Michaela Colette Zacchilli covers Spider-man 2099 36

Original cover by Jae Lee and Peter Palmiotti; Marvel 1995. Michaela Colette Zacchilli's website is here.

Detective Comics #388

Detective Comics #388 (On Sale: April 29, 1969) has a so-so Batman cover by Irv Novick. The big news on this cover though is not the art, it is the price! DC comics used their flagship title to usher in the era of 15 cent comics.

I wish I could say the lead-off Batman story was worth the extra three cents, but it isn't. "Public Luna-Tic Number One" by John Broome, Bob Brown and Joe Giella is laughably bad. I think Broome had been watching too many episodes of the Batman TV show; every line of dialog Robin has rings of Burt Ward's over-the-top delivery and it may have seemed cool in 1969, I don't remember, but in retrospect it's just grating.

There is a crime spree going on in Gotham being perpetrated by someone the press has dubbed Public Luna-tic Number One because the crimes were all committed under a full moon. The Dynamic Duo are tooling around Gotham discussing how they think he must be the Joker when they see a light on at the planetarium. Rushing in they find the Joker and his henchmen. A fight ensues and the Joker and his men get away.

Sometime later Bruce Wayne attends a demonstration of believed crack-pot scientist Dr. Doomer, who has invented an anti-gravity device. He tests if for some military fellows and it fails to do anything. The Army brass storm out vowing to never attend another one of Dr. Doomer's demonstrations, but Bruce hangs back and he and the doctor discover that a fake device has been substituted for Dr. Doomer's anti-gravity device. When they pull a string they find in the fake device a recording of the Joker's laugh plays.

The next full moon finds the Joker's gang at Gotham Central Station where they use the anti-gravity device to disable the police while they steal funds from the cash drawers. The Joker himself pushes the alarm button and they await the arrival of Batman and Robin. Joker's men have been practicing with the anti-gravity device for weeks and are therefore able to subdue Batman and Robin, knocking them out cold.

When they awake they are in space suits on the moon, where Joker explains through a radio in their suits that since America is going to the moon he wants to be the greatest criminal on the moon and has decided that his first lunar crime will be to kill Batman and Robin. Figuring out that they are not really on the Moon (duh!), the Dynamic Duo bound through the underground cave they are in until they find the Joker and his men, subduing them and destroying the anti-gravity device in the ruckus.

They take the broken device back to Dr. Doomer who laments that it will take him years to build another one.

The back-up Batgirl story, "Surprise! This'll Kill You" is by Frank Robbins, Gil Kane and Murphy Anderson and the artwork is just beautiful. Gil Kane's Barbara Gordon/Batgirl is beautiful and sexy and Anderson's smooth inks add just the right touch. Barbara Gordon answers a personals ad offering to share a free apartment with a 5ft. 4in. medium build redhead. She shows up to a hallway of other applicants, all of which DC has given the wrong color of hair. Each woman knocks on the door and is told through the peephole to leave. When Barbara knocks, the door opens and a woman in a Batgirl costume invites her in.

Darlene Dawson explains that she is a flight attendant who is being awarded "Air-Hostess With the Mostest" at the annual airlines costume ball tonight, but that it is also her granddad's 85th birthday and she plans on being in two places at the same time, with Barbara's help of course. Barbara gets into Darlene's Batgirl costume and Darlene heads off to her grandfather's telling Barbara that her escort will be arriving soon. Through the peephole Barbara sees that Darlene's escort is dressed as Batman, but when she opens the door he points a gun at her and threatens to kill her for being a double-crosser.

A fight seemingly between Batman and Batgirl ensues and Barbara falls out the window, supposedly to her death. In reality she maneuvered there in order to fake being killed so she could trail "Batman" back to his leader. She follows him back to the airline costume party where he meets with Superman, Green Lantern and Flash, all members of a diamond smuggling gang of which Darlene was a part. She had apparently been using her position as a flight attendant to smuggle gems into the country, but had been keeping more than her fair share.

