Search Results for: "bill black"

Daytona Beach Comic & Toy Show

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If you live within traveling distance to Daytona Beach, Florida, you might want to make the trip this Sunday to check out a small comic book convention. It will be held at the Holiday Inn & Suites, 930 N. Atlantic Ave., (A1A), Daytona Beach, Florida from 10 am to 5 pm.

Admission and parking are FREE.
Special Guests are: 
  • John Beatty ( Marvel/DC Inker from 1 pm to 3 pm):  John will be doing 4.5 ” x 6.5 ” head shot sketches on colored paper for $ 20.00.  Proceeds will go to a non-profit organization.
  • Bill Black ( AC Comic Publisher/Director/Artist):  Bill will be promoting his latest DVD releases and selling his line of 200+ page reprint trade paperbacks (SRP: $30.00) for $15.00 each.
  • Rachel Pandich (IDW Writer):  A new face on the comic scene will be promoting the story she did for IDW that will come out early next year.
  • Nick Cuti (Writer/Artist, co-creator of E-Man):  Will be set-up with vendor Tim Gordon and be signing autographs and talking with fans.

It should be a fun afternoon!

Giant Women Spotted in Buddy Pudwell’s County

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You’ve probably heard me speak read about my buddy, Bill Black many times.  Bill always has something creative going.  He writes, draws, edits and publishes comics.  Bill also writes, produces and directs micro-budget movies.

Bill’s latest film is called “The Ghost of Garganta: The Giantess Rises.” Here’s a link to the trailer.  If it looks like something you’d like, then check out Bill’s site.   You can see more free clips and even order a movie or ten.

Hammer Time!

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My guess is that several regular ZONERS (especially Bill Black and Chris Mills) will end up with the recently announced Art of Hammer book.  It’ll feature the poster art from the Hammer horror films.  It’s currently on sale for less than twenty buck which is a pretty scary deal.

Lurking Under Life

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If you’re a regular ZONE reader, then you probably know that my buddy, Bill Black, is not only a comic publisher, but also makes low-budget horror and super hero movies.  The digital age has allowed more and more folks to make and market films.

I was recently contacted by Steve Kasansza, a regular reader of my StalloneZone site.  Steve and some of his buddies made a horror film called Lurking Under Life.  You can check out the trailer here and their website here.  If you like what you see you can get an autographed dvd copy of the film and a whole lot more.  This looks like a pretty good first film and I look forward to seeing the whole movie!

Black’s Back

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It’s been a while since we heard from my buddy, Bill Black.  Bill is a comic writer, artist, and publisher.  He’s also a film-maker.  Bill wrote in to say that he’s working to get his films carried by Amazon.com.  If that happens it’d be a great thing for Bill and his fans.  Until then Bill’s films can be purchased through his CultRetro site.

CultRetro Goes Live

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That’s me lookin’ shocked.  You would be too if a giant woman was about to stomp you.  Don’t worry, you’ll understand in a second.

My buddy, Wild Bill Black, has put together a very hip website called CultRetro to showcase his movies.  In addition to the 75 or so dvd movies that he has available for immediate purchase, there are also downloadable films, video production blogs and more.  If you’re into vampires, monsters, horror hosts, rocket men, detectives, giant women, and, well you get the idea, then check out CultRetro.

If you’re still not convinced, then check out this extended trailer.  Not only will you get a better feel for what CultRetro is all about, but you also understand why I was about to get stomped.

Steranko Sketch

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Here’s another item from the ZONE vault.  This time we have a rarely seen Steranko sketch of Nick Fury.  It appeared as the back cover of a fanzine from around 1978.  Steranko was [and remains] one of my favorite comic artists so finding the, until then, unknown fanzine with some of his art made my day.

I can remember my excitement when I found the zine at a little comic book store in Tallahassee… or was it Gainesville?  John Beatty and I had driven up with Bill Black or to meet Bill or something… Big John, do you recall the specifics of that trip?

Welcome to the 21st Century, Wild Bill

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My buddy, Bill Black, has moved AC Comics into the 21st century!

