Comic art is just different. It's art on its own terms. - Joe Simon

I know that Wednesday is "new" comics day, but Mr. Simon's quote prompted me to clear out a few pieces of art that have been loitering around in the files. In descending order: "Aurora" by the late Dave Stevens; "Catwoman" by Paul Dini; an outstanding "Daredevil" by the legendary Neal Adams (I would love to see Neal tackle this character in a monthly series); "Jungle Girl & Lion" commission by Bob McLeod; "The Punisher" by sorely missed Mike Zeck (come back, Mike); and a full-color "Panther Wench" commission by Ernie Chan. As always, click on each image to embiggen. Tomorrows regular post will be a classic golden age jungle story. Thank you for being patient!

Oh my! Lions, Tigers and Bears

The award-winning Lions, Tigers and Bears was originally a breakout hit published by Image Comics. Now Hermes Press continues the further adventures of Joey Price and his furry pals of the Night Pride in graphic novel form, with an all-ages approach that is perfect for libraries and any kid's bookshelf. After reprinting the first two Lions, Tigers and Bears mini-series, Hermes launches a new adventure with Volume 3: Greybeard's Ghost!

As Greybeard's Ghost opens, young Joey meets his friend Courtney's obnoxious older cousin, Beth, and wishes for the Beasties to take her away. When Joey's wish comes true, he and Courtney must venture back to the Stuffed Animal Kingdom to save her, along with his brave animal friends Ares, Venus, Minerva, and Pallo, This exciting tale takes the crew aboard a Beasties-infested pirate ship and an encounter with the legendary Greybeard himself!

In the vein of other landmark all-ages fare such as Jeff Smith's Bone; Lions, Tigers and Bears is geared towards younger readers with wholesome stories in a large full-color graphic novel format. Greybeard's Ghost is written by series creator Mike Bullock with art by Michael Metcalf, and has a cover by Mike Ploog (Abadazabad), plus two original back-up stories with art by Dan Hipp and Adam van Wyck. Lions, Tigers and Bears won the 2007 Angouleme International Comics Festival Discovery Youth Prize, and will continue to deliver the same engaging stories through its new life at Hermes Press. Check it out!

At the Movies: Green Lantern

Blockbuster movies of every description are a dime a dozen during the highly desired summer film season. They arrive in mass quantities and tend to be thicker than flies. Not every large budget film is going to recoup its cost – at least at the box office – and fan expectations being what they are these days, every potential audience member isn’t going to enjoy each new Hollywood interpretation of an established property. So it has been with the big-screen debut of DC Comics' "Green Lantern" which despite earning the #1 position at the box-office over the weekend, has failed to earn as much moolah as was generated by earlier releases "Thor" and "X-Men: First Class".

The critics have hammered the film as well, citing some of the acting, clunky screenwriting and clueless direction. These aren’t necessarily wrongheaded remarks, but when these types of comments hit the web heaviest on the geek-centric sites, it definitely hurts early returns. I will avoid spoilers as much as possible, but certain points have to be addressed – so be advised – proceed with caution.

First of all let me say that Green Lantern is a really good comic book movie. It channels the established history and characterizations from the silver age series quite well. Geoff Johns may share a screenwriting credit, along with Greg Berlanti, Michael Green, Marc Guggenheim and Michael Goldenberg, but the vast majority of the elements and featured characters were originally created by DC Comics writer John Broome and artist Gil Kane. Make no mistake about this! Any strength of this film is due to the wise decision to stick with the core concept built by those two fine, talented gentlemen who are no longer with us. Johns could lay claim to an interpretation of Parallax, but comic book writer Ron Marz originated even that concept.

I would offer as a constructive criticism that at 105 minutes, the film is simply not long enough to have adequately fit in much of what made it onto the screen, and it is this specific aspect that is ultimately behind most critics’ disappointment. We needed more of the GL Corps, more of Oa, more of the Guardians; most of which was very well done as far as I'm concerned and less of other elements (see below). The special effects are excellent.

