From Horror Movie To Horror Comic: The Man From Planet X (1951)

Posted on June 13, 2024 by bloodlinematt

Welcome back to Rotten Ink where today we will be taking a look at the sci-fi horror film The Man From Planet X and the comic adaptation made about it! This classic film was released in the 1950’s and was during the big alien invasion boom that filled cinemas and packed drive-in theaters across America. And even back then both comic companies and moviemakers knew that comics was a great way to promote the film. The Man From Planet X is a one of those B-Movies that has gained a cult following, and the first comic book version was released by Fawcett and worth a pretty penny, so we will be reading and reviewing the reprint that was released by Planet X comics. So let’s get out of this fog and try and avoid this alien from Planet X as I heard he is not such a nice guy! It’s time for From Horror Movie To Horror Comic The Man From Planet X.

Let’s take a look at The Man From Planet X Alien and his way of dealing death to the Earthlings that get in his way of leading an invasion of our planet. The Man From Planet X is from Planet X, a planet that is dying due to super cold temperatures, and he has been sent to Earth to check it out to see if his people could live there or even maybe get help from the Earthlings…but while friendly at first, his attitude changes when he is attacked and now he is out for revenge. The Man From Planet X speaks in a musical tone and this can confuse his victims and his odd appearance of strange humanlike face, bowl over head and alien clothes can also cause major fear in his human targets. He also has a ray that allows him to take control over the minds of humans that he can shine it on, these mindless slaves will do whatever the alien asks and that includes doing hard work but more importantly he can have them attack fellow humans and capture them in order for him to mind control them as well, in other words he could build an army of mindless Earthlings that would work for his cause of taking over The Earth. The Man From Planet X is also very smart and can uses his mind to come up with strategies for his cause and even uses such natural Earth things like fog to his advantage to sneak and attack humans. He also has a starship that allows him to enter and exit space and its appearance as well can cause fear and cause terror to those who see it. The Man From Planet X’s main tool to deal out death is his ray gun that with one blast will kill a human dead. But while The Man From Planet X has tools and the brains to be a bringer of death to mankind, he can be defeated like any living thing. The Man From Planet X’s main weakness is that he cannot breath our air and if you take out his gas tank he will die from suffocation. He can also be shot or blown up, and this will also end his life. He also while can be dangerous seems to not have a full killer instinct unless he is pushed and feels threatened and this could also lead to him being attacked and killed if someone can set him up. He is also not very big and this causes him to be over powered very easily, and he is not skilled in a hand to hand fight. The Man From Planet X might not be the most dangerous of aliens, but when push comes to shove he can kill with ease.

So as you can see, The Man From Planet X is a true alien on a mission to either get help from the Earth or take it over! So I think that it’s now time for us to take a look at the film as it is what spawned him and like always I will be taking the film’s write up from IMDB and after that I will write about the film’s production as well as my thoughts. So if you are ready, let’s take a walk on the foggy moors and see if we run across The Man From Planet X.

The Man From Planet X (1951)

“To study a rogue planet heading for a near-miss with Earth, Prof. Elliot sets up an observatory on the foggy moors of a remote Scottish island, with his pretty daughter and Dr. Mears, a former student with a shady past. Soon after arrival of reporter John Lawrence, a ship from Planet X just happens to land near the observatory. Is the visitor (who actually looks alien) benevolent? What are Mears’ real motives for trying to communicate with it?”

