Princess Pantha Goes "Ape Shit!" (Better/Standard;1947)

Okay, maybe Pantha doesn't truly go "ape shit', but when I pulled this story as today's feature, I realized that it would have been absolutely perfect as the capper for my recent run of "Go Ape Shit Week" posts. Alas!

This story is taken from Thrilling Comics #58 (Feb. 1947), originally published by the company of many names: Better, Standard, Nedor, Pines. Art Saaf is credited as the artist and it's a fine golden age adventure tale from the talented Mr. Saaf. Art's son tends to drop me a line every time that I post something of his dad's, so that's always nice too. The cover, which I've included, is by Nedor's "go-to-guy" for classic covers, Alex Schomburg.

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 belong to the original publisher and/or creators and is reproduced here solely for entertainment purposes.

Remember to stop by tomorrow for my regular "Gal" Friday featurette. This week we get to ogle Jasmine Sinclair all over again. She will be the first "gal" selection to score a repeat appearance in the Catacombs.

Until then, "Enjoy!"

Editorial Diatribe from the Catacombs: Atlas Shrugged!

Marvel Comics is planning to launch another "Heroic Age" series using their retro-1950's super team, the Agents of Atlas. Jeff Parker will return as series writer, and that's a good thing in my estimation, but comic books are a visual medium and the decision to have Gabriel Hardman also return as lead artist disturbs me.

Newsarama ran a promotional article on the new title (now to be called simply "Atlas") a few days ago and within the body of that article it's mentioned that despite the first ongoing AoA series being cancelled last year after a mere eleven issues, the characters remain popular. So it begs the question: If the previous series failed during its freshman year, and if the characters actually resonate with the fans, then why - oh why - bring back an artist whose work didn't really grab readers in the first place?

I do have to say that bringing any version of 3-D Man back into the team is the right thing to do. The characters who comprise the Atlas team originally debuted as a non-canonical group of Avengers in What If #9 (June 1978), they were reintroduced in modern continuity (minus #-D Man) in a 2006 mini-series drawn by Leonard Kirk and written by Parker.

I would love to support this title, but after the artwork on their previous series failed to grab me, and despite having 3-D Man back in the mix, with Hardman on board - I won't be. I do believe that the Agents of Atlas are popular with fans, hey even I like them, but you still have to have an artist that fans respond to. Hardman has proven otherwise, and somebody at Marvel knows this. Why else have that spiffy Terry & Rachel Dodson gracing the new 1st issue cover?

Jun-Gal in "The Pit of Death!" (Rural Home; 1944)

Steel yourselves folks, you won't find a more insensitive, racist jungle story on the web today than what you're about to see unfold. Blazing Comics #1 (Jun. 1944), from minor golden age publisher Rural Home Publications, featured the Green Turtle, the Black Buccaneer and this tale which is literally rife with racist stereotypes. Not only are the native Africans depicted in a Jolson-esquire sort of way, but added just for shits and giggles I suppose, is a black female character called "Mammy". I know, and you're right!

Jun-Gal received special powers from an exposed radium pit after she was abducted by the very tribesmen who slaughtered her family. Why the tribesmen never received equal powers from living in close proximity to the radium goes conveniently unexplained. Fortunately the natives brought Mammy along to care for the little girl. Now, could someone explain why Joan (aka "Jun-Gal") wasn't raised speaking pigeon English too? Was a school of etiquette available to coach the local white girl in how to speak proper language?

There's nobody to blame for this tale, since there are no credits listed for this story, but the Catacombs is grateful to Don "Zu-Gogo" Falkos for providing the scans for this story anyway. 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!

Rayboy's Review: Ultimate X #1

Talk about shellacking a turd, Marvel Comics began allowing select creators free rein to modernize or re-imagine their long-running franchise books as part of their Ultimate Marvel imprint back in 2000 with the introduction of Ultimate Spider-Man #1, by artist Mark Bagley and writer Brian Michael Bendis. The "ultimate" line was first pitched as an effort to break away from established continuity, but the entirety of the various series quickly degenerated into a huckster's-style, director's-cut spin on the original Marvel Universe, with each succeeding creator involved opting to simply craft newer versions of established heroes and villains. None of the creative teams in any of the titles really created anything new within the ultimate universe framework that had been established for that very purpose.

The books sold like hotcakes anyway. (Yay, bravo, vunderbar!)

