Rulah Jungle Goddess Meets "The Panther Queen" (Fox;1948)

Rulah Jungle Goddess stars in a classic golden age tale from All Top Comics #9 (Jan.1948); originally published by Fox Feature Syndicate, Inc. Don't hold it against me, but I'm not sure if "Damond" was somebody other than Jack Kamen or Matt Baker, so the art credit on this gem is uncertain.

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 belong to the original publishers and/or the creators and is reproduced here solely for entertainment purposes.

Enjoy!

Retro-View: Eerie #6 (Warren Publ.;1966)

Eerie #6 was originally released by Warren Publishing in November 1966 and this fine early issue continued to offer "New Terror in the Creepy Tradition"!" The cover is by the great Gray Morrow.

This issue almost succeeds in being entirely written by Archie Goodwin. Goodwin scripted six out of the seven stories contained within, and he was aided by some of the best illustrators that Warren had to offer.

In "Cave of the Druids" by Archie Goodwin & Reed Crandall, Roman Legionnaire, Marcus Severus is drawn into danger by the siren call of a sultry druidess, and narrowly avoids sacrificial death by turning the tables on her by his own strength of will.

After such a terrific start, we are treated to a tale by Goodwin & Steve Ditko, in which jeweller Lester Darrow finds himself accosted on the street by a seedy bag-man who wants to unload a fabulous gem, but Darrow quickly discovers that a price must be paid by anyone who stares too long into the "Deep Ruby".

Next up is "Running Scared" by Goodwin & Sam Citron (who is billed as “Mark Ricton”) in one of those buried alive derivatives that are so common in the horror genre.

Goodwin & Angelo Torres gets things back on track nicely when an unfortunate officer of the British Crown unleashes "The Curse of Kali"; which details a surprising twist on vampirism by tales end.

"Trial by Fire" is the lone story not written by Goodwin and although credited as "Jay Taycee", the full duties are provided by EC Comics veteran, Johnny Craig. Judge Alfred Harker seems to suddenly cast spells against his will, and his wife knows more about these manifestations than she is letting on, but which of the two will pay for this sin?

As this issue winds to its inevitable conclusion, readers are presented a neat riff on Frankenstein, "Point of View" by Goodwin & Rocco Mastroserio and your host, Uncle Eerie closes out Eerie #6 with "The Changeling" by Goodwin & Gene Colan. Rachel Meredith is having trouble getting used to the people at her new job as Governess for Donald Hazeltine, but she is really unhappy when she finally meets young Donald's real mother.

It's hard to beat these old Warren black & white mags for pure entertainment value, and there really isn't anything even close to what these books had to offer on the stands these days. My suggestion is to exercise a bit of patience and regularly troll eBay for affordable copies.

At the Movies: Kick-Ass

Dave Lizewski (Aaron Johnson) is a typical high school kid who stumbles through life somewhat under the radar. As a comic book fan with few friends, he lives alone with his father and suffers the normal travails that most geeks can easily relate to.

Having no pressing reason to do so, one day he makes the inspired decision to become Kick-Ass, a superhero with no powers, and he quickly discovers that he may have bitten off more than he can chew. Based on the Marvel Comics series written by Mark Millar and illustrated by John Romita, Jr., this ultra-violent movie pulls no punches and is all the better for having stuck to its creative guns.

The reviews are full of commentary about the full-volume dialogue coming from the mouth of young actor Chloë Grace Moretz (11 years old during filming), and the language involved may actually shock some movie-goers. Blood, gore and ample violence abound throughout, but continuing the trend of comics-to-film adaptations that really do work, “Kick-Ass” proves that this kind of material when taken seriously does lead to an outstanding movie-going experience.

Nicolas Cage makes one of his best film appearances in some time as “Big Daddy”, a former cop who, in his quest to bring down an evil drug lord Frank D'Amico (Mark Strong), has trained his eleven-year-old daughter to be the ruthless vigilante Hit-Girl (Chloë Moretz; who wonderfully steals the movie). Add in very well-chosen young supporting actors Clark Duke (Hot Tub Time Machine), Evan Peters, Lyndsy Fonseca and Christopher Mintz-Plasse as the last of the costumed “heroes”, The Red Mist, and it all adds up to one excellent film.

Yeah, Kick-Ass is courting controversy for its casual use of profanity and violence, but if you are a comic book fan, you’ve simply got to see this movie. Recommended!!!

