500 Great Comicbook Action Heroes (2026 Comic Book & Graphic Novel Reading Challenge)

Comic book historian Mike Conroy examines the history of comic books through the lens of action heroes of all sorts. Instead of just focusing on superheroes, Conroy provides thorough, albeit brief publishing histories of 500 different protagonists, many of which would be categorized as possessing tenacity, bravery and are superior physical specimens without being super-powered. 

His categories are male heroes, female heroes, teams, science fiction heroes, western heroes, horror and supernatural heroes and heroes that originated from the funny papers or pulps. The male heroes chapter is disproportionately the largest chapter. But considering how male dominated comics have been, it's understandable the amount of attention Mike Conroy bestows to those heroes.

It could be argued that most comic book heroes were granted a female paramour such as Dale Arden to Flash Gordon or Superman's girlfriend Lois Lane. However heroic those characters might be from time to time, don't expect to find any entries on them in the chapter highlighting female heroes. From 2002, don't expect very many anti-heroes to be in this book either. Characters such as Lobo, Harley Quinn and Deadpool are nowhere to be found. In fact, if there is a villain mentioned inside, it's in brief as framing for an action hero's reason for vengeance or ultimately meeting their demise; permanent or temporary. Perhaps those who straddle the line between right and wrong are listed in Conroy's companion piece devoted to 500 Comic Book Villains. 

The author provides encyclopedia-like entries for hundreds of characters. But one should not expect to find 500 of them. I think Conroy counts a lot of the 500 heroes as the brief mentions in articles he devoted to French comic heroes or Marvel's experiments with horror in the 1970s. Being from the U.K., Conroy spends a large portion of this 376 page book discussing British comic book heroes. However, Manga and a few other European heroes who have garnered universal appeal among comic book readers are explored- briefly.

One thing that I didn't bank on was the poor editing. Now I realize that I make my fair share of typos and mistakes in the blog posts I write. But I don't have a professional editor helping me either. Some of it could be explained as this is how a British writer spells words. I have no qualms with that. However, when he says that such-and-such character debited in issue #185 and died in issue #166, something is seriously wrong here. Unfortunately such confusing data happens more than once in this book. As much as I learned a lot about new characters and other series and minis that I might want to collect in the future, if this edition is any indication of what you'd find in Conroy's villain examination, I don't think that I have any desire to pursue obtaining it.

Features a foreword by comic book legend Will Eisner with additional contributions by cover artist John Watson.

Completing this review completes Task #40 (A prose non-fiction book about comic books) of the 2026 Comic Book and Graphic Novel Reading Challenge.

20th Century Ghosts: 20th Anniversary Edition by Joe Hill

This collection of short stories by Joe Hill is a rarity. Not because it's a limited run or a anything like that, despite being a 20th anniversary edition. The rarity is due to the fact that first published novels are almost never an anthology of short stories. Yet in 2005, PS Publishing took a leap of faith in up-and-comer Joe Hill and unleashed 20th Century Ghosts upon the world and a new horror writer great was born!

Joe Hill is not the writer's real name. Born Joseph King, Hill is a member of the acclaimed King family of writers. That's right, Stephen King is Joe Hill's papa! Hill is an abbreviation of his middle name, Hillström, as well as an off-tribute to his love of comic books as Joe Chill is the man who killed Batman's parents. Wanting to make a name for himself based on his own works and not the gravitas of the King family moniker, it was a struggle to get the attention of even the smallest of publishers.

20th Century Ghosts is a reflection of Joe Hill's evolution from relative unknown writer to award winning author. No less than 2 stories in this collection have been adapted into films. Love the growing horror franchise of 'The Black Phone'? The short story that gave birth to those Ethan Hawke led thrillers is here. A couple more were adapted into comic books. This was an amazing collection where just about every story was a masterpiece.

I've got 2 favorites: 'Pop Art 'and the title story of this collection are tied for first. 'Pop Art' is about an unusual friendship between a lonely young boy and his best friend Arthur, a living child made of inflatable plastic! '20th Century Ghost' is a sweeping epic love story to the silver screen in which a small time movie theater is haunted by the ghost of a young cinephile. 

