Tag Archives: blogging

September 20, 2020 · 12:02 am

NOVELTY PRESS SUPERHERO PANTHEON

You demanded more superheroes, you got ’em! Here is Balladeer’s Blog’s look at the neglected figures from Novelty Press.

TWISTER

Secret Identity: Bob Sanders

First Appearance: Blue Bolt Comics Vol 2 #1 (June 1941)

Origin: After getting carried up into the funnel of a tornado which killed his parents, teenager Bob Sanders learned he had somehow (you know comic books) acquired tornado powers. He donned a costume and fought crime as the superhero called Twister.

Twister 2Powers: Twister could spin around so quickly that he could generate, control and become part of a tornado strong enough to send cars and trucks flying. By punching villains while spinning around he could k-o them through walls. In addition, by breathing in a lungful of air, this hero could exhale it as gale force winds.

Somehow, Twister’s powers enabled him to construct and use a Cyclone Gun which shot intensely powerful bursts of air.   

Comment: At one point a Twister story tried justifying this hero’s powers by saying he was a direct descendant of Odysseus. But all Odysseus did was temporarily control the winds in a bag as a gift from the god Aeolus. Why didn’t they say Twister was descended from Aeolus instead?

White StreakWHITE STREAK

Secret Identity: Manowar/ Dan Sanders

First Appearance: Target Comics #1 (February 1940)

Origin: Manowar, called White Streak by the media, was an android left behind by the lost civilization of Utopia thousands of years ago. The Utopians destroyed themselves with war so they left their super-powered android in suspended animation to come to the aid of the next civilization if war caused by greed again threatened destruction.

White Streak picWhen the South American dictator Don Ruizen of Bolita went to war with his neighboring countries over oil, the Utopian robot Manowar activated itself in the volcano where it was hidden. After defeating the armies of the warmongering Don Ruizen, the android moved to America, from then on battling the forces of evil as White Streak.

Powers: White Streak had superhuman strength, invulnerability, the power of flight and could shoot rays of white energy from his eyes. That last ability prompted the press to give him his nom de guerre.

Comment: This android superhero was programmed to blend in with human beings and adopt the language and customs around him. He accomplished this so well he often used the secret identity Dan Sanders, FBI Agent.      Continue reading →

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September 19, 2020 · 3:57 am

VENUS IN FURS: OPERA VERSION OF THE 1870 NOVEL

VENUS IN FURS: AN OPERA – Here at Balladeer’s Blog I love sharing my enthusiasms. My blog posts where I provide contemporary slants to Ancient Greek Comedies to make them more accessible have been big hits over the years, so I’ve begun trying that approach with operas, too.

Previously I presented how I would handle opera versions of the 1930 science fiction novel Gladiator and of the original 1966 Spaghetti Western Django. This time I’ll deal with Leopold Von Sacher-Masoch’s erotic 1870 novel Venus In Furs in opera format.

VENUS IN FURS

LANGUAGE: French.

SINGERS: A Tenor, a Baritone, a Soprano, 3 Mezzo-Sopranos and 2 Basses

I would present Venus In Furs as a two-act opera. I originally pondered a one-act format but that would have run into the same problem as the Richard Strauss opera Capriccio with the length pretty much dictating an intermission at some point.

Obviously what was daringly explicit in 1870 is just a bit titillating – even silly – here in 2020. I would not treat the story as outright comedy but like a more serious version of battle-of-the-sexes tales like The Taming of the Shrew with elements of Gothic Horror and dark comedy thrown in.

That fluctuation between opera seria and opera buffa would reflect a bit of the approach used in the 1786 opera Prima La Musica E Poi Le Parole. Act One would be a bit light in tone with the real darkness coming in Act Two. 

ACT ONE: A POSH HEALTH RESORT IN THE CARPATHIANS, 1870. Continue reading →

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September 17, 2020 · 2:14 am

AUSTRALIAN NEWS ON JOE BIDEN’S SENILE, INCOHERENT RAMBLINGS

Here’s yet ANOTHER overseas news outlet looking at Senile Joe Biden’s obvious dementia and/or other issues. Here in America, Democrat fascists have been too busy rioting, blocking emergency room access for wounded police officers and informing on their fellow citizens to really pay attention to such things.

