FOR THE FUN OF IT:

 

COLLECTIBLE TIME: SUPERMAN TONYK/EAGLEMOSS CHESS PIECE

Mel and I were discussing our hopes and expectations for James Gunn's Superman. She commemorated the in-depth chat with a Kal-El surprise. 

The item is, in fact, a 5.5", DC chess piece, from the Tonyk/Eaglemoss line, featuring Superman performing a symbolic nod to Atlas, positioning the Daily Planet globe above his head.

Though I could not discern who sculpted this super piece, I can confirm that it possesses genuine heft, being made of a special, metalized resin. The paint job is spiffy, too, flaunting fine, careful detailing, which further brings this representation to life, as Superman stands on an elegant, square, grey base. 

I have a number of smaller, Superman pieces in my collection, which are of varying quality. There's no question that this nifty novelty is relegated to the higher echelon. 

Thanks for commemorating our discussion, Mel. You always know how to hit the collectible spot. 

TERRIFIC TEAM-UP IMAGE: CURUCU & THE MOLE PEOPLE

 

SO LONG, JOE DON BAKER

You kicked it into high gear with a two-fisted gusto that any true man would admire. 

The original Walking Tall, in which you play the legendary Sheriff Buford Pusser, was your biggest (and some would say your best), but you seized other significant achievements throughout your career: Mitchell; Charley Varrick, Congo, Mars Attacks!, The Shadow of Chikara (Curse of Demon Mountain), Wild Rovers, Junior Bonner, Guns of the Magnificent Seven; Edge of Darkness, Ring of Steel, Cape Fear 1991, Complex of Fear, The Underneath, Golden Needles, Mud, Fletch, Framed, Felony, Panther, Power, Framed, Wacko, Checkered Flag or Crash, Speedtrap, The Dukes of Hazzard 2005, Vegas City of Dreams, Poodle Springs, Strange Wilderness, Final Justice, The Grass Harp, The Children 1990, Reality Bites, Joe Dirt, The Distinguished Gentleman, The Pack, The Commission, The Outfit, The Natural, That Certain Summer, The Abduction of Kari Swenson, To Kill a Cop, Citizen Cohn, George Wallace, The Siege of Ruby Ridge, To Dance with Olivia, Too Rich: The Secret Life of Doris Duke, Mongo's Back in Town, Cool Hand Luke and then there's that fabulous, 007 trio, The Living Daylights (with Timothy Dalton), GoldenEye and Tomorrow Never Dies (with Pierce Brosnan). 

You piled up a big chunk of television guest shots, too, with Lancer, Gunsmoke, Bonanza, The Big Valley, The High Chaparral, Iron Horse, The Outsider, Mission: Impossible, Honey West, Judd for the Defense, The Felony Squad, Mod Squad, The F.B.I., Bracken's World, The Streets of San Francisco, Doc Elliot, Ironside, Screen Two, The Cleaner, The Most Deadly Game, In the Heat of the Night and as the series' titular lead in Eischied. 

You lived a long, full life, Mr. Baker, with your many accomplishments now set to live well beyond you: the surefire sign of a man who's proven his worth. 

WISE WORDS:

LARRY JOHNSON'S THE HAND

Artist Larry Johnson has occupied several imaginative genres. In the case of his 138-page, black-and-white graphic novel, The Hand (composed of eight chapters, which originally appeared in the publication, Tales of Fantasy), he devotes his talents to the superhero arena, and man, does he ever succeed in delivering a noble, moral-based adventure.

The Hand is, in actuality, a nebbish, Java Junction employee named Freddy Brown, who comes upon an amazing glove that grants him the power to fly about the city of Brookston and thwart crazed criminals by an energy blast that emanates from his palm. 

Brown creates an eye-catching costume to go along with his garment, which grants the once beleaguered gent pop-cultural attention and more than a little curiosity from Freddy's brother, Lew, as well as the mysterious Mr. Morphote. 

