Comic Books

All posts tagged Comic Books

Hopelessly Devoted To: Julie Strain

Published August 11, 2018 by biggayhorrorfan

 

Julie Strain

It is hard to think of a cult figure that has been more impactful than the glorious Julie Strain. After a tragic equestrian accident, this 6’1” beauty transformed herself from a thin beauty into an Amazonian goddess. She then went on to conquer the worlds of late night cable and print media proving, behind a doubt, that we are all capable of doing anything when we put our minds to it. This hard won success, nicely, has made her a true inspiration to anyone who has felt slighted or ignored or misjudged…a true champion for the underdog and the unappreciated.

julie strain double impactComing on like Jane Russell for the midnight set, Strain has well over 100 movie credits including such mainstream fare as Out for Justice, Double Impact, Beverly Hills Cop 3 and Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult. While she eventually made her cultural mark as one of the boldest bad-asses in Andy and Arlene Sidaris’ series of beloved female charged action adventure projects, she has made many other notable appearances, as well. MCDUNTW EC002

For instance, only someone of Strain’s magnitude could effectively play a Lovecraftian creature…something she did to menacingly aerobatic effect in The Unnameable II.

This goddess with the raven tresses also proved to be quite lethal in the noir-esque Starstruck. Throwing off an aura of hypnotic destruction, she provided a slinky ambience to the hardboiled action here…and her watery fade-out provides the proceedings with a memorable aquatic twist.

Julie Strain StarstruckHer most amusing work, on the other hand, may have occurred in How to Make a Monster, a remake of a classic ‘50s monster fest, which allowed her to play an over-the-top, extremely demanding version of herself. Her committed and enthusiastic work in Delta Delta Die! also rates high on the humor scales, with Strain’s maniacal Marilyn Fitch stealing the show as she madly grinds up frat boys into meat soufflés.

Subtler and deeper work is nicely provided by this icon in Magus, one of her last acting roles. Playing the spiritually sensitive Madame Zelda, Strain connects with softness and concern, proving that her range, despite her comic book athleticism, is a wide one. This along with her enthusiastic love for her fans and often self-deprecating humor truly makes this celluloid exploitation goddess one for the ages.

Julie Strain Delta Delta Die.jpg

Until the next time, SWEET love and pink GRUE, Big Gay Horror Fan!

www.facebook.com/biggayhorrorfan

 

On Set Memories – Hollywood Warrioress: War of the Gods

Published August 17, 2017 by biggayhorrorfan

FW2

You spend your 20s doing your morning workouts while watching the exploitation films you’ve taped off of cable the night before. Time, as it does, swirls by and, one day, you find yourself acting in a movie with one of the actresses that you adored during those AM stretching sessions. It’s surreal. It’s a bit mindboggling. It’s also vital proof that life is full of surprises and asserts the fact that even when certain dreams crumble, other unexpected ones can replace them.

Indeed, during a summer when Wonder Woman and (to a lesser degree) Atomic Blonde proved that female action blockbusters were important, both socially and financially, I found myself performing in a femme based comic book film myself. Created and executive  produced by beloved scream queen Deborah Dutch (Hard to Die, Sorority Girls and the Creature from Hell), Hollywood Warrioress: War of the Gods explores the continuing adventures of a West Coast actress who has been imbued with the powers of Athena. (Note: The first Hollywood Warrioress film is available to rent on Amazon and has just received national distribution.) FW5

Nicely, Dutch’s goal of bringing a sense of justice and harmony to the screen was amplified on the Chicago set. Firstly, in a moment of supreme camaraderie, she flew into Chicago to make sure that we were sharing the same space as performers instead of connecting through green screen magic. Supportively, our mutual friends at the award winning AlleyCat Comics allowed us to film in their open courtyard space while director Chad Hawks returned (from the original  production) to guide us, with caring conciseness, through our paces. Granted, my role as interviewer to Dutch’s heroic interviewee felt pretty natural…but I still had to, metaphorically, pinch myself from time to time. Luckily, I was also aware enough to appreciate the significance of the afternoon. I was surrounded by loved ones and positive energy (and beautiful weather) doing something creative and incredibly fun.

