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!

Tiger Girl in "The Winged Demons of Doom" (Fiction House;1947)

Tiger Girl (aka Princess Vishnu) returns to the Catacombs in "The Winged Demons of Doom" from Fight Comics #52 (Oct.1947); originally published by Fiction House. Written by "Allan O'Hara" and illustrated by Matt Baker (assisted by the Iger Shop pair of Jack Kamen and/or Al Feldstein). The story title was taken from the front 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 belongs to the original publisher and/or creators and is reproduced here solely for entertainment purposes. Enjoy!

Rulah Jungle Goddess in "The Mad Sandrow" (Fox Feature Syndicate;1948)

Rulah Jungle Goddess confronts a twisted exhibitionist who gets top billing as "The Mad Sandrow" from Zoot Comics #16 (July 1948); originally published by Fox Feature Syndicate and illustrated by Matt Baker. The terrific golden age cover is included for no extra charge. 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! Brit Bliss

Oh, ce cul tu as! I first saw this young lady on Facebook and her fan page photos encouraged me to Google her images on the web (highly recommended). Brit Bliss is a twenty-four year old model from Olympia, Washington (per Model Mayhem). She easily meets all of my daily food group requirements, which amounts to diddly-squat since I'm getting too old to compete at this level. More is the pity! Couldn't say if it's true or not, but I also read somewhere that she attended the Air Force Academy and is pursuing a degree in psychology and astronautical engineering. What I can affirm is that this photo speaks for itself, and again, please feel free to conduct a web search for even more evidence that Brit is on fire.

In Memorium: Jonathan Frid

Frid; w/Grayson Hall in "Dark Shadows"

Jonathan Frid was a theater, television and film actor, best known for playing the role of vampire Barnabas Collins on the gothic soap opera Dark Shadows, which ran from 1966 to 1971. He reprised his signature role in the expansion movie "House of Dark Shadows" in 1970 (during production of the television series). Frid was a World War II veteran, having served in the Royal Canadian Navy. He graduated from McMaster University in 1948, and the following year was accepted at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in London, and then moved to the United States in 1954, where he received a Master of Fine Arts degree in Directing from the Yale School of Drama. After many years in the theater, Frid later began performing readings at Dark Shadows fan conventions in the 1980s. In 1994, having spent 40 years based in New York City, Frid retired and returned to his native Canada. He spent three days at Pinewood Studios in June 2011 filming a cameo appearance for the upcoming Tim Burton film version of “Dark Shadows” starring Johnny Depp as Barnabas Collins. Frid passed away on April 14, 2012 at the age of eighty-seven. The Catacombs extends its condolences to his family, friends and fans.

Dorothy Lamour in "Slave Goddess" (Rural Home;1945)

Actress Dorothy Lamour is best remembered for appearing in a series of successful comedies starring Bing Crosby and Bob Hope that were enormously popular during the 1940s, however the role that originally made her a star was “Ulah” (a sort of female Tarzan) in The Jungle Princess (1936), where she first wore the sarong which would become so associated with her. She also had a brief print run of 2-3 issues during the golden age in "Dorothy Lamour, Jungle Princess Comics" dedicated to her movie Jungle Princess persona (featuring screen shots from past movies for the covers). Today’s story is a curiosity called “Dorothy Lamour, Slave Goddess” from Red Circle Comics #4 (Apr.1945); originally published by Rural Home. Contents of this comic vary as the same cover was placed on remaindered and otherwise undistributed comics, including Secret Mysteries #18 (Merit, 1954 series), an issue of Sabu "Elephant Boy" (Fox, 1950 series), and a previously unpublished issue of Dorothy Lamour; Jungle Princess (Fox, 1950 series); so there is no creator information listed for this nice story. 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!

Voodah in "The Spotted Devils" (Golfing/McCombs;1948)

The golden age African warrior, Voodah stars in a previously untitled tale from Crown Comics #13 (May 1948); originally published by Golfing/McCombs. A Leopard Man is killed by mistake, and his brothers prepare for an attack on the village to avenge him in this story which I’ve named “The Spotted Devils” written by Ken Fitch and drawn by Anthony Cataldo. 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!