Tag Archives: Balladeer’s Blog

THE ABYSMAL INVADERS (1929)

Edmond HamiltonTHE ABYSMAL INVADERS (1929) – Written by Edmond Hamilton. This is a nice mish-mash of elements that are part Creature Feature, part Doctor Who and part Jurassic Park. Hamilton gets bashed as a hack but his stories are harmless fun.

The hero of this tale is Professor Morton, an eminent biologist. He is doing field work in a Southern Illinois swamp when, from caverns beneath the swamp an army of dinosaurs comes pouring out. AND ALL OF THEM ARE BEING RIDDEN BY HUMANOID LIZARDS WHO WIELD RAY-GUNS!

Pterodactyls provide these invaders with their own Air Force and humans are driven before them. The city of Brinton is reduced to a virtual ruin before the onslaught of these Lizard-men. Continue reading

9 Comments

Filed under Ancient Science Fiction

JUSTICE LEAGUE AND JUSTICE SOCIETY VS DARKSEID, PLUS MORE (1980-1984)

For this weekend’s escapist, light-hearted superhero post here at Balladeer’s Blog, I will review the final few crossover stories involving DC’s Justice League and Justice Society. For my review of their 1963-1969 crossovers click HERE.

jla 183JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA Vol 1 #183 (October 1980)

Title: Crisis on New Genesis

Justice Society Roster: Dr. Fate, Power Girl, the original Huntress and the original Wonder Woman (Diana Prince-TREVOR)

Justice League Roster: Firestorm, 2nd Superman, 2nd Green Lantern and 2nd Batman

New Gods Roster: Orion, Mr. Miracle, Big Barda, Metron, Lightray, Highfather and Oberon  

Villains: Darkseid, the Fiddler, Icicle and the Shade

NOTE: This crossover has the JLA and JSA teaming up with the New Gods, Jack Kirby’s creations which were kind of the third version of the X-Men and the Inhumans. His fourth version, the Eternals, had been introduced back at Marvel during his 1970s return there.

Synopsis: The planet called New Genesis is the home of the superpowered figures called the New Gods. Their arch-foe is Darkseid, ruler of the planet Apokolips. As the story begins, Darkseid is still presumed dead following his previous clash with the New Gods.

new godsThe remaining evil forces on Apokolips – led by Granny Goodness (a Kirby creation, needless to say) – have raided New Genesis and abducted most of the inhabitants, then taken them as slaves back to their own planet. They did it with the help of three Earth-Two villains – Icicle, Shade and the Fiddler – so the New Gods use the annual get-together of the Justice Society and Justice League to recruit the two teams to help them recover their kidnapped population. Continue reading

8 Comments

Filed under Superheroes

MARK GREGORY: TEN FILMS

It’s been pointed out to me that for my look at Mark Gregory’s action films I did not provide my usual “all links in one convenient post” item after a series of themed blog posts. Here we go.

adam and eve vs the cannibalsADAM AND EVE VS THE CANNIBALS (1983) – Way back in 2014 I reviewed this quasi-peplum flick starring Mark Gregory, real name Marco De Gregorio. Instead of portraying Hercules or Maciste or Samson taking on monsters and human opponents, Mark played Adam taking on monsters and human opponents.

Andrea Goldman portrayed Eve as the couple are expelled from the Garden of Eden and clash with dinosaurs, fur-faced cavemen, giant bears and green-skinned cannibals before settling down to have children. Weird story. Weirder theology. Continue reading

4 Comments

Filed under Bad and weird movies

BOOK OF THE DUN COW: PART TEN

Here is the tenth and FINAL part of Balladeer’s Blog’s look at the various mythological works in Ireland’s Lebor na hUidre, The Book of the Dun Cow. For Part One click HERE.

ireland 600THE STORY IMPLYING THAT MONGAN WAS FIONN MAC CUMHAILL REBORN AND HOW HE AND HIS NEPHEW KILLED FOTHAD AIRGTHECH (Scel asa mberar combad hé Find mac Cumaill Mongáin ocus aní día fil aided Fothaid Airgdig) – Ireland’s Prince Mongan, whom we met in a few previous installments, was a historical figure but his life has been so smothered in embellishments and legends that facts can be hard to come by. He supposedly died around 625 A.D.

        This particular item presented Mongan arguing with the poet Forgoll when that poet claimed to know the circumstances of the death of Irish High King Fothad Airgthech, who ruled around what we would call the early 270s A.D. A heated argument breaks out.

        book of the dun cowEventually Forgoll insists his knowledge has been insulted by Mongan’s contrary claim and threatens to curse and ridicule Mongan unless Mongan gives him his wife by way of reparations. An elderly, decrepit stranger arrives on the scene.

        The stranger says he is Cailte mac Ronain, nephew of Fionn mac Cumhaill (better known as Finn MacCool). Cailte is one of the last surviving members of Fionn’s troops and has lived this long through enchanted means. Like Oisin, his fellow survivor of the Battle of Gabhra, Cailte is destined to live long enough to convey tales of ancient Ireland to the prophesied Saint Patrick. Continue reading

46 Comments

Filed under Mythology

FIVE HUNDRED YEARS HENCE (1818) – ANCIENT SCIENCE FICTION

pocket magazine of classicFIVE HUNDRED YEARS HENCE (1818) – Written under the pseudonym “D” this work was published the same year as Mary Shelley’s novel Frankenstein. The story is presented as written observations of the world in October and November of the year 2318.

London has fallen so far in prominence that it is by then just a fishing village, barely known outside of England. Liverpool is close to becoming a ghost town, and Oxford is closing its sole remaining institution of higher education. In Edinburgh of all places, disparaging Great Britain is a crime punishable by being hanged upside down.