This joyous enthusiasm wasn’t contained to just the set either. A trip to a local ice cream shop, during a break, brought out a new sense of excitement as Deborah, still in costume, got quite a response…not only for her ensemble, but for the film, as well.

Of course, you, too, can keep apprised of everything that is happening, goddess-style, at https://www.facebook.com/hollywoodwarrioress/.

… and until the next time…appreciate all the unexpected wonders that life offers you…and SWEET love and pink GRUE, Big Gay Horror Fan

www.facebook.com/biggayhorrorfan

Hard to Die Screening

Published August 2, 2017 by biggayhorrorfan

Hard to Die debbie

Freddy, Jason and Michael may get the lion’s share of horror loving, but the thing that I have always loved about the terror genre is how it has given women such a fertile ground to explore multiple characters. Even when the odds are against them and extremely exploitative elements present themselves as hindrances, strong portrayals can emerge.

Such is the case of Hard to Die which, if the world is fair, will one day be acknowledged as the Queen Mother of All B-Movies. Featuring a bevy of beauties who lit up the screens in a plethora of grindhouse projects, this Roger Corman produced quickie allows the (admittedly) scantily clad heroines to exert themselves in Amazonian manners. Here Deborah Dutch (Graduation Day, Sorority Babes and the Creature from Hell), Melissa Moore (Sorority House Massacre 2, Repossessed, The Invisible Maniac), Toni Naples (Death Stalker 2, Dinosaur Island), Karen Mayo Chandler (Stripped to Kill 2, Out of the Dark), Gail Harris (Curse of the Komodo, Forbidden Games), Monique Gabrielle (The Return of the Swamp Thing, Transylvania Twist) and Kelli Maroney (Night of the Comet, Chopping Mall) are featured in tale about a group of hard working retail princesses whose late night inventory shift turns into a deadly game of survival. After opening up an ancient text, the beauties soon find themselves either being possessed by an evil spirit or finding Rambo-like sensibilities within themselves as they take down their out of control colleagues. This gives the actresses plenty of emotions to play with – fear, rage and, finally, exhausted triumph. Tying into Slumber Party Massacre, another Corman property, through flashback sequences and the reuse of the Sorority House Massacre 2 character of Orville Ketchum, a scary looking yet sympathetic foil played with beleaguered dignity by Peter Spellos, adds many levels of genre joy to the film, as well.

Nicely, Midwest residents will get to catch a free screening of this micro epic on Saturday, August 5th at AlleyCat Comics, 5304 N. Clark, in Chicago. Dutch, who will be in town filming scenes for the sequel to her beloved The Hollywood Warrioress project, will be in attendance, talking about the film and taking photos and signing memorabilia for fans. Therefore, if you haven’t seen the film before, this will be a truly unique way to experience it for the first time.

The links to the official page for this event, presented by AlleyCat Comics and myself, are https://www.facebook.com/events/1428358453925943 and https://www.facebook.com/events/827187454117069. Be sure to check those out for more information.

Hope to see you there!

…and until the next time, SWEET love and pink GRUE, Big Gay Horror Fan!

http://www.facebook.com/biggayhorrorfan

 

 

Comic Book Men Casting Notice

Published July 8, 2015 by biggayhorrorfan

(L-R) Michael Zapcic, Ming Chen, Kevin Smith, Walt Flanagan and Bryan Johnson - Comic Book Men - Season 2 - Gallery - Photo Credit: Ben Leuner/AMC

(L-R) Michael Zapcic, Ming Chen, Kevin Smith, Walt Flanagan and Bryan Johnson – Comic Book Men – Season 2 – Gallery – Photo Credit: Ben Leuner/AMC


Forget the Red State. This is a red alert!