Everything, and I mean everything that a fan could love about Bill’s diverse product line is available with a click.  Femforce is here.    Giant Women [yes, giant women] are here.  Bill’s dvd line is available [with selected trailers].    If you’re into Golden Age Heroes, then click here.   Western Reprint fans will want to click on this.   You can even click here to read Femforce:Origins.

I can’t wait to see what Wild Bill has planned for the 22nd century!

"Z" and Wild Bill

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I love getting mail from my buddy, Jim Ivey. He doesn’t use a computer so it’s snail mail only. The great thing is, that Jim always includes a doodle or two. His most recent letter contained caricatures of me and Bill Black. Jim used photos from his 83rd birthday bash for reference. You read that right, Jim’s 83 and still full of “prunes and macaroons” as he often says.

I not only hope I have as much energy as Jim when I’m 83, I wish I had it now.

The Ghost of Gargantua

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A trailer for Wild Bill Black’s “The Ghost of Gargantua” is now on-line. “Ghost of Gargantua” is the sequel to Bill’s ever-popular “The Amazing Colossal Woman.” Long-time ZONErs may remember this post where I talked about filming that was going to take place at one of Tim Gordon’s Tampa Cons. It did and much of it appears in the trailer below.

Here’s some trivia before you watch:

* The screaming crowd scenes were filmed on August 20, 2006 using fans in attendance at Tim Gordon’s con.

* At 2:09 in the trailer there is a close-up reaction shot of “The James” Howell. If you look closely at the collar of his shirt, you’ll notice its red. The red was from fake blood. Earlier in the day, we had shot a scene of “The James” being attacked by a vampire in a hotel room. That scene will appear in a future Bill Black release.

* You may recognize the four mugs featured in the trailer and pictured below: starting at the top and going clockwise – 1] “The James” Howell – comic book and art collector, writer and director and all around great guy 2] me 3] John “The Master” Higashi – comic art collector, master of sketches, leader of the pack 4] John “Big” Beatty – comic book artist, king of nonsense, and my oldest friend [although not as old as Jim Ivey or Bill Black].

* John Beatty is wearing a patch in the trailer. It’s a running gag that his character, “Patch,” shows up in several of Bill’s movies. This is his second appearance with a third soon to follow!

* John Higashi gets a close-up in the trailer where he yells “Godzilla.” It was totally ad-libbed and brought down the house.


So sit down, relax, let your mind take you back to the days of drive-ins, Nightmare Theater and watch the trailer for “The Ghost of Gargantua!”

Wild Bill Checks In

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My old buddy [okay, he’s not that old], Wild Bill Black dropped in to say that he’s going to be a guest at Tim Gordon’s August 10th comic show. Tim’s shows are always a blast and having Bill there just adds to the fun. Wild Bill says that he’ll bring some of his comics and dvds for fans to purchase. Autographs are free. ; )Bill said that he’ll also bring some trailers and film clips for the show’s film room. But why wait, you can see the trailer for The Blue Bulleteer Captured by the Cloak by clicking here.

If you’re able to make the show, you should. I can gurantee a fun time.

The Black Sleep

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Last night I was in the mood for an old-time horror movie. But what to watch? How about one starring Basil [Sherlock Holmes] Rathbone [as the mad scientist], Lon [The Wolfman] Chaney, Jr. [as one of the monsters], Bela [Dracula] Lugosi [as Rathbone’s assistant], John [Dracula] Carradine [as a madman] and Tor [“Plan 9 from Outer Space] Johnson [as another monster]? Yep, “The Black Sleep” fit the bill perfectly!

 

What, you’ve never heard of “The Black Sleep”? I wouldn’t be surprised. Unless you’re a real aficionado of the horror genre, you probably haven’t. I guess that’s what makes it a cult film. The sad thing is, “The Black Sleep” is one of the better low-budget 50’s horror films. So let’s take a look at it…

The Pitch: “Frankenstein” meets “The Island of Doctor Moreau.” A mad scientist [Rathbone] frames a former student [Herbert Rudley] for murder and then helps him escape the gallows. In return Rudley must help Rathbone with his evil experiments which turn his subjects into monsters.

