Rayboy's Review: FCBD "Top 10"!!

If Newsarama can get away with listing their top ten reasons why every time Marvel or DC breaks wind it somehow smells like daisies, then so can I. Forty-two individual titles were available for fans who stopped by their local comic book shop last Saturday for "Free Comic Book Day 2012", and that's not counting Hero Clix figures and other remaindered items that the individual shop owners may have offered. Of course not every store carried every single book, but still forty-two books - free for the taking. It's quite an annual event for geeks of all ages, and to be honest, most of my picks for this years top ten fall comfortably within the all-ages purview. 

A number of publishers released two books (and props to them for showcasing as much of their products as possible), but frankly several of this years titles were issued in an anthology format and this didn't work out too well in my opinion. I understand why the publishers opt for this style of presentation, it gives more of a taste of the variety of product that they offer, but frankly the books that featured full issue and/or self-contained stories stood out from the pack simply for being a complete read. While select genres can benefit from this format, not everything lends itself to being fragmented. The New 52 from DC is a prime example.


Without further ado here are the books that I felt deserved the accolade of top ten status (in no particular order): Bongo Comics Free-for-All; Marvel Comics, The Avengers: Age of Ultron; Archaia Entertainment, Mouse Guard: Labyrinth and Other Stories; Oni Press, Yo Gabba Gabba!; Hermes Press, My Favorite Martian; Archie Comics, Sonic the Hedgehog; Boom Entertainment, The Hypernaturals; Viz, Voltron Force: Shelter From the Storm; Fantagraphics, Donald Duck Family Comics; Diamond Distributors, 2000 AD Judge Dredd Special; and my "Honorable Mention Choice" goes to Gemstone Publishing, Overtreet Comic Book Marketplace.


The Mouse Guard hardback book was easily this years best offering in presentation alone, and it even managed to showcase several worthy series from the publisher in an anthology format (so it can effectively be done). You will note that several choices were complete stories (Avengers, Voltron Force, Sonic) and a few reprinted work by classic writers and artists (Dan Spiegle in My Favorite Martian, Carl Barks in Donald Duck, Alan Moore in 2000 AD), plus the Overstreet Marketplace book nicely covered the history of horror comics. No matter how you slice it or what your personal preferences are, this year there was truly something for everybody. We should all be grateful to the publishers, distributors, creators and hundreds of comic shop proprietors for gifting us with another Free Comic Book Day to remember.

Dr. Voodoo in "Captured by Black Marco" (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. Dr. Voodoo's adventures 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 from Whiz Comics #27 (Feb.1942); originally published by Fawcett, "Captured by Black Marco" written by Otto Binder and with art by Mark Schneider, was chapter ten of the extended “Golden Flask Quest”. 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!

Avengers Assemble!!

Marvel Studios pulled off a historic coup at the box office this weekend with the opening of “The Avengers” featuring an entire slate of iconic characters. Combined with the returns from its earlier European release, the blockbuster has raked in $641 million dollars in twelve days, and that’s just for starters. The foundations for this massive undertaking began with the 2003 release of “The Hulk” and its 2008 sequel “The Incredible Hulk” along with “Iron Man” in 2008, “Iron Man 2” in 2010, finally “Thor” and “Captain America: The First Avenger” in 2011. Director Joss Whedon scored big with a topnotch cast uniting all of the big stars from those films: Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner, Tom Hiddleston, Samuel L. Jackson, Clark Gregg, Stellan Skarsgård, Gwyneth Paltrow and two new ensemble members: Cobie Smulders and Mark Ruffalo taking over the role of Bruce Banner/ The Hulk in spectacular fashion.

It proved to a worthy effort beyond the sheer amount of earned dollars. Nick Fury (Jackson) as director of an international peace keeping agency called S.H.I.E.L.D. pulls together a who's who of superheroes to save the world from disaster, with Iron Man (Downey Jr.), The Incredible Hulk (Ruffalo), Thor (Hemsworth), Captain America (Evans), Hawkeye (Renner) and Black Widow (Johannson), answering the call when global security is threatened by Thor’s evil brother Loki and his alien cohorts, the Chitauri. Every character gets a proper moment to shine and all of the actors play well together, plus there are some real crowd-pleasing scenes that will bring a smile to your face. As is usually the case, stick around for a couple of post-credit  moments including a brief teaser for the eventual sequel that features an awesome villain that only true Marvel fans will recognize.

