Judy of the Jungle in "The Bull Roarer" (Standard;1949)

Birthday bash behind me, it's now time to proceed with this months "all-stars" posting. The great Ralph Mayo is credited with providing full art duties on “The Bull Roarer” starring Judy of the Jungle. This golden age adventure was originally published in Exciting Comics #67 (May 1949) by Better/Standard/Nedor. 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!

Lá breithe 50 sásta liom!

I've been having a perfectly fine 50th birthday celebration, but in all fairness I should say that I cheated and started the festivities as early as yesterday, and will probably continue on throughout the entire weekend.

Which brings me to this extraneous birthday post, solely to make an appeal to select commenter's. Anyone is welcome to post their thoughts on whatever stories or subjects I feature in the Catacombs, but over the last week, I've been peppered with more than a dozen random comments - under a variety of names - and over a wide field of previous Catacombs postings. Despite this, all of these comments have included an attached link for a range of goods, products or services. If for a single minute, I felt like these comments were truly genuine, I would allow them, but given the unusual degree of advertising to which this sudden influx of comments seems to be affiliated with, I have no intention of approving them to be seen on my blog.

Please refrain from commenting on my posts if your thoughts, feelings or criticisms are accompanied by advertising links or product placement attachments. I'm not interested in helping perpetuate Internet sales. If you just want to share your personal appreciation for something you find enjoyable here in the Catacombs, then those types of comments will be more than welcome. Please kill the spamming!

Thank you!

"Gal" Two-For-Friday!! Katharine McPhee & Maria Menounos

Tomorrow is my 50^th birthday, so as an early present for us all; I’m doubling up the fun this week with TWO official “gal” Friday picks. Lovely American Idol season 5 runner-up, Katharine McPhee rolled out her new TV series this week. “Smash” is a musical drama on the NBC network that revolves around a group of characters who come together to put on a Broadway musical based on the life of Marilyn Monroe. But before that can happen, the people who will try to bring it all together must deal with their own personal acts. McPhee stars as Karen Cartwright, alongside veteran performers Anjelica Huston, Debra Messing, Megan Hilty and Jack Davenport. My daughter actually made me watch the premiere, but I’ll admit to liking it for the most part, and Katharine McPhee was quite good in her role.

Menounos, with Mario Lopez

True to her word after losing a bet, Maria Menounos appeared (albeit briefly) wearing a Giants-themed bikini in Times Square on Monday during coverage of the newly crowned New York Giants Super Bowl Champions parade. Had the Patriots won, male co-host A.J. Calloway would have had to wear a Patriots cheerleader outfit in Times Square while hosting "Extra Live" from Times Square in the chilly New York City weather. Although she proved herself to be an able trooper, Maria was visibly uncomfortable for at least a few moments during the broadcast, and she certainly deserves props for following through with her “reveal”. Give it up for a gorgeous knockout, because who doesn’t want to see that in a bikini?

Tabu, Wizard of the Jungle in "The Lake of Sadness" (Fiction House; 1948)

Tabu, Wizard of the Jungle stars today in a previously untitled story from Jungle Comics #100 (Apr.1948); originally published by Fiction House. Maurice Whitman was the artist on this golden age adventure that I've dubbed "The Lake of Sadness". 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!

Fantomah, Daughter of the Pharaohs in "The Death of a Thousand Cuts" (Fiction House; 1942)

At this point in her golden age career, Fantomah had discarded her original super-powered, fright-masked "Mystery Woman of the Jungle" guise and had been effectively rebooted as the "Daughter of the Pharaohs." It is in this role that she stars today in a previously untitled tale that I've labeled "The Death of a Thousand Cuts" from Jungle Comics #30 (Jun.1942); originally published by Fiction House and written by ["W.B. Hovious"] and illustrated by George Appel. The great river devil splash panel really gets the action started off nicely, too. 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 creators, and is reproduced here solely for entertainment purposes. Enjoy!

Jo-Jo, Congo King in "The Feathered Serpent" (Fox; 1949)

Today's classic tale from Jo-Jo, Congo King #23 (Jan.1949); originally published by Fox Feature Syndicate, is called "The Feathered Serpent". This story opens with a terrific splash page image of Jo-Jo (and Tanee) being imperiled by the beastie of the title. Ignore the credit for "Stan Ford" (that's a company pseudonym) and although the GCD credits the artwork solely to Matt Baker, there are many panels that could easily be attributed to the great Jack Kamen, and hey – both creators worked on this feature (so it’s anyone’s guess). 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!

Read it and Weep: "Without Kirby, Marvel would cease to exist."

So on the money that it hurts to read it, but please give this link a glance.

Nyoka the Jungle Girl in "Adventure of the Lost Tribe" (Fawcett;1946)

"Adventure of the Lost Tribe" starring Nyoka the Jungle Girl is taken from Master Comics #69 (Jun.1946); originally published by Fawcett Comics. This tale written by Rod Reed and illustrated by Harry Anderson explains why Nyoka Gordon becomes highly suspicious when shady dealers offer to produce numerous artifacts from a lost South American tribe that she has been unable to locate previously, so she quickly goes on the hunt to unravel the mystery of the Murus. 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!

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!