QUESTION: Recently you recapped the saga of Laura Collins the Phoenix from the old Gothic Soap Opera Dark Shadows (1966-1971). Do you plan to review any of the other story arcs from the show?
ANSWER: At this time I don’t but I would emphasize that the original series is always fun to watch for people who like horror, sci-fi and fantasy. Like early Doctor Who episodes, part of the charm comes from the unrefined, seat-of-their-pants, low budget nature of the 5 day a week Dark Shadows.
Even people who aren’t fans of the show seem aware that it featured a vampire, a witch, ghosts and a werewolf. There were also warlocks, a Dorian Gray figure, mad scientists, zombies, an artist whose works came to life because his canvases were made from enchanted wood, plus lots and lots of time travel.
In addition to the aforementioned Phoenix and other tales, Dark Shadows featured two other fun storylines which I’ll summarize briefly:
The Leviathan Cult: The supernatural Collins family clashed with what was basically an imitation Cult of Cthulhu. Dan Curtis (creator and guiding creative force behind Dark Shadows) made the undersea entity worshiped by the cult be Leviathan from the Bible. (“Try suing us NOW, Arkham House!” I’m kidding.) Other serpentine figures from world mythology were tied to the Leviathans, too, like Nagas.
You know the drill: the Leviathans ruled the world long before the dawn of humanity and wanted to rule it again with the help of their human cultists. The thwarted Leviathans punished Barnabas Collins by returning the curse of the vampire upon him. (In a disastrous move that was up there with New Coke, the show’s creative team had actually had Barnabas cured for a while, but babes just didn’t go for the less-than-smoldering Jonathan Frid without his fangs.)
Even the witch Angelique had given up her evil pursuit of Barnabas for a time and had settled down with wealthy publisher Sky Rumson (Geoffrey Scott of First and Ten). When it turned out Sky was really one of the Leviathan worshipers, the heart-broken Angelique was once again free to stalk the re-fanged Barnabas.
The second of the two storylines came by way of Mary Shelley Continue reading
SECOND BATTLE OF MACHIAS – Previously I covered the First Battle of Machias from June of 1775. After that action Machias became a busy base for Privateering vessels. This second battle was fought August 13th-14th, 1777. 
It’s no secret that Donald Trump is a de facto Third Party President, which is why he’s had to fight the crooks in both major political parties. Recently yet ANOTHER poll showed people recognizing the fact that President Trump has been better for young African-Americans than Obama was. 
Meanwhile, regarding Africa, even anti-Trump zealots like Aubrey Hruby have been forced to admit that UNDER PRESIDENT TRUMP AMERICA INVESTS MORE IN AFRICA THAN UNDER ANY OTHER PRESIDENT! 
FIRST BATTLE OF MACHIAS – This battle took place June 11th and 12th of 1775, less than two full months after the Battles of Lexington & Concord kicked off our Revolutionary War. At this point in the 1700s Maine was still technically a Department of Massachusetts, which is why Maine is not listed as one of the original 13 colonies despite all the action that took place there. 
AMAZING ADVENTURES Vol 2 # 21 (November 1973) 
I’m combining Deathlok’s story with Killraven’s in a sort of Ultimate Killraven way, since Marvel in recent years had KR, Deathlok and other figures from their canceled post-apocalypse titles get thrown together as a team due to time anomalies, etc ANYWAY. 
Instead of watching Killraven struggle against guards I would have Warlord Ryker and Carmilla Frost watching and taking notes as other Keepers subject the rebel leader to various tests – many of them painful, of course – to determine the nature and origin of his paranormal abilities called simply The Power in the first two issues. (This was 4 years BEFORE Star Wars, so The Power is NOT a ripoff of The Force.) 
THE BATTLE CRY OF FLASHMAN – Time Period: 1862-1863. How Flashman – for entirely selfish reasons while being blackmailed by President Abraham Lincoln and Alan Pinkerton – secretly prevented Great Britain from recognizing the Confederate States of America. CLICK 
FLASHMAN OF ARABIA – Time Period: 1852-1854. Harry’s exotic adventures after getting separated from Richard Burton, the famous explorer, during Burton’s covert journey to Mecca and Medina while disguised as a Muslim pilgrim. CLICK 
NAIA (National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics) 
NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) DIVISION TWO
THANK YOU once again to all of you readers for making Balladeer’s Blog so enjoyable to write. As I always say the weird and controversial items I churn out here mean that readers have to be very secure in their own beliefs not to just take offense and leave.
JOE MAGARAC: FORGOTTEN AMERICAN FOLK HERO – The steel mill equivalent of Paul Bunyan, Johnny Appleseed and John Henry. CLICK 
Democrats, the party of slavery, the Ku Klux Klan, Jim Crow and the Dred Scott Decision, notoriously HATE independent-minded African-Americans who defy those Democrats. The privileged white-bread leadership of the Democrats continues to act like it owns people of color like they did on their plantations in the south long ago. (No Republicans owned plantations, or I’d be happy to say so since Balladeer’s Blog criticizes both political parties.) 
Burgess Owens pointed out what many have long stated: that the Democrat Party is the only wildly pro-slavery institution left with continuity all the way back to the slavery era. Therefore the Democrat Party organization should pay reparations. Or, as I point out, at least SHOW THE DECENCY TO CHANGE THEIR PARTY’S NAME since they push to eliminate all reminders of the Confederacy and the earlier years of their party’s beloved slavery. 
Coleman Hughes, who reminded booing racist Democrats that he is himself a Democrat, also defied the Democrat Party on reparations. He also debunked the Democrats’ frequently-stated lie that the U.S. government never apologized for slavery and Jim Crow, noting that both the House and the Senate have previously issued those apologies. 
Others weighed in on social media, like Larry Elder with this:
