This weekend’s escapist and light-hearted superhero post here at Balladeer’s Blog picks up where my original review of his 1940s adventures left off.
CAPTAIN AMERICA COMICS Vol 1 #6 (Sep 1941)
Story 1: The Camera Fiend
Synopsis: Captain America and Bucky prevent the theft of Great Britain’s Crown Jewels by a Nazi spy/ British traitor called the Camera Fiend. That villain wielded a camera (duh) that shot poison darts and other projectiles. He also had a gang of thugs, but they all fell to Cap, Bucky and agent Betsy Ross.
Story 2: Fang, Arch-Fiend of the Orient
Synopsis: Imperial Japanese supervillain Warlord Fang, one of Captain America’s best remembered foes from World War Two, is operating an undercover ring of spies in Chinatown. When Chinese officials in exile arrive in America to discuss what their country is suffering under the Japanese invaders, Fang and his men try to assassinate them but Cap, Bucky and Betsy defeat them.
Story 3: Captain America Meets the Hangman
Synopsis: Captain America and Bucky are assigned to protect Russian American scientist Dr. Vardoff, who has developed a new type of rope that is fireproof, & incredibly strong but flexible. Our heroes prevent organized crime plus an Italian fascist agent named Dino Cardi from stealing the invention. A costumed supervillain called the Hangman steals the rope material, then uses it to hang Vardoff, his lab assistant and others. Cap and Bucky defeat the Hangman and ultimately expose him as Dr. Vardoff himself. Continue reading
RAGE OF THE BUCCANEERS (1961) – Montalban stars as 1600s buccaneer Captain Gordon aka the Black Pirate (no relation to 
Romero’s most dangerous ally is Captain Tortuga (Jose Jaspe), a ruthless slaver who has clashed with Captain Gordon over the years. Montalban shines as the hero viewers can’t help but cheer for, especially when he thwarts the efforts of slavers to dump their chained human “cargo” overboard to drown rather than have our pirate captain liberate them. 
My recent blog post about the short-lived General Mills cereal mascots 
BRIDE OF FRANKENBERRY 
ADVENTURES IN RAINBOW COUNTRY (1970-1971) – This forgotten Canadian series starred LOIS MAXWELL herself as Nancy Williams, a widowed single mother raising her teenage son and daughter in a home on Lake Huron in the late 1960s. 
STANDOUT EPISODES: 
JOHN CARPENTER’S CANCELED 1988 REMAKE OF THE CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON: IN-DEPTH SCRIPT REVIEW – The internet is crawling with all manner of scripts for movies that didn’t get made, but this is the first time I’m mentioning one. That’s because I feel this one could have been a hit. Maybe not a cash cow but a solid hit. 
At this point the term “Lovecraftian” has been incredibly overused but let’s face it, that atmosphere is needed to breathe new life into this long-dormant franchise. Lovecraft’s tales of Dagon and Innsmouth and the underwater ruins in The Temple would fit this franchise like a glove. 
CUCUMBER CASTLE (1970) – Eight years before the Bee Gees embarrassed themselves on the big screen with a horrible movie forcing a storyline to the Beatles album Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band they embarrassed themselves on the small screen forcing a storyline to their own album Cucumber Castle. 
Cucumber Castle is so awful that not being in it was presumably brother Robin Gibb’s greatest professional triumph. He had recently left the Bee Gees in a huff to try a solo career, and little Andy Gibb was only twelve years old, so Barry and Maurice, who also produced, were left holding the 
THE Nth MAN (1920 – 1924?) – Written by Homer Eon Flint, who died in 1924. Though this short novel was not published until 1928 many fans of the author argue that it was actually written in 1920. 
Time for another look back at a clash of cereal mascots. Previously, Balladeer’s Blog covered 
General Mills tried replicating their Monster Cereal success with a pair of cartoon World War One flying aces as mascots for two new cereals. Sir Grapefellow was a stiff upper lip British fighter pilot whose cereal featured oats and grape-flavored marshmallows called Starbits. Baron Von Redberry, clearly based on Germany’s Red Baron, represented a cereal with oats and berry-flavored marshmallows/ Starbits.
CLOSE CALL FOR NUMBER ONE – The nation’s number one team – the NORTH AMERICAN UNIVERSITY STALLIONS – clashed with the visiting TEXAS A&M AT TEXARKANA EAGLES (should be Texarks). The 1st Half ended with the Stallions on top 37-29 but Texarkana was ready for a comeback. Their rally fell short as NAU held on to win 74-71. Jayden Jackson led the Stallions with 23 points, while teammate Joseph Cormier got a Double Double of 11 points and 12 rebounds. 
CENTURY CLUB – Teams scoring 100 or more points in Regulation: The (6) NEWPORT NEWS APPRENTICE SCHOOL BUILDERS (Shipbuilders) obliterated the CENTRAL INTERNATIONAL COLLEGE CARDINALS 121-65 ### The BLOOMFIELD COLLEGE BEARS won 110-108 at the BRYANT & STRATTON COLLEGE (Albany) BOBCATS ### And the (10) PAUL QUINN COLLEGE TIGERS mauled the WILEY UNIVERSITY WILDCATS 107-53. 
SPIDER-MAN Vol 1 #50 (Jul 1967) 
Over the next few weeks, the crime rate in New York City skyrockets with no Spider-Man getting in the way of villainy and only Daredevil fighting street-level wrongdoing. Our hero’s absence is noted in criminal circles, inspiring the Kingpin to at last operate openly. 
