"Gal" Friday! Alessandra Ambrosio

Folks, I'm in Maryland on the eve of the Baltimore Comic-Con, semi-wasted from too much beer and really impressed by the luscious babes in this city. This weeks selection is Alessandra Ambrosio, but you will have to wait for more info on her. I will update this post with more of that, plus a couple of additional photos when I get back to the Carolina's.

[Update: 8/22/11] She's a smoking hot (obvious, right?) Brazilian model. Ms. Ambrosio is best known for her work with Victoria's Secret and she is currently one of the Victoria's Secret Angels; plus modeled for brands such as Next, Armani Exchange, Christian Dior and Ralph Lauren. Aside from modeling work, Alessandra serves as an ambassador for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.

She had a cameo in the hit box-office movie, Casino Royale appearing briefly as Tennis Girl #1. Ambrosio guest-starred on an episode of "How I Met Your Mother" with her fellow Victoria's Secret Angels Adriana Lima, Selita Ebanks, Marisa Miller, Miranda Kerr and Heidi Klum.

Top 10 Defunct Comic Book Publishers [Tie]: Pacific Comics / Eclipse Comics / First Comics

Sabre (Eclipse; Aug.1978)

The sequence that I’ve been presenting my personal picks for the “Top 10 Defunct Comic Book Publishers” has thus far been nothing but arbitrary, however the last few slots have proven to be a bit tricksy, and this has prompted me to waver on the actual order that I had “intended” to post these last few.

This week’s multiple nominees were always intended to be offered in tandem, and they present a fine example for why I selected a triumvirate of publishers to represent the ambitious explosion of publishers who jumped into comic book specialty shops during the 1980’s. Eclipse Comics, First Comics & Pacific Comics were just three of the many innovative, complex and independent comic publishers who did their very best to – in effect – create an entirely new golden age at the dawn of the direct only market. Other notable publishers whose heyday occurred in the halcyon days of the 80s include Aardvark-Vanaheim, Capital, Comico, Slave Labor, Caliber, Malibu and WaRP Graphics. Some like Fantagraphics and Dark Horse have endured until now, but these three enjoyed a high degree of cross-pollination in their runs that bound them together in a sense.

Eclipse Comics was one of the first independent publishers to offer royalties and creator ownership of rights, and the first comics company to publish trading cards and it published the first graphic novel (Sabre) specifically intended for the newly created comic book specialty store market. Eclipse was known for its eclectic mix of titles and products. Many noteworthy creators got their start there, including Chuck Austen, Donna Barr, Dan Brereton, Chuck Dixon, James Hudnall, Scott McCloud, Peter Milligan, Tim Truman, and Chris Ware. Veteran creators who appeared under the Eclipse banner included Steve Englehart, Don McGregor, Gene Colan and Mark Evanier. These days the company is probably best known for its role in the publication history of Alan Moore's acclaimed and contested series Miracleman. Eclipse ceased operations in 1994.

First Comics took early advantage of the growing direct market, attracting a number of writers and artists from DC and Marvel including Frank Brunner, Mike Grell, Howard Chaykin, Joe Staton, Steven Grant, Timothy Truman and Jim Starlin, to introduce their own creator-owned titles, which, not being subject to the Comics Code Authority, were free to feature more mature content. In 1984, First acquired all the titles of the short-lived publisher Capital Comics, including Mike Baron's action/superhero/fantasy/comedy series The Badger and Baron and Steve Rude’s space-faring superhero series Nexus. First was also known for initiating an anti-competitive activities lawsuit against Marvel Comics and World Color Press, being at the forefront of an industry-wide debate about creators' rights, experimenting with newsstand distribution and the revival of Classics Illustrated. First Comics ceased publishing in 1991.

