Today in Comics History, September 23: Happy birthday, El Santo!

Born on this date in 1917: probably the greatest Mexican hero and masked wrestler (luchador enmascarado) the world has never known: Rodolfo Guzmán Huerta! Hmm, that name not ringing a bell with you? That's because for decades he kept up a secret identity and and disguised himself with a silver mask, becoming known around the globe as the mighty El Santo! El Santo was not only a folk hero and wrestling icon but also a major movie action star who starred or co-starred in 52 movies between 1958 and 1982, only a handful of have been "discovered" by the general public of North America. (I myself was introduced to the Silver Maskman thanks to Mystery Science Theater 3000, which riffed Santo [aka Samson] vs. the Vampire Women in its original incarnation, and more recently, Santo in the Treasure of Dracula on the revamped Gizmoplex series.


excerpts from Mystery Science Theater 3000 season six, episode 24: "Samson vs. the Vampire Women" (best Brains, March 25, 1995), riffed by Michael J. Nelson, Trace Beaulieu, and Kevin Murphy