"Gal" Friday! Elisabetta Canalis

Elisabetta Canalis is an Italian model and actress whose movie credits are fairly limited at this point. The biggest film that has featured this ultra-sultry, femme fatale is Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo. She has been getting the lions share of media attention lately after becoming the main squeeze of actor George Clooney, which goes to prove that you really can be forty-nine years old and still score a smoking hot thirty-two year old lady friend. With assets!!

Unless you're me, of course. I'm the same age as Clooney, an actor that I really like, and share similar philosophical beliefs as George, yet somehow I'm missing the necessary skill set to entice lovelies of this magnitude into a relationship. Sadly unknown to Ms. Canalis (and every other goddess on the planet) is that in one significant respect, I totally eclipse even the great George Clooney.

I don't turn on a dime in relationships, there I said the dreaded word. Yes. That's right, my beauties. I don't shy away from commitment. I will devote myself entirely to you in perpetuity.

[Um. What's that George?] Seriously?

Well.... it appears that I have made a major faux pas in revealing this character trait. According to "MISTER CLOONEY", women view availability as a point of weakness. Buttering them up just doesn't cut it. [But, George, I don't possess the "bad boy" gene either.] Oh. Seriously?

Elisabetta Canalis is this weeks "Gal" Friday selection. Up yours, George!

In Memorium: Michael Gough

Noted British character actor Michael Gough appeared in well over 100 films, but he is perhaps best known to audiences for his roles in the Hammer Horror films of the '60s and '70s, and for his recurring role as Alfred Pennyworth in four movies of the "Batman" franchise, beginning with Batman (1989) and recurring in Batman Returns, Batman Forever & Batman and Robin. Gough has passed away at the age of ninety-four after an extended illness.

His film roles also include appearances in Anna Karenina, Horror of Dracula, Konga, The Phantom of the Opera, Dr. Terror’s House of Horrors, Trog, The Boys from Brazil, The Legend of Hell House, Out of Africa, The Serpent and the Rainbow, The Age of Innocence, Sleepy Hollow, Corpse Bride and Alice in Wonderland.

Some of his extensive television series work on the BBC network (and other) include appearances in Sherlock Holmes, Julius Caesar, The Adventures of Robin Hood, Count of Monte Cristo, The Saint, The Avengers, Pride and Prejudice, The Protectors, Blakes 7, Brideshead Revisited, Inside the Third Reich, Smileys People, Doctor Who, Inspector Morse and The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones

The Catacombs extends its sincerest condolences to his family, friends and fans.

Jun-Gal in "White Goddess of the Tagomas" (Rural Home;1944)

Jungle comic books routinely featured insensitive, racist elements back in the day and all too often, for that reason alone, modern readers prefer to forget about them. Jun-Gal hasn't appeared in the Catacombs since February 2010. This untitled adventure which I've christened "White Goddess of the Tagomas" is from Blazing Comics #2 (Jul. 1944); originally released by minor golden age publisher Rural Home Publications. Like the earlier Jun-Gal story that I posted, this tale is literally rife with racist stereotypes. The native Africans are depicted in standard black-face for that era and there is a token black female character called "Mammy".

Jun-Gal received special powers from an exposed radium pit after she was abducted by the very tribesmen who slaughtered her family. Why the tribesmen never received equal powers from living in such close proximity to the radium goes conveniently unexplained. Fortunately the natives kept Mammy alive to care for the little white girl. There is no explanation as to why Joan (aka "Jun-Gal") isn't speaking pigeon English too?

There are no creator credits available for this story, but the Catacombs is grateful to Don "Zu-Gogo" Falkos for providing the scans. 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!

Jann of the Jungle in “The Killers of the Swamps” (Marvel;1957)

Jann of the Jungle returns to the Catacombs after an extended sabbatical in “The Killers of the Swamps” which is taken from Jann of the Jungle #17 (June 1957); originally published by Marvel Comics (when they were known as Timely).

This terrific short adventure has a a real pedigree of talent behind it. Don Rico wrote it. Al Williamson drew it and Ralph Mayo inked it. That is what you call a "quality" trifecta!

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!

The Jungle Action Cover Gallery!

Here are the four pre-Black Panther covers from Marvel Comics bronze age series, Jungle Action. These issues represented 1950s-era material featuring Lorna, Tharn and Jann of the Jungle, before T'Challa took over the title for the remainder of its acclaimed 1970's run.

The cover artists are listed as follows: #1 by "Big" John Buscema; #2 by Gil Kane; #3 by Jim Starlin & Frank Giacoia; #4 by Kane & Giacoia. The Catacombs is grateful to Don "Zu-Gogo" Falkos for providing the scans for these amazing covers. Note: the copyright for these issue, all contents and artwork belong to the original publisher and/or creators and is reproduced here solely for entertainment purposes.

Enjoy!

Science Fiction/Double Feature Presents: "Space Pirates of Xarpot" (Ziff-Davis;1952)

They do say that all good things eventually come to an end, and that certainly applies today as the Catacombs presents the opening tale from the final issue of Ziff-Davis cool late golden age-early silver age sci-fi series, Amazing Adventures #6 (Fall 1952). Four terrific stories remain, plus a few filler pieces, and that's all she wrote.

