Apollo Creed & Rocky Balboa by Joel Tesch!

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It’s no secret I’m a fan of Joel Tesch’s art.  Check out his Apollo Creed & Rocky Balboa piece above and you’ll understand.  Click on it and you can check out a championship-sized version.

This is Joel Tesch’s third appearance here.  His first was with his Spider Rico vs The Italian Stallion at the Resurrection Gym.   His second appearance was with his riff on “Yo, Adrian! I DID IT!!”  I hope there’s a fourth Joel Tesch art appearance in our future.

You can see more of Joel Tesch’s art at his website, Twitter and Instagram.

Time! Fascinating Facts That You May Not Know!

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Kerry Wolfe at Mental Floss posted an interesting article titled 28 Fascinating Facts About Time.  Before you click over, here are three of my favorites…

We can thank the railroad industry for standardizing our time zones.  Until the 19th century, towns and villages synchronized their clocks to the local solar noon. This created thousands of local times that all varied and made scheduling transportation a major headache. Train schedules in different cities had to list dozens of arrival and departure times for each train to account for all the mini time zones. On November 18, 1883, railroad companies in the United States and Canada began using a system very similar to the standardized time zones we still use today. In the UK, the railroad companies began using a standard London-based time in 1840. (I didn’t know this.  It’s crazy that it was the railroad industry that brought standard times zones about! – Craig)

Though a lot of people believe daylight saving time was adopted to keep farmers happy, that’s a myth.  The first person to seriously advocate for daylight saving time was an entomologist who wanted more sunlit hours to look for insects after work in the summer. He proposed his idea to a scientific society in New Zealand in 1895. (Wow!  I had always been taught daylight saving time was brought about to give farmer’s more daylight!  Another myth busted. – Craig)

Even with the advent of standardized time, people still struggled to keep their clocks in sync.  One London family used this to their advantage, and made a living by selling people the time. An astronomer named John Belville would set his pocket watch to the time at the Royal Observatory Greenwich. He would then travel around the city and visit his network of subscribers, who paid to set their own clocks by Belville’s pocket watch. After Belville died in 1856, his wife, and then later their daughter Ruth, carried on the tradition. Ruth continued to sell the time until World War II. By then she was in her eighties, and a couple of factors led to her timely retirement: Improved technology had made her role less important, and the war was making treks around London too dangerous.  (Hats off to John Belville for figuring out how to use his pocket watch to provide for his family.  Crazy that his wife was still able to do this as late as the start of World War II — that’s less than 100 years ago.  If there is money to be made, someone will figure out a way. – Craig)

SYFY’s Mini “Twilight Zone” Marathon on May 11th!!

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George Pérez

For some reason, May 11th is designated National Twilight Zone Day.  As Paul at The Twilight Zone points out, this isn’t the most appropriate date to honor the show.  No one knows why May 11th was selected, but any day (heck, every day) is fine by me to praise and bring more eyes to one of the all-time best television shows.

To that end, the SYFY Channel is running a mini-Twilight Zone Marathon.  It starts on May 11th, at midnight with the last episode starting at 10:00am.  If you can’t stay up all night to watch and you don’t want to record them all, then I suggest these 5 episodes.

  • 12:00 am  The Twilight Zone  S1 The Howling Man
  • 1:30 am  The Twilight Zone  S1 The Shelter
  • 3:00 am  The Twilight Zone  S1 To Serve Man
  • 3:30 am  The Twilight Zone  S1 The Last Rites Of Jeff Myrtlebank
  • 10:00 am  The Twilight Zone  S1 – E28 The Masks

“The Ghost of Frankenstein” (1942) / Z-View

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The Ghost of Frankenstein (1942)

Director:  Erle C. Kenton

Writers:  Scott Darling (screenplay), Eric Taylor (original story)

Starring:  Cedric Hardwicke, Lon Chaney Jr., Ralph Bellamy, Lionel Atwill, Bela Lugosi, Evelyn Ankers and Colin Clive.

Tagline:  The King of all Monsters strikes again! No chains can hold him! No tomb can seal him in!

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

Ygor (Lugosi) discovers Frankenstein’s monster (Chaney) buried under rubble of Dr. Frankenstein’s castle. Ygor and the monster journey to find Dr. Frankenstein’s son, Ludwig (Hardwicke), who is also a doctor. When they arrive in Ludwig’s town, the monster befriends a young girl.  Townspeople fear the monster is going to hurt the child and attack the monster.  Two villagers are killed before Ygor and the monster escape.