Though Brown generally makes ideal use of his weapon, there's a setback, in that he comes to rely perhaps too much on its addicting, pulsating power, which underscores the fact that he was once a drug addict. The allegory is quite brilliant and allows the character further vulnerability beyond his coffee-shop relegation, so that one has all the more cause to cheer him on. 

While modern Marvel and DC tend to blur the lines between good and evil, Johnson gets it right, in a straight-forward but moving account of how virtue, even if weighed by a daunting draw, can win the day, as long as the heroism is handled in honorable moderation and never taken to the manic extreme. 

Indeed, those who give The Hand a fair shake will find Johnson's saga a most thought-provoking diversion. 

Order Larry Johnson's The Hand at 

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BZFRQYHB?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title

PINUP TIME: STACEY DASH

 

WHY NOT HATE? (A LOVING REFLECTION)

I overheard some folks chatting at the gym. They were saying how it's sad that there isn't more acceptance, tolerance and love in the world these days. One said there was a YouTube video, where a enlightened fellow explains that, in order eliminate hate, one needs to appreciate the opposition: Get inside the head of one's foe, see where he/she's coming from, understand his/her motivation, and eureka, just like that, the hatred will dissipate. 

I checked YouTube and found the video. (It doesn't matter which one it is, since there's a horde of them holding the same slant.) Anyway, this fellow did, indeed, express the aforementioned. And that was that. There were no bracketing examples or exceptions to the rule. It was pure and simple, no more or less. 

I took offense. In my estimation, it's good to hate, at least in certain instances. I hate pedophiles. I hate rapists. I don't see a need to get into their heads to appreciate their vile impulses. I don't see why I should purge my hatred for them. If anything, I wouldn't mind if my hatred grew greater toward them.  

The problem these days isn't a lack of compassion. It's that there's too much tolerance for villainy: a "Sympathy for the Devil," if one will, as the Rolling Stones called it.  

Anyway, that's my opinion on the matter of hate, and whether one hates or loves me for it, I'm damn well sticking to it.   

FOR THE FUN OF IT:

WE BELONG DEAD: IL CINEMA ROSSO DI MAESTRO ARGENTO

I discovered We Belong Dead's Dario Argento salute, Il Cinema Rosso Di Maestro Argento, and was anxious to read writer/director Ansel (Loon Lake/The Great Nick D) Faraj's assessment of one of my favorites, Inferno. 

In his article, Faraj expresses the underrated magic of Argento's Suspiria sequel, putting aside its unjust reputation by elevating the creepy impact found in its apartment-complex corridors. He does so by dissecting the plot, acknowledging the movie's ambiguities and explaining how Argento's cinematic experiment is, in fact, a loose retelling of Dante's Inferno. Indeed, a brilliant assessment from start to finish: I learned a lot. 

In addition to Faraj's essay, Il Cinema Rosso Di Maestro Argento covers additional, excellent submissions in the Italian maestro's repertoire, penned by other astute contributors. 

As such, one will gain insights on Suspiria, Mother of Tears, The Bird with the Crystal Plumage, The Cat o' Nine Tails, Four Flies on Gray Velvet, MacBeth, Dracula 3D, The Phantom of the Opera, (Terror at the) Opera, The Five Days, Deep Red, Trauma, Tenebrae, Giallo, Phenomena (Creepers), The Stendhal Syndrome, Masters of Horrors: "Pelts" and "Jenifer," Two Evil Eyes, Sleepless, The Card Player, Do You Like Hitchcock?, Occhiali Neri (Dark Glasses), Vortex and a series of articles that look at Argento's censored segments, his television ventures, his writing prowess and his popular collaborations with George A. Romero.

The 150-page volume is also packed with a gallery that celebrates Argento's works, which are comprised of stunning stills and posters, with amazing, complementary artwork by Mark Armstrong. 

This is one of those comprehensive volumes that no Argento fan should be without. 

Order at 

https://webelongdead.co.uk/product/argento-special/