Luck O'the Irish to Ya!

Ka'a'nga in "The Deathmaker!" (I.W. Publishing;1958)

Today's classic silver age jungle comics adventure is taken from Ka'a'nga #1 (1958); published by I.W. Publishing (aka Super Comics). The story herein was reprinted from Ka'a'nga Jungle King #18 (Winter 1953-1954) which had been originally published at the tail-end of the golden age by Fiction House. The artwork is signed "Frank Riddell", but this was actually artist John Celardo. Curiously, the Grand Comics Database culled this tales title from the original Fiction House issues cover and lists it as "The Red Claw of Vengeance", however at least on the Super Comics version (which you've just read), the story is called "The Deathmaker!" I'm gonna stick with that one, since seeing is believing.

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 creators and is reproduced here solely for entertainment purposes.

Enjoy!

Retro-View: Marvel Two-In-One Annual #1 (1976)

Marvel Two-In-One Annual #1 was released in 1976, shortly after Fantastic Four Annual #11 (Jun. 1976) which featured the first part of this continued storyline in which the Fantastic Four returned from the past with only half of a missing vibranium canister. While there the FF encountered the World War II team, The Invaders, comprised of Captain America & Bucky, the Sub-Mariner and the original Human Torch & Toro. The combined groups stopped the Nazis from utilizing the vibranium to advance their rocketry program.

However once back in the present, and while the rest of the team prepares for a celebration, The Thing (courtesy of the timely arrival of The Watcher) discovers that the Nazis may actually still be able to use the missing metal to ultimately win World War II. The Thing takes a second time trip (although solo now, he is the star of Two-In-One after all) back to 1942 where he meets up with another WWII super-team, The Liberty Legion, comprised of the Patriot, Miss America, the Whizzer, Red Raven, Jack Frost, the Blue Diamond and the Thin Man. Together they tackle Skyshark, Master Man and U-Man as Ben Grimm tries to find the stolen vibranium.

"Their Name is Legion!" is well written by Marvel Comics stalwart Roy Thomas and pencilled by the great Sal Buscema. Inking duties are provided on this oversize special by a trio of Marvel veterans including Sam Grainger (pages 1-35); John Tartaglione (pages 36-45); and George Roussos (pages 46-47). The overall effect is quite fun, with their styles meshing well on the art front.

There is an unexpected cameo by Jazzy John Romita, who Thomas wrote into the story as a kid in a few panels, apparently based on Romita's real life childhood experience delivering courier packages to doctors as a boy. Nice!

Of course with the two annuals having already crossed over, this story was so big (at the time) with sixteen heroes and assorted villains, that the story doesn't even end here. It's finally completed in Marvel Two-In-One #20. The Liberty Legion was a favorite of mine when they were introduced earlier in twin issues of Marvel Premiere, and with this storyline, other than a handful of guest spots over in The Invaders own title, this was pretty much their entire published adventures at Marvel during the bronze age.

If you missed this one on the first pass, pick it up if you get a chance. A nice copy can be had in decent grade for less than $10 bucks, and it is well worth it.

In Memorium: Peter Graves

Although he had been featured in several earlier recurring television roles (Fury, Whiplash, Court Martial), it was as Jim Phelps, the leader of the elite Impossible Missions Force in the iconic CBS TV series Mission: Impossible that actor Peter Graves will be best remembered. Mr. Graves passed away yesterday, just a few days shy of his 84th birthday, from an apparent heart attack.

In 1967, Peter Graves was recruited by Desilu Studios to replace Steven Hill as the lead actor on Mission: Impossible. He played Jim Phelps, the sometimes gruff leader of the Impossible Missions Force or IMF, for the remaining six seasons of the series. Graves was awarded a Golden Globe Award in 1971 for his role in the series. In 1988, a Hollywood writers' strike resulted in a new Mission: Impossible series being commissioned for television with Graves as the only original cast member to return as a regular (although others made guest appearances). The series was filmed in Australia and lasted for two seasons, ending in 1990.

Graves appeared in more than seventy films, TV series and TV movies, including a memorable role in the 1980 spoof, Airplane! He also hosted the documentary series Biography on A&E during the 1990's, for which he won a Primetime Emmy Award for outstanding informational series in 1997.

The Catacombs extends heartfelt condolences to his family, friends and legion of worldwide fans.

Rulah Jungle Goddess in "Flames of Fury" (Fox; 1948)

Here's a nifty bonus jungle girl epic starring Rulah Jungle Goddess from All Top Comics #10 (Mar. 1948); originally published by Fox Feature Syndicate.

