THE INVADER WITHIN begins pre-production!

   Some time back, I was set to begin filming a micro-budget monster movie called THE INVADER WITHIN. Nothing came of it, but the project is again stirring to life thanks to Canadian micro-budget director Seb Godin! Details when available. Praise the Lord!

Della

   Here's some in-progress work on a potential new project, God willing. Originally planned as a cheesecake anthology comic, Della, All-American Dream-girl will follow the misadventures of a wide-eyed blonde bombshell and her friends. Still on the ground floor at the moment, but ideas are taking shape... No pun intended!

Kookie sketch

   Kookie was one of numerous pretty girl characters created for the comic books, in this case for Dell in the early 60's. Kookie was a well-meaning waitress who worked in a coffee shop frequented by beatniks. She ran two issues. This sketch was done as an experiment to see what it would be like to draw her for new stories to be printed by InDELLible.

A Quick Look: HOW THE WEST WAS WON (1962 - color)

   The ultimate horse opera may be the all-star cast, Cinerama sagebrush saga HOW THE WEST WAS WON. The film follows the members of one family across three generations, from the early westward expansion to the last days of the wild west. An epic on every level. Editing it must've been a nightmare! A true classic, it's charging theme music remains one of the most referenced western themes (this and THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN more or less set the tone for post-matinee western scores). Romantic, exciting, inspirational. Well worth the long runtime. Check it out.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

All the best to you and yours this wonderful Holiday season! God bless you all!

A Quick Look at TV: THE MAN FROM U.N.C.L.E.

   The Man From U.N.C.L.E. was America's top spy show of the 60's. The main hero of the show was Robert Vaughn's Napoleon Solo, suave secret agent with a habit of finding trouble. More cautious, but even more danger-prone, was Solo's frequent partner in the field, his friend Illya Kuryakin as played by David McCallum. These men worked for the United Network Command for Law and Enforcement, an international espionage force dedicated to preserving law and justice. UNCLE was frequently doing what it could, from the sidelines or directly, to topple dictators, preserve freedoms, and protect dignitaries (or scientists, or anyone else) from assassins. UNCLE's main opponent was THRUSH, a secret organization dedicated to tipping the balance of power in an unhealthy direction. The show proved very popular, and eventually spawned a spin-off series, The Girl From U.N.C.L.E. Also, several episodes were edited into feature films, including TO TRAP A SPY, THE SPY WITH MY FACE, HOW TO STEAL THE WORLD, and THE KARATE KILLERS. When Batman hit the airwaves, the UNCLE shows tried to keep pace by embracing a more campy touch, but this destroyed the show and it failed to regain it's ratings. In 1983, the stars were returned for a TV movie entitled THE RETURN OF THE MAN FROM U.N.C.L.E.: THE 15 YEARS LATER AFFAIR.

Cover art for Cartoon Cuties no.2!

Colors and edits by Rusty Gilligan!

A Quick Look: THE GIANT BEHEMOTH (1959)

   THE GIANT BEHEMOTH was essentially England's version of THE BEAST FROM 20,000 FATHOMS. The films even shared the same director, who would later also do GORGO. Originally, the film was to feature a radioactive blob rising from the sea, but the producers insisted on having a dinosaur for the poster. The result is a really nice display of stop motion monster action. Fairly unique to the genre, the film even has some stop-motion tracking shots. When in the water, a stiff prop head and neck represent the beastie, and it's an ill match to the stop motion puppet. Gene Evans is the American star. I believe the version currently on DVD has a snippet missing toward the climax likely due to sprocket damage. It's nothing big, but it does tie off an issue raised in the first reel. My memories could be off, but I remember different editing of the moment when I saw the film on television as a kid.

A Quick Look: THE WAR OF THE GARGANTUAS (1966/70-color)

   This picture was a quasi-sequel to FRANKENSTEIN CONQUERS THE WORLD. The connections are sparse, and practically erased in the American script for THE WAR OF THE GARGANTUAS. When a flesh-eating giant suddenly appears, research scientists suspect the connection to a baby "gargantua" they had in custody -where it came from is a complete mystery, but it's gentle nature is opposite the cruel manner of this new monster. Soon, it becomes evident that there are two hairy giants on the loose, and more new creatures can be grown from any loose cells the creatures might shed in battle. The titular war breaks out when the kind giant must go to blows against the killer beast. One of Toho's finest 60's monster flicks, but despite being an American co-production for 1966, it wasn't to see US screens until 1970 (when it was paired with the similarly late-in-getting-here co-production MONSTER ZERO -itself shot in '65). The lovely Kumi Mizuno is back, this time paired with former child actor and musical star Russ Tamblyn. Russ was on his way to being one of the major Hollywood stars of his era, but unfortunately came along at a time when musicals were dying off. His being forced to star in a Japanese-made monster movie was quite a come down. He may not've resented the assignment, but his boredom with the project is evident (oh, he's too good an actor to give a lousy performance or anything, but nor does he invest anything more than professionalism to the part). In recent years, Russ was asked about his sleepy approach. He was visibly sorry for his performance, having seen the film since and realizing just how good it was. (No doubt the years following THE WAR OF THE GARGANTUAS helped shape that opinion, as he was very shortly working in Al Adamson movies....)

A Quick Look: MUTANT (1984 - color)

   Possibly my favorite film of the 80s horror era/genre is MUTANT, starring Bo Hopkins and Wings Hauser. It tells of two brothers who happen onto a bizarre condition spreading through a rural town, but I dare not say more than that. It's well worth tracking down. Unfortunately, MUTANT is probably best remembered not for it's being a video rental staple, but for it's hectic production. The script was revised several times and directors changed early in shooting, though fortunately none of this shows on the final product, which is quite solid. This was one of the last films produced by Film Ventures International founder Edmond L. Montoro before he stole a bunch of cash from his company and fled the country before the law could nab him for crooked business practices (ironically, Montoro's picture can be seen on a wanted sheet in the Sheriff's office). I'm not even sure how much a theatrical run MUTANT had, but it can now be found in some Mill Creek multi-movie packs -in a rather nice print at that (though said print isn't as dark as the original screenings or the Vestron VHS release, so some imperfect effects during the climax are now visible). (Not to be confused with FORBIDDEN WORLD, which was shot, and even briefly released, under the same title.)

Cat and Mouse

(Panel details from the in-production Cartoon Cuties issue no. 2 -colors and letters by Mr. Jim Ludwig.)