The Bat-Man Swings Into Action by Matt Wagner!
I love Batman stories set in this era. Matt Wagner must as well. Just look at that beautiful art. Bat-Man is just starting out. The odds are against him. Good shall prevail!
Author: Craig Zablo
New Trailer for “The Rip” starring Matt Damon and Ben Affleck & Directed by Joe Carnahan!
Check out the new trailer for The Rip starring Matt Damon and Ben Affleck & Directed by Joe Carnahan.
Deal me in!
Trust has a price… Who will pay?
The Rip is only on Netflix, January 16.
Starring Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, Steven Yeun, Teyana Taylor, Sasha Calle, Catalina Sandino Moreno & Kyle Chandler.
Directed by Joe Carnahan.
The Wolfman by Gary Martin!
When I was a kid I loved the classic Universal Horror Monsters. I still do. I think Gary Martin must as well. Look at his wonderful wolfman drawing. How could he not?
“I’m Chevy Chase and You’re Not” (2026) / Z-View
I’m Chevy Chase and You’re Not (2026)
Director: Marina Zenovich
Stars: Chevy Chase, Beverly D’Angelo, Ryan Reynolds, Goldie Hawn, Dan Aykroyd, Martin Short, Kevin Nealon, Paul Shaffer and Lorne Michaels.
Tagline: None.
The Plot…
Saturday Night Live premiered on October 11, 1975, and it was obvious from the start that Chevy Chase was going to be the breakout star. When Chase anchored the “News Update” segments viewership would spike. He came off as funny, goofy, personalble, girls thought he was cute and guys liked him as well. And man, could he take a pratfall.
The only surprise when Chase left Saturday Night Live for Hollywood was how quickly it happened. He didn’t even complete the show’s second season.
Chase’s first starring role in a feature film (Foul Play) hinted at great things to come. But his films were hit (Caddyshack, National Lampoon’s Vacation) or miss (Oh! Heavenly Dog; Under the Rainbow). The misses started to outnumber the hits. Rumors surfaced that Chase was “hard to work with” or worse still, just an ass.
I‘m Chevy Chase and You’re Not explores Chase’s life warts and all.
Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…
I was a Chevy Chase fan at the start of his career. I thought Chase was going to be a big star. And he was for a bit. Chase would have been on top longer, if not for his behavior. Maybe it was the drugs (which he discusses). Maybe it was his ego. Maybe it was unresolved issues from his childhood. More likely it was a combination of all of these things.
I’m Chevy Chase and You’re Not is interesting and informative even without the participation of folks who declined to be interviewed (Steve Martin, Martin Short, the entire cast and crew of Community – except for Jay Chandrasekhar who directed one episode with Chase). Their silence says a lot.
After seeing I’m Chevy Chase and You’re Not, I have a better understanding of the man and his career. He often appears to be his own worst enemy. Yet, at 82, Chase still has a quick (often inappropriate) wit even if he can no longer take a pratfall.
I’m Chevy Chase and You’re Not (2026)
“Frankenstein” (1931) Alt Poster by Sahin Düzgün!
This alt Frankenstein poster was created by Sahin Düzgün, a graphic designer and poster artist from Berlin, Germany. Sahin is also a movie enthusiast with great taste.
Here is what Sahin had to say about his design: From the lab’s shadows to the silver screen — a design honoring one of cinema’s most iconic creations.
Dr. Frankenstein: Look! It’s moving. It’s alive. It’s alive… IT’S ALIVE!
“Security” (2017) starring Antonio Banderas and Ben Kingsley / Z-View
Security (2017)
Director: Alain DesRochers
Screenplay: Tony Mosher, John Sullivan
Stars: Antonio Banderas, Ben Kingsley, Liam McIntyre, Cung Le, Chad Lindberg, Gabriella Wright, Shari Watson.
Tagline: It’s going to be a long night.
The Plot…
Eddie Deacon, a former US Marine Captain has been out of work for too long. When Deacon is offered a job as a security guard at a remote mall, he accepts. There he finds a security detail lead by a cop wanna-be and a team of slackers. The hardest part of most nights is staying awake.
That all changes late one night when a young girl shows up banging and screaming to get inside. Deacon brings her in. The girl is terrified and claims that people are coming to kill her. A man shows up and says he’s there to bring the girl home. He’s calm and has answers for every question. But Deacon senses something is not right.
The man changes tactics. He offers money for the girl. When that is refused he says that he has an elite squad of mercenaries that are going to break in, kill everyone and then take the girl. Communications to the mall are jammed and the mercenaries are seen prepping to attack.
It’s going to be a long night.
Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…
Lillian Blankenship, in her film debut, plays Antonio Banderas’ daughter. Later in the same year, she would again play Banderas’ daughter in the film Acts of Vengeance.
