Born and Raised: El Hijo del Santo

Hey everyone, sorry for the giant time lapse since last post. Rather than a long winded apology, let me simply say I've been obviously busy, but lucha libre is still in my heart, and this blog is always on my mind. Mea culpa, mea culpa, mea maxima culpa.

But now, let's talk about this great little interview I found!

I don't know much about Born + Raised with Chuey Martinez, but I find it amazing that he was able to sit down with the legend, El Hijo del Santo!! Only slightly jealous that he gets to dine with the man! This one is also subtitled, so kick back and enjoy!

Icons of Lucha Libre Stamps

My good friend Roberto emailed me with some info on a stamp series in México. In 2008 they started with El Santo, and now they are releasing Mil Máscaras.

Here are some images:

These are pretty impressive. I'm hoping they will also honor my favorite luchador, Blue Demon, as well!

Cortometraje - Hijo del Santo

Could you imagine realizing one day that your father is actually a famous masked wrestler, and super hero status in films? That's what this interesting film is about. I just recently found it on YouTube:



Here are some production photos:

The film is 19 minutes, and was shown in 2009 at the San Diego ComiCon, as well as the Edmonton  International Film Festival in 2008. The film was in collaboration with the true Hijo del Santo. Several films were paid homage in this production, such as Santo en la Invasion de las Marcianos (Invasion of the Martians).


This is just about everything I was able to dig up about this interested short film. If you know any more about it, I'd love to hear from you!

DVD Giveaway - Add Santo to your collection!

Damas y Caballeros! I have a wonderful announcement for you all–I am doing a giveaway for the month of May! I have an extra copy of the DVD Santo En La Venganza De La Momia!

87 minutes of Santo action!

This DVD is new, unused, unopened. It's from the Zima Entertainment Santo Colección. The DVD is region 1 AND 4, so anyone with a DVD player from the US or México can watch it! According to the sticker on the box, it says that there are English subtitles as well, with of course a Spanish audio track.

Santo, el enmascarado de plata, joins an archaeological expedition with a mission to explore the ruins of Aztec origin. After reaching a nearby village, the villagers try to stop them "from desecrating the dreams of the dead. " The group continues, within the ancient ruins they discover the tomb of a priest who was buried alive and cursed. From then on, one by one, the members of the expedition start disappearing...

How do you win this awesome DVD? First, the offer is only valid to the US. I'm sorry but the shipping is coming out of my pocket–and my pockets are very shallow. Other than that, entry is a breeze: just email me at jesse.acosta@gmail.com. Be sure to mark the subject as "Santo DVD Giveaway." (That's it…easy, eh?)

Would you like to increase your odds? When you write me that e-mail, also include your Twitter username. Tweet the following message and I'll add your name a second time into the hat:

#SantoDVDGiveaway in May! Win a copy of Santo en La Venganaza de la Momia! http://ow.ly/4KWVz for details

On May 31st, a random drawing will be held and you just might be the lucky winner! Check your inbox for an e-mail from me. Whoever wins the giveaway will have 48 hours to respond with their mailing address. If no response is made, someone else will be chosen, at random.

This will be a fun month for Santo fans!

Shout out to Lioncorn

I'm so glad I set up Google Alerts to hit me up on anything about Santo and Blue Demon. I've been trying to get as much new info on the current situation with the "Sexo y El Vampiro" edit of Tesoro de Dracula, so I setup the alerts. Yesterday Google Alerts sent me a link to this great site:

Lioncorn

This blog is really great, all sorts of info on great art, old weird movies, and other such bizarre interests that reflect my own. I'm so glad the internet can connect people with such niche interests. If it weren't for the internet, my girlfriend, Veronica, would have killed me by now from talking her ear off about all these movies that she really doesn't care about. She has a point though, they stink. It's like drinking tamarindo flavored Jarritos, either you hate it or you like it, or you tell yourself you should like it and eventually acquire a taste. So thank you, internet, for saving my relationship :)

PS I still can't drink tamarindo Jarritos. I love candy with tamarindo, but not drinks.

