Lance Hale in "The Lizard Men" (Lev Gleason; 1940)

I felt like adding a bonus post today, so here it is! Lance Hale went through several high concept revisions back in the golden age. He was conversely a space hero, he was a jungle lord who preferred the wilds to civilization, and he was occasionally more of a superhero. In this appearance from Silver Streak Comics #4 (May 1940); originally published by Lev Gleason, he's a red-headed soldier of fortune/explorer who discovers an underground kingdom imperiled by "The Lizard Men" and he even manages to acquire special powers by stepping into a mystic flame like "Ayesha" in the classic H.R. Haggard novel, SHE. Alas, this pulp-inspired story has no identified creator credits. The Catacombs acknowledges "The Digital Comic Museum", as the source of this classic comic 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!

Camilla, Queen of the Lost Empire in "Assault and Fury" (Fiction House; 1941

I’m edging closer to the culmination of the tales of the “Queen of the Lost Empire” period of today’s heroine, Camilla. Just a few more these posts, and we will start seeing more of her longer running jungle girl adventures (drawn by the likes of Nick Cardy and George Tuska). It's some early work from those silver age legends, but great looking stuff, that I know you’re going to like. This Camilla story is from Jungle Comics #21 (Sept.1941); originally published by Fiction House, and illustrated by Tom Gill. I’m calling this previously untitled golden age classic “Assault and Fury.” 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 Doomed World" (Fox; 1949)

This fine golden age adventure is from the last issue of Jo-Jo, Congo King (#29; July 1949); originally published by Fox. After this “Hail Mary”, the series changed format to a romance comic. Jo-Jo reappeared in 1950, but he was renamed Jungle Jo. "The Doomed World" is illustrated by the great Jack Kamen. The Catacombs acknowledges "The Digital Comic Museum", as the source of this classic comic 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!

In Memorium: Michael Clarke Duncan

Michael Clarke Duncan passed away yesterday at the age of fifty-four, never having fully recovered from a mid-July heart attack. His larger than life presence graced many popular action-oriented genre films including Armageddon, The Green Mile, The Whole Nine Yards, Planet of the Apes, The Scorpion King, Daredevil, Sin City, The Island, Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby, The Last Mimzy, Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins, Kung Fu Panda (voice), and Green Lantern (voice of Kilowog). He also turned in fine work in comedy and drama, culminating in his 1999 Academy Award nomination for "The Green Mile" based on the original Stephen King novel, as Best Supporting Actor. He appeared in numerous television guest roles, and provided voice work in many animated series, films and video games. The Catacombs extends its sincerest condolences to his family, friends and fans.

Wild Boy in "The Coming of Daro" (Ziff-Davis; 1951)

Wild Boy stars in “The Coming of Daro” from Wild Boy #5 (Dec.1951); originally published by Ziff-Davis, and featuring artwork by Frank Kramer. This story tells how Wild Boy first found his trusted black panther. I'm including this issues back cover illustration, also of "Daro", which may be the work of Norman Saunders (since he painted the front cover). The Catacombs is grateful to Don "Zu-Gogo" Falkos for providing the scans for these stories. 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!

"I Tumbled to Temptation" (St. John; 1952)

I'm heading to Atlanta, GA tomorrow for a one day visit to Dragoncon. Lots of Hollywood stars from every genre franchise known to man, plus a handy assortment of comics industry folks, authors, scientists and media hype to the max. Wish me luck!  Here is a brief two-page short from Wartime Romances #9 (Sept.1952); originally published by St. John, with art by the great Matt Baker. The Catacombs acknowledges "The Digital Comic Museum", as the source of this classic comic 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!

"Gal" Friday! Platinum Blond

In contemporary popular culture, it is often stereotyped that men find blond women more attractive than women with other hair colors. That’s not true for me, although I like blondes as much as the next guy, brunettes predominantly float my boat. These fair-haired maidens are believed to have more fun, they can be perceived as being less serious or less intelligent, etc. Who cares? An awesome blonde bombshell is always a sight to behold, and as I'm currently jockeying about eight potential “gal” Friday choices (and was struggling over which delicacy to highlight first), I’ve opted to go with yet another random pick whose identity eludes me. If a picture is worth a thousand words, take a gander at this luscious lady and let me know if I chose wisely. She’s all kinds of “yummy”!

Zero, Ghost Detective in "The Caretaker's Ghost" (Quality; 1942)

Here is a cool bonus story for you! Zero, Ghost Detective would exterminate evil ghosts by any means necessary. He would also help the ghosts of the innocent bring their killers to justice. These ghosts were drawn to him, as he was drawn to them. Other than that, he had no magical abilities, but he did possess an extensive knowledge of occult lore. If that failed, he would fall back on conventional detective work. Zero was fairly good at improvising on the spot. “The Caretaker’s Ghost” is from Feature Comics #59 (Aug. 1942); originally published by Quality, and illustrated by Al Bryant. The Catacombs acknowledges "The Digital Comic Museum", as the source of this classic comic 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!

Voodah in "Plot of the Gorilla Masters" (McCombs; 1948)

The golden age African warrior, Voodah, from Crown Comics was eventually changed into just another white jungle lord in a loincloth. The reasoning behind this transformation is lost to the ages, but such is life. This previously untitled story that I’m calling “Plot of the Gorilla Masters” from Crown Comics #15 (Nov.1948); originally published by McCombs Publications, was written by Ken Fitch and drawn by Anthony Cataldo. Voodah faces a great band of gorillas led by two men in gorilla suits who attack the Unyoro village and kill or capture half the tribe. 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!