The gems that "Batman" had recovered from Barbara are found to be fakes and Barbara confronts the gang only to be outnumbered and without her own bag of weapons. This story was reprinted in Batman in the Sixties TPB and Showcase Presents: Batgirl Vol. 1 TPB.

Edited by Julius Schwartz.

Captain Action #5

Captain Action #5 (On Sale: April 29, 1969) has another wonderful Gil Kane cover.

The full-length Captain Action story "A Mind Divided" is written and drawn by Gil Kane and inked by Wally Wood. This tale of charismatic leaders and rebellion in the streets was the swan song for Captain Action and Action Boy. I don't know if the issue was sales or the end of the toy line or what, but I enjoyed every issue of this book and was saddened to see it go. Of course I owned the toys so this book was just made for me.

Edited by Julius Schwartz.

Adventure Comics #381

Adventure Comics #381 (On Sale: April 29, 1969) has a Neal Adams Supergirl cover as she takes over Adventure Comics from the Legion of Super-Heroes.

The full-length Supergirl story "The Supergirl Gang" is by Cary Bates and Winslow Mortimer. Superman and Batgirl both make appearances in the story. It will be reprinted in Showcase Presents: Batgirl Vol. 1 TPB.

Edited by Mort Weisinger.

Action Comics #377

Action Comics #377 (On Sale: April 29, 1969) has another Curt Swan and Neal Adams Superman cover.

Superman stars in "The Cage of Doom" by Otto Binder, Curt Swan and Jack Abel. Except for a mystery story in next month's House of Mystery and another mystery story to appear in nine years, this is Otto Binder's last story at DC as he retired this month after working in comics since 1939.

In 1930 Otto Oscar Binder began writing science fiction in tandem with his brother Earl; they worked under the pen-name Eando Binder ("E" and "O" Binder). Though Earl stopped the writing partnership at some point, Otto kept the nom de plume. In 1935 Otto began writing for Mort Weisinger who was editor at Thrilling Wonder Stories at the time and Ray Palmer (can anyone say "Atom?") who was editor of Amazing. It was for Palmer that Binder created the Adam Link series, including the famous "I, Robot" short story which later inspired Isaac Asimov's book of the same name.

In 1939 Otto Binder took a job working with his artist brother Jack Binder at the Harry "A" Chesler shop and in 1940 began writing for Fawcett Comics on such features as Captain Venture, Golden Arrow and Bulletman. But Otto Binder's best known work at Fawcett was Captain Marvel. In 12 years Otto Binder wrote 986 of the 1,743 Marvel Family stories and co-created such characters as Mary Marvel, Uncle Dudley, Black Adam and Mr. Mind.

Binder didn't limit himself to Fawcett. For Timely Comics he wrote Captain America, The Human Torch, Sub-Mariner, Destroyer, Whizzer and the All-Winners Squad. He also co-created Captain Wonder, The Young Allies, Tommy Tyme and Miss America. For Quality Comics he wrote Blackhawk, Doll Man, Uncle Sam and the Black Condor as well as co-creating Kid Eternity. At MLJ Comics he wrote Steel Sterling, The Shield, The Hangman and The Black Hood.

He started writing for DC in 1948 where he wrote Merry, Girl of 1,000 Gimmicks for Star-Spangled Comics. Over the years he wrote Green Arrow, Johnny Quick, Robotman, Aquaman, the Start-Spangled Kid, Tommy Tomorrow, Shining Knight, Captain Compass, Congo Bill, Space Cabbie and the Metal Men. But most of the time he wrote for the Superman Family. Superman would never be the same. Otto Binder created or co-created The Legion of Super-Heroes, Jimmy Olsen's signal watch, Elastic Lad, Lucy Lane, Beppo, Titano, Brainiac, The Phantom Zone, Krypto and Supergirl.

After leaving DC, Binder would return to writing science fiction until he died at the age of 63 in 1974. In all Otto Binder wrote almost 50,000 pages of comics in more than 198 different titles. He was inducted into the Comic Book Hall of Fame in 2004.