The Man From Planet X was a cheaply made sci-fi horror film that was produced by Jack Pollexfen and Audrey Wisberg and was written by the pair as well who had a history of making cheap films in different genres. Audrey produced such films as Hercules In New York (1970)”, “Son Of Sinbad (1955)” and “Captain Kidd And The Slave Girl (1954)” with Jack working on such films as “Indestructible Man (1956)” and “The Neanderthal Man (1953)” showing that the pair knew how to make fun cheaply made films. They would bring in Edgar G. Ulmer to direct the film, who was himself a veteran of making horror and sci-fi films including for Universal as in 1934 he directed the film The Black Cat that starred Bela Lugosi, Boris Karloff and John Carradine. Actors hired for this film included Robert Clarke, Margaret Field, Roy Engel, Raymond Bond and Charles Davis to name a few. The film started filming on December 13, 1950 at Hal Roach Studios out of California and they would reuse the sets from the film Joan Of Arc that was filmed in 1948 by Ingrid Bergman and would wrap filming in only six day’s as the budget was only around $51 thousand. The film would be scored by Charles Koff and distributed by United Artists and would be released in theaters in 1951 and would make around $1.2 million dollars at the box office. The film was met with pretty positive reviews from critics as well as fans and has gone on to gain a big cult following and would later be released on home media to entertaining a new generation of viewers. The film in 1951 was released with such other films as The Thing, The Day The Earth Stood Still, The Strange Door, Abbot And Costello Meet The Invisible Man, Bride Of The Gorilla and Two Lost Worlds to name a few.

In the 1950’s the horror films were pretty much sci-fi films as that was what was popular at the time and bringing viewers into the cinemas and drive-in theaters as the Space Race was in this decade and the thought of man walking on the moon and stepping foot on other planets filled the minds of everyone. Not to mention, people were also scared of the unknown from space like aliens and UFO’s. And of course cheaper Hollywood producers cashed in on this trend and cranked out spooky Alien invasions films and The Man From Planet X was one of those cheapies that was made during this time but was one of the more entertaining ones made on that lower level. And I want to say the first time I ever saw the film was on either TBS or TNT when I was a youngster and it might have been on a classic MonsterVision episode that would have been hosted by The Moon and Narrator. I remember always thinking that the Planet X Alien was very cool looking and the use of the fog in the film gave it a very spooky feel. And the plot of the film had that already very familiar feel for this era of Sci-Fi Horror. But sadly I think that while it had a cult following, it was ultimately lost in the shuffle as the year it hit theaters the films The Thing and The Day The Earth Stood Still were released and it took a back seat to those at being some of that decade’s best films in the genres of horror. And of course when this film was released on DVD I made sure to get it for my collection and if you have not seen this film make sure to check it out.

So as you can see, The Man From Planet X is a very entertaining film and the Planet X Alien is pretty dangerous! And I have to once more stress that this film is lots of fun and deserves the cult classic status it has. And it is really cool that Plant X Comics did this cool reprint of the Fawcett Comic adaptation of this film as the original comic sells for hundreds of dollars with the reprint selling for a few dollars. I would like to thank Bell Book And Comic for having this comic in stock and making this update possible. I also want to remind you that I grade these comics on a star scale of 1 to 4 and am looking for how well the comics stay to the source material, its entertainment value and its art and story. So with that if you are ready, let’s grab some pitchforks to keep Earth safe as the Alien from Planet X has landed and he doesn’t look happy!