"Gal" Friday! Anne Hathaway

I thought long and hard over which lovely lady to feature for this weeks "Gal" Friday post, since I also wanted to at least tie into my "Go Ape Shit Week" theme, and then I hit upon a great choice who pleasantly went "ape shit" in a way that we can all appreciate here in the Catacombs.

In 2001, Anne Hathaway made a big screen splash as Mia Thermopolis in the Disney family comedy The Princess Diaries, and over the next three years she continued to star in family films, reprising her role for its sequel, The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement and also appearing as the titular character in Ella Enchanted (both in 2004).

In a surprise move, Hathaway was featured in several nude and sexual scenes in Havoc and Brokeback Mountain (both 2005). Although the content of these two films was radically different from her previous films, Hathaway denied that these were attempts to be seen as a more mature actress, citing her belief that doing nudity in certain movies is merely a part of what her chosen form of art demands of her; and because of that belief she does not consider appearing nude in appropriate films to be morally objectionable. Anne Hathaway is my hero!

She has subsequently co-starred with Meryl Streep in The Devil Wears Prada (2006) and she appeared in Becoming Jane (2007) as author Jane Austen. She earned widespread critical acclaim for her lead role in the 2008 film Rachel Getting Married, for which she was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress and followed that up with Get Smart. So far in 2010, she has starred in box office hits Valentine's Day and Tim Burton's Alice In Wonderland.

Probably no other actress makes sweet & sexy look so easy than Anne Hathaway.

Jo-Jo, Congo King in "Terror of the Lost Maidens" (Fox;1949)

"Go Ape Shit Week" concludes with a tale that has been reprinted several times. Originally seeing publication in Fox Comics series, Jo-Jo Congo King #24 (Feb. 1949) as "The Garden of Lost Maidens", today's story has also appeared in Jungle Drums (Bell Features, 1949 series) #18 (where the first panel was also used as the cover for that issue), in Spook (Star Publications [1949-1954], 1953 series) #29 (where it was retitled: "Spook of the Congo") and finally in Startling Terror Tales (Star Publications [1949-1954], 1953 series) #13 (where it was retitled: "Terror of the Lost Maidens"). The art is attributed to an unidentified member of the Eisner/Iger Shop by the Grand Comics Database.

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 belong to the original publisher and/or the creators and is reproduced here solely for entertainment purposes. Enjoy!

Fantomah vs. "The Super-Gorillas!" (Fiction House;1940)

"Go Ape Shit Week" continues with today's classic golden age tale from Jungle Comics #4 (Apr. 1940); originally published by Fiction House. Fantomah, Mystery Woman of the Jungle, stops a mad scientist (called simply "The Doctor" and his cohort, Mac) who have taken control of the gorillas in the jungle by turning them into super-gorillas. This story was reprinted as "You Shall Die by Your Own Evil Creations", by Fantagraphics in 2009.

Although the story is signed as "Barclay Flagg", the actual writer/artist/letterer is Fletcher Hanks. 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 belong to the original publisher and/or the creators and is reproduced here solely for entertainment purposes.

Enjoy!

Jan of the Jungle in "Kaang's Peril!" (Fiction House;1948)

In the great Indian wilderness, Jan the Jungle Boy encounters many dangers and sometimes he gets a bit testy. He learns a lesson about loyalty to his ape friend, Kaang, in this tale from Rangers Comics #44 (Dec. 1948), originally published by Fiction House.

The story is signed "Coleman Hart", but the excellent art is by Enrico Bagnoli. "Go Ape Shit Week" continues in the Catacombs today and 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 belong to the original publisher and/or the creators and is reproduced here solely for entertainment purposes.

Enjoy!

PS: I'm a bit bummed today! They blew up Ilana (Zuleikha Robinson) on "LOST" last night and I am gonna miss seeing her spectacular rack bobbling around on mystery island.

White Princess of the Jungle in "King of the Gorillas!" (Avon; 1952)

Yesterday I had a moment of dawning horror, when I realized that I hadn't followed through with my plans for another go round of "Go Ape Shit Week". Blame it on all of the cool comics, original art and stuff that I've been archiving into the actual Catacombs lately. Alas, but better late than never.

Tarinda, White Princess of the Jungle had a short run series with Avon in the 1950's. "King of the Gorillas!" is taken from White Princess of the Jungle #5 (Nov. 1952; the last issue of the series). The nice artwork is by the team of Gene Fawcette & Vince Alascia. The cover is tossed in to appease your wrath.

