"The Event" which "Wasn't"!

On Monday night NBC debuted their highly-touted new series "The Event" and I've gotta tell you, it really wasn't much of an .... event.

What it seemed like to me was a misguided ripoff of "LOST". I mean do the math. Flashbacks, an airplane in distress, passengers disappearing, people held against their will in a remote location and hints of supernatural phenomena. Yeah, that sounds like "LOST" to me, too.

Now add in more shady characters acting under duress, shadowy government agencies with secrets to keep - at all costs - and implied conspiracies. Sorry, it still sounds too damn much like "LOST".

Honestly, how this cliche-riddled waste of time earned so much advance hype is beyond my understanding. Plus the show is packed with actors that I detest. I've never liked Blair Underwood or Laura Innes in anything that they've appeared in. Now I can add Jason Ritter to that short list as well. I have occasionally liked Bill Smitrovich, Scott Patterson and Zeljko Ivanek in other roles, but in this case each seems cast in roles that will make them unlikable from the outset.

You know there was an "event" last night, but it occurred after the show was over when I immediately reported to the bathroom in order to purge myself of the gut roiling bile that this crummy pilot left me with. I refuse to commit to another round of endless seasons of slowing unfolding mysteries, especially when last years far better genre-bending television series has already tilled this particular soil, so I won't be watching a second more of "The Event".

On another note, CBS rebooted and re-imagined "Hawaii 5-0" was a real crowd-pleaser with all my buddies. I enjoyed the original series and didn't know what to expect from this new effort, however I was pleased with the opener and not at all put-off by how the character dynamics were changed. Hawaii 5-0 is one to watch!

Coming Next Month in the Catacombs!!

Here's a bit of a heads up for my regular customers. For October 2010, I'm going to highlight "Halloween-themes" by revisiting a few features from the same time last year. That means that during October you will be treated to weekly "Icons of Horror" posts with this years set focusing on classic horror authors instead of film actors and for the entire month of October my regular "Gal" Friday featurette will host a bevy of scream queens to thrill, chill & seduce you.

I'm currently culling some cool golden age jungle comics posts that will add to the festivities, plus some bizarre-hero stuff that will help set the appropriate mood for the annual witching season. There will be a neat series of "1980's Flashbacks" focusing on 1980's scif-fi/horror films and other groovy tricks and treats.

I don't know about you, but I for one, can't wait until the Halloween night premiere of AMC's "The Walking Dead" (see photo; left) based on Robert Kirkman's popular Image Comics series.

Plan on spending at least a bit of your haunting time in the Catacombs next month and I'll try and make it worth your trouble.

Bungle in the Jungle!!

"Jungle love, it's driving me mad! It's making me crazy, crazy. Jungle love, it's driving me mad! It's making me crazy."

Steve Miller is the doctor of love after all, and apparently he accurately diagnosed Frank Cho way back in the 1970's in his classic tune, "Jungle Love".

I saw this teaser image over at Mr. Cho's forum and just had to share it with those hardy souls who frequent the Catacombs. Cho says that this is a "new" creator-owned character that he's planning on introducing for the French market. Now in case you missed it, look once more. Does this "jungle" girl" look decidedly different than any other "jungle girl" that Cho has made his post-Liberty Meadows career on? No, I didn't think so either.

If an otherwise talented man like Frank Cho was ever in danger of becoming a perpetual one-note wonder, then I would have to say that he is knock-knock-knocking at the door with yet another indistinguishable jungle girl project. French market be damned, this is getting ridiculous. Shanna the She-Devil = Jungle Girl = etc.

Frank, lay the loin cloths to the side for awhile and at least try drawing something different, please.

Red Panther in "Red Panther's Danger" (Fiction House;1940)

No doubt you've noticed that I didn't prepare a "Nedor-A-Weekend" feature as planned. I blame it on Rio, so instead you get to see this golden age tale which was on standby. "Red Panther's Danger", my own title suggestion (since no official one was listed in the Grand Comics Database) was originally published in Jungle Comics #3 by Fiction House in March 1940.

The script is credited to Taylor Martin and Arthur Peddy illustrated this adventure, although the fine cover was done by the great Charles Sultan.

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!

Two from the Gutters!!

Hello friends!

I frequently receive interesting emails, excellent freebies and curious participation offers from random folks who happen upon my meager efforts here in the Catacombs. Alas, I've never scored tawdry invitations from hot females, but I keep my fingers crossed nonetheless (bound to happen someday).

One recent link request came from Ripley, webmaster of a new "Good Girl" art-themed site called SpankingPanels.com (he says not to be put off by the name, please), but I've gotta tell you that the site lives up to its name. This group of upstanding comic book-aholics are very well educated in Golden Age material, particularly GGA of a fetishistic bent.