The Man From Planet X # 1 ***
Released in 1987 Cover Price NA Planet X # 1 of 1

Newspaper reporter John Lawrence is with astronomer Dr. Blaine, and they are talking about a new planet called Planet X that is heading towards Earth. John has a message from Professor Elliot, the man who discovered Planet X to come meet with him on a fog covered island near Scotland, and John does just that and is picked up by Professor Elliot’s daughter Enid Elliot and quickly gets a crush on her. When at Prof. Elliot’s lab John learns that Planet X is getting even closer to Earth and it looks like there are living beings on it! John also learns that the creepy and conman Dr. Mears is helping Prof. Elliot on his research of Planet X, and when on a late night walk with Enid the pair find a strange device sent from Planet X to test our planet’s atmosphere and all take a look at this light weight metal and wonder what is next. Enid then drives John into town and once coming back home she gets a flight tire and also sees a spaceship with a strange Planet X Alien inside it, and when Prof. Elliot goes to investigate and learns that The Man From Planet X has a ray that can control the minds of humans and if Enid did not guide her father away who knows what his fate would have been. The next day John and Prof. Elliot have another run in with The Man From Planet X and at first it goes terrible as the alien pulls a gun on them but after they save his life when his breaking tube for his helmet is leaking the alien becomes friendly and follows them home. While back at the lab The Man From Planet X tries to talk to them but is language is like that of music and Dr. Mears thinks that his math skills might be able to break down a sort of dialogue between the two. As Prof. Elliot falls ill all of a sudden, John heads to town for medicine as Enid stays by her fathers side. Away from the others, Dr. Mears attacks The Man Of Planet X and turns off his breathing gas knocking him out and this causes The Man From Planet X when he is awake again to think all humans are bad, and he kidnaps Enid back to his ship as John forces Dr. Mears to go along with him to get her back, but things get out of hand when The Man From Planet X uses his mind control ray on Enid, Dr. Mears, Prof. Elliot as well as others from town to be his mindless slaves as John is forced to get the police and military to the island to prepare for war as the alien is about to send a message to his home planet to start the invasion. Before the military bombs the alien ship to end the terror, John is able to sneak to the ship and save the lives of all of the humans under control and even fist fights and knocks down The Man From Planet X! Dr. Mears regains his senses and rushes to the alien who in turn shoots and kills him just as the military bombs the ship and kills The Man From Planet X and this also stops the invasion. And in the end as John and Prof. Eliot watch the ship burn they talk that they learned that Planet X was dying and all they wanted to do is find place to stay…and Dr. Mears ruined the peace with his greed and aggression.

This is a really fun comic that does a great job of bringing the film alive on these pages and while the comic can be a little wordy in spots the over all spooky and fun nature comes through. The plot is very simple and has an alien from another planet come to Earth only to find that all humans are not nice and one mans actions causes what could be the war of the worlds, and only a newspaper reporter, an old scientist and his daughter can save the Earth from the invasion. Let’s first start off talking about Dr. Mears, a true scumbag who even when at college was being looked at for shady doings and for some reason Professor Elliot trusts this man and his math skills to help him look into Planet X as well as The Man From Planet X and of course his shifty ways causes major issues as he attacks the alien and has ideas to use him to force respect, power and to gain an advantage in the world of science… Dr. Mears is truly the bad guy of this comic as well as film. Plus the comic has The Man From Planet X kill Mears when in the film it’s the military that seals the doctor’s fate. Professor Elliot is super smart and is the one who noticed the approaching planet and is the one trying to figure out why and at what coast it will have on Earth, his lovely daughter Enid Elliot is very sweet and nice and is doing what she can to help her father in his research as well as finds herself falling in love with John. Speaking of John Lawrence he is a good reporter who is the true hero of the day even more so than the cops and military as all they want to do is use bombs to stop the alien, while John wants to save all the innocent human lives that are under mind control and he does just that! The Man From Planet X is sent to Earth in order in order to try and get help to save his planet that is turning to ice and is willing at first to trade science secrets with us for help, but after being attacked he turns bad and now is going to send word that Earth needs to be invaded and even takes over the minds of Earthlings to do his bidding. The comic does not feature blood just like the movie don’t and only has two kills and that is Dr. Mears being shot and The Man From Planet X being blown up. While by today’s horror standards, this comic would not be scary, but in the 1950’s when original released I am sure it was spooky stuff! The cover for this reprint comic is pretty cool and features elements of the film’s poster as well as uses bright yellow that makes it eye catching. The interior art is done by…well that is the thing many different artists over the years have been given credit for it but we will say Unknown Artist and is fantastic stuff and I really dig how they draw The Man From Planet X! This is such a great read and does the source it’s based off of justice and is well worth a read for fans of the film or those who like classic Sci-Fi Alien Invasion stories. I do also want to say that the comic does change some elements in order to keep the comic a fast read and fit in the page count given. Checkout the artwork below to see the art style used in this issue.

