'Wrath of the Spectre' is worth beholding

Wrath of the Spectre (DC Comics, 2005)
Writer: Michael Fleisher
Artists: Jim Aparo, Ernie Chua, Frank Thorne, Mike DeCarlo, and Pablo Marcos
Rating: Nine of Ten Stars

"Wrath of Spectre" collects all thirteen tales of DC Comics' Wrath of God on Earth--the Spectre, a being who rose in place of hardboiled police detective Jim Corrigan after he was murdered by gangsters. This restless spirit takes Jim Corrigan's form until it comes across criminals so violent and evil that there is no waiting for earthly justice to deal with them. Then Corrigan melts away and the terrifying figure of the Spectre brings strange and painful ends to the evil-doers... such as melting them like candle wax, turning them to wood and cutting them to pieces at a sawmill, or causing the emblem of a terrorist group to animate and kill its members.


Although several writer/artist teams have come close to matching the wildness and weirdness of the Fleisher/Aparo stories (Aparo pencilled, inked, or handled the full art chores on all of the stories), none have quite succeeded. The team of John Ostrander and Tom Mandrake came close during an extended run on the character in the 1990s, and their Spectre more or less picked up where Fleisher and Aparo left off. (I will probably review that Spectre series at some point in this space.)

In "Wrath of the Spectre", each tale sees the grim ghost of vengeance going after particularly violent and heinous criminals. Each story sees one or more villains commit a crime that they go out of their way to make unneccesarily violent. By the end of the tale, the Spectre visits a gory and hideous revenge upon the evil-doers, sometimes reflective of their crimes, sometimes just bizarre and violent. As the stories unfold, a young woman named Gwen Sterling and a tabloid reporter named Earl Crawford become tangled up in the Spectre's otherworldly mission of vengeance, bringing a view on the Spectre from a normal person's perspective to the story. Gwen Sterling in particular lends some interesting twists to the story, as the bond she forges with Jim Corrigan leads him to long once again to be a living human being.

The thirteen Fleisher/Aparo tales (funny number that, given the supernatural subject matter) are among some of the very best American comics created. Like all classics, these stories have a timeless quality to them, and they are well worth a look by anyone who loves comics... and who needs to be reminded that there ARE good non-superhero comics that have been published by American companies.


(As I post this review, "Wrath of the Spectre" is out of print. But here's hoping DC Comics will bring back this excellent group of horror comics.)

For more October monsters and horror,
visit Terror Titans and Shades of Gray!

A true-life story of an art theft from the National Portrait Gallery in D.C.

Here's a painting with a very cool Halloween vibe:

I spotted it on F. Lennox Campello's blog, and it's by an artist named Margaret Bowland. You can see many more of Bowland's equally spooky illustrations by clicking here and here. I hope Ms. Bowland doesn't take offense at my referring to her artwork as spooky, because I mean it as a compliment. I find her art very interesting, and so do others, as demonstrated by the fact the painting at the top of this post won the People's Choice Award Winner for the 2009 Outwin Boochever Portrait Competition.

It has also been stolen.

Campello posted an interesting account of how the painting fell into the hands of a crooked art dealer. Click here to read the story.

As I was preparing this post, I noticed that Campello published a follow-up to his original article, in which the National Gallery offers a response.

I think I'm going to keeping an eye on this case, just to see how it all turns out.

Does it take one to know one?

I've watched this clip twice. Oliver Stone, noted anti-Semite and admirer of murderous dictators like Hitler, Stalin, and Mao, states that conservative commentator Sarah Palin is a moron. He then seems to goes onto claim that those who supported equal rights for women--including the right to vote--in the 1920s were somehow also morons. 

Is that really what he said? I can't tease any other meaning out of his statement, but I also can't believe my ears. Watch and let me know what you think. (Especially you liberals out there, who are fond of telling the world how smart you are. Perhaps even in the Reply section. What exactly was Stone trying to say with his blather? Because from where I sit, he sounded like a moron.)



Maybe when Oliver Stone is done showing us all how Hitler was just a scape-goat for corrupt American/Jewish insterests, he will make a documentary series about how the Nineteenth Amendment to the Constitution was a bad thing. I'm sure his pal Ahmadinejad would agree with him.

(By the way, I don't necessarily disagree with Stone on Sarah Palin. But this does seem to be a case of the kettle calling the pot black.)

Helen of Troy causes more trouble in 'Lion of Thebes'

Lion of Thebes (1964)
Starring: Yvonne Furneaux, Mark Forest, Rosalba Neri, Massimo Serato, Pierre Cressoy, and Alberto Lupo
Director: Giorgio Ferroni
Rating: Five of Ten Stars

Helen, Queen of Sparta, and the lust-object by just about every male character to ever be mentioned in the Illiad and the Odyssey (Forneaux), escapes the fall of Troy with her faithful bodyguard Aryan (Forest) to safety in the Egyptian city of Thebes. But succor is not to be found, as Pharaoh Rameses (Cressoy) is dazzled by her great beauty and wants to make her his queen.