The back-up story is a reprinted Legion of Super-Heroes tale, "The Face Behind the Lead Mask," from Adventure Comics #300, produced by Jerry Siegel, John Forte and Al Plastino. During a routine meeting, the Legionnaires suddenly begin losing control over their powers. Even Superboy, whom they have summoned to the future, cannot discover the cause of their problem. After the World-Wide Police threaten to banish them from Earth, a lead-masked villain calling himself "Urthlo" appears and takes credit for their predicament.

Because Urthlo possesses a device that controls their powers, the heroes find themselves unable to stop him, until Saturn Girl and Superboy release Mon-El from the Phantom Zone, where he has been for 1000 years. After she provides him with Serum XY-4, a temporary lead-poisoning antidote, Mon-El defeats Urthlo, who turns out to be a robot sent into the future from Superboy’s time by a vengeful Lex Luthor.

After the battle, Mon-El must be returned to the Zone, but only after being voted into the Legion.

Edited by Mort Weisinger.

R.I.P. Tadao Nakamaru

You may know him as the egg salad-addicted Shepherd Wong from Woody Allen's What's Up, Tiger Lily? (originally International Secret Police: Key of Keys). He was, in fact, a contract player for Toho studios and a fine actor, appearing in classic samurai films like Kill!, Warring Clans, Samurai Assassin and Sword of Doom. In addition, like his Toho cohorts, he played roles in a variety of genres including yakuza flicks (Fangs of the Underworld, Bloody Territories), sci-fi (The Secret of the Telegian, The H-Man), kaiju-eiga (Mechagodzilla vs. Godzilla) and war pictures (Desperado Outpost, Japan's Longest Day).

More on his death here. He will be missed.

Michael Kenny covers TV Stars 2

Original cover artist is unknown; Marvel 1978. Michael Kenny's website is here.

Jack Noel covers Elektra 2

Original cover by Greg Horn; Marvel 2001. Jack Noel's website is here.

Matt Kindt covers Amazing Spider-man Annual 1

Original cover by Steve Ditko; Marvel 1964. Matt Kindt's website is here.

World's Finest Comics #185

World's Finest Comics #185 (On Sale: April 24, 1969) has what the GCD calls a Neal Adams' cover, but you would have to be on drugs not to see that this was drawn by Curt Swan and only inked by Neal Adams.

Superman and Batman team up in "The Galactic Gamblers" by Robert Kanigher, Ross Andru and Mike Esposito. The back-up story features Tommy Tomorrow in "The Amazing Future Toys" and is reprinted from Action Comics #223 and is the creation of Otto Binder and Jim Mooney.

Edited by Mort Weisinger.

Showcase #83

Showcase #83 (On Sale: April 24, 1969) has another wonderful Joe Kubert Nightmaster cover.

The full-length Nightmaster strip "Sing a Song of Sorcery" is by Denny O'Neil and Berni Wrightson. Lending Bernie a hand on his first full-length story is Michael Kaluta and Jeff Jones. This is the first work at DC for both Kaluta and Jones.

Edited by Murray Boltinoff.

Justice League of America #72

Justice League of America #72 (On Sale: April 24, 1969) has a wonderful Joe Kubert cover.

The full-length Justice League of America strip "13 Days to Doom," is by Denny O'Neil, Dick Dillin and Sid Greene. It was reprinted in Justice League of America Archives Vol. 9 HC and Showcase Presents: Justice League of America Vol. 4 TPB.

Edited by Julius Schwartz.

Hawk & the Dove #6

Hawk & the Dove #6 (On Sale: April 24, 1969) has a nice cover by Gil Kane.

The full-length Hawk & the Dove strip, "Judgment in a Small, Dark Place." is written and penciled by Gil Kane and inked by John Celardo. One night Hank and Don get to their father's office just in time to scare off a would-be kidnapper. Hank chases the bad guy as Hawk, but loses him when momentarily blinded by a passing car. The judge is unharmed, but none of them got a good look at the attacker and the judge warns the boys not to worry their mother over the incident. The next day the boys return home from school to find their house in shambles and their mother unconscious on the floor.

