Sinew & Sandal Comics by Dave Goode

I'm a huge fan of " sinew & sandal " flicks. Or if you prefer "sword and sandal " movies. It's just that in my favorites from the genre the heroes rarely use swords. Just their muscles. Or like Steve Reeves in HERCULES (1957) the very chains the villain thought to bind him with. I'm talking about the movies starring the strength heroes Hercules, Maciste, Ursus, Samson and Goliath.

It was during the muscleman movie cycle (1957-1967) that the urban myth that George Reeves and Steve Reeves were brothers sprung up. After all George played Superman and Steve played Hercules. It seemed believable to anyone incapable of searching for facts. In any case during this period Superman met both Hercules and Samson on several occasions in DC Comics. Over at Marvel Comics Hercules became a supporting character in the Thor and Avengers features.

Charlton Comics published a Hercules comic book beginning in 1967 by Joe Gill and Sam Glanzman. The comic ran for 13 issues and focused on the hero's legendary twelve labors.

Dell Comics had previously published adaptations of the Steve Reeves' movies HERCULES and HERCULES UNCHAINED illustrated respectively by comic book legends John Buscema and Reed Crandall. For the latter they used the poster art from the movie for the comic's cover. One of the coolest things about the sinew & sandal genre was the poster art for the movies. They could have easily been used as covers for comic book adaptations of the movies.

Faux cover idea by Dave Goode art by Vance Capley

One of those things that I don't understand, and there are many, is why no American publisher looked at how popular these flicks were and thought to put out a Maciste comic book. Nope. Nothing. More's the pity.*

*Maciste has appeared in various Italian comic books for many years but sadly never in the U.S. He appeared in a Turkish comic adaptation of of the film Cabiria (1914).

A version of Maciste more accurate to the 1914 film from Albi of Audacia no. 28, 1938

 

The Bartolomeo Pagano silent Maciste films established the character as someone who could appear at any place and at any time. A series of comics in the 1940s presented a version much like these films.

   During the mid 60s, the grandson of Maciste, Kolosso who is "Kolosso nipote di Maciste più forte di Ercole" ( grandson of Maciste stronger than Hercules - most U.S. websites mistranslates it to "nephew to Maciste and nephew to Hercules"), and like the silent era films, Kolosso's stories could take place anytime and pretty much anywhere.

The Cave of Slaves with Maciste from  Albi of Audacia no. 38 1938

I CAN! I MUST!! I WILL!!! by Dave Goode

 

A couple of years back I came across an article debunking that old chestnut about how humans only used 10% of their brain power. And that if we could unlock that unused 90% we would be able to perform super-human mental and physical feats. Say it ain't so! That theory was the basis for any number of comic book heroes. Including one of my Silver Age favorites Peter Cannon...Thunderbolt.

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Peter Morisi (aka PAM)

Created by moonlighting NY City police officer writer/artist Peter Morisi under the pseudonym PAM , Thunderbolt's origin told the story of Peter Cannon the son of two American missionaries in Tibet. Combating the Black plague in a Himalayan monastery Peter's parents succumb to the disease themselves. Taken in by the monastery's High Abbot he is taught the knowledge of the " Sacred Scrolls " which teach him how to utilize the dormant portion of his brain. By the time he reaches manhood he achieves mental and physical perfection. Returning to America with his boyhood friend Tabu, the pacifistic Peter reluctantly uses his powers to fight for justice while costumed in his training outfit from the monastery with a mask attachment.

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Years later when Marvel Comics introduced the martial arts hero Iron Fist I couldn't help but notice how similar his origin was to that of Thunderbolt's. Later I would find that Morisi borrowed a bit from the origin of the Golden Age hero Amazing Man created by Bill Everett. And Thunderbolt's costume was reminiscent of the Golden Age Daredevil*.

One of the coolest things I found about the feature was how Morisi would subtly display Thunderbolt's powers through a series of workouts between Peter and Tabu. For instance they have a judo randori session where Peter beats his companion 6 ippons to 5. Reading the dialogue you learn Peter spotted Tabu 5 points. On another occasion Peter knocks Tabu out in a boxing match with one arm literally tied behind his back.

 

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Thunderbolt made his first appearance in January 1966 taking over the numbering of the discontinued Son of Vulcan title from Charlton Comics and ran from issue No.50 to No.60. Writing this blog installment I started to think who I would cast as Peter Cannon in a 60s Thunderbolt movie. I'm throwing a change-up here. Instead of Ron Ely I'm going to go with 60s "teen idol" Troy Donahue. From the neck up Donahue looked like quite a few blond comic book heroes. Unfortunately from the neck down he looked like Jimmy Stewart. But hey! Get him into the gym and give him a steady diet of T-Bone steaks and protein shakes and you'd have your Peter Cannon.

*Morisi, who'd done work for Lev Gleason Publications in 1940s, reported in Comic Book Artist #9 (August 2000) that he had attempted to buy the rights to 1940s superhero Daredevil in the early 1960s. Gleason gave him his okay, but the character's primary writer-artist, Charles Biro, balked, requesting a percentage of future profits. Morisi declined and went on to create Thunderbolt in a scaled-down version of that Daredevil's symmetrically divided, red-and-blue costume. - Wikipedia

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Now ju know Thunderbolt...but do ju know the Phantom Gorilla, Mr. Incognito, the Golden Adonis, and Dr. Judo? Ju don't?! Well, pal, now you ju do! ju-do as in judo...JUDO COMICS!! (Dave Goode did NOT write this pun...nobody in his right mind would write a pun this bad.) 

