepresented woman warrior Red Sonya (not Sonja). He depicted her in action during the 1520s, not during the same time period as Conan the Barbarian. Read it HERE.

SASHA STONE DISCUSSES HER CONTEMPT FOR JOE BIDEN AND HIS REGIME – It can be found HERE.

samson in islamSAMSON MYTHS AS DEPICTED IN ANCIENT ISLAMIC LITERATURE – I examine the differences and similarities to more widely known Samson tales HERE.

HEADLINE ROUNDUP – More political scandals than even Tammany Hall could have spawned. HERE.

FOOL KILLER: MAY 1913 – This edition of James Larkin Pearson’s version of the folk figure targets the Democrat and Republican Parties, a faulty tuberculosis vaccine, the newly-formed government in China, and calls out the Pope for being political rather than sticking to religion. You can read it HERE. Continue reading

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HEADLINE ROUNDUP: DECEMBER 29th

democrats and ftx

Independent Voter site Balladeer’s Blog takes another look at a sampling of the latest news here in Joe Biden’s corporate fascist kleptocracy. WE NEED THIRD PARTIES.

FTX SCANDAL REVELATIONS LEAD STRAIGHT TO BIDEN.

FACEBOOK WHISTLEBLOWER STATES THAT FACEBOOK’S SCANDALS WOULD OVERSHADOW TWITTER’S. Big Tech’s political interference and blatant partisanship is beyond disgusting.

biden 2 yearsCALLOUS AND UNCARING JOE BIDEN CALLED OUT FOR PARTYING IN SAINT CROIX WHILE STORM DESTRUCTION RAGED. Joe and his regime are the lowest of the low.

BIG TECH CALLED OUT FOR MAKING LINKS DISAPPEAR TO STORIES THEY WANT SUPPRESSED.

THE FBI (FUGGEDDA BOUT INTEGRITY, FUHRER BIDEN’S INQUISITORS) REFUSE TO NAME OTHER BIG TECH OUTFITS THAT THEY PAY OFF. Social media outlets have been and still are partisan tools.

JOE BIDEN’S TOP FIFTEEN LIES NOTED. Joe is unfit, not legit and much worse. Continue reading

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ALL COLLEGE FOOTBALL CHAMPIONS FOR 2022

As 2022 nears its end here’s one last round of congratulations to the college football champions from all the divisions covered here at Balladeer’s Blog.

northwestern ia redNAIA (National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics)

National Champions – NORTHWESTERN (IA) COLLEGE RED RAIDERS

Runners-Up – Keiser University Seahawks

2021 Champions – Morningside College Mustangs 

Ottawa (AZ) SpiritNCCAA (National Christian College Athletic Association)

My National Champions – OTTAWA UNIVERSITY (AZ) SPIRIT

Runners-Up – Olivet Nazarene University Tigers

2019 Champions – Concordia University (MI) Cardinals (No champs in 2021 or 2020) Continue reading

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DARK JUNGLE THEATER (2015-2016): MOVIE HOST SHOW

dark jungle theaterHere at Balladeer’s Blog my fascination with Movie Host shows of the past and present is pretty well established. I’ve written about such programs from the 1950s onward. Not long ago I covered “the Mexican MST3K” – A Platicar a su Casa, which has been translated into English as Let’s Talk at HomeDo Your Talking at Home and similar titles.

The Movie Host show being examined this time around is Dark Jungle Theater, which lasted for 2 seasons consisting of 26 episodes from March 15th, 2015 to January 8th, 2016. Dark Jungle Theater was hosted by Omaka Omegah as Princess Omaka, an African aristocrat who hosted and offered commentary on many jungle-themed movies and serials of the past.

princess omakaThis program was created, written and produced by Joel Stephens, famous for his many Movie Host programs that combine assorted old movies, cartoons and serials with the tradition of attractive female hosts introducing and commenting upon such superannuated programming. Similar Movie Host shows from Stephens include Frightmare Theater, Six Gun Theater, Mobster Theater, Your Afternoon Movie and others.

princess omaka againGetting back to Dark Jungle Theater, here is an overview:

SEASON ONE: Princess Omaka hosted 13 jungle-themed flicks with 12 of them preceded by 1 episode each from the old Republic serial Panther Girl of the Kongo (1955).

EPISODE 1 – Panther Girl of the Kongo, Chapter One: The Claw Monster – Phyllis Coates, famous for playing Lois Lane, was the titular Panther Girl, Jean Evans, who swung from vines, rode elephants and communicated with the animals in Tarzan style. This chapter finds her facing a giant crayfish monster. B-Movie regular Myron Healey co-stars. Continue reading

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BEST OF AUGUST 2022

Balladeer’s Blog’s annual end of year retrospective continues with this look at August’s best:

day time endedBRIDE OF WILLIAM SHATNER – My review of several movies featuring Marcy Lafferty-Shatner, William Shatner’s wife from 1973-1996. I take a look at Marcy’s appearances in Paper Man, Coffee, Tea or Me?, Hunter, Stat, Want a Ride, Little Girl?, Kingdom of the Spiders, The Day Time Ended and a Bacardi Rum short with Bill at her side. Click HERE.