You have to love those old 50’s low budget B-Movie sci-fi horror films as there was something so special about many of them from that time. And I think that The Man From Planet X is a very underrated film that should be looked back on just as fondly as many of the other films from that time. Plus I love those old horror films that were shot on sets and have that eerie creepy feel to them that they mask the limitations of the studio set by the use of fog machines. And I really do have to say a big THANK YOU to Planet X Comics who back in the late 1980’s made this reprint edition of the comic as finding an original copy is super heard and expensive. But as you can see, this From Horror Movie To Horror Comic update has came to an end and before we part ways I would like to let you readers know that our next update will take us to the world of Horror Hosting as we chat about The Night Watchman, the host of WGN Movie Underground! So until next time, read a horror comic or three, watch a horror movie or two and as always support your local Horror Host. See you next update as this will surely be a fun one as The Night Watchman is so zany.

Old Age Green Fighting Gerbils!

Posted on December 3, 2017 by bloodlinematt

Welcome back to Rotten Ink! It’s crazy to think that we are in the month of December and that means we are once more approaching Christmas, that wonderful holiday filled with good food, great friends, cool presents and of course time with family and loved ones. I always have liked this time of the year as the cool air, the chance of snow and the fast pace of the holiday is always a magical time. I want you readers to think back to your youths. Remember back to the holiday season and looking at Sunday paper ads from stores like Sears, Gold Circle and Hearts or even wandering the toy aisle of your favorite store like Toys R Us, Hills or Woolworth’s and seeing all the cool toys, board games and video games that you wanted to put on your list for Santa. Then remember back to the must have toys of the time of your childhood; was it Masters Of The Universe? The Nintendo Entertainment System? Tickle Me Elmo? Cabbage Patch Kids? Atari 2600? Hulk Hogan T-Shirt? or something else that every kid including yourself had to have…I can remember back to many of those times when every kid had to get Thundercats or the NES cart of Adventures Of Bayou Billy but one that lasted many Christmases I can truly remember was Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles figures by Playmates! And even the Archie Comics series called “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Adventures” was super popular with my peers and classmates as everyone seemed to have Turtle Mania! With all popular things come the knock offs, and this update we will be taking another look at a comic series that tried to cash in on the popularity of the Ninja Turtles and that’s the Planet X comic series called The Geriatric Gangrene Jujitsu Gerbils! So sit back, relax and have a fun time with me here at Rotten Ink as we scrap the bottom of the Knock Off Turtle Barrel and pull out the slimy sludge that is these Green Gerbils for this quick and quirky update! Oh and look at this knock off Popeye The Sailor below!

So many companies tried to cash in on the huge popularity of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and in fact I have covered many of them here on Rotten Ink like The Toxic Crusaders, Biker Mice From Mars and The Stone Protectors, all of whom tried to capture the money and fame of the Turtles. Those are just a small few that attempted it and never reached it. But while the above mentioned cartoons/toys/comics at least had a fan base that allowed you to pick up their merchandise at major retail stores, there were some knock off toys that only flooded low end discount stores and flea markets. I mean how could the youth not want their very own Amicable Herculean figure that was nothing more than a normal person that came with a turtle costume and some versions of the figure that was just a turtle head on a normal ninja body…real classy and detailed figures these were not. Or who could forget New Style Ninja Tortoise, poorly made chubby Ninja Turtles who came complete with stickers on their stomachs that read “Tortoise.” These cheapies had no mark of quality. What about the amazing Heroes Of The World Fighter figures that had the turtles pint sized and wearing hoods with huge goofy grins on their faces whose molds were taken from the old Dungeon And Dragons toys. Or even one of my all time favorites Ninja Hero Rider that had frogs with eye patches riding horses with lily pads for shells…yes, it’s as cheesy as it sounds. And these are just a drop in the hat as I could go on and on with TMNT knock offs like Turtle Warrior all the way to Terror Toad and many more Mexican and Chinese made figures that flooded the market with poorly made toys that ruined many kids holidays and birthdays! But while many of these toys are super cheap and bad, they still hold a charm for many who did have them growing up and many hold some value now when looking to buy them online or from a vintage toy store. Check out some of these toys below, and man, Ninja Hero Rider needs to be made into a comic book and a homebrew NES Video Game…just saying.