The Collection

Here's my dvd collection, with only a couple not stacked here, or even loaned out:

I've been collecting dvds since I received my first dvd player in 1999. I'm not even sure number of movies here, but it's a ton. Some friends call it "Mini Blockbuster." It's a huge collection, but it's also a part of my lifestyle. I enjoy drawing or painting while a movie is playing. Plus I don't have cable, so I watch films instead.

Let's get down to what I own in the lucha libre category:

Lionsgate Nuestro Cine Clásico-

Santo vs Las Lobas / Santo vs El Espectro del Estrangulador
Santo en El Museo de Cera / Santo y Blue Demon en El Mundo de Los Muertos
Santo contra Blue Demon en la Atlántida / Santo y Blue Demon contra Los Monstruos
Blue Demon Destructor De Espías / Pasaporte a la Muerte

Collección México en Pantalla-

Arañas Infernales

Rise Above Entertainment Santo Collection -

Santo en Atacan Las Brujas

Santo en Tesoro de Drácula
Santo y Blue Demon contra Drácula y Hombre Lobo
Santo y Blue Demon contra el Doctor Frankestein
Santo en La Venganza de la Momia
Santo y Mantequilla Nápoles en la Venganza de la Llorona

El Santo Collección (This series looks like a copy of Rise Above's series)-

El Tesoro de Moctezuma

Various-

Santo contra la Magia Negra
Santo: Infraterrestre
Mil Máscaras vs the Aztec Mummy

Santo Contra Los Zombies

Santo en Las Momias de Guanajuato

El Super Seis Los Luchadores Invencibles (six pack):

• Los Vampiros de Coyocan
• La Mansion de las 7 Momias
• Los Campeones Justicieros
• El Castillo de las Momias de Guanajuato
• Misterio en las Bermudas
• Vuelven Los Campeones Justicieros

Documentaries -

Lucha Libre: Life Behind the Mask

Cartoons-

Mucha Lucha: Heart of Lucha

Mucha Lucha: The Return of El Maléfico

El Tigre: The Adventures of Manny Rivera (This is actually on my iPad through iTunes.

Currently in the mail, heading my way-
Santo contra Las Mujeres Vampiro
Santo en La Venganza de las Mujeres Vampiro
Santo contra La Hija del Frankenstein


I've been wrangling my way into getting these at the best deals. I'm continually checking Half.com, eBay, Amazon, iOffer (watch the authenticity of dvds on iOffer, it's rampant with burned dvds), and now I'm using Santo & Friends for the harder to find films. Also, Super Strange Video has been recommended to me as well, but I haven't tried them yet. If you have a great recommendation for places to find these treasures, hit me up! jesse.acosta at gmail dot com !

I'm still on the hunt too. At first I really liked the Rise Above Entertainment series because they had a nice menu, subtitles, and overall were easier to find at first. But I started favoring the Lionsgate Double Feature discs more, simply because they had two films on one disc for fairly cheap. The dvds through the other various companies seem to cost quite a bit more. I've heard from some people that they find the Lionsgate discs at their Walmart, but I haven't found any myself.

Lucha films I'm looking for:

• Mucha Lucha dvd with the episode starring Blue Demon Jr.
• Poder Satanico
• Santo y Blue Demon contra Los Monstruos (a color version)
• Chanoc y Hijo del Santo contra Los Vampiros
• La Furia de Los Karatecas
• Mil Máscaras vs Las Vampiras
• Blue Demon en La Mafia Amarilla  
• La Mujer Murcielago
• Blue Demon y Zovek en La Invasión De Los Muertos
• Blue Demon En La Sombra Del Murcielago

If you see one available, especially at a decent price point, please send me a link!

Experiences with the Son of El Santo

I found this really great documentary hosted by Hijo del Santo. He speaks about how he wishes for a museum, and how he has a private home museum of his father's legendary life. Then he talks shop with Mil Máscaras.

Sorry, it's Spanish only. If anything, fast forward the first clip to about 6 minutes 30 seconds to see Santo's first mask.

The Plight of a lucha dvd collector...

Like any lucha collector, we run into the difficulty of finding a vendor who has these sacred films. Lord knows I've used eBay, Half.com, Amazon.com, iOffer, and Santoandfriends.com to find the best prices, and specific editions of the dvds (some films are in color, while other companies have a copy in black and white, many don't come with subtitles). It's a long, arduous journey to get these sacred relics of lucha film.

