Star Wars: The Clone Wars [Season 4]

The Complete Star Wars Saga hit stores on Friday in Blu-Ray, but before you start griping about the latest digital farting around that George Lucas has perpetrated on "his" classic films or millions of unfortunate fans desperate for a similar treatment of the original theatrical releases of the "real" trilogy. Forget about what is included, what ain't, what outta be or what the hell is up with that whole "Nooooo..." business anyway. Skip it!

The animated Star Wars: The Clone Wars debuted its fourth season also on September 16, 2011 on Cartoon Network. Set between the events of Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones and Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, the series deals with the various conflicts between the Galactic Republic and the Confederacy of Independent Systems, both being secretly manipulated by Supreme Chancellor Palpatine aka Darth Sidious, who plans to turn Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker into his next Sith apprentice. The series produced in high-definition, has made a far better use of the world of Star Wars than anything depicted in the prequel trilogy. We can at least thank Lucas for that, of course the talented animators, writers and voice actors have more to do with that than brother George and thus far, he hasn't opted to make additional changes between the earlier seasons of Clone Wars.

This season kicks off with three episodes set on the home world of the Mon Calamari race. Return of the Jedi fans will remember Admiral Ackbar, who is featured here in a supporting role as his younger self. Star Wars: The Clone Wars has gone a long way towards restoring my faith in the terrific fictional universe that Mr. Lucas created a long time ago, in universe far, far away, and certainly way back when he didn't constantly change things around every time one of his children breaks wind. Although seeing a fully CGI Yoda replace the crappy puppet in The Phantom Menace might actually coax me into watching that movie again.

Star Wars: The Clone Wars airs on The Cartoon Network every Friday at 8pm!

"Gal" Friday! Ines Sainz

Are you ready for some football?

As one of Mexico's most experienced sports journalists, Inés Sainz Gallo de Pérez has covered tennis, baseball, basketball, soccer, boxing and football from the sidelines. Her skills as an interviewer are often overshadowed by her phenomenal good looks, which to be fair, she accentuates with the right type of clothing for her slender frame. The girl really shows off her stuff to great effect!

Apparently undaunted by a 2010 media brouhaha where Ms. Sainz was subjected to "catcalls and rude comments" while waiting to conduct an interview with quarterback Mark Sanchez in the New York Jets locker room, she has returned to the arena which has made her a celebrity darling. According to Sainz, it was other media sources who made more of the incident than she did.

I say if she can let testosterone fueled behavior slide, so can I. Let's give a big round of applause for the Latina hottie, even as we add her to the Catacombs gallery (where the catcalls are truly heartfelt).

DC Comics #1's [9/14/2011]

The relaunch of the DC Comics Universe continued unabated for titles arriving on September 14, 2011. As a reminder for any mythical "new" readers out there, my breakdown of how I personally view these "nu" 52 books as a longtime reader, consists of yours truly assorting them three ways based on how I viewed them as I window shopped in the store. Stuff that I liked will be categorized as BEST OF THE BATCH (with a single favorite choice highlighted in *bold each week). Titles worthy of trying out, that didn't prompt me to purchase, will be categorized as "EASTER EGGS", and relaunched books that weren't worth the money, were poorly thought out to begin with, or that sucked fumes, well, these are unfortunately considered "GOOSE EGGS". This week I was forced to add a fourth categorization, since two titles were lost in the shuffle and I missed seeing them on the shelves. There are a hundred other titles jockeying for space, so I have no opinion to offer on stuff that I'm gonna label "M.I.A." (missing in action; nuff said).

BEST OF THE BATCH
* Green Lantern #1 (a tough call between these two)
Red Lanterns #1

EASTER EGGS

Batwoman #1

Demon Knights #1

Legion Lost #1

Mister Terrific #1

GOOSE EGGS

Batman and Robin #1

Deathstroke #1

Resurrection Man #1

Grifter #1

Superboy #1

M. I. A.

Frankenstein, Agent Of Shade #1

Suicide Squad #1

See ya' next week, and remember not to hate - To Each His Own!

