Art to Astonish, Transmute, Transfix....

Again, a light week ahead.....

Here are three pieces of art that I like in descending order: John Byrne commission of the varied mutants (& others) from his classic run on X-Men, Danny Hellman original political cartoon and Anthony Carpenter's sassy & saucy Alien Girl illustration.

Enjoy!

See you tomorrow for a classic golden age thriller that really howls!

Rulah Jungle Goddess in "Death's Grim Reflection" (Fox;1948)

The Catacombs favorite jungle honey, Rulah Jungle Goddess makes her long overdue return today in a story from Zoot Comics #14 [b] (May 1948). There were actually two separate and consecutive #14 issues published by Fox Feature Syndicate during the golden age, the first in March; hence the whole [b] designation since this is the second of the pair. The same oddity occurred with the previous issue, so there were also two #13's. Weird!

Matt Baker lovingly illustrated this Rulah adventure called "Death's Grim Reflection". This tale was later reprinted in Terrors of the Jungle #8 (Star Publications; 1953 series). 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!

Neither Rag, Nor Rock

It's the holidays folks, so other than my regular story posts on Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday & this weeks "Gal" Friday selection, I am planning a light week.

This alternate cover for Avengers Prime #5 is drawn by the great Arthur Adams. Now just look at this stunning beauty and tell me that you wouldn't love to have Adams as the regular Thor interior artist? Back in the mid-1980s, Adams produced the art on a few X-Men annuals, and a New Mutants special edition that featured characters & elements from Thor. I've wanted Adams to offer his take on the Asgardians of the Marvel Universe ever since, and this little gem certainly helps assuage that yearning.

Art, you really have the knack for the Norse stuff. At least the Marvel Comics version!!

A Holiday Cover Gallery....

Alvin & the Chipmunks in Merry Christmas #1 (Dec. 1964); Animaniacs: A Christmas Special #1 (Dec. 1994); Ant-Man's Big Christmas #1 (Feb. 2000); Billy Bunny's Christmas Frolics #1 (1952); Cartoon Network Christmas Spectacular #1 (1997); Christmas Carnival [#NN] (1955).

Six days until St. Nick arrives!!

In Memorium: Adrienne Roy

Veteran DC color artist, Adrienne Roy passed away in Austin, Texas at the age of 57 on December 14, 2010.

She was a fixture of the comics of the 1980's, coloring many of DC’s best selling books including Crisis on Infinite Earths — and she was a cutting figure with her many tattoos and striking appearance. Adrienne was the centerfold for the first issue of Tattoo magazine.

She was largely responsible for color work on Batman titles like Detective Comics, Shadow of the Bat, Gotham Nights, Robin and Batman throughout the 1980s and early 1990s, in addition to providing coloring on many other notable titles during that period including The New Teen Titans, Warlord, Weird War and Madame Xanadu.

The Catacombs extends its condolences to her family, friends and fans. Rest in peace!

Science Fiction/Double Feature Presents: Exhibit One (Ziff-Davis;1951)

Science Fiction/Double Feature continues today with the next issue of Ziff-Davis series, Amazing Adventures #2 (May 1951) with a classic abduction story by golden age artist Alex Schomburg.

"Exhibit One" tells the story of Paul Reynolds and Lola Barnes, two unrelated humans who are taken captive by an alien curator collecting samples for his museum. The unfortunate pair of specimens are treated to a process that extends their natural lives for 10,000 years, since the curator himself is of a race that lives for well over a hundred thousand years. As the couple plan their escape back home you'll see how this burst of nigh-immortality doesn't actually benefit them.

The second half of today's double feature is a cautionary text filler appropriately titled, "The Warning."

Enjoy!

"Gal" Friday! Power Girl

I saw the photo (above; top) over at Frank Cho's forum a few days ago and although I figured out where it originated on the Internet, I thought that it was worthy enough to serve as a beautiful "real-life" analog for the fictional DC Comics superheroine as this week's "Gal" Friday selection.

Power Girl (real name Kara Zor-L, also known as Karen Starr) is a DC Comics superheroine, who made her first appearance in All Star Comics #58 (January/February 1976). The character was created by Gerry Conway, Ric Estrada & Wally Wood (and also based upon the character of Supergirl, which was originated by Otto Binder & Al Plastino).

Power Girl is of course the "Earth-Two" counterpart of the Silver Age Supergirl and the first cousin of Superman (Kal-L) of the pre-Crisis Earth-Two. The infant Power Girl's parents enabled her to escape the destruction of Krypton, although she left the planet at the same time that Superman did, her ship took much longer to reach Earth-Two.

