Wednesday, October 19, 2011

THE VALLEY OF GWANGI Conclusion

Art by Frank McCarthy from the American release poster.
It's 1910, and a palentologist, along with members of a traveling rodeo, have stumbled on a lost valley in the American Southwest that harbors presumed-extinct prehistoric creatures who do not take kindly to strangers!
(You want more? Go reread the previous chapters!)
Let the mayhem ensue...
Though the comic adaptation writer is unknown, the art is by Jack Sparling, who handled everything from Westerns to romance to sci-fi/fantasy, so he was well suited to a movie adaptation with all three elements!
The last half of the movie is a real showcase for Ray Harryhausen's classic stop-motion animation techniques as he handles both real and imaginary creatures with equal aplomb, making them really come alive!
There's a kool site HERE by Jim Rodkey, a serious Ray Harryhausen aficionado, giving all sorts of fascinating background info and pix about the movie!
Oddly enough, the movie is not currently available on DVD, except as an expensive OOP disc from 2003.
With literally everything else by Harryhausen currently out in both solo releases and themed collections, why isn't this flick included?
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Tuesday, October 18, 2011

THE VALLEY OF GWANGI Part 2

"He who dares steal from the Evil One is cursed!"
So spoke the old woman after Carlos took El Diablo from the hidden Valley of Gwangi!
(But what is El Diablo?)
Meanwhile, in a nearby town, T.J. Breckenridge, beautiful cowgirl owner of a traveling rodeo, struggles with near-bankruptcy when she meets stunt rider/former fiance Tuck Kirby, who makes an offer for the only asset the show has...Omar the Wonder Horse!
T.J. refuses, saying she's about to unveil a spectacular new attraction that will turn the rodeo's fortunes around!
The next day, Tuck encounters Professor Bromley, a palentologist who claims to have discovered tracks of a presumed long-extinct ancestor of the modern horse!
How do these events tie together?
Read on...
Need we say...
Be here tomorrow for the
Thrilling Conclusion!
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Monday, October 17, 2011

THE VALLEY OF GWANGI Part 1

What happens when you combine cowboys and dinosaurs?
In comics you end up with this, which we presented HERE!
In movies, especially ones with SFX by Ray Harryhausen, you get...
A prehistoric creature alive today?
Impossible!
Tomorrow, more impossible things!

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Monday, October 10, 2011

THE ORIGINAL GHOST RIDER "Ghost Rider vs Frankenstein"

When Titans Clash!
And, it was the cover-featured story for Ghost Rider #10 (December 1952), though not illustrated by Frank Frazetta as were some of the earlier covers!
This particular one was by interior artist Dick Ayers, who illustrated almost all of stories in Ghost Rider.
But, as a matter of fact, this book was the Halloween issue!
(Comics were cover-dated 2-3 months ahead of their actual on-sale date, so this issue was on-sale in October, 1952!)
And now, on with the tale...
Aw, shucks, it wasn't really the Monster of Frankenstein!
This was, more often than not, the modus operandi used by baddies in Ghost Rider tales.
What seems to be supernatural, is just sleight-of-hand.
However, there were a couple of tales where things were, in fact, what they appeared to be!
We'll be presenting one of them, featuring zombies, on Halloween!
Watch for it!
Next Week:
Cowboys vs Dinosaurs!
The Valley of Gwangi
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Monday, October 3, 2011

BULLSEYE "Devil Bird"

They just don't make comics like this anymore!
Masked cowboy hero vs pterodactyl!
It's the sort of concept a nine-year old would come up with while playing with his (or her) brand-new action figures under the Christmas tree, mixing the dinosaurs with superheroes and cowboys!
But, damnit, Jack Kirby makes this cross-genre tale from BullsEye #4 (and Blazing SixGuns #12) work for both genres!
Believe it or not, this wasn't the cover story for it's first appearance (even though it was the lead story)...
Art by Jack Kirby
...but it was for the reprint!
Art by Ross Andru & Mike Esposito. Note that BullsEye is miscolored!
Next Week: 
Frankenstein Meets the Original Ghost Rider!

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