White Princess of the Jungle in "The Witch Doctor Murder Cult" (Avon;1951)

It has been a while since I posted two of three tales from the second issue of White Princess of the Jungle #2 (Oct.1951), starring Taanda (the titular White Princess of the Jungle). The artwork on both of those Avon Publications stories was firmly credited to Everett Raymond Kinstler, and I know that artists Gene Fawcette & Vince Alascia also worked on this feature; but there are no creator credits listed for this specific tale entitled, "The Witch Doctor Murder Cult". My guess would be for Fawcette & Alascia, but only as a guess. Don't let the fact that the last panel does not say "The End" fool you. This is the complete seven page golden age story.

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!

In Memorium: Cliff Robertson

Academy Award winner Cliff Robertson (Best Actor; 1968) for his role in the movie Charly, passed away from natural causes on Saturday, Sept. 10, 2011 (the day after his 88th birthday). His final film role was a cameo as “Uncle Ben” in Spider-Man 3.

Robertson was personally chosen by John F. Kennedy to portray the then-Lt. Kennedy in PT 109. Some of his other films included Picnic (1955), Gidget (1959), Sunday in New York (1963), The Devil's Brigade (1968), Too Late the Hero (1970) and Three Days of the Condor (1975). He also appeared on television series such as The Twilight Zone, sci-fi series Rod Brown of the Rocket Rangers (1953–54) and he was the villainous gunfighter "Shame" on Batman.

In one of the biggest Hollywood scandals of the 1970s, Robertson was blacklisted for several years after he reported that his signature had been forged on a $10,000 check that was not due him. He learned that the forgery had been carried out by Columbia Pictures head David Begelman; it was several years before he finally returned to film in Brainstorm (1983).

A certified private pilot who owned several de Havilland Tiger Moths, a Messerschmitt Bf 108 and a genuine World War II era Mk.IX Supermarine Spitfire MK923, Robertson was airborne and piloting a private Beechcraft Baron directly over New York City on the morning of September 11, 2001. He was directly over the World Trade Center, climbing through 7,500 feet, when the first Boeing 767 struck and he was subsequently ordered by air traffic control to land immediately at the nearest airport following a nationwide order to ground all civilian and commercial aircraft following the attacks.

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

"Gal" Friday! Victoria Vetri

Before she goes away for a legally imposed sabbatical, let's say a fond farewell to a "Classic Cutie" that most of us have seen, in one shape or form, through various media outlets.

Victoria Vetri once turned down the voice dub (singing) for Natalie Wood in West Side Story (1961), not wanting to be known simply as a standby. She also auditioned for the title role in the Stanley Kubrick adaptation of Lolita, but lost the role to Sue Lyon. Using the name Angela Dorian, she was chosen as Playboy's Playmate of the Month for September 1967 and she was subsequently selected as the 1968 Playmate of the Year.

Her major movie credits include Rosemary's Baby and When Dinosaurs Ruled the Earth, but she had a longer career on television during the 1960s and 1970s, appearing in such classic TV series as Cheyenne, Wagon Train, McHale's Navy, Bonanza, Perry Mason, The Man from U.N.C.L.E., The Big Valley, Hogan's Heroes, Death Valley Days, Batman, The Courtship of Eddie's Father, Land of the Giants, Daniel Boone, Star Trek and Mission: Impossible.

Sadly, Victoria Vetri (legally known as Victoria Rathgeb) was recently convicted and sentenced to nine years in prison after being charged with attempted murder. She allegedly shot her husband from close range inside their Hollywood apartment.

All I know is that back in the day, Victoria (or Angela) was one seriously smoking hot "gal"; so adios my dear. We'll fondly recall your glory days in the Catacombs, even as you are packed away for a spell.

DC Comics #1's [9/7/2011]

sLast week's midnight meat train party for Justice League #1, was a precursor for the relaunch of the DC Comics Universe. Folks they've thrown the baby out with the bathwater, but different drivers for different strokes, or whatever. I'm not gonna grouse about their Nu-Plan, nor hold out hope that these mythical "new" readers will materialize and save the day; so here's a-what I'm a-gonna do.  Each week I'm going to breakdown how I personally view the 52 books as a longtime reader, assorting them three ways. Stuff that I like will be categorized as BEST OF THE BATCH (with a single favorite choice highlighted in *bold). Titles worthy of trying out, but that don't really interest me, will be categorized as "EASTER EGGS" and relaunched books that aren't worth the trouble, are poorly thought out, or that suck, well, these will be unfortunately considered "GOOSE EGGS" (nuff said).