Even when Biden’s hopeless condition is brought to their attention their only response is to file complaints demanding that the footage be taken down. Democrats are gonna Democrat I guess. 

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September 16, 2020 · 1:51 pm

PULP HERO G-8 AND HIS BATTLE ACES: STORIES TWENTY-EIGHT THROUGH THIRTY

G-8 Skeletons of the black crossBalladeer’s Blog resumes its examination of the neglected Pulp Hero G-8. This continues a story-by- story look at the adventures of this World War One American fighter pilot who – along with his two wingmen the Battle Aces – took on various supernatural and super- scientific menaces thrown at the Allied Powers by the Central Powers of Germany, Austria- Hungary and the Ottoman Muslim Turks.

G-8 was created by Robert J Hogan in 1933 when World War One was still being called simply the World War or the Great War. Over the next eleven years Hogan wrote 110 stories featuring the adventures of G-8, the street-smart pug Nippy Weston and the brawny giant Bull Martin. The regular cast was rounded out by our hero’s archenemy Doktor Krueger, by Battle, G-8’s British manservant and by our hero’s girlfriend R-1: an American nurse/ spy whose real name, like G-8’s was never revealed.

Blood Bat Staffel28. THE BLOOD-BAT STAFFEL (January 1936) – Doktor Krueger strikes again! This time our hero’s archenemy has created menaces that seem more in line with something the Austrian villain Dr Mollfuss would come up with.

Scores of monstrous man-bats are flying through the skies over No Man’s Land, terrifying and killing Allied pilots in this latest super-scientific offensive by the Central Powers. G-8 recognizes the hand of his nemesis Doktor Krueger behind this deadly and horrific threat (though as I mentioned above I’d have laid my money on Dr Mollfuss given his love of animal-men). The man-bats are also able to shoot bolts of electricity from their fingertips for no apparent reason!  Continue reading →

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September 15, 2020 · 3:23 pm

DEMOCRAT MAYORS ENDORSE TRUMP OVER HIS HELP FOR THE WORKING CLASS

#WalkAwayAs one of the many former Democrats who chose to #WALKAWAY from that increasingly intolerant and violent party to become an Independent Voter, I like to see some current Democrats show some integrity.

Multiple Democrat mayors, most recently several in Minnesota, endorsed de facto Third Party President Donald Trump for reelection. The mayors cited Trump’s tremendous help for the working class and the poor in their endorsements. The link is below, but first some excerpts:

mascot donkey and republican heads“Like many in our region, we have voted for Democrats over many decades. We have watched as our constituents’ jobs left not only the Iron Range, but our country. By putting tariffs on our products and supporting bad trade deals, politicians like Joe Biden did nothing to help the working class. We lost thousands of jobs, and generations of young people have left the Iron Range in order to provide for their families with good-paying jobs elsewhere.

“Today, we don’t recognize the Democratic Party. It has been moved so far to the left it can no longer claim to be advocates of the working class. The hard-working Minnesotans that built their lives and supported their families here on the Range have been abandoned by radical Democrats.

“Yet, four years ago, something wonderful happened. Donald J. Trump was elected President of the United States, and he stood up to China, implemented tax cuts, and fought for the working class. Now, four years later, the Iron Range is roaring back to life and for the first time in a very long time, locals are hopeful because of this President’s policies and willingness to fight for us,” the mayors continued.

“Lifelong politicians like Joe Biden are out of touch with the working class, out of touch with what the country needs, and out of touch with those of us here on the Iron Range and in small towns like ours across our nation.” Continue reading →

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September 14, 2020 · 12:23 pm

MALDOROR 2:4 – THE MIDNIGHT OMNIBUS

Balladeer’s Blog resumes its examination of the macabre 1868 French language work The Songs of Maldoror.

THE MIDNIGHT OMNIBUS

Midnight strikes in Paris. An eerie double-decker horse-drawn omnibus bursts forth from the ground and begins making its way through the nearly empty, night-darkened streets.

A few late night wayfarers regard the unusual omnibus with a shudder as it goes by. The vehicle carries the full passenger load of twenty-four but all of the travelers on the upper deck appear to be lifeless corpses leaned against each other.

