Grubbs Halloween Spooktacular #1

Billy Watson goes by the unwanted nickname of Grubbs. But that's not what worries him at the moment. He's got his neighborhood Halloween plans all figured out. Now he's just got to find a way to ditch the rest of his group in order to maximize his candy earning potential. But when he faces the neighborhood bullies, who want to steal his hard-earned treats, Grubbs learns that it might not be a bad idea to have a partner!

Grubbs is created by Max Weaver and is partially based on his personal childhood experiences. His older brother gave him the nickname of 'Grubbs' because of how Max reminded his sibling of a grub worm. So I'm wondering if Billy Watson's ability to get into mischief might also be based on past experiences.

Grubbs is like Dennis the Menace without the snarky back talk. He's also a diabolical genius like Bart Simpson without the PG-13 attitude. And if Grubbs reminds you of Calvin from the Bill Watterson comic strip classic, it's all because of the artwork!

Max Weaver's illustrations are what I expect Calvin to look like if he was allowed to age past his eternal 6 years appearance and mentality. Grubbs is only 8 but I would have placed him at 10 or 12, especially with how he gives his older sister's new boyfriend the run around in the second, non-holiday backup story. And yet, I really didn't feel like Grubbs was all that devious behind the hi-jinx. 

This 2021 read was a ton of fun. But since it's not a book that is readily available to the public, I hesitate to make this a Family Comic Friday offering. Amazon offers a digital copy on its Kindle system. But I'm a fan of print. I don't care how affordable it is; nothing beats the experience of holding a book: smelling it, flipping of the pages, being enclosed by the intimacy of the 90 degree angled corner made when you open it for a good read. If you have kids that love Halloween or you're just a kid at heart and you can find this book in the wild somehow, you really should get it. Both stories were great reads. So good that I wasn't even disappointed that the second tale wasn't even Halloween themed.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.

Archie Showcase Digest #24- Halfway to Halloween

This book debuted in stores in May. I was very lucky to find a copy still on a Harris Teeter magazine rack just a couple of weeks ago. Boy am I glad I did because there's a ton of stuff that I have never read before!

Archie, both Little and as a teenager, Sabrina and her bewitching family and Betty and Veronica all have both Halloween themed and regular day supernatural adventures in this book. I didn't realize how many abandoned mansions that are supposedly haunted, occupy the town of Riverdale. In this gigantic digest, I lost count after 4!

The best story was a multipart tale where an Addams Family archetype clan moves into the haunted mansion behind Archie's house. I liked this story because of how creepy and kooky this family is and yet Archie treats them like normal people. He even treats their man-eating shrub like you would a beloved family dog.Once he got to know their true character, of course. It's how if I meet the Addams Family or even the Munsters, I hope I would react and interact with them.

Another thing that was really good didn't involve anyone from the Archie gang. It was the monster heavy pieces from the 1960s horror comedy anthology titled Archie's Mad House. Those pieces looked like something from EC Comics and had the humor of MAD Magazine. I thought they were great! I've never actively pursued these issues. But I've never turned down a chance to purchase one of I ever find them while searching through discount long boxes. But I might just start...

My choice for the worst story was the story from Archie's Weird Mysteries. Adapted from the monster and alien heavy 2000 cartoon series of the same name, I was excited about this one at first. I loved the animated series and I had put the 25 issues based on it on my wish list. But after reading this one, I might have to rethink that. The story, which recounts how Veronica became chosen as the Riverdale version of Buffy the Vampire Slayer as well as the betrayal of their friend Scarlet, who was a bloodsucker all along, relies too much on the TV series. The recap is too long. Inside jokes about the cartoon are referenced way too much and I had trouble relating to the mentor character of Dr. Beaumont.

I didn't know that Halloween in May was a thing. I know all about Christmas in July. But if Archie Comics wants to make this digest an annual thing, I'm all for it! This Summer time digest had more new-to-me material than this year's October published Halloween themed Archie digest, which was almost comprised entirely of Archie Halloween Spectacular material of the past decade!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.

Batman/Deadpool #1

The Dark Knight meets the Merc with a Mouth. 

This should have been the event of the year. If this had occurred 30 years ago, it would have made the front cover of Wizard Magazine, Entertainment Weekly and a host of other publications that have gone the way of the dodo. Even 20 years ago, such a cross company crossover would have made the news.

But it's 2025. There's so much media out there, this epic introduction was barely a blip on the radar. Still, getting the stars of the DC and Marvel universes together again for the first time in over 20 years was a crossover that established fans have been clamoring over for a very long time!

I must admit, I forgot about this one-shot happening. Earlier this year when the announcement was made, I promptly emailed my favorite comic shop and ordered a copy. I then put a pic of Batman and Deadpool together- officially!- on my Facebook pic. Then as time elapsed, I just forgot about it until I saw on a comic book website that the time had come. And yet, despite having been really excited about the meet-up, it was another week until I picked up my copy!