If you'd like to see some amazing pics, or participate in their forum hop over to the left hand side of this page and click on "Spanking Panels" in my links section.

Adam Park also contacted me a few days ago and suggested that his recent article “10 Futurama Inventions that Should be Real” would appeal to my loyal audience. Here's the link to Adam's neat article if you would like to take a quick look.

Thanks to both of these guys for sharing with the Catacombs!

Sneak Peek at Savage Beauty (debuting January 2011)

As promised, and thanks to Ed Catto & Joe Ahearn of Captain Action Enterprises, here is a sneak peek at "Savage Beauty" debuting from Moonstone in January 2011. It's a billed as a re-imagining of the Jungle Girl genre.

Take a walk on the wild side with Savage Beauty, a new comic series that tells the stories of sisters Lacy and Livvy Rae, and their travels throughout modern-day Africa as they are called upon to help right wrongs, protect the innocent and punish evildoers. As reporters for Africa Adventures Online, the Rae sisters are guided by the mysterious Mr. Eden to assume the identity of the mythical goddess Ayana. Disguised as this "Savage Beauty", the two girls fight modern-day pirates, hard corps militias, corrupt politicians and various other real-world adversaries torn from today's headlines.

Savage Beauty will take you on an exciting journey as the Rae sisters discover their purpose in life, even as they make a real difference in the world.

Plus the comic book series intends to make a difference too - each issue will donate a full page to partner causes such as Oxfam, Just A Drop and Invisible Children, among others.

The promotional artwork (above) reveals character designs for the stars of Savage Beauty, along with Savage Beauty #1 cover by Thomas Yeates and at bottom-right, an underdrawing for another upcoming cover by Newsweek cover artist, Chris Short.

Thanks to Ed & Joe for sharing this early look at Savage Beauty (remember to look for that in January 2011). I also have one more behind the scenes glimpse from these guys soon, this time for fans of all-things "robots" (who aren't necessarily in disguise).

"Gal" Friday! Marie-Claude Bourbonnais

Folks, it's been one of those weeks. I've taken an allergy hit from ragweed which is in full bloom down South, so coughing, sneezing and tearing up have encompassed much of my waking hours over the last few days. Although I'm running at least one post behind schedule, I would be terribly remiss in not putting up this weeks wonderful "Gal" Friday selection.

I saw this young lady in Atlanta, GA during Dragoncon and very briefly inquired about which cosplay character she was dressed as (something from an anime called "Hellsing", I believe). You may have seen the photo that I snapped of her posing with comic book writer/artist Jimmy Palmiotti and another cosplayer, Riki Lecotey in my Dragoncon Photo Report.

After the show I contacted Marie-Claude Bourbonnais and asked if she would allow me to feature her in the Catacombs. If you appreciate beauty, talent and dedication to one's art, then you will certainly be enchanted by the photos of this incredible Canadian lass. She currently makes her home in Quebec City and speaks both English & French; plus she is currently learning basic Japanese.

Marie-Claude is featured on a web series called "Heroes of the North", as a character called 'Hornet'. She first appeared in the 20th episode and will continue into the next season of the action series. Her character has proven popular enough that a figurine will soon be available for purchase. Marie-Claude has made a name for herself back home as a model for various print and media outlets and thankfully she has turned her love of comics and genre properties into a form of self-expression at many conventions. She told me that this was the first time that she had ever appeared at Dragoncon, so I'm gonna keep my fingers crossed that she makes that a regular part of her travels.

MC, thanks for stopping by the Catacombs and also for sending so many terrific photos to choose from. (Photography by Gil Perron - top two images; Vincent Cadoret - bottom two images).

Jo-Jo Congo King in "The Deadly Diamond Deity" (Fox;1947)

This fine golden age tale comes from All-Top Comics #8 (Nov.1947); originally published by Fox and featuring lovely artwork by either Matt Baker or Jack Kamen. Jo-Jo, Congo King stars in "The Deadly Diamond Deity"

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.

Thanks to Ed Catto, I've got a nifty sneak peek at an upcoming jungle girl series, Savage Beauty, in the works for the next couple of days. Make sure and keep an eye peeled for that!

Enjoy!

Atlas Comics Returns!

If you are planning on attending the New York Comic-Con on October 8th, 2010, you will get to witness the re-launch of Atlas Comics, which were briefly published in 1974 by Marvel Comics founder Martin Goodman.

