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.

The Killer Collective by Barry Eisler / Z-View

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The Killer Collective by Barry Eisler

Hardcover: 401 pages
Publisher: Thomas & Mercer

First sentence…

That was the dirty little secret of 9/11, he thought.

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

When sex crimes detective, Livia Lone uncovers a child pornography ring with ties to government officials and a cover-up by the FBI, she becomes a target.  Barely avoiding assassination by a two person hit team, Lone reaches out to Dox, a mercenary and former Marine sniper.  When a second attack on Livia is thwarted, Dox contacts his former team:  John Rain, Rain’s ex-lover Delilah, black ops soldiers Ben Treven, Daniel Larison, and Colonel Scot “Hort” Horton.

Eisler is not only an excellent writer but his experience in a covert position for the CIA and black belt in judo provide authenticity to the action scenes.  He’s especially good at bringing out the underlying tension when a group of mercenaries are brought together under circumstances where any one (or more of them) may be secretly part of the group they are working to bring down.

The Killer Collective is an intelligent action novel that entertains.

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The Vampire State Building Preview is Available Now

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Charlie Adlard, artist best known for his work on The Walking Dead has a new horror project coming out.  The Vampire State Building written by Ange, Patrick Renault and Sébastien Gérard.  Here’s the synopsis…

A young soldier about to be sent to war, Terry Fisher meets his friends at the top of the Empire State Building for a farewell party. Only for a legion of vampires to attack the skyscraper and massacre its occupants. Hounded in the 102 floors that have become a deadly trap, before the army of abominations spills into the city, they will face U’tluntla, the terrible Vampire God, walled in the building since its construction.

If The Vampire State Building sounds like something you’d like, check out the preview at Bleeding Cool.

“Black Summer” / Z-View

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Black Summer (2019)

Creators: John Hyams, Karl Schaefer

Stars: Jaime King, Justin Chu Cary, Christine Lee, Sal Velez Jr., Kelsey Flower and Erika Hau.

The Pitch: “Let’s make a prequel to Z-Nation.”

The Overview:

Black Summer is a new Netflix series that serves as a prequel to Z-Nation. Since it’s a prequel it’s not necessary to have watched Z-Nation.  (Truth be told, I like Black Summer better than Z-Nation).

The series starts off following what appears to be random folks working to survive a zombie outbreak.  The cool thing is that as the episodes progress people that we see in the background might become the focus of the next installment.  Ultimately a band of survivors forms with the goal of getting to a stadium where they hope the military is waiting to transport them to safety.  Because Black Summer is (at this point) a limited series, there is no “star” that you just know is going to survive.  This raises the stakes and adds to the tension.

You’d think by now we’d have seen it all when it comes to zombie stories.  Black Summer is proof that just ain’t so.  I really liked this first season and hope that it returns for a second.  Guess who else likes Black Summer?  Stephen King said this today…

“BLACK SUMMER (Netflix): Just when you think there’s no more scare left in zombies, THIS comes along. Existential hell in the suburbs, stripped to the bone.”

So don’t just take my word for it, take Stephen King’s.

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Quentin Tarantino Takes a Second Look at “Escape from Alcatraz”

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Quentin Tarantino’s first line had me hooked…

Escape from Alcatraz, a film I didn’t like when it came out…

Why was Tarantino writing about a film he didn’t like?  Sure, it starred Clint Eastwood and was directed by Don Siegel, but Tarantino didn’t like it and it wasn’t one of my favorite Eastwood films either.

Ah, but when Tarantino revisited it a few years ago, he gained a greater appreciation for it.

Ok Quentin, tell me more.

And he does in his overview of Escape from Alcatraz.  If you click over and read it, you’ll not only get the backstory of Escape from Alcatraz, you’ll also learn about the connection to Charles Bronson, Burt Reynolds and more.  It’s an interesting read and has made me want to re-visit Eastwood in Escape from Alcatraz.  Maybe I’ll like it as much on review as Quentin Tarantino.