Gumby Returns!!

So you're still not finding enough family-friendly titles to share with the kiddies these days? That's about to change, as a classic character returns to comics shops in September 2011.The acclaimed Harvey nominated team of Christopher P. Reilly & Jorge Santillan (Punch & Judy) debut an all new Gumby and Pokey adventure like you've never seen before!
Thanks to Stefan Blitz for forwarding this neat mini-interview with writer Chris Reilly:Q) What was the genesis of the book?My buddy, Bob (Burden) was no longer writing the book and I thought there should be a Gumby book out there. As a creator, it’s possibly one of the greatest opportunities because you are literally working with a ball...

Read more »

"Gal" Friday! The Girls of Pizza Babe

Make no mistake, this weeks pair of Bulgarian Beauties were chosen primarily as a cautionary tale. It seems that these girls were promised restaurant jobs while visiting the United States for the summer and ended up in a real nightmare scenario. Ralitsa Dzhambazova and Vanya Samokovareva, both of Bulgaria, were renting an apartment in Tampa, Florida. Unfortunately, after living there for three months, the girls discovered cameras hidden in their bathroom and bedrooms. The cameras had been wired to a router that was located in a locked closet, and were disguised to resemble motion detectors for a security system and smoke detectors. Upon arrival in the states, they had sublet the apartment...

Read more »

Wild Boy in "The Invaders" (Ziff-Davis;1950)

It has been more than a year since I last posted a Wild Boy story. Consider this a teaser too, since I've chosen his adventures to displace Cave Girl on Tuesdays for the entire month of August. As a reminder, a young boy named David escaped from his sinister uncle, who had hired natives to kill him, and that boy later became known as "Wild Boy". This story is from Wild Boy, Prince of the Jungle #10 [actually #1] (1950); originally published by Ziff-Davis. The artwork is credited to Paul Hodge. In "The Invaders" Wild Boy and his panther, Daro, are pitted in battle against two men of evil and violence who've come trailing into their Lost City seeking an easy fortune.The...

Read more »

Top 10 Defunct Comic Book Publishers: Fiction House

Jumbo Comics #1 (Sept.1938)You've seen tons of this company's stuff in the Catacombs and we're all the better for it, trust me. Fiction House enjoyed a thirty year run publishing pulp magazines and comic books between the 1920s and the 1950s. Thurman T. Scott first expanded into comic books in the late 1930s, when that emerging medium seemed to be a viable alternative to fading pulps sales. Will Eisner & “Jerry” Iger, premiere "packagers" of complete comic books on demand for publishers looking to enter the field, convinced Scott to release Jumbo Comics #1 (Sept. 1938), featuring the company's most popular character, Sheena, Queen of the Jungle. Trivia: Jack "The King" Kirby cut his...

Read more »

Cave Girl in "The Mau Mau Killers!" (ME;1954)

The sultry Cave Girl uses all of her nifty jungle-fighting skills to save a baby boy from a tribe of savages in a story written by Gardner Fox and illustrated by Bob Powell called "The Mau Mau Killers!" from Cave Girl #13 (Jul-Sept;1954); originally published at the dawn of the Silver Age by Magazine Enterprises.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.Enj...

Read more »

Vote for Female Commander Shepard!!

The friendly folks at Bioware staged a nice presence throughout Comic-Con this year with presentations devoted to the launch of Dragon Age 2: Legacy DLC (available online tomorrow), Star Wars: The Old Republic, and of course, Mass Effect 3. Although its been announced that ME3 has been pushed back until March 2012 to allow the developers more time on this high dollar franchise blockbuster game, that hasn't dimmed the expectations of gamers everywhere.Now, the very vocal fans who've long been trumpeting their preference for Female Commander Shepard have earned a terrific perk. Bioware has posted six possible FemShepards on Facebook [here] to allow fans to choose the "official" version of...

Read more »

At the Movies: Captain America: The First Avenger

Director Joe Johnston (The Rocketeer) and screenwriters Christopher Markus & Stephen McFeely have delivered a "note perfect" movie rendition of the origin of Captain America: The First Avenger. Actor Chris Evans absolutely nails the role of Steve Rogers, the skinny but plucky reject who repeatedly gets written off as being unfit for military service, and then volunteers for a top secret research project that turns him into the star-spangled superhero dedicated to defending America's ideals during World War II. It's the key aspect of this particular character that Steve Rogers was "Captain America", before he underwent the super-soldier transition, and that's why this film works as well as...

Read more »

Samar in "Captured by the Amazons" (Quality;1940)

Samar returns to the Catacombs today in a short adventure tale called "Captured by the Amazons" from Feature Comics #36 (Sept.1940); originally published by Quality Comics and illustrated by John Celardo (aka "John Charles").  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. Enj...

Read more »

"Gal" Friday! Katy Perry

As a singer-songwriter and actress, Katy Perry is known for her unconventional style of dress. Her attire is often humorous, bright in color, and reminiscent of different decades, and she frequently uses fruit-shaped accessories, mainly watermelon, as part of her outfits. Her rise to fame began with the release of her second single "I Kissed a Girl" in 2008, which went on to top international charts and an engaging slate of hits such as "Hot n Cold", "California Gurls", "Teenage Dream", "Firework", "E.T." and "Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)" have cemented her status as a Queen of Pop.It doesn't hurt that she is absolutely smoking hot, too! Perry lends her voice to the role of "Smurfette"...

Read more »

SDCC: San Diego Comic-Con International!!

The biggest trade show of the comic book industry really gets underway today after last nights blowout preview. By the way, I'm not there. (Too big a crowd for little old me).Any merciful visitors attending this west coast event who happen to acquire any promotional stuff from Bioware for Dragon Age 2 or, even better, Mass Effect 3, can trade it to yours truly for some cool stuff too.Just say ...

Read more »

Top 10 Defunct Comic Book Publishers: Harvey Comics

Casper's Ghostland #12 -1959 series]Alfred Harvey founded Harvey Comics in 1941 (after acquiring Brookwood Publications) and featured a combination of characters it inherited from Brookwood, licensed characters such as the Green Hornet and Joe Palooka and its own original characters. It was Harvey’s stock of licensed characters which became the bulk of their output. These included Famous Studio staples Casper the Friendly Ghost, Baby Huey, Herman and Katnip, and Little Audrey. Harvey also licensed characters from popular newspaper comic strips, such as Mutt and Jeff and Sad Sack. Additionally, Harvey developed original properties such as Richie Rich, Little Dot, Hot Stuff the Little Devil, Stumbo...

Read more »

Cave Girl in "The Amazon Assassins!" (ME; 1953)

It's Tuesday, so as promised here is another Cave Girl story from Cave Girl #12 (1953); originally published by Magazine Enterprises, once again written by Gardner Fox and illustrated by Bob Powell.This is the last story from this issue, and in it you'll see Cave Girl defending the Wambooli people against attacks by the Amazons. Sadly, she gets captured and is forced to fight lions. And here I thought that sexy Amazon warriors always stripped down there prisoners for some neat one-on-one time. Oh well, I hate to see that bubble burst.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...

Read more »

At the Movies: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2

Short and sweet is going to have to suffice, since I just realized that I had forgotten to go back and actually post my intended review of this film. Fans of the books shouldn't be too disappointed with the final installment of this blockbuster franchise, as it is a faithful adaptation of the novel. Changes are evident from the source material, but minimized for the most part. Great acting, and a satisfying conclusion make this one not too miss....

Read more »