This weekend’s light-hearted, escapist superhero post from Balladeer’s Blog looks at one of Warren Publishing’s most neglected 1970s characters from Eerie magazine – the disfigured, gun-wielding vigilante priest called the Butcher.
EERIE #62 (Jan 1975)
Title: Forgive Us Our Trespasses
Hero: The Butcher
Villains: The New Orleans Mafia
NOTE: Along with Eerie‘s recurring characters the Spook (a big, black zombie in the 1840s American South who slaughters slave owners, evil Voodoo practitioners and their zombie armies) and Coffin (an undead and disfigured gunslinger in the late 1800s West who suffers under an Indian curse), I consider the Butcher to have tragically wasted potential.
Written by Bill DuBay and drawn by iconic artist Richard Corben, the Butcher combined Marvel’s the Punisher with its horror characters and paperback novel antiheroes like the Executioner and the Destroyer.
Synopsis: In June of 1932, New Orleans Mafia Don Carlo Gambino (no relation to the real-life New York Mafia boss of the same name) is on his deathbed. He has an unnamed priest brought to him to hear his last Confession. Continue reading
DR. SAN GUINARY – From 1971 to 1981, director John F. Jones at KMTV in Omaha, Nebraska hosted the channel’s version of Creature Feature as mad scientist Dr. San Guinary. The program originally aired late Saturday nights after the 10:00pm local news, then was moved to Midnight when KMTV started airing SNL in 1975.
The doctor, whose voice always had a certain Wolfman Jack sound to it, also did comedy inserts and sketches, of course. The circulating DVDs of Horror Host footage from decades ago featured plenty of Dr. San Guinary’s comedy bits, including his Mystery Door segments (above right). 
NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME – The last two teams standing in the NAIA were the FREED-HARDEMAN UNIVERSITY LIONS and the LANGSTON UNIVERSITY LIONS (should be Hugheses). By Halftime Freed-Hardeman University was on top 33-30, and after the break they squeezed out a tiny bit more separation from Langston U. FHU triumphed 76-71 led by 20 points from Orlando Thomas.
ELITE EIGHT: FIRST BERTH – The UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO MAROONS clashed with the GUSTAVUS ADOLPHUS COLLEGE GUSTIES. Gustavus Adolphus had the Maroons a bit wary with their 40-39 edge at the Half. From there, the University of Chicago snuck by the Gusties for a 93-92 victory. Twenty-one points from Shane Regan led the Maroons. 
Last March Balladeer’s Blog 
A TOURIST IN HAVANA (1908) – A documentary short depicting the sights to be seen by tourists in 1908 Havana. The director was Enrique Diaz Quesada, who founded the first film studio in Cuba alongside his brother Juan. This short debuted on September 15th at Havana’s Payret Theater. 
INAUGURATION OF PRESIDENT GENERAL JOSE MIGUEL GOMEZ (1909) – Another newsreel, this one filming the inauguration of Magoon’s elected successor.
THE GREAT ELECTRIC DIAPHRAGM – This short story was written by neglected American science fiction pioneer Robert Duncan Milne. It was published in the May 24th, 1879 edition of The Argonaut in San Francisco. 
FINAL FOUR: FIRST BERTH – The FREED-HARDEMAN UNIVERSITY LIONS faced the ARIZONA CHRISTIAN UNIVERSITY FIRESTORM. The teams went almost basket for basket in the opening Half, with the Firestorm on top 36-34 going into the locker room. From there the play was just as tight, but the Lions eked out a 79-78 victory. Rico Sain put up 21 points to lead Freed-Hardeman. 
With the passing of the iconic Chuck Norris I’m taking a look at my favorite films of his. I was never the biggest Norris fan, so this list is purely from the perspective of a casual fan. 
INVASION USA (1985) – Psychotronic cinema in its purest form, Invasion USA was so firmly in the realm of fantasy that it’s ridiculous that some critics tore into it so deeply. The same type of critics probably loved the pretentious One Battle After Another, which was basically Invasion USA in reverse. 
Matt is among the people fighting back against the communist invaders in escapist, over the top action scenes. Anti-Castro Cubans fight the invaders in alliance with our main character. Red Dawn was too juvenile in my opinion, so I much prefer this Norris flick.
THE VISION OF ADOMNAN – Dated to the late 600s A.D., This was a tale of the vision that Saint Adomnan supposedly had during his lifetime (c 679-704 A.D.). Several centuries before Dante’s Divine Comedy (Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradiso), The Vision of Adomnan depicted the future saint being conducted through Heaven, Purgatory, and Hell so that he could share this “vision” with others. 
NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME – This title tilt was fought between the 3 seeds – the LANCASTER BIBLE COLLEGE CHARGERS – and the 4th seeded COLUMBIA INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY RAMS. By Halftime the Chargers were on top 37-27. After the break, LBC kept the Rams at arm’s length as they won their first ever National Championship 82-75. Camden Hurst tossed in 27 points to lead the Chargers. 
ELITE EIGHT: FIRST BERTH – The AVE MARIA UNIVERSITY GYRENES faced the LOUISIANA STATE AT SHREVEPORT PILOTS (Riverboat Pilots). The Gyrenes put LSU-Shreveport on Upset Alert at the Half with their 46-38 advantage. The Pilots cut into the AMU lead from there, but still lost to them by a Century Club score of 102-98. The Gyrenes were led by Michael Klekas with a Double Double of 26 points and 11 rebounds. His teammates Jack Watkins and Alex Sherwood got Double Doubles of their own with 21 points & 11 rebounds, and 14 points & 10 rebounds, respectively. 
FIRE-EATER 
Powers: Fire-Eater, as his name would imply, could “eat” and suck in large flames as well as blow fire-blasts from his mouth. He was also impervious to fire and was skilled at unarmed combat. 
MADAME STRANGE 
Powers: Madame Strange was strong enough to rip iron bars out of a jail cell’s window, was bullet-proof and could run at greater than human speed. She was also an expert at unarmed combat and was skilled with a riding crop AND at knife-throwing. In addition this superheroine had her own personal plane from which she could drop bombs. 
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