Ygor wants Ludwig Frankenstein to use his father’s notes and put Ygor’s brain in the monster.  While Ludwig considers this, he is visited by his father’s ghost (Ha! THAT explains the title) who says to find a good brain for the monster.  As villagers search for the monster, Ludwig prepares to operate, but whose brain will he use?  And what will be the result?

I have many fun memories of watching The Ghost of Frankenstein with my buddy late at night on Sammy Terry’s Nightmare Theater.  It’s a fun movie for kids.  You have Bela Lugosi (Dracula!) as Ygor and Lon Chaney, Jr. (Wolfman!) as the Monster.  You get the monster fighting villagers on a rooftop, chained in a courtroom (What?) and breaking free, plus the mandatory laboratory scene with electrical arcs and rioting villagers.  What’s not to like?

If you see The Ghost of Frankenstein as an adult for the first time, your mileage may vary quite a bit from mine.  I still enjoy The Ghost of Frankenstein even though we have Ygor and the monster as friends. They were bitter enemies before.  Chaney plays the monster as if it is blind, which explains why the monster’s eyes are always closed and it walks with arms outstretched.  This is never really explained in the movie. The Ghost of Frankenstein isn’t as good as Frankenstein or The Bride of Frankenstein (or even Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein) but I like it well enough to give it 3 of 5 stars.

IQ by Joe Ide / Z-View

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IQ by Joe Ide

Trade Paperback: ‎ 352 pages
Publisher: ‎Mulholland Books

First sentence…

Isaiah’s crib looked like every other house on the block except the lawn was cut even, the pain was fresh, and the entrance was a little unusual.

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

Isaiah Quintabe is a quiet kid with a superior intellect.  While IQ is still in high school, his older brother and guardian, is killed in a hit-and-run accident.  Alone and afraid he will be sent to a home, IQ begins to earn money from neighborhood folks needing help.  When IQ finds a runaway daughter word spreads.  Soon he is getting requests for assistance with “cases the police can’t or won’t touch.”  The cases don’t pay much and sometimes the reward is food or tires for his car.  Because money is tight, IQ takes in a roommate.  Dodson is a low-level drug dealer that IQ knows from the ‘hood.  Both IQ and Dodson hope the arrangement is temporary.

When Dodson brings IQ a case offering real money, there’s an understanding that Dodson will assist. The potential reward is too good to pass, so IQ agrees.  That’s how they begin working for a big time rapper whose life was threatened.  Soon IQ and Dodson find themselves up against a cold-blooded killer with an attack dog the size of a small bear, and a large list of suspects who’d benefit from the rapper’s death.  Before it’s over IQ and Dodson are on the killer’s list.  Identifying the killer and who hired him will save the rapper’s life as well as their own.  If they can.

Joe Ide has created a unique character with Isaiah Quintabe.  It’s impressive how Ide sets up the first IQ book.  Ide gets in background information, early cases, and IQ’s unlikely partnership with Dodson while at the same time keeping the story moving.  Everything, the settings, the characters and the dialogue, all ring true. Because of this, when Ide introduces the killer and his beast-dog, we buy it.  Ide has created memorable characters and a great first story for our modern day Sherlock Holmes.  I loved IQ and look forward to more of his adventures.

IQ rates 5 of 5 stars.

IQ Hardcover
IQ Trade Paperback
IQ Kindle

RIP: George Pérez

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George Pérez

We all knew the day would come.  Especially since December 7, 2021.  That’s when George Perez announced that he had surgically inoperable Stage 3 Pancreatic Cancer.  Although offered other options George said,

“… after weighing all the variables and assessing just how much of my remaining days would be eaten up by doctor visits, treatments, hospital stays and dealing with the often stressful and frustrating bureaucracy of the medical system, I’ve opted to just let nature take its course and I will enjoy whatever time I have left as fully as possible with my beautiful wife of over 40 years, my family, friends and my fans.”

And that is what he did,

George Perez passed away yesterday the result of his pancreatic cancer.  He was 67.  The announcement on his Facebook page read:

George passed away yesterday, peacefully at home with his wife of 490 months and family by his side. He was not in pain and knew he was very, very loved.

We are all very much grieving but, at the same time, we are so incredibly grateful for the joy he brought to our lives. To know George was to love him; and he loved back. Fiercely and with his whole heart. The world is a lot less vibrant today without him in it.

He loved all of you. He loved hearing your posts and seeing the drawings you sent and the tributes you made. He was deeply proud to have brought so much joy to so many.

