Friday, June 29, 2012

"Gal" Friday! Jennifer Lawrence

This weeks "gal" was suggested by my son. Since 2006, twenty-one year old Jennifer Lawrence has garnered acclaim for her performances in films such as The Burning Plain and Winter's Bone, for which she received nominations for the Academy Award, Golden Globe Award, Satellite Award, and the Screen Actors Guild Award. At age 20, she was the second youngest actress ever to be nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress. She is also known for playing Mystique in X-Men: First Class. In 2012, Lawrence achieved even wider recognition starring as the heroine Katniss Everdeen in The Hunger Games, an adaptation of the best-selling novel of the same name. Not too shabby for someone who started out on the TBS comedy series, The Bill Engvall Show. The talented and lovely Ms. Lawrence will start filming the adaptation of the second novel in the The Hunger Games trilogy, Catching Fire, this summer, followed by a return to the role of "Mystique" in a sequel to X-Men First Class that begins shooting in January 2013.

Thursday, June 28, 2012

Heroes Convention: Final Thoughts!



Man, I thought that I would have much more to say about this years 30th annual Heroes Convention in Charlotte, North Carolina (it was awesome), but self-editing whittled it down to this brief message that I believe is important. For many years now, the friendly folks behind this topnotch convention have turned a spotlight on independent, small press and self-publishers in a convention floor spectacle known as "Indie Island". It has proven to be a terrific and popular format at Heroes Con, and it is a great place to find stuff that is deserving of your attention or that you might not generally be aware of, but in all actuality this showcase would now be better named "Indie Continent", since it has swollen to gargantuan size and the "guests" who comprise this area number around two hundred plus; in other words the bulk of the attending professionals (or wannabes).

That is all well and good, but as "Indie Island" has grown, it has often pushed some of the marquee names and better known guests to the fringe areas along the sides of the show floor, and that is beginning to be a major problem. This year the lines for "Gentleman" George Perez (perennially popular for his stellar runs on Teen Titans, Wonder Woman, Avengers, etc.) blocked the table space for Joe Staton, Mike Zeck, Bob McCleod on Friday and then when they ran that line a different direction on Saturday, it once again blocked the table space of Paul Levitz, Mark Bagley, Alex Saviuk and others. Several of these established pros were obviously put out by this, and that's nothing against George, but this was Heroes thirtieth event and some of these guests have been staples in attendance for many years in Charlotte. They deserved better from an established event that they've long supported. It wasn't until Sunday that somebody finally pulled their head out of their ass, and assigned numbers to the fans in George's line, who were then told to frequently check back to secure their spot. Thirty years of experience should have been brought to bear to adjust to this developing situation, and it should not have taken until other guests complained or until the last day of the convention to implement a change. I think that it is high time for Heroes Con to better integrate their "big-name" pros with the vast horde of traveling gypsies who have come to dominate the show floor in Charlotte. I heard several of the guests that I've mentioned voicing complaints, and frankly a massive portion of "Indie Island" guests simply won't draw this type of crowd, ever, so let's be fair and spread the wealth of space in a more reasoned fashion next year. Peace!

Wednesday, June 27, 2012

Camilla, Queen of the Lost Empire in "The Great Inland Sea" (Fiction House;1941)


Stanley Zuckerberg illustrates a previously untitled thriller starring Camilla, Queen of the Lost Empire from Jungle Comics #18 (Jun.1941); originally published by Fiction House. I’m going to dub this golden oldie “The Great Inland Sea”; so there you go. The Catacombs is grateful to Don "Zu-Gogo" Falkos for providing the scans for this story. Note: The copyright for this issue, its contents and artwork belongs to the original publisher and/or creators and is reproduced here solely for entertainment purposes. Enjoy!

Tuesday, June 26, 2012

Joe Barton in "Jungle Drum" (Ziff-Davis;1951)


Today we have another neat golden age story called “Jungle Drum” from Wild Boy #11 [2] (Apr-May 1951); originally published by Ziff-Davis, and illustrated by industry legends, Irv Novick and Bernard Sachs. Joe Barton leads a safari into the jungles of the Congo on behalf of Mr. Parmalee, his lovely daughter Nan, and her asshole of a fiancĂ© Cecil Hathaway (who gets spectacularly one-upped by Joe). This story appears courtesy of "Comic Book Plus" [formerly goldenagecomics.co.uk; please go donate to their worthy endeavor]. Enjoy!

Monday, June 25, 2012

Heroes Convention: Post Mortem


Yeah! I've been out of touch for a few days. Yep! I missed posting last weeks "Gal" Friday (sorry about that). My excuse is that I spent a three day weekend in sunny Charlotte, North Carolina attending this years annual Heroes Convention. It was the shows 30th anniversary after all, and it was a good one for me. Stan Lee can be credited for queuing up willing hordes of gullible fans who ponied up quite a bit of cash (and most of their time standing in ridiculous lines) to secure a photo op with "The Man" and a handy-dandy signature; but there were some other cool first time (or returning guests) that I had not previously seen that appealed to me personally, including longtime Legion of Super-Heroes scribe (and former DC Comics executive) Paul Levitz, classic New Teen Titans inker Romeo Tanghal, Master of Kung Fu/Captain America/Punisher/Secret Wars artist Mike Zeck, and topnotch cover artists Jim Silke and Earl Norem. I didn't take the time beforehand to dig through too many of my own back issue boxes for stuff to get signed, lest I tote too much weight around, so I bought a handful of back issues at the show (see above; top) to bolster what I actually did take with me to Charlotte.

