Mightier Than The Mastodon! Swifter Than The Cheetah by Dave Goode

During the Silver Age of Comics my favorite Tarzan imitation was Marvel Comics' Ka-Zar. There was a Ka-Zar who appeared in a pulp magazine of the same name published by Martin Goodman's Manvis Publishing for three issues. October 1936 , January 1937 and June 1937. In 1939 the Ka-Zar character was adapted to the comic book page for Timely Comics also published by Martin Goodman. And he made his first comic book appearance in Marvel Comics No.1 alongside the original Human Torch and the Sub-Mariner. The character like the one that Buster Crabbe played in the movie KING OF THE JUNGLE (1933) was raised by lions and not apes.

 

The Silver Age Ka-Zar was a pretty one-note character (as were most Tarzan imitators). He premiered in X-MEN No.10 (March ,1965) and was more or less a Tarzan ala' Weissmuller in the Savage Land, a Pellucidar or Pal-Ul-Don type of lost world beneath Antarctica. Where Tarzan had his golden lion Jad-bal-ja , Ka-Zar had a pet sabretooth tiger Zabu. So if you liked Tarzan vs. Dinosaur stories you might think Ka-Zar was pretty cool. I myself especially liked when he would cut loose against an enemy while exclaiming "Mightier than the Mastodon! Swifter than the Cheetah! Mighty is Ka-Zar, Lord of the Jungle!" or some variation of that phrase.

Ka-Zar would guest star in Daredevil, Spider - Man, and The Hulk. And would get his own features in Astonishing Tales and Savage Tales. He would eventually receive a comic book title of his own. All of these titles were eventually canceled. As I said before Ka-Zar was pretty much a one-note character. And just how many times could you watch a television show about a jungle hero fight a dinosaur before you changed the channel? But then something remarkable happened with the premiere of the comic book KA-ZAR, THE SAVAGE (April 1981).

 

In KA-ZAR,THE SAVAGE No.1 we're introduced to a Ka-Zar that we've never seen before. One who is less "savage". Like Tarzan, Marvel's jungle king was an English lord who grew up in the wilds. Here he's been Americanized to the point that he resembles Ron Ely's Tarzan from the 1960s television series. Only wittier. He and Shanna, the She-Devil (Marvel's answer to Sheena of the Jungle) banter like William Powell and Myrna Loy in THE THIN MAN. This was a much more fun take on the character. And a much better read. The only problem I had with the new take on the character was how to reconcile it with what came before.

I had my own theory. Unlike Tarzan, Ka-Zar didn't come to the Savage Land as a baby. He was a preteen. One who probably watched Weissmuller, Lex Barker, and Gordon Scott movies. He might have read comic books starring Kaanga, Ki-Gor and Thun'Da. In short he was playing a role. Acting out how he thought a "King of the Jungle" would act.

 Did you enjoy this weeks blog? Share it on social media with your friends or better yet, show your gratitude buy purchasing our fine products:

Then click >>>>>HERE<<<<<< and buy ours!

Buying cool T-shirts and what not help support this blog!

Click >>>HERE<<< to see our latest designs!  

And now...the Golden Adonis!

For old school comic fans who dig a giant t-rex...

And for younger fans who prefer their

t-rex size to be a more accurate size...

Benedict Arnold's Face On The Dollar Bill by Dave Goode

The day after the " Bizzaro Jerry " episode of SEINFELD aired on October 4, 1996, I got a call from my sister Katherine who wanted to know if the show had given an accurate take on the Bizzaro world. I told her "pretty much". But the episode reminded me more of Earth-3 from the Silver Age of Comics. The world that was introduced in Justice League of America No. 29 (August 1964) in a story titled Crisis On Earth Three. Written by Gardner Fox and illustrated by Mike Sekowsky the story introduced the Crime Syndicate of America with it's evil counterparts of Superman (Ultraman) , Batman (Owlman) , Wonder Woman (Superwoman) , the Flash (Johnny Quick) and Green Lantern (Power Ring). This was one of the best remembered stories of the Silver Age.