Everyone knows George’s legacy as a creator. His art, characters and stories will be revered for years to come. But, as towering as that legacy is, it pales in comparison to the legacy of the man George was. George’s true legacy is his kindness. It’s the love he had for bringing others joy – and I hope you all carry that with you always.
Today is Free Comic Book Day. A day George absolutely loved and a fitting day to remember his contributions to comics and to our lives. I hope you’ll enjoy your day today with him in mind. He would have loved that.

Please keep his wife Carol in your thoughts and again, I thank you for respecting her privacy. I remain available through the contact on the page.

George’s memorial service will take place at MEGACON Orlando at 6pm on Sunday, May 22nd. It will be open to all. Details to follow.

We will miss him always.

George Perez entered comics as an assistant to Rich Buckler in the early 1970s.  He quickly graduated to penciling his own series.  It didn’t take long for George Perez to become a fan favorite.  Throughout his career George Perez worked on some of the most popular comic series published: The Avengers, The Fantastic Four, The Justice League of America, The New Teen Titans, Crisis on Infinite Earths, Superman, The Infinity Gauntlet, to name just a few.  Whatever George Perez worked on was worth the price of admission.

Evidence of George Perez’s importance and impact to comics is the number of places his death is quickly being reported.  Sadly, often when we lose comic creators, the only place their passing is noted is comic-related websites.  George Perez’s passing has shown up already in The Hollywood Reporter, The New York Daily News, TMZ and The Daily Mail (England) to name just a few of the mainstream publications. 

George Perez won numerous fan favorite awards of the course of his career.  Here are some of them…

  • 1979: Eagle Award for his role in creating the Best Continued Story for Avengers #167–168 and 170–177.
  • 1980: Eagle Award for Best Comic book Cover for Avengers #185. 
  • 1983: Inkpot Award
  • 1983: Comics Buyer’s Guide Fan Awards – Favorite Artist
  • 1984: Comics Buyer’s Guide Fan Awards – Favorite Comic Book Story:  “The Judas Contract” in Tales of the Teen Titans #42–44 and Annual #3
  • 1985: Comics Buyer’s Guide Fan Awards – Favorite Artist
  • 1985: Comics Buyer’s Guide Fan Awards – Favorite Cover Artist
  • 1985: Comics Buyer’s Guide Fan Awards – Favorite Comic Book Story:  “Beyond the Silent Night” in Crisis on Infinite Earths #7
  • 1985: Comics Buyer’s Guide Fan Awards – Favorite Limited Series: Crisis on Infinite Earths (with Marv Wolfman)
  • 1985: Named as one of the honorees in DC’s 50th anniversary publication Fifty Who Made DC Great.
  • 1985: Jack Kirby Award for Best Finite Series for Crisis on Infinite Earths (with Marv Wolfman)
  • 1986: Jack Kirby Award for Best Finite Series for Crisis on Infinite Earths (with Marv Wolfman)
  • 1986: Comics Buyer’s Guide Fan Awards – Favorite Cover Artist
  • 1986: Eagle Award for Favorite Pencil Artist in 1986.
  • 1987: Comics Buyer’s Guide Fan Awards – Favorite Penciler
  • 1987: Comics Buyer’s Guide Fan Awards – Favorite Cover Artist
  • 1989: Comics Buyer’s Guide Fan Awards – Favorite Comic Book Story:  “A Lonely Place of Dying” in Batman #440–442 and The New Titans #60–61 
  • 2022: Inkwell Awards Stacey Aragon Special Recognition Award (SASRA) for his lifetime achievement in inking

George Perez was not only one of the most popular artists to ever work in comics, he was one of the nicest.  I first became aware of his art on The Avengers.  Then I went back and found his earlier work.  Following George Perez was easy, because word of his art on a new comic always spread quickly.

I was fortunate to spend time with George Perez at a comic convention in 1980 or 81.  My best friend, John Beatty was inking George on Justice League and was also a guest at the show.  Sitting with John and George was great.  George was wonderful with each fan that came up.  He listened and smiled and exchanged stories.  George had as much fun (if not more) than the fans. 

After the show, George invited John and I to have a bite to eat and hang out.  George drew more sketches as we talked.  I’ve never seen an artist more at ease while drawing.  At one point he even was lying on his back and drawing!

When George Perez announced that he had cancer and most likely only 6 months or so to live, he continued to interact with fans and enjoy the time he had left.  What a great human spirit!  It was an honor to meet George Perez not only because he was a legendary artist, but also because of the great human being we came to know.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to George Perez’s family, friends and fans.

“The Forever Purge” (2021) / Z-View

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The Forever Purge (2021)

Director: Everardo Gout

Writers: James DeMonaco

Starring: Ana de la Reguera, Tenoch Huerta, Josh Lucas, Will Patton and Zahn McClarnon.

