"Gal" Friday! Ms. Inkwell

In just two short weeks the annual Heroes Convention will return to Charlotte, North Carolina from June 20-22, 2014. Heroes Con has been my primary summer show for it's entire run (beginning way back in 1982). In fact I regularly attended the mini-cons that preceded the inaugural convention, while I was still in high school. This year Bob Almond brings back the 7th Annual Inkwell Awards to the Queen City of the Carolinas, with Bill Sienkiewicz announced as Guest of Honor for the ceremony. Since today is "gal" Friday, I'm sure you won't mind if I post a photo of one of two featured "Ms. Inkwell" models that will be in attendance to greet fans and professionals alike. Anna White is merely one of a number of lovely lasses to wear the black & white ensemble of the awards spokescharacter, so come out and say hello to her while supporting the talented artists whose finishing work helps those pencils pop right off of the comic book page.

If that ain't enough ot an enticement, take a look at just a few of the attending professionals set to appear at Heroes Con this year: Arthur Adams, Mark Brooks, Cliff Chiang, Kelly Sue DeConnick, Kevin Eastman, Matt Fraction, Ramona Fradon, Gilbert & Jaime Hernandez, Kevin Maguire, Steve Niles, Eric Powell, Mark Schultz, Jeff Smith, Jim Starlin, Ben Templesmith, Charles, Vess, Mark Waid and Bernie Wrightson. Folks that is literally just the tip of the iceberg, many more well-loved pros will be in Charlotte (again, in a mere two weeks). Come join those of us who've long known that this is one of the most fun cons of the summer season.

Anna White as "Ms. Inkwell"

"Gal" Friday! Abby Dark-Star

Praise the maker!!!!

I borrowed this photo from her Facebook fan page, and can claim no ownership. I know that it's got a cute kid and everything, but dear friends ...... brace yourselves and behold the cosplay wonder of San Francisco based Abby Dark-Star (as Frank Cho's Shanna) from the recent Big Wow ["which seems appropriate"] Comicfest. This talented young lady is one of the best of the army of fetching lady costumers making the rounds at far too many comic cons and shows for me to attend. I have apparently missed her at those venues where I'm sure we both were in attendance, so I definitely plan to say hello in person the very next time that I have an opportunity to do so. I think that she's married, which breaks my heart (not that I had a shot anyway, but one can fantasize). It is cosplay after all! Abby is this weeks official "gal" Friday, and trust me ..... she moves straight to the top of my personal favorites list. Enjoy!

Space Patrol in "The Cannibal Monster of the Pygmy Planet" (Centaur; 1940)

Here is a fantastically titled Space Patrol adventure called “The Cannibal Monster of the Pygmy Planet” from Amazing Mystery Funnies #24 (Sept.1940); originally published by Centaur and written & illustrated by the always interesting Basil Wolverton. This was the final issue of the series, and it is the kind of fun, wonky stuff that simply makes for great comics reading ! The Catacombs acknowledges "Comic Book Plus" 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!

Safari Cary in "The Plot!" (Fox Features Syndicate; 1948)

Safari Cary stars in “The Plot” from Dagar Desert Hawk # 19 (Aug.1948); originally published by Fox Feature Syndicate. Canadian artist Edmond Good is responsible for the artwork on this tale. The Catacombs acknowledges "Comic Book Plus" 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!

Free Comic Book Day 2014!

By this point most fans know that Free Comic Book Day is an annual promotional event held by the comic book industry that takes place on the first Saturday of May to help bring new readers into independent comic book stores. Depending upon the level of investment made by the individual retail locations, customers can experience quite a variety of often party-like store events. Some stores allow customers to select one of each available free comic, and others limit the quantity (as for the stores, these books are not free at all; they must purchase these volumes to some extent). Adding to the overall fun, most host locations feature established industry guest talent or regional favorites to sign their books or sketch for attendees. No matter how you slice it, FCBD is well worth standing in line for some good clean fun!

