November 2, 2006
The Comic Reading Judge From Corpus Christi, Texas
Update: Although I didn't know his name at the time I wrote my article, reader Corando Gallegos told me it was Judge Margarito Garza. Read the comment following my article, it's very touching.
My parents moved our family to Corpus Christi, Texas, where we lived during 1974-1976. The first thing I did after we moved in was to figure out where the heck I could buy comics! Back when I was a kid, we didn't have comic book specialty stores. We had to hunt our comic books down in grocery stores, drugstores, and 7-Elevens. I found a strip mall containin' all three at the intersection of Weber Road and S. Staples St. I remember goin' to the supermarket one day and findin' Howard the Duck #1 in the magazine section. My heart skipped a beat; I felt like Kraven the Hunter stalkin' his prey. The only problem was that it was on the lowest rack and I had to reach between the legs of an older lady in order to grab it! I felt a lot like Howard, trapped in a world I never made.
Back then I felt pretty queer about readin' comics at the age of 13. I use that word on purpose, because my Daddy thought I was queer for readin' comics for so long. I really had no other friends who read comics at all. Partly it was due to my family movin' to a different place every few years. I was isolated, especially in Corpus Christi, where city kids got bussed into Hamlin Middle School. There were drugs, gang fights (blacks vs latinos vs rednecks), and worst of all, a Texas-sized fever around the school's football team. We were forced to go to each and every pep rally. Now I'm a redneck myself, but for some reason I always hated football, and I resented goin' to these here rallies. I never went to any game and I never cared if my team won or not! The cheerleaders were the best part, especially this one blonde gal, Betsy. I liked the gyrations of her hips and thighs so much that I named my truck after her! I had daydreams about kickin' the hell out of those football players to impress her, just like ol' Shang-Chi in Deadly Hands of Kung-Fu.
One day I read in the paper about a special store in Corpus Christi that only sold comic books! I begged my Mama to drive me over there. I don't recall the exact location, but it was in an older suburban area, probably a house that was converted into a store. Inside were dozens of boxes of back-issue comic books. We met the owner, a Mexican-American man who was also a Judge in Corpus Christi. This was a historic occasion! For the first time, I met an adult who was also a comic book collector! Not only that, he was a well respected person in the community. My enthusiasm burst out of my mouth, yappin' a dozen different questions at once. I remember we talked about the Wonder Woman TV movie starring Lynda Carter. The Judge talked to my Mama about how comic books were a great influence for kids and kept them out of trouble. His store seemed like paradise. The Judge had posters on the walls, including some reproductions of famous comic book covers he had drawn himself. The one he did for SHIELD #1 looked so interestin' that I got into Steranko's work.
I went crazy lookin' at everything in his store. There were so many back issues of Avengers, Hulk, Captain America, that I wanted to rob a bank and take 'em all home. I got loaded up on all the missing pieces of the Kree Skrull War. I looked over at a table and saw somethin' completely new, a little stapled newsletter called The Comic Reader. I asked the Judge what that was, and he said it was a fanzine about comics. I had heard about 'em, but never saw one of the critters before! You see, back then we didn't have the Internet or Wizard or Previews. When someone like Gerry Conway or Steve Englehart left a book, we'd find out after buyin' the comic and seein' a different name on the title page. The Comic Reader had information about upcoming comic books, including which creators were leaving or joining various titles and interviews as well. Nothin' like Newsarama, but it did have a nice drawing on the cover, usually by a professional artist.
I forget how many times I visited the Judge's store, but each time I visited, I was probably the happiest that I had ever been in my life. I really didn't like livin' in Corpus Christi, even though we had a great house, my whole family was miserable. The Judge and comic books helped me to survive. I sure would love to know his real name and more about him. Corando Gallegos wrote a comment on my Wonder Woman article, but didn't leave an email address. If anyone can give me some info, I'd be mighty obliged. Nuff said.
Update 2: Judge Margarito Garza decided that Mexican American youth needed a superhero of their own and created a Chicano superhero called Relampago in 1977, which you see on the Independent Heroes website.
Posted by Cousin Dick at 10:57 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)September 4, 2006
Adrienne Barbeau: Thanks for the Mammaries
When I was a young buck, growin' up in Corpus Christi, Texas (circa 1974), there was a TV show called Maude. I watched this show every week. There were topics on women's rights (abortion, right to work), race, politics--all of which made me a very liberated cowboy! But that ain't the real reason--I watched Maude to see Adrienne Barbeau. I was goin' through puberty after all! Whenever she turned up in one of her tight sweaters, I got that funny feelin' in my blue jeans. After one memorable show, in which Ms. Barbeau wore a particulary sheer top and leaned over toward the camera, I made a remark to a classmate in my junior high school (I think it was Paul R Hass Middle School). He said, "Yeah, Adrienne Barbeau!" with a wild look in his eyes, the kind that my dogs gets whenever he senses a member of the opposite sex.
