Iron Fist and Judo Master

 

Judo Master has been long overdue for an appearance on the blog.  The truth is, I don't think I've read much of his adventures at all.  Maybe as one of a bunch of Charlton characters, but certainly nothing that featured him solo.  

The Human Fly and The Fly

One Marvel series I never got around to reading was The Human Fly.  I saw ads in other comics for it, but never remember seeing copies for sale.  The concept did intrigue me, though - a superhero based on a real life stunt man!  Was the title any good?

The Question and Rorschach

As most comics fans know, Alan Moore was originally going to use the Charlton characters for the his Watchmen series.  I think that he and DC ultimately made the right decision in creating all-new characters for the story instead, but part of me has always been curious as to what the final result would have looked like if he had gone with The Question, Blue Beetle, Nightshade and the rest, rather than Rorschach, Nite-Owl, Silk Spectre and the other cast members of Watchmen.  How much would the use of the Charlton gang have affected mainstream DC continuity down the line?  Would the comic have still reached its legendary status, spawning prequels and a movie?  It's interesting to speculate on, but I am glad we have two sets of cool characters instead of just one.

Batman and The Phantom (Part Three)

Here's the finale of the Phantom trilogy. I was really inspired by this pairing and would love to see a true crossover some day.

I checked out the SyFy Phantom movie which I think is supposed to become an ongoing series. Playing on the generation aspect of the character, a new descendant of Kit Walker is asked to take up the mantle. The show itself wasn't bad, but I felt they made a real misstep with the costume. After a quick scene dissing the classic version, we are introduced to the updated version and it is a monstrosity. I guess I can understand what they were trying to go for, using realistic type battle gear, but it is clunky and ugly - a strange cross between a football uniform and a beekeepers uniform. I hope they tweak it if the show goes to series.

Batman and The Phantom (Part Two)

Heres the second part of the Phantom trilogy

I quite like the 1996 Billy Zane Phantom move directed by Simon Wincer. It has its hokey moments but also some very well done swashbuckling action sequences and solid performances (OK, Treat Williams hams it up a bit too much). For years after I first saw it, I was convinced that Zane would make the perfect Bruce Wayne. I even thought they were able to make the costume work. It's too bad it wasn't a bigger hit and did not spawn any sequels. I think one reason for low attendance may have been the unfortunate "Slam Evil!" ad campaign which made the movie look cheesier than it was.

Batman and The Phantom (Part One)

When I started branching out from DC characters for this project, The Phantom was a no-brainer. Jim Aparo's stellar work on The Phantom's Charlton series was a precursor to his work at DC with Aquaman, The Spectre and of course Batman. This was a team-up definitely ripe for a full Aparo art cover. Once I started looking for ideas, there were just too many cool images to choose from. So, there was only one solution: Three part epic! Part 2 will continue tomorrow!