She had only fainted and when she comes to she says she interrupted a man kidnapping their father. Hank once again takes off alone and scours the city as Hawk looking for information on his father. He does it by busting a few heads till he learns of a hood named Max Leland who was bragging that he was going pay the judge back. Hawk breaks into Leland's apartment and more head-busting ensues.

Meanwhile Don has been scouring his father's files looking for clues and finds a chart with a familiar face, a man named Karl MacArthur who died in prison. Don realizes that they had a part-time gardener named Arthur who looked a lot like MacArthur. Don leaves and as Dove tracks down Arthur's home in the country. Snooping around he finds Arthur is holding his father in a small cage in his basement.

Hawk has gotten from Leland a description of a man he says jumped Judge Hall before Leland himself got a chance. From the description Hank realizes it is their old gardener Arthur and heads out after him. By eavesdropping Dove learns that since his father died in a cell that Judge Hall put him into, Arthur plans on seeing that the Judge is given the same fate. Dove sees that all of the windows in the house are fitted with alarms so he shimmies up the nearby power poll to cut the electricity to the house.

From that perch Dove sees Hawk running toward the house and smashing through the door. Dove cuts the lights and a fight ensues in the dark. When the lights are switched back on Hawk makes quick work of Arthur. On the final page the Judge rails against the Hawk and the Dove for endangering his life, thinking for certain that he could have talked Arthur out of it eventually without any dangerous gun play.

Hank and Don leave for school and Hank laments that maybe their father is right, maybe they should give up being the Hawk and the Dove. Maybe the whole idea of being super-heroes was a mistake. The final caption reads, "Is this the end of the Hawk and the Dove??"

It was for this book anyway. Over the next year they would appear as guests in the Teen Titans and then disappear for six years only to show up in the Teen Titans again for a three-issue run. They would make eight appearances in the 1980s before disappearing once again. Was this a concept book that was too much concept and not enough book? Maybe, though I do recall a wonderful Hawk and Dove story in Brave and the Bold years later by Alan Brennert that seemed to bring merit to the idea of the two polar-opposite brothers. I always liked the book myself, always liked the characters.

This was John Celardo's second inking job for DC, but his first in 20 years! Celardo last worked for DC in 1949 inking a Johnny Peril story in All-Star Comics #48. He started his professional career contributing sports cartoons to Street and Smith publications in 1937. He soon turned to comics, and went to the Eisner-Iger studios.

There, he did Dollman, Wonder Boy, Uncle Sam, Paul Bunyan, Espionage, Hercules, Old Witch and Zero Comics, sometimes working under the pseudonym John C. Lardo. From 1940 he also worked for Fiction House, where he drew Hawk, Red Comet, Powerman, Captain West and Kaanga. After the War, he continued his work at Fiction House, illustrating Tiger Man, Suicide Smith and others.

In the 1950s Celardo succeeded Bob Lubbers on the daily Tarzan newspaper strip. In the 1960s he also took on the writing of the Tarzan strip and introduced many new characters from outside and inside the jungle, such as Red Chinese spies. In the late 1960s, he took over The Green Berets from Joe Kubert and Davy Jones from Sam Leff and Alden McWilliams.

John Celardo would ink this one story, pencil three others and then again disappear from DC. He returned to free-lancing and did such titles as Believe It or Not for Western. In 1973 he became comics editor at King Features and stopped drawing altogether. In 1977 he would return to DC and ink over 50 stories during a seven-year span. He returned to penciling in the 1980s taking over the Buz Sawyer newspaper strip

His inking on this Hawk and Dove story was very nice and silky smooth, an interesting contrast to Gil Kane's angular faces. I would have liked to see more of this combination.

Edited by Dick Giordano.