Adrienne Barbeau recently published her memoirs, titled There Are Worse Things I Could Do
August 8, 2006
Power Girl's Breasts: Live at the Convention Scene!
Comic Book Resources first tipped me off to the real-life Power Girl model (click to expand the photo) at last weekend's Wizard World Chicago 2006. Now, I feel it's my job to bring you boys the finest in PG coverage, especially since the words "Power Girl Breasts" bring the biggest hits to our web site. I did some ol' fashioned Mike Wallace-style investigative reportin' and found the model's name is actually Liana from the Ed the Sock TV show. This is a Canadian show that got picked up by G4 for a while. Liana has a blog on Ed's official site where she mentions her trip to WW, and there's also a gallery with a bullzillion pics of her dressed up as Power Chick. Check 'em out, little doggies! Nuff said.
External Link:
Liana's Gallery
August 2, 2006
Giant-Sized Babes #4: Jessica Biel
Jessica Biel will go down in babe-volution as one of the fittest sugar-babes in Hollywood. I read that an executive paid $30,000 smackeroos to date Jessica for a charity event. Can't say much for her acting ability, as she appears to be the same in the same league as Brittany Daniel. But we like Ms. Biel for the same reasons that we appreciate Ms. Daniel--because of her awesome, fit, and 100% natural body! Joel Silver has even considered Jessica a candidate for the Wonder Woman role, although now it appears that Joss Whedon will cast an unknown actress. Warlock thinks that Ms. Biel peaked in 2005, when she was named the Sexiest Woman in Esquire's November issue. But I've got the feeling that Ms. Biel's best days are ahead of her, given all the furious internet activity on her recent public appearances...
In the beginning, Jessica Biel was shy about showing off her beautiful body. Her good-Christian girl image on the WB's 7th Heaven no doubt had a lot to do with it. When she appeared on the cover of Gear magazine, producer Aaron Spelling, as well as her TV dad (), were upset with Jessica. She publicly admitted her mistake, but just a couple years later we found her on the cover of Ocean Drive magazine, looking more babelicious than ever. No doubt about it, this transformation from good girl to devilish woman was something to behold.
What followed after 7th Heaven were a series of films that showed off Jessica's ultra-fit body: Summer Catch, Rules of Attraction, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Blade III, and Stealth. Here are some pics of Jessica working out, doing lunges to attain those buns of steel.
Just to show that Jessica Biel can really cut loose and party, here's a great clip from the Ellen DeGeneres Show during the Blade 3 promo tour. Jessica shakes her booty for over a minute to beat a previous dance record. Jessica's really wild and crazy and I predict this video will make you hotter than Georgia asphault. I sure do think that Ms. DeGeneres really must have loved it.
This dedication to clean living and physical fitness paid off when Jessica made the cover of Esquire as the "Sexiest Woman Alive". Hot Dang, I thought everyone who worked at Esquire was gay! Jessica looked hot on the cover, but even hotter in person when she attended the Esquire party.
Now here's proof positive why Jessica's still the sexiest gal, pardners: these beach shots were taken in July 2006. Some smart and lucky feller spied Ms. Biel in her bikini throwing around a football in the sand. (There are tons more pics of this awesome Red Beach Bikini in the link below.)
You will notice that a lot of the links below come from Superior Pics. Lots of candid photos of Jessica and other gals can be found there. Whether these fellers are stalkers or paparazzi or People-magazine discards, we all benefit in the same way! She looks purty good doin' normal stuff. If I saw her drivin' around LA in my rig Betsy, I think I'd lose control! Nuff said.
External Links (all to Superior Pics):
Jessica Biel's Awesome Red Beach Bikini Pics
Jessica Biel Gear Magazine Scans
Jessica Biel Walking Dog
Jessica Biel Esquire Magazine Scans
Jessica Biel Glute Workout
Jessica Biel Walking Around Town
July 24, 2006
Giant-Sized Babes #3: Lynda Carter
Here's to the gal who will always be a Wonder Woman in our hearts: Lynda Carter! She was born on July 24th in 1951, which makes her a young lookin' 55 year old. Ms. Carter's still a hot mama, judgin' from her recent roles in Sky High and the Dukes of Hazzard movie! I'll never forget that day in 1975 when I saw the broadcast premiere of Wonder Woman on ABC. Oh What A Night, True Believers! I met a judge in Corpus Christi (that's in Texas for you city slickers) at that same time who owned a comic book store--before the direct market--and he remarked to my Mamma that he couldn't believe that those WW2 era folks didn't faint when Ms. Carter walked down the street in her brazen little outfit. These five pics below show her evolution from 70s babe (in Bobbi Jo and the Outlaw) to Wonder Woman, and then from Wonder Gal to Cowgirl, and finally as a hot mama from a People magazine pick. Look at how that little feller can't wait to open up that chest of goodness! Nerds young and old salute ya, Ms. Carter, no matter which actress becomes the new Wonder Gal! Nuff said.
