Sheena, Queen of the Jungle in "The Voodoo Beasts of Changra-Lo" (Fiction House;1949)

Sheena, Queen of the Jungle stars in "The Voodoo Beasts of Changra-Lo" from Jumbo Comics #124 (Jun.1949); originally published by Fiction House, with art by Robert Webb. The story title comes from that issues cover blurb. 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!

[ANNOUNCEMENT] Cave Girl in "Altar of the Axe" (Magazine Enterprises; 1954)

Folks, I will hit the half century mark this month and as a personal form of celebration, I plan on deploying what I refer to as the Catacombs “All-Stars” for your reading pleasure. During the course of this blog I have tried to maintain my golden age jungle postings in as linear a timeline as possible, with only an occasional foray coming outside of the established publishing sequence for each feature; however I fully intend to step away from that conceit for the entire month of February 2012. Instead, I will present some of the very best looking adventure stories remaining in the archives (thanks to Don "Zu-Gogo" Falkos), regardless of when they were originally published, and there are literally hundreds to choose from - so I hope you all enjoy the selections this month. As for which characters will comprise my impromptu lineup of “all-stars”; well prepare for some REALLY cool tales starring Cave Girl (who kicks things off today), Fantomah, Jo-Jo, Judy of the Jungle, Ka’a’nga, Nyoka, Princess Pantha, Rulah, Red Panther, Samar, Sheena, Tabu, Thun’da, Tiger Girl, Tor, Voodah and Wambi over the next few weeks. Please, stay tuned!

Cave Girl is captured by elephant-riding Amazons in the bondage-themed "Altar of the Axe" from Cave Girl #13 (Jul-Sept.1954); originally published by Magazine Enterprises. This terrific tale is written by Gardner Fox and illustrated by Bob Powell. 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: Al Rio

Dawnstar of the Legion of Super-Heroes by Al Rio

Details are certainly unclear at this point, but it is being reported that popular Brazilian artist Al Rio died yesterday, reportedly by suicide. The highly talented Mr. Rio worked for a variety of American publishers over the years including Marvel Comics, DC Comics, Dark Horse Comics, Chaos Comics, Image Comics, Zenescope Comics, Malibu Comics, Wildstorm Comics, Crossgen, and Vertigo on such series as Dungeon Siege, Grimm Fairy Tales, Avengelyne, Voodoo, Grifter and the Mask, Secret Files,WildC.A.T.S., X-Men Unlimited, Captain America, Star Wars - A New Hope, Purgatori, Titan A.E., Exposure, Knockout, Mystic, Peter Parker - Spider Man, Spider-Man, Threshold, Jungle Girl and New Mutants Forever. In addition to voluminous amounts of prints or sketch books, Rio stayed perpetually busy on private commissions of mostly beautiful cheesecake type imagery of established media or genre characters. The Catacombs extends its sincerest condolences to his family, friends and worldwide fans.

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

Wild Boy stars in “The Slavers" from Wild Boy #4 (Oct.1951); originally published by Ziff-Davis, and featuring the artwork of Paul Parker. Today, Wild Boy falls victim to that staple of the jungle adventure genre, a roving band of Arabs who specialize in human trafficking. His regular animal pals are present too, but the panther "Timba" is referred to as "Dara" for this outing. 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!

Bantor, Monarch of the Jungle in "Revolt of the Jungle Monsters" (Star Publ;1953)

 “Revolt of the Jungle Monsters” is taken from Terrors of the Jungle #6 (Sept.1953), originally published by Star Publications. Briefly billed as the erstwhile "Monarch of the Jungle", Bantor (and his mate, Zenta) actually proved merely to be a one-shot couple; so this was their only golden age appearance. The artist on this feature was Jay Disbrow. 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!

"Gal" Friday! Claudia Bassols

Oh, baby! Check out this luscious Spaniard, currently featured as "Maggie" on the sit-com "Rob" (opposite comedian Rob Schneider). Claudia Bassols appeared with Amber Tamblyn in the 2007 film Blackout; and in 2008 was featured in the PBS series “Spain... on the road Again” alongside diverse celebrities such as Mario Batali, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Mark Bittman. In 2009, Bassols filmed a lead role in the The Eagle Path with Jean-Claude Van Damme. Although the film was screened at Cannes in 2010, it will finally be released on home video in 2012. As a student, her drama studies carried her to such locales as Paris, London, Los Angeles, the University of North Carolina at Wilmington, and at the National Institute of Dramatic Art. She also studied English language and literature at the University of Barcelona. It's doubtful that her gig on "Rob" will stick around too terribly long, so if you want to get a peek at this smoking hot "gal", better hurry.

Dr. Voodoo in "The Castle of Doom" (Fawcett; 1942)

In the jungles of Brazil, Dr. Hal Carey's parents gave their lives tending to the natives of a tribe called the Blancas (because they were “white Indians“), and raised their son Hal to take over for them after they died. Shortly after this happened, Hal (later christened Dr. Voodoo) became the leader of the tribe. During his golden age career Dr. Voodoo's adventure were very well drawn by noted golden age artist Mac Raboy. The stories were like those of Prince Valiant, only set in a jungle, with Hal facing everything from headhunters to tribes of giants and dragons. This short tale is listed as "The Castle of Doom" in the Grand Comics Database, and was chapter nine of the extended “Golden Flask Quest” from Whiz Comics #26 (Jan.1942); originally published by Fawcett, with art by Mark Schneider; but the story title is also used in the next issue blurb at story’s end. 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!

The Tarzan Cover Gallery!

In the early 1970s, DC Comics acquired the license to publish comics starring Tarzan of the Apes, and then continued the numbering from the previous Gold Key Comics series. Here are the first fifteen covers starring the classic Edgar Rice Burroughs creation from #207 (Apr.1972) through #221 (Jul.1973); all illustrated by the legendary Joe Kubert, and with perfectly muted and sensational coloring by Tatjana Wood. Believe me, you'll see nothing of this caliber in the new Dynamite Entertainment series, "Lord of the Jungle" title. Enjoy!