The Better/Standard/Nedor Cover Gallery!!

The 29th annual Heroes Convention kicks off this week in Charlotte, NC and I can't wait to cruise into the Queen City of the Carolina's for some pure comic book fun with my friends & family; plus hundreds of industry professionals and fans. For the moment I prefer to ignore the breaking news from DC Comics, and in order to channel a sufficient degree of "zen" to carry me until Friday, here is the spiffy Nedor Cover Gallery that I promised for today to edify us all. The characters represented on the covers of Exciting Comics, Mystery Comics, Startling Comics and Thrilling Comics include The Black Terror & Tim, Judy of the Jungle, Rick Howard (Mystery Rider), Billy West, Brad Spencer (Wonderman), Lance Lewis (Space Detective), Doc Strange and Princess Pantha.

The artwork on these classic covers is by the legendary Alex Schomburg. Enjoy!

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.

Kara the Jungle Princess in "Shrine of the Moon God" (Better;1945)

I'm devoting a portion of this weeks posts to one of my favorite golden age publishers, known variously as Better/Standard/Nedor/Pines. Two stories starring Kara the Jungle Princess will be featured this week, along with a spiffy Nedor Cover Gallery on Wednesday. Kara originally appeared in Exciting Comics #39 (1945) and despite most folks having never heard of her, she managed to log almost a dozen adventures before disappearing in 1946 with her last story appearance in Exciting Comics #49.

This tale is from Exciting #42 with art by Al Camy, who was a regular artist for Better Publications titles on such features as 'Jill Trent', 'Crime Crushers', 'Grim Reaper', 'Phantom Detective' and 'Spectro'. Before she became a jungle princess called Kara, she was army nurse Jane Howell who stumbled upon the lost civilization of Arohiti in the jungles of Africa. There she was elevated to ruler of the Arohitans, a people possessing a charm against physical harm, where she must always stay alert for the evil machinations of the priest Targala. Major Kit Kendall was with her to help out with the tougher problems.

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!

Commander, is this some kind of game?

The game Mass Effect, takes place in the year 2183, where as an elite human soldier named Commander Shepard, you set out to explore the galaxy on a starship, the SSV Normandy. The titular mass effect is a form of inertia-suppressing technology, allowing faster-than-light travel.

The sequel, Mass Effect 2, takes place two years after the events that transpired in the first game. Mass Effect 2 also directly uses players' completed save data from the first game to influence events and storylines within the second game, basing certain events and narrative threads on decisions and actions that the player had made in the first game.

I first got hooked on ME2 after buying it for my son last Christmas and have played through it several times. I then purchased the original game, looking forward to experiencing stuff that had been referenced in ME2, only to end up frustrated and stymied by the irritating in-game vehicle called the Mako. After failing to get a handle on that pesky ride which you are forced to operate on many missions, I basically set the whole game aside for a few months and only recently popped it back into the Xbox 360. Thankfully I got a grip on driving the Mako and ended up liking it quite a bit, plus now that I’ve beaten Saren, saved the Citadel and succeeded in accomplishing Commander Shepard’s inaugural mission, I can roll over my save file and have that character also complete ME2. This will allow me to maintain a single character thread throughout all of the Mass Effect games.

EA Games has a bevy of much-anticipated titles to display at E3 2011, including live demos of Battlefield 3 and Mass Effect 3. The press event is called “Gamechangers: EA 2011 Preview” will air on Spike TV at 3:30 p.m. (EST), June 6, 2011.

In addition to the third Battlefield and ME installments, EA Games will also display Star Wars: The Old Republic, Need for Speed: The Run and the latest installments of Madden NFL and FIFA Soccer as well as some previously un-announced titles.

Early indications suggest that surviving original Mass Effect squad members (pictured above; left-to-right with Cdr. Shepard are Kaidan Alenko & Liara T’soni), who only cameo’d in ME2, will return to active duty on the squad in the third and final chapter.

In Memorium: Jeff Conaway

Actor Jeff Conaway, was best known for his roles in the movie Grease and the television series Taxi and Babylon 5. On B5, Conaway portrayed security officer Zack Allan, his character was eventually promoted to Security Chief, and he maintained that position through the end of the series fifth and final season. Conaway also reprised his B5 role in the telefilms Babylon 5: The River of Souls, Babylon 5: Thirdspace and Babylon 5: A Call to Arms.

Conaway struggled with various substance addictions throughout most of his career and it was this predilection that resulted in his firing from Taxi back in 1982. A serious back injury on the set of Grease plagued him for many years, and a combination of both situations landed him on two crummy reality shows, Celebrity Fit Club and Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew, where his wild manifestations were truly evident.

