In Memorium: Davy Jones

The Monkees #4 (Sept.1967; Dell)

Tenuous comic book connection notwithstanding, I had to post this. What a bummer! Singer Davy Jones of The Monkees has died of a heart attack at age sixty-six at his home in Florida. Jones was most famous for his role in the pop group The Monkees, which was put together in 1965 for the TV show of the same name. Their many hit songs included "Daydream Believer," "Last Train to Clarksville," "I'm a Believer," and "Pleasant Valley Sunday" and they also charted with the theme song from the show. The Monkees sold more than 50 million records and yes, they even had their own comic book series from Dell which ran for seventeen issues between March 1967 - October 1969. The Catacombs extends its sincerest condolences to his family, friends and worldwide fans.

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Cave Girl in "The Jungle Badman" (Magazine Enterprises; 1954)

Leap year has run its course, and sadly so has my special 50th birthday bash series of "All-Star" posts here in the Catacombs; so thank you all for stopping by during the month of February 2012. As I look back, I think that I could have whittled the list of all-stars down a bit, certainly doing so would have allowed me to showcase more stories from a few select favorites. As it is, I tried to present golden age tales that had eye-popping appeal, at least in my own estimation. However, whether I succeeded or not, it is appropriate that we bring things full circle, and close with the character that started the ball rolling, so here once again is Cave Girl starring in "The Jungle Badman" from Cave Girl #13 (Jul-Sept.1954); originally published by Magazine Enterprises. Just like that Cave Girl story from earlier in the month, this fine adventure is written by Gardner Fox and illustrated by Bob Powell. When Buck Maldin escapes from prison, Bobo the pygmy decides to capture him for the reward money. Cave Girl has to protect Bobo from his own clumsiness and capture Buck. 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!

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Fantomah, Mystery Woman of the Jungle in "Fury and the Vengeful Wizard" (Fiction House; 1941)

Although Fantomah later changed her appellation to "Daughter of the Pharaohs", in her earlier career role she was referred to as "The Mystery Woman of the Jungle". It is in that capacity that she stars today in a previously untitled story from Jungle Comics #19 (Jul.1941); originally published by Fiction House, that I'm calling "Fury and the Vengeful Wizard". This tale was written by ['W.B. Hovious'] and illustrated by Richard Case. There is some interesting juju action going on here, and apparently size really doesn't matter, at least as far as the outcome of this particular golden age classic. 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!

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Sheena, Queen of the Jungle in "The Idol of Y'Gora" (Fiction House;1951)

Sheena, Queen of the Jungle stars today in the second of two golden age adventures featuring her from Jumbo Comics #144 (Feb.1951); originally published by Fiction House and with art by Robert Webb. This previously untitled story has been christened "The Idol of Y'Gora" by yours truly. 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 publishers and/or the creators and is reproduced here solely for entertainment purposes. Enjoy!

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Tor in "Man-Beast!!" (St. John;1954)

Tor stars in an exciting "Panel-Rama" feature titled "Man-Beast!!" from Tor #5 (Oct.1954); originally published by St. John, and fully-illustrated by industry legend Joe Kubert.  Tor is the last member of this months chosen “all-stars” lineup (Fantomah, Jo-Jo, Judy of the Jungle, Ka’a’nga, Nyoka, Princess Pantha, Rulah, Red Panther, Samar, Sheena, Tabu, Thun’da, Tiger Girl, Tor, Voodah and Wambi) to make it to post; three alone will make welcome return appearances in the upcoming week. 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!

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"Gal" Friday! Alex Morgan

This year’s annual Sports Illustrated Swimsuit issue, which came out Tuesday, Feb. 14, featured three popular female athletes as part of the magazines popular "body paint" series. One of the [thankfully] brazen ladies was U.S. women's soccer star, Alex Morgan. The twenty-two year old beauty wasn’t alone in her spread, the other pair of posers were Olympic swimmer Natalie Coughlin and LPGA star Natalie Gulbis. If you haven’t seen the issue, go check it out. Hard to believe as it is, this is the first full-on nude that I have run in the Catacombs (not that you would notice or anything). The excellent paint job allows me to slide this one past the censors, and has also inspired me to run some “nearly-nude” Fridays next month; so stop back in coming weeks to see what I can get away with. Man, did you catch the dubious double entendre that I tossed in today?

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Rulah Jungle Goddess in "The Minstrel Who Sang of Death" (Fox; 1949)

Today, Rulah Jungle Goddess confronts an evil cad who gets top billing as "The Minstrel Who Sang of Death" from All Top Comics #17 (May 1949); originally published by Fox Feature Syndicate and probably illustrated by Jack Kamen. The GCD simply attributes the artwork on this nice golden age story to ‘Iger Shop’. 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!

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Ka'a'nga in "The Golden Lion of Genghis Khan" (Fiction House; 1944)

Ka'a'nga stars "The Golden Lion of Genghis Khan" written by 'Frank Riddell' and illustrated by Jim Mooney. This golden age adventure is from Jungle Comics #51 (Mar.1944); originally published by Fiction House. The story's title was taken from the issues front cover (included and with art by Joe Doolin), and you will have to look very closely to actually find the titular "Golden Lion" in this tale; but it does make an appearance (at least to a certain extent). 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!

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