Ryan Reynolds was topnotch as the cocky Hal Jordan, Blake Lively won me over as Carol Ferris, Mark Strong is "awesome" as Sinestro and the voice work of Michael Clarke Duncan (Kilowog), Clancy Brown (Parallax) and Geoffrey Rush (Tomar-Re) was really cool with me. The actors who played the supporting roles of Tom Kalmaku (Taika Waititi), Carl Ferris (Jay O. Sanders) and Martin Jordan (Jon Tenney) were also spot on, but three roles were utterly unnecessary to the overall film. Tim Robbins portrayed Sen. Hammond, Angela Bassett portrayed Amanda Waller and Peter Sarsgaard portrayed classic GL villain Hector Hammond (to good effect, but he belonged in a subsequent film) and while none were individually deal breakers, all felt heavily tacked on here. The movie as a whole would have worked far better without these characters being present. The Parallax entity did not need Hector Hammond as motivation to come to Earth, it could have simply followed Abin Sur (exceptionally well, albeit briefly, played by Temuera Morrison) to Earth or arrived just to knock off his chosen successor, Hal Jordan.

IMDB reveals that actor Kevin Kline was considered for the role of Senator Hammond, and if they just had to have this character, Kline would have at least appeared more age appropriate as Hammonds father, and with his perpetual mustache, even that visual cue would have nicely tied him to Sarsgaard's Hector. The original script had contained a cameo by Alan Scott, the first published Green Lantern (Jordan's golden age predecessor, whose powers were magical rather than cosmic). Scott was intended to be the United States President, and near the end would have revealed his own past as a Green Lantern to Jordan, and give him his blessing. Later drafts finally wrote him out of the film, and replaced him with Amanda Waller. At one point Clark Kent/Superman was also included in the script (he had a cameo as one of the candidates considered to receive a power ring), but he was cut out because the filmmakers didn't want to depend on another superhero for a success. These foolish behind the scenes decisions cost us some outstanding fanboy moments. A real shame, if you ask me!

Don't even get me started on the elimination of the classic silver age weakness built into the Green Lantern rings, anything yellow tailguns a Lantern in combat. This was retconned in recent years to be Parallax (a yellow, fear-based creature) being imprisoned within the central power battery on Oa. The film moves the prison to a Geoff Johns derived comic book story element, the planet Ryut, so there you go; he chipped in something. A bit stupid if you ask me, since having the action take place on Oa would have strengthened the "big" picture they were setting up. This negatively impacted the requisite post-credits scene for diehard fans too, and in my opinion this is an instance where they completely blew it. It involves Sinestro and again, all the pieces needed to have effectively arrived at this moment were present within the film, but the actual moment where the necessary motivation SHOULD have occurred, didn’t. Oh well, if there is any missed opportunity for critics to crow about, it is here and it happens after the credits roll anyway. I do hope that Reynolds gets another chance to don the CGI-suit and fly the space ways again. So if you are a fan of the classic Green Lantern, like me, go see the movie. Recommended!

"Gal" Friday! Cameron Diaz

Since it's summer, I've been sticking with lovely beach bunny blonds this month for all of my weekly "Gal" Friday selections and Cameron Diaz has long been deserving of inclusion in the Catacombs.  Previously a model, her first actual movie role was opposite Jim Carrey in The Mask back in 1994, which went on to become a huge box office smash.

Diaz has fleshed out her movie resume in many memorable films including My Best Friend's Wedding, There's Something About Mary, Being John Malkovich, Charlie's Angels, Vanilla Sky, Gangs of New York, The Holiday, Knight and Day, The Green Hornet, and her upcoming theatrical release, Bad Teacher.