Bill and Steve Schanes launched Pacific Comics in 1981, out of their existing west coast chain of comic’s shops and distribution business. They initially enticed comics’ creator Jack “King” Kirby, who they had befriended over the years, into providing Pacific with Captain Victory and the Galactic Rangers, assuring him that he could keep full ownership and copyrights and that they were only interested in the publishing rights. Before long, Pacific had attracted the attention of other comics professionals, including Mike Grell (who recalls that he was actually the first to sign with Pacific by a couple of weeks, but that Kirby's work was published first because he "delivered his first.") who had planned for his Starslayer to appear from DC, but after it was dropped from the their publishing schedule, the brothers approached him about releasing it. Creators whose work appeared at Pacific include Dave Stevens, Steve Ditko, Art Adams, John Bolton, Bill Wray, Roy Thomas, P. Craig Russell and Michael T. Gilbert. Pacific is credited with bringing back 3-D to comics, a fleeting trend in the 1950s that had then been stymied by poor printing separations. Ray Zone was hired to do the production work. The distribution arm of Pacific began suffering serious problems in 1984, due in part to overly-generous credit extensions to retailers, who didn’t pay back as expected. A crowded market, loss of select titles that moved to other publishers and rival distributors purchasing stock from Pacific in order to push them out of the market, ultimately aborted Pacific Comics short but sweet existence. The brothers threw in the towel in 1984.

Sheena, Queen of the Jungle in "The Skin of Leeta" (Fiction House;1939)

Friends, I'm going out of sequence this week with my "Top 10 Defunct Comic Book Publishers" series (which will shift to tomorrow), and serving up a special treat. Here is the golden age story that shows how Sheena, Queen of the Jungle first came to adopt her signature outfit. The untitled story that I've christened "The Skin of Leeta" is from Jumbo Comics #10 (Oct-Nov.1939); originally published by Fiction House. The writing credit belongs to W. Morgan Thomas and the artwork is by Bob Powell, but also check out this issues neat pulpish, sci-fi cover by the great Lou Fine which I'm including as a bonus reward for enduring today's last minute switcheroo.

I think that it's pretty nifty seeing how Sheena gets her leopard costume after boyfriend Bob (not Mr. Powell) kills a ferocious leopard named Namu. 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 publishers and/or the creators and is reproduced here solely for entertainment purposes.

Enjoy!

Wild Boy in "The Return" (Ziff-Davis;1951)

Here is the final tale from Wild Boy #11 [2] (Apr-May 1951); originally published by Ziff-Davis and once again with art by Paul Hodge. In "The Return", Wild Boy comes to the aid of the Kiowi tribe who've been anxiously awaiting the arrival of a village son, Jogo, who has been away receiving an education in the civilized world. Unfortunately, he learned the value of native stone and has decided that his savage peers are nothing more than slaves to mine diamonds for himself. This Wild Boy adventure has several cool panels that remind me of the old Johnny Weissmuller/Tarzan films. Wild Boy battles a crocodile in the river, a fearsome gorilla, and then we get to see the carnage unleashed by a herd of rampaging elephants That's some fun stuff!

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: Incredible Hulks #634 (Marvel)

Honestly, this is less review and more commentary, but that's the way it is. Writer Greg Pak is ending his five-year tenure writing The Incredible Hulk with a six-part story entitled “Heart of the Monster,” which began in #630. The arc finds the Hulk dealing with a mysterious event that pushes him over the edge, alongside the extended family that has come together over the last year: Skaar, Red She Hulk, A-Bomb, Amadeus Cho and She-Hulk. There are also some prominent cameos throughout this storyline.

Over the course of "Heart of the Monster", the Hulk has been trying to determine whether he's a hero or a monster. This story is supposed to wrap up existing plot elements like Hulk's relationship with his patchwork clan, even as it reintroduces familiar allies and old enemies.

Artist Paul Pelletier has really been cooking with gas over the course of “Heart of the Monster” too, which is great since Pelletier only became the regular INCREDIBLE HULK artist with #618. The kind of coherent storytelling evident in this arc was severely limited at the start of his run by too much cross-pollination between the various Hulk titles involving Planet Hulk, World War Hulk, etc. Plus a slate of unfortunate fill-in artists badly broke-up the flow that they had going on the book, yadda, yadda, yadda.

I get the whole “write for the trades” mentality, but the dumbasses that run the big two these days, refuse to focus their ongoing mainstream books on “serialized” adventures that are solely self-contained. You know, like it used to be, and definitely is in Pak’s final outing with old Greenskin.

While there’s still time to grab these fun issues off of the racks, and I recommend that you do so, it remains to be seen if Pak & Pelletier are truly crafting a “real” ending for the venerable Incredible Hulk series that is true to the classic character. Sadly even as these guys are turning in one of their strongest efforts to date, the series is set be rebooted with a new creative team in a couple of months.