External Links:
Lynda Carter at Amazing Amazon
Lynda Carter Online
July 11, 2006
Erica Durance SciFi Calendar Shoot
I just know you boys all love Erica Durance--the finest Lois Lane of all time--as much as I do. I found this little clip of Erica shooting a SciFi Babes calendar for 2007. The photographer is her brother-in-law, Christopher Judge, who also stars in Stargate SG-1. Warning: the link below is RapidShare; click the Free button at the bottom of the first page. On second page, wait 30 seconds, then enter the code and the download will begin.
External Video Link (42 mb):
Erica Durance Behind the Scenes Women of SciFi Calendar 2007 Photo Shoot
July 9, 2006
Gil Kane's Marvel Cover Gallery
The good ol' boys and I have been threating to deliver unto you titanic true believers a gallery of Gil Kane's finest Marvel Comics covers! Well, after spendin' an afternoon drinkin' Miller beer and hauling out the ol' long boxes, we've finally done it! Anyone who grew up during the days of bellbottoms and hippies can recall going to the newsstands and seeing those great covers by Mr. Kane. He did hundreds if not thousands of covers. We've selected the cream from the crop: Warlcok, Beast, Iron Man, Conan, Iron Fist, the ever-lovin' Two-Gun Kid and many more are awaitin' your viewin' pleasure. Pop open a cold one and check 'em out, pardners! Nuff said.
The Gil Kane Marvel Comics Cover Gallery
Posted by Cousin Dick at 5:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)June 4, 2006
Wonder Woman Lassoed Out of E3
Dang, this is somethin you don't see everyday, pardners! A good lookin gal (good enough to be in Playboy) dressed up as Wonder Woman on her own dime! Her name is Kasey Poteet and according to her MySpace page, she's a really big comic book fan. She loves Wonder Gal and Superman and looks like she'd like to replace Jennifer Garner as Elektra! One photo on her MySpace page shows her holding a sign, "Honk If You Like Daredevil". She gets kicked out of E3 for wearing Lynda Carter's bikini briefs, but keeps her cool long enough to make sure her buddies retain their E3 badges. Now that's a gal who stands up for honor and justice! The first part of the video shows Kasey explaining what happened in the full stars and stripes...she'll make you forget about Rachel Bilson. Nuff said.
April 19, 2006
Giant-Sized Babes #2: When Fitness Babes Ruled the Morning!
OK fellers, our hits just took a nosedive, so you know what that means: more gratuitous babes and breasts! I'm targetin' this post towards our younger viewers. Think of this as history lesson from your veneered master, Cousin Dick. Before Maxim, before Stuff Magazine, before FHM, men had a cheap and easy way of seeing pounds of silicone for free. Because in the morning hours between 7am - 9am, we had…fitness babes!
The road to silicone was a rough one. During the early 1980s, aerobics was the big fitness thing sweeping the nation. Ladies started imitatin' the female cast of the Legion of Superheroes by puttin' on thongs outside of skin-tight leotards. Cynthia Kereluk, a former Miss Canada, ignited a dormant fanbase when her Everyday Workout program appeared on TV. Kereluk's cameraman might not have discovered the all important crotch shot (see 1st pic above), but he used it with aplenty. So did the Hawaiian-based TV show called Bodies in Motion, where lovely gals danced and juked in front of the ocean. I quite liked that tropical babe in the last pic, though I never learned her name.
The craze was really kicked off in the mid-1980s by ESPN when they premiered an exercise show called Bodyshaping. I am sure the producers of Bodyshaping had every intention of turnin' us beer-swillin' couch potatoes into muscled men of steel. But watchin' a bunch of fellers lift weights for a half hour can get a mite boring. So they added babes to the mix, starting with Cory Everson and Kiana Tom, who we'll see later. The best reason to watch Bodyshaping was a sweet little brunette gal called Jennifer Dempster. Kamiko Tanaka, a cheerleader from LA, was another standout in the early years. I think ESPN's ratings went up every time a babe did a breast pump. The male trainers obviously appreciated their efforts.