We were shown a bit Earth Three's history. For instance Columbus discovered
Europe. President John Wilkes Boothe was assassinated by Abraham Lincoln. And British colonists won their independence from America. But we weren't really given any details about life on Earth-3. Or any real background on the members of the Crime Syndicate. That would change in 2000 in the graphic novel JLA:EARTH 2 written by Grant Morrison and illustrated by Frank Quitely. In this story we find that Clark Kent (Ultraman) is the cuckold husband of Lois Lane (Superwoman) who is having an affair with Bruce Wayne (Owlman). It's a world where evil and corruption are the norm. Where the slogan on money reads " In Mammon We Trust " and Benedict Arnold's face is on the dollar bill.

Another variation on an evil counterpart to the Justice League appeared during the Silver Age at Marvel Comics. The Squadron Sinister made their first appearance in the final panel of Avengers No.69 (October 1969). They were Hyperion (Superman) , Nighthawk (Batman), the Whizzer (the Flash) and Dr.Spectrum (Green Lantern). No Wonder Woman counterpart this time around. In the next issue Avengers No.70 (November 1969) the Squadron are defeated by Thor ,Captain America ,Goliath and Iron Man. The story written by Roy Thomas and illustrated by Sal Buscema gave fan-boys a battle they had long wanted to see...the Avengers vs. the Justice League.






The evil twin is a superhero comic book cliche that has existed as long as there
have been superhero comics.It goes back further to ancient mythology. Any number of heroes has at one time or another had to fight an " evil twin ".  One of my favorite examples is Professor Zoom a.k.a the Reverse-Flash. Eobard Thawne made his first appearance in comics in The Flash No.139 (September 1963) and was created by writer John Broome and artist Carmine Infantino. A man from the distant future he possesses the same super-speed powers as the "Fastest Man Alive". Wearing the same costume as the Flash , only with the colors reversed ,Thawne has been a thorn in the side of the Flash throughout the Silver Age and beyond.

Go and grab some comics!! Right HERE!!

Now let us run at super speedster speeds and travel waaay back to March 12th 2010 and see the very first Judo Comics TV
hosted by the man of half a dozen masks, Mr. Incognito:

The Return of Jungle Johnny by Dave Goode

Arguably the greatest swimming champion of the 20th century , Johnny Weissmuller was as big , if not bigger , than Michael Phelps. In the 1920s he stood on equal ground with such sports legends as Red Grange , Jack Dempsey and Babe Ruth. He of course would become a movie star portraying a variation of Edgar Rice Burroughs' Tarzan of the Apes in six movies for MGM. And then in another six pictures for RKO. But I knew Weissmuller first as Jungle Jim from the syndicated television series. Later I would discover the 13 Jungle Jim movies he made for Columbia Pictures. And from 1954 to 1955 Weissmuller would play himself in three more flicks for Columbia, CANNIBAL ATTACK , JUNGLE MOON-MEN and DEVIL GODDESS. All of which would have been great adapted to the comic book page.

Considering just how little Columbia's Jungle Jim movies had to do with Alex Raymond's comic strip , which they were based on , you could have taken the stories from the movies and translated them into comic books without anyone ever noticing. With art by the likes of Frank Frazetta , Al Williamson and Wally Wood. That trio would have been great illustrating some of the sexy sarong-clad native girls that appeared in the movies. As well as the adventures of "America's No.1 Jungle Hero".  And as I could easily imagine a Johnny Weissmuller comic book I can just as easily imagine a Johnny Weissmuller adventure digest magazine. Just like with the Johnny Weissmuller comic book I can't understand why some
publisher didn't give it a shot.

 And now....Dave Goode and Vance Capley present:

Do you love comics?! We do too! We love them so much we made Judo Comics!! Don't be a CHUMP, grab your copy of Judo Comics by clicking this Link!