BEST OF THE BATCH (9/7/2011)
*O.M.A.C. #1

GREEN ARROW #1

JUSTICE LEAGUE INTERNATIONAL #1

EASTER EGGS (9/7/2011)

BATGIRL #1

STATIC SHOCK #1

SWAMP THING #1

GOOSE EGGS (9/7/2011)

ACTION COMICS #1

ANIMAL MAN #1

BATWING #1

DETECTIVE COMICS #1

HAWK AND DOVE #1

MEN OF WAR #1

STORMWATCH #1


See ya' next week, and remember not to hate - To Each His Own!

Top 10 Defunct Comic Book Publishers [Honorable Mention]: Star*Reach Publications

As promised last week, here is a "bonus" nominee for my Top 10 Defunct Comic Book Publishers list. This company may have had titles accessible in regular bookstores or in head shops back in the 1970s, but I only got my issues through mail order. It was always cool getting these issues, too.

Star Reach (also spelled Star*Reach) was an influential, science fiction and fantasy comics anthology published from 1974 to 1979 by Mike Friedrich. One of the first mainstream independent comic books, and the first with any significant distribution, Star*Reach bridged the gap between counterculture underground comix and traditional newsstand fare, providing mature genre stories for an adult-oriented audience. Star*Reach was also a forerunner of the modern graphic novel, and of the 1980s' rise of independent comics.

Eighteen issues were released between 1974 and 1979. Notable contributors included talented up-and-comers plus established Marvel and DC writers & artists such as Howard Chaykin, Jim Starlin, Steve Englehart, Michael T. Gilbert, Dave Sim, Steve Skeates, Mary Skrenes, Len Wein, Neal Adams, Frank Brunner, Gene Day, Dick Giordano, Steve Leialoha, Al Milgrom, Dean Motter, Michael Netzer, P. Craig Russell, Walt Simonson, Ken Steacy, Joe Staton, Mike Vosburg, John Workman and Barry Windsor-Smith. It also included prose short stories by such respected authors as Roger Zelazny, who wrote the 13-page "The Doors Of His Face, The Lamps Of His Mouth", with illustrations by Gray Morrow for Star*Reach #12 (March 1978).

Friedrich's company grew into a small publishing house, called Star*Reach Publications, that published the comic book series Quack, Imagine and Lee Marrs' Pudge, Girl Blimp, along with an assortment of one-shot comics. The company ceased publishing in 1979.

In Memorium: Dave Hoover

Comic book artist Dave Hoover apparently passed away on September 5, 2011. His most notable work was on DC Comics' The Wanderers limited series (1988) and a lengthy run on the 1988 Starman; plus Marvel Comics' 1993 mini-series The Invaders and Captain America. Hoover originally started his career in animation, first as a layout artist for Filmation Studios from 1977–1985. In recent years Hoover established himself as one of the premiere "good-girl" artists working today, with regular auctions of his cheesecake sketches on eBay keeping his fans happy.

I just saw the guy in Baltimore a couple of weeks ago, so hearing about his untimely passing is really sad to me. The Catacombs extends its sincerest condolences to his family, friends and fans. Rest in peace!

The Art of Reading: "Pantha and the Golden Idol" (Standard;1948)

Today I'm debuting a new, semi-regular feature here in the Catacombs called The Art of Reading. Golden age comics typically included short stories, usually accompanied by a panel or two of artwork in order to qualify for magazine mailing rates. These two page filler tales served their purpose well enough, but in the absence of any eye-appealing art (as was often the case), I doubt that many kids gave them the time of day.

"Pantha and the Golden Idol" is from Thrilling Comics #68 (Oct.1948); originally published by the house of many names: Better/Standard/Nedor/Pines. The script is credited to Charles S. Strong and the pair of terrific panels are illustrated by Art Saaf. Princess Pantha decides to investigate the reasons why white men are presenting a golden statue to her friends of the M'Tongo tribe. This classic short tale was previously reprinted in AC Comics Men of Mystery Comics #69 (1999 series), but I believe that was a black & white book. Here you get to enjoy Art Saaf's lovely line work in glorious full-color (as it really should be seen). The bonus painted front cover is by the legendary Alex Schomburg. 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!