Just so you'll know, I can count the issues of the entire Ultimate line that I purchased on the fingers of a single hand, that's missing all of the fingers. That's right - zero.

I was not interested, but only because I had actually enjoyed the "real" ultimate universe when guys like Lee, Kirby, Ditko, Thomas, Heck, Kane, Romita, Buscema (x2) and decades of other fine folks created it. If the intent here was to break away from the good older stuff, then they really didn't give us anything for our investment, but don't try and figure out the mindsets of Marvel Zombies. It's all gone to rot these days. So they changed a few costumes, and monkeyed around with specifics in a few origins. Who cares?

Now comes Ultimate X #1 by Jeph Loeb and Arthur Adams, following up on the Ultimatum event, which apparently killed off the lion's share of these ersatz character posers or scattered the remainder across the planet. In a world where mutants are outlawed (Where did the get that idea?) and where the Fantastic Four have split up (Ditto?), young James Hudson is about to have a rude awakening. After surviving a hot-rodding car accident, Jimmy miraculously heals from his horrific wounds and with a little help from someone quite familiar to X-Men fans, discovers that he is the son of perhaps the most notorious mutant of all.

This issue basically serves as set-up for whatever is about to unfold, but it benefits from the strong artwork of Art Adams, even the backgrounds are worth looking at. It's nice to see an artist take just as much time and put just as much effort on his establishing shots and quieter character moments, as he does with the action sequences. Too damn many of the folks who drew the earlier "ultimate" fare could benefit from looking at this issue. As preamble, Ultimate X #1 entices me enough to give this book a shot, but I hope that there is more in the offing than further ridiculous king-of-the-hill attempts to "improve" on the classic Marvel Universe. It can't be done and it was foolish to try that in the first place.

If anything supposedly goes here, Joey Q and company, then have at it. For the moment, I'm at least paying attention.

"Gal" Friday! Kittie LeBlanc

I thought long and hard [pun intended] about how to incorporate an appropriate "Gal" Friday selection into my current "Cat Scratch Fever" theme week, and I do believe that this striking young lady nicely fits the bill.

Kittie LeBlanc is a twenty-seven year old pinup, hot rod and bike model from Louisiana. She gears her personal image towards classic glamour and rockabilly styling. The photos of her are credited to Amelia @ Paperdoll Photography. Trust me, between these two fantastic photos, you'll all be feeling the love for Valentine's Day, classic Chevy's and sexy chicks!

Tattoos may not be every one's bag, but you could never convince me that this gal wouldn't be lots of fun to hang out with. I wonder if she has an occasional thing for grizzled old farts like me? Oh well, enjoy the pics and google her name to find even more nice shots. You should also go look at Paperdoll Photography!

My birthday falls near the tail end of next week, so since it's my party, you'll finally get to see Part II of earlier "Gal" Friday hottie, Jasmine Sinclair, next Friday.

Enjoy!

Tegra, Jungle Empress in "The Soldiers From Saturn" (Fox Comics; 1948)

Rulah Jungle Goddess makes a surprising "stealth" appearance in today's classic, golden age jungle adventure as ..... Tegra, Jungle Empress. You see this story was originally created for Rulah's own series, but it was reworked for the one and only issue of Tegra, Jungle Empress #1 (Aug. 1948). Tegra soon officially became "Zegra" and moved on into her own title at Fox, where she had a more distinctive look.

There are no creator credits listed for "The Soldiers from Saturn" in the Grand Comics Database, but dollars to doughnuts thinking suggests that Jack Kamen at least had a hand in the artwork. Tying into my "Cat Scratch Fever" Week, you will find two different big jungle cats getting their claws wet inside the pages of this spiffy science-fiction-infused adventure with the Catacombs favorite jungle gal, Rulah - even if she is masquerading as "Tegra". The cover, which is included, also has a few furious felines acting out.

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 belong to the original publisher and/or creators and is reproduced here solely for entertainment purposes.

Enjoy!

1980's Flashback: ThunderCats

ThunderCats was a Rankin/Bass Productions animated television show which debuted in 1985, based on characters created by Tobin "Ted" Wolf. ThunderCats followed the adventures of a team of cat-like humanoid aliens from the planet of Thundera, who fled their homeworld after its destruction. En route to the world of "Third Earth", their fleet was attacked by the Mutants of Plun-Darr, who destroyed all of the starships with the exception of the flagship, hoping to capture the legendary mystic Sword of Omens they believed was on board. The sword holds the Eye of Thundera, embedded in its hilt, which is the source of the ThunderCats's power. Although the Mutants damaged the flagship, the power of the Eye drove them away and Lion-O's elderly guardian, Jaga, volunteered to pilot the ship to safety on "Third Earth". Because the journey to Third Earth took several decades due to the damage that the flagship sustained, Jaga died en route. Besides young lord Lion-O, other ThunderCats onboard included Cheetara, Panthro, Tygra, WilyKit, WilyKat, and Snarf.