NEWS ROUNDUP: AUGUST 1st – Many virtually unbelievable examples of political corruption and incompetence. You can read about them HERE.

365 days365 DAYS (2020) – The hilariously bad movie version of the equally lame novel that combined the worst elements of Twilight and Fifty Shades of Grey with Dark Mafia “romances.” My review is HERE.

POLITICAL CARTOONS: AUGUST 8th – See them HERE.

ROBERT E. HOWARD’S NEGLECTED CHARACTER TURLOGH DUBH – My review of Howard’s three stories about this ancient Irish warrior is HERE

LIFE HERE IN CROOKED JOE BIDEN’S CORPORATE FASCIST KLEPTOCRACY – Some Banana Republic dictators are more honest and less abusive than the Biden Regime. HERE.

jack p greatest show onGREATEST SHOW ON EARTH (1963-1964) – Balladeer’s Blog’s look at the Forgotten Television item The Greatest Show on Earth, with Jack Palance, Lucille Ball and others in Desilu’s series about a circus. Read it HERE.   

ROBERTO ALVAREZ-GALLOSO: A CUBAN EMIGRE’S TAKE ON FBI TOTALITARIANISM AND ALTERNATIVES TO BIG TECH SITES – This courageous man’s look at these issues is HERE.

BATMAN: THE REAL YEAR ONE – I examine the Batman stories from the character’s first year: 1939-1940, featuring the Joker, Catwoman and others. Click HERE.

buckskin frank picBUCKSKIN FRANK LESLIE: NEGLECTED GUNSLINGER – A Frontierado Holiday look at the saga of the one and only Buckskin Frank Leslie, and his exploits in Tombstone, San Francisco, Guadalupe Canyon and at Yuma Territorial Prison.

All that and his mysterious death. Find it HERE.

NEWS ROUNDUP: AUGUST 21st – The heroic Sharyl Attkisson reports on widespread corruption at the FBI, plus much more HERE Continue reading

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NEWS ROUNDUP: DECEMBER 26th

Christmas is a great time to take a break from the harsh realities of the daily headlines, but today Independent Voter site Balladeer’s Blog dives back into current events with this latest news roundup.

biden gestapoFURTHER REVELATIONS ABOUT HOW THE FBI (Fuggedda Bout Integrity), the CIA AND OTHER GESTAPO-LIKE ORGANIZATIONS USED SOCIAL MEDIA TO CENSOR THE REST OF US. More HERE. And HERE.

SEVEN OF JOE BIDEN’S BIGGEST LIES OF 2022.

ELEMENTARY SCHOOL COUNSELOR SENTENCED TO TWENTY-FIVE YEARS FOR EXPLOITING UNDERAGE GIRLS. Democrats, can you please leave children alone?

SURVEY: MAJORITY OF AMERICANS FEEL THAT BIDEN’S DISASTROUS ECONOMY IS GETTING EVEN WORSE . Continue reading

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SIMON CALLOW: A CHRISTMAS CAROL (2018)

simon callow carolMERRY CHRISTMAS! Balladeer’s Blog’s Christmas Carol-a-Thon 2022 comes to a close with this look at Simon Callow’s one man show A Christmas Carol. Under Tom Cairns’ direction, Callow’s lauded performance, this time taking place in an abandoned warehouse, gets just enough goosing from smoke, sound effects, fake snow and other enhancements to justify capturing it on film.

Callow even lights a fire at one point and in another portion warms his hands over a lit candle, Bob Cratchit style. The only score consists of ambient electronic music from Ben and Max Ringham.   

Simon Callow has surpassed Patrick Stewart’s old one-man performance of the Carol in recent decades and he even portrayed Charles Dickens himself doing a public reading of A Christmas Carol in a Doctor Who special in 2005. Like Patrick Stewart, Callow uses Dickens’ old prompt copy for public readings as his launching point but acts out each character in a far more impressive manner than Stewart ever did. Continue reading

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JOHN GRIN’S CHRISTMAS (1986) – CHRISTMAS CAROL-A-THON CONTINUES

john-grins-christmas

Wealthy John Grin (left) with a Ghostly Visitor

JOHN GRIN’S CHRISTMAS (1986) – The 2022 edition of Balladeer’s Blog’s Annual Christmas Carol-A-Thon continues with this obscure item from the 1980s. My copy of John Grin’s Christmas was already barely watchable when I first tracked it down and it looks worse and worse each time I watch it. Still no DVD release, though, so I’ve decided to give up hoping for a clearer copy and will just review it as is.

Regular readers are familiar with the obsessive lengths I go to in order to track down the various out-of-the-way adaptations of A Christmas Carol. I’m afraid this time around the story is kind of dull – I bought John Grin’s Christmas from someone on E-Bay a few years back. They had taped it off television in 1986 and were selling that very faded and gargly-sounding VHS tape.

Renaissance Man Robert Guillaume directed and stars as the Ebenezer Scrooge stand-in John Grin, our title craftsman who makes a variety of collectibles. Many sources claim he only makes toys but that is not true, it’s just that as Christmas approaches most of his sales are toys. And, since the story is set around Christmas time … Continue reading

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