Classic Cuties: Raquel Welch

Bombshell blonds had been all the rage in Hollywood for quite a while, when Jo Raquel Tejada - better known as Raquel Welch - first made the scene in the swinging Sixties. Following a brief career as a weather girl, and after a smattering of television guest appearances, the former beauty queen grabbed everyones attention with her second feature film, the sci-fi hit Fantastic Voyage in 1966. A string of movie roles followed: One Million Years B.C., Bedazzled, Bandolero!, Lady in Cement, Fathom & Myra Breckinridge.

You have to give the sultry starlet her chops, for all of the cheesecake shots, photo and film shoots she has prolifically stood for, she has never posed fully nude, opting to keep some things to her self. Dang it! Raquel later won accolades for her Broadway role in Woman of the Year, started home fitness and wig business empires and managed to marry a total of four lucky guys.

For my money, she is still the litmus test by which all other celebrity gals should have to measure up to.

In theaters on May 22, 2008 .....

Here are three Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull photos from Vanity Fair, which has an extensive interview with the creators (Lucas, Spielberg & Ford) behind the third film sequel to 1981's Raiders of the Lost Ark.

"The story is set in 1957, and this time Dr. Jones goes up against cold-blooded, Cold War Russkies—led by Cate Blanchett in full dominatrix mode—instead of the Nazis he squashed like bugs in previous installments. Making a return alongside Ford is Karen Allen, as Marion Ravenwood, Indy’s pugnacious true love, last seen in the first film. Rising star Shia LaBeouf joins the cast in a role that no one connected with the film will confirm is the love child of Indy and Marion."

Review: Legion of Super-Heroes #37

Jim Shooter got his start in the comics business, when he was fourteen years old, by forwarding a script to DC Comics editor Mort Weisinger (who was in charge of the Superman family of titles back in the Sixties). Weisinger liked what he saw and put Shooter to work, not knowing his actual age, beginning with Adventure Comics #346 (July 1966), for which young Shooter provided not only writing duties, but pencil breakdowns as well. Shooter also created several new characters for the Legion of Super-Heroes including Karate Kid, a teenage superhero who predated the martial arts fad of the 1970s; Ferro Lad, a teenage superhero who can transform to living iron; and Princess Projectra, who could cast realistic illusions.

Now after a storied career that eventually saw Shooter rise to become the head honcho at Marvel Comics, and following his legendary run at Valiant in the 1990's, Shooter has returned to where it all began by assuming scripting duties on DC's Legion of Super-Heroes #37. He's joined by topnotch art find Francis Manapul and inker Livesay. And right on page one, there is his "old" creation Karate Kid firmly squaring off against a huge, bug-ugly, that is part of a wave of such beasties that are assaulting various United Planets locations in the first of what will be a multi-part initial story arc.

There are no dramatic departures, visually from what Waid & Kitson, did during their run on the title, but for fans of Jim Shooters classic Legion, there is much to be thankful for here.

I've seen a couple of reviews that felt the first several pages featured some stilted dialogue, but I disagree. I found myself easily absorbed by the goings on, and am really looking forward to the deepening mystery of what is afoot in the Legion's universe. Manapuls art is perfectly suited to the "teen" heroes and he seems to be well-suited for the title. Frankly, I haven't felt this good about the fate of the Legionnaires in several years.

If you like sci-fi action, superheroics and want to be part of the ride, you won't be disappointed by the set-up in this issue. Give it a try. Maybe you'll stick around for the near future.

From the Dust Bin: Zorro

Zorro (Spanish for Fox, and a by-word for cunning or devious) is the secret identity of Don Diego de la Vega (originally just Don Diego Vega), a fictional nobleman and master swordsman living in Spanish and Mexican-era California. He defends the people of the land against tyrannical governors and other villains; not only is he much too cunning and fox like for the bumbling authorities to catch, but he delights in publicly humiliating those same foes while riding on his horse Tornado.

Zorro (often called "El Zorro" in early stories) was created in 1919 by pulp writer Johnston McCulley, and first made his appearance in "The Curse of Capistrano", serialized in the pulp magazine All-Story Weekly. The character's visual motif is, typically, a black costume with a flowing Spanish cape, a flat-brimmed Andalusian-style hat, more appropriate to a California caballero than the wide sombrero the character wore in the original, and a black cowl mask that covers the top of the head from eye level upwards. (The mask covered his whole face in the original stories). In addition, his favored weapon is a rapier which he often uses to leave his distinctive mark, a large 'Z' made with three quick cuts. He also used a bullwhip, like the later Indiana Jones. In the original story, Zorro used a pistol, but this has rarely been seen since.

Many television, motion picture & comic book versions of the character have appeared since the first silent film The Mark of Zorro (starring Douglas Fairbanks) got the ball rolling in 1920.

Jonny Quest to film (soon/?) ... hopefully

Way back in August 7, 2007, it was announced that Warner Bros. was developing a live-action Jonny Quest feature film based on the classic animated series and characters. Adrian Askarieh and Daniel Alter will produce and the script will be written by Dan Mazeau. While a release date hasn't been announced, I must admit to holding out hope that a cool movie will really do justice to Jonny, Dr. Quest, Race Bannon, Hadji & Bandit.

"Watchmen" set photo (spoiler ahead) .....