But while toy aisles were flooded with cheap TMNT knock offs so were the comic stores with cheap imitation comics that all wanted to capture the success of the original Mirage TMNT black and white comic series that truly started the rabid fan base of the Turtles. Many independent comic companies blatantly tried to make their own series of comics based on some sort of animal that knew a fighting style and was some sort of age while other companies went the route of parodying it and making very silly comedy comics with the same formula. But one thing is for sure, this mass push of independent comics all following the same formula also really hurt the independent comics industry at the time as it flooded the shelves with poorly made and written comics that just burnt too many readers, and the companies just imploded on themselves as readers would have rather picked up an issue of Superman or Spider-Man for a cheaper price than read an animal fighter parody rip off comic that was made for a quick cash grab. Some of the worst offenders of this was 1986’s Adolescent Radioactive Black Belt Hamsters from Eclipse Comics, as well as from 1986 from Planet X Comics and the topic of our update Geriatric Gangrene Jujitsu Gerbils! We also had that same year Mildly Microwaved Pre-Pubescent Kung-Fu Gophers from Just Imagine, Cold Blooded Chameleon Commandos & Pre-Teen Dirty-Gene Kung-Fu Kangaroos both from Blackthorne! Now I need to stress that I am not saying all these comics were bad as I enjoyed many of them when I was a youngster, and I am sure we will cover many of them here on my blog in the future. I just wanted to stress that the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles ruled the landscape of comics and toys for many years in the 80’s and early 90’s!

So as you can see, this update we are having a little fun at the expense of generic brand TMNT items as I figured this would also be a great way to combat the stress of this time of the year. Plus I have been itching to re-read the first issue of the Geriatric Gangrene Jujitsu Gerbils as I used to have this comic back in the day as I bought it at Mavericks Cards And Comics for like $1.00 and can remember reading it in my room in Waynesville. And now in 2017, I found the whole set of this series at Dark Star in Yellow Springs and knew I had to cover it this year. I want to also stress that the Geriatric Gangrene Jujitsu Gerbils started out in a comic series called “Prime Slime Tales,” and the creator of the Gerbils claims he is not a copy of the TMNT and that he got permission from the creator of the Turtles to make his own silly and off the way book based on the idea the made popular at the time…I think the laughable part of this all is he almost comes off acting as his rip off is more legit because of this blessing…call it what you want, but sorry Tony Basilicato, it is what it is and you were trying to cash in on the fame of the Turtles and made a knock off universe. So with this, let me remind you all that I grade these on a star scale of 1 to 4 and am looking for how well the comic stays to the source material, its entertainment value and its art and story. So sit back and relax and let’s take a trip down memory lane with a comic series that is now in .25 bins far and wide!

Geriatric Gangrene Jujitsu Gerbils # 1 **1/2
Released in 1986 Cover Price $1.50 Planet X # 1 of 3

At the Grubby Acres Rest Home, some very old gerbils are living the remainder of their lives arguing about the good old days of TV as well as just being grumpy toward each other. Our old and crabby heroes are Zeke, Duffer, Geezer and Codger, and they get a visit from the lovely Dr. Christina Proper who has a letter from their creator Dr. Milton Meltdown about an experiment he made called The Esoteric Rap that is a fake god and is now roaming loose in the world and to make things worse Samurai Sam, a simple minded brute with a massive sword is wondering the land and killing hot dog venders! The Geriatric Gangrene Jujitsu Gerbils gear up to help stop The Esoteric Rap, and this is their first mission in over 30 years! As they make their way to Dr. Meltdown, the good Doctor is visited by his evil creation The Esoteric Rap who sets a trap for our heroes that will make them come face to face with Samurai Sam in a showdown to the death!