Security is a fun, action-packed ride. Banderas is perfect as the former marine unwilling to give up the child. Ben Kingsley plays the villain with such calm it’s creepy. Liam McIntyre’s character has an unexpected arc that he makes work.
If you like action films, then give Security a try.
Security (2017) rates 4 of 5 stars.
Sly Stallone by John Beatty!
John Beatty created this headsketch of Sly Stallone for me back in 2010. At that time John would do livestream headsketch sessions and I’d serve as his co-host. Fun times!
Hellboy by Ito!
Hellboy by Ito. It’s not a traditional looking Hellboy, but I like it. Hope you do as well.
“Don’t mess with me, lady. I’ve been drinking with skeletons.”
“Osiris” (2025) directed by William Kaufman, starring Max Martini and Linda Hamilton / Z-View
Osiris (2025)
Director: William Kaufman
Screenplay: William Kaufman, Paul Reichelt
Stars: Max Martini, Linda Hamilton, Brianna Hildebrand, LaMonica Garrett, Michael Irby, Linds Edwards, Jaren Mitchell and Tyler Galpin.
Tagline: None.
The Plot…
One night in the middle of an intense fire fight, a US Special Forces squad led by Sergeant Kelly, is suddenly transported away. Kelly and his team awaken aboard an alien craft. As they come to grips with what occurred, they see skinned corpses and strange weapons all around.
As the soldiers gather their weapons and scavange others, aliens attack. The creatures are huge, armored, eyeless beings with sharp teeth, claws and energy weapons with shields. Kelly leads his soldiers as they retreat. Suddenly Ravi, a Russian soldier appears to direct the team to a safe location.
Ravi explains that she has survived by hiding throughout the ship. The aliens collect humans for food… but she has a plan to kill them all as well as their ability to communicate with their home planet. If they can live long enough to pull it off.
Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…
Osiri draws inspiration from Aliens, Predator and even Planet of the Apes. Sadly, it falls far short of all of them. (And the Planet of the Apes nod, made me groan.)
Osiris (2025) rates 2 of 5 stars.
“Red Eye”: Season 2 – The Trailer is Here!
The Red Eye: Season 2 trailer is here!
Deal me in!
The conspiracy deepens. The danger rises.
Red Eye returns this New Year as ITV’s hit thriller takes flight once again.
Jing Lusi is back as DS Hana Li, this time forced to team up with Martin Compston’s Clay Brody when a deadly threat traps the US Embassy in lockdown and a British government plane is targeted mid-flight. With lives on the line and trust in short supply, the race to uncover the truth takes Hana deeper into a world of political tension and hidden agendas.
Season 2 also features Lesley Sharp, Jemma Moore, Jonathan Aris, Robert Guilbert, Cash Holland and Steph Lacey, along with new cast members Isaura Barbe-Brown, Nicholas Rowe, Danusia Samal, Trevor White and Guy Williams.
Red Eye is produced by Bad Wolf and written by Peter A Dowling, with Jingan Young contributing one episode. Kieron Hawkes and Camilla Strøm Henriksen direct the six-part series.
FRONT SIGHT: THREE SWAGGER NOVELLAS by Stephen Hunter / Z-View
FRONT SIGHT: THREE SWAGGER NOVELLAS by Stephen Hunter
City of Meat
First sentence…
Chicago 1934
The bickering got so bad, finally, that the director called both Sam Cowley and Mel Purvis to Washington to talk out the command difficulties in the productive but messed-up Chicago field office of the Justice Department’s glamorous Division of Investigation.
The Overview: Beware of Spoilers…
J. Edgar Hoover is basking in the attention that his Division of Investigation is getting from the capture killing of John Dillinger. Hoover wants more of the same. The next big-name gangster Hoover wants to bring down is Baby Face Nelson. Who better to get the job done, than the man who killed Dillinger?
Not the federal agent who was creditied with doing the deed. No, Hoover wanted the man who actually pulled the trigger. Charles Swagger. Swagger was smart. Equally important he was cool and calm when bullets flew. And Swagger hit what he aimed at.
So when word reached Washington that Baby Face Nelson was seen around the Chicago Union Stock Yards, Charles Swagger was sent down to investigate.
Alone, in the dark, Swagger is walking the stockyard when he is attacked by a lunatic. Forced to defend himself, Swagger kills the man. When the stockyard police arrive, they’re ready to sweep the event under the rug. A white police office killed a “coon” in self-defense. Nothing to see here.
So Swagger investigates. Turns out the man he killed was hopped up on a new drug. So far it was only found in the 7th District of Chicago. Although several murders could be tied to people under the influence of the drug, the people killed didn’t rate. The local cops wrote off the murders as business as usual for the area.
