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ROBERT E. HOWARD’S REAL RED SONYA (NOT SONJA)

red sonyaTHE SHADOW OF THE VULTURE – This story by Robert E. Howard, the ONLY Howard story to actually feature Red Sonya, was first published in the January 1934 issue of Magic Carpet Magazine. As I’ve mentioned in many other reviews of old pulp characters, Howard’s REAL Red Sonya was indeed a warrior woman, but not one from his fictional Hyborian Age.

It was Marvel Comics who distorted Red Sonya into “Red Sonja” and placed her as a guest star in assorted Conan stories as well as her own series. That Red Sonja has more in common with female author C.L. Moore’s warrior woman Jirel of Joiry than she does with Robert E. Howard’s Red Sonya.

red sonya picThe Shadow of the Vulture is one of Howard’s historical adventures and it’s set during the 1520s, largely at the Siege of Vienna from September 27th to October 15th in 1529. Red Sonya of Rogatino is a Polish-Ukrainian woman who is more skilled than most men with swords and guns.

The storied red-haired woman has a personal grudge against Muslim Ottoman Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent, who was besieging Vienna with over 100,000 soldiers against Vienna’s 21,000. Red Sonya was glad to serve against Suleiman’s armies whenever she could.  Continue reading

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FOOL KILLER 64: MAY 1913

Balladeer’s Blog continues its examination of the many facets of Fool Killer lore. FOR PART ONE, INCLUDING THE HISTORICAL CONTEXT IN THE 1850s, CLICK HERE

Fool Killer gray64. The May of 1913 edition of James Larkin Pearson’s Fool-Killer was lacking in urgency and satirical bite, but I found it to have a certain slice of life feel to it that captured its era yet also underlined certain tableaus that are seemingly eternal.

*** The Fool Killer reflected on how the already hopelessly corrupt Democrat and Republican Parties always set aside their fighting to close ranks against any true forces of political reform in the United States. That is especially relevant for us in 2022.

*** Dr. Friedrich F. Friedmann became a well-known figure in 1913. He had come to America from Berlin pushing his Turtle Vaccine, which supposedly treated tuberculosis. He made $125,000.00 for the American rights, but after much fanfare his vaccine was found to be ineffective and his nationwide distribution clinics folded. Skepticism regarding the claims about the vaccine proved to be well founded.

*** An unnamed Chicago surgeon called for people to automatically have their appendix removed rather than wait until they get appendicitis. This call was roundly ridiculed. 

*** Pearson and his Fool Killer advocated granting women the vote nationwide. Continue reading

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WAVELENGTH (1983)

WavelengthWAVELENGTH (1983) – This is an unjustly neglected science fiction film that stars Robert Carradine, Cherie Currie and Keenan Wynn in a very unconventional love triangle: both Carradine and Currie are fighting over Wynn. (I’m kidding!)

Robert Carradine plays a moody musician suffering a career lull, Cherie Currie portrays a groupie who becomes a bona fide romantic partner for him and Keenan Wynn barks and snarls in his usual “grouch with a heart of gold” manner. Cherie’s sensitive mind is open to alien brain-waves calling to her from a nearby (seemingly) abandoned government installation. Carradine and his neighbor Wynn help her try to find out what’s going on. Continue reading

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COLLEGE FOOTBALL RESULTS FROM SEPTEMBER 17th

HEADLINES

delta stateDELTA STATE CONQUERS DIVISION ONE – In this game NCAA Division 2’s DELTA STATE STATESMEN traveled to take on NCAA Division 1’s MISSISSIPPI VALLEY STATE DELTA DEVILS. By Halftime the Statesmen were on top 18-0. The Delta Devils finally got on the board in the 3rd Quarter, which ended with Delta State leading 25-10. In the 4th the Statesmen completed the Upset 28-17.