The Grand Comics Database doesn't have credit information listed to identify the writer or artist of "Flames of Fury", so we'll toss out the possibility that Jack Kamen at least had a hand in the story (he drew the issues cover, which I've also included).

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 creators and is reproduced here solely for entertainment purposes.

Enjoy!

"Gal" Friday! Gemma Atkinson

Gemma Atkinson is a 25 year old British actress, glamour & lingerie model. Although she’s a natural brunette, she often goes blond (and I must admit that finding such lassies is wonderful). Having your cake and eating it too, comes to mind.

She has appeared on popular Brit television shows like Hollyoaks, Comedy Showcase, The Bill and films such as Boogie Woogie, 13Hrs, Baseline and onstage she has portrayed Peter Pan. In 2010 she will appear in the film The Sweet Shop, a romantic comedy about a Hollywood superstar and a small town shop owner.

Luscious Gemma made her video game debut in Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3 (2008) in the role of Lt. Eva McKenna, which she also reprised in Command & Conquer Red Alert 3: Uprising (2009).

In an interview, Ms. Atkinson said that after she lost weight due to a strenuous fitness regime, her bust size declined and that she subsequently underwent breast augmentation surgery to restore them to the original shape they once had (bra size 34E). I applaud her efforts and refuse to hold this against her. In fact, thank you Gemma, this earns you a place for posterity in the Catacombs.

Rulah Jungle Goddess in "Tumult on the Exploding Island!" (Fox; 1947)

She's back! Rulah, Rulah. Rulah, Rulah.

Today's golden age jungle comics story is from All Top Comics #8 (Nov. 1947); originally published by Fox Feature Syndicate, Inc. "Tumult on the Exploding Island!" is fully illustrated by Matt Baker. The story is erroneously listed as "Tempest Island" over at 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 creators and is reproduced here solely for entertainment purposes.

Enjoy!

Editorial Diatribe from the Catacombs: Avengers Assemble (or not)!

January 2010 wasn't really all that long ago, but that was when Marvel Comics first announced that with their "Dark Reign" macro-storyline winding down, all of the company's Avengers titles would fall victim to the editorial ax this April.

Set to receive the boot come April were Avengers: The Initiative #35, Dark Avengers #16, Mighty Avengers #36, and New Avengers #64.

It made a cockeyed kind of sense, given that the initiative (pun intended) called "Heroic Age" was being heralded as a return to true heroics within Marvels fictional universe, to cancel these darker series.

But, then it began!

The roll out announcements of the new, ongoing Avengers title, or rather titles: Avengers #1 starring Captain America (New Cap, apparently), Thor, Iron Man,Spider-Woman, Hawkeye. Wolverine and Spider-Man. New Avengers #1 starring Spider-Man, Wolverine, Luke Cage, Jewel and the Thing. Secret Avengers #1 starring a bunch of blacked-out silhouettes, since it's still a "secret", and finally, Avengers Academy #1 the lineup for which is still being trotted out daily over at Newsarama (yay, for them), but which includes new characters called Veil & Striker.

I'm not going to call Joe Quesada or Brian Michael Bendis or Ed Brubaker or Christos Gage or Tom Brevoort or Mike McKone or John Romita Jr. or Mike Deodato or Stuart Immonen foul names. That would be tantamount to treating the intended creators of these books with the same level of hypocrisy that was shown to me as a fan, by Marvels bullshit announcement back in January. Instead, I will speak with my wallet, by not buying any of these books and encourage others to do the same.

I must admit that I was very skeptical that Marvels "heroic age" would be a return of the "real" Avengers, but still, marketing tactics like this can't be allowed to work or we'll just keep getting more of the same AND deserving it.

If you're curious, I've included a nice example of what a better group of Avengers would look like up top. This is a wonderful set of commissions done recently by former Marvel great John Byrne of a classic team lineup. Some of the characters are deceased in current continuity, but hey, they've finally revived Bucky Barnes. In fact, he's an Avenger now, too.

So stranger things can happen! They just won't while the clowns who are in charge at Marvel continue to have their way with us.

Thun'da, King of the Congo in "The Gold Maker!" (ME; 1953)

Today's classic jungle story comes from sort of a cusp period between the golden age and the silver age. Cave Girl #12 was published by Magazine Enterprises in 1953, but the star of that issues back-up feature is Thun'da King of the Congo. Written by the legendary Gardner Fox and lushly illustrated by the great Bob Powell, "The Gold Maker!", is part jungle epic and part science-fiction thriller about a machine that turns everything that it touches to gold and then drives the men who are trying to get it crazy.

The Catacombs is grateful to Don "Zu-Gogo" Falkos for providing the scans for these stories. Note: The copyright for these issues, their contents and artwork belong to the original publisher and/or creators and are reproduced here solely for entertainment purposes.