Watch Dave Goode and Vance Capley discuss this blog  and comic on youtube:

THE MAN OF ACTION by Dave Goode

There was a wonderful bit of dialog between Uma Thurman and John Travolta in PULP FICTION that was unfortunately cut from the final film. It was about being an Elvis or Beatles fan. You can actually like both. But in the end you are going to like one more than the other. The same can be said about G.I.Joe and Captain Action as well. I'm sure there were many G.I.Joe guys who thought Captain Action was pretty neat. I say this in full confidence because I was one of them.

Captain Action was an "action figure" introduced in 1966 as the Ideal Toy Company's answer to Hasbro's popular G.I. Joe. Strangely enough both were created and designed by Stan Weston. Originally the good captain was to be called  "Captain Magic" a hero who I suppose could magically transform into other heroes.For whatever reason I'm glad they decided to go with the name Captain Action. Captain Action came with a pretty neat black & blue costume,skipper's hat,ray-gun and extremely cool lightning bolt sword. Separate Aquaman ,Batman , Captain America , Flash Gordon , Lone Ranger , the Phantom , Steve Canyon ,Sgt. Fury and Superman costumes and accessories were available. In 1967 Buck Rogers , the Green Hornet , Spider-Man and Tonto were added to the line-up. And Captain Action was given a teen sidekick Action Boy who could be changed into Aqualad , Robin the Boy Wonder and Superboy. There was even a blue-skinned , bug-eyed alien scientist known as Dr.Evil that served as Captain Action's arch-enemy. The Captain Action figure was as much a part of the Silver Age of Comics as re-runs of The Adventures of Superman or the Batman television series starring Adam West. At least in my opinion.So it was appropriate that Captain Action received his own comic book series. If only for a brief run.

      

Captain Action No.1 (Nov.1968) published by DC Comics dropped the multi-hero idea from the toy-line largely because DC didn't own the rights to such heroes as Captain America or the Phantom. So an entire new origin was created for the comic book Captain Action written by the teenaged Jim Shooter , illustrated by the great Wally Wood and with a cover credited to Carmine Infantino and Irv Novick. On an archaeological dig Clive Arno and his associate Krellik discover a lost city that was once home to alien visitors who were the "gods" of mythology. These space-gods called the  "Elders of Arsu" left their powers in coins before they departed from Earth. Arno decides to the use the powers granted by the coins to fight evil. Krellik decides to use the power granted to him for evil. Arno's son would join his father as Action Boy to thwart Krellik's plans. Shooter would also write the second issue. But Gil Kane would replace Wood as the penciller on the feature. Though Wood would ink Kane's pencils in issue two. Thereafter Kane was credited as both writer and illustrator of the feature. Though Wood would return to ink Kane's pencils again in Captain Action No.5. In issues 2 ,3 and 4 from the series Captain Action and Action Boy would face off against their arch-foe from the toy-line Dr.Evil.

In a twist Dr.Evil was Arno's father-in-law who was turned into the bug-eyed evil scientist by a lab experiment gone wrong. Just how many times has this happened in a comic book? In the 5th and final issue Captain Action and Action Boy went up against a demagogue. Not an "evil" that comic book heroes were usually seen struggling against.

 

 

 

 

There was another Captain Action comic that was published in the Silver Age. It was produced by Ideal and came with the Captain Action figure and was illustrated by comic book artist Chic Stone. It told the story of a young boy who receives the Captain Action and Action Boy figures and their accessories for his birthday. He then dreams of an alien invasion of Earth that is halted by the two heroes using their ability to turn into other heroes. Of course even though I enjoyed the story I couldn't help but wonder why they couldn't stop the invasion by simply turning into Superman and Superboy.

editor note- both Moonstone and Dynamite have made Captain Action comics. And you can grab your OWN Captain Action figure...not the original, but a modern made figure: http://www.freshmonkeyfiction.com/shop/Captain-Action-Amazing-Heroes-Action-Figure-p58570428

Do you like action packed fun?! So do we! Get JUDO COMICS!

