LUKE CAGE - "Always Forward! Never Forget Who You Are!" (2016)

It's a Saturday Night souped up and four to the floor Special featuring Marvel Superhero "Luke Cage!" I had stopped reading comics by the 1970's, an evil habit I picked back up in the 80's, kind of like smoking! Bottom line is I missed the whole "Luke Cage" era, choosing more to watch films by Jean Renoir and Douglas Sirk!

So, how true these stories are to the originals is something I know nothing about, but if the original Luke Cage was a cool as the current Luke Cage, then I just might start reading comics again!

I'm enjoying watching "Luke Cage," and Mike Colter is fantastic in the lead role. The rest of the cast is dynamic, especially the female leads, good and bad. I don't especially like Theo Rossi in the role of Shades, mostly because he seems like he's still basically the same character that he was in "Sons Of Anarchy." What I do like about "Luke Cage" a lot is the music, not the score so much, but all of the musical performances in the club are excellent, and weave in and out of the story seamlessly!

Here are just a couple of the musical highlights! I wish I had the songs for you to go with the pictures, but I don't!

The first episode includes this cool number called "Good Man" performed by Raphael Saadiq.

The second episode has this awesome performance by Faith Evans of a song called "Mesmerized," and mesmerizing it is indeed!

Episode 3 included this super tight and funky tune by Charles Bradley titled
"Ain't It A Sin."

I was reading on IMDB, trying to figure out what was going on with season two when I read where some person wrote that they thought the show was good, but there was too much music! Wow, I couldn't disagree with that any stronger than Luke Cage! Too much music? Are you kidding?

I could watch this season two, episode one with the truly artful blues of Gary Clark Jr. all day long! Gary performs a couple of  songs, and this one titled "Bright Lights" is as devastating as one of Luke Cage's punches. It kills it that bad!

The first Luke Cage comic "Hero For Hire"came out in June of 1972 for 16 issues, but he wasn't the first of the black superheroes! 

In 1974, Luke returned as Power Man, and then in 1978, he teamed up with Iron Fist until 1981. Luke eventually became one of The Avengers!

After various reincarnations, in 2015, Marvel decided to give it what they called a second chance!

Meanwhile, while all that marvelous action was going on, in April of 1977, DC decided to come out with their own black superhero "Black Lightning" who has also got a TV series on Netflix as of this year! I'm hoping it's as good as Luke's!

But the real first comic black superhero was named "The Black Panther." His first appearance was in July of 1966 in issue number 52 of "The Fantastic Four!" This appearance pre-dated the origin of the sociopolitical group called the Black Panthers by a couple of months! When violence started being associated with the Black Panthers, Stan Lee tried changing "The Black Panther" to "The Black Leopard" to avoid any problems, but it didn't fly, so they went back with "The Black Panther!"

Issue # 5 of "Jungle Action" featured The Black Panther, and after that it turned into one continuous Black Panther story from issues 6 through 24 titled "Jungle Action Featuring The Black Panther!"

In 2010, The Black Panther Returned once again, and in February 2018 "Black Panther" returned to the big screen!

Me, I'm sticking with Luke Cage! The world could use a few more heroes super or not, like him! For right now, Gary Clark Jr. will just have to do, and I don't have a problem with that!
TURN IT UP DAMMIT!!!

TALES OF TOMORROW: Ice From Space / Season 1 Episode 43 - 1952

It's Friday, so, time for a Tale Of Tomorrow, it goes something like this... During a Congressional appropriations investigation, an Air Force rocket is lost in space but soon returns to Earth with an unexpected cargo, a block of ice with weird chemical properties! The base commander is forced to deal not only with a bullheaded Congressman, but also the fact that the ice seems to be able to freeze everything around it...

This episode stars Edmon (THE HUMAN MONSTER) Ryan as Major Dozier, Raymond (Milburn Drysdale!) Bailey as Congressman Burns, Michael (DEAD TO THE WORLD) Gorrin as Dr. Meshkoff and Paul (COOL HAND LUKE) Newman as Sgt. Wilson!

The Air Force has sent a missile into space, it's supposed to come right back down but it disappears instead! Of course, Congressman Burns is there watching the launch with the head of the compound, Major Dozier.