Swagger feels differently. His investigation shifts. Swagger plans to find the source of the drug and bring them to justice. He knows it involves powerful people somehow associated with the stockyard. He’s getting pressure from local cops and stockyard officals to back off. His bosses in Washington want results on Baby Face Nelson.
But Swagger won’t quit. Even if it kills him.
+++
Johnny Tuesday
First sentence…
It was February 1945, and in the cities of America, small or large, town, burg, village, or hamlet, everybody smoked.
The Overview: Beware of Spoilers…
Earl Swagger is, like his father Charles, a former soldier and lawman known for his brains, toughness and marksmanship. Earl’s undercover investigation into a successful bank robbery that resulted in two murders is going nowhere. His resistance from the local officials indicate the robbery is tied to something bigger than a couple of thugs looking for an easy score.
But what could it be?
Perhaps it’s the money laundering or the gambling ring or the two gangs looking to get on top? Earl knows that he’s being manipulated by a fem fatale. But to what end?
And what could be worse than being trapped in a remote, deserted house with a cold blooded hitman?
+++
Five Dolls for the Gut Hook
First sentence…
Hot Springs,
Arkansas,
1978
I am improving.
The Overview: Beware of Spoilers…
Bob Lee Swagger is like his grandfather and father a decorated soldier. Bob’s war was Viet Nam. There he was a sniper. One of the best. But Bob’s not a lawman. And since the war, he’s struggled with drinking too much and survivor’s guilt over lost men.
Bob is surprised when he’s approached by an old friend from Hot Springs, Arkansas. A serial killer has been brutally butchering young women there. The police are stuck. No leads. No progress. And the murders keep occuring. Five so far.
Bob is confused. He’s a sniper, not a detective. And that’s exactly why they want him. He’s told, “We need somebody smart who can look at stuff from different angles and maybe see something that our best people have missed… you are the son and grandson of two of the greatest detectives this state has ever produced.”
Bob agrees to assist with the investigation. They know the killer will strike again soon. The clock is ticking.
+++
Stephen Hunter’s Swagger novels are automatic buys for me. I love the family history. Hunter is an excellent story teller. FRONT SITE provides three tales and each is a banger. FRONT SITE gets my highest recommendation.
Rating:
“I’m Your Huckleberry” by Barret Chapman!
“I’m Your Huckleberry” by Barret Chapman! This peach of a poster is available as a limited edition Giclee print.
Are you going to buy one? “You’re a daisy if you do.”
Craig’s Best of 2025: Films / TV / Books / Posts
Happy New Year!
As we start 2026, let’s take a look at the BEST OF 2025. I hope you see something that you enjoyed or gets you interested to check out. Here we go…
Movies and Television Series
In 2025, I watched 375 movies and tv series. That number is down 21 from last year. My favorite films and limited series released in 2025 included (in alpha order):
- A House of Dynamite
- aka Charlie Sheen
- Amateur, The
- American Manhunt: Osama Bin Laden
- Americas, The
- Caught Stealing
- Chaos: The Manson Murders
- Duster
- Havoc
- Last Samurai Standing: Season 1
- Mayor of Kingstown: Season 4
- Mission Impossible: The Final Reckoning
- Paradise: Season 1
- Pitt, The
- Reacher: Season 3
- Sean Combs: The Reckoning
- Sinners
- Sly Lives
- Surviving Black Hawk Down
- Tulsa King: Season 3
- Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery
- Wick is Pain
- WWE Unreal: Season 1
Books
In 2025, I read 37 books (down 9 from last year) My favorites from this year included (in the order I read them):
- 1. Joe Ledger: Secret Missions 1 by Jonathan Maberry
2. The Big Empty by Robert Crais
3. Joe Ledger: Secret Missions 2 by Jonathan Maberry
4. Burn to Shine by Jonathan Maberry
5. The Friends of Pancho Villa by James Carlos Blake
6. Blue Moon by Lee Child
7. King of Ashes by S.A. Cosby
8. Ceremony by Robert B. Parker
9. Hatchet Girls by Joe R. Lansdale
10. Hunter’s Moon by James Byron Huggins
11. Orphan X by Gregg Hurwitz
12. Front Sight by Stephen Hunter
13. Fever House by Keith Rosson
14. November Road by Lou Berney
15. Hush Money by Robert B. Parker
My Most Popular Posts of the Year
I continue to find some surprises in what became my most popular posts each year. Here are the top ten for 2025 and some thoughts for each…
10. The Syfy Channel’s 2025 “Twilight Zone” Christmas Marathon Schedule is Up! – The Twilight Zone Marathon Schedule posts are always popular. Last year the TZ New Year’s Marathon Schedule clocked in at #10.