Other notable tales that I really, really liked was 'Bobby Conroy Comes Back From the Dead', an ersatz high school reunion between 2 former love birds setting in the Monroeville Mall during the filming of the George Romero classic Dawn of the Dead! It was a new addition to this anniversary edition. 'Best New Fiction' sees a struggling literary review editor looking for the next thing in horror fiction. I both loved and was similarly creeped out by the Tales From the Darkside level ending. 

'Abraham's Boys' tells of 2 boys whose demanding father reveals his secretive past. 'Voluntary Committal' was a trippy adventure about a spectrum child and his creative process that has an unforgettable ending on par with Richard Bachman's 'The Long Walk'. In 'The Cape', a previously unpublished work, I found myself rooting for the bad guy! That's how freaking amazing a writer Joe Hill is!

I can't forget 'Last Breath' about a family that visits a museum that displays the last gasps of both the world famous and the common man. Another new addition to this book, it's a quirky story on par with another 90s horror anthology series I grew up with, Monsters, as the tongue is definitely in cheek with this clever episode.

The one story that I wasn't such a fan of was 'My Father's Mask'. It starts off with tremendous intrigue as a family sneaks away with their son in the dead of night, supposedly trailed by a mysterious cadre. However, things go downhill the next morning when the boy awakens. The suspense molds into some bizarre S&M Oedipal fantasy with nearly nude parents wearing domino masks. By the time this story ends, readers encounter a cherubic lad riding a bike in a nightgown and an unusual round of cards. Oh, and questions. A whole lot of questions. I went online afterwards in hopes of getting some answers about how the story ends. Turns out I wasn't the only one confused by it. Yet it seemed after getting responses from several so-called 'experts', I became even more confused about the symbolism and wasn't really sure what the hell I had just read.

1 dud out of 17. Terrible odds if you were a manufacturer of hand grenades. But for entertainment purposes, that's pretty good. If it's coming from Joe Hill, I'd take those odds any day. 

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars

Edge of Spider-Verse

While it was DC Comics that introduced us to the multiverse, Marvel's Spider-Verse storyline from 2014-15 is what has powered superhero movies for the last decade. 

This prelude to the Spider-Verse epic event reintroduces a fan favorite while establishing several new versions of Spider-Man.

* First up is the 1920s gangster filled world of Spider-Man Noir. Most of the super-villains have been put to pasture thanks to the vigilante hero The Spider, that at this point in time, Peter Parker is thinking about retiring.

*In a world where the radioactive spider bit Gwen Stacy, the aspiring drummer becomes known as Spider-Woman. Blamed for the tragic death of Peter Parker, Gwen must run one step ahead of the New York Police Department which is lead by her father, Chief of Police George Stacy!

*A research scientist who specializes in arachnids discovers that his work might be behind a horde of sleep-walking zombies that are kidnapping citizens as soldiers in their ever growing army. 

*Visit a world where Peter Parker is abused by his uncle Ben and as a result, kidnapping and torturing neighborhood animals in a truly horrifying take on the Spider-Man.

*Lastly, on a technologically advanced earth, a 10-year old girl is bonded to a bio-engineered spider and placed inside an Iron Man level suit of armor!

All 5 stories were amazing. Ironically, the story that I liked the least, the Spider-Gwen introduction, is everyone else's favorite. Don't get me wrong. I prefer Gwen over Mary Jane. I have no qualms with there being a Gwen Stacy version of Spider-Man. It's just that the 3 stories that came after Spider-Gwen's debut were so freaking awesome!

After the 'zombie' story, I couldn't wait to read Spider-Verse and I had to find out what happened next. The demented Peter Parker story had an EC Comics horror quality. ( I just wish that the last panel had much better art.) And I think I've become a Peni Parker and SP//DR fan! That Manga inspired world was so cool! Their Daredevil was so wicked! Where can I find more of their adventures? Are there any?

