HERCULES Obscurities!

As a collector it's fun to come across rare finds to add to your collection of obscura and what not. While I was a student at the Joe Kubert school back in 1989 there was a little flea market up the road and inside there was a little comic shop called "Big Dave's" while scouring Dave's bins ( Dave passed away from a heart attack later that year. RIP Dave..) I came across a weird oddity it was a HERCULES b/w magazine put out by Charlton comics the same month they put out their regular monthly comic. Why and for whatever reason they published it in this format I can not say. Perhaps it was an experiment to compete with WARREN magazines who was doing so well with CREEPY and EERIE and Vampirella...no one can say for sure. But I certainly got a kick out of it and I only paid 50 cents!

I found a neat bunch of posts in "RIP JAGGERS DOJO" pertaining to the Charlton HERC's...I love reading other peoples thoughts on the subject. Rip runs a damned fine blog there!

Anyway...here are the 2 versions of HERCULES # 8 by Charlton comics.

Even yet one more STERANKO HULK HOMAGE!

I think this piece by Michael Avon Oeming is more of a parody though...but still it's cool.

Getting back to STERANKO

Jim drew the covers for the Indie mini..HERCULES the Thracian wars....like I said. He's better than ever.

HERCULES comics from BRAZIL

Thank you to RIP DAGGER'S DOJO for providing me with some cool covers to BRAZILIAN editions of Charlton comics' HERCULES. As RIP states in his own post on his own blog...seeing material you love and collect in another format from some place else gives it that fresh new and exciting feel all over again. One of the 1 million reasons why I love HERCULES and the legend surrounding him. !!!

Jim Steranko pencils - HOMAGE

Recently in the pages of the incredible HULK and the HERCULES spin off of the HULK in the pages of the HULK...Marvel reused the iconic image of a cover made famous by JIM STERANKO....clearly you can see the 3 images together and then The Radical publishing image of a Reinterpretation of HERCULES by STERANKO. This guy has been at it for 50 years and has never even lost a bit of his talent. What a legend Jim Steranko is...what an Icon.

Disney's Plans for Marvel...

Well if HERCULES and Jerkules are gonna have some brews and share with each other the gift of combat...I'm down with it. This is a cool piece. I'd actually like a wall size poster of the thing.

SUPULES unchained

Earlier on in one of the first postings I'd ever put here on the blog I put up a full page ad from the comics journal of Superman by George Perez. The story involved Supes being far out in space and losing his powers little by little and being thrown into gladiatorial combat ( and looking a lot like HERCULES with his cape as a sash and sporting a beard.) against big strong baddies and of course Supie triumphed and found his way back to earth and of course regained his Man of steel powers of Superness. It was a great storyline. This cover I believe was drawn by Kerry Gammill and Jerry Ordway. The interiors were by Gammill and Dennis Janke. EPIC stuff man!

A very sad statistical chart

This is a list of the performers from WRESTLEMANIA 1 that are no longer among the living.

Rest in peace Macho Man -

Rest in peace MACHO MAN...I watched WWF wrestling religiously throughout the entirety of the 80's. Randy along with Hogan and Steamboat were the biggest heroes that world had to offer. As time wore on and Randy and the WWE parted ways amicably...I still missed the Macho man's presense. He was a force of nature. A man of infinite character. I miss him, I miss his presense and I miss his character.

Randy battled baddies like Rick the MODEL Martel...who has also passed away...and The BIG BOSS man...who also passed on. He also matched ring wits with MR PERFECT Curt Hennig who has also left us. In fact very few of the WWE Superstars I remember as being the best HEELS have left this world. Randy even locked up with the Mighty HERCULES , Ray Fernandez.

It's kinda sad...when your childhood is falling off the map right behind you. These Superstars were not just TV personalities...they were Characters in a world of good and evil in it's most basic format. The SQUARED CIRCLE!

The illustrations are by JOE JUSKO

John Buscema HERCULES vs the Nemean lion...

a clip from the DELL four color art by John Buscema. The Legend on the legend.

