This weekend’s light-hearted, escapist superhero post here at Balladeer’s Blog takes a look at the often-mishandled DC character the Creeper, from Spider-Man co-creator Steve Ditko.
SHOWCASE Vol 1 #73 (April 1968)
Title: The Coming of the Creeper
Villains: Soviet Major Smej and Angel Devlin
Synopsis: Jack Ryder is a crusading television reporter and commentator for WHAM-TV in Gotham City. Ryder’s maverick style always has him in trouble with sponsors like Clayton Wetley and his own boss at the network – Bill Brane.
Jack gets tipped off about the abduction of Vincent Yatz, a scientific genius who recently defected from the Soviet Union to the United States.
Investigating, Ryder discovers that Major Smej, a Soviet spy, has allied himself with the criminal gang of Angel Devlin to abduct defectors and return them to the U.S.S.R. for punishment. Angel uses a half-angel half-devil costume schtick for his villain gimmick.
Our hero learns that Devlin will be covertly turning the captured Yatz over to Major Smej that night using a costume party attended by the rich and powerful as cover. Jack Ryder throws together a costume from leftovers he buys at a costume shop – the yellow, green and red sheepskin cape/stole ensemble that will become his Creeper outfit going forward.
At that costume party, Jack’s nosiness gets him roughed up and fatally stabbed by the costumed Angel Devlin and Smej’s men. Bleeding out, he is kept out of the sight of the bigwig guests by getting locked up with the scientist Vincent Yatz. Continue reading
DOWN GOES NUMBER THREE – The number 5 team in the nation – the GRAND VALLEY STATE LAKERS – welcomed the 3rd ranked COLORADO SCHOOL OF MINES OREDIGGERS. After a scoreless 1st Quarter the Lakers led 7-0 at Halftime. The 3rd Quarter ended with Grand Valley State out in front 17-6, but the Lakers had to hold on against a furious 4th Quarter rally by the Orediggers. The final score was Grand Valley State 25 Colorado School of Mines 22.
WORKING OVERTIME – The SOUTHEASTERN OKLAHOMA STATE SAVAGE STORM won a 41-34 Overtime affair against the visiting ARKANSAS TECH WONDERBOYS ### Meanwhile, the BLUEFIELD STATE BIG BLUES survived a 35-34 OT visit from the JOHNSON C. SMITH UNIVERSITY GOLDEN BULLS ### And the MCKENDREE UNIVERSITY BEARCATS defeated their hosts the NORTHERN MICHIGAN UNIVERSITY WILDCATS 31-24 in the extra session. 
COUNTERSTRIKE is a tragically forgotten British sci fi television series from 1969. Jon Finch (left) portrayed Simon King, an alien agent who worked for the Intergalactic Council. This council had sent him to Earth to protect it from a group of renegade aliens from a dying planet who wanted to conquer the Earth and make it their new home. 
Regular readers of Balladeer’s Blog know how fond I am of bad and weird movies. I cannot yet review Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey, the horror version of A.A. Milne’s characters from the Hundred Acre Wood, because it has not been released yet. A full trailer is out now and you can view it below. 
This French-produced (but English language) series about William Tell was the perfect antidote for fans of derring-do who were bored with the umpteen versions of the Robin Hood legend. 
William Tell and his son (the famous one with the apple on his head) defiantly foiling Gessler’s sinister machinations with the aid of fellow rebels. 
THE WARSTOCK: A TALE OF TOMORROW (1898) – Written by the British William Oliver Greener under the pen name Wirt Gerrare. Despite this book’s Great Britain origins, the two lead characters are American inventors from Plainfield, New Jersey – Robert Sterry and Willie Redhead. 
While hitting the social circuit in London, our heroes meet Madeline Winship, who connects them with backers who are part of an exclusive Royal Society-inspired group of scientific minds. The group are called the Isocrats, and they devote themselves to science and similar intellectual pursuits, like elevating dancing to what we might call performance art. 
FMU UPSETS DIVISION TWO – Every year multiple NAIA teams topple teams from higher divisions. Yesterday the FLORIDA MEMORIAL UNIVERSITY LIONS started 2022 by knocking off NCAA Division Two’s EDWARD WATERS UNIVERSITY TIGERS. The Lions led 26-0 at the Half, then held on against a furious Tigers rally for a 39-34 triumph.
SAFETY FIRST – This game pitted the TABOR COLLEGE BLUE JAYS against their hosts the IOWA WESLEYAN UNIVERSITY TIGERS (should be the Purple Tigers). The first points scored in this clash came on a 1st Quarter Safety, giving the Blue Jays a 2-0 edge which remained unchanged come Halftime. From there the Tigers led Tabor College 10-8 in the 3rd Quarter only to see the Blue Jays win out 17-13 in the 4th. 
UNDER THE RADAR CLASSIC – The BLUEFIELD COLLEGE RAMBLING RAMS paid a visit to the THOMAS MORE UNIVERSITY SAINTS. A 21-7 1st Quarter lead for the Saints became a 21-21 tie at the break. The Rambling Rams led 35-21 going into the 4th Quarter, then held on to win the game 42-35. 
DETECTIVE COMICS Vol 1 #27 (May 1939) 
The Lambert son (no first name is ever given for him and his father) insists he’s innocent and that his father was receiving threats from a criminal syndicate muscling in on the family’s firm, Apex Chemical Corporation. The dead man’s partner Steve Crane starts getting threats now and wants police protection. 
WORKING OVERTIME – The UNIVERSITY OF JAMESTOWN JIMMIES welcomed the VALLEY CITY STATE VIKINGS. The Jimmies led 7-0 in the 1st Quarter and 14-0 at Halftime. The 3rd Quarter ended with the University of Jamestown on top 21-7, but the Vikings forced Overtime with a 21-21 tie to end Regulation. In the extra session, VCSU notched a Field Goal, following which the Jimmies scored a Touchdown to win the game 27-24. 
VALOR AND PRIDE – In this game the EVANGEL UNIVERSITY VALOR took the field against the visiting CLARKE UNIVERSITY PRIDE. A 17-13 edge for the Valor at Halftime became a 24-20 advantage over the Pride headed into the 4th Quarter. Evangel University added another Touchdown for a 31-20 victory. 
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