Music for the Movies: Toru Takemitsu

This is a documentary from 1994 about the brilliant contemporary and film composer Toru Takemitsu. If you're into Japanese cinema, you probably already have an awareness of his moody, abstract and utterly atmospheric work on such films as Kwaidan, Woman of the Dunes, Samurai Spy and tons of others. He was the first to score a Japanese film with traditional Japanese instruments (before Takemitsu, all Japanese film scores were Western-style). Additionally, unlike most other film composers, Takemitsu was involved with each film project from the beginning, developing his ideas in collaboration with the director, in many cases influencing the course of the film itself.

The documentary features a treasure trove of interview footage with such luminary directors as Hiroshi Teshigahara, Masaki Kobayashi, Masahiro Shinoda and Nagisa Oshima, as well as plenty of illustrative film clips. I found a copy (VHS) online for $10. Can't beat that with a bo stick!

Ori Toor covers Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 8 #8

Original cover by Jo Chen; Dark Horse 2007. Ori Toor's website is here.

David Lasky covers Kamandi 18

Original cover by Jack Kirby and D. Bruce Berry; DC 1974. David Lasky's website is here.

Swing With Scooter #19

Swing With Scooter #19 (On Sale: April 22, 1969) has a cover by Henry Scarpelli.

We begin with Scooter in "Osculation Frustration," which is followed by a one-page Malibu story both by person unknown. Penny and Cookie star in "We Make with Paint, But Rembrandt We Ain't" by Murray Boltinoff, Doug Crane and Henry Scarpelli. We round out the issue with Scooter in "Too Many Crooks" by Barbara Friedlander, Doug Crane and Henry Scarpelli.

This is the first story Editor Murray Boltinoff wrote for DC since a House of Secrets story in 1963 and that story was the first one he had written since an Air Wave story in Detective Comics #72, in 1943. Boltinoff created the Air Wave character in Detective Comics #60 in 1942 and wrote all of the Air Wave stories for the next 13 issues.

This issue of Swing With Scooter marked Boltinoff's return to the pen. He would write over 90 stories for DC in the next 12 years, mainly horror stories, but also a good number of wars tales and a single Jimmy Olsen story for Superman Family #182.

Barbara Friedlander had been an Editor at DC a few years earlier, on some of the romance books and was also one of the early writers of Scooter, writing 11 Scooter tales in the first six issues of Swing With Scooter. This story was also her return to DC where she would write 11 more stories for Scooter and the romance books in the next few years.

Edited by Joe Orlando.

Heart Throbs #120

Heart Throbs #120 (On Sale: April 22, 1969) has an interesting cover art combination: Jay Scott Pike and Neal Adams. I don't think they ever worked together again.

We begin with "Three Girls -- Their Lives...Their Loves, Episode 19" drawn by Jay Scott Pike. That is followed by "For Love Alone" a reprint from Secret Hearts #36 inked by Bernard Sachs. Next is "Give Me Something to Remember You By" by persons unknown. We round out the issue with "Memory of Heartbreak" drawn by Jay Scott Pike.

Edited by Joe Orlando.

Brave and the Bold #84

Brave and the Bold #84 (On Sale: April 22, 1969) has a nice Batman and Sgt. Rock cover by Neal Adams. I love the way that the figures' shadows form a Bat-signal on the ground. This is also the only cover I think Adams signed in this manner; not his normal signature at all. Lastly, this is the second version of this cover that Neal drew. Below you can find the original which was rejected by DC.

"The Angel, the Rock and the Cowl" featuring Batman and Sgt. Rock is by Bob Haney and Neal Adams. Joe Kubert inked page 19 of this story. When Bruce Wayne is called to the Gotham Museum to see the statue of the Archangel Gabriel smuggled out of Nazi-occupied France during World War II, because a man with a German accent called about it called to claim it. Bruce informs him that the real statue is still in France and the one in Gotham is a fake. They are then attacked by a man Bruce recognizes as Von Stauffen.

Bruce then recalls back to a day during World War II, when he was in London, and his friend, a British spy named Digby is killed in a bombing and so Bruce covered his mission for the British forces. Traveling into Nazi occupied France, Bruce meets up with Sgt. Rock and Easy Company along the way.