The Good: The movie is introduced by Lon Madnight! Having Lugosi [in his final role] along with Chaney, Carradine, Johnson and Rathbone sharing screen-time is a hoot for any horror fan. Akim Tamiroff as Odo the Gypsy steals every scene he’s in. The screenplay is more complex than most of the genre — we have the mad scientist performing evil experiments, but he does so in hopes of learning a way to save his dying wife — we have a framed hero who must solve a murder mystery in order to clear his name — we have monsters chained in hidden cells below the castle, but they are victims of Rathbone’s experiments — at the same time the police are following leads leading to… a great climax with the monsters breaking free just as… ah, but that would be giving it away! [Be sure to keep watching after “The End” credit appears — there’s an added bonus!]

The Bad: What the experiments do to the subjects! Poor Bela is regulated to the role of a mute assistant — he was in terrible health in his final days. The hero’s name is Gordon Ramsay.  (Yep, reminded me of the Hell’s Kitchen guy.)

The Ugly: Tor Johnson, Lon Chaney and the rest of the monsters! Also there’s a great scare with a beautiful girl who’s suddenly revealed to be one of the monsters!

In Summary: “The Black Sleep” is a welcome addition to any horror fan’s library. The transfer is crisp and clean with excellent sound. The disc also includes trailers for other films in the AC DVD library as well as the first chapter of a Blackhawk cliffhanger serial. “The Black Sleep” is another winner from Bill Black.

 

Jock Mahoney Layin’ the Smackdown

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Chris Mills [the creator of one of my all-time favorite crime comics, Gravedigger] wrote yesterday about being a fan of Jock Mahoney. Nearly a year ago I posted about Jock being a guest at OrlandoCon and how I was lucky enough to appear on stage with him. Then I remembered that my buddy Bill Black had sent me a photo of Jock giving me a knuckle-sandwich. So thanks to Chris for tweaking my memory and Bill for forwarding the picture.PS – Regular ZONErs can probably guess who it is sitting under all that curly hair. LOL!

The Brute Man

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I recently watched “The Brute Man” as the second part of the double feature dvd “M is for Madman”. “M is for Madman” is the third in Bill Blacks’ Crypt of Horror series which takes us back to the days when drive-in movies and late night horror hosts were two of the things that made weekends so much fun. “M is for Madman” features “The Man Who Turned to Stone” and “The Brute Man” hosted by Lon Madnight.

Lon Madnight is our horror host. He appears before and after each film to provide insightful trivia about the movie to be seen and later leave us with some final thoughts and a chuckle or two. He’s exactly what’s needed in a horror host. The production values on the dvd are top notch. The films are crisp and clear with excellent sound. The movies can be seen without the Lon Madnight openings and closings, but they’re so much fun, who’d want to miss them? Priced at less than twenty bucks for two remastered movies and Lon Midnight — you’d be hard pressed to find a cheaper evening of family fun.

I reviewed “The Man Who Turned to Stone” here, so let’s take a look at “The Brute Man”…

The Pitch: “Frankenstein” meets “The Dark Man” set in the 1940s. A star high school football player is left disfigured by a practical joke and years later comes back for revenge.

The Good: The movie moves at a brisk pace. All of the cliches of the genre can be found here: spinning newspapers with headlines updating us on what we’ve just seen, the blind girl who doesn’t know she’s harboring the killer, a huge disfigured monster who walks the streets at night and easily escapes the cops after each murder… and there’s even some comic relief with the chief of police and city commissioners. And let’s not forget Rondo Hattan.

The Bad: How The Creeper kills his victims – he breaks their backs!

The Ugly: The Creeper.

The Summary: There are a couple of things that will make this a must own dvd for fans of the genre:

1] It was produced by Universal Pictures, so completists will want it for their collection to place along side “Frankenstein,” “Dracula,” etc.

2] It stars Rondo Hatton as the monster. Hattan suffered from acromegaly, a disease which caused abnormal growth of his hands, feet, and face. Because of the disfigurement caused by the disease, makeup wasn’t needed for Hattan. Most reports attribute the onset of this disease to Hattan’s exposure to mustard gas in World War I. Hattan is somewhat of a legend among horror buffs and even has a horror award named after him!

Trivia: Janelle Johson had a supporting role in the film. Her biggest claim to fame is probably that she is the mother of Mickey Dolenz of The Monkees!

If you’d like to see a clip of the first three minutes of “The Brute Man” click HERE.