9. The 25 Best ’90s Movies – New to the top ten!
8. Evidence Points to Gary Francis Poste as The Zodiac Killer! – Fell from the #2 spot.
7. Wolverine (and that scary smirk) by John Byrne! – New to the top ten!
6. The Dichotomy Philosophy Quiz – New to the top ten!
5. RIP: Johnny Crawford – New to the top ten!
4. Syfy’s Twilight Zone 2025/2026 New Year’s Marathon Schedule is Up! – The TZ New Year’s Marathon announcement moved from the 10th spot to #4!
3. Batman – “It Was a Dark and Stormy Night” by Snoopy (Charles Schulz), Len Wein & Walt Simonson! – No change. Was in the #3 spot last year.
2. Schwarzenegger in “King Lear” & Robin Williams in “Jack and the Beanstalk” – moved from the #1 spot last year.
1. “CAUGHT STEALING” screenplay by Charlie Huston, directed by Darren Aronofsky, starring Austin King, Regina King & Zoe Kravitz – The Trailer is Here! – Making it’s first appearance on the list and in the #1 spot.
My All-Time Most Popular Posts
10. The 2021 TWILIGHT ZONE New Year’s Eve Marathon is Coming and the Full Schedule is Out! – The Twilight Zone Marathon posts are always popular.
09. Gadot & The Rock Strike a Pose – this is the fifth year in a row that the Gadot & The Rock Pose post has remained in the 9th spot.
08. Steve Reeves as Superman – this is the third year in a row that Steve Reeves as Superman flew in to the 8th spot.
07. TOP 10 MOST ICONIC HORROR MOVIE VILLAINS! – For the second year in a row.
06. Billy the Kid Photo Discovered – holding strong for two years in a row.
05. Dracula Through the Ages – moved to the 5th spot last year and held on for the second year in a row.
04. SYFY’s 2023/2024 Twilight Zone New Year’s Eve Marathon Schedule is Up! – remains our 4th most popular post for the second year in a row.
03. Zodiac Killer Code Cracked? – Came in 3rd last year and held that spot.
02. Louis Meyers: Evidence He Was the Zodiac Killer – our second all-time most popular post for the second year in a row.
01. Schwarzenegger in “King Lear” & Robin Williams in “Jack and the Beanstalk” – our all-time most popular post for the third year in a row.
It’s always interesting to see which topics resonate with fans and continue to be popular long after their initial post.
Marv by Michael Batista!
Marv from Frank Miller’s Sin City is one of my all-time favorite characters. I love seeing artists do their “take” on the big lug. Today we have a Marv by Michael Batista.
“Johnny O’Clock” (1947) starring Dick Powell, Evelyn Keyes and Lee J. Cobb / Z-View
Johnny O’Clock (1947)
Director: Robert Rossen
Screenplay: Robert Rossen; story by Milton Holmes
Stars: Dick Powell, Evelyn Keyes, Lee J. Cobb, Ellen Drew, Nina Foch, Thomas Gomez, John Kellogg, Phil Brown, Fred Aldrich and Jeff Chandler.
Tagline: Time Was Running Out For Johnny O’Clock … and so were his women!
The Plot…
Johnny O’Clock runs a casino for gangster Guido Marchettis. Johnny is everything that Guido is not. Johnny is well-liked, well-spoken and a favorite of everyone… especially Nelle, Guido’s wife. She keeps her attraction to Johnny a secret from everyone but Johnny.
Johnny has no interest in Nelle. That doesn’t stop Nelle from giving Johnny the gift of an expensive engraved watch. It’s an even better version of one she gave Guido on his birthday. Johnny doesn’t want the watch or Nelle’s attention. He writes a note telling Nelle to stop. Johnny gives the note and watch to the casino’s hat-check girl, Harriett to return to Nelle.
The next day Harriett is found dead from an apparent suicide. Harriett’s sister, Nancy is notified of her sister’s death. Nancy arrives wanting to know why her sister killed herself. She meets Johnny and they learn that Harriett was murdered. As Nancy and Johnny work to sort out who would want to kill Harriett, they begin to fall in love.
Police Inspector Koch gets the case. He learns that Harriett was dating Chuck Blayden, a crooked cop interested in leaving the force and taking over Johnny’s role at the casino. Inspector Koch finds Johnny’s note and the expensive watch. This adds both Johnny and Guido to his list of suspects. It also makes Guido believe that Johnny and his wife, Nelle were having an affair.
The person behind Harriett’s death decides Johnny is next… and Nancy too if she gets in the way.
Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…
Johnny O’Clock features Robert Rossen’s debut as a director. Although in a TCM interview Nina Foch (who played Harriett) asserted that Rossen wasn’t the film’s actual director. Foch never said who it was though.
Jeff Chandler, although uncredited, appears in his second feature film role. Chandler credited Dick Powell for getting him the part.
I enjoyed Johnny O’Clock but most folks like it even more than I do.
Johnny O’Clock (1947) rates 3 of 5 stars.