When they awakened from their suspended animation on Third Earth, Lion-O discovered that his suspension capsule had only slowed his aging, and he was now a child in the body of a man. The ThunderCats and friendly natives on Third Earth constructed their new home and headquarters, "The Cat's Lair". Before long, the Mutants of Plun-Darr tracked them to Third Earth, where they joined forces with the demonic, mummified sorcerer, Mumm-Ra; who soon desired the Eye of Thundera in order to continue to hold sway over Third Earth.

Beginning in December 1985, Marvel Comics adapted the series for their short-lived, but popular Star Comics imprint. ThunderCats was initially written by David Michelinie and illustrated by Jim Mooney & Brett Breeding. A stellar lineup of additional artistic talent contributed to the series first several issues including Butch Guice, Joe Sinnott, Jose Delbo and Ernie Colon. The title lasted for 24 issues.

Tigra in "Nightmare's Evolution" (Marvel Comics;1978)

I posted a couple of silver age DC stories about a month ago that tied into my jungle comics motif and today you get a late bronze age gem from the vaults of Marvel Comics old anthology series Marvel Premiere, specifically issue #42 (July 1978), starring Tigra the Feline Fury. Tigra was originally the hero known simply as The Cat, and had a brief four issue run earlier in the same decade. She was transformed into her newer, furrier alter ego in the pages of Giant-Size Creatures #1 (July 1974) and the character eventually joined the ranks of the Avengers.

"Nightmare's Evolution" is written by Ed Hannigan with John Warner and drawn by Mike Vosburg and Ernie Chan. I've never thought that Vosburg was a particularly good artist, but he does have good layout skills and Chan really adds alot to this story, giving it what it needs to be entertaining. The cover, which is included, is by the late Dave Cockrum. 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 belong to the original publisher and/or creators and is reproduced here solely for entertainment purposes. Since I put out the word only yesterday that I wanted one of the DC Universe Classics variant figures of Wildcat, I suppose I've inadvertently entered into another theme week, so I will have to see what I can come up with for "Cat Scratch Fever Week". (Wish me luck!)

Enjoy!

Help!!! I want a Wildcat.

DC Universe Classics is a popular line of toys manufactured by Mattel. Considered by many to be the main line of the re-branded DC Universe characters, these 6-inch scale figures are based on characters taken from throughout the entire DC Comics library. Earlier expansion sets from previous Mattel lines focused primarily on Batman and Superman related characters. The entire DC Universe Classics line is sculpted by the Four Horsemen Studios.

I stopped buying the DC Direct figures some years back after so many of them manifested quirks that limited displaying them on a shelf. They were either too top heavy and the figures didn't want to stand up, or the disparity between different sculpting styles within a specific group of related characters turned me off. I later picked up three of the Alex Ross Justice figures, Superman, Sinestro and Flash (Barry Allen). The Flash figure was designed to stand in a running pose on his base. Two days after I placed him in that position, I noticed that he had fallen over. The knee peg had given out. It's a nice looking figure though and I still have them available for trade, but I haven't bought action figures since.

Now, today I happened upon this image of the DCU Classics figure of Ted "Wildcat" Grant from the Justice Society of America. I have to admit that I would like to have this toy, but since I believe that this blue version is the "variant", who knows what that would cost. I always liked Wildcat's appearances in The Brave and the Bold during the 1970's.

Several of the DC Universe Classics figures appeal to me, but not enough to shell out megabucks for a few toys to sit on a shelf. I do find their "chase" figures to be the most interesting, but those were included in "segmented form" with each new waves release. Metamorpho, Gorilla Grodd, Solomon Grundy, Despero, Metallo, Kalibak, Atom-Smasher, Giganta, Chemo, Imperiex, Kilowog and Trigon (in the upcoming 13 wave). That's a lot of villains isn't it? (and yes there are a couple of exceptions)

I thought that it couldn't hurt to post my interest in securing a blue Wildcat figure in the hopes that someone could lead me to the most affordable one available.