Thun'da in "The White Goddess of Kotangu!" (ME;1952)

Frank Frazetta would have been a tough act for anyone to follow even in the golden age, but the art duties on Thun'da, King of the Congo had to fall to someone, and Bob Powell (also this issues cover artist) was the lucky guy who succeeded him on this feature. This story called "The White Goddess of Kotangu!" is from Thun'da #2 (1952); originally published by Magazine Enterprises. Bill Black's AC Comics reprinted this classic in black & white in Thrilling Wonder Tales #1 (1991), but here it is in full color straight from the source. 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!

The Art of Reading: "King of the Congo Beasts" (Fiction House;1950)

The Art of Reading: Golden age comics usually included short text stories, often accompanied by a panel or two of artwork, in order to qualify for cheaper magazine mailing rates. These 2-3 page filler tales served their purpose well enough, but in the absence of any eye-appealing art (as could be the case), I doubt that many kids gave them the time of day. Today’s two-page story is from Kaänga #3 (Spring 1950); originally published by Fiction House. The script for “King of the Congo Beasts” is credited to Frank Riddell. 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 belongs to the original publisher and/or the creators and is reproduced here solely for entertainment purposes. Enjoy!

"Gal" Friday & "Classic Cutie"!! Stefania Sandrelli

Brunettes will continue to dominate Fridays for the month of February, so buyer beware. It has been a while since I selected a “Classic Cutie” for my regular “Gal” Friday feature, and since my 50th birthday approaches, it is my party and I’ll cry if I want too. This luscious blast from the past really makes me shed tears. Italian actress Stefania Sandrelli is famous for her many roles in the commedia all'Italiana (a film genre of Italian-style comedy). Her career began with the 1961 film, The Fascist, and she was only fifteen years old when she starred in Divorce, Italian Style, opposite Marcello Mastroianni that same year. Her film resume also includes Seduced and Abandoned, The Conformist, Devil in the Brain, Somewhere Beyond Love, 1900, Of Love and Shadows, Stealing Beauty, A Talking Picture and many other international favorites. The important thing to remember about Stefania is that she was quite generous in showing skin, and hers is well worth checking out. What a lovely woman she was, and she truly aged gracefully over the years. If you only speak English and subtitled movies don’t turn you off, seek out her fine film work or cut to the chase and Google an image search. Ciao!

Voodah in "Shrine of the Sun Goddess" (McCombs;1948)

I have mentioned before that the golden age African warrior, Voodah, from Crown Comics was eventually altered by either the publisher, artists or colorists into just another white jungle lord in a loincloth. What the reasoning behind this transformation truly was is lost to the ages, but needless to say the forward thinking that had first allowed original creator Matt Baker to present a golden age black adventure hero had long since run its course. This previously untitled story that I’m calling “Shrine of the Sun Goddess” from Crown Comics #14 (Aug.1948); originally published by McCombs Publication, was drawn by artist Anthony Cataldo (with possible facial touch-ups by Ruben Moreira). 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!

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.