Introducing Pharaoh Love by Dave Goode

 "I want the most beautiful.I'll take the big black one." My mom chuckled when Joanna Barnes delivers that line in the gladiator movie classic SPARTACUS. Miss Barnes and Nina Fochs were playing a pair of decadent Roman noblewomen who were choosing gladiators to fight to the death for their entertainment. I'm sure that line and the look of ..er.. admiration in the eyes of Miss Barnes for the black gladiator played by Woody Strode was quite titillating for movie audiences back in 1960. Interracial sex was still considered taboo by many. Heck! Interracial marriage wouldn't be legal in all 50 states in America until 1967.

Muscular black men could be found in peplum movies from the very start. Usually as gladiators or slaves. Remember Maciste was originally a black man. Though he was played by white actor/strongman Bartolomeo Pagano with his skin cosmetically darkened. His first screen appearance was in the 1914 silent film epic CABIRIA based on the historical novel Salammbo by Gustave Flaubert. In all subsequent films he was portrayed as caucasian. And that would be the case in all the Maciste movies from the sinew & sandal movie cycle from the 50s and 60s.

In gladiator movies you might find a black man playing the hero's best friend and confidant as William Marshall did in the 1954 Hollywood epic DEMETRIUS AND THE GLADIATORS. In the muscleman flicks like the SON OF HERCULES VS. THE MOLE-MEN you might find a black man as the hero's sidekick. Former Mr.Universe Paul Wynter filled the bill in that flick. Harry Baird played a similar role in the flicks TAUR THE MIGHTY and THOR AND THE AMAZON WOMEN. And then there was Serge Nubret.

Serge Nubret was one of the all-time great body building champions. Competing for 25 years and winning numerous titles. He would appear in a number of European movies and television series. His two best known films from the sinew & sandal genre were MY SON MY HERO and GOLIATH THE REBEL SLAVE in which he appeared with former movie Tarzan Gordon Scott. I really wished Nubret had the chance to star in a gladiator movie of his own. BLACK GLADIATOR would have been the most logical title. But then I don't think audiences in the early 60s would have been ready for scenes with Serge and some Euro-starlet performing like Steve Reeves and Sylvia Lopez had in HERCULES UNCHAINED.

Below are two new characters my buddy Vance Capley and I have been working on. Pharaoh Love and Miss Ginger Snaps. Those of you who have bought JUDO COMICS from Lulu.com may recognize the photographer from THE GOLDEN ADONIS strip.

FOUR MEN LIVING ON BORROWED TIME! The Greatest Comic Book Movie Never Made!! by Dave Goode

If you're a comic book enthusiast I'm not telling you anything new when I say the Silver Age's original "fantastic four" came from DC and not Marvel. Though both were co-created by Jack Kirby. Appearing in Showcase No.6 cover date Feb.1957 (Holy Spit! The Challs are 60 next month!) the Challengers of the Unknown were the first great super-team of the Silver Age. Though not possessing "powers and abilities far beyond those of mortal man" the original team would hold their own against foes that might give the Justice League of America a moment's pause.

There was Ace Morgan,test pilot and Korean war ace. It would be revealed in the 60s that former military man Ace was the leader of the Challengers. Prof. Haley was an expert skin-diver and overall scientific genius. Rocky Davis was the former Olympic wrestling champion and strongman of the team. In later years Rocky in a world not populated by strange visitors from another planet Rocky might have been considered the world's strongest man. And finally there was Red Ryan, a circus daredevil and mountain climbing expert.

I always thought that a Challengers movie in the 50s or early 60s when the heroes were still wearing purple jumpsuits would have been perfect from the era that gave fan-boys movies like The Creature from the Black Lagoon, The Mole People and Worlds Without End. I would have cast Richard Denning as Ace. But a friend on FB suggested Dean Fredrericks who played Steve Canyon on TV as the fighter pilot. John Agar is my pick for Prof.Haley. Gordon Scott would be Rocky. And Edd "Kookie" Byrnes would be Red Ryan.

