Category Archives: Superheroes

December 28, 2016 · 1:05 am

CAT-MAN: HOLYOKE SUPERHERO

Per reader requests Balladeer’s Blog presents another overlooked superhero.

cat-manCAT-MAN

Secret Identity: David Merryweather, Private Investigator

Origin: As a child David Merryweather, his parents and his sister were traveling through the jungles of Burma when bandits attacked, robbed and killed all but David. Left to die, David instead bonded with his mystic totem animal – tigers – and survived. Over the years the boy was educated by Burmese villagers and learned to control the powers that his totem animals had granted him.

As an adult David Merryweather moved back to the United States, where he eventually became a Private Investigator. In order to battle criminals that were beyond the reach of traditional law enforcement he donned a costume and used his super-powers under the name Cat-Man.

First Appearance: Crash Comics #4 (August 1940). His final Golden Age appearance came in 1946.

Powers: Continue reading →

12 Comments

Filed under Superheroes

Tagged as , , , , , ,

December 24, 2016 · 11:54 pm

A LUKE CAGE CHRISTMAS CAROL (1973)

Yes, it’s a Marvel Comics crossover with Balladeer’s Blog’s Christmas Carol-A-Thon! With all of the Marvel superheroes conquering the big and small screens here’s an action-packed Christmas Carol adaptation from the 1970s.  

luke-cage-christmas-carolJingle Bombs was the real title of this holiday tale which pitted superhero Luke Cage aka Hero for Hire aka Power Man against the one-off supervillain called Marley. Like a Guest Villain from the Adam West Batman show Marley uses a campy Christmas Carol motif for his nefarious plan … yet, oddly the story is kind of quaint.  

On Christmas Eve, Luke Cage is hanging out with his then-girlfriend Claire Temple, a nurse who worked at a clinic in the New York ghetto. Later on in the series Claire would be the center of a romantic triangle between Luke Cage and another of Marvel’s black superheroes – Black Goliath, Hank Pym’s former lab assistant who used Pym’s inventions to turn to giant-size and back. 

As night approaches Luke sees a ruckus outside the clinic: a man in Dickensian 1800s clothing is using his walking stick to beat a little handicapped boy named Timmy. Our hero goes out to save the little boy and is attacked by the strange man, who identifies himself as “Marley.”   Continue reading →

6 Comments

Filed under A CHRISTMAS CAROL, Superheroes

Tagged as , , , , , , , , ,

December 16, 2016 · 7:40 pm

MISTER NOBODY: HOLYOKE SUPERHERO

Readers wanted more superheroes, so here we go:

mister-nobodyMISTER NOBODY

Secret Identity: None was ever revealed.

Origin: Even this enigmatic figure’s origin remained unknown, just like MLJ’s hero the Marvel (qv).

First Appearance: Terrific Comics #1 (January 1944). His final Golden Age appearance came in 1946.

Powers: Continue reading →

4 Comments

Filed under Superheroes

Tagged as , , , , , ,

December 15, 2016 · 12:01 am

GREEN HORNET (2006): NOT THE SETH ROGAN MOVIE

The Green Hornet (2006)

The Green Hornet (2006)

Attention, my fellow Green Hornet fans: All of us disappointed by the awkward 2011 Seth Rogan Green Hornet movie can savor this experimental 2006 French short.

This 10 minute story is much better than the 2011 flick despite its short running time. It makes you hope that some overseas filmmaker may yet pick up the GH brand and present his story the way it deserves to be presented.

I’m linking to the English-dubbed version of the short. It’s very energetic and features impressive stunt work, plus the music that plays with the closing credits is a variation of the jazzy Al Hirt theme from the 1960s Green Hornet television series.

NOTE FOR PURISTS: No gas gun for the Hornet in this version, he wields nun-chucks, throws knockout darts and uses kung fu like Kato. Here is the link: Continue reading →

6 Comments

Filed under Pulp Heroes, Superheroes

Tagged as , , , , , , , , ,

December 6, 2016 · 10:45 pm

MISS VICTORY: HOLYOKE SUPERHERO

Balladeer’s Blog continues to shamelessly pander to our superhero-crazed culture with this look at another neglected Holyoke hero.
miss-victoryMISS VICTORY

Secret Identity: Joan Wayne, stenographer

Origin: Believe it or not the Golden Age Miss Victory was never given an origin story explaining how she gained her super-powers. She supposedly trained in the circus when she was younger but that would not explain her paranormal abilities. 

All that is known is that in Washington, DC, Foreign Trade Committee stenographer Joan Wayne grew tired of the corruption among politicians and government contractors so she donned a colorful costume and a mask to fight crime – and later, German and Japanese supervillains – as Miss Victory. This costumed figure worked for the FBI.  Continue reading →

2 Comments

Filed under Superheroes

Tagged as , , , , , , , , ,

December 3, 2016 · 6:25 pm

HAVE YOURSELF A SANDMAN LITTLE CHRISTMAS

have-yourself-a-sandman-little-christmasIn Pop Culture these days it’s Marvel Comics’ world and the rest of us are just innocent bystanders whose homes and places of business get destroyed.