GRAB JUDO COMICS TODAY!!!!!! Just click the "link" below!

Casting Charlton's Judo Master by Dave Goode

The more things change the more they stay the same.Fan-boys are still arguing about who would prevail in a fight...Batman or Captain America? Of course back in the Silver Age of Comics the argument made a bit more sense.Back then both DC and Marvel described their respective heroes as the "world's greatest athlete" and the "world's greatest human fighting machine". Only back then the super-soldier serum didn't give the Captain the ability to make a fifteen foot standing high jump. Or run a mile in a minute among other things. So a fight between the two seemed a bit more fare. Both Batman and the Captain were just superior physical specimens who were highly skilled in hand-to hand combat. So as a pre-teen I wondered how Charlton Comics' Judo Master would have fared against the Caped Crusader or the Living Legend of WW Two.

 

Judomaster created by Joe Gill and Frank McLaughlin

Judo Master's origin appeared in Special War Series No.4(Nov.1965) a little over a year after Captain America made his first Silver Age appearance in The Avengers No.4(March 1964). In it Steve Rogers lookalike Sgt.Rip Jagger of the U.S. Army rescues the granddaughter of a Pacific island chief known as "Sensei". The islanders are actually Japanese citizens who left their homeland to escape the nation's war-time policies.Jagger himself is rescued by native guerillas after his unit is wiped out. He is then schooled in the martial arts by the islanders and given a colorful costume to fight a guerilla war against the Japanese. Jagger who had been a collegiate boxing champion in turn,under the tutelage of the islanders, masters jiu jitsu,karate,kendo and of course judo. He eventually also gains a kid sidekick in the form of a Japanese-American named "Tiger".

Like all fan-boys I imagined my favorite comic book features turned into movies. And the casting of Rip Jagger in a Judo Master movie seemed like a no-brainer. American karate legend Joe Lewis had been an avid weight-lifter during his days as a high school wrestler. Upon graduation he joined the Marines where he first studied judo and then karate while stationed in Okinawa. After leaving the service after a stint in Viet Nam he began competing in karate tournaments. He won innumerable point karate championships and then became the U.S. Heavyweight Kickboxing Champion and the World Heavyweight Kickboxing Champion.He was twice voted the greatest fighter in karate history. And Bruce Lee regarded him as such. The part of Colt in Return of The Dragon was originally written for him. But after a falling out between Lee and Lewis the role went to fellow karate champion Chuck Norris.Who knows if Lewis had taken the role maybe he would have gone on to B-movie and TV stardom. And we'd be making jokes about "Joe Lewis Facts".

GET YOUR COPY OF JUDO COMICS TODAY!

THERE SHOULD HAVE BEEN MORE SEQUEL by Dave Goode

Without a doubt the best masked wrestler movies not to come out of Mexico were the Superargo series from Italy. The two movies starred Giovanni Cianfriglia. Someone who should be familiar to all fans of European costume dramas. He worked as a body double for Steve Reeves and did stunt-work in many Italian action movies. Cianfriglia portrayed the Earth giant Antaeus in HERCULES THE AVENGER and has a memorable fight scene with Mr.Universe winner Reg Park who plays the demi-god Hercules. He also has a great fight in GOLIATH AGAINST THE VAMPIRES against former Tarzan movie star turned sinew & sandal hero Gordon Scott. Scott portrays Maciste and Cianfriglia in the course of the battle portrays an "evil twin". For years it was rumored that it was Steve Reeves that was seen in long shots as the evil Maciste/Goliath as the two men grappled. But it was in fact Cianfriglia.

In SUPERARGO VS. DIABOLICUS(1966) Cianfriglia billed as Ken Wood plays the masked wrestling champion Superargo. In what is more or less an origin tale masked wrestling champion Superargo defends his title against his friend,a wrestled called el Tigre. During the course of the match el Tigre is accidently killed. Superargo is understandably despondent and looks for purpose in life.He finds it when his former commanding officer from the army,now the head of the secret service,recruits him for a special mission. And he uses his special abilities plus a bullet-proof costume and some Bondian gadgets to take on the modern alchemist Diabolicus and his sexy red-headed accomplice who refers to her employer as the "future ruler of the universe". This flick is a lot of fun with a lot of action. And Loredana Nusciak as Diabolicus accomplice(girl friend?) and Monica Randall as Superargo's girl friend Lidia are both nice to look at.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The sequel SUPERARGO a.k.a SUPERARGO AND THE FACELESS GIANTS(1968) has Cianfriglia returning as the masked wrestler turned secret agent. Superargo's girl friend from the first flick is nowhere to be found. Instead the masked man is keeping company with Kamir a Hindu guru who has taught him to unleash his psychic abilities. Superargo is called in by the authorities to solve a case involving a group of missing athletes and ends up battling Professor Wond,played by former American western star Guy Madison,and his army of living robots.

 

 

 

I always thought there should have been a third movie so that fans of the masked wrestler genre would be talking about a Superargo trilogy today. Wondering what that might look like my buddy Vance Capley and I put together this faux page for a Superargo comic book.

CLICK THE PICTURE AND SEE DAVE GOODE AND

VANCE CAPLEY DISCUSS THIS FILM:

CLICK THIS LOGO TO SEE VANCE CAPLEY'S WORK