uw lacrosse eaglesUW-LACROSSE TOPPLES A D2 TEAM – NCAA Division 3’s (11) UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-LACROSSE EAGLES visited NCAA Division 2’s WAYNE STATE WARRIORS. The Warriors saw their 7-0 1st Quarter edge turn into a 21-14 Eagles advantage at the Half. A 21-21 tie ended the 3rd Quarter before UW-Lacrosse won out 28-21. 

roosevelt lakers green helmetDOWN GOES NUMBER SEVEN – Up in the NAIA, the ROOSEVELT UNIVERSITY LAKERS welcomed the number 7 team in the nation – the CONCORDIA (MI) CARDINALS. At the midpoint the score was knotted up 14-14 but from there the Lakers outscored Concordia 14-6 for a 28-20 Upset victory. Continue reading

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MARVEL TEAM-UP: EARLY STORIES

This weekend’s light-hearted, escapist superhero post here at Balladeer’s Blog will take a look at some of the very early stories in Marvel Team-Up.

mtu 1MARVEL TEAM-UP Vol 1 #1 (March 1972)

Title: Have Yourself a Sandman Little Christmas

Villain: Sandman

Synopsis: On Christmas Eve, Spider-Man and his old friend the Human Torch find themselves caught up in a battle with their mutual enemy Sandman. At that time the villain was still wearing the special costume his fellow Frightful Four member the Wizard made for him, which gave him the power to mix other chemicals with his sand body, thus increasing his power. Misty Knight makes her (retconned) first appearance.

NOTE: I wrote a VERY lengthy review of this story for the Christmas season of 2016 HERE.

mtu 2MARVEL TEAM-UP Vol 1 #2 (May 1972)

Title: And Spidey Makes Four

Villains: The Frightful Four

Synopsis: The Human Torch (Johnny Storm) is still very depressed over the end of his romance with the member of the Inhumans called Crystal.

NOTE: Crystal had been the Torch’s love interest for years and had even replaced Invisible Woman in the Fantastic Four during Sue Storm-Richards’ first pregnancy. Crystal would later marry the Avenger Quicksilver at a ceremony attacked by Ultron HERE.

frightful fourThe escaped Sandman reunites with his teammates in the Frightful Four (as you could guess, the supervillain version of the Fantastic Four) – the Wizard and the Trapster. Originally, the Inhumans member Medusa had been their 4th member back when she was a misunderstood villain.

With Medusa having gone straight and quit, the team needs a 4th member (the woman Thundra would not join until December 1972) so Sandman, Wizard and Trapster capture and enthrall Spider-Man. The Human Torch is the only Fantastic Four member on hand at the Baxter Building, and the hypnotized Spider-Man gets Johnny to let him into the building and the villains force their way in with him. Continue reading

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LATEST COLLEGE FOOTBALL RESULTS

NJCAA

Northwest Mississippi College Rangers blueWHEN RANKED TEAMS CLASH – Last night the number 4 team in the nation – the NORTHWEST MISSISSIPPI COLLEGE RANGERS – took it on the road against the 14th ranked PEARL RIVER COLLEGE WILDCATS. The Wildcats led 7-0 in the 1st Quarter and 14-7 by Halftime, but the Rangers shut them out from there. The 3rd Quarter ended in a 14-14 tie and the final tally was NMC 21  PRC 14.

jones college bobcats helmetKEEPING UP WITH THE JONESES – The (6) JONES COLLEGE BOBCATS visited the COPIAH-LINCOLN COLLEGE WOLFPACK. A 10-0 Bobcats advantage at the Half became a 10-10 deadlock in the 3rd Quarter. An action-packed 4th saw Jones College prevail by a score of 23-17. Continue reading

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SHANE: THE SERIES (1966) FORGOTTEN TELEVISION

shane in colorSHANE (1966) – David Carradine starred as the iconic gunslinger Shane in this 1966 television series adapted from the 1953 Alan Ladd movie.