In that spirit here’s a Christmas Season look at what I’ve learned was a milestone story in the Marvel Universe. It was from the very first issue of Marvel Team-Up (1972) and featured Spider-Man and the Human Torch taking on their mutual foe the Sandman on Christmas Eve.

have-yourself-a-sandman-little-christmas-2Years later an unnamed black woman that the pair saved from a mugging got retconned into being Misty Knight, adding even more significance to the issue.

Synopsis: While photographer Peter Parker was covering the Polar Bear Clan’s Christmas Eve dip (yes, it goes back at least that far) the Sandman showed up on the beach after surviving his apparent death in battle with the Hulk months earlier. (For a long time it was a comic book truism that only Bucky stayed dead but apparently even that eventually fell by the wayside.)   Continue reading →

6 Comments

Filed under humor, Superheroes

Tagged as , , , , , , , , ,

November 27, 2016 · 8:01 pm

VOLTON (HOLYOKE VERSION)

Here’s another neglected Holyoke figure for our superhero-crazed world.

voltonVOLTON

Secret Identity: None was ever provided

Origin: No origin was ever provided, either. From his very first adventure Volton the Electric Man (not “Electrical Man” like in some sources) stood on guard atop fictional Empire City’s Great Empire City Building.

When needed he would spring to life and fight crime, Bund members and other forces of evil.

volton-2First Appearance: Cat-Man Comics #8 (March 1942). His final Golden Age appearance came later that same year.

Powers: Volton possessed super-strength and super-vision, could fly and could shoot lightning bolts from his hands. In addition he could convert his entire body or just parts of it into a big lightning bolt and stretch like Mr Fantastic or Plastic Man.  Continue reading →

2 Comments

Filed under Superheroes

Tagged as , ,

November 21, 2016 · 11:30 pm

BLACKOUT: HOLYOKE SUPERHERO

Balladeer’s Blog continues to feed the beast that IS our superhero-obsessed world with a look at another forgotten Holyoke Superhero.

blackout-holyokeBLACKOUT

Secret Identity: Jack Wayne, Berlin Correspondent for the New York Globe.

Origin: When America entered World War 2 on the Allied side Jack Wayne and his editor “Pop” Simms were seized by the Gestapo. Since Jack had been a Flying Ace for the Americans during World War One the Gestapo assumed he and Pop were spies and tortured them for information.

Pop was killed by the torture and Jack, though blinded by his interrogator’s whip, managed to escape. He was rescued by the Underground Society, a secret resistance group led by Dr Dismal who – despite his name – was not a supervillain. Dr Dismal ran his resistance group from a secret base far beneath Gestapo Headquarters and, noting that Jack Wayne’s optic nerves were not entirely dead, devised special glasses and a visor he could wear that allowed him to see in daylight OR at night.

Jack donned a costume and under the nom de guerre Blackout joined Dr Dismal’s band of rebels, terrorizing the Nazis by night.  

First Appearance: Cat-Man Comics #10 (May 1942). His final Golden Age appearance came in 1944.

Powers: Continue reading →

12 Comments

Filed under Superheroes

Tagged as , , , , , , , ,

November 16, 2016 · 11:57 pm

DIANA THE ARCHER: HOLYOKE SUPERHEROINE

diana-the-archerDIANA THE ARCHER

Secret Identity: War correspondent Diana Archer. (Yet even SHE thinks people are stupid for not figuring out that whole Superman/ Clark Kent thing.)

Origin: Unknown beyond the obvious fact that – in her costumed identity – she works for British Intelligence with her role as a newswoman serving as a cover for her superheroics. 

First Appearance: Terrific Comics #3 (June 1944). Her final Golden Age appearance came later that same year.

diana-the-archer-2Powers: Diana was in peak physical condition and possessed the maximum strength a human female could possess. In addition she was more agile than an Olympic gymnast and was a champion archer.

Most of Diana’s arrows had normal arrowheads but a few would sport the usual trick-items like grappling hooks, dull edges for concussive impact, miniature explosives, etc, just like those employed by Alias the Spider, the Red Archer and every other bow and arrow-oriented superhero over the decades. However, since it was wartime Diana used her arrows to much deadlier effect. Continue reading →

2 Comments

Filed under Superheroes

Tagged as , , , ,

November 14, 2016 · 11:44 pm

MORE HEROES ADDED FOR THE HOLYOKE PANTHEON

blaze-baylor-3Technical issues caused delays yesterday but I have added on to the Holyoke Comics pantheon for this superhero-obsessed society.

CLICK HERE

Leave a comment

Filed under Superheroes

Tagged as , , , , , , ,