While Batman meeting Deadpool is the primary selling point of this book, there are several other crossovers contained in this Marvel published giant. After Deadpool is brought over from his universe to the DC one by a mysterious benefactor who hires the mercenary to off the Bat;  Wonder Woman and Captain America reflect on their past history which sees the DC and Marvel universes cohabitating as one. Then Daredevil and Green Arrow bump into each other in a story penned by Kevin Smith, who helmed classics starring the two characters. The Dark Knight Returns Batman and the Old Man Logan Wolverine are given the same treatment by an artist/writer who knows the pair rather intimately: Frank Miller! Then we get a tease that the Amalgam Universe could be alive and well with the introduction of Logo: a hybrid of Czarnian bounty hunter Lobo and the mutant Wolverine. 

Every story but 1 was great. Woman Woman with her World War II introduction to the world was the perfect team-up pairing with Captain America. Princess Diana must have a thing for Army men named Steve. Having Kevin Smith bring the Man Without Fear and the Emerald Archer together was another brilliant idea. And could it be true that we're going to be returning to the Amalgam Universe? Please say it's so! But man, has things fallen off for Frank Miller...

The artwork was primitive. But I can't really fault that. Arthritis and age have reduced many an artistic talent in the comic book industry to far cries of their glory years. But the dialogue for this piece. It was chopped full of cliches. It was such a jumbled mess. I didn't know what was happening nor what the hell either character was trying to say. 

Oh! And how could I forget that adorable play date between Krypto and Jeff, the Land Shark! Plus I loved the cultural exchange program between the Guardians of Oa and the Guardians of the Galaxy! Having Rocket Raccoon as a Green Lantern was hilarious. That adventure was way too short.

There was only one missed opportunity. No Deadpool meets Deathstroke. No Deadpool meeting Harley Quinn. Okay. That was 2 missed opportunities 

Thankfully, the DC/Marvel fun doesn't have to end just yet. In November, Batman and Deadpool will intermingle once more in a one-shot published by DC. Grant Morrison is set to pen it. Hopefully, Wade Wilson will meet Slade Wilson and Harleen Quinzel. Regardless, it should be epic. I can't wait. And hopefully, I won't forget about it this time!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

Dracula's Brunch Club (Family Comic Friday)

I started off my Halloween reads of 2025 with a fantastic book. Dracula's Brunch Club blends humor, horror and culinary arts in a story that takes everything you know about vampires and flips it around 180 degrees.

Count Dracula has won international fame. Not because he's the king of the vampires but because he's a world renowned donut maker! His sugary delights have forged a peace between humans and the undead. He even hosts a weekly brunch club where even werewolves can't help themselves for a taste of Dracula's famous crullers.

Dracula's claim to fame are his blood orange jelly donuts. It gives all of the vampires that partake a needed boost of late night energy. However, everything the Count has built threatens to come crashing down when his supply of blood orange jelly is stolen. Unable to make his signature dish, it provides an opening for a rival vampire to become the head of the brunch club, which is now full of mysterious new members. And he's even banished all of the human members from the club!

With jams, jellies and fruits on short supply, now Dracula and his trusty French Baker Chef Jeleu (Jelly in French) must create a new gelatin filled donut. Without it, the town's children's hospital fundraiser will be ruined, the Count will lose the coveted Spirit Award for excellence in baking and worse! No longer be a member of the very brunch club Dracula created! 

Writer Brian Gonsar and artist Keenan Gaybba make their graphic novel debut in this 2025 work from Oni Press. It has a spooky vibe with liberal amounts of silliness and humor. The entire foundation of vampire folklore is in this book; from their inability to reflect in mirrors to their love of A,B and O positive and negative blood. A few townsfolk get turned into creatures of the night. But it's all done off scene. There's a little bit of fisticuffs between Dracula and his rival. But it's nothing that's too scary or violent. 

Recommended for readers aged 8-12 on Amazon, I can support that suggestion. This book fits right in that kind of sweet spot for kids of that age who like scary things as well as really silly reads.

I love the cover. It's an image of a box of donuts. The fang marks on the jelly donut is hilarious. The plastic window in the shape of a coffin is genius. And the Dunkin' looking font was so clever. It perfectly hints at everything you should expect from this book: horror and humor.

I really thought I made a great choice with this book to start off my October of Halloween reads. This book isn't set during Halloween. But unlike a Christmas read, does a read for All Hallows Eve have to be set on October 31st? I don't think so. As long as there's that supernatural vibe, whether terrifying or not, a Halloween read can be set during any time of year. 

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Simpsons Comics Get Some Fancy Book Learnin'

I was a little skeptical about whether I would like this collection of Simpsons comics or not. I'm not really a fan of the episodes that take place during a different era. But I want to own all the Simpsons Comics there are, regardless of the book being a floppie or a trade. So I gave it a shot. Thankfully, these issues were more like a Treehouse of Horror, spoofing individual works of literature than that god awful episode from 2017 that took place entirely during medieval times. 

There's 5 issues that comprise this volume. Each focuses on a single subject. Hence why I was a little hesitant that I was going to like this one. Greek Myth, Fairy Tales and stories from The Bible are among the classics spoofed. Ian Boothby wrote every issue with artwork and colors being provided by a number of talents. Boothby did a fine job making cramming in numerous references and quick jokes like a standard episode of The Simpsons. And he managed to do it without getting too irritatingly repetitive. Every once in a while a joke from earlier in the issue would reappear. But Boothby used considerable restraint not going overboard with those gags. Too bad current Simpsons writers can't learn from this!