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 belong to the original publisher and/or the creators and is reproduced here solely for entertainment purposes.

Enjoy!

1980's Flashback: Crossfire

Crossfire was a spin off of DNAgents, written by Mark Evanier and illustrated by Dan Spiegle for Eclipse Comics. The series ran for 26 issues between May 1984 and February 1988.

The series followed the adventures of bail bondsman Jay Endicott, who assumed the identity of a notorious criminal, who was murdered while committing one of his crimes. Endicott decided to use the original Crossfire costume to fight crime as a superhero, while impersonating the original in order to take advantage of his reputation and then hunt down underworld contacts.

During an early adventure with the DNAgents, Endicott fell in love with their member, Rainbow, but he was also seriously wounded. While in the care of their organization, he was given specific enhancements to his body and his blood was replaced with an artificial chemical that mimicked the characteristics of blood more efficiently.

Writer Mark Evanier used his experience inside the Hollywood entertainment industry to feature secondary stories of characters trying to work and survive within that business. Despite the intricate plotting and topnotch Dan Spiegle artwork, Crossfire sold poorly. This eventually forced a change in format from color to black & white printing to reduce expense. Subsequently the series took on a more realistic tone to the featured stories, with Jay Endicott making do with only his mask after he was forced to destroy the rest of his costume to escape police custody.

The Brandon Peterson Commission Lottery!!!

I received an automated email late on Friday from Brandon Peterson's website. Brandon Peterson is known for hyper-detailed artwork on such titles as Uncanny X-Men, Codename: Strykeforce, Arcanum, Ultimate X-Men and the mini-series Ultimate Vision and Strange. This is the message that was forwarded to me:

"You are getting this e-mail because you signed up for information on special projects and offers from Brandon Peterson via the Brandobot mailing list. The 2010 Brandon Peterson commission list is now open with very limited slots available.

If you are interested in a commission, precede IMMEDIATELY to the website addresses and follow the instructions. There are very limited slots and they are given out on a first-come, first-served basis. Over 600 people are on this list and only 10 slots are available."

Additional Q & A style information included in this message went:

"1) Will Brandon do less detailed, cheaper, convention-sketch style commissions?

No, Brandon is only doing Pen and Ink commissions as shown on the website. Last year's commissions are available for viewing at the website. These commissions will be featured in Brandon's next convention sketchbook, so they must be publication quality illustrations. No one has ever complained about the quality or level of detail yet.

2) Is Brandon open to do more detailed, color, or multi character commissions for an additional charge?

Yes, but the amount of time Brandon is able to put into each commission is up to his discretion. There is a spot on the sign-up page to write special instructions or requests. Make your requests known there when you sign up and Brandon will get back to you, and let you know whether or not he is able to fulfill your request, and quote you a price for the additional work.

3) Will Brandon be sketching at Calgary, Heroes Con, San Diego, or Baltimore this year?

No, the only way to get custom Brandon Peterson art is by signing up online. The only commissions Brandon will be working on are these. Brandon does not do convention sketches as he finds there is too little time to do them at conventions with his signings and other activities."

After receiving this message, I did as instructed and followed the link only to be informed that the commission list was full. No surprise really, with ten slots and six-hundred potential customers, well - you do the math. I do appreciate the opportunity to be informed, but can't help wondering if a better method for this "lottery" could be crafted.

I then consoled myself by checking around the Brandobot site, where I found the commission piece that accompanies this post. I distinctly remember seeing Brandon work on this Conan illustration at last years annual Heroes Convention in Charlotte, NC. In fact, he specifically states that he was able to squeeze this drawing into his busy schedule there. I have to point out how little justice is actually done to this outstanding commission in the scan. It was phenomenal seeing it in person, and the reason why I got on the commission list in the first place was due to being blown away by his work on the Conan piece. Now be warned, Peterson's rates are not cheap, no sir, but stuff like this will easily win me over despite the cost (sometimes). I can't say for certain that I could have mustered the financial wherewith all to follow through anyway at the present time, but I thought that offering this information may help out any fans of Peterson's who may be on the fence about acquiring an original piece from him someday.

He does sell frequent sketchbooks that are of high quality to assuage the wound of not scoring a space on his "to do" list, and these sketchbooks typically showcase most of his private commission pieces anyway; so there's your spoonful of sugar to make the medicine go down.