If you want the first appearance of Spider-Gwen and you can't afford first print prices, this trade is the affordable way to do it. I didn't initially realize what I was getting with that. I was just trying to read the prelude to the Spider-Verse tale and not be lost without it. 

My local library has 'Spider-Verse' collected as an omnibus. I realize now that the collected edition probably has the contents of this trade inside it. But I bought this book way before I learned about the omnibus being at the library. So I'll just skip that part if it comes to that. Though I might re-read the horror stories and the Peni Parker introduction. Considering that I don't like to re-read stuff (as there's so much never before read stuff out there for consumption), that's high praise coming from me!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

Swamp Thing Annual #1 (2026 Comic Book & Graphic Novel Reading Challenge)

 In 1982, Bernie Wrightson and Len Wein's creepy creation, the Swamp Thing, made its motion picture debut. Written and directed by Wes Craven, the film tells a mostly faithful origin story of Dr. Alec Holland and how he is transformed into a being of sentient plant matter.

While working in a secret government lab deep in the swamps of Florida, Dr. Holland has created a formula that can transform barren deserts into futile farmland. His sister Linda, has also discovered that a single drop of the formula can also double as a powerful explosive. Anton Arcane, a despotic paramilitary leader, has caught wind of the chemical and attacks the lab in hopes of making the formula a part of his ever growing arsenal. During the assault, the chemical is spilt on Holland and he immediately catches fire thanks to its volatile properties. To extinguish himself, Holland jumps into the murky swamp and seemingly perishes.

Meanwhile, Alice Cable, a new government attaché to the project, flees with one of Holland's notebooks. With Arcane's operatives trailing her, Cable must find a way to alert Washington to the attack. However, the commandos get the better of Cable. With the notebook in their possession, there's no longer a need to keep Cable alive. But right before they silence the government agent, a mysterious creature emerges from the muck. It's the Swamp Thing and boy, is he mad!

The live action film was produced by Swampfilms and distributed jointly by Embassy Pictures and United Artists. It started Ray Wise as Dr. Alec Holland.  Adrienne Barbeau played Alice Cable. Renown French actor Louis Jourdan was the evil Arcane. Dick Durock would don pounds of rubber and fake moss as the title character. Over the next decade, it would only be Durock's body in the Swamp Thing suit. The imposing 6'6" actor would star opposite Heather Locklear in 1989's campy Return of the Swamp Thing. A year later, Durock would return for an hour long TV series on cable's USA Network. The series would run 72 episodes over 3 seasons. 

None of the subsequent Swamp Thing adaptations to star Dick Durock would receive the comic book treatment. This oversized special was written by Bruce Jones. Mark Texeira penciled; Tony DeZuniga inked. The cover image is of the original theatrical poster. It was painted and airbrushed by celebrated fantasy and sci-fi artist Michael Whelan. 

Completing this review completes Task #30 (A Movie Adaptation) of the 2026 Comic Book and Graphic Novel Reading Challenge.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 7 out of 10 stars.

Popeye and Business and Office Careers #1 (2026 Comic Book & Graphic Novel Reading Challenge)

Writer Joe Gill and artist Tony Tallarico led the young readers of 1973 through the growing field of office management. Your guides are Popeye the Sailor Man and his infant ward, Swee'Pea. 

Many jobs explored, such as office manager, secretary, and stenographer, had been around for decades. But with the growing use of computers to compute complex algorithms, data processing and scheduling and payroll, new positions and roles were being added to office setting. 

The argument has always been that computers are going to take human jobs. We see this more today with the controversial role of artificial intelligence. But in 1973, the job field was actually growing thanks to computers. That's because of how primitive they were back then!

The average computer used in offices in the 1970s were the size of several of our current xerox machines put together. They could fill an entire room, based on the size of the business. The standard personal computer is several years away from being offered to businesses. These computers also lacked the internal data processing features like spreadsheets. Yes, this is a world without Microsoft Office.

Popeye explains that to program a computer, you would need a team of employees; from technicians who would fine tool the machine on a regular, almost daily basis to punch card operators who tabulated the cardstock paper inserts that fed data into the computer for analysis.