Possessing superhuman strength and the ability to fly, she is currently a member of the Justice Society of America and the team's first chairwoman. Power Girl traditionally sports a bob of blond hair; wears a distinctive white, red, and blue costume; and has an aggressive fighting style. Throughout her early 1970's appearances in All Star Comics, Power Girl was frequently at odds with Wildcat, who had a penchant for talking to her as if she were an ordinary human female, rather than a superpowered Kryptonian, which she found annoying. Wildcat managed to edge Power Girl in cover appearances on All-Star Comics, with fourteen as opposed to thirteen covers.

The sexy young lady in the cosplay PG outfit is truly "howl-at-the-moon" incredible. I've said it before, but the guys who have girlfriends and spouses who engage in cosplay or who regularly show up at conventions in costume, DO NOT KNOW how lucky they are. Since I'm single again, I would give anything to find a new girlfriend who would do this. Granted it would be equally nice if she looked as good as this weeks anonymous lass, but I'm pragmatic about my chances of stumbling into one of these in my late 40's.

You know, the Christmas holiday is within spitting distance even as I write this, and "hark", I suddenly hear a bottle of Jim Beam calling me. Let me go, weeping, and take solace in the bottle. Feh!

[Art (above; right) by Alex Ross.]

Calling All Cars (Chesler;1941)

This golden age story from Dynamic Comics #1 (Oct 1941) appears to be a rather blatant knock off of National / DC's similarly titled "Calling All Cars" feature, which was later renamed "Radio Squad", and originally created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. I'm sure everybody recognizes those two names.

The name of DC's lead character was Sandy Kean, and here the introductory blurb for this story even describes featured characters Powers and O'Shay as being members of "the famous radio squad."

Confused? Yeah, me too.

Enjoy!

Rayboy's Review: 9/11 heartbreaker

Craig Staufenberg recently sent me a PDF copy of his twenty-eight page graphic novel "9/11 heartbreaker" along with a request to review the work, and initially I didn’t think that it would be of any interest to me. However, once I opened the file and read the poignant story inside, it surprised me quite a bit. I was riveted by Craig’s themes of memory and how it affects perception from then on. I applaud his storytelling abilities and actually believe that anyone could pick this up and learn something from it. Of course with that title, the tale itself is built around the events of 9/11, but the significance of that seminal American tragedy serves as a nice framework for elements that expand beyond that singular day. You will probably be thinking of much more than the ramifications of the original attack in 2001, but you’ll also be reminded of where you were and what you were doing on that unforgettable date too.

In Craig’s own words: “I started working on 9/11 heartbreaker on a whim, because of a stray thought that found me. I was sitting and thinking about my own memories of 9/11... As I sat there, I began to wonder what other people around my age remembered or thought about that day.

…while I only officially interviewed a few people, everyone I met who heard about the project immediately proceeded to tell me their memory, without my prompting them.

…I wrapped up the interviews then moved back to Buffalo, NY. In Buffalo I listened to the memories I had recorded over and over and over again, trying to figure out the common narrative between them all.

…In the 8 months that it took to write, ‘9/11 heartbreaker’ became about a lot more than just that one day. It became about memory and history. It became about Buffalo and New York City. It became about America. It became about the way that we situate tragedy in our lives- especially when that tragedy feels remote or distant, whether by time or space. Despite the book’s somewhat misleading name, 9/11 heartbreaker became much bigger than that one event.”

I'm often struck by the passion of the creators who toil away in the small press or independent publisher aisles at the larger conventions that I attend. Granted I'm not always drawn to their various unique art styles, but the creativity manifested by this contingent of committed artists and the drive to get their products into the hands of new readers never ceases to amaze & delight me. The art here stands comfortably between typical indie or web material and the type filtered throughout the children’s section of any Barnes & Noble store or in The New Yorker Magazine, for instance.

I encourage you to check out "9/11 heartbreaker" at this link, and please recommend it to your friends.

Tiger Girl in "Wail of the Devil-Doctor" (Fiction House;1945)

Princess Vishnu (aka Tiger Girl) returns to the Catacombs after too long an absence in a golden age story from Fight Comics #40 (Oct. 1945); originally published by Fiction House. Written by "Allan O'Hara" and illustrated by Matt Baker, "Wail of the Devil-Doctor" pits Tiger Girl, her faithful companion Abdola and her loyal tiger, Benzali, against some serious jungle juju in the form of Morgo, a cunning (and obese) shaman who's using a tantalizing potion formulated from "white man's magic". Too bad he didn't reckon with Tiger Girl putting the kibosh on his fat ass.

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!