Baltimore Comic*Con!!

Hey there, boys and girls!

I will be attending my first Baltimore Comic*Con next weekend in Maryland. My brother David and I (accompanied by our buddy, Burt Dellinger), will be driving up early on Friday morning for some big fun in a city with lots of nicknames: Mobtown, Charm City, Ravenstown, The City of Firsts and B'More.

We are planning on taking in the Geppi Entertainment Museum, possibly the Ravens-Chiefs preseason game, and since we always try to visit places that Guy Fieri has featured on Food TVs "Drive-In's, Diners & Dives", we want to belly up to the Broadway Diner on Saturday. I'm not sure if we will make the NFL game or not, as we've also made reservations at Obrycki's for some seafood on Friday evening. Obrycki's was previously featured on the Travel Channels "Man vs. Food Nation".  Good eats and good comics adds up to a fun-filled weekend in Baltimore on Aug. 19-21, 2011 for the Wells Brothers (+ One).

With an extensive guest list that runs the gamut of the comic book industry, Baltimore Con will give me a chance to see some of my personal favorites (a pair for the first time, highlighted) including: Neal Adams, Bernie Wrightson, Denis Kitchen, Don Rosa, Greg LaRocque, Herb Trimpe, Jim Starlin, Joe Jusko, José Luis García-López, Keith Giffen, Kevin Nowlan, Mike Grell, Ron Frenz, Ron Marz, Ron Wilson, Stan Lee, Stan Sakai, Tim Truman and Walter Simonson.

We considered buying tickets for the Harvey Awards, but decided that we would rather spend that dough ($125.00; sheesh) on back issues. Wish us luck and feel free to make any helpful suggestions if you've been to the show before, or if you know the area at all.

"Gal" Friday! Shanna McLaughlin

Twenty-six-year-old Shanna McLaughlin, perhaps better known to many as Playboy Playmate of the Month (July 2010), was arrested at Orlando International Airport this week and charged with carrying a firearm in a place prohibited by law.

Police were contacted after a .45 caliber revolver loaded with six hollow-point bullets, was found in her luggage. McLaughlin claimed that the weapon belonged to a boyfriend, but she also told the TSA stormtrooper that she has a concealed weapons permit, which he then verified.

Let me pause for a brief segue: The phrase "right of the people to keep and bear Arms" was first used in the United States Bill of Rights (and became law as the Second Amendment to the Constitution of the United States). While there is no federal law specifically addressing the issuance of concealed carry permits, 49 states have passed laws allowing citizens to carry certain concealed firearms in public, either without a permit or after obtaining a permit from state or local law enforcement.

The blonde bombshell has been charged with a crime, after what appears to have been an oversight and although she is currently free on bail, I'm wondering why a better solution couldn't have been reached. Why not simply impound the weapon? Does anyone in this country care about the increasing loss of our freedoms, not to mention the 4th Amendment right to be secure in your person, house, papers and effects, against unreasonable search and seizure, which is not supposed to be violated? This poor girl was disarmed, by goons employed by THE government (no longer OUR government) and left defenseless. It's a wonder the twisted shits didn't strip search her too. Maybe they didn't notice how hot she is? I'm inducting her into the Catacombs as this weeks official "gal" Friday pick, and hoping that she will consider taking refuge here, when they start asking us for our papers on neighborhood street corners, too.

Tabu, Wizard of the Jungle in "The Wind God" (Fiction House;1940)

Tabu, Wizard of the Jungle returns to the Catacombs today in an untitled tale from Jungle Comics #7 (July 1940); originally published by Fiction House and credited to writer Robert Lewis and artist Charles Sultan. Tabu must face a terrible wind, blowing over Africa and wreaking havoc on local villages. The capricious wind-god known as Boreas is responsible and although Tabu tries to prevent the carnage, superstitious villagers take the opportunity to scheme against our hero.

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!