The top-hatted driver looks like another corpse, and the whip he uses to urge on his horses seems more alive than he is. That whip appears to be what animates the arm of the otherwise lifeless driver, not the other way around. Even the passengers on the inner deck remain mute and still and are likewise as pale as ghosts.   Continue reading →

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September 13, 2020 · 3:21 pm

COLLEGE FOOTBALL RESULTS FROM SEPTEMBER 12th

NAIA

Warner Memorial U Royals helmetCOMEBACK KIDS – The WARNER UNIVERSITY ROYALS hosted the WEBBER INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY WARRIORS yesterday. The Royals were chasing the Warriors 3-0 to end the 1st Quarter and 10-3 come Halftime. Late in the 3rd Quarter Warner University tied things up at 10-10 before finishing off Webber International in the 4th by a final score of 24-17.

Dordt College DefendersDYNAMIC DEFENDERS – The DORDT COLLEGE DEFENDERS took it on the road against the MIDLAND UNIVERSITY WARRIORS (should be the Lutherans). Neither team scored in the first 12 and a half minutes of the opening Quarter but the Defenders were on top 14-0 before the 2nd Quarter got underway. At the Half Dordt College was up 14-7 and 16-7 to end the 3rd. From there the Defenders won out 22-14. 

Dickinson State Blue Hawks helmet NEWAG BOWL – The 5th Annual Ag Bowl pitted the DICKINSON STATE BLUE HAWKS against the DAKOTA STATE TROJANS. A 14-7 1st Quarter lead for the Blue Hawks became a 14-14 tie by the midpoint of the game. After the break Dickinson State led the Trojans 20-14 in the 3rd Quarter, then carried through with a 26-14 triumph. Continue reading →

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September 12, 2020 · 11:16 pm

DEMOCRATS AND CORPORATE FASCISM

Democrat rat

    DEMOCRAT PARTY

Since my contempt for both of America’s major political parties is well known, some overseas readers have asked me to explain the Democrats’ mastery of Corporate Fascism.

Let’s start with the basics – long ago corporate fascists and other bloated rich pigs tended to gravitate toward the Republicans. However, the clueless Republican leadership understands nothing but money, while the Democrats understand power and its use.

Money follows power, so corporate fascists therefore naturally gravitated more and more to the Democrats, who not only get the corporate fascists what they want but manage to make them look civic-minded in the process. Conversely, if rich pigs don’t play ball with the Democrat fascists the Democrats use their media outlets to smear those rich pigs to the point of ruin.

Take the NFL, MLB and NBA for starters. Years ago the national conversation about brain-dead professional athletes was dominated by scandals about the use of performance-enhancing drugs, cheating, law-breaking, fixing and ESPECIALLY violence against women. Mostly domestic abuse and rape. The NFL was also facing endless problems due to the concussion issue and its possible negligence. 

Years down the road, we see that as long as the NFL, MLB, NBA and others are willing to become louder and louder shills for the Democrats’ pet issues of the moment those negatives like domestic abuse don’t get discussed much – if at all – anymore. It’s another way the buffoonish Republican leadership’s failure to keep up with the Democrats in the Media Arms Race leads to defeats in other arenas.

At present the NBA in particular is down there with scum like I.G. Farben since the NBA is in bed with the Chinese Concentration Camps and the slave labor used to make NBA merchandise. But the Democrats’ media outlets provide cover for the NBA since that league is basically a Democrat Campaign Organization now.

Nike and Disney have their own horrific ties to Chinese Concentration Camps and slave labor but the Democrats’ media outlets provide cover for Nike and Disney since they own many Democrats in office. 

Democrat fascismBack to athletics, Corporate Sports don’t just publicize the issues the Democrats want publicized they even advocate for or condemn particular political candidates now. Democrats who get elected with the aid of such support are not likely to pass legislation hurting their corporate fascist allies in the major sports franchises.

Another way that Corporate Sports help the Democrats is by circumventing political contribution laws. Say the Democrats’ media outlets pump up interest in a particular issue. The corporate fascists of the corporate sports world can “donate” countless MILLIONS of dollars to organizations which the Democrat media outlets promote as “socially concerned” organizations fighting for “positive change.”