Tagline:  The rules are broken.

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

When crazies across the US keep “purging” after the deadline, a rich ranching family joins their Mexican employees in a search for safety.  When they hear that for 24 hours Mexico and Canada have opened their borders to refuges looking for safety, the group heads for Mexico.

Kind of heavy-handed plot, huh?  The rich white family begins to understand how foreign families would leave everything to cross the border for safety.  If this was a better movie perhaps it would just seem ironic.

The Forever Purge rates 2 of 5 stars.

The Forever Purge Blu-ray
The Forever Purge DVD
The Forever Purge 4K

“I’m Charlie Walker” – The Poster and Trailer are Here!

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Both the poster and the trailer for I’m Charlie Walker has nailed the feel of a 70s blaxploitation flick.  Deal me in.

Mike Colter (Marvel’s Luke Cage) stars as Charlie Walker, an earnest entrepreneur working in the construction and trucking industries in 1971 San Francisco. When two oil tankers collide off of the coast, unleashing millions of gallons of oil and spawning an immense environmental disaster, Charlie gets right to work. First, he lands a lucrative contract to clean the coastline. Then, with only three trucks, Charlie puts his heart and his hands into trying to save the coastline, all while grappling with pervasive racism from the company that hired him. Co starring Dylan Baker (Hunters), Safiya Fredericks (Sorry To Bother You), Mark Leslie Ford (Jamojaya), Monica Barbaro (Top Gun: Maverick), Steven Wiig (Milk), Emma Caulfield Ford (WandaVision), and Carl Lumbly (The Falcon And The Winter Soldier), this riveting true story is a triumph.

“Vendetta” – Standen, Rossi, Tyson, Jane and Willis – The Poster and Trailer are Here!

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Vendetta is the definition of a drive-in movie.  It’s a low-budget, genre film with a cast of newcomers with some B and former A-list stars.  I’m a fan of good drive-in movies.  Check out the poster and trailer for Vendetta and tell me what you think.

After the murders of his wife and young daughter at the hands of a ruthless crime family, an ex-marine seeks revenge by picking off members of the gang one by one until he completes his mission, even if it costs him his own life in the process.

Starring Clive Standen, Theo Rossi, with Mike Tyson, Thomas Jane, and Bruce Willis
Directed by: Jared Cohn
Release Date: 5/17/22

“The Wolf of Snow Hollow” (2020) / Z-View

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The Wolf of Snow Hollow (2020)

Director:  Jim Cummings

Writers: Jim Cummings

Starring: Jim Cummings, Riki Lindhome, Robert Forster and Will Madden.

Tagline:  Welcome to Snow Hollow

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

Deputy Sheriff John Marshall (Cummings) is a recovering alcoholic.  He’s losing sleep and his nerves are frayed.  His ex-wife wants sole custody of their daughter.  His father’s (Forster) health is failing and he won’t take care of himself.  Complicating their relationship, John’s father is also John’s boss, the Sheriff.  John’s daughter is staying with him and at the teenage rebellious stage.  No wonder John Marshall has anger issues.

What could happen to make things worse, you ask?  I’m glad you did.

When the first victim’s body is found, badly mutilated with parts missing, word gets out that there is a deranged killer living in their small town community.

Then a second mutilated body is found missing parts. The story becomes they have a serial killer in their midst.

Once the third dismembered body is found, rumors circulate that the werewolf is back!  With each new victim, Deputy Sheriff John Marshall feels himself losing it a bit more.  He’s got to find the killer before he kills again.  And everyone knows there’s no such thing as werewolves, right?  Right?

Jim Cummings wrote, directed and stars in The Wolf of Snow Hollow.  I wonder why he made his character so unlikeable.  Robert Forster is always good and his role in The Wolf of Snow Hollow is no exception.  I like the design of the werewolf and there are a couple of cool scenes where we clearly see how huge it is.  There’s a nice (if not unexpected) twist near the end of the film.  Had I liked the main character better, The Wolf of Snow Hollow may have earned more than 3 of 5 stars.

“Windfall” (2022) / Z-View

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Windfall (2022)

Director: Charlie McDowell

Writers: Charlie McDowell &Jason Segel and Justin Lader & Andrew Kevin Walker

Starring: Jason Segel, Lily Collins, Jesse Plemons and Omar Leyva.

Tagline:  Every Kidnap is a Compromise.

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

A man (Segel) breaks into one of a young billionaire’s vacation homes intent to steal whatever cash and goods he can.  Things go south when the billionaire (Plemons) and his wife (Collins) show up.

