Jungle Jo in "Exile Dangerous" (Star Publ.;1953)

Happy Thanksgiving, one and all! Here is an early "turkey" to whet your appetites for the bigger feast that awaits tomorrow. Jungle Jo stars in a tale entitled "Exile Dangerous" from Terrors of the Jungle #21 (Feb. 1953); originally published by Star Publications (although this feature was reprinted from an earlier 1950 Fox series called "Jungle Jo") that initially republished Jo-Jo Congo King stories, before ceding over space to this jungle lord wannabe.

As a character, Jungle Jo is really lame, and the Grand Comic Database doesn't even list any creator credits for this story. Maybe they feel the same way? Still, 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!

Jan of the Jungle in "The Glowing God" (Fiction House;1949)

In the wilderness of India, Jan the Jungle Boy encounters many dangers. Today he and his ape friend, Kaang, encounter an unfortunate incursion by "manlings" in an untitled tale from Rangers Comics #45 (Feb. 1949), originally published by Fiction House. I've christened this super-nice story, "The Glowing God", but you'll have to read until the very end to see why this was the logical choice. The story is signed "Coleman Hart", but the excellent artwork is by Enrico Bagnoli. 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!

Marga the Panther Woman in "The Plot of Buckler Borgia" (Fox;1940)

I've frequently introduced you fine folks to golden age jungle characters who've not previously appeared in the Catacombs, but today brings to a close one classic hero's run. "The Plot of Buckler Borgia" from Science Comics #6 (July 1940); originally published by Fox, features the last Marga the Panther Woman tale that I have available. There is no listed credit for James T. Royal in the GCD, and no actual creator names appear on any of the scanned pages. Chronologically this is not Marga's actual swan song, but the story does close out in such a way that it makes for a nice send off for this all but forgotten heroine - at least as far as the Catacombs is concerned. 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!

Unessential Review: Captain Victory #1 (Dynamite)

I've been enjoying the Kirby: Genesis series from Dynamite quite a bit, but frankly red flags started going up for me recently as solicitations started rolling out for a plethora of spin-off titles from this still newly launched series (based on various properties created by the late Jack " King" Kirby). All that I can say about this particular spin-off book is, thank god for websites that post preview pages of current comics (often several days or weeks before the things actually show up on the racks), because just as I had expected, this is a train wreck orchestrated by a sorry excuse of an artist.

Take a look at this great Alex Ross cover featuring the good Captain, and his Galactic Rangers. Yeah, that's nice isn't it? Ross doesn't draw the interior pages, and neither does regular Kirby: Genesis illustrator Jack Herbert. The folks at Dynamite also released this steaming mass under a few alternate covers as if to cloud the issue. Sadly, some of us still have the ability to recognize shit from Shinola. Now, put your money back in your pockets, and buy something else. THIS BOOK IS A TURD WRAPPED IN CELLOPHANE.

"Gal" Friday (or something)! Felicia Day

I've rarely missed a "Gal" Friday post. In fact, I don't think that I have - at least for a very long time - but I took Friday off from work, went way out of town with my original nuclear family (parents & brother David), and engorged myself on my favorite meal (Lexington-style barbecue). I factored in plenty of time to actually do a quickie post later on, but then settled down for the evening to play the Dragon Age 2 DLC, "Mark of the Assassin", which I had recently downloaded. End result, I was having too good a time to remember posting yesterdays "gal". So, I'm calling a weekend audible, shunting that lovely selection to another spot on the schedule, and instead going with Felicia Day. Ms. Day stars in a new web miniseries based on the popular Bioware fantasy gaming franchise Dragon Age, called Dragon Age: Redemption. She also voices her elf character "Tallis" (the protagonist from Dragon Age: Redemption) in the down loadable content "Mark of the Assassin". She is the star, script writer and producer of the original web series The Guild, a show loosely based on her life as a gamer; plus she is a member of the Board of Directors of the International Academy of Web Television.


Felicia is also a very accomplished young lady. Before she made a genre name for herself on Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Dr. Horribles Sing-Along Blog, Dollhouse and she lent her voice as Veronica Santangelo in Fallout: New Vegas; Day studied operatic singing and ballet professionally, performing at concerts and competitions nationwide. Home-schooled throughout much of her childhood, she began college at the age of 16. An accomplished violinist, Day was accepted to the Juilliard School of Music, but chose to attend the University of Texas at Austin on a full scholarship in violin performance. She double majored in mathematics and music performance. Day was a National Merit Scholar in 1995 and graduated as valedictorian of her class. She is an avid player of a wide variety of video game genres. Much of her work on The Guild web series was based on her personal experience with video games.

I have to add that I saw her at Dragoncon in Atlanta this year, where she proved to be a very popular guest. Mark of the Assassin was an excellent expansion quest for DA2, so if you've not played it yet, be prepared for some quality time (thanks in part to Felicia Day).

The Planet Comics Cover Gallery!

Here's a neat grouping of twenty covers from the popular golden age series, Planet Comics, originally published by Fiction House. The issues run from #1-7 and #11-23. Artists whose work is spotlighted here include Lou Fine, Will Eisner, Charles Sultan, Bob Powell, Nick Cardy, John Celardo and Dan Zolnerowich. The Catacombs is grateful to Don "Zu-Gogo" Falkos for providing the scans for these issues. Note: The copyright for all issues, contents and artwork belong to the original publisher and/or creators and is reproduced here solely for entertainment purposes. Enjoy!

Judy of the Jungle in "Liquid of Life" (Standard;1947)

Standard ...Better...Nedor...Pines; jeez, could Ned not make up his mind? Oh, well, regardless of the golden age identity crisis made manifest by this publisher, their stouthearted heroine Judy of the Jungle stars today in "Liquid of Life" from Exciting Comics #58 (Nov.1947); originally published sixty-four years ago by the aforementioned company of many names. Illustrations are wonderfully provided by Ralph Mayo, and I'm tossing in the terrific cover by some guy who went by the name of 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 creators and is reproduced here solely for entertainment purposes.

Enjoy!