Comic-Con International .... in 2 days!!

Comic-Con International is just about to kick off in sunny San Diego, California and the special guest list is representative of the entirety of the comics and genre-fiction industries: Neal Adams, Sergio Aragones, Peter Bagge, Brian Michael Bendis, Ray Bradbury, Berkeley Breathed, Kurt Busiek, Chris Claremont, Howard Cruse, Samuel R. Delany, Dave Dorman, Mark Evanier, Matt Fraction, Hunter & Stan Freberg, Nicholas Gurewitch, Charlaine Harris, Kathryn & Stuart Immonen, Phil Jimenez, Jenette Kahn, Jim Lee, Stan Lee, Paul Levitz, Milo Manara, Larry Marder, Carla Speed McNeil, China Miéville, Dennis O'Neil, Robert M. Overstreet, Tom Palmer, Sean Phillips, Ivan Reis, Jerry Robinson, Steve Rude, J. Michael Straczynski, Drew Struzan, Doug TenNapel, Gerard Way, Al Wiesner and Michael Zulli.

Of course just about every upcoming television series, motion picture and gaming product will have huge roll-outs at this "mega-sized" media event too. Movie stars, celebutantes and tons of other notables will be in attendance also. Hope you've got your tickets, because the thing has "sold out" several times over.

I've begun doing my homework for 2011, since my brother says that we are finally going to take the plunge and go to San Diego next year. Thank god there are so many blogs and websites with helpful hints to prepare a nascent visitor to the biggest comic book convention on the planet (apparently I really do need the prep work to maximize the experience).

To those en route to the west coast, have a great time at the show (and I'll keep my fingers crossed that the whole state doesn't drop off into the ocean).

1980's Flashback: Aztec Ace

Aztec Ace was written by Doug Moench and pencilled by Dan Day, originally published by Eclipse Comics, the series lasted for 15 issues between 1984 and 1985 (although the characters reappeared in the 1988 Total Eclipse mini-series).

The title chronicled the journey of a time traveller called Ace (his real name was actually "Caza"), whose goal was to save the time stream from unraveling through various intricate adventures. Ace was from the 23rd Century, yet he maintained his base of operations in pre-contact Aztec Mexico and he often visited ancient Egypt. His main enemy was Nine-Crocodile, who created time paradoxes in an attempt to save his own home dimension at the expense of other realities, especially, the modern world as we knew it.

The series played fast & loose with many facets of time travel including the use of cultural icons such as political figures, historical situations, songs, and cult movies in unexpected situations, and philosophical musing. Historical renderings of ancient cultures were often detailed and imaginative. Careful reading, broad knowledge, and patience were required of the reader, as well as some understanding of the ongoing storyline, all of which possibly prevented it from gathering a larger following.

Other contributors on Aztec Ace were inkers Nestor Redondo and Ron Harris & artists Michael Hernandez (Bair), Mike Gustovich and Tom Yeates. The first issue cover (pictured; left) is from July 1984.

"Gal" Friday! Melina Kanakaredes

Sadly, the talented Melina Kanakaredes has just announced that she is leaving CSI: NY after six seasons. As Det. Stella Bonasera, Kanakaredes added both brains and beauty to the second spin-off series from the long-running CSI franchise.

Her other major television credits include NYPD Blue (in a recurring role as reporter Benita Alden during that shows second season) and Providence (which ran for five seasons between 1999 and 2002).

On the big screen she has appeared in The Long Kiss Goodnight, 15 Minutes and she played the role of the Greek goddess Athena in Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief. I love the Greeks, particularly the ladies and at forty-three, Melina puts many younger gals to shame. Now if only, I could find one like this to bring home to mama?

Superboy in "The Adventure of Jaguar Boy!" (DC;1947)

This story is from Adventure Comics #115 (April 1947); originally published by DC Comics (at that time known as National). "The Adventure of Jaguar Boy" was written by Don Cameron and drawn & inked by John Sikela.

I've sat on this one for quite a while since the scans aren't very clear, but posting an actual golden age superhero yarn that still fits within the "jungle-theme" motif of the bulk of the Catacombs stories is a rare treat.

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!