Jason Goodman, the grandson of Martin Goodman in association with Ardden Entertainment, will premiere Atlas' first two titles, THE GRIM GHOST and PHOENIX. Both series will draw from the Atlas library that originally featured stories by top industry talent such as Neal Adams and Steve Ditko. THE GRIM GHOST and PHOENIX are the first of many Atlas properties that Goodman plans on releasing. Tapped as Ardden's Editor-in-Chief is well-known comic book writer, J.M. DeMatteis.

I fondly remember these often wonky books from the bronze age years and am curious about how the properties will be handled. After the unfortunate crash less than a decade ago of Crossgen Entertainment, I hope young Mr. Goodman isn't setting himself up for failure by declaring that Ardden intends to find new life for these great characters in comics, television, and movies. Hey buddy, you might wanna chill out a while and see if fans respond to this effort before you start expanding into larger media. Your grandpa's old company barely made it a year and no original Atlas series lasted beyond four issues. I'm just saying!

On DVD (& Blu-Ray): Pandorum

"Don't fear the end of the world. Fear what happens next."

Today I watched a riveting genre film on Netflix that apparently didn't do too well at the box office during it's original theatrical release in 2009. According to what I researched on the web afterwards, some critics just weren't that impressed, but science fiction magazine SFX was more positive, stating that "Pandorum is the finest interstellar horror in years", and awarding the film 4 out of 5 stars. Film Ireland also gave Pandorum a positive review, appreciating the film's synergy of cinematic techniques, set design, and developed characters. Audience reaction was mostly positive at website Box Office Mojo; their polls report that on a scale of A+ to F, the average grade cinemagoers gave the film was B+. I would have to side with this latter group of folks as I found the movie to be quite a bit of fun and different enough from similar films to appreciate what the filmmakers accomplished here.

Pandorum was a German/American science fiction-horror film written by Travis Milloy and directed by Christian Alvart. The film stars Dennis Quaid and Ben Foster as astronauts Lieutenant Payton and Corporal Bower, who are awakened from suspended animation during a 123-year voyage to a new, Earth-like planet called Tanis to create a settlement due to Earth’s overpopulation. They are unable to access the ship's bridge and cannot communicate with any other members of the crew of the 16,000 passenger sleeper ship, Elysium, including the flight crew team whom they are supposed to relieve.

The film’s title is explained as a psychological condition brought on by extended periods of deep-space travel and hyper-sleep. Its symptoms and effects include severe paranoia, vivid hallucinations and homicidal tendencies. Payton relates the tale of another ship, the Eden, in which a single flight crew member affected by Pandorum jettisoned every crew member into the oblivion of space, killing five thousand.

Adding to the tension, they soon encounter dead bodies and fast-moving humanoid creatures who have somehow gotten on board the ship. As Bower escapes from one of them, he encounters other human survivors, Manh (Cung Le) and Nadia (Antje Traue); and they are forced to work together to reach the ship's nuclear reactor which will fail permanently if he does not reset it.

To say much more about this film would ruin it for anyone who ultimately decides to check it out, which I recommend that you do at your earliest opportunity. German actress Antje Traue made her English language debut with this film, and although Quaid & Foster are both excellent as the leads, she is sexy and dynamic in her action-oriented role. Vietnamese-American kickboxer Cung Le was surprisingly affective as well and he overcomes a real language barrier to engage the audience, since his untranslated dialogue is spoken in his native tongue.

The Black Terror in "Mystery of the Vanishing Convoy" (Nedor;1946)

This week brings the final golden age story that's been extracted for your reading pleasure from Exciting Comics #46 (Apr.1946); "Mystery of the Vanishing Convoy" with art by Bob Oksner. Better/Standard/Nedor's "go-to guy", The Black Terror, takes the lead in this adventure.

I haven't quite decided what's on tap for next Saturday's "Nedor-A-Weekend" post, so keep your fingers crossed that it proves to be worth the wait.

Enjoy!

"Gal" Friday! Christy Marie

Christy Marie recently graduated from college in Southern California. She likes Disney, Disneyland, art, animation, etc, and Star Wars. In other words, she is a geeks dream girl! Christy loves to cosplay too, especially as Slave Girl Leia (and she is quite fetching in that particular guise) plus she also put together a Sexy Disney Princess cosplay group, which fans who were paying close attention may have seen at this summers San Diego Comic-Con!

I happened to see one of her SDCC photos as one of my favorite Disney Princesses, Ariel from "The Little Mermaid" and I immediately sent off a request to feature Christy as one of my weekly "Gal" Friday selections.

Happily she agreed, and in that same "happy" spirit I'm proud to present this lovely young lady this week as Ariel. As you can see, either under the sea or on good old Terra Firma, Christy is nothing short of stunning.