Windfall starts off feeling like a Hitchcock thriller.  Then switches to comedy and finally drama. This just didn’t work for me.  It was like we’re in the comedy section now.  Ok, time for the drama.  The decisions the characters made didn’t feel real.  I felt like I was watching actors in a play doing what the writers wanted, not like people in a real-life hostage situation.

It is cool how the title of the film ties in to the ending.  I just wish the entire movie was that clever.

Windfall earns 2 of 5 stars.

“Blowback” – Be Careful Who You Betray – The Poster and Trailer for this Crime Flick is Here!

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Blowback is a low-budget crime film that looks to have some of my favorite crime tropes.  Glad to see Randy Couture – he’s perfect for crime/tough guy movies.  Deal me in!

After planning a perfect heist, Nick is ready to score. One problem, his girl and the crew, have other ideas. They take Nick down in a hail of bullets but Nick doesn’t die and in a race for his life, seeks revenge one target at a time.

“Medieval” Starring Ben Foster, Michael Caine and Til Schweiger – The Poster and Teaser are Here!

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I like the poster and teaser for Medieval starring Ben Foster, Michael Caine and Til Schweiger.

Inspired by the true story of Jan Žižka, one of the greatest warriors in history. After the death of its reigning emperor, the Holy Roman Empire is plummeting into chaos while feuding brothers King Wenceslas of Czech and King Sigismund of Hungary battled for control of the empty throne. Daring and righteous mercenary leader Jan Zizka (Ben Foster) is hired by Lord Boresh (Michael Caine) to kidnap the powerful Lord Rosenberg’s (Til Schweiger) fiancée, Lady Katherine (Sophie Lowe), to prevent Rosenberg’s rise to power alongside the corrupt King Sigismund.

Jan believes that Kings are the right hand of God and should be respected and obeyed, no matter what. As Katherine becomes caught in a dangerous political game between the monarchs, Jan falls in love with her strong spirit and dedication to saving the people. In a brave attempt to liberate her, he fights back with a rebel army to battle the corruption, greed, and betrayal rampant amongst those clawing for power. Jan now realizes that the fate of the Empire will be decided by his love for Lady Katherine and that his fate doesn’t lie in the hands of Kings, but in the hands of his own people.

Written and directed by Petr Jákl, Medieval opens in theaters on September 9, 2022, and on digital and On Demand on October 31, 2022.

“A Quiet Place Part II”  (2020) / Z-View

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A Quiet Place Part II   (2020)

Director:  John Krasinski

Writers: John Krasinski (screenplay) based on characters by Bryan Woods & Scott Beck

Starring:  Emily Blunt, Millicent Simmonds, Cillian Murphy, John Krasinski, Noah Jupe and Djimon Hounsou.

Tagline:  Silence is Not Enough

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

A Quiet Place Part II begins on day one of the alien invasion.  The aliens are massive creatures with armor-like scales.  Although blind, they are exceedingly fast and strong.  They use their sensitive hearing to locate and kill.  The scenes of the aliens arriving and attacking are worth the price of admission.  The story then picks up where the original film ended.

The Abbotts have been surviving on the family farm since the alien invasion began over a year ago.  Lee Abbott (Krasinski) has been killed by aliens. Lee’s wife, Evelyn (Blunt) is left with her three children, Regan & Marcus as well as a baby. Her oldest, Regan (Simmonds) is deaf.  They accidentally learned that amplified feedback from Regan’s hearing aide disorients the aliens.  While disoriented, the aliens are vulnerable to be destroyed.

With limited supplies, Evelyn and her children leave the farm in hopes of finding other survivors.  Evelyn wants a safe place for her and her children.  Regan wants more.  Regan believes that if she can get to a radio station, she can broadcast how to weaponize sound against the aliens.  Evelyn and Regan both understand the dangers the aliens present… but neither has taken into account that humans can be as dangerous.

A Quiet Place Part II is an excellent follow-up to the original.  I was really happy that in Part II, they take us back to day one of the invasion.  There are terrifying scenes of the aliens attacking.  One scene in particular involves Evelyn escaping an attacking alien and coming head-on with an out of control bus — and then things get worse!

I’m an Emily Blunt fan.  John Krasinski continues to impress both in front and behind the camera.  I didn’t recognize Cillian Murphy at first, but he is a great addition to the cast.  Djimon Hounsou comes in late to the story, but plays a role with heart and does it well.  Millicent Simmonds gets a bigger part this time out, but she is more than up to the task.

A Quiet Place Part II is a worthy  follow-up to the original.  It rates 4 of 5 stars.