I really would have liked to have gotten the 2000 AD magazine, but my shop didn’t offer that one and since they limited attendees to seven items, I lost out on getting the Walt Disney Uncle Scrooge & Donald Duck issue once I made my picks which included: Archie Digest #1 from Archie Comics; Bongo Free-For-All from Bongo Comics; Future’s End from DC Comics; All Rocket Raccoon from Marvel Comics; Magic Wind from Epicenter Comics; the Archaia Hardcover Anthology (featuring Mouse Guard) from Boom Entertainment and the Sonic the Hedgehog/Megaman flipbook also from Archie Comics. As you can see, my choices lean towards all-ages fare. Most years I go for the Bongo, Archie, Walt Disney stuff as they are a nice break from what typically floods into stores most weeks throughout the year. This was the second year that a Mouse Guard hardcover was offered, so kudos to Boom for that nice volume, and I was very pleased with Magic Wind (a western with a horror twist). DC Comics tied their release into an upcoming event, and I'm glad to have had a chance to see this sneak peek, so that I won't waste my time with this mess any further.

Thanks to all the publishers, retailers, distributors and creative talent that played a part in bringing the 2014 books to our grubby little hands.

In Memorium: Dick Ayers

Hall of Fame artist Dick Ayers passed away on May 4, 2014 at the age of ninety.  Although his career began in the golden age, he was best known for his silver age work as one of Jack Kirby's regular inkers during the late-1950s and 1960s, including some of the earliest issues of Marvel Comics' The Fantastic Four. He was the primary artist on Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos, drawing it over a 10-year run, and he was co-creator of the 1950s Western-horror version of the Ghost Rider, a character he would draw again for Marvel in the 1960s.

Ayers other notable work includes Adventures into Terror, Astonishing, Journey into Mystery, Journey into Unknown Worlds, Menace, Mystery Tales, Mystic, Strange Tales, Uncanny Tales, Amazing Adventures, Journey into Mystery, Strange Tales, Tales of Suspense, Tales to Astonish, Rawhide Kid and early appearances of Thor and The Incredible Hulk.

I 'm very glad to have to spoken with Mr. Ayers in person two or three times over the years and he was always very nice to his fans. The Catacombs extends its condolences to his family, friends and fans.


Sgt. Fury and His Howling Commandos #23 [Oct. 1965]

In Memorium: Al Feldstein

Industry legend Al Feldstein passed away on April 29, 2014 at the age of 88. As a writer, editor, and artist, he best known for his classic work at EC Comics on their New Trend group including Weird Science, Weird Fantasy, Tales from the Crypt, The Haunt of Fear, The Vault of Horror, Shock SuspenStories, Crime SuspenStories, Panic and Piracy; and later [1956 to 1985], as the editor of the satirical magazine Mad. After retiring, Feldstein concentrated on American paintings of Western wildlife.  

After industry and government pressures had forced Bill Gaines to shut down most of his EC titles, Feldstein was only briefly separated from the company. When Harvey Kurtzman left Mad in 1956, Gaines turned to his former editor Feldstein, who spent the next 29 years at the helm of what became one of the nation's leading and most influential magazines. Circulation multiplied more than eight times during his tenure, peaking at 2,850,000 in 1974, although Mad declined to three quarters of that figure by the end of his time as editor.

Many new cartoonists and writers surfaced during Feldstein's editorship as the magazine came to rely on a steady group of contributors. Feldstein's first issue as editor (#29) was also the first issue to display the twisted work of cartoonist Don Martin. A few months later, he hired Mort Drucker, who quickly established himself as their premier caricaturist on movie satires with Angelo Torres drawing the TV parodies. By 1961, with the introduction of Antonio Prohías and Dave Berg, he had fully established the format that kept the magazine a commercial success for decades.

The Catacombs extends its condolences to his family, friends and fans. I count myself lucky to have had a chance to meet him just a few years ago.