Top 10 Defunct Comic Book Publishers: Gold Key Comics

Space Family Robinson #12 (Apr.1965); Star Trek #3 (Sept.1968)

Gold Key Comics was created in 1962, when Western stopped packaging content for branding and distribution by its business partner, Dell Comics and switched to in-house publishing. Although Gold Key retained the majority of the licenses properties that Dell had previously offered, the new imprint hoping to make their comics more like traditional children's books, initially eliminated panel line-borders and had word and thought balloons that were rectangular rather than oval, giving the titles a cleaner, more modern look. This effort lasted about a year before they reverted to using standard inked panel borders and oval balloons. They also experimented with new formats, including black-and-white hardcover’s containing reprints and tabloid-sized books containing new material; evidently aimed at the book and department stores, in the manner of their popular Little Golden Books. Beginning in 1967, Gold Key packaged selected issues of their comics under the banner title Top Comics which were sold in plastic bags of five at gas stations and other locations, although the comics were often removed from the bags by the sellers and sold individually with price stickers attached to the covers. A striking difference between Gold Key and other publishers (aping yet another former Dell practice) was to publish most of their mystery, jungle, science-fiction, adventure and similar series with full-color painted covers rather than the standard line artwork.

Gold Key’s licensed properties and original series maintained decent sales numbers throughout the 1960s, thanks largely to its titles based upon popular TV series of the day, as well as numerous titles based upon both Walt Disney Studios and Warner Bros. animated characters. It was also the first company to publish comic books based upon Star Trek. The streak didn’t last forever, and they lost several properties, including the King Features characters Popeye, Flash Gordon, The Phantom, and the Hanna-Barbera characters to Charlton, and the Star Trek license was awarded to Marvel Comics in 1979. Trivia: Three of Gold Key's original characters: Magnus, Robot Fighter; Doctor Solar, Man of the Atom and Turok, Son of Stone, helped launch Valiant Comics in the 1990's.

As the comics industry experienced a downswing in the 1970s, Gold Key was among the hardest hit. Its editorial policies had not kept pace with changing times and an erosion of its base among children, with more households now owning television sets for watching cartoons and other types of programming didn’t help. In this period their licensed titles featured mostly reprinted material. Although Gold Key books maintained a presence on spinner racks at drug stores & supermarkets; many of the same comics were being simultaneously distributed under the Whitman logo, and they were also taking large numbers of DC titles for redistribution. Declining sales finally forced Western to cease newsstand distribution in 1981 and the "Gold Key" logo was discontinued. All efforts to reinvent themselves ultimately proved unsuccessful and by 1984 Western was out of the comic book business.

The stable of writers and artists built up by Western Publishing during the Dell Comics era mostly continued into the Gold Key era. Among the few new creators introduced at Gold Key were writers Don Glut, Len Wein, Diana Gabaldon, Bob Ogle, Leo Dorfman, Bob Gregory and Mark Evanier; and artists Cliff Voorhees, Joe Messerli and Mike Royer. Trivia: Acclaimed artist/writer Frank Miller had his first published comic book artwork in The Twilight Zone for Gold Key in 1978.

Wild Boy in "Star of the Jungle" (Ziff-Davis;1951)

This short adventure called "Star of the Jungle" is from Wild Boy #11 [2] (Apr-May 1951); originally published by Ziff-Davis and with art by Paul Hodge. Watch Wild Boy elude the jaws of death (heck, it says so right on the front cover) as he aids a Hollywood film crew who've been captured by the villainous Zarkow, a renegade white trader, and his hostile pygmies. Wild Boy, his friend Keeto; his panther (Timba) and his falcon (Kaw) are all put to great task rescuing Fred Cartier and Lola Martin before the whole kit & caboodle can be sacrificed to the God known as Zemo.

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!

Only the Dead Survive!

I meant to get this posted yesterday, but I suffered from laziness. After playing through Mass Effect 2, Dragon Age: Origins, Mass Effect, Dragon Age 2 and Dragon Age: Origins-Awakening (in that order), I was looking around for another thrilling gaming experience. 

Dead Space is a survival-horror, third-person shooter video game from 2008, a sequel was released this year. The player takes on the role of an engineer named Isaac Clarke, who battles a virus-like infestation which turns humans into grotesque monsters called "necromorphs", on board an interstellar mining ship named the USG Ishimura. Trivia: The lead character is named after science fiction writers Isaac Asimov and Arthur C. Clarke.