The storyline for this movie would follow the origin from Showcase No.6. But it would have the team going to one of those "land that time forgot" islands that always turn up in pulp fiction and B-movies to rescue some millionaire's daughter. There they would face a couple of stop-motion Ray Harryhausen dinosaurs. And Rocky would get to fight the champion of a lost city in the arena. The island would sink into the ocean after a long dormant volcano erupts and our heroes would escape in their plane.

  Whatever Happened To The Female Challengers?

On the first page of Showcase No.6 there was a mention of four female adventurers who were appearing on a radio show. As far as I know these ladies were never to be seen again. I imagine they were to be counterpart to the Challs. My guess one would be an Olympic swimming champ and archeologist. Another a circus acrobat. Ace's counterpart would be a stunt pilot modeled after "Pancho" Barnes. And Rocky's counterpart would be based on "Rusty" Kanokogi. Kanokogi was a woman judoka. She first began studying the martial art in 1955. And in 1959 cutting her hair and taping her breasts down to disguise herself as a man she won a medal at a YMCA judo competition. Below is what a female Challengers comic might have looked like as illustrated by artist Vance Capley:

DR. JUDO, MR. INCOGNITO, PHANTOM GORILLA, AND THE GOLDEN ADONIS ARE GATHERED TOGETHER IN ONE NEW BOOK...JUDO COMICS!

GRAB YOURS TODAY! HERE IS THE LINK: JUDO COMICS!

Monster Mash-Up by Dave Goode

Back in the 1940s Universal tried to wring the last drop of blood from their famous monsters franchise by teaming their 3 biggest horror heroes Dracula,the Wolf Man and the Frankenstein monster in a series of movies beginning in 1943 with FRANKENSTEIN MEETS THE WOLF MAN. This was a direct sequel to THE WOLF MAN (1941). It was followed by HOUSE OF FRANKENSTEIN (1944),

HOUSE OF DRACULA (1945) and finally ABBOTT & COSTELLO MEET FRANKENSTEIN (1948). I've come to refer to this series of movies as the "Larry Talbot saga". Combined they told the tragic tale of Larry Talbot the Wolf Man.*

There was even a 6th installment to the Larry Talbot saga in the form of a novel. THE RETURN OF THE WOLF MAN written by Jeff Rovin begins where ABBOTT & COSTELLO MEET FRANKENSTEIN ends. It's a must read for anyone who grew up on Chiller Theater and Creature Features.

Years later the producers of Mexico's masked wrestler movies would use the same formula and team up their Mexiluchahero stars in the same way Universal teamed up their monster movie stars. Strangely enough they had their wrestling super-heroes facing off against knock-offs of the Universal monsters in flicks like SANTO AND BLUE DEMON VS. DRACULA AND THE WOLF MAN and SANTO AND BLUE DEMON VS. THE MONSTERS.

Below,right out of the Atom Age of Comics, is the cover for Dr.Judo No.13 drawn by my amigo Vance Capley. It features three of Universal's classic monsters. But substituting the Mummy for the Frankenstein monster.I always thought the Mummy should have been featured in ABBOTT & COSTELLO MEET FRANKENSTEIN. If only as one of the exhibits in McDougal's House of Horrors.

  JUDO COMICS IS REAL AND AVAILABLE TO YOU!

CLICK THE PICTURE TO GET YOUR COPY TODAY!!!

*editor note "some count LA CASA DEL TERROR (1960) (this footage, along with footage from LA MOMIA AZTECTA (1957), was used in Jerry Warren's "masterpiece" FACE OF THE SCREAMING WEREWOLF (1964)) as part of the Larry Talbot story just because Chaney, Jr. plays the werewolf...we leave that one up to you..."