Enjoy!

1980's Flashback: Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars

Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars was a 12 issue limited series published by Marvel Comics from May 1984 to April 1985. The series was written by Jim Shooter and featured art by Mike Zeck and Bob Layton. The series was launched as a crossover involving a dozen or so of Marvels major titles and characters.

A cosmic being known as the Beyonder observed the universe and became fascinated by the presence of superheroes on Earth and their potential. The Beyonder chose a group comprised of both superheroes and supervillains and teleported them against their will to "Battleworld", a planet he had created in a distant galaxy. The world was also stocked with various alien weapons and technology. The Beyonder then declared: "I am from beyond! Slay your enemies and all that you desire shall be yours! Nothing you dream of is impossible for me to accomplish!"

The heroes included the Avengers, members of the Fantastic Four and solo heroes including the Hulk, Spider-Man and the X-Men.

The villains included the Absorbing Man, Doctor Doom, Doctor Octopus, the Enchantress, Kang the Conqueror, Klaw, the Lizard, the Molecule Man, Ultron and the Wrecking Crew. The cosmic entity Galactus appeared as a non-aligned entity.

The heroes and villains then engaged in several tense skirmishes. There were several significant developments during the course of the series: villains Titania and Volcana were created; the second Spider-Woman, Julia Carpenter was introduced; Spider-Man found and began wearing his black costume for the first time (initially unaware that the costume was actually an alien symbiote); Doctor Doom temporarily stole a portion of the Beyonder's power; having fallen in love with the alien healer Zsaji (who later sacrificed her life on Battleworld to save the heroes), the X-Men's Colossus ended his romantic relationship with a heartbroken Kitty Pryde; and the Thing remained behind on Battleworld and explored that part of the galaxy for a year with heroine She-Hulk temporarily joining the Fantastic Four as his replacement.

Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars proved so successful that a sequel, Secret Wars II began a year later.

From the Dust Bin: Tales of the Armorkins #1

Every now and then you come across a comic book that's just not worth your time, and sadly this is the same mindset that currently keeps me from being a regular visitor to direct comics shops. How the industry manages to field so many titles of so little interest is frankly beyond me, but let the corporate and editorial bean counters who've run Marvel and DC (in particular) into the grave continue doing so without my able assistance.

That statement has absolutely nothing to do with today's dust bin selection, except the "not worth your time" phrase, which does.

Tales of the Armorkins #1 was published in 1971 by The Company & Sons. The entire issue is by artist Larry S. Todd, and forgive me if I can't really tell you what it's about. The inside front cover blurb starts, "An alien spaceship enters the sky and the natives are distraught, uptight and uncool ...".

That's exactly how I felt after trying on three separate occasions to read this mess. Distraught, uptight and uncool! Skimming through it doesn't help fill in the blanks either, so this standalone issue is basically about a bunch of weird little red aliens called Armorkins. There you go!

My brother David passed this item along to me and he reports that he originally read it while sitting on the toilet. He was at least able to flush part of that experience away.

According to the Grand Comics Database, The Company & Sons published nine single comic books, including this one. Their other titles were All Duck, Bogeyman Comics, Drool Magazine, Honky Tonk, Paranoia, Psychotic Adventures Illustrated, Young Lust and The Collected Cheech Wizard. Well known creators Vaughn Bode, Ralph Reese, Larry Hama, Bill Griffith & Art Spiegelman all produced work for this underground publisher.

I've got a really nice copy of this book if anybody wants to make a better go of it than I did. Let me know, and it's yours - first come, first served!

"Gal" Friday! Jennifer Beals

Jennifer Beals is best known for the 1983 film, Flashdance, but she has also starred in genre fare such as The Bride, Vampire's Kiss and The Grudge 2.

The other night I rewatched (again) Beals and Denzel Washington co-starring together in 1995's Devil in a Blue Dress on BET, a period film based on a Walter Mosley novel featuring L.A. private detective, Easy Rawlins. Beals played a biracial woman who was passing herself for white in 1948. It's a terrific film with great performances by both headliners and nice character touches from Tom Sizemore and particularly Don Cheadle.

Beals recently reunited with Denzel Washington this year in the big budget post-apocalyptic thriller, The Book of Eli.

I've always thought that she was a stunning & sexy woman (and she still is at 46), as well as an effective & talented actress. I've never really understand why she doesn't turn up more often , but then I don't believe that very many studio bosses or casting agents are all that smart in the first place.

Let me correct an old oversight and add her to the list of "Gal" Fridays. She certainly belongs in the Catacombs.