Investigating a strange amount of wine coming out of Chateaurouge, Bruce learns that it's occupied by Nazi's led by Von Stauffen. As a spy, Bruce is unable to learn what the secret is behind the wine, so he tries as Batman and comes to blows with Rock and Easy Company again who happen to be in the area. However, during their scuffle over a bottle of the Chateaurouge wine, they find that the Nazi's are smuggling weapon parts in the bottles to be used during the D-Day invasion. Batman and Easy Company then work together to stop Van Stauffer.

Flashing back to the present, Bruce is saved by the sudden arrival of Rock who knocks out Von Stauffen, who had been tracking Van Stauffer since after the war. This classic story was reprinted in Batman Illustrated by Neal Adams Vol. 1 HC and Showcase Presents the Brave and the Bold Batman Team-Ups Vol. 1 TPB.

Edited by Murray Boltinoff.

Bat Lash #5

Bat Lash #5 (On Sale: April 22, 1969) has a nice cover by Nick Cardy.

The full-length Bat Lash strip is untitled and produced by the normal crew of plotter Sergio Aragones, scripter Denny O'Neil and artist Nick Cardy. This untitle story is sometimes referred to as "Wanted - Sergio Aragones" as the character after Bat Lash in this issue is named Sergio and looks a whole lot like you know who.

Edited by Joe Orlando.

Jason T. Miles covers Monster Menace 3

Original cover by Steve Ditko; Marvel 1994. Jason T. Miles website is here.

Marcos Pérez covers X-Factor 31

Original cover by Walt Simonson; Marvel 1988. Marcos Pérez's website is here.

Michael DeForge covers 2001: A Space Odyssey 6

Original cover by Jack Kirby and John Verpoorten; Mavel 1977. Michael DeForge's website is here.

Witching Hour #3

Witching Hour #3 (On Sale: April 17, 1969) has an interesting cover art combination: Mike Sekowsky and Nick Cardy and it creates a really nice, moody piece.

There is a surrounding story featuring the three witches and Egor, drawn by Alex Toth and Dick Giordano. The first real story is "The Turn of the Wheel" drawn by Alex Toth and Vinnie Colletta and this is a perfect example of what was wrong with Vinny Colletta as an inker. The first three pages are very nicely inked, Colletta taking his time and showing that he did have some abilities. However the remainder of the story is horrible, sloppy work.

That is followed by "The Death Watch" drawn by Jack Sparling. We round out the issue with "...and in a Far-Off Land" drawn by Bernie Wrightson.

Edited by Dick Giordano.

Flash #189

Flash #189 (On Sale: April 17, 1969) has the first and the best of three Joe Kubert Flash covers. You couldn't see this on the stand and not run out and buy it.

The full-length Flash tale "The Death-Touch of the Blue Ghost" is by John Broome, Ross Andru and Mike Esposito.

Edited by Julius Schwartz.

Batman #212

Batman #212 (On Sale: April 17, 1969) has a nice Irv Novick cover.

The full-length Batman tale "Baffling Deaths of the Crime-Czar"Secret" is by Frank Robbins, Irv Novick and Joe Giella.

Edited by Julius Schwartz.

Robert Goodin covers Walt Disney's Comics and Stories 211

Original cover by Carl Barks; Dell 1958. Robert Goodin's website is here.

Dan Hernandez covers Plastic Man 7

Original cover by Jack Cole; Quality Comics, 1942. Dan Hernandez's website is here.

Sugar and Spike #83

Sugar and Spike #83 (On Sale: April 15, 1969) has its typical Sheldon Mayer cover. I failed to note that starting two issues previous the "With Bernie the Brain" tag-line was added to the cover logo.

The full-length Sugar and Spike tale "The Squirt-Bandits' Secret" is by Sheldon Mayer.

Edited by Murray Boltinoff.