Next, D turned their attention across the pond to the United States. Continue reading

19 Comments

Filed under Ancient Science Fiction

THE CASSANDRA CROSSING (1976)

cassandra crossingTHE CASSANDRA CROSSING (1976) – The Andromeda Strain meets the later Supertrain in this railroad version of the Airport movies. I’m sure we all know the formula of Disaster Movies, be they about natural disasters striking cities or manmade disasters striking mass transportation like airplanes, ships and trains.   

The Cassandra Crossing was a co-production of Carlo Ponti and Lew Grade. The film had a lot of potential but was ultimately doomed by oddball acting choices, a script full of holes and a train that clearly changes multiple times during the course of the movie. And I mean it even changes from electric to diesel multiple times as the film progresses.

cassandra crossing posterIn general, the storyline involves a genetically engineered plague covertly developed by government functionaries (think of Anthony Fauci and his ilk) despite international agreements not to conduct such research. Terrorists who want to steal the plague for their own use botch a raid on the International Health Organization (a pastiche of the World Health Organization), which results in a shootout and in two of the terrorists being exposed to the plague.

One of the exposed gunmen escapes and seeks shelter on a departing train, spreading the plague – for which there is no known cure – to the other passengers, instigating a crisis. If the infected aren’t contained, this plague could wipe out 60% of the population of Europe and eventually, the world. The government locks down all the people on the train and proceeds to care more about covering up where the disease originated than they do about public safety.  Continue reading

8 Comments

Filed under Bad and weird movies

BOOK OF THE DUN COW: PART NINE

Here is Part Nine of Balladeer’s Blog’s look at the various mythological works in Ireland’s Lebor na hUidre, The Book of the Dun Cow. This part features multiple sections. For Part One click HERE.

conchobarTHE CONCEPTION OF CUCHULAINN (Compert Con Culainn) – One of the versions of the birth of the demigod Cuchulainn. This version begins as Ulster’s King Conchobar mac Nessa (at left) goes on a hunt for magical birds with several nobles of Ulster and his daughter Deichtine, his charioteer. (In the later and more popular versions Deichtine is King Conchobar’s sister, not his daughter, and most of the Cuchulainn myths refer to him as Conchobar’s nephew, not grandson.)

        A heavy snow falls, prompting the hunting party to seek shelter in an isolated house where they are made welcome by the man and the pregnant woman inside. The woman goes into labor, and Deichtine helps deliver the baby – a son – overnight. A mare also gives birth to two colts that night. Continue reading

5 Comments

Filed under Mythology

THE HERETIC (1996) – NEGLECTED SUPERHERO

This weekend’s light-hearted and escapist superhero blog post here at Balladeer’s Blog will examine the unjustly overlooked character the Heretic, a NON-Marvel and non-DC character. 

heretic clockTHE HERETIC

Secret Identity: Dominic DeMarco

First Appearance: The Heretic #1 (November 1996)

Origin: Much of the Heretic’s past remains shrouded in mystery. In his early adult life he left the seminary and joined the Brotherhood of Cain, a covert order of religious assassins who presented themselves as righteous warriors crusading against evil.

        That turned out to be a lie, so the disillusioned figure left the order and was branded a heretic, a label he embraced as his nom de guerre. Acting independently, he used the skills and abilities he learned from the order to begin his own war against the crime and corruption at all levels of society, including government and organized religion.

        Gaining bizarre superpowers, the Heretic also battled the infernal forces behind all Earthly evil, from the lowest street crimes to the bloodiest wars. He learned that God and Satan exist. Heaven and Hell exist. And there’s no predicting which side the rest of us will end up on. Continue reading

31 Comments

Filed under Superheroes

THE TERRORNAUTS (1967) – BAD MOVIE

the terrornautsTHE TERRORNAUTS (1967) – Simon Oates of Doomwatch fame stars as yet another maverick scientist in this effort from earlier in his career. Oates is running a British version of the SETI project and is forever trying to intercept signals from space … signals that might indicate intelligent life forms.

Conveniently, just when their funding is about to be cut Oates and his team at last receive a broadcast from actual alien life forms. And not just any alien life forms but the exact race that use a cave in France excavated by Oates’ father as a teleportation point from their orbiting space station.

terrornautsWild coincidences like that are just the tip of the iceberg in terms of this ridiculous movie’s plot holes, inconsistencies and lack of logic.

At any rate when Oates and company broadcast a reply of their own the extraterrestrials fly to England and snatch the entire building that the scientists’ project is housed in. The Earthlings, including a cockney female janitor along for excruciatingly bad comic relief, find themselves at the mercy of the space station’s Doctor Who (original series) level special effects renditions of androids, monsters and interstellar cooking devices. Continue reading

18 Comments

Filed under Bad and weird movies

TWIN PEAKS IN B-MOVIE TERMS

Laura Palmer wrapped in plasticIt’s been nearly six years since the finale of the 18 episode run of new Twin Peaks chapters on cable. Like many other fans I’m still debating my final verdict on the series in light of the gloriously dark and nightmarish conclusion, so this particular blog post applies ONLY to the original Twin Peaks television series, the 1992 film Fire Walk With Me and its deleted scenes from The Missing Pieces.

Here at Balladeer’s Blog I’m often surprised at the way so many detractors still try to insist that the show and the movie made no sense. And bear in mind I am NOT referring to the various theories over particular symbolism or the lengthy debates to be had over the ethical and philosophical implications of the storyline.

No, I’m referring to the way some people dismiss the entire project as if it’s a bunch of weirdness with no discernible plot or storyline. There IS a (very) easily discernible plot and storyline. And I’ll say again I’m NOT talking about deeper meanings which no two people may ever agree upon, but the basic tale. Continue reading

4 Comments

Filed under Forgotten Television, opinion