Okay, this comic is super silly and while it is making fun of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, it really does have its own style and comedy that makes its own world seem important. The plot of issue one is: a batch of government created gerbils who are crime fighters are brought out of retirement in order to try and stop a created monster with a God complex, but with the time off our heroes are old and out of touch with the modern world of crime around them. Our heroes The Geriatric Gangrene Jujitsu Gerbils are a team of four very old and grumpy gerbils who are Duffer, Geezer, Codger and Zeke all who have their own weird quirks as Duffer thinks he is still a crime-fighting machine, and Zeke spends every moment sleeping! So while we don’t get to know them all that well, I would say the The Geriatric Gangrene Jujitsu Gerbils are just old goofs who know how to defend themselves and our short tempered and out of touch. Dr. Meltdown and Dr. Proper are government workers who do weird experiments that create life and while they do so with good attentions it appears that not all they do goes well! The Esoteric Rap is a floating monster who is childlike in nature yet also very ego driven as it views itself as a god. So far we as the reader don’t know what he is capable of, but I am sure it will be reveled in the upcoming issues. Samurai Sam is a massive chubby man who carries a huge sword who for some reason hates Hot Dog vendors and has bad flashbacks that makes him snap and attack them! Is Sam just a confused person or a killer this issue does not give us the answer but I would say he walks the line of both and I almost see him in the end teaming with The Gerbils to defeat The Esoteric Rap! While this is by all means a very silly comic that does not take its self serious it does have lots of heart and the characters and story is things that 80’s independent comics was made of. The cover is fun and eye catching and is trying so hard to get the attention of the TMNT readers of the time, and I for one would say it would have worked on me. The interior art is done by Tony Basilicato and is silly good stuff and is fitting for this kind of a comic and story. So to sum it up, this comic was just as fun as I remember it being from my youth and makes me look forward to reading issue two for the first time and seeing how this adventure of these Geriatric Gerbils plays out!

Geriatric Gangrene Jujitsu Gerbils # 2 **
Released in 1986 Cover Price $1.50 Planet X # 2 of 3

The Esoteric Rap has in fact used mind control on Dr. Meltdown in order to lead The Geriatric Gerbils to a trap fight with Samurai Sam who is ready to slice and smash our heroes and with some dumb luck of spitting false teeth in the eye of the raging Samurai, our heroes are able to escape for a short time in order to try and come up with a game plan. But they made one mistake as they left the sleeping Zeke behind who is now been snatched and about to be crushed to death by massive hands of Sam! As Samurai Sam is about to crush Zeke, the sleeping Gerbil awakens and blasts the massive Samurai away with a fart! As the other Gerbils rush to their friend who saved the day, the evil The Esoteric Rap uses his power and turns Geezer back into a normal gerbil and is about to eat him when Zeke aims and fires one more fart at the fake god as his pals hold a match causing a gassy fireball to hit The Esoteric Rap….but we will have to wait till the next issue to see if it worked!

The Geriatric Gangrene Jujitsu Gerbils are out matched when coming face to face with Samurai Sam and once more its shows these old heroes just don’t have what it takes to be the crime fighters they once were. And to beat their massive opponent they use a fart that levels him…yep, this comic, as you can see, does not take itself seriously at all and the ultimate weapon our heroes have is massive farts! The main thing that happens in this comic besides the fact passed gas defeats both of the issues enemies is that Geezer is turned into a normal baby gerbil, and this could be the end of The Geriatric Gerbils as we readers know them! Samurai Sam while a brute and super aggressive seems to be more than a match for The Geriatric Gangrene Jujitsu Gerbils as a whole, but was not ready for Zeke and his butt vapor powers. The Esoteric Rap is a egotistical super powerful false God creature who can control life and death it’s self and while he has all the power in the world he as well is no match for poop gas escaping from the backside of Zeke! The Geriatric Gangrene Jujitsu Gerbils are heroes but they not super powerful and by luck is the only way they seem to be winning these fights! Zeke is clearly the MVP of the team as this sleeping goof is the one who has won the fights for them thanks to his gas. While this issue loses a little of the charm of the first, it still is a silly good read that entertained me on the night of reading. The cover for this one is pretty lame and just shows an arm with the Earth on a string and is not eye catching at all. The interior art was done by Tony Basilicato again and seems a little rushed this time around. So over all this one is kind of one big fart joke and is fun, goofy and silly and worth a read for fans of TMNT knock off comics.

