Jim Cornette Presents Behind the Curtain: Real Pro Wrestling Stories

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I’m really enjoying the Dark Side of the Ring series airing on Viceland.  Three episodes in and I remain impressed.  The series interviews the wrestlers, referees and behind-the-scenes folks that were actually involved in the events that each episode covers.  If you have any interest in the business of old school professional wrestling, then The Dark Side of the Ring is worth checking out.

If you’ve read this far, you also might be interested in Jim Cornette Presents Behind the Curtain: Real Pro Wrestling Stories.  Written by Cornette with an assist from Brandon Easton and art by Denis Medri,  Jim Cornette Presents Behind the Curtain: Real Pro Wrestling Stories is…

A true-story style anthology, these insider tales will show the lengths that wrestlers went to uphold “kayfabe” (the old carny term for the presentation of legitimate conflict) as well as the noteworthy cultural, racial, and economic effects these events and characters had on society. This is the graphic novel that old school wrestling fans have been waiting their entire lives for: a no-holds-barred representation of the moments that wrestling insiders couldn’t talk about for years.

Featuring appearances by Ric Flair, Jerry Lawler, Andy Kaufman, Sputnik Monroe, The Sheik, Junkyard Dog, the Fabulous Freebirds, the Midnight Express, Bret Hart, and Shawn Michaels.

Behind the Curtain – Real Pro Wrestling Stories present three chapters of tales, personally curated by Cornette and adapted by Brandon Easton (M.A.S.K.: Mobile Armored Strike Kommand) and Denis Medri (Red Hood/Arsenal), the award-winning team behind Andre the Giant: Closer to Heaven.

Jim Cornette Presents: Behind the Curtain – Real Pro Wrestling Stories drops on August 6, 2019 and is available for pre-order now.

 

“L.A. Confidential” Gets the Cinephilia & Beyond Treatment

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L.A. Confidential is a great film and in The Sunny, Seedy ’50’s Underbelly of Curtis Hanson’s L.A. Confidential it gets the Cinephilia and Beyond treatment.  Click over and you’ll get…

  • A larger version of  Vlad Rodriguez’s L.A. Confidential poster
  • L.A. Confidential screenplay
  • Brian Helgeland: Screenwriters Lecture (Video)
  • L.A. Confidential audio interview with James Ellroy & Curtis Hanson
  • L.A. Confidential: Off the Record – Behind the Scenes Video
  • Rare behind-the-scenes photos
  • and much more!

John Wick, Volume 1 is Available for Pre-Order Now

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John Wick fans will probably want to add this hardcover collection prequel to their libraries.  Written by Greg Pak with art by Giovanni Valletta, John Wick Volume 1‘s synopsis follows…

When a young John Wick embarks upon an epic vendetta, he comes up against a strange, powerful community of assassins and must learn how to master the rules that guide their lethal business. What are the Three Bills? Who is Calamity? And why is John Wick seeking vengeance?

John Wick, Volume 1 is a hard cover that is available for pre-order now and ships May 7th.

Curly Kayoe vs Phil Zablo and the Mystery Behind the Story!

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The cover above is from Curly Kayoe #2 published by United Feature Syndicate in 1946.  Sam Neff wrote the issue, with art by his brother Mo Neff (who also drew another boxing comic, Joe Palooka).  What makes this issue especially interesting to me is that the fighter Curly is facing in the issue is Phil Zablo.

ZABLO!

It seems reasonable to me that one of the Neff brothers must have known a person with the last name Zablo and liked him well enough to feature him in the comic.  Phil Zablo is mentioned on the cover and then appears in the first half of issue two.  You can see the pages here (click on each page to see a larger version)…

My grandmother told me years ago that we had a boxer in the family.  If memory serves me correctly it was a relative named Pete (maybe it was Phil?) who went by the nickname Babe.  My Dad has no recollection of either.

I’d love to know the story of how Phil Zablo was chosen to appear in Curly Kayoe #2, his relation to the Neff’s and me.  Maybe someone reading this will have a lead.

If you’d like to read the rest of Curly Kayoe #2 you can at ComicBook+.com.  Thanks also to Jerry’s House of Everything where I first read about Curly Kayoe vs Phil Zablo.

“The Dark Side of the Ring” / Z-View

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On April 1st, I posted The Dark Side of the Ring is a 6 episode series airing on Viceland with the series summary and trailer below…

From backstage controversies to mysterious deaths and unsolved homicides, this series explores the darkest stories from the golden age of professional wrestling, and tries to find truth at the intersection of fantasy and reality. From backstage controversies to mysterious deaths and unsolved homicides, this series explores the darkest stories from the golden age of professional wrestling, and tries to find truth at the intersection of fantasy and reality.

I’ve had a chance to watch the first two episodes and was impressed.  The series interviews the wrestlers, referees and behind-the-scenes folks that were actually involved in the events that each episode covers.  If you have any interest in the business of old school professional wrestling, then The Dark Side of the Ring is worth checking out.

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Hoyt Silva and Trey Walker: A Last Stop Interview

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Last Stop by Trey Walker and Hoyt Silva is a Kickstarter that’s running now.  Here’s the premise…

Time is ticking for the World’s last superhero. Disillusioned, Lincoln Adams (AKA Unstoppable) must make peace with the changing world around him—can there truly be a place for him in a world without Supers? After learning of his terminal disease, Lincoln sees an easy way out; however, the re-emergence of an old Arch-Nemesis, and a new shadowy masked figure, turn Lincoln’s plans of an easy passing on their head. Can Lincoln stop this new threat before the disease stops him?

Here’s a recent interview about the series: The World’s Last Superhero: In Conversation With Last Stop Creators Trey Walker & Hoyt Silva.

If this sounds like something you’d like, you should check out the Last Stop Kickstarter.   I’m on board.  I hope you’ll consider joining me.