And my response to the automated message:

"I must've blinked. So [clicks tongue], commission space vanishing at the speed of light is one of Brando's hitherto unrevealed talents. In other words, damn - damn - damn. Keep me posted though (I'm always a glutton for additional punishment)."

Rayboy's Review(s): Booster Gold, Deadpool Corps, Hate Annual, New Ultimates & Ultimate X

It's a perfect spring evening outside, which is ideal since I just got back from a Chinese buffet and I really need to go walk some of that off. That being the case, Rayboy's Review(s) are gonna be a bit brief this time around.

Well, it has been quite some time since I went into a comics shop and purchased six brand spanking new comics fresh off the stands. This week I picked up Booster Gold #29 & 30, Deadpool Corps #1, Hate Annual #8, Ultimate New Ultimates #1 and Ultimate X #2.

Fantagraphics Hate Annual #8 written and drawn almost entirely by Peter Bagge (with a single story written by James Whorton, Jr.) is everything you would want from Bagge. You get a new Buddy Bradley & Lisa story, "Creative Outlet" which is reason enough to buy this issue, since the rest of the material is gathered from a variety of previously published sources. Fantagraphics stuff always reels me in and this issue was a nice surprise this week. Give it a try, folks!

Booster Gold's #29 & 30 polishes off Dan Jurgens and Norm Rapmund's excellent run on this title in "The Tomorrow Memory". Under these two gentlemen and a few other fine creators, Booster Gold has consistently been one of DC Comics best titles. By making creative use of the many crossover events of the past many years, these guys struck "gold" and made Booster not only "The Greatest Hero You've Never Heard Of!", but also a series that I'm really gonna miss, now that Jurgens wishes to move on to other things (at least for awhile). I will keep my fingers crossed that Dan will follow through on his promise and return to chronicle Booster's adventures again someday (plus hope that the incoming creative team doesn't screw the pooch and get this book cancelled before he can).

Marvel Comics scored a trifecta out of me this week with two books that are part of their Ultimates line, and no wonder considering who's drawing these books, and another title that was a hoot and a half. Ultimate X#2 continues the story of what happened to the X-Men and their heirs after worldwide chaos, carnage and the deaths of a huge chunk of the Ultiverse/?. Don't ask me to explain all of that here, I'm just loving the Arthur Adams artwork, and it is a thing of real beauty too.

Same goes for Ultimate New Ultimates #1, try saying that fast three times, which does the very same thing for the Ultiverse version of the Avengers, drawn ever so beautifully by the estimable Frank Cho. The scene where Hela strips down to seduce Thor in Valhalla is worth the price of admission alone, but there is much more going on in this book too and you've really gotta see that six panel gatefold cover. This book has an unrelated back-up short story preview based on Philip K Dick's Electric Ant that is very forgettable.

The biggest surprise of all this week was how much I enjoyed Deadpool Corps #1 by writer Victor Gischler and illustrated by ROB LIEFELD. (Um, yeah, that guy) I swear it's like this was the book that Rob needed all along to get his groove back. Talk about funny stuff! Deadpool Corps is the perfect title to kick off the summer convention season, and lo and behold, Liefeld will be attending the Heroes Convention in Charlotte, NC, this June. Not only am I going to continue buying this hilarious book, but I'm gonna have Rob sign my copies too. He deservedly got ripped a number of times over the years for his many art faux pas and other grievous storytelling errors, but if he can keep this up for a while, he may just win back a few of his fans. Frank Tieri & Matteo Scalera provide a second feature with Deadpool hilariously undergoing psychiatric therapy; or does he?

"Gal" Friday! Gemma Arterton

British actress Gemma Arterton is a busy girl. She first appeared in the BBC adaptation of Tess of the D'Urbervilles and gained greater fame in 2008 as the MI6 agent Strawberry Fields in the latest James Bond film, Quantum of Solace. She is also the face of Avon's Bond Girl 007 fragrance which launched in October 2008.

This talented and lovely twenty-four year old lass stars in the current hit film, Clash of the Titans and will be seen onscreen again this summer as Princess Tamina in Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time.

She earns a coveted spot in the Catacombs as this weeks "Gal" Friday, because how often do I get a chance to post a photo (above; top) of a totally nude chick covered in nothing but oil. This fate led to her characters unfortunate death in Quantum of Solace, but the image definitely lights my fire.