Rayboy's Review: Billy Batson and the Magic of Shazam! #17 (DC)

Art Baltazar & Franco serve up a full issue of fun in DC Comics Billy Batson and the Magic of Shazam! #17. "Space Ghoul" picks up the chapter that was included in May's FREE COMIC BOOK DAY Kids Sampler that DC previously published.

The rural area outside of Fawcett City has been plagued by mysterious crop circles and cow abductions, until young Billy, his sister Mary and their reporter friend Helen Fidelity arrive to ferret out the unearthly goings-on. Since this is an all-ages title, the "Space Ghoul" is ultimately revealed to have less than nefarious intentions and the whole affair is truly light-hearted in nature. This is action that is very reminiscent of the golden age whimsy for which the "Big Red Cheese" was originally famous.

Mike Norton's lovely artwork brings to life the "World's Mightiest Mortal" in far better fashion than many other recent efforts and proves that Captain Marvel need not dwell exclusively in the larger DC Universe.

Try giving this title a chance and you may be surprised to find just how much you like it. This standalone issue is a great jumping on point for new readers. Recommended!

Tamaa, Jungle Prince in "King of Beasts" (Holyoke;1943)

Today's classic golden age adventure is taken from Blue Beetle #27 (Nov. 1943); originally published by Holyoke. Tamaa, a very minor, blond "Tarzan-style" jungle prince first meets his lion-companion, Augo in this story. After an extremely brief set-up detailing the raising of the orphaned cub, Tamaa must then free Augo from a native tribe after the lion is captured as part of a ritual to choose their next chief. Of course, since Tamaa is a prince after all, he helps the better candidate win. The artist on this feature was Bob Kipler.

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!

In Memorium: Harvey Pekar

Harvey Award winning underground comic book writer Harvey Pekar passed away today at the age of 70. Pekar was best known for his autobiographical American Splendor series, which in 2003, inspired a critically acclaimed film adaptation of the same name starring Paul Giamatti. Pekar was also a highly regarded music and literary critic.

His "American Splendor" series had its roots in Pekar's friendship with Robert Crumb, the seminal underground comic-book artist. The two first met in 1962 when Crumb was working for American Greetings in Cleveland. At the time, Crumb was just beginning to explore the possibilities of comics, which would later lead to such groundbreaking work as his "Mr. Natural" and "Fritz the Cat."

When Pekar, inspired by Crumb's work, began writing his own nascent strip in 1972, Crumb illustrated it and also contributed to Pekar's first full-fledged books, which Pekar started publishing annually in 1976.

He appeared in a string of amusing and controversial episodes of David Letterman's late night talk show during the late 1980's, riling parent company GE when Pekar was vocally critical of the company.

I was fortunate enough to meet Harvey Pekar once during the mid-1990's in Atlanta, GA. The Catacombs expresses its deepest condolences to his family, friends and fans.

1980's Flashback: Batman and the Outsiders

The Outsiders were founded by Batman, whose ties to the Justice League of America had become strained. As its name suggests, the team consisted of superheroes that did not comfortably fit the norms of the mainstream superhero community.

They first appeared in the final issue of The Brave and the Bold #200 in 1983 and then Batman and the Outsiders, which debuted in August of that year. The team was created by Mike W. Barr and Jim Aparo. After Batman left the group in issue #32, the title was changed to Adventures of the Outsiders and continued until its cancellation with issue #46.

The cast of the Outsiders consisted of new characters Geo-Force, Katana, Halo and Looker; plus two established characters who had previously refused membership in the Justice League (Black Lightning and Metamorpho), and the Batman.

The team faced a variety of "moniker-challenged" threats such as Baron Bedlam, The Masters of Disaster, The Force of July and the Bad Samaritan.

From the Dust Bin: Silver Age - Mystery (SOLVED) - Trivia!!!

Here's a mystery photo that reminds me of the by now discarded "Silver Age" origin of Oliver Queen aka Green Arrow.