The 1953 film Shane is largely regarded as one of the greatest westerns of its era and is usually on critical lists of the best westerns ever made. The closing cry of “Shane! Come back, Shane!” and variations on it became as much of a cultural catchphrase as “Come with me if you want to live!” would become in the 1980s. 

david carradine as shaneIf you’re not familiar with the movie, Shane is a gunfighter who longs to settle down and pursue the non-violent life he would have lived if things had turned out differently for him. He falls in with the Starrett family, who are among the Wyoming homesteaders getting leaned on by dishonest ranchers who want them off “their” land.

When the ranchers hire men to use increasing levels of violence against the homesteaders, Shane sacrifices his desire to live a “normal” life and uses his gunfighting skill to help the husband, wife and young son who took him in. Continue reading

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ROOSTER: SPURS OF DEATH (1977 & 1983)

rooster spurs of deathROOSTER: SPURS OF DEATH – This cosmically bad and tasteless movie was completed in 1977 but not released until 1983, presumably because there’s never been much demand for films from the ugly subgenre of cockfighting flicks. (Cocksploitation?)

Previously, Balladeer’s Blog reviewed the horrific movie Cockfighter, in which star Warren Oates portrayed a man who trains roosters for cockfights and at one point takes a vow of silence until one of his roosters wins a fight. (Hey, it’s not exactly the Dothraki custom of cutting a man’s hair if he loses a fight, but what can you do?)

Some of my remarks regarding Cockfighter can also be applied to Rooster: Spurs of Death, a Quinn Martin Production. Okay, I’m kidding about the Quinn Martin part, but anyway, R:SOD makes you understand exactly why the cruel activity of cockfighting became so despised. Continue reading

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THE EMPEROR OF THE AIR (1910) ANCIENT SCIENCE FICTION

emperor of the airTHE EMPEROR OF THE AIR (1910) – Written by George Glendon, this is a story about two visionaries – the German-American tycoon Hans Kreutzer and the Italian inventor Anatole Lonari.

The inventor has been finagled out of profiting from many revolutionary creations and feels very embittered. The tycoon, despite his comfortable existence, has become a dedicated anarchist and longs to lay low the “oppressor nations.”

Kreutzer and Lonari join forces and settle in a remote area of Spain to pursue their dream project. The inventor perfects a very advanced rotary engine while the tycoon/ entrepreneur produces a vacuum-lifted aircraft that requires no helium or hydrogen to rise into the sky.

Throw in solid fuel and futuristic explosives and the two masterminds complete their airship called the Zara. It can fly up to 100 miles per hour and remain airborne for extended periods of time. Continue reading

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COLLEGE FOOTBALL RESULTS FROM SEPTEMBER 10th

HEADLINES

Arizona Christian Univ helmet GOODACU CONQUERS DIVISION TWO – The annual tradition of NAIA college football teams upsetting teams from higher divisions has continued every week so far in 2022. Yesterday the ARIZONA CHRISTIAN UNIVERSITY FIRESTORM visited NCAA Division Two’s FORT LEWIS COLLEGE SKYHAWKS. The Firestorm stunned the Skyhawks, leading them 28-9 at Halftime before winning the game 52-12.

Missouri S&T Miners helmet MINERS TOPPLE DIVISION ONE – In a similar vein, NCAA Division Two’s MISSOURI S&T MINERS traveled to face Division One’s DRAKE UNIVERSITY BULLDOGS. This much tighter game saw a scoreless 1st Quarter followed by a 7-0 Miners edge at the Half. The Bulldogs came back to tie things up 14-14 in the 4th Quarter. In Overtime, Missouri S&T won out 17-14.

Whitewater Warhawks helmet newNUMBER ONE TAKES A FALL – Down in NCAA Division Three, the 6th ranked UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN AT WHITEWATER WARHAWKS welcomed the number 1 team in the nation – the UNIVERSITY OF MARY HARDIN-BAYLOR CRUSADERS. A 7-7 opening Quarter tie became a 14-10 midpoint lead for the Warhawks. The Crusaders went up 24-21 in the 3rd, but with 13 seconds left in the 4th, UW-Whitewater won the game 28-24.  Continue reading

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