Jungo the Man-Beast in "The Giant Jaguar" (Holyoke;1946)

Jungo the Man-Beast makes an overdue return visit to the Catacombs in this untitled story from Sparkling Stars #17 (Sept.1946); originally published by Holyoke. The writer and/or artist is also unknown. Phil Gant was famous for his movie serial role of "Jungo" until a blow on the head convinced him that he actually was the very jungle lord that he had been portraying. Previously Jungo and his girlfriend, Gloria Dean, were cast adrift in the hold of a cargo ship on the verge of sinking. Don't you just love those old cliffhanger endings that aren't really endings? The Catacombs is grateful to Don "Zu-Gogo" Falkos for providing the scans for this story. Note: The copyright for this issue,...

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Top 10 Defunct Comic Book Publishers: Kitchen Sink Press

For the next ten Wednesday's, I'm going to feature a series of posts that take a fond look back at my personal picks for the "Top 10 Defunct Comic Book Publishers" of all time. Given that Wednesday is the standard "new comics" day for incoming stuff in direct market shops around the USA, it seems like the exact day of the week in which to recall some of the great publishers of the past who helped carry the torch in days gone by.As you'll see, some of these companies specialized in specific content or genres, some practiced the fine art of licensing properties from other media outlets for adaptation to the four-color world, and some simply marched to the beat of their own peculiar drummer....

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Ghanga the Elephant Boy in "The Free Folk" (Buster Brown Co.;1949)

This golden age story called “The Free Folk” starring Ghanga the Elephant Boy is taken from Buster Brown Comic Book #16 (Summer 1949); originally published the Buster Brown Shoe Co. and written by Hobart Donavan and beautifully illustrated by the great Dan Barry. In this tale, young Ghanga could certainly show Tarzan a thing or two about how to effectively tame the wild beasts of the jungle.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 publishers and/or the creators and is reproduced here solely for entertainment purposes.Enj...

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1980's Flashback: Maus

Maus: A Survivor's Tale by Art Spiegelman, is a memoir of Art Spiegelman listening to his father, Vladek Spiegelman, a Polish Jew and Holocaust survivor, retelling his story. The graphic novel alternates between portions of Vladek's life in Poland before and during the Second World War, and his later life in the Rego Park neighborhood of New York City. The entire work took thirteen years to complete, originally serialized in underground comics of the 1970s and then published in two volumes released in 1986 and 1991. It has since been integrated into a single volume.The graphic narrative depicts Jews as mice, while Germans are depicted as cats. Other animals are used to represent other nationalities,...

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Profile Antics: A Chat with Bridgit Scheide!

Bridgit Scheide describes herself as a fidgety illustrator residing in Charlotte, NC. Her favorite activities include occasional aviation and frolicking astronautics, and she claims that she is mostly never caught burgling art supplies or small chocolates. I'll have to take her at her word on that, and also add that in addition to being a talented young lady, she's very easy on the eyes. Bridgit has been appearing at many of the regional comic shows that I attend and I'm grateful that she agreed to "sit" for this interview.Q) As a blog, “Bridgit All Digital” [see my links section] looks like it might have style, but you don’t seem to stop by very often. Any chance your fans may see some...

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In Memorium: Lew Sayre Schwartz

Sadly along with the passing of Gene Colan, comes news that Lew Sayre Schwartz has also died at the age of 84, and in a weird convergence, Schwartz too partially succumbed as the result of a head injury from a fall suffered last month.Shortly after WWII, Lew Schwartz became one of the many talented folks working behind the scenes “ghosting” the Batman comic book stories that were solely credited publicly to Bob Kane (a list of talented creators that includes Dick Sprang, Jack Burnley, Stan Kaye, Sy Barry, Sid Greene, Joe Giella, Sheldon Moldoff, Win Mortimer, Jim Mooney, Charles Paris, Jerry Robinson, George Roussos, Chic Stone and writers Bill Finger and Gardner Fox). Schwartz himself penciled...

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"Gal" Friday & Classic Cutie! Suzy Kendall

Sticking with blond “gals” again this week, and indulging a personal pick after seeing the 1967 film To Sir, with Love, for the umpteenth time yesterday on Turner Classic Movies.British actress Suzy Kendall is best known for her film roles of the late 1960s and early 1970s. Her attractive blond looks got her many leading roles in some fairly prestigious productions, although she increasingly appeared in lower-profile films and television series later in the 1970s, before finally retiring to spend more time with her family.From 1968 to 1972, she was married to comedic actor Dudley Moore, and despite their divorce they remained friends throughout the rest of their lives. She hosted a memorial...

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In Memorium: Gene Colan

Gene Colan, one of Marvel Comics most prominent artists, passed away late last night following complications from liver disease and a broken hip received in a recent fall. He was eighty-four years old.During his long career Colan regularly posted lengthy runs on series such as Daredevil, the cult-hit series Howard the Duck, and perhaps his best known title, The Tomb of Dracula, which he illustrated for its entire seventy issue run, and which is still considered one of the horror genres most classic series. While penciling Captain America, he co-created "The Falcon", one of the first African-American superheroes in mainstream comics. His other significant Marvel work includes The Avengers, Doctor...

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Fantomah in "The Revenge of Zomax" (Fiction House;1941)

Fantomah, Mystery Woman of the Jungle, is such an interesting golden age character that I should really post her stories much more often. "The Revenge of Zomax" is from Jungle Comics #14 (Feb.1941); originally published by Fiction House. This story written and illustrated by Fletcher Hanks (as Barclay Flagg) shows how Fantomah prevents the evil Zomax from killing all of the jungle animals with a cool-looking tidal wave of his own creation. The neat cover art is by George Appel.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...

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Comic art is just different. It's art on its own terms. - Joe Simon

I know that Wednesday is "new" comics day, but Mr. Simon's quote prompted me to clear out a few pieces of art that have been loitering around in the files. In descending order: "Aurora" by the late Dave Stevens; "Catwoman" by Paul Dini; an outstanding "Daredevil" by the legendary Neal Adams (I would love to see Neal tackle this character in a monthly series); "Jungle Girl & Lion" commission by Bob McLeod; "The Punisher" by sorely missed Mike Zeck (come back, Mike); and a full-color "Panther Wench" commission by Ernie Chan. As always, click on each image to embiggen. Tomorrows regular post will be a classic golden age jungle story. Thank you for being patie...

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Oh my! Lions, Tigers and Bears

The award-winning Lions, Tigers and Bears was originally a breakout hit published by Image Comics. Now Hermes Press continues the further adventures of Joey Price and his furry pals of the Night Pride in graphic novel form, with an all-ages approach that is perfect for libraries and any kid's bookshelf. After reprinting the first two Lions, Tigers and Bears mini-series, Hermes launches a new adventure with Volume 3: Greybeard's Ghost!As Greybeard's Ghost opens, young Joey meets his friend Courtney's obnoxious older cousin, Beth, and wishes for the Beasties to take her away. When Joey's wish comes true, he and Courtney must venture back to the Stuffed Animal Kingdom to save her, along with his...

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At the Movies: Green Lantern

Blockbuster movies of every description are a dime a dozen during the highly desired summer film season. They arrive in mass quantities and tend to be thicker than flies. Not every large budget film is going to recoup its cost – at least at the box office – and fan expectations being what they are these days, every potential audience member isn’t going to enjoy each new Hollywood interpretation of an established property. So it has been with the big-screen debut of DC Comics' "Green Lantern" which despite earning the #1 position at the box-office over the weekend, has failed to earn as much moolah as was generated by earlier releases "Thor" and "X-Men: First Class". The critics have hammered...

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