If you are a true blue collecting genius, director and writer Kevin Smith (Tusk) wants you! AMC is currently casting the 5th season of Smith’s Comic Book Men – and its the perfect time for you to apply!

Here are all the details from the exclusive press release:
“Calling Fanboys & Fangirls! Comic Book Men is looking for people to appear on Season 5 of the hit TV series on AMC! Are you a quirky comic geek with a supersized personality? Is there a comic related item or retro pop- culture collectible you’ve been longing to buy or sell? Then all your four-color dreams can come true at Executive Producer Kevin Smith’s comic shop, Jay and Silent Bob’s Secret Stash!!! Here’s how you get started… Go to http://comicbookmencasting.com/ and apply ASAP!
**Must be 18 years or older to apply**
**Travel to Red Bank, NJ and batteries not included**”

Good luck – and until the next time…SWEET love and pink GRUE, Big Gay Horror Fan!

http://www.facebook.com/biggayhorrorfan

A Double Page Spread Halloween!

Published November 15, 2014 by biggayhorrorfan

sabrina
Don’t worry, Virginia! Halloween never dies. Especially if you’re the divine Wendi Freeman and your (comic book oriented) podcast is called Double Page Spread!

In one of her latest installments (ep. 98), the winning Freeman interviews Andrew Pepoy, the man responsible for the variant covers for Afterlife with Archie, that splatter-ific take on Riverdale, post zombie apocalypse, and Robert Hack, the genius whose artwork is making many folks take a very different, totally spooky look at Sabrina, everyone’s favorite teen witch.

Be sure to take a listen at:

http://doublepgspread.tumblr.com/

Until the next time – SWEET love and pink GRUE, Big Gay Horror Fan!

http://www.facebook.com/biggayhorrorfan

Wendi Freeman’s Double Page Spread

Published October 28, 2014 by biggayhorrorfan

wendi ca
If there was a Wonder Woman among comic book enthusiasts, it would definitely be the amazing Wendi Freeman. She’s a dedicated, uber-friendly fan woman, a talented musician (with drumming gigs in a number of bands) and she’s the super skilled creator and host of the podcast Double Page Spread, which concentrates on comics and their creators and other pop culture goodies. Just what every cool mom would want her daughter to turn out to be, right?wendi drums

Now, all thankful matriarchs can rejoice as Freeman has just unleashed the Halloween episode of Double Page Spread upon the world! Featuring interviews with the queen of screams, Linnea Quigley, and famed cult director Jim Wynorski, this offering is a spooky blast from start to finish!

Be sure to catch it and so much other coolness at http://doublepgspread.tumblr.com/ on the regular!

A Wendi, A Linnea and A Big Gay Horror Fan!

A Wendi, A Linnea and A Big Gay Horror Fan!

Until the next time – SWEET love and pink GRUE, Big Gay Horror Fan!

http://www.facebook.com/biggayhorrorfan

Emi Gennis: Sweet Princess of Unknown Origins

Published July 16, 2014 by biggayhorrorfan

unknown origins

Recently, I was truly lucky to get a chance to chat with adorably talented editor/comic creator Emi Gennis about Unknown Origins and Untimely Ends, the comic book anthology she edited featuring macabre true life stories and unending crime mysteries.

Gennis has promised more scintillating horror flecked work in her future. So, be sure to check out http://www.emigennis.com and http://www.hicandhoc.com.

Until the next time – SWEET love and pink GRUE, Big Gay Horror Fan!

http://www.facebook.com/biggayhorrorfan

Rediscovering Stonewall with (Artist) Sasha Steinberg

Published July 1, 2014 by biggayhorrorfan

I, recently, had the chance to meet bodaciously talented (NYC based) artist Sasha Steinberg. Here, we chat about his vibrant new comic book series celebrating the glorious personalities that participated in the historic Stonewall Riots:

Further information on Steinberg and his art is available at http://www.ahsasha.com.

Until the next time – SWEET love and pink GRUE, Big Gay Horror Fan!

http://www.facebook.com/biggayhorrorfan