Dragon*Con Photo Report!!

To be fair, since my attendance at this years Atlanta Dragon*Con was more akin to a traditional family outing (albeit in a sci-fi/fantasy setting), I deferred to the "kids" activity preferences and as a result, didn't end up snapping as many cellphone photos as I may have otherwise. Didn't detract from the level of fun, in fact the four of us had a terrific time at the 25th annual show.

I succeeded in getting autographed photos with the six celebs that I had earmarked for some personal attention. Let me say that as lovely as Tricia Helfer, Eliza Dushu, Elvira and Laura Vandervoort are on television, the small screen really doesn't do them justice. All of these talented ladies are even more beautiful in the flesh. Helfer seems really genuine in person and I'm even more enamored of her after chatting with her at the con. Elvira is just simply awesome, man what a cool lady. Dushku is sweet, but comes across as a bit shy and that's okay; she had heavy security, who knows why? [Psst,  you guys think she heard about my "grabassing" comments?]  Laura Vandervoort possesses an ethereal level of beauty that is just off the charts, plus she's a very nice girl. A killer combo, even if she weren't a good actress. 

As for the gentlemen, what can you say about icons like Ernest Borgnine and Martin Landau? Just look at a sampling of their resumes. Borgnine: From Here to Eternity, Vera Cruz, Bad Day at Black Rock, Marty [Academy Award], McHale's Navy, The Flight of the Phoenix, The Dirty Dozen, Ice Station Zebra, The Wild Bunch, The Poseidon Adventure, The Black Hole, Escape from New York, etc. Landau: North by Northwest, Cleopatra, The Greatest Story Ever Told, Nevada Smith, Mission: Impossible, They Call Me MISTER Tibbs, Space: 1999, Meteor, Tucker: The Man and His Dream, Ed Wood [Academy Award], The Majestic, etc. The great thing about these two fine "old school" actors is that they were both extremely approachable. I really enjoyed speaking with each of them and was grateful for a chance to see them in person. I also finally took the time to grab an autographed photo of veteran actor Edward James Olmos, who is just one of those super-cool guys; so now I've added a nice pic of "Admiral Adama" to my wall. I really miss Battlestar: Galactica on the tube, and Olmos says that he does too.

Enjoy these few shots that I took at Dragon*Con 2011. The two girls in a couple of the photos are my daughters, Ashley & Stacy. My son Ian managed to avoid having his picture taken in Atlanta (darn him), but he was there having a great time along with us. The interior glass elevator photo was taken by me looking up towards the top of the Marriott Marquis, a great building, and only one of the five hotels across which the show spills. Believe me, my bones are aching a bit today from trudging between them yesterday. Enjoy!

Dragon*Con Celebrates 25th Anniversary!!

This year, Dragon*Con celebrates its 25th Anniversary on September 2-5, 2011, in Atlanta, GA. It’s the largest multimedia, popular culture convention focusing on science fiction and fantasy, gaming, comics, literature, art, music, and film in the universe! With so much programming, sessions and events; you literally can’t even begin to take all of Dragon*Con in, even with four days of effort.

I’m heading that way tomorrow for a day trip with all three of my grown children. This will be the first convention that we’ve visited at the same time since they were wee tykes. I’ll miss my usual traveling companions, brother David and buddy Burt, but hopefully the three of us will be back in the saddle again soon.

There are just too many comic book and celebrity guests to mention, so here are the six famous folks who I most hope to chat with while attending the 25th anniversary Dragon*Con: Ernest Borgnine, Eliza Dushku, Elvira, Tricia Helfer, Martin Landau and Laura Vandervoort. That group represents four of my previous "Gal" Friday favorites and two men who've logged more classic Hollywood appearances than damn near every other guest combined. Heck, these six alone were featured performers in genre shows such as Disney's The Black Hole, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Battlestar: Galactica, Space: 1999, classic Mission: Impossible, Smallville, the relaunched "V" and well, Elvira.

Wish me luck, and please say a quiet prayer for the unfortunate cosplaying females who will fall victim to my “grabassing” tendencies (just kidding). Maybe!