Those allegedly socially concerned organizations can funnel many of those funds to Democrat politicians by way of third and fourth party organizations pretending to be “non-partisan” and socially conscious. Continue reading →

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September 11, 2020 · 11:43 pm

LONDON: NEGLECTED SUPERHERO FROM WORLD WAR TWO

This blog post was requested by several readers of Balladeer’s Blog. They loved the concept of Jerry Robinson’s Golden Age character from Lev Gleason’s publications and wanted to know more about him, so here is a look at ALL the stories in his sadly brief run. 

London picLONDON

Origin: While covering the Blitz during World War Two, suave newscaster Marc Holmes decided that his fellow Brits needed extra inspiration to maintain their spirit of defiance against the Nazis. He adopted the costumed identity of London and battled Axis Agents.

Powers: London was in the peak of human condition and excelled at unarmed combat. He also possessed the agility of an Olympic gymnast. In addition, this hero was a crack shot with the handgun he carried.

Daredevil 2STORY ONE – Daredevil Comics #2 (August 1941)

Title: London

Synopsis: Despite this being the very first published adventure of the superhero called London, the story establishes that he is already well-known from his escapades during the actual Blitz, September 1940 to May 1941. In his secret identity of Marc Holmes, our main character plugs his alter ego’s heroics during his nightly radio broadcasts.

mascot sword and gun picMeanwhile, Dian, a fictional niece of Winston Churchill escapes a Concentration Camp in Nazi-occupied Holland with a dissident educator named Franz. When the pair arrive in the city of London their escape is covered by Marc Holmes, an old friend of the niece and of Churchill.

Under cover of a blackout during a Luftwaffe bombing raid, Churchill himself is kidnapped by the treacherous Franz and some fellow spies. Our hero London battles and captures a few of the spies but three of them get away with the Prime Minister still their captive. Continue reading →

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September 11, 2020 · 2:07 am

ANNUAL SEPTEMBER 11th POST

Independent Voter site Balladeer’s Blog, the Open City of America, takes a look at a parallel Earth today. As usual this is the only site on the ‘net that is truly non-partisan in its criticism of Democrats and Republicans. WE NEED THIRD PARTIES.

Several years ago a big deal was made over whether or not the 9-11 attacks could have been prevented by greater coordination between elements of the forever corrupt intelligence community. Amid the predictable partisan bickering and childish finger- pointing that characterized the 9-11 Commission and its findings an important consideration was overlooked.

That consideration was how events would have unfolded if the attacks had actually been thwarted. Let’s take a quick look at both the Democrat idiocy and the Republican idiocy that would have followed. 

THE DEMOCRAT IDIOCY – 

*** Democrats always feel that the only officially “intellectual” thing to do is to take sides against one’s own country no matter what the situation is. I agree there are plenty of times when reasonable people WILL take sides against their own country, but with American Democrats the rest of us have learned to just yawn and listen with amusement while they twist logic as severely as they have to in order to stick to their apparent loyalty to “everyone who hates America, right or wrong.”

*** The sheer unlikelihood of the 9-11 attacks would have served as the springboard for the Democrats’ attack on the opposition party’s intelligence services foiling those attacks. (And remember, I despise George W Bush, so this is NOT a defense of him.)

Mascot donkey and elephant heads pic

*** Democrats would have scoffed at the notion that the attacks could have ever succeeded. They would have ridiculed that possibility and made remarks like: “So the Bush administration would have us believe that this perfectly charming Mr Mohamed Atta and his friends would have succeeded in multiple plane hijackings and then, with the minimal pilot training they had, manage to fly those planes with pinpoint accuracy into the World Trade Center towers! Where- EVER does that cowboy in the White House get such notions?” 

*** The default argument of all Democrats is that the only people in the world that are irredeemably evil are Americans and they feel it is bigotry to ever suspect anyone else of any ugly intentions. They would have insisted the intelligence services nabbed Atta and his accomplices based solely on “xenophobic” or “racist” or “Islamophobic” assumptions. They’d have insisted it was “A Sacco and Vanzetti story for the 21st Century.” 

( By the way, if you’re not sure if you’re an American Democrat or not here’s a quick guide: If you’re condescendingly assuming that other people won’t understand the Sacco and Vanzetti reference then you just might be an American Democrat!)

Continue reading →

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