Here is a photo that was recently taken when British comics artist Dave Gibbons, who drew the 1980's classic DC Comics mini-series, Watchmen, visited the set of the currently underway (and long-planned) movie version which is being directed by Zack Snyder (Dawn of the Dead, 300).

The picture shows Gibbons seated in the meeting room of the Watchmen. Immediately to his left, is the costume of Dollar Bill, a minor character in the series who was mostly seen in flashback sequences.

From the Dust Bin: The Phantom Detective

The Phantom Detective was the second pulp adventure hero character published after The Shadow. The first issue was dated February 1933, a month before Doc Savage - March 1933. The title continued till 1953, 170 issues.

The Phantom (as he was called in the pulp stories) was wealthy Richard Curtis Van Loan. In the first few issues of publisher Ned Pines Thrilling Magazine, The Phantom was introduced as a recognized world-wide detective, whose identity only one man knew, Frank Havens - the publisher of the Clarion newspaper. Richard Curtis Van Loan had become an orphan at an early age, but inherited wealth. Before the Great War, he had been an idle playboy. During the war he was a pilot who downed many German planes.

After the war Richard had a difficult time returning to his idle playboy life. At the suggestion of his father's friend, Havens, Richard set out to solve a crime the police couldn't. After solving it, Richard decided he'd found his calling, where he could have a life of adventure and danger.
He trained himself in all facets of detection and forensics, became a master of disguise and escape, and then he made a name for himself as the Phantom, whom all police agencies around the world knew of and respected.

The Phantom Detective also appeared in Ned Pines golden age Thrilling Comics for sixteen issues (#53-63 & #65-70); with a single additional four-color appearance in America's Best Comics #26.

A couple of "cuties" ...

Model Randi Ingerman (left) in a sultry pose that really grabs ones attention in the best possible way.

and .....

Kristen Bell (above;right), who shot off of defunct CW series Veronica Mars, and immediately joined super-popular NBC series, Heroes, in a pose to phone home about. Definitely worth sharing!

Karloff is cool ...

I am gonna clean out some lingering files for the remainder of the weeks posts, so bear with me as we slide towards the new year.

Here is a groovy photo that has been re-touched with natural color to show what Boris Karloff would have looked like as the 1931 original Frankensteins Monster with weird, slightly yellow tinting attempts by makeup artist Jack P. Pierce.

Gone, but not forgotten ..... (In Memorium)

As always, dozens of notable persons passed away in 2007. Here on my blog comic creators, Mike Wieringo, Richard H. Goldwater & Paul Norris were all profiled after they left us, as was "Miss Moneypenny" Lois Maxwell.

There will be many year end obituaries among various media sources, but here are a few of note that I'd like to say a fond farewell to:

1970's-era musicians Dan Fogelberg and Brad Delp (lead singer of the band Boston) helped make that decades air waves a little bit sweeter.

Tenor Luciano Pavarotti, actresses Yvonne De Carlo and Deborah Kerr.

Daredevil stuntman, Evel Knievel who also livened up the 70's.

Authors Kurt Vonnegut and Robert Clark (whose "A Christmas Story" has become a popular television holiday classic).

Thanks for the memories!

1970's Flashback (?): Captain Marvel

Marvel Comics “Captain Marvel” first appeared in the late 1960’s, but he really hit his stride with a series of “stellar” adventures in the early 1970’s under the guidance of a hot new creator that took the alien character back to his roots in the stars.

Following his debut as the lead feature of Marvel Super-Heroes #12 (Dec. 1967), Captain Marvel, acquired his own title although the series met with lukewarm sales. The character was soon revamped by Roy Thomas and Gil Kane in issue #17, by merging the hero with new sidekick, Rick Jones via the Kree nega-bands. This change was meant to mold the character into a more science-fiction oriented version of Fawcett Comics' original Captain Marvel (whose trademark was acquired when the copyright on the original character was up for renewal). Both comics were about a young man who became a super-hero after being guided to a hidden installation, and who could then in a flash of energy become (or change places with) an adult super-hero in a predominantly red costume.

The revamp didn’t save the series and it was ultimately cancelled with issue #21. Thomas tied up several loose ends from the series in the pages of the Avengers comic book. When Mar-Vell was later revived in the early 1970s, plotter and artist Jim Starlin conceptually revamped the character, although Captain Marvel's appearance remained mostly unchanged. Mar-Vell became the "Protector of the Universe", appointed by the cosmic entity Eon.

However, his career was again cut short when he died from cancer in Marvel's first large-format graphic novel, The Death of Captain Marvel.

Previews: Death of the New Gods #4 & Legion of Super-Heroes #37

Courtesy of Newsarama, here are glimpses at a couple of issues from DC Comics that have gotten me a bit excited lately.

Death of the New Gods #4 (far left) by Jim Starlin features what is purported to be the "end" of the Jack Kirby Fourth World saga - begun way back during the close of the silver age of comics. Many beloved characters have taken their final bow in the pages of this mini-series, but the mystery of who (or what) done it, is sure worth checking out.

Legion of Super-Heroes #37, illustrated by Francis Manapul & John Livesay, and written by returning (and controversial) former Legion scribe Jim Shooter looks to be a return to form for the 31st century team of heroes after the departure of Mark Waid & Barry Kitson. As a huge fan of the 1960's & 1970's Legion stories, I definitely will be lining up for Shooter's rebound to this title.

For more preview art go to newsarama.com and see for yourself.