The intensity of this game is really over the top and unnerving throughout. You constantly hear scurrying sounds and peculiar noises as you make your way through the bowels of the Ishimura, and believe me, you will jump out of your skin often as the necromorph attacks occur. The high levels of gore and violence in the game all play out in stunning high definition, in particular the tactic of "strategic dismemberment" is noteworthy. The player must cut off limbs or sections of the necromorphs in order to defeat them. For example, shooting a certain type of necromorph in the head will have little effect, and it will continue attacking the player until all of its limbs are removed. Depending on how they are wounded, certain necromorphs can adopt new stances and tactics, even sprouting new limbs or giving birth to new enemies in the process.

In keeping with Isaac's profession as an engineer rather than a soldier, the weapons of Dead Space are mostly improvised from mining tools like a plasma cutter, a rotary saw, a hydrazine torch used as a flamethrower, a high powered energy beam called the contact beam, and a force cannon emitting powerful shock waves. For traditionalists, a military-grade automatic rifle is also available. All of the weapons feature a secondary-fire mode; the plasma cutter can be rotated 90 degrees for an optimal angle for more effective dismemberment of vertical limbs (such as legs on a bipedal humanoid). The player must scavenge for ammunition and other items, which are found throughout the ship or dropped by necromorphs when killed. Automated stores found throughout the ship can be accessed to buy and sell items, or store them for later use. Also the player can use work benches and spend "power nodes" to upgrade Isaac's suit and weapons.

Dead Space also features vacuum and zero gravity environments on board the Ishimura, and Isaac must navigate through them using his pressurized suit and magnetic boots. He will eventually suffocate in a vacuum or a toxic environment as his suit can only contain a limited amount of air, so the player is forced to proceed quickly in these situations. Isaac can also jump from platform to platform while in weightless environments. Some levels even lead out onto the surface of the ship's hull, where the player must watch out for floating debris that could cause Isaac to lose his footing.

You will discover that on Aegis VII, the planet that the USG Ishimura is orbiting, a deep space mining crew pulled an ancient artifact called "The Marker" from the surface, which began to affect everyone in the colony. That isn't the only danger either. Government conspiracy and cult-like mindsets also contributed to the horrors found by Isaac Clarke, as he searches for his missing girlfriend.

I have to admit that I'm working my way through this one - slowly - and during broad daylight. Laughable, sure, but trust me on this. Dead Space will scare the living shit out of you, and you'll enjoy the heck out of the experience.

At the Movies: Rise of the Planet of the Apes

Like many genre geeks of my generation, the original Planet of the Apes (and its four sequels) remains among the most fun sci-fi franchises of all time, so I was admittedly looking forward to “Rise of the Planet of the Apes” with equal parts trepidation and hope. I guess I needn't have worried, since “Rise” (fueled by an impressive motion-capture performance from Andy Serkis) just opened as the No. 1 movie in North America, earning an estimated $54 million at the box office.

It really deserves it too! Man, every review that I read seemingly sang the praises of Serkis performance as Caesar, going so far as to suggest that he should receive an Oscar nomination. I don't know if that will happen, but director Rupert Wyatt, screenwriters Rick Jaffa & Amanda Silver, and the fine folks at Weta Workshop have not only added an outstanding new chapter to the "Apes" film series, but in retconning certain aspects of the original mythology, they've improved upon it. "Rise" is an origin story set in present day San Francisco, where man's own experiments with genetic engineering to cure Alzheimer's Disease, lead to the development of intelligence in apes and the onset of a war for supremacy.

If you are familiar with the flicks from the late 1960's and 1970's, play close attention throughout "Rise" for some extremely cool homages to that classic series. These folks did their homework, and it shows! I would also have to praise James Franco, John Lithgow and Freida Pinto for ably supporting Serkis central role as Caesar, all turned in fine performances. Brian Cox, Tom Felton and David Oyelowo serve as the heavies in the film, with only the respected Cox receiving short shrift in actual screen time. I don't know if the producers intend to spin off further Apes films or not, but if the movie proves to be a hit, I wouldn't be surprised. It isn't necessary mind you, as "Rise" found a comfortable way to insert itself into established Apes history that makes elegant sense.

At this point, I would prefer not to go into more specific discussion; I would only encourage everyone to go see this movie. If you're a fan of the classic Apes, you are going to be very happy with this movie, and damn glad to forget what Tim Burton trotted out back in 2001. This film will tug at your heartstrings and then rile you up at the conclusion, but do not doubt that the Apes have risen again. Hopefully they'll stick around for another go at bat. Recommended!