"Gal" Friday! Shelby Carter

Wow! Is this chick smoking hot or what? Her name is Shelby Carter, and I'm uncertain whether she is a model, cheerleader, or softcore porn star. I saved this image quite some time ago, can't recall the source, and really don't feel like wading through the internet today in order to ferret out the mystery of her career habits.

All that I can say is that the Catacombs is adding her name (and this blessed portrait) to the inhouse "APPROVED" list. Now ..... pardon me while I sweat!

In Memorium: Fred Kida

Fred Kida [see photo; inset] was a Japanese-American comic book artist, best known for golden age aviator-hero “Airboy” and his sometime ally Valkyrie, passed away on April 3, 2014 at the age of ninety-three. Kida worked for Marvel Comics between the 1950s and the 1970s; eventually handling the company's The Amazing Spider-Man newspaper comic strip during the early 1980s. Kida also assisted artist Dan Barry on the long-running strip Flash Gordon from 1958 to 1961, and then again from 1968 to 1971. The Catacombs extends it sincerest condolences to his family, friends and fans.

"Gal" Friday! Fernanda Romero

Paste this link to view a banned commercial for an ultimately unproduced food product! Enjoy!http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=E3WBHOeVSSY

"Gal" Friday! Lindsey Duke

University of Central Florida quarterback Blake Bortles is only in his junior year and he’s already a hot NFL draft prospect, but his girlfriend Lindsey Duke seems to be getting plenty of headlines herself. Since his Fiesta Bowl victory, even more attention has been heaped upon this stunning blonde, and the numbers certainly add up in her favor. He averages a quarter of a million or so media hits to her six million; and yes, she deserves a look (and there's even a bonus gal who is easy on the eyes too).

Wow! No disrespect to the able football star, but lovely Lindsey can definitely do better (you know, if she’s actually in the market for a fifty+ plus nerd or something). Anyway, since I’ve been slovenly thus far in 2014 and not posted any comics stories, I’ll make up for that by leaving you with a nice view for today as I induct Ms. Duke into the Catacombs as this week’s official “gal” Friday. Enjoy!

Happy New Year!!

Welcome to 2014! The Catacombs hopes that this year proves to be worth the wait for each and every one of you. Before we proceed, let's shake off the effects of too much boozing last night, and remember a few dear friends who left us during calendar year 2013:

Mad magazine artist Bob Clarke passed away on March 31, 2013 at the age of ninety-one. He had worked as an uncredited assistant on the "Ripley's Believe It or Not" comic strip while still a teenager and the label of the Cutty Sark whiskey bottle is his design. Clarke illustrated over 600 features for MAD.

DC, Aspen, and Wildstorm artist Scott Clark passed away on February 21, 2013. His work appeared in features like Justice League, Brightest Day, Grifter and Deathstroke.

Golden age artist Nick Cardy passed away on November 3, 2013 at the age of ninety-three. His most popular work for DC was on Tomahawk, Teen Titans, Bat Lash, and Aquaman. Cardy was the publishers primary cover artist in the 1970s.

Golden age artist Carmine Infantino passed away on April 4, 2013 at the age of eighty-seven. He helped kick off the Silver Age of Comics by drawing the introduction of Barry Allen version of The Flash (1956] and the landmark story "Flash of Two Worlds" in 1961. Infantino co-created Elongated Man, Barbara "Batgirl" Gordon and Deadman, and he also served as editor for a time.

Golden age artist Al Plastino passed away on November 25, 2013 at the age of ninety-one. Although Plastino also worked as a writer, editor, letterer and colorist, he was primarily one of the most prolific Superman artists of the 1950s. He co-created the DC characters Supergirl and Brainiac, as well as the teenage team the Legion of Super-Heroes. At the time of his death, a scandal had just been resolved involving Superman artwork that he had specifically intended to be donated to the John F. Kennedy museum following the late Presidents death, but which had recently turned up for auction from a private collector.

These talented folks are just some of the notables who left us last year, but their fine work is timeless and will entertain us for years to come. See you soon!