This brings me to my latest purchase, through a third party seller on Amazon.com. Remember, make sure your orders are through Amazon specifically, or you know people who have had good experiences with the third party seller. Check ratings and reviews always.

So, I've been looking for Santo en La Venganza de las Mujeres Vampiro (Santo in the Vengeance of the Vampire Women). The company I dealt (LATINOS DISCOS MOI) with on Amazon sent me Santo en La Venganza de la Momia (Santo in the Vengeance of the Mummy). That's fine, simple mistake, I imagine they have an organized wall of films, and these of course are alphabetized next to each other. So I email him back, telling them of the mistake. I also refunded the order, and asked if they had the correct dvd in their stock. They took a week to respond to me, a big no no. He stated it was "lost" in his inbox. Annoying. He still hasn't mentioned if he had the movie I wanted or not. That's fine, in the week long wait I not only requested a refund through Amazon, but I also ordered the correct dvd through Santo And Friends.

Now, since I'm a little annoyed at the moment due to the recent email stirring up this week long brew of unresolved issues, I want to play a game with you all. Can you see a difference between these two movies?

 

Mujeres Vampiros and Momias... Two very distinct differences in these creatures of the night. Vampire women are sexy, and seductive. Mummies are generally oatmeal faced zombies who played way too much with the toilet paper.

*update 4/11/11 noon* He emailed me back saying "So, you want the momias movie?" How much more explicit do I have to be with you? Here's what I said back lastly, since this seemed to be going in circles:

This is getting confusing, I ordered mujeres vampires, but I received momias....  Prefieres español? Yo compré la película con las mujeres vampiro, pero me mandaste la película con las momias. Ahora, quiero saber si tienes la película con las mujeres vampiro en mano. Avisame.

I'm hoping the Spanish might help this situation. Either way, this email exchange has lasted too long. Save yourself some headache and avoid DISCOS LATINOS MOI on Amazon.com at all cost.

Anyway, I'm done using my blog to vent. Back to the regularly scheduled programming.

Santo Sketchcard on Etsy

I feel weird tooting my own horn, but what the heck, this is my blog, right? Well, for those that don't know, I have an Etsy Shop. I sell a lot of my artwork on there, and currently I'm doing a series of horror sketch cards. But villains and monsters aren't anything without their heroic counterparts. So today I produced this Santo ACEO sketch card:

ACEOs (Artist Card Editions or Originals) are small originals created by artists. Perfect for collecting or trading! This is a 2½" × 3½" PSC ACEO Sketch Card of world famous luchador El Santo enmascarado de plata aka Rodolfo Guzmán Huerta (September 23, 1917 - February 5, 1984).

El Santo has been in over 52 films, and has been featured in comic book and cartoon adaptations. He started his lucha libre career in the early 1930s, only to start slowing down by 1980. His son, Hijo del Santo, continues to wrestle and dons his father's mask.

Drawn in pencil, inked, then colored with prismacolor markers. On Canson heavyweight sketch cardstock.
ACEO sketch cards are shipped with archival sleeve, plus protected with cardboard.

Okay, back to our regularly scheduled programming... I just received Mondo Lucha A Go Go in the mail today, and last week I received Lucha Noir by Rafael Navarro and From Parts Unknown. Lastly, after being borrowed for what seemed like half an eternity, I finally got Santo y Blue Demon Contra Dracula y Hombre Lobo back from a friend. One of these will be reviewed within the next few days. I'll keep you posted!

Strongman Volume 1 - Review

Next up on the docket for review is STRONGMAN Volume 1, by Charles Soule & Allen Gladfelter, published by Slave Labor Graphics (SLG):

Cover to Strongman Volume 1

This book is just something I happened to discover while googling (I find using Google as a verb still odd, how about you?) comics based on lucha libre. It was published not too long ago either, I'm surprised it snuck passed my radar.

El Tigre is essentially a has-been Santo. Once famous, hailed as a hero in México, but now resides in New York, alone, drunk, and bloated, with a horrible anger management issue with his apartment door. But someone who knows his stories find him, in need of help, and this plea reinvigorates his motivation to get back in action and feel needed again by his people.