"Lion of Thebes" is one of the better examples of the "epic" boom of the Italian film industry in the 1960s. With excellent costumes, great sets, attractive cast, and a better-than-average script, it's a film that should be on the "must-see" list for anyone who likes low-fantasy movies.

The scenes with Menelaus (Alberto Lupo), Helen's one-time husband, are priceless, by the way. His "what trouble is that skank causing now?" respoonse to Aryan when he seeks him out for help are among the best moments of the film.

The biggest weaknesses of the film is that its a bit slow in getting in going, the director and/or cinematographer had no clue how to shoot the obligatory goofy dance performance at the obligatory feast of honor--we're treated to lots of views of the backs of the audiences' heads, as if a proud parent with no clue how to run a camcorder was filming their daughter's dance recital--and that once again we have a movie where a supporting actress is actually more beautiful than the one playing the legendary Helen of Troy. (Not that I wouldn't mind sharing a bed with 1960s-era Yvonne Furneaux, but I wouldn't have kicked Rosalba Neri out of it for her.)

Stephen J. Cannell dead at 69

Prolific television writer/producer, and occasional actor, Stephen J. Cannell lost his battle with melanoma and passed away at his Los Angeles-area home on Thursday, September 30. He was 69.

Cannell was a tireless creative mind whose constant pounding out of ideas on typewriters, as shown in the memorable filmic logo for his production company. Virtually anyone reading these words has been entertained by Cannell creations, be it The A Team, The Rockford Files, The Greatest American Hero, Hunter, 21 Jump Street, Wiseguy, Cobra, Black Sheep Squadron, Silk Stalkings, Renegade (in which he also had a recurring role as the main villain), and many other successful series--and a few not-so-successful--or any one of dozens of made-for-TV movies he wrote and produced.

Al-Qaeda and radical environmentalists: Green peas in a pod?

Osama bin Laden and his groupies lay awake at night and masturbate to fantasies of murdering anyone who doesn't agree with them. So, apparently, do members of some well-funded environmental groups. How else can one explain this little video?



The group that created the video has posted a statement on their website that "apologizes" for it and calls it a "mistake." My guess would be that they regret revealing what their true and sincere dreams are for anyone who doesn't worship as they do, just like members of al-Qaeda... only with less courage of their convictions.

Classic Batman Halloween adventures

Batman: Haunted Knight
Writer: Jeph Loeb
Artist: Tim Sale
Steve's Rating: Ten of Ten Stars

During the mid-90s, when "Legends of the Dark Knight" was helmed by editor Archie Goodwin and at its peak as an outlet for unusual Batman tales that may or may not be "true", three excellently creepy Halloween Specials were published. All three were created by the team of Loeb and Sale, and all three have been collected in "Batman: Haunted Knight".

In addition to three of the best Batman stories ever published, there's an introduction by Archie Goodwin that puts them in context of the editorial philosophy he had for the "Legends" title. He wanted to present self-contained Batman "novels" that presented tales that were moving and exciting not only on an action level, but also on an emotional level; he wanted the stories to explore possibilities of the early years of Batman and characters associated with him from many different angles and he wanted all those angles to provide new depths and insights into those characters. Each story is particularly interesting, because it reveals facets of Batman's character to both the reader and to the character himself; each story has a component of self-discovery that ends up making Batman and even stronger hero than he might otherwise have been. (Interestingly, from a "continuity geek" standpoint, the stories seem to be saying, "Batman was once a psycho... but he healed and grew emotionally, and now he's a defender of justice.")

With "Batman: Haunted Knight", we see three examples of that editorial philosophy operating at full power. We also get a character who is the perfect vehicle for Halloween stories fighting some of his strangest foes under the dealiest of circumstances. Fans of Batman, fans of spooky stories, and fans of well-done comics will all find something to like here. All of the above goes double for those of you who liked "Batman Begins", as the tone in these three stories resemble the one found there.


The first story in the book is "Fears". In it, Batman squares off against the Scarecrow, while in his true identity of Bruce Wayne he meets what seems to be the perfect woman. However, while Bruce is caught up in and blinded by the hope of ending his decades of emtional isolation, Alfred discovers that Bruces' new lady love may be more dangerous than a supervillain.

Then we have "Madness", a story that is just as much about Batman's hunt for the Mad Hatter (who has been kidnapping children) as it is about Jim Gordon and his relationship with his adopted daughter Barbara. Fans of movies like "Seven" and "Along Came a Spider" and similar thrillers should enjoy it. It's another story that also gives Bruce Wayne some more chances to heal old emotional wounds and put to rest some ghosts.

Speaking of "Ghosts", the third tale is a "A Christmas Carol" take-off with a Halloween theme. After an introductory fight with the Penguin, the story becomes a psychological drama as Bruce Wayne/Batman is visited by the "ghosts of Halloween". It's got pretty much the same message as "A Christmas Carol", and Loeb and Sale pull it off with such grace and skill that a tale that might have seemed hackneyed or silly instead becomes touching and creepy all at once.

Get "Batman: Haunted Knight", and you'll be treated to three great Halloween stories that also rank among the best Batman comics ever published.

For more October monsters and horror,
visit Terror Titans and Shades of Gray!