Cameron has provided the voice of Princess Fiona in all of the Shrek films, plus the various television specials based on that franchise. Whether or not she is an actual blond, considering her half-Cuban lineage, comes into question in the stunning image that I've included of her as a brunette (above;left). If she has ever appeared on screen with dark hair, I haven't seen it and boy, would I like to see her go this way for a while. Yummy! Regardless of her hair color (or taste in men), the girl is certainly well put together. Check out the recent image of her from Cosmo UK and you will agree that there is definitely "something" about Ms. Diaz.

Tom-Tom the Jungle Boy in "Tastes Like Rubber" (Magazine Enterprises;1947)

Tom-Tom the Jungle Boy along with his friends, Itchi and Tree-Trunk, return to the Catacombs after a long absence in this untitled tale from Tick Tock Tales #22 (Oct. 1947), originally published by Magazine Enterprises. I have no credited information on who the writer or artist was on this well-drawn strip.

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: Who Are the Mystery Men #1 (Marvel)

Its Wednesday, new comic book day, and I’ve yet to speed by the shop to pick up my copy of Kirby Genesis #1, so here’s a spoiler-free review of a terrific book that debuted last week.

Published by Marvel Comics, Mystery Men #1 by writer David Liss and artist Patrick Zircher is set during 1932 and features a group of all-new characters inspired by the classic pulp-adventure genre. On the surface, some of these heroes certainly appear to be little more than variations on iconic versions that we’ve all seen many times before, but read through this first issue (of a five issue run) and you will discover that the proof is in the pudding and in the manner of execution. Liss and Zircher have a winner on their hands. This issue is a perfect counterpoint for the same-old, same-old revamps, reboots and relaunches going on both elsewhere and even in-house at the House of Ideas.

It is worth mentioning that this project may have taken its cue from a much more recent series, than in anything from several decades past, and that would be Marvels prematurely aborted, and fan-lamented, 2007 revival of golden age characters called “The Twelve”. Fortunately for all of us, Joe Straczynski isn’t involved with this title, so maybe we’ll get to actually see the conclusion of this one.

Of the new characters revealed through the industry press earlier, only two are prominent this month, although a third is stealthily included. The Operative is somewhat akin to a gumshoe Robin Hood, and with a similar shtick, and given what happens to him in this issue, he’s probably going to need the skills of the merry band about to form around him. As entertainingly good as the film noir aspects of the Operatives back story is set up in this book, it is The Revenant who gets the scene-stealing introduction near the end of the issue, so hang onto your hat for a wild ride that is definitely worth the $2.99 price tag.

I’m not familiar with anything else David Liss may have written, but he tells a damn fine story using familiar superhero tropes and his homage to the early days of super heroic fiction rings true. Patrick Zircher was familiar to me, and while I admit to not having anything of his in my collection before now, he just became a regular artist whose stuff I will always take a look at. Man, does this guy knock it out of the park on this book. Beautiful, beautiful stuff that fully channels the very best of what came before – all the way back to the golden age – and he even understands how to make the best use of the cinematic potential of a full page bleed. “Who Are the Mystery Men”, indeed? Liss and Zircher are ably accompanied by colorist Andy Troy, letterer Dave Sharpe and Editor Bill Rosemann (and his assistants). EIC Axel Alonso, Chief Creative Officer Joe Quesada, Publisher Dan Buckley and Alan Fine as “Executive Producer” claim a credit too, but why the guys who sign the paychecks claim credit on every damn thing is beyond me. Consider this a Bronx cheer to the latter four names, but "their" comic is highly recommended despite their presence!

Lance Hale in "Captive of the Pygmies" (Lev Gleason;1941)

Here is an oddball tale starring Lance Hale from Silver Streak Comics #9 (Apr.1041); originally published by Lev Gleason and featuring the fun - yet wonky - pencils of the great Fred Guardineer.The front cover artwork featuring "Silver Streak" himself is by Bob Wood.

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!

