The 10th Gladiator by Dave Goode

One of my favorite stars from the sinew & sandal genre was Dan Vadis. If you're not someone who "likes movies about gladiators" you might know him from his roles in Clint Eastwood movies like The Gauntlet , Bronco Billy, and Any Which Way But Loose among others. The first thing I took note of him in was the Ten Gladiator trilogy. In The 10 Gladiators (1963), Triumph of the 10 Gladiators (1964), and Spartacus and the 10 Gladiators (1964) he stars as Rocco the leader of a traveling band of gladiators who always seem to find themselves fighting on the side of the oppressed.

Of the 10 Gladiator series my favorite is Spartacus and the 10 Gladiators. It's great over the top fun with cheese whiz dialogue and the almost 3 Stooges-like antics of the gladiators themselves. Another plus for this one was the fight between Vadis and pro wrestler turned actor Milton Reid a.k.a as the villain. It makes you think the athletic Vadis could have had a second career in the grunt & groan racket as a "baby-face". You can also see why Vadis was nicknamed "Karate Dan" as he drops into a horse stance when he throws a punch. Usually a reverse punch or back fist.

Another good one that Vadis stars in is The Rebel Gladiator (1962). In this one he portrays a strength hero who has converted to Christianity and opposes the tyranny of the mad emperor Commodus played by sinew & sandal regular Alan Steel. Commodus in this flick is much closer to the historical Commodus then the one who was seen in the movie Gladiator (2000). The real Commodus declared himself the reincarnation of Hercules and fought in the arena. Of course those matches were probably as scripted as anything you'd find in the WWE.

In Hercules The Invincible (1964) Vadis stars as the legendary hero of song and story. Though not as massive as a Reg Park or Mark Forest he has an air of raw strength about him. He performs a feat of strength in this flick familiar to fans of the genre...the Hercules hold. And though it's doubtful his biceps measured over 18 inches he looks like he's capable of resisting the pull of the two elephants he's struggling against.

My favorite performance by Dan Vadis in a muscle movie was his turn as the Son of Jove in The Triumph of Hercules (1964). In it he's as noble as any of the other actors who've portrayed Hercules. But he seems to be having a lot of fun doing it. Unlike Steve Reeves in the groundbreaking Hercules (1957) Vadis enjoys being a god among men. Like in all his other starring roles his athleticism is on display throughout the movie. Be it rescuing someone from quicksand , fighting in the arena , matching his strength against 7 indestructible golden men or saving the heroine played by Marilu Tolo from a deathtrap.

It's his athleticism that makes me imagine starring in an American - made masked wrestler movie. Or maybe in a movie where he plays a jungle hero. Perhaps not Tarzan himself. But maybe as one of the Lord of the Jungle's many imitators. Or maybe an entirely new character. Below is a new Golden Adonis comic by myself and my buddy Vance Capley.

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