Alas, I pretty much blew through my entire flexible budget money on the show floor before the crowd was even allowed to enter on Friday morning (it pays to have friends), when a dealer pal finally presented me with a collectible grade copy of The Incredible Hulk #181. I never bought that book when it was first published in the 1970s, and with its rising value, it has sat perched atop my personal "Want List" for several years now. I'm glad to finally scratch that one off the list, plus the issues artist Herb Trimpe was in attendance at the convention - so naturally I got my copy signed. Not gonna slab it either; that one will be read a few more times in the coming years. I will post a few more thoughts on this years convention in the next couple of days, and get back to posting some golden age jungle stories.

Thursday, June 21, 2012

Tiger Girl in "Shadowland Shrine" (Fiction House;1947)


Tiger Girl (aka Princess Vishnu) returns to the Catacombs in "Shadowland Shrine" from Fight Comics #53 (Dec.1947); originally published by Fiction House, written by "Allan O'Hara" and illustrated by Matt Baker and Jack Kamen. The story title for this golden age, babes-abounding blockbuster was taken from the issues front cover blurb. The Catacombs is grateful to Don "Zu-Gogo" Falkos for providing the scans for this story. Note: The copyright for this issue, its contents and artwork belongs to the original publisher and/or creators and is reproduced here solely for entertainment purposes. Enjoy!

Wednesday, June 20, 2012

Heroes Convention 2012 ..... (in two days)!!

Plans are afoot to bring yours truly to the Queen City of the Carolina's - aka Charlotte, NC - in two days hence for the 30th annual Heroes Convention. As their website says: "Few national-level comics conventions have the kind of reputation and acclaim that Heroes Convention does. With a comics-first attitude, a family-friendly atmosphere, and one of the most impressive guest lists in comics, Heroes Con has become the biggest "little" comics show in the country. But not by accident: what makes our convention great is our strong foundation in comics, a long dedication to the highest-possible level of quality, and an independent approach that lets us stand out from the pack in the minds of fans, creators, and exhibitors alike."
With a guest list numbering in the hundreds, there will definitely be something for everyone to see this year. Stan "The Man" Lee headlines a diverse group of writers (pictured, above; left) this year that also includes Jonathan Hickman, Matt Fraction, Paul Levitz, Louise Simonson, and many others. If you are more a fan of artists, then you might be pleased to meet the likes of Neal Adams, Frank Cho, Geof Darrow, Francesco Francavilla, Michael Golden, Jaime Hernandez, Adam Hughes, Bob Layton, Ed McGuinness, Mike Mignola, Cary Nord, Earl Norem, George Perez, Ivan Reis, Jim Silke, Walt Simonson, Lee Weeks, Bernie Wrightson, and Mike Zeck (making his first convention appearance since the early 1990s) and those great names are literally just the tip of the iceberg. Check out this years incentive art print for fans who pre-purchased tickets by Cary Nord commemorating another 30th anniversary, that of Dave Stevens "The Rocketeer". Heroes Convention 2012 runs from June 22-24, and is not to be missed. See you there!

Tuesday, June 19, 2012

Joe Barton in "Trophy Hunter" (Ziff-Davis;1952)


Here is an entertaining backup strip from Wild Boy #6 (Apr.1952); originally published by Ziff-Davis, and well illustrated by a pair of industry legends, Irv Novick and Bernard Sachs. “Trophy Hunter” also debuts a new character in the Catacombs. Hunter and safari guide, Joe Barton appeared as a regular feature by Novick and Sachs in issues of "Wild Boy". In this tale, Barton has been hired by Leslie Bronn to go after the elusive white albino deer in the Nawali area of Africa. Trouble ensues when the local tribesmen discover that their sacred animal is the intended target and Bronn proves himself to be a tad unstable. The Catacombs is grateful to Don "Zu-Gogo" Falkos for providing the scans for these stories. Note: The copyright for this issue, its contents and artwork belongs to the original publisher and/or the creators and is reproduced here solely for entertainment purposes. Enjoy!

Monday, June 18, 2012

Sheena, Queen of the Jungle in "Voodoo Flames" (Fiction House;1942)


Sheena, Queen of the Jungle stars today in a golden age adventure from Jumbo Comics #36 (Feb.1942); originally published by Fiction House and illustrated by Robert Webb. The title "Voodoo Flames" is taken from this issues cover. The Catacombs is grateful to Don "Zu-Gogo" Falkos for providing the scans for this story. Note: The copyright for this issue, its contents and artwork belongs to the original publishers and/or the creators and is reproduced here solely for entertainment purposes. Enjoy!

Sunday, June 17, 2012

Happy Fathers Day!!

They aren't always perfect. They often make mistakes in their efforts to prepare us for the trials that await in life. They frequently seem heavy-handed in their disciplining mode. No matter how you slice it, they give it their best shot. They're "dad", and we all have one. To represent this auspicious day, here are four iconic fathers from the good years of comics. Jor-El rocketed his infant son from the doomed planet of Krypton and gave us Superman. Reed Richards led the Fantastic Four against a horde of world-shaking villains, but occasionally struggled in his role as a parent. Let's face it, Odin invented "tough love" as the sire of Thor and Aquaman paid the most terrible price of all when his young son was murdered by one of his arch-enemies.

Friday, June 15, 2012

Camilla in "Blood of the Fallen Prince" (Fiction House;1941)


I meant to post a another golden age story this week and didn't so, scroll down for "gal" Friday and in the meantime, read this! Camilla, Queen of the Lost Empire stars in a previously untitled story from Jungle Comics #17 (May 1941); originally published by Fiction House and drawn by Stanley Zuckerberg. I’ve christened this golden age classic “Blood of the Fallen Prince”. The Catacombs is grateful to Don "Zu-Gogo" Falkos for providing the scans for this story. Note: The copyright for this issue, its contents and artwork belongs to the original publisher and/or creators and is reproduced here solely for entertainment purposes. Enjoy!