Star Spangled War Stories #145

Star Spangled War Stories #145 (On Sale: April 15, 1969) has another Joe Kubert Enemy Ace cover.

"Return of the Hangman" featuring Enemy Ace is by Robert Kanigher and Joe Kubert. This story was reprinted in
Enemy Ace Archives Vol. 2 HC and Showcase Presents: Enemy Ace Vol. 1 TPB.

Edited by Joe Kubert.

Metal Men #38

Metal Men #38 (On Sale: April 15, 1969) has a cover by Mike Sekowsky and George Roussos.

"Witch Hunt – 1969" is written and penciled by Mike Sekowsky and inked by George Roussos. It looks like Sekowsky was trying to get on the horror/mystery bandwagon that was picking up steam at DC, even if only for an issue.

Edited by Mike Sekowsky.

Debbi's Dates #2

Debbi's Dates #2 (On Sale: April 15, 1969) has an unidentified cover. Anyone know who this is?

We begin with Debbi's Dates in "The Grass is Greener." That is followed by another Debbi's Dates story, "Watch My Line," drawn by Henry Scarpelli. Next is Debbi in "Big Ski Week-End" and "Hair Today...." As with most of this work, we have very few credits.

Edited by Dick Giordano.

Kaidan-eiga

Saw a couple of good kaidan-eiga (supernatural period dramas) recently. Crest of Betrayal (1994) takes the Ghost of Yotsuya story and mushes it together with the Chushingura, resulting in the wicked ronin Iemon (actually not so wicked in this version) as a member of the Loyal 47 Ronin of the Asano clan. (He was apparently hired on right before Lord Asano lost it and tried to hack up the manipulative Lord Kira; Asano's subsequent enforced seppuku has, of course, left his retainers bent on revenge.) Iemon's wife, Oiwa, is poisoned by the family of Oume, a rival for Iemon's affections, and becomes the classic long-haired, vengeful lady ghost. Kinji Fukasaku directs with style and flair. Playing Iemon is Koichi Sato, whom you might have seen in the Shinsengumi flick When the Last Sword is Drawn (2003, reviewed in my forthcoming book, Warring Clans, Flashing Blades, due out in June). Oiwa is played by the beautiful and buxom Saki Takaoka (who'll be co-starring in a film with Danny Glover this summer). And you won't want to miss cult film fave Renji Ishibashi in a bizarre turn as Oume's rich weirdo daddy.

Demon of Mt. Oe is an all-star Daiei epic from 1960 starring Raizo Ichikawa, Shintaro Katsu, Kazuo Hasegawa, Tamao Nakamura, Kojiro Hongo, Jun Tazaki and many others. Raizo plays Yorimitsu "Raiko" Minamoto, a storied samurai warrior of Japan's medieval period known for going up against supernatural foes. (Kei Sato played Raiko in the classic Kuroneko, another film drawing on the spooky folklore of the period). Demon of Mt. Oe offers a thrilling blend of samurai sword action and fanciful (and at times cheesy) special effects involving a giant spider, demonic creatures coming down from the skies, spectral sorcerers and the like. I highly recommend this forgotten gem to anyone interested in Japanese film and folklore.

Jeffrey Brown covers Incredible Hulk 181

Original cover by Herb Trimpe and John Romita; Marvel 1974. Jeffrey Brown's website is here.

Toshiro Mifune

Was digging through some old production stills and found these featuring the legendary Toshiro Mifune. Enjoy (click to enlarge).

1949's Stray Dog with Takashi Shimura (and the very hot Keiko Awaji, between).


From The Bad Sleep Well (1960). That's the great character actor Ko Nishimura on the right. Mifune's character is slowly, methodically driving him insane.


From the taut kidnap thriller High and Low (1963), my hands-down, all-time favorite Kurosawa picture.


As farmer-cum-swordsman Kikuchiyo in Seven Samurai (1954).


One year after Seven Samurai, Mifune transformed himself into a paranoid, A-bomb-obsessed old man for I Live In Fear (Takashi Shimura, right).