I won’t go into further details lest I spoil the flick for anyone, but I highly recommend that you give this film a chance to win you over. However as an aside, I feel for the longtime fans who’ve called for a boycott of this movie in support of the Jack Kirby estate. Jack “King” Kirby died in 1994 and as the co-creator of Captain America, Thor, The Hulk, Iron Man, and The Avengers, Kirby was the single most influential figure in the early days of Marvel Comics. His influence extended beyond his artistic contributions as well, with his personal point of view and philosophy of drawing reflected throughout the entire publishing company. It is Marvels sad legacy that they have neglected to enshrine the “King” with as much lavish accolades as they did with his writing partner Stan Lee. Rather than boycott the film and deny yourself the entertainment, keep calling on Disney (the current owner of Marvel Comics) to finally make things right with the Kirby Estate. In all likelihood “The Avengers” will be a billion dollar box office titan in short order, and there will be no better time for the company to put this stain to rest and honor the late creator of so many classic characters. It would be the “heroic” thing to do. And shame on Stan Lee for his recent comments that he didn’t know how they would list Jack Kirby in the films credits, since his old partner hadn’t produced any of the previous films based on his creations. Hey, Stan, you’ve claimed sole credit long enough, and nobody is particularly buying that shit anymore, so grow a pair and come clean for once in your well-heeled life. Nuff said!

The Art of Reading: "Judy and the Monkey Hunters" (Standard;1949)

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 2-3 page text pieces served their purpose well enough, but in the absence of any eye-appealing artwork (as was often the case), I doubt that many kids gave them the time of day. The script on “Judy and the Monkey Hunters” which was originally published in Exciting Comics #68 (Jul.1949) by Better/Standard/Nedor, is credited to Charles S. Strong (probably a bogus company alias) but the attached panels are illustrated by Art Saaf. 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! Cobie Smulders

Canadian actress Cobie Smulders is best known for her role as “Robin Scherbatsky” on the CBS television series How I Met Your Mother and she will doubtless earn some new fans with her role as S.H.I.E.L.D. agent  Maria Hill in the blockbuster film The Avengers. Trivia: She was originally on the short list for “The Avengers” director Joss Whedon’s earlier attempt to mount a “Wonder Woman” theatrical film. Smulders' first role was in the Showtime science fiction series Jeremiah, and she has appeared in several television series since, including a recurring part in The L Word. Good looking girl, even if I can’t stand her sit-com.

Judy of the Jungle in "Kraal of the Crocodiles" (Standard;1949)

The great Ralph Mayo is credited with providing full art duties on “Kraal of the Crocodiles” starring Judy of the Jungle. This golden age adventure was originally published in Exciting Comics #68 (Jul.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!

Free Comic Book Day 2012!!

The clock is ticking, so in three days wend your way to your local comic book shop and grab a stack of freebies. Free Comic Book Day 2012 coincides with this weeks opening of the big budget feature film "The Avengers" starring Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner, Tom Hiddleston and Samuel L. Jackson reprising their roles from previous tent pole Marvel Studios films. Its the ultimate franchise picture for comic book fans (and by all accounts a well done blockbuster from director Joss Whedon). Of course, Marvel is wisely tossing in a FCBD title built around the current Avengers lineup, but for me one of the best aspects of FCBD is the availability of numerous all-ages fare from a variety of publishers (all of whom contribute to and support this annual event); and all absolutely free. To be fair, the shop owners actually buy these books and everyone should keep this in mind, as it gives the shops a chance to promote their stores. Most usually have sales and other events to pull in the crowds.  Sadly, it looks like my usual posse and I will be missing this years FCBD. My misfortune shouldn't bar any of you from having a good time, so get out there on Saturday and support your local sheriff or something!

Ghanga the Elephant Boy in "The Poachers" (Buster Brown;1951)

This late golden age story called “The Poachers” starring Ghanga the Elephant Boy is taken from Buster Brown Comic Book #23 (Spring 1951); originally published the Buster Brown Shoe Co. and written by Hobart Donavan and illustrated by Ray Willner. 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 publishers and/or the creators and is reproduced here solely for entertainment purposes. Enjoy!

Auro, Lord of Jupiter in "Land of the Sun People" (Fiction House; 1942)

Looks like I can squeeze in one more post this month before we ready ourselves for May 2012, and the honor falls to Auro, Lord of Jupiter who returns today in a story from Planet Comics #21 (Nov.1942); originally published by Fiction House and illustrated by Rafael Astarita. There was no official title for this golden age classic, thus I've christened it "Land of the Sun People". The bonus cover artwork is by Dan Zolnerowich. These scans are from microfiche so bear with me a bit, some of the microfiche scans that I have for this feature are ruined beyond my ability to post them, and that's too bad since the character often had really good artists working on the stories. 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! Katie Vernola

Click me to embiggen!

It appears that I've backed into somewhat of a theme lately, as this weeks "gal" Friday selection shares an over the shoulder view (like last weeks pick) that shows off a spectacular rump, while teasing everything else. Katie Vernola was the Playmate of the Month for June 2010 in Hef's classic magazine, Playboy. She is a native California girl who is very active on Twitter and Facebook, where she regularly posts new pics for her adoring fans. As I often do here in the Catacombs, I "highly" encourage you to perform a web search for even more revealing images of this luscious blond. Cold showers are at your personal discretion!

Thun'da in "Jungle Killers!" (Magazine Enterprises;1952)

Thun'da headlines a story called "Jungle Killers!" from Thun'da, King of the Congo #2 (1952); originally published by Magazine Enterprises and illustrated by Bob Powell. Bill Black's AC Comics reprinted this classic in black & white in Power of Strongman #1 (1989). 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!