At the Movies: Super 8

Director J.J. Abrams new film "Super 8" set in 1979, tells the story of a group of children who while filming their own Super 8 movie for an upcoming competition, are present as a speeding train derails, releasing a dangerous alien into their town. Partly in homage to pop culture films of the 70's and 80's, "Super 8" is produced by Steven Spielberg, whose earliest blockbuster films are the spiritual predecessors to this excellent summer popcorn flick.

For my money, Super 8 proved to be a winner. Where as some critics take it to task for being too reverent of old-school films, I felt that the framework of the movie was in many ways superior to past hits that Super 8 has tried to reflect. Think about it, in movies like Gremlins, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, etc., often things were fairly normal for the central characters and the intruding supernatural element was the primary aberrant event that occurred in the paradigm of those stories. Remove the creature, restore the balance at the end, and things go back to the way they were.

In Super 8, the central characters lives have all been wrecked by a personal tragedy that binds this little community together and the appearance of an extraterrestrial threat, as huge as it is, is quite secondary to the ripples affecting these peoples lives. Like Spielberg before him, Abrams has found a young cast of actors to make you pine for, and they do so brilliantly. Elle Fanning stands out as the brightest of this young group and her facial expressions alone reveal much pain that the films dialogue doesn't exactly express. Pay close attention to her for "additional" information that is in effect only inferred by her fine performance. It will make you think about missing information relative to her family, that otherwise could have been simply stated in the regular dialogue. Whether this subtlety was intended or not, it worked for me. And that's not to minimize Joel Courtney's lead role of young Joe Lamb. He is the "everyman" through whose eyes we experience this story, and he is terrific.

Kyle Chandler plays his workaholic deputy-sheriff father, unable to relate to his son, who had been largely raised by his recently deceased wife, and Ron Eldard, as little more than the town drunk (and who may have inadvertently caused the death of Joe's mother), appears more sympathetic once the reasons behind his self-destructive behavior emerge. Of course, this is a big budget creature feature and Abrams effectively utilizes this beast to great effect. I was pleased that the monster was ever so slowly revealed throughout the movie and not overly relied upon. It made that aspect more "real" to me. At the conclusion, the arrival of the alien itself creates an opportunity in which Joe and his father, and Alice and her father, find closure, peace and forgiveness. The bonds that they establish will carry them forward better than they were and the beauty of "Super 8" is that even then, the creature feature aspect remains secondary to this stronger element of the story. Nice!

Super 8 won the weekend box office battle with a more modest haul than expected, but given that huge blockbusters roll out weekly during the summer months, they can't all go to the head of the class. Don't miss out on this film, its overall story is a bit quieter than may be expected, but all the more effective as a result. Recommended!

"Gal" Friday! Heather Graham

After earning critical acclaim for her performance as "Rollergirl" in director Paul Thomas Anderson's 1997 film, Boogie Nights, Heather Graham continued to make a name for herself in such films as Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me, Lost in Space, Bowfinger, From Hell and Anger Management. She hit a rough patch following the early cancellation of her ABC television series, Emily's Reasons Why Not in 2006, but she quickly bounced back with a featured role as the stripper Jade in 2009's critical and box office hit, The Hangover.

Her latest film, Judy Moody and the Not Bummer Summer, opens nationwide today. Graham stars as "Aunt Opal" and I've gotta tell you, she makes one smoking hot "auntie" at the tender age of forty-one. The film is already getting trashed by critics across the board, and although Heather alone might have enticed me into watching any flick, I'll definitely have to take a pass on this one.

I must admit to enjoying the many times that she has managed to lose her clothes on film too, so as a consolation prize I'm inducting her into the Catacombs as this weeks official "Gal" Friday selection, and that's gotta count for something!

Zago, Jungle Prince in "Circus of Cruelty" (Fox;1949)

This Jack Kamen illustrated tale called "Circus of Cruelty" was originally published in Zago, Jungle Prince #3 (January 1949) by Fox. I posted a Zago adventure last month too, but sometimes you've just got to have another taste and these golden age Zago stories by Kamen are quite lovely to look at. Even with the lead male character, there are still some pretty jungle girls in the mix.