Thanks for stopping by for a part of your weekend over the last few months and now, since daylight savings time is burning, let's get down to business. "Space Pirates of Xarpot" is illustrated by EC great, Bernard Krigstein. Unfortunately the cover artist is unidentified in the GCD, but the cover is pretty awesome anyway, and it's included as this weeks bonus feature. This is one of the three issues of this series that I actually own, so without further ado - "enjoy"!

"Gal" Friday! Paz Vega

Spanish actress Paz Vega made her television debut in, Menudo es mi padre, which starred rumba singer El Fary. After appearing in two other 1997 series - Mas que amigos and Compañeros - she went on to star on the big screen in Zapping (1999). That same year she also had a minor role in the David Menkes movie I Will Survive.

Vega found further success in the United States after appearing in a supporting role in James L. Brooks film Spanglish opposite Adam Sandler in 2004. In 2006, she co-starred with Morgan Freeman in the independent film 10 Items or Less and later co-starred as "Plaster of Paris" with Gabriel Macht, Samuel L. Jackson, and Scarlett Johansson in The Spirit. As a model, Vega is signed to 1/One Management in New York City. Paz Vega had a role in the recent Italian movie The Flower of Evil. Which means that she is officially a women to kill for, and I certainly would shoot somebody in the head for a chance to run away with her.

Kazanda in "Queen of the Lost Continent" (Fiction House;1945)

Here is a spiffy golden age debut from Rangers Comics #23 (Jun.1945); published by Fiction House, but actually repackaged from a series that first appeared in Australia where it was called "Kazanda the Wild Girl and the Forbidden Kingdom". It was drawn by Ted Brodie-Mack from New Zealand and written by Peter Amos (a pseudonym of Australian, Archie E. Mart)

Kazanda was a jungle queen who lived on an unnamed “Lost Continent” (which may have been Atlantis) populated by strange civilizations and weird monsters, which was discovered by a trio of marooned explorers with ensuing adventure and mayhem. Along with the usual set of skills and abilities possessed by most jungle queens, Kazanda also had psychic powers allowing her to cause plants to grow more quickly than normal, and speed healing of herself and others. While she cannot control the animals of the jungle, they do trust her enough so that she is even able to calm the more ferocious ones. The evil Sylf is her ongoing nemesis.

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!

Tor in “Isle of Fire” (St. John;1954)

Industry legend Joe Kubert is best known for his classic work on DC Comics war series like Sgt. Rock and for reintroducing silver age fans to Hawkman, but he started out in the golden age on strips like the Seven Soldiers of Victory in Leading Comics.

In 1953, Kubert as managing editor for St. John, along with writer Norman Maurer, created the enduring character Tor, a prehistoric-human who debuted in the comic 1,000,000 Years Ago #1 (Sept. 1953). Tor went on to star in 3-D Comics #2 (Oct.-Nov. 1953), followed by a traditional monthly comic series, continued exclusively by Joe Kubert, that premiered with this exciting tale called "Isle of Fire" from Tor #3 (May 1954). The characters adventures have been reprinted in books from Eclipse Comics, Marvel Comics' Epic imprint, and DC Comics through the 1990s. Kubert had tried unsuccessfully to sell Tor as a newspaper comic strip in the 1950's.

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!

Rayboy's Review: Lady Mechanika #0 (Aspen)

This issue is cover dated October 2010, but it was just passed along to me as a casual read this week (thanks, David) and I realized that this issue closely sums up my opinion of too many modern comics. Joe Benitez's Lady Mechanika #0 is a nice book to look at, he is a talented artist after all, but that would be the only reason to give this series a cursory look.

Comic book artists are often seasoned visual storytellers, but when it comes to crafting a decent backstory or plot, the writing end often suffers. I understand that a "zero" issue is meant to introduce a new character or concept to potential readers and there is the bare bones of a plot present in this book, but with only fourteen story pages; one of which is the inside front cover, reading won't actually take very long with this introductory issue. There is a single page with only four words on it. Four! There is also an entire two page combat spread that has only about a dozen words on it. Here the intention was apparently to make a pretty package, with the least semblance of a plot to drive it, and then have a neat stack of cool-looking art pages for sale to willing fans afterwards. Aspen would have served their fans better by hiring an actual scripter to write this book. Joe was so jazzed about this "exciting" concept that he, or Aspen rather, offered seven different cover variations for this issue. For fourteen story pages. Really! Are those people that stupid? Is it just the fans who bought all those copies of this book? I sure don't know. There are seven additional pages devoted to design work for the lead character and hawking the next issue (again with more cover variations), plus a page with special cookie recipes. Oh joy!

The series premise is built around a steampunk genre setting with the title character being a partially mechanical amnesiac, who begins a new life as a private detective and bounty hunter. She takes on cases that ordinary law enforcement can't or won't, all while searching for clues to her past.

There are lots of fans who flock to drivel like this, and I understand that certain art-styles drive the modern comic book industry. As a publisher, Aspen has a massive back stock of ridiculously similar fluff. All sound and fury, signifying nothing. Don't get me wrong, Lady Mechanika #0 looks good, but this is a serious waste of time, even for a cover price of only $2.50. Save your dollars and avoid this one like the plague!