The Major has no explanation for the occurrence so the Congressman complains that if the Major's father was in charge, well, you know, crap like this would not have happened in the first place!.. What a jerk!!

Why are there bars on the windows?!

To kill some time, the Major shows Burns some mice they plan on putting into space, they call them The Flying Mice Brothers, seriously.. Good old 1952!

The Major and Dr. Meshkoff get the word that the missile has come down and they're bringing something back to the compound with them.

Hmmm... Wonder what these guys are looking at so curiously? There on the right is a young freakin' Paul Newman as Sgt. Wilson.

So, here's what they brought back, a big block of Ice... From Space!! Really, a block?! Anyway, Sgt, Wilson gets to guard the damn thing.

The ice has started going through a new cycle and is turning the countryside cold, nerves are frayed when the Congressman is quarantined to the compound. And, he's still blaming the Major for all the problems!

If you look closely, you can see that the interior of the ice is changing brightness now, triggering the cold radiation...

Then, a rocket is heard taking off!.. What the Hell?!!

Well, it looks like the Major solved the problem, he took the ice back into space by himself, a mission from which he'll never return! We're back tomorrow with even more Dungeon Cargo!

THE GUMBY SHOW - "The Small Planets" (1960)

Time for a hot Summer Wild and Weird Wednesday and tonight's xtra-spacial host,

 Space Gumby!

So what could be weirder than Gumby in space?

Not much, but creator Art Clokey gave it lots of tries with other Gumby Sci-Fi episodes like "Moon Trip,""Robot Rumpus," and "Space Ball!" 

"The Small Planets" was episode number 54 of "The Gumby Show," that ran off and on from 1956 to 1988 for a total of 234 episodes.

Gumby and Pokey are heading out for another adventure! This time in space.

 Pokey just does not look cool in his space helmet, maybe it's the fact that his whole head is not in it, so it looks more like a crash helmet! I don't know what he's going to do if the atmosphere where they are going is unbreathable!

The space ship lands and Gumby goes out to take a look around!

On the first small planet, they do not get a warm greeting. For some reason, there are lots of bad kids in space like this little a-hole who shoots that rocket at Gumby's spaceship, and puts a hole in it even though they were leaving like he told them too!

 The second small planet besides bratty kids also has dinosaurs as a bonus terror!

 The last small planet is the weirdest!

 There's this piano playing prodigy who is fine until he makes a mistake!

 He's really got quite the temper, and you better watch out when he screws up, because he turns into this vampire thing!

 For good reason, Gumby and Pokey decide to go back where they came from!

I'm so lucky to have a bunch of Gumby VHS tapes, but for you, all you have to do is check out this YouTube link, and you can watch Gumby for free for almost forever, because Gumby is never boring!

THE BLOODY JUDGE / Horror Will Hold You Helpless! - 1970

Today we gots a wild one! Director Jess Franco brings on the insanity when the great Christopher Lee plays the Lord Chief Justice of 17th century England who condemns women as witches to further his political and sexual needs!

Besides Chris Lee, this one stars Maria (THE ODESSA FILE) Schell, Leo (THE DEATH RAY OF DR. MABUSE) Genn and Hans (X312 - FLIGHT TO HELL) Hass.

Here's the Lord Chief Justice, back in those days it was fun to dress up like a blooming fairy when you're condemning people to death, or worse!..

I wouldn't like to be this gal, she's about to be condemned as a witch!..

And, she's put in the dungeon along with a pile of other women. Let the fun begin!!

What man won't do to women in the name of the the lord!

The Lord Chief Justice wears his white wig when he's a figure of authority and his dark wig when he's being a horn dog after hours!

There's also a British civil war going on, creating some turmoil for those in charge.

Oh yeah, keep away from the dude who wears the mark of Satan!

For the condemned women, the humiliation just never ends!

This lady has had it with the Lord Chief Pervert, she grabs a knife and tries to stab him in the back, but, the mission fails...

Well, well, well, it's found out what the Lord Chief Justice has been up to and he's put in a cell to await his hanging...

As he watches the scene below, he sees the men let the hanged man down, then sadistically go at his neck with an ax! That's enough for the X-Lord and he dies from a heart attack before he ends up being the guy down there with those crazy henchmen!

Yow, what an ending!.. So, like, check in again Wednesday when Eegah!! has a fun post for you!