"Gal" Friday! Briana Evigan

Last months slate of luscious blonds gives way to a bevy of bodacious brunettes for the entire month of October, and these lovely ladies will all cast their spell on you, so cozy right on up for this week’s official "gal" Friday selection. Briana Evigan is best known for her role as ‘Andie West” in Step Up 2: The Streets (one of those dim-witted dance flicks marketed to what currently passes for wayward youth). Her father, actor Greg Evigan enjoyed a lengthy, but modest career in mid-level television series and low-grade feature films, but he deserves high praise  for producing this smoking hot young lass [thanks for that, Greg]. He is probably best known for his TV series “B.J. and the Bear” and “My Two Dads.” Briana is also a noted “Scream Queen” for starring in many horror, and thriller films such as Sorority Row, Burning Bright, Mother's Day, The Devil's Carnival, Stash House, and upcoming thriller Mine Games; all of which earns her a coveted spot in the Catacombs, which is only fair, since old dog or not, I covet the living hell out of her!

Lance Storm in "Claws of the Green Girl" (Ribage; 1953)

Long-time visitors to the Catacombs know that I tend to make select posts during the month of October that reflect a “Halloween” kind of vibe. I realize that sometimes those efforts can become a little blurred, but them’s the breaks, right? Lance Storm was a crime fighter and criminal psychologist who investigated a wide range of baffling cases during his heyday in the 1950s, often pitted against his personal nemesis Professor Zarno. Karswell featured this classic character several times back in 2008 over at his “The Horrors of It All” blog (see my links section), but I’m not sure if he posted this particular story, so I hope you like it as the first of this years “Catacombs Chillers”. “Claws of the Green Girl” is from Crime Mysteries #5 (Jan.1953); originally published by Ribage; minus any available 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 the creators and is reproduced here solely for entertainment purposes. Enjoy!

South Sea Girl in "Murder Goes Native" (Leader/Universal; 1947)

Matt Baker draws "South Sea Girl" from Seven Seas Comics #4 (1947), originally published by Leader Enterprises/Universal Phoenix Features, and written by Manning Lee Stokes (credited as “Thorne Stevenson”). South Sea Girl (unseen in the Catacombs since November 2011) was also known as Alani, and she differed from most jungle girls in both her location, and her usual garb, a sarong (inspired by the popular Dorothy Lamour “Road” films). This classic golden age adventure is titled “Murder Goes Native”. 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 the creators and is reproduced here solely for entertainment purposes. Enjoy!

Tabu in "Temple of the Green Buddha" (Fiction House; 1941)

According to legend, Tabu once saved an old witch-doctor from a terrible death and in return for the favor, the witch-doctor granted Tabu extra abilities which made him supreme in the jungle. He can leap higher than a leopard, soar through the winds with more speed than an eagle, and dart through waters more swiftly than a shark. In addition to his human intelligence and his long experience with wildlife, he has a sixth sense that has made him a wizard of the jungle and a foe of all that is evil and unjust. He stars today in a previously untitled adventure that I’m calling “Temple of the Green Buddha” from Jungle Comics #19 (July 1941); originally published by Fiction House and illustrated by Joe Doolin. 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!

"The Flame Goddess" (Avon; 1951)

It's October, and for some reason I felt like a sci-fi post today, but at least this nifty late golden age thriller seems cut from the jungle girl genre too. "The Flame Goddess" was originally published by Avon in Strange Worlds #3 (June 1951); ably illustrated by Sid Greene. AC Comics later reprinted it in Barbarians and Beauties #1 (1990). 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 publisher and/or creators and is reproduced here solely for entertainment purposes. Enjoy!

The Woman in Red in "The Owens Mob Strikes" (Standard; 1942)

Policewoman Peggy Allen debuted as “The Woman in Red” in Thrilling Comics #2 (March 1940). Frustrated by the limitations of her job, Peggy created her secret identity wearing a red, floor-length coat, hood, and mask to get around pesky legalities and actually confront lawbreakers directly, although she did exercise the police officer's prerogative of packing heat. The Woman in Red never made a cover appearance, despite appearing regularly until her last hurrah in issue #46 (February 1945), although she managed to appear in the first couple of issues (plus a headshot on the covers) of America's Best Comics, an anthology title where the publisher got a little extra mileage out of its most popular characters. “The Owens Mob Strikes” is from Thrilling Comics #25 (Feb.1942); originally published by Better/Standard/Nedor; written by Richard Hughes and illustrated by George Mandel & Kin Platt. 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 publisher and/or creators and is reproduced here solely for entertainment purposes. Enjoy!

"Gal" Friday! Marilyn Monroe

Actress, model, and singer, Marilyn Monroe became a major sex symbol in a string of successful films during the 1950s and early 1960s, before her untimely passing at the age of thirty-six in August of 1962. Much has been written about the truly iconic “Norma Jeane Mortenson” but whether your fascination leans towards her fine comedic talents, her smoldering onscreen sexuality, her tempestuous public relationships, or her troubled upbringing as a foster child, Marilyn surely made one hell of an impact. Just a few of her notable movies include The Asphalt Jungle, All About Eve, Monkey Business, Clash by Night, Niagara, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, How to Marry a Millionaire, The Seven Year Itch, Bus Stop, Some Like it Hot, and The Misfits. She famously became the first pin-up for "Playboy" magazine when a calendar photograph (taken in 1949 while she was a struggling model) was recycled. As I promised last week, here is this “Classic Cutie” immortalized by photographer Bert Stern (originally for Vogue magazine). Published after her death, this image was part of session that became known as 'The Last Sitting'. They don’t really make them like Marilyn anymore, and topless or not, this fine picture is definitely art worth viewing (the entire series of shots is available online; check them out).

Swing Sisson in "Jack Traxe's Leveraged Buyout" (Quality; 1942)

Thanks for your patience lately as I’ve scratched an itch, and posted select non-jungle characters. Other than today’s spotlighted golden-ager, only Doll Man and a few humor fillers remain from this classic issue. Today’s “hero” enjoyed a long comics career (although you might not have even heard of him). Swing Sisson stars in "Jack Traxe's Leveraged Buyout" from Feature Comics #59 (Aug. 1942); originally published by Quality, and illustrated by Phil Martin. Swing was the band leader at The Clover Club whose other performers included singer Bonnie Baxter and sax player Toby Tucker, both of whom usually helped out in the two-fisted scrapes Swing inevitably got involved with in the glitzy but racket-beset night club business of the 1940s. They made occasional forays into other areas of entertainment, but mostly hung around the club where they were the stars. Their act ran for years in the back pages of Feature Comics (the gang was introduced in #49; Oct. 1941). Swing led his band and traded punches with crooks throughout the 1940s. In fact, he stayed on the job as long as Feature was published, outlasting all the title's superheroes, even Doll Man himself. The last issue was #144 (May, 1950), and after that Swing Sisson was finished. 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 publisher and/or creators and is reproduced here solely for entertainment purposes. Enjoy!

Cave Girl in "The Doom Boat" (AC Comics; 1992)

Cave Girl stars in a nifty black & white reprint courtesy of AC Comics called "The Doom Boat" from Jungle Girls #7 (1992); but this story was originally published in full-color by Magazine Enterprises in Africa #1 (1955). This classic jungle adventure 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 belongs to the original publisher and/or the creators and is reproduced here solely for entertainment purposes. Enjoy!