This weekend’s light-hearted, escapist superhero blog post deals with Marvel’s enigmatic mercenary Paladin, whose activities on behalf of his clients often put him on both sides of the law.
He has no connection to the Paladin character from the Have Gun Will Travel radio and television shows.
DAREDEVIL Vol 1 #150 (January 1978)
Title: Catastrophe
Villain: The Purple Man (Killgrave)
NOTE: This was the first appearance of Marvel’s Paladin. To this day they have not revealed his real name, but he sometimes uses the aliases Paul Dennis and Paul Denning. Paladin is as agile and acrobatic as Daredevil, wears resilient body armor that does not restrict his movements and wields a Stun Gun.
That weapon’s ray-blasts stun and scramble the nervous system, so they are effective even against super foes but have no effect on unliving matter. Through some STILL unexplained biological mutation or scientific enhancement, Paladin is strong enough to lift an entire ton. Continue reading
THE NEW NORTHLAND (1915) – Written by Louis Pope Gratacap. The main character is explorer Alfred Erickson, who recruited a few associates of varied backgrounds to join him in a search to prove the existence of an isolated warm weather land mass in the far north. 
PART 65 – Some of the Fool Killer’s targets in the June of 1913 edition of James Larkin Pearson’s version of the figure: 
NAIA (National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics) 1. MORNINGSIDE COLLEGE MUSTANGS ### 2. NORTHWESTERN (IA) COLLEGE RED RAIDERS ### 3. GRAND VIEW UNIVERSITY VIKINGS ### 4. BETHEL (TN) UNIVERSITY WILDCATS ### 5. SOUTHWESTERN COLLEGE MOUNDBUILDERS ### 
I GO POGO (1980) – A possum for president? This stop-motion animation rendition of Walt Kelly’s iconic comic strip Pogo is, sad to say, even more aimless and unentertaining than the 1969 conventional animation show The Pogo Special Birthday Special. That IS the actual title, by the way. The approach to that half-hour cartoon special was, as the title indicates, so cloyingly cutesy that even Walt Kelly himself disliked it. 
Kelly was a master of making his political allegories blend so seamlessly into the tales of his cartoon animals that the deeper meaning would go over children’s heads as they enjoyed the antics of the Okefenokee Swamp’s denizens. For a comparison, think of how Jonathan Swift’s Gulliver’s Travels was a very biting satire but the story outline is so perfect it survived as a children’s tale long after the political and social topics that Swift was writing about faded into history. 
Blame the 1969 television special and this 1980 bomb for helping to consign these brilliant cartoon figures to oblivion, even though they once rivaled the Disney Empire in merchandising. Peanuts and Winnie the Pooh had nothing on Pogo and company. 
With Veterans Day coming up here are links to Balladeer’s Blog’s many World War One posts over the years. 
LINCOLN TOPPLES NCAA DIVISION TWO – The unaffiliated LINCOLN (CA) UNIVERSITY OAKLANDERS took it on the road against NCAA Division 2’s BLUEFIELD STATE BIG BLUES. In a blow to the pride of the upper divisions, the Oaklanders emerged with a 20-17 Upset win in this Instant Classic. 
KNOCKING OFF NUMBER SEVEN – In NCAA D2 the 24th ranked UNIVERSITY OF WEST GEORGIA WOLVES traveled to face the number 7 team in the country – the DELTA STATE STATESMEN. The Statesmen led 14-7, 28-17 and 35-24 in the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Quarters respectively. In the 4th, the Wolves exploded for 28 points and a 52-42 comeback victory. 
NUMBER TWO TAKES A FALL – Down in the NJCAA the number 8 COFFEYVILLE COLLEGE RED RAVENS welcomed the 2nd ranked IOWA WESTERN COLLEGE REIVERS yesterday. Believe it or not the Red Ravens held the Reivers to just 7 points and those came in the opening Quarter. Coffeyville led 16-7 at Halftime before winning the game 23-7. 
MARVEL FEATURE Vol 1 #11 (September 1973) 
The villain whose champion wins the battle will win the prize – abducting BOTH monsters to serve them in their plans. In the Leader’s case, to take over the Earth, and in Kurrgo’s case, to conquer and once again subjugate his people. 
THE SCIENTIFIC ADVENTURES OF BARON MUENCHHAUSEN (1915-1917) – Written by the iconic Hugo Gernsback in the years before he launched his own publication, these sci-fi tales presented the 1700s Baron being alive and having wild adventures. (The cover spelling does not match the one Gernsback used.)
IRON SMOKE BOURBON – Hunker down with some Iron Smoke Bourbon to help you and yours celebrate. 
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