On May 11, he fell into a coma from pneumonia with sepsis, exacerbated by his waning health and substance-induced decrepitude and passed away on May 27, 2011 after his family took him off life support when doctors decided there was nothing they could do to revive him.

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

"Gal" Friday! Estella Warren

Man, this was one of those weeks where I was really conflicted over the selection, but the "gal" that I have finally chosen endured a pretty rough week; so she more than earned her spot in the Catacombs.

Estella Warren first caught the celebrity spotlight as part of the national synchronized swimming team of Canada. She eventually scored the senior national championship at age seventeen, Warren also earned the chance to move on to the 1996 Summer Olympics. She is a three-time Canadian national champion, and the solo bronze medallist at the 1995 Junior World Championships. 

Then she became a fashion model appearing in Sports Illustrated, Vogue, Vanity Fair, and two televised commercials for Chanel No. 5 perfume. She was named Maxim Magazine's Hottest Woman in 2000 and was ranked #61 in FHM's "100 Sexiest Women in the World 2005" special supplement. Warren has also appeared in ad campaigns for UGG Australia, Andrew Marc, Perry Ellis, Nine West, Cartier, Volvo, De Beers and she has modeled for Victoria's Secret.

Acting was a natural offshoot and her film roles include Driven, Planet of the Apes (2001), Kangaroo Jack, The Cooler, and on TV That '70s Show, Law & Order, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit and Ghost Whisperer.

 On Tuesday, May 24, 2011 she "acted out" after being arrested, initially fleeing the scene where she allegedly hit three parked cars with her Toyota Prius. Police found and arrested her for DUI. During her arrest she resisted being handcuffed and actually kicked the officer doing the deed. Later at the police station, as she was being booked, she managed to slip out of her handcuffs and attempted to escape, but she was quickly recaptured. Ultimately she was charged not only with the DUI, but also resisting arrest, assault and felony escape. Her bail has been set at $100,000. 

I don't know if the product endorsements have dried up or her acting gigs aren't shaking out sufficiently, but even at thirty-two, Estella could certainly turn that swimming resume into a coaching or mentoring role for young athletes. She is nice to look at in a bathing suit (or without).

Jann of the Jungle in "Voodoo Vengeance" (Atlas;1957)

As promised, Jann of the Jungle returns today in a second tale called "Voodoo Vengeance" from Jann of the Jungle #17 (June 1957); originally published by Atlas/Marvel. Same creative team of Don Rico (writer) and Al Williamson & Ralph Mayo (art); plus the spiffy front cover is by Bill Everett. Enjoy!

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.

Takin' Care of Business!!

Bachman-Turner Overdrive: Takin' Care of Business (just for the hell of it).



Upcoming '50 Girls 50' page from Image Comics and Dark Phoenix commission art by John Byrne (just for the hell of it; part 2).

See you tomorrow !

Rayboy's Review: Booster Gold #44 (DC Comics)

Booster Gold #44 welcomes original writer/artist Dan Jurgens and finishing artist Norm Rapmund back to the series after a years absence with the first part of a tale called “Turbulence” that ties into DC’s summer event, Flashpoint. Supposedly, Booster Gold is the only actual ongoing DC Universe title that will be part of this major event, which will be told through a variety of standalone mini-series and specials.

After discovering that Rip Hunter’s lab appears to have been abandoned for decades, and with both Rip and Michelle Carter missing, Booster and Skeets arrive in Coast City seeking the aid of Green Lantern. They are immediately attacked by military forces who believe that Booster is at the head of an impending Atlantean assault force. Somehow the entire multi-verse has been eradicated and the timeline that Booster finds himself in has been reset by an unknown party for unknown reasons and he isn’t recognized by the authorities. If that wasn’t enough of a worry for Booster and Skeet’s, they soon come under attack by the one foe that Michael Jon Carter would never in a million years wish to battle … particularly solo. Doomsday!

Jurgens recent limited series, Time Masters, had paired Booster and Rip Hunter with guest stars Superman and Green Lantern as part of the crossover “The Search for Batman”, but that aspect was quickly sidelined for an inter-dimensional romp with old Bronze Age characters Starfire and Claw, before all-too neatly tacking on a brief  Batman moment to close out the six issue series. Batman primarily went and came in other corners of the DCU, and ultimately the whole thing felt like a real waste of time.

Thankfully, Jurgens & Rapmund are back at home in the very place they need to be to produce some fun comics. I enjoyed their previous Booster Gold work and this chapter of Flashpoint bodes well for their welcome return to this title. Recommended!