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!

Profile Antics: Michael Netzer

I generally have a spotty history when it comes to acquiring original artwork, sketches and commissioned illustrations from comic book artists. For the most part this tendency manifests itself as a streak of “bad luck” or more accurately, near misses. I’m the guy who is next in line behind a lucky fan who receives a really awesome illustration, only to get what seemingly is nothing more than a quick knock-off sketch. Sometimes I’ve found a grail page of original art immediately after burning through my planned budget at a show, or arrived on scene moments after somebody else had purchased it. There are moments however, when the wind blows my way. While in attendance at the Inkwell Awards panel at Saturday’s Heroes Convention in Charlotte, NC, it was my turn at bat.

A piece of artwork that I had seen on Facebook before the convention, was included in a post-awards auction to raise funds for the organization, and I somehow managed to walk away with it. The pictured sketch (below) of Kobra, a DC Comics character that first appeared in Kobra #1 (February 1976); and co-created by the late Jack Kirby, had appealed to me the first time that I had seen it. The illustration by artist Michael Netzer was previously published in The Jack Kirby Collector #56. Although I was familiar with some aspects of this artists life, after researching his career, I realized that he would be a fascinating subject for today’s post.

Michael Netzer is an American comic book artist born in Detroit, Michigan to parents of Lebanese descent. He met Neal Adams at a convention and then relocated to New York for a job at Continuity Studios in 1975; after which he became known for his work on DC Special Series, Superboy and the Legion of Super-Heroes, The Huntress and World’s Finest Comics for DC Comics, Savage Sword of Conan, and a Web of Spider-Man Annual for Marvel Comics. Additionally, he has maintained a diverse online presence espousing his theories on superhero mythology and the role it plays in cultural evolution since 2004.

By the summer of 1981, Nasser all but disappeared from the American comic’s scene, and had returned to his family’s childhood home in Lebanon. His return to the Middle East was deeply rooted in Michael's continued research of religion. Planning to spend a short time in Beirut before continuing to Israel, he became entangled in the June 1982 Israeli military incursion into Lebanon where he eventually escaped the war-ridden country in August 1983, by taking a hired taxi-cab across the Lebanon-Israel border. Upon reaching Israel, he studied the Hebrew language within several kibbutzim before settling into the West Bank settlement of modern orthodox Jewish Ofra, where he also changed his last name from “Nasser” to Netzer.

Not one to rest on his laurels, Netzer was instrumental in producing Israel's first super hero color comic book "Uri-On”, with partners Jonathan Duitch and Yossi Halpern, in 1987 and his controversial choice of residence in the occupied West Bank has also provided a platform for the artist to appear on television talk shows, receive varied media coverage and give lectures on the comic book medium as a tool for advancing a peaceful solution to the Arab-Israeli conflict.

In 1991, Netzer returned to New York to again work with Neal Adams at Continuity Comics, but they fell into a dispute over the intellectual property rights to Ms. Mystic, a character they had worked on jointly in 1977. In 1993, Netzer filed a lawsuit against Adams in New York Federal Court, but the case was later dismissed citing the statute of limitations. Nasser apologized to Adams for this action in 2004 and he has since continued to work for a variety of comic book publishers.

In early 2011, Netzer launched a campaign called “Save the Comics”; to bring public attention to the decades long sales slump for printed comic books. This initiative came on the heels of his participation in an industry-wide debate on a revolution in creator owned properties.

The Red Panther in "Screams of the Hunted" (Fiction House;1941)

The Red Panther rescues three hotties from a band of head-hunting savages in this untitled story from Jungle Comics #16 (Apr.1941) which I've named "Screams of the Hunted"; originally published by Fiction House. The script is by J.J. King and the art is by Saul Rosen.

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!