First, here is a reminder of Ollie's origin from the Silver Age years: "When millionaire Oliver Queen fell overboard from a yacht, he was washed up on a deserted island where he was forced to learn how to hunt with a bow and arrow in order to survive. He eventually escaped from the island by overpowering some drug smugglers and handing them over to the authorities. Changed by his experiences, he decided to give something back to society, in as exciting a way as possible - becoming a crime-fighter, using his archery skills for good. With a nickname coined by the press, Green Arrow (and his sidekick "Speedy") made it their mission to protect Star City. He took his cue from Batman and built his own "Arrow Cave," complete with an "Arrow Car" and allegedly a yellow submarine. He and Speedy fought crime with trick arrows that were designed to be non-lethal. Green Arrow eventually joined the Justice League of America and soon fell in love with member Black Canary (even though he was almost twice her age)."

Now, until one of you accurately identifies both the person pictured and the circumstances under which the image was actually taken, I'm gonna have a little "more fun" and suggest that this is a "rare" news photo of millionaire Oliver Queen taken at the time of his rescue (and prior to his beginning a career as a costumed crusader).

Tom Floyd correctly identified the photo as actor Ty Hardin (new photo; top) as "Ensign Leonard Thom" in the 1963 film, PT-109 (based on the Navy experiences of former President John F. Kennedy).

"Gal" Friday! Odette Yustman

Twenty-five year old actress, Odette Yustman debuted at an early age, playing a young, Spanish-speaking student named Rosa in 1990's Kindergarten Cop (opposite Arnold Schwarzenegger) and later appeared on various television shows and movies such as South Beach and October Road. In 2008, she starred in J. J. Abrams' successful giant-monster movie, Cloverfield. She also provided the voice of the character Amata in the game Fallout 3. Odette next appeared in the horror thriller The Unborn, released in 2009 amid much buzz generated by the international poster for Unborn that seemed to exploit Yustman's physical attractiveness.

My question is, "What the heck was wrong with that?" Enjoy!

Marga the Panther Woman in "The Secret Ray Repressor Plans" (Fox;1941)

This golden age story from Weird Comics #16 (July 1941) marks the second appearance of Marga the Panther Woman in the Catacombs. She is a fairly obscure character from the ranks of Fox Feature Syndicate.

Marga and her boyfriend, aviator Ted Grant are entrusted with delivering top secret plans to the Army office of a nearby city. They are soon bedeviled by Cruor, a peculiar looking gentleman who wishes to become ruler of the world. He manages to swipe the plans and hastens to a hidden domain. However with Marga on his trail, Cruor never has any real chance of succeeding at his plot. At least in this tale Marga doesn't play second banana to the tacked on male boyfriend, but Ted makes a valuable contribution that helps bring down the villain.

The artwork on this tale is by Emil Gershwin (signed as "James T. Royal"). 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!

Rayboy's Review: Tom Strong and the Robots of Doom #1 (ABC)

Tom Strong and the Robots of Doom #1 (of 6) is written by Peter Hogan, penciled by Chris Sprouse & inked by Karl Story. This couldn't have come at a better time, since most of the offerings from both DC and Marvel roil around the latest batch of mega-events.

I actually don't want to spoil this book since I was a fan of the original series from DC's America's Best Comics imprint, just exult in the fact that Hogan, Sprouse and Story ably return the pulp-inspired Strong in a reality-bending mini-series that picks up on elements from the original series run involving Ingrid Weiss and her son Albrecht. The issue is a fairly "quiet" introductory one with few special effects style bells and whistles, with the bulk of this issue occuring after the twisted pair of villains manage to create an alternate-reality in which Tom Strong's wife, Dhalua and daughter, Tesla have perished long ago in a Nazi death camp and King Solomon has been vivisected; even Pneuman, Strong's steam-punk robot, has been reprogrammed to serve the new world order under Nazi control.

Without his support infrastructure in place, Strong is left to contend with these dire ramifications and ultimately this was the only weakness that I found in the otherwise fine first issue. Having the impacts of these events occur "off-camera" elevated the effectiveness of hearing them related to Strong, but whether Hogan dropped the ball in his script descriptions or Sprouse didn't find a way to capture the horrific emotions that the fates of his family members should have elicited from Strong, the overall effect of receiving this "news" is sadly muted. As readers, we should have seen the emotional impact of this massive paradigm shift playing out on the main characters face. There is a brief tearful moment on the final page, but it should have been presented as being much more powerful.

I will still gladly pick up the whole run and hopefully this will be the first of many "returns" of Tom Strong. Recommended!