Published by King Features Syndicate, the art and distribution studio that put Popeye and friends in dozens of newspapers nationwide, Popeye and Business and Office Careers was one of 15 other educational comic books starring the sailor. Other career pathways explored by Popeye and friends were in healthcare, communications, transportation and agri-business as part of King's Career Educational Series.

Cover by George Wildman.

Completing this review completes Task #5 (An educational comic) of the 2026 Comic Book and Graphic Novel Reading Challenge.

The Star Wars #8

The Dark Horse Comics adaptation of the original George Lucas rough draft of Star Wars does indeed come to an end in this issue. Issue #8 doesn't appear to have an expanded page count. So either Dark Horse made an error in planning for how many issues this miniseries should run or Lucas had so many different ideas in how to wrap his story up that he failed to pace things out properly. It's got to be George Lucas' fault. I say this because so much happens in the finale compared to some parts of act one and two that drag out to a snail's pace. Star Wars was such a lucrative property for Dark Horse, if the publisher felt like a 9th or 10th issue was warranted, they would have approved an extension as this sort of thing happens all the time in order to boost sales. 

So what does happen in this closer:

* Annikin Starkiller infiltrates the Empire's Space Fortress in hopes of rescuing Princess Leia who's being interrogated under threat of torture.

*General Luke Skywalker and Han Solo somehow manages to teach a bunch of primitive Wookiees to fly Imperial fighters and organizes an assault on the gigantic space station.

* A new ally emerges.

* Lots of people die on both sides of the conflict.

*Lastly, we get an ending satisfying enough that should ticket sales be dismal, you feel like there was a happy ending. But you don't close things out too perfectly less the studios decide to green-light a sequel.

For those who finish this miniseries, you'll have to settle for option A. This was Dark Horse's swan song with the Star Wars franchise. With Disney buying Lucasfilm in 2012, the House of Mouse had plans for a new series of films as well as giving Marvel, which was also owned by Disney, carte blanche on publishing the further adventures of Luke Skywalker and company. In other words, Disney had no intention of looking backwards; nor were they willing to share a piece of the lucrative Star Wars pie.

Ironically, thanks mostly to the pandemic's crippling effect on the comic book market, Marvel had to source out some of its Star Wars catalog back to Dark Horse. Another irony, instead of giving them any of the established trilogies or the new generation series that was coming to movie screens, Dark Horse was given free reign to establish history of the Old Republic. While in 2014 it didn't look like 'The Saga of The Ophuchi', the proposed next chapter in The Star Wars, perhaps with multiverses being the main focus of the big 2 publishers and their visual arts media, maybe the time is right to continue the adventures of Annikin Starkiller...

I know I'd buy it.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 7 out of 10 stars.

The Star Wars #7

Meet the Wookiees! Essentially, everything that George Lucas wanted to do with the people of Chewbacca's tribe in Return of the Jedi but had to replace with the much more marketable (In other word: cute and cuddly) Ewoks occurs in this chapter. 

The Wookiees appear more bestial like Bigfoot, with less fur around the face and chest and a bit more stocky. This design would eventually be reused as the character Zeb Orrelios, the last Lasat from Star Wars: Rebels; except with the change in fur color of Zeb's being purple and his having the ability to speak basic. 

There's an Imperial base on this planet. General Skywalker plans to train the Wookiees to attack it, using all those great wooden booby traps used during the Battle of Endor to destroy a squad of Imperial tanks that would eventually be utilized by the droid forces of the Separatists in Phantom Menace. Once the base is secured, they'll plan to steal all of the fighters, conduct a quick pilot training course before attacking the Space Fortress and rescuing Princess Leia who's currently being tortured by a Sith bloke who looks an awful lot like David Prowse. Good thing these primitive warriors understand how to fly heavy machinery.

This issue ends with a promise that the next  will wrap everything up. I don't see how. It feels like there's still like an hour of movie script to jump through. 

Trust the process, Padawan...

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.