Panel layouts are clear and concise. El Tigre packs a wallop!

El Tigre sporting a collared '70s tee.

Stats:
Page Count: 120
Year: March 2009



Favorite Quote: My favorite quote is actually an entire scene: Maria: He told me you took your liver, Now you will take his. Tigre: But you are not a doctor. How will you know which it is? Maria: Yes.. Then I will take it all.


The Ratings:
My rating system is out of five stars, and consists of six categories, then an overall score.

• Story:
  The story has it's high points and low points. I really had a gut feeling that this wasn't researched well enough, from the Spanish littered throughout to the lucha libre genre. Some of the dialogue felt as though they thumbed through a Spanish dictionary, or found a "Spanish Curse Word Bible" to litter the word balloons. Also, what is Bujo supposed to be? Is he supposed to be an owl? Well, that word is búho, pronounced (Boo-O). There's a certain feeling to the lucha genre that is moralistic and wholesome, while this story gets heavy with the profanity, nudity, and other mature themes. I like the overall overall arch with the hero, but I wish he stood on his own without being a cookie cutter luchadore in the shadow of Santo.
• Art:
  The art is clean, tight, well rendered, and easy to follow. But it also feels a bit stiff from time to time, I think this is because of the artist's photo reference technique. In the last pages of the graphic novel, they show that he would spend the time making mock-up scenes out of foam-core boards and shoot the angles. While this is kind of neat, I feel like it's taking time away from just drawing. I listened to an interview once with an artist on the Side Bar Nation podcast, who used a 3D modeler to render simple backgrounds for his pages to give the scene more depth, then he'd redraw it. After a while, he was spending more time at the computer modeling ridiculous scenes, and not enough time just behind the art table drawing. It was Jim Lee who told him "Why do all that effort, don't you just like to draw?" So I feel as though this model making scene can be useful, if it gets too tedious then it might turn the art a little dry. Also, I noticed in the scenes where Tigre would go to wrestling matches and play rudos for income, one panel shows him wearing and incorrect mask. His rudo (bad guy) mask covers his chin like a traditional luchador mascara. But on page 17, you see a side shot where his chin is open, like his técnico mask.
• Bizarre Factor:
  This is relatively a straight forward story with one bizarre factor: The rich villain feeds his rich guests organs of poor Mexicans from the streets. WTF? Very weird, and out of left field. Normally I don't mind that, but this is sort of gross.
  
• Horror:
  Again, the cannibalism and organ stealing is a bit much.
  
• Action:
  Like any good lucha story, there is a good amount of rumbling.
  
• Camp:
  Some of characters feel cookie cutter, from our hero El Tigre, to the villains. Then the end scene where I get my favorite quote from is really cheesy. Maria snags all the villain's organs because she can't distinguish the liver from the rest? Really? You have two lungs, a heart, two kidneys, a stomach, and... a liver. It's not terribly difficult to find. Also, you can't just show up at a hospital with an improperly retrieved organ on ice, and ask to have it put back in. I should know, I work at a hospital, and deal with organ donors quite a bit.
• Nudity:
  There is quite a bit of sex, nudity, and one of the minor villains runs a strip club. The profanity is pretty high as well. Not suitable for younger readers.
  
• Overall:
  Again, I enjoyed the overall story of El Tigre in Strongman volume 1, but there are some quibbles I had to pick at. I know I'll be picking up volume two, which is currently available as well on Amazon. If this sounds like your cup of tea, definitely make an order at Amazon, links below!

 

The Legendary Lucha Wall!

So, this is it! You finally get to see my legendary lucha wall! Click on the photo for a much larger size :)

A rundown of the images:

Pasaporte a la Muerte original Lobby Card for the 1968 Blue Demon film
Sketch of Santo by Humberto Ramos
Santo contra los Monstruos print
Two envelope sketches by Rafael Navarro
Lucha VaVoom postcard flyer
Santo sketch by Matt Kaufenberg

I've linked to the movies, prints, artists, and events so you too can get similar work!

P.S. Yes, to the left of the lucha wall is a box of comics, and to the right is an overpowering stack of dvds...