I drew a HERCULES

I was just in the mood to draw picked up a pencil grabbed some paper and drew me a HERCULES...Just sharing. Hope you like it.

Of Frisbees and Gladiators the tale of WHAM-O!

A special thanks goes out to " Diversions of the groovy kind " the blog for posting the interior pages from WHAM-O's giant sized comic book from 1967...contained within it's enormous pages was this fantastic Gladiator tale...Read on and let your mind wander back to ...someplace else in 1967. I am not entirely sure who drew this story,,,it might be Lou Fine of "THE FLAME" fame from WONDER WORLD comics during the Golden age of comics. Enjoy the great story and wonderful art.

IF NOT FOR THIS GUY....

Steve Reeves - A portrait drawn by Legendary comic artist Steve THE DUDE Rude

Mark Singer as DAR the BEASTMASTER...in 3 films that inspired a TV series spin off

Arnold...as CONAN the DESTROYER .... we all know him right?

Kevin Sorbo ( A former HERCULES from the famed tv series ) as KULL the CONQUEROR!

Dwayne THE ROCK Johnson as the SCORPION KING!

Peter and David Paul...the BARBARIAN BROTHERS

Lee Horsely of MATT HOUSTON fame as TALON from the SWORD and the SORCEROR

Ralph Moeller portrayed CONAN in the 1990's TV series....

JASON MOMOA in a still from the set of the upcoming CONAN the BARBARIAN 3D.

...Steve Reeves the legendary Muscle man who portrayed HERCULES and virtually was the FACE who created a GENRE....dozens and dozens of peplums were made ( Sword and Sandal films )

With the likes of Gordon Scott , Reg Park and Mickey Hargitay taking turns playing the Man God HERCULES...but that GENRE never really died....it only evolved. Here are a few films that have come and gone starring Steve Reeves' successors...Arnold Shwarzenegger , Ralph Moeller , Mark Singer and so on as larger than life Heroic warriors who truly deserve the mantle of THE SONS OF HERCULES!!!! ( Even if Lee Horsely is a bit scrawny next to the rest of them )

Jayne and Mickey

I searched high and mighty for an image of Jayne and Mickey doing this pose. Usually they did little photo opps and were wearing their Tarzan and Jane leopard print bathing suits...but this pic is so beautiful...I think I am satisfied. But somewhere out there in WEBLAND or in a photo album some place. The picture I am thinking of rests..in peace.

Everyone knows who ATLAS is right?

I love this damned cover...check out Zeus and an obvious and blatant copycat pseudo Superman in the form of ATLAS...in an attempt to compete with SUPES in the 50's. Lovely Andru and Esposito artwork that totally kicks freaking ass!!

A one issue EPIC by Jack Kirby...would have made a great series in my opinion. Punching out Supes seems like the thing to do.

I love this Alex Ross Homage to the classic KIRBY - THOR -HERC cover....spectacular

Yep...he's the guy who supports the firmament of the earth upon his shoulders. He's got a Famous statue in NY...he also had a few different incarnations as failed attempts to compete with Superman back in the 1950's.

But DC comics came up with their own version back in the 1970's...a new concept by Jack King Kirby brought ATLAS to comic book fans old and new. See here in the copy below.

"Atlas is a mighty warrior and conqueror of magical origins from several centuries into the past. At a young age when his family was slain by Hyssa the Lizard King, a wise mentor raised him and he became a protector of the innocent. After defeating his nemesis though he gave into a darker and more destructive nature, consumed by his desire to become the world's greatest champion. He was brought into the present through time travel by General Sam Lane during Coming of Atlas to work for a branch of the military known as Project 7734, dedicated to fighting against Kryptonians. In this position he is an enforcer whenever Lane needs someone roughed up, although it is common knowledge that his ambition is to succeed his new masters and take the power he deserves. His name is inspired by Atlas of the Greek Titans, a mythological being with unimaginable strength, one of the entities who grants Captain Marvel his powers. Atlas was created by Jack Kirby, first appearing in 1st Issue Special #1. (1975)"

I got my copy....about 12 of them...buy them everytime I see one...lol