
Super President
SUPER PRESIDENT was an actual cartoon series from the 1960s that has virtually disappeared. It’s rare to catch a glimpse of this DePatie- Freleng show anywhere or even to find people who have heard of it outside of oddballs like me.
This cartoon was not intended for laughs, like it would be today. It honestly featured a superhero whose “secret identity” was being President of the United States. First off, there’s the absurd fun of the name AND the fact that calling yourself Super President instantly blows your cover anyway, unless you think people are dumb enough to not figure out what you’re the president OF. (The Teamsters Union? The National Egg Council?)
President James Norcross was our title superhero and like the Fantastic Four a half-dozen years earlier got his powers from a cosmic ray storm. He had super-strength, could fly via small rockets on his belt and as the topper could transform himself into any substance – steel, granite, water, electricity and on more than one occassion – “ozone”. (Ozone?)
Super President also had a nifty Omnicar that could drive, fly and serve as a submarine. The Omnicar was stashed in a secret room in the White House that served as SP’s version of the Batcave (How was this addition to the White House added without attracting attention and how much did it cost?). Continue reading
WAR OF THE WORLDS – Jonathan Raven, rechristened Killraven in the gladiatorial circuit of Earth’s alien conquerors of the “future,” leads a group of Freemen in an attempt to retake the planet. CLICK
THE WARLORD STRIKES – On the run after the destruction of their Staten Island rebel colony, Killraven and his Freemen run afoul of the Warlord, a human quisling who has wanted revenge against the rebel leader ever since he escaped from the gladiatorial pens. CLICK
PART THIRTY-SIX: Here’s a look at the Fool Killer’s targets in the June of 1910 issue of James Larkin Pearson’s Fool-Killer publication:
Thank you to the BERNIE BROS who brought this video compilation to my attention. Doddering, inept Joe Biden continues stumbling along. His incoherent ramblings have become such an embarrassment to his presidential campaign that he has been put under wraps, available only for prepackaged statements (which he frequently muffs) and delicate softball “interviews” with supportive Democrats in the media.
As Bernie Sanders supporters point out, with over 60% approving of de facto Third Party President Trump’s handling of the current crisis, Bernie might make a better candidate than Biden against the FDR-like Trump.
ROUND TWO: IC VS SC – The SWARTHMORE COLLEGE GARNET took the court against the ITHACA COLLEGE BOMBERS. The 1st Half ended with the score knotted up at 44-44 but after the break the Garnet outscored the Bombers 42-34 for an 86-78 victory. Vinny DeAngelo led Swarthmore College with 21 points.
ROUND TWO: EU VS PPC – The POMONA-PITZER COLLEGE SAGEHENS battled the EMORY UNIVERSITY EAGLES in a game that was for the birds. The Sagehens were chasing the Eagles 34-29 at the Half but regrouped in the locker room to manage a 71-70 come-from-behind win. Micah Elan’s 20 points led Pomona-Pitzer College.
BERKELEY PSYCHIC INSTITUTE (For 1975-1981)
*** On May 26th, 1977 a war over fishing rights would break out between the Soviet Union and Greenland with nuclear torpedoes being used.
TALES OF TWENTY HUNDRED (1911-1912) – Written by William Wallace Cook, originally serialized in the monthly publication Blue Book Magazine from December of 1911 to May of 1912. This is Balladeer’s Blog’s third look at a work by THE William Wallace Cook and in this case it’s a six-part serial consisting of a half-dozen interconnected short(ish) stories.
Geo-engineering on a massive scale has become possible. Wealthy industrialist Vincent Blake has already completed a project involving the elimination of the Aleutian Islands to allow the warmer waters of the Pacific Ocean to turn the Arctic region into a place with more moderate temperatures. Hilariously, this is depicted as having no adverse effects on the planet. (Hey, it’s a 1911 story.) 
Even the Democrats at the New York Times pointed out in their headlines how the Democrats had scuttled this package.
NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME – This title tilt pitted the top seeds – the SANDHILLS COLLEGE FLYERS – against the 2nd seeded MOHAWK VALLEY COLLEGE HAWKS (should be the Mohawks). The Flyers were chasing the Hawks 50-47 at Halftime but came from behind in the 2nd Half to win the game 93-89. Sayaun Dent led Sandhills College with 27 points. * THE FLYERS ARE CHAMPIONS OF THE NJCAA DIVISION THREE TOURNAMENT *
ROUND ONE: CNU VS CC – The CHRISTOPHER NEWPORT UNIVERSITY CAPTAINS did battle with the COLBY COLLEGE WHITE MULES. The Captains embarrassed the White Mules in the 1st Half, leading them 32-17 by the break. From there Christopher Newport University stayed out in front all the way for a 74-64 triumph. Adrian Beasley and Luther Gibbs led the Captains with 13 points each.
ROUND ONE: WPI VS YU – In this game the YESHIVA UNIVERSITY MACCABEES played the WORCESTER POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTE ENGINEERS. The Maccabees put up 51 points in each Half, leading the Engineers 51-30 at the midpoint, then winning by a Century Club-level score of 102-78. Ryan Turell notched FORTY-ONE points to lead Yeshiva University.
Reader Daniel Kibblesmith requested this item about how I’d treat an expanded universe from Robert Ludlum’s espionage novels. Here at Balladeer’s Blog I’m about responding to you readers. I had sprinkled my reviews of Robert Ludlum’s Top Seven Novels with observations of what I would have liked to see in terms of offshoots or spin-off stories. So, since Expanded Universes are becoming all the rage in recent decades here’s an outline of my fan fiction-style view of an Expanded Robert Ludlum Universe.
I. BEOWULF AGATE – Series of short stories or a made for cable series. The tales would be set from the 1950s to late 1970s, ending just before the events in The Matarese Circle. Ludlum’s fictional intelligence organization Consular Operations would take center stage.
II. OPERATION: MEDUSA – Another series of short stories or a made for cable series. Ludlum’s Operation: Medusa was his fictional version of the Vietnam War’s real-life Phoenix Project. Operation: Medusa was the top-secret, paramilitary Black Operations outfit in which David Webb aka Jason Bourne got his first covert experience.