Review of Sonambulo - Sleep of the Just

Just to let you know, I'll be reviewing any medium involving the weird, strange, obscure, and of course anything with a lucha mask. Today, I bring you Sonámbulo: The Sleep of the Just, collect case trade paperback! To start, you must his the author/artist Rafael Navarro's website here: http://sonambulo.com/

This book is 120 manly pages of awesome, black and white pages thick with pulp noir. It's a fair price of $15 at Navarro's site, considering the story packs such an foreseen wallop of a tale!

El Sonambulo wants you to tell him your dreams!

Let's begin with the hero of these adventures, El Sonambulo. This guy is an ex luchador turned detective, cracking cases of Whittier, California. Not only that, but this guy has the uncanny ability to see your dreams, but with the horrible contrast of never sleeping. As Sonambulo says, "It's like living two lives." This first story, Sleep of the Just, introduces the reader to his situation, skills, and an interesting case. It's just like a traditional pulp novel from the pen of Chandler or Hammet, with a unique twist. A damsel kidnapped for extortion money, a bizarre trail that leads to an unusual ending. You won't be disappointed.

I first heard about this character a few years ago, but only a month ago did I finally decide to order all the Sonambulo comics. I feel like the late comer to the party, the guy who just finally saw something like Schindler's List or Lord of The Rings and wants to talk about it, even though everybody is done with the hype. But let me tell you, Sonambulo is well worth still talking about. Not many have heard of it, and that's a crying shame, because he's a classic!

Rafael Navarro, left-handed guitar at his side, selling stories at the con!


I unfortunately don't know Rafael Navarro in person, but from the pictures, youtube videos, and his books, I imagine him to be have the charisma and personality somewhere between Bugs Bunny and The Dude, the physical appearance of Zorro or Iñigo Montoya, and the artistry of Steve Ditko, John Buscema, and Jack Kirby with a modern flair. He is also probably the kindest artist I've never had the pleasure of meeting. Why do I say this? Simply because of the following:

 

These were illustrations Navarro did for me! When I ordered the books, on the two envelopes he drew the first two characters. Then on the inside of Sleep of the Just he made that awesome personalized sketch!

This guy is after my own heart! I cut out the first two sketches from the envelope, and placed them on frames. They currently reside on my "LUCHA WALL" (something I need to photograph and share with you all). Thanks again Raf! (If I may call you that)

Now lastly, to the ratings:

Stats:
Page Count: 120
Year: 1996, reprinted in 2001 as a trade



Favorite Quote: A quick back story to my favorite quote: Just about everyone I know swears in spanish, my grandparents did, my girlfriend's father does, my girlfriend's sister does, even when I'm out and about and hear Spanish, it's littered with a few naughty words. But me, I don't swear in Spanish. I almost feel like I have a different voice when I speak Spanish. It could be also that 90% of the time, when I'm using Spanish it's in a professional setting (ie where I work, at a hospital). So, my favorite quote has to be Sonambulo's exclaimations of:  I¡¿Qué la canción?! I think I might insert this charming and harmless phrase into my lexicon!


The Ratings:
My rating system is out of five stars, and consists of six categories, then an overall score.

• Story:
  The characters and stories are familiar, while also being unique with their blend of Mexicana and Lucha with Pulp Noir of the early to mid 20th century. The first adventure is open and shut, but the origin story is what makes this so cool. I can also say, the adventures even get better when things become a little more surreal and supernatural.
• Bizarre Factor:
  Uhh, duh! Detectives + Lucha Libre. Simple as that!
  
• Horror:
  This first adventure isn't really all that scary. This category I don't think works for this story.
  
  
• Action:
  You can't have a luchadores and thugs without tons of action.
  
• Camp:
  No camp really here. This is a clever tale, and I'm begging for more!
• Nudity:
  There are some scenes suggesting alcohol and sex, but nothing to get your knickers in a twist over. It's like in the old films where they are fixing their tie and the woman is smoking.
  
• Overall:
  This series overall is great, and this first book just kicks off the party. It's well rounded, and great introduction to my new favorite hero. Well worth buying!

That's about it guys! Once again, I suggest running on over to Rafael Navarro's Sonambulo site and buying this book, and maybe one other to wet your whistle. I am sure you'll come back for more!