Geriatric Gerbils # 3 **
Released in 1987 Cover Price $1.50 Planet X # 3 of 3

The Esoteric Rap has been defeated by the flaming fart of Zeke, but the explosion has also left him as well as Duffer and Codger knocked out with only baby Geezer awake! As his friends are knocked out baby Geezer remembers back to when they were all babies and they had to be dropped off at a daycare by Dr. Meltdown that was for gifted mutated youngsters and they meet Dr. Bombastic The Mad Bomber who wants to use all the gifted babies he is watching to join is crime wave. Well this alerts the Geriatric Gerbils to his evil plans, and they try and stop him as he sets a giant robot free on the city and Zeke takes out Dr. Bombastic with a lethal fart and along with the other gifted babies, they enter the city to try and stop the robot who makes the mistake of eating Zeke who once more lets out a fart that destroys the robot. We cut back to present day and baby Geezer is happy in his memories as his friends still are knocked out.

I am sure you noticed this third and final issue had a name change as it was cut down to just Geriatric Gerbils and that it ends with our heroes being knocked out and Geezer still being a baby and all the major baddies have been beat by farts. I think the silly nature of this series was lots of fun but also the over use of all the bad guys being defeated by farts is what lead to this being the final issue in the series. The story of this issue has the Geriatric Gerbils being babies and teaming up with babies of The X-Men in order to beat a crazy mad doctor who is hell-bent on ruling the world. The Geriatric Gerbils even as youngsters are goofy, cranky heroes who are not as skilled as they think but have enough luck and gas on their side to win. The X-Men babies are background players and in order to not be sued they are not said by name and for the most part don’t do anything in the final battle. The Evil Robot tries what he can to cause chaos and destruction but in the end is not match for one baby gerbil’s bad gas. Dr. Bombastic is a conman who runs a mutant baby daycare in order to try and get an army of baby troopers who is outsmarted and defeated when he crosses the path of our hero Gerbils. This sort lived comic series was a fun read, and I would say that this should have ran at least two more issues and then gone to the big comic rack in the sky as while fun it could easily also ran its course with its simple stories and same crude gimmick of farts and grumpy old gerbils. The bad guys never really got to shine as they always seemed to be dangerous until the fight started and each are defeated by the same means…and yes, it’s getting very lame having to keep talking about gerbil farts! The art is once more done by Tony Basilicato and is on par with the other two issues and the cover is pretty cool and shows baby Geezer stumbling around trying to do jujitsu. Over all this TMNT knock off comic series was lots of fun even if it was a one trick pony that’s stories were rice paper thin and the series never got a real true ending and was just one dig fart joke that the creator claimed was not a TMNT rip-off. So if your enjoy silly comics about talking animals that know martial arts this short lived series is for you! Check out the artwork below to see the glory that is the Geriatric Gerbils.

The weather outside is chilly and Christmas is getting closer and I want to say that I hope you don’t get a pile of gifts under your tree that is filled with knock-off toys, games, watches, cloths and comics running your holiday…well unless your odd like me and enjoy the weirdness of these generic knock-off items! And I hope you enjoyed our look at The Geriatric Gangrene Jujitsu Gerbils and their three-issue run they had back in the late 80’s and while they might not have been ground breaking like the TMNT they ripped off, they did make their mark on the world of comics and added crude juvenile humor to their approach of showcasing talking animals who are heroes and know how to fight. But with the Gerbils behind us and my work getting busy, I think it’s time to once more bring in Juliet to be a guest blogger for me and have her share some Holiday cheer with you all! So for our next update Juliet will be covering The California Raisins and will share some Christmas memories and her connection to her topic of choice. So until next time stay warm, read a comic or three, watch a Christmas Movie or two and as always support your local Horror Host! Until next time readers and friends make sure to spend some time with your loved ones and take a few moments to remember this time of year from your youth.