MEMORIAL DAY 2026, NJ PARADES: GROVEVILLE/YARDVILLE & NOTTINHAM WAY (5/26)f

 

LARRY JOHNSON'S TALES OF THE BROKEN B #8: AIRSHIP VENGEANCE

  

Artist/writer Larry Johnson's Tales of the Broken B #8 is another imaginative winner, thanks to its high-flying, 36-page adventure, "The Airship." 

The entry depicts the time when good ol' Clyde Brittle, Ernie Malone, Sam Gladstone and Tadawa encounter an awe-inspiring aircraft. Though it appears to be celestial at first, it is, in fact, an experimental, military vessel called the Avenger. 

There's a catch to it, though. Its commander, Rexford Rothar, harbors an Ahab complex, and as such, wishes to use the ship as a means of vengeance on Tadawa's people. Clyde attempts to stop him but gets captured. What then ensues brims of full-fledged, unbridled suspense. 

Johnson's spirited installment reminds me of one of my favorite, Wild Wild West episodes, "The Night of the Flying Pie Plate," which deals with an insinuated U.F.O, but "The Airship" is much more "grounded," flowing like a chapter play, as filtered through Jules Verne. 

In a large and effective way, the story's strength comes from its antagonist. Rothar is a stubborn, hellbent son of a gun, but his angst (as conveyed by the commander's son in a poignant exchange with Clyde) bursts of contemptuous pathos. 

Johnson's artwork is amazing, too, perhaps his most vivid to date. He also enhances his fable with a fascinating article on Soloman Andrews, a Civil War, dirigible ("Aereon") designer, which gives "The Airship" an earnest, historical context. 

This is a terrific exploit (one definitely worth owning). Why not add it to your collection? It's easy enough to do. Just submit the Paypal sum of $8.00 to Mr. Johnson at Lewbrown1@verizon.net, and your issue will be promptly sent.  

TERRIFIC TEAM-UP IAMGE: BLACK CHRISTMAS, DERANGED, COMMON-LAW CABIN

 

SALLY THE ZOMBIE CHEERLEADER'S SCHOOL OF HORROR: VAMPIRE OVER LONDON

 

For those who've enjoyed Mr. Lobo's Cinema Insomnia: Bela Lugosi Meets a Brooklyn Gorilla, there's a Sally the Zombie Cheerleader's School of Horror that churns the same charm: Renown Pictures' Vampire Over London, aka Mother Riley Meets the Vampire, aka My Son the Vampire (the latter label being an off-the-cuff play upon Allen Sherman's novelty tune, "My Son the Folk Singer," which he reworked for the 1952 movie's 1963 re-release).

Vampire Over London stands as an accidental lead-in to Edward D. Wood's Bride of the Monster, with Lugosi portraying a mad scientist with conquest on his mind, but in director John Gilling's feature, scripted by Val Valentine and horror producer Richard Gordon, he's also a vampire (well, maybe just a chap who believes himself to be, though I do take his claim as confirmation). I guess this makes him a forerunner of sorts to Al Lewis' Grandpa of The Munsters. 

The movie holds further distinction by being the final, Mother Riley movie, with the cherished character again enacted by the amiable Arthur Lucan, whose "drag" act delighted British audiences throughout the 1940s and early 1950s. 

The Lugosi/Lucan team-up is heavy on hijinks, as the former's Professor Von Housen prepares to unleash a robot army upon the world and sets his lumbering prototype to trail the jittery Riley. 

Sally (joined by her sardonic SkeleKat) highlights the production and shares affectionate insights on Lucan's rise as a topliner and Lugosi's captivating career, including his British stage tour of Dracula, conducted prior to the Riley effort.  

Indeed, if one appreciates the spooky crossovers of Laurel & Hardy, Abbott & Costello, Martin & Lewis and the Bowery Boys, Sally's Vampire Over London tribute will not only tickle the funny bone, but invigorate the jugular.🧛

Join the vampiric/robotic/motherly jubilation at 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vby6K9ffhRo&t=1165s

 

FOR THE FUN OF IT:

 

I SAW THE PUNISHER: ONE LAST KILL

Disney+'s The Punisher: "One Last Kill," a Spider-man: Brand New Day precursor, is directed by Renaldo Marcus Green, who cowrote with its titular star, Jon Bernthal. Though I was wary of this one, due to Daredevil: Born Again, Season 2's sad, socio-political slant, and for that matter, Punisher: Season 1's peculiar, vet analysis, I nevertheless came away appreciating--no, make that, respecting--Frank Castle's bridging bout. 

The story works. It's introspective, mean, brutal and bloody, succeeding by never trying to shove an asinine message down one's throat (like bad is good and good is bad). Hallelujah!

In "One Last Kill'"s concise (under-an-hour) case, the grief-bound Frank Castle gets back into the dicey fray, a la Michael Corleone in Godfather III, not by mere desire, which would be cause enough, but for an essential comeuppance, triggered by a threat from the wounded Ma Gnucci (Judith Light). Good over bad is the key (with an ample "eye for an eye" attached), and it's delivered big time, spewing out of war-torn Little Sicily, where crime is encouraged to spread. 

The Punisher is meant to be mournful and mad (enraged that his family was taken from him, enough to put a gun to his head). He's not meant to be cross-examined or condemned for wanting to get even (a message to the sadist politicians who'd blame him and only him for his rage and never the culprits, never the scumbags). He's programmed to go down in a blaze of glory, but not before bringing down those who deserve to rot in Hell. That sort of thing doesn't generally happen in real life. However, the Punisher makes it a cathartic reality, and "One Last Kill" exemplifies the hero's brooding, determined spirit just as it should be...at long last and all for that one last kill. How Marvel-ous!

FOR THE FUN OF IT: