Since I have done a lot of posts about Erik Larsen´s SAVAGE DRAGON comic I´m not going to post all links but I´m including the latest ones : I already did a post with some of Erik Larsen´s best splash pages from his 200+ issue run and one that was all headshots ( okay, there is also the much clamored for blowjob scene between Horridus and Savage Dragon ).
But the most important one where I really went into detail about what actually happened in the issues was the one about SAVAGE DRAGON 200 a.k.a. the famous Threesome Issue ( which has links to my big SAVAGE DRAGON post in english and german ) where Malcolm Dragon and Angel finally get it on. The post explains the not brother and sister thing.
For those who have missed the THORSDAY WITH ERIK LARSEN installments here are the links for my posts about Erik Larsen´s issues of THE MIGHTY THOR under Dan Jurgen´s penmanship ( issue 26 / issue 27 / issue 28 ) and the first one about Erik Larsen´s own version of the god of thunder in his SAVAGE DRAGON series to which I am finally writing the a follow up post.
Before we dive into the next issue with Erik Larsen´s version of Thor I have to say that when I read the letters pages from that particular issue I was surprised how many readers commented that this Thor looked more norwegian than Marvel´s Thor and how this Hercules looks more greek than Marvel´s Hercules. Now as somebody who has read JUSTICE LEAGUE EUROPE I know that what american readers or artist picture when they think about other countries is far different than how they really look.
Especially as somebody who has been to a few countries it is interesting to see how these countries are depicted in american comics since there are only a handful I have come across in my decades of comic reading where they look like they are supposed to. One notable exception was the NIGHTCRAWLER mini series drawn by Darick Robertson where the Black Forrest really looked like the Black Forrest. Anyway, what american readers see as " norwegian " or " greek " is apparently very different from what european comic readers would qualify as such because I have never understood what makes Erik Larsen´s version of Thor or Herkules better than the Marvel version. And it´s not because I am a huge fan of the pre - Marvel NOW, pre - Unworthy Odinson, pre - Jane Foster as Thor real deal Thor " I am going to say thee nay and smite thee with my hammer " God of mother eff - wording thunder. But because to me they all look fake.
The webpage that I usually consult for the comic book related birthdays is currently on the Fritz so I can only include those I covered in previous posts. I don´t know when the website will work again - or if it ever will ( which would at least make this section shorter ) so I apologize in advance.
One birthday I looked up while writing this post is the late John Buscema who had his anniversary on the 11th of this month. He did work on a plethora of series and last December I did a special Marvel - Two - In One post for John Buscema and Joe Sinnott which includes links to previous Joe Sinnott posts. When people talk about Marvel´s Fantastic Four series they usually only talk about the runs by Jack Kirby and John Byrne which in my opinion is a real shame because for me the periods drawn by George Perez or John Buscema were also some of the best. Especially when inked by the incomparable Joe Sinnot who made the transition between various pencilers on the title seamless. Some may say that I only like these stories because out of nostalgia - because the issues by John Buscema were the last ones published in Germany by the Williams Verlag and the issues by George Perez were some of the first I read from FORUM - but that´s not it.
That period not only has what for me is one of the best Fantastic Four stories of all time that stands along with the Galactus trilogy and This Man This Monster ( frequent visitors of the blog probably know to which story I´m referring ) but plain some of the finest issues the series put out.
As longtime readers are aware I´ve mentioned John Buscema many times so I don´t want to put up links to all these posts. Nevertheless as some readers may be reluctant to use the " buscema " post tag - and because I also use it for his brother Sal - I want to include some postings of choice.
The most recent ones are my John Buscema´s Top Ten Avengers Covers posts where I am now down to the top three covers. It seems the further I get to the top the less covers I can include in one post. And in the latest one I only got to do one so maybe I will need two posts for my number three. Nevertheless since I have not gotten any negative comments from readers so far it seems that they rather enjoy or at least appreciate my ramblings so here are the four posts I have done so far : John Buscema´s Top Ten covers for the german Williams Verlag series Die Ruhmreichen Rächer and John Buscema´s Top Ten Avengers cover from his second run on the book with Roger Stern ( numbers 10 to 6 , number five , number four ). Speaking of that run, I also did a post on Avengers 300 - which only took me three tries - and on one of the best but sadly most underrated stories Assault on Olympus ( which is mainly due to it coming hot on the heels of the brilliant Under Siege Saga, probably the best Avengers story ever written ) with the best original art I could find. To which I could finally do a second part this year. Apart from that I am sure that I will get back to the topic of John Buscema´s Top Ten Avengers covers ( and my usual deviations on it ) although that will happen rather later than sooner.
A more recent John Buscema post I was a special black and white post about Conan the Barbarian issue 29 by John Buscema and Ernie Chan. This was one of my favorite periods of the book and so far I have not found a nice hardcover that collects my favorite saga. Dark Horse had started to reprint the series and the first few trades were recolored beautifully but after a while the coloring went down the toilet and it just looked muddy and garish. I found some trades about the 20s that were colored right at a bargain price at amazon a few months ago and they were a joy to read.
Especially the King Conan issues. They came out by Condor when I was still in school and I remember that at one of the Comicbörse in Stuttgart my brother bought two fantasy comics : one that was an extremely hyped new series from France and an old album of John Buscema´s Conan the Barbarian he found really cheap. In the end the hot new french series turned out to be all sizzle and no substance and was confusing and boring to read while John Buscema´s run of the mill issue that he just knocked out in time for the deadline was cool and witty and funny and a real blast.
You know that it was one of the series he enjoyed drawing the most which is one of the reasons he stayed on that title for literally decades.
To close up this part one John Buscema post that is still in the pipeline is the one about the Marvel Visionaries : John Buscema hardcover since John´s first run on World´s Mightiest Heroes is deservedly a true classic.
Today we have a weird entertainment / pop culture section as we first have the comic book birthdays and then the cult siren anniversaries. And some more interesting videos of choice I hope. Now on the comic book related side we have the late Carlos Meglia who really would deserve a post of his own. He is best known for Cybersix written by the also late Carlos Trillo - at least in Europe and his home Argentina. It is one of the most important comics in the history of Argentina and Carlos Trillo is without any doubt one of the most important comic writers of Argentina.
During the early iMAGE years Carlos Meglia did a few fill - in issues of WildC.A.T.S. and a few of the readers called him a clone of Humberto Ramos while in truth it was the other way around. That was one of the more entertaining parts of the iMAGE comics : the letters pages where you could read such hilarious comments like " What is a Frazetta ? "
I read the spanish version of the comic but I don´t think there has been an english edition yet. So if you want to read more about the adventures of a leather clad buxom transvestite clone vampire super heroine COMIC VINE is the place to get more information and THE SUPER SATURDAY SHORT - LIVED SHOWCASE has an overview of the series in two parts as well as posts about every episode of the short lived cartoon. For those who have never heard of the series here is Saturday Morning Breakfast Mix´ analysis of the animated version that was undeservedly cancelled before its time.
I also want to include an episode from the actual cartoon series for those who have not seen Cybersix. I know that the last one I posted was the first one or the second one but these are hard to come by on YouTube.
Today´s birthdays start with Kristiane Backer who turns 53. She was not only the first german vj on Mtv - back when you still could watch Mtv and they actually played music videos 24 / 7 - but also one of the hottest.
People ask me how I decide whom I include in this section because there is probably at least one playmate birthday every day and my criteria is simple : only the ones I know and where I have something to say ( and hopefully some picture that is safe to post on the blog ). If I have to look her up that means I don´t remember her and she won´t be mentioned.
That´s definitely not the case with busty, luscious and voluptuous stunner Marianne Gravatte who celebrates her 59th birthday. Because believe me, once you have seen her nude pictures you will never forget her. Her body is absolutely mind blowing which makes the fact that Marianne almost didn´t pose for PLAYBOY because she was too shy even more incredible.
Born on December 13, 1959 in Hollywood, California, Marianne graduated from Arcadia High School in 1978. Gravatte was not only the Playmate of the Month in the October 1982 issue of PLAYBOY, she also became the Playmate of the Year in 1983 thanks to her bonerinducing 34D - 21 - 32 measurements. Marianne posed for a bunch of PLAYBOY special edition publications and appeared in several PLAYBOY videos so I got to see plenty of her and she may be responsible for my obsession with bikini tan lines.
With her dream body it´s no surprise Gravatte made guest appearances on Matt Houston in the aptly named episode The Bikini Murders and The New Mike Hammer as Brenda in the episode titled Dead Man´s Run. Moreover, Marianne not only graced the cover of the 1985 album Invasion of Your Privacy by Ratt, but also was featured in the music videos for Ric Ocasek's Something to Grab For, Zebra's No Tellin' Lies, and Ratt's Lay It Down.
Gravatte eventually got married and has three children. Marianne Gravatte and her husband own a sports bar in Huntington Beach, California.
Speaking of stunning women, Anouska Hempel turns 77 who appeared in Lady Oscar - you might know the anime version - and in the cult sci fi series Space : 1999 or like it was called in Germany Mondbasis Alpha Eins.
She also was in the Tales From The Crypt tv series but the reason why I know her is the Hammer production Scars of Dracula or like I call it Doctor Who versus Dracula ( those who have seen the movie know why ) where she provided the two breast reasons to fall under the spell of a vampire.
That is another post where I already have all the necessary material prepared but I never can find the time to write the post. Since I also couldn´t find the movie on YouTube I want to include another horror movie that is based on the classic EC comics : The Vault Of Horror with Curd Jürgens who also would have had an anniversary Today. Fun fact : like Scars Of Dracula the movie features a Doctor, in this case it is Tom Baker.
We continue in the Dearly Departed section with Eve Meyer who is our second PLAYBOY playmate. Eve was a high profile pin up model in the 1950s and also the PLAYBOY Playmate Of The Month June in 1955 .
Eve is best known for being married to one of my personal heroes, film maker Russ Meyer and playing the lead role in Eve And The Handyman.
Behind the camera Eve was the producer or associate producer of Lorna, Mudhoney, Faster Pussycat ! Kill ! Kill !, Motorpsycho, Mondo Topless, Common Law Cabin, Good Morning and Goodbye, Finders Keepers Lovers Weepers, Vixen, Harry Cherry & Raquel and Beyond The Valley Of The Dolls. She was however not involved in my favorite Russ Meyer movie UP !
Meyer’s 1976 comedy thriller UP ! was co - written by Roger Ebert and contains Nazis, lesbianism, rape, buggery, a backwoods sheriff, piranha, kinky sex - and that’s just the first 10 minutes ! The movie offers a lot of very graphic sex scenes which are highly erotic, well photographed and stunningly edited. The female cast members all engage with the outdoor, sunny California countryside, but under a spell of kinetic blankness like sex machines gone wild especially Janet Wood who not only has a name made for porn movies if I ever heard one but also one of the best scenes with her on - screen partner Robert McLane who was a homosexual in real life.
I have read that homosexual actors are often used in straight porn movies because they can pound a woman for hours without risking to climax but Janet Wood doesn´t look like a woman who cares if her sex partner will squirt as long as she can milk him dry. So either she rode him like a woman possessed because she could vent all her pent up sexual frustration or she worked herself into a frenzy trying to put him on the straight path again.
Allegedly she was so obsessed with turning him straight again that she used every break on set to get into his trailer - under the pretense that she needed to rehearse some scene - where she immediately started deepthroating his allegedly giant member until he was fully erect at which point she continued taming him. After a while other actors noticed and this turned into a case of " If this trailer´s rocking, don´t come knocking ". She also botched a few of their sex scenes on purpose so she could continue pumping him in front of the camera and he had no choice but to let her use him as her personal human dildo squirting again and again.
In any case with a name like Janet Wood she was predestined for explicit sex scenes and her nymphomaniac urges got the better of Janet because she has never acknowledged her nude work in this film over the decades.
Now besides possibly being the first Russ Meyer movie I saw in a cinema another reasons why it´s my favorite - besides the bevy of hot sexbombs like Kitten Natividad or Marianne Marks in the cast - is the lead actress.
The gorgeous Raven De La Croix with an exotic name and a body which can only be a true gift from the gods, stars as Margo Winchester, one of Meyer’s strongest female characters. Constantly victimized by most men, yet refusing to play the victim, spitting out her lines in a Mae West - type drawl, Raven De La Croix and her bountiful figure totally steal the movie.
Totally nude and usually running around outdoors for most of the film, De La Croix is incredibly sexy and funny. She had done lots of modeling by 1976 and appeared in UP! after coming to terms with the fact that she had to perform nude scenes and graphic sex scenes. According to De La Croix, she really went all out for this film, destroying her feet while running through the desert, almost sacrificing her life during the drowning / rape scene, and unknowingly being body doubled during some of the more questionable sex scenes ( I wonder where they found that body double ).
She looks like a real life Wonder Woman and it´s a shame there never was a Bronze Age Wonder Woman movie with Raven in the lead role. The former template model for blow up sex dolls practically played the role of busty amazonian princess in the 1984 Jim Wynorsky skin flick The Lost Empire. I wrote a bit more about her in my first Justice League Casting Alternates .
As a last word on Russ Meyer I want to mention my entries into the Boob Hall of Fame for Haji and Tura Satana which I re - posted in 2016 which is mostly about Faster Pussycat ! Kill ! Kill ! ( The Devil Women of Tittfield in german ) although it touches on her other movies and has her full bio.
I am not sure how to make an elegant sequeway to Erik Larsen except that with the explicit content in some of his latest issues of Savage Dragon he might earn himself the title of The Russ Meyer Of Comics.
What is completely safe for work is the new Hilda cartoon by Netflix based on the wonderful comic book series. Two posts ago we had the political correct She - Ra And The Princesses Of Power show in this section so Today I wanted to feature a cartoon I can recommend wholehartedly.
Continuing with wholesome entertainment for the entire family we end this with a Christmas Special featuring John Denver and the Muppets.
New to the blog ? Everything you need to know about TALES FROM THE KRYPTONIAN : top ten posts / more posts of interest / best of the best
I learned that you need good traction to run on chocolate.
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