After years of successful ratings, ESPN decided, what the heck, lets' just ditch the men! Cory Everson and Kiana Tom both received their own weekday programs, which helped put ESPN2 on the map. Cory's program was called Gotta Sweat and was filmed mostly in Las Vegas, at places like the Luxor Hotel. It was probably the most serious program about exercise, but also the sexiest, because of Cory and her supporting cast. Cameo Kneuer, Cory's bodacious (and some say even sexier) sister, was a regular on the program, helping lift weights and build silicone. Cory's gal-pal Michelle LeMay helped out with an aerobics segment that also featured my favorite camera techniques. Cory was very popular at the time, with calendars, magazine covers, and acting-she appeared in three episodes of Hercules as an Amazonian-type warrior and the movie Ballistic, where she fought Marjean Holden to the death.
Kiana Tom's program was called Kiana's Flex Appeal, but we were all thinking sex appeal. The show started off with a montage of images featuring Kiana, walking around a white-sandy beach in her bikini. Kind of like a third-rate version of a Sports Illustrated Swimsuit video. When Kiana was young, no one could match that tight toned-little body with the C-cups stapled onto her chest. Kiana tried to make fitness fun, but whatever she did, it was just sexier than heck. Kiana tried to tell us about cross-training, so she ran in the pool, while the camera photographed her tight buns moving underwater. Volleyball was supposed to be good exercise, and it was, for my VCR to step through the frames and see how much her breasts jiggled. Kiana's Flex Appeal lasted longer on ESPN2 than the other Bodyshaping spinoffs-Craig Kilborn had Kiana appear as a guest on his program. He asked Kiana to demonstrate her sit-up technique, but he told her that he needed to enjoy it the way he always did: sitting back on his chair with a glass of whiskey. So Kilborn had an assistant do the crunches with Kiana! This was about the time that Kiana started falling apart; by the time she appeared in Playboy, I thought she was passed her prime.
After Gotta Sweat and Flex Appeal, I concluded there was no frontier left in the genre. I knew how wrong this cowboy could be when I tuned into a show called Fitness Beach. Starring Deborah Khazei, Kathy Derry, Denise Paglia, and Leeann Tweeden, it should have just been called Silicone Beach. It really made your day a lot more cheerful, especially if your TV was in the bedroom. If you liked blondes, there was Kathy, asian-exotic there was Denise, and if you got the Fredericks of Hollywood lingerie catalog, there was Leeann! Who didn't love seeing Leeann pump weights on a bench with an overhead camera shot?
The other women always treated Leeann like she was a total bimbo, showing her how to do simplest weight movements. I always imagined they were jealous of Leeann's screen time. But I knew that Leeann was destined for greatness and I was right! She's more popular than ever on ESPN and has had countless magazine spreads.
Like the dinosaurs, these fitness shows started dying off after we got into the 21st century. I have to believe that the Internet killed off these shows, with porn-on-demand, who wants to watch fitness babes except old farts like me? Denise Austin carried the torch for a little while on Lifetime with two shows back to back. Denise is good if you like short, stocky little blondes and you want a MILF to spice things up. She wore some pretty nice one and two piece outfits, although you'll have to be an ass-man to appreciate Denise, as she's never gone the silicone route. My favorite was the elusive "white leotard" which I've preserved here for posterity. Denise looked hot during 2000-2003 or so, but I think Lifetime's cracked down on the revealing workout wear. Nowadays she wears baggy pants, doubtlessly because of complaints from housewives across the country.
So whaddya think, true believers? Is the fitness bimbo craze officially dead? Did I miss anything? Nuff said.
External Links:
Bodyshaping Gallery
Cynthia Kereluk Fansite 1
Cynthia Kereluk Fansite 2
Cory Everson Official Site
Cory Everson Fan Site
Denise Paglia Fan Site 1
Denise Paglia Fan Site 2
Leeann Tweeden Fan Site 1
Leeann Tweeden Fan Site 2
April 10, 2006
In the Mood For Cheesecake? Ed Benes blog is available.
The latest All the Rage has pointed us at Ed Benes' blog, which has plenty of his artwork on display. You can see that Benes hasn't fallen out of love with the Birds of Prey--in addition to this Black Canary sketch, he has some nice Huntress pics. Check out this deadly one here and a nice backside view here. The text on the site is in Spanish, but I found some pics not on the main page through the Archives section. You can also find an extra-large version of Benes' cover to Justice League of America #1, both the colored and the pen and ink version.
There are some Marvel characters as well as Red Sonja. I particularly liked this pic of Conan and Red Sonja. Looks like ol' Conan finally defeated her in battle and is gettin' ready for some action. I like Benes, he speaks the internation language. Nuff said.
External Link:
Ed Benes Blog