Surprisingly, the issue that I thought was the best was the one which dives into God's holy word. I was a bit on edge thinking it would be blasphemous. But Boothby did something brilliant that lessened some of the irreverence. He had Bart tell the stories! With the Sunday School teacher out sick, Bart retells the story of Noah's ark, Abraham and Isaac and The Prodigal Son to Rod and Todd with hilarious results. Bart getting details wrong isn't so much a criticism of the Bible; it's what kids actually do! It's why I love Little Lulu and Foxtrot so much. It reminds me of the mixed-up adolescents I teach on a daily basis. 

I really was pleasantly surprised by this one. There were several laughs to be had. Some great gags and a few biting commentaries. In a word, it was CLASSIC Simpsons humor and it was very much appreciated in a day where there's getting to be less and less to laugh about.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Frankenstein #1

This 1963 comic is a grail that I have been searching for for a very long time. It's something that I've wanted so much that apparently the price I paid surprised the heck out of my wife. I only paid $20 for it. Sure, the cover has been tattooed by some kid named 'Fred'. But it was in decent shape with vibrant colors and beautiful artwork by Tony Tallarico. Inked by Bill Fracchio. Still, being a notorious bargain hunter, giving up a portrait of Andrew Jackson was a surprise to my wife.

This issue is officially licensed by Universal Studios and it offers a quasi-faithful retelling of the 1931 classic starring Colin Clive and Boris Karloff. The first half of the book follows Dr. Frankenstein attempting to recreate life in his castle laboratory. He succeeds but the experiment is flawed because the scientist's assistant accidentally destroyed the normal brain that was to go inside the monster's cranium and instead replaced it with a criminal mind. 

Frankenstein attempts to control the beast. But when townsfolk end up dead, those who survive storm the castle. Armed with pitchforks and torches, the citizenry destroy the castle, seemingly condemning the scientist, his assistant and his creation to their dooms within the fiery confines of Castle Frankenstein. 

It's at this point that the book takes a huge shift away from the movie and goes to a place never explored by Frankenstein and his creation: New York! There had been several sequels made by Universal Studios that continued the story of Frankenstein. The monster would get a bride, fight the Wolfman and even meet comedians Abbott and Costello. But none of those adventures ever occurred in the Big Apple. So why the sudden change to the legend? For that answer, you have to blame the Comics Code.

Even in the early 1960s, horror comics were still a bit of a cultural taboo. Zombies, vampires and werewolves were forbidden by the CCA. Dell Comics had survived being bound by the code, even producing an impressive catalog of works without the Comic Code stamp by following a strict self-imposed code of quality and conduct. However, the Universal monster movies of the 1930s were seeing an impressive comeback on the TV airwaves as certain copyrights had expired, introducing the likes of Bela Lugosi, Lon Chaney Jr., and Karloff to a new generation of monster fans. 

Wanting to capitalize on the sudden monster mania, Dell licensed several characters from the Universal vault. This would allow for a one-shot comic book adaptation of the original films to be produced without outcry about violating the Code, as the movies were by-and-large based on works of gothic literature and European folk lore. But how could Dell continue to tell the stories of the Universal monsters as the many, many sequels were nearly 100% Hollywood fabrication? 

The answer was to turn the monsters into superheroes. In order to do this, Dell needed to set up each character to be able to start off their crime busting careers. For Frankenstein's monster, that meant having Dr. Frankenstein and his creation surviving the destruction of his lab by escaping through an underground tunnel and fleeing to America. While in the States, Dr. Frankenstein seeks to introduce his experiment to the world at a medical convention. In typical fashion, the monster goes berserk, wreaks havoc and seemingly perishes deep in the middle of Hudson Bay.

Everything seems set up for a successful new Frankenstein series. The first issue was in such high demand, a second print was issued in 1964. Only the second issue didn't see print for 3 years after the premiere! With Dell still owning the Universal license, Frankenstein and his cohorts become superheroes, with much of what happened at the end of the first issue retconned away. Instead of being set in the Big Apple, the Monster lives in the fictional burgh of Metropole City. No longer trapped under water, the monster is instead revived by a convenient thunder bolt proving that lightning does indeed strike the same place twice.

I didn't really mind the changes to the story. Artistic license has been a part of comic book adaptations of TV and movies since it's inception. I just thought it was really odd that we go from 1880s Central Europe to more modern 1930s when Dr. Frankenstein flees to America. I know that parts of Europe are known as the Old Country. But I thought only Dr. Frank N. Furter encountered time warps...

Love this book. So glad to own it. Despite the poor reception, I really want issues #2-4 of the super-powered Frank; as well as his vampire and werewolf compatriots. They're oddities. They're kitschy. And they're still on my wish list! But so are the other more traditional Universal Studios publications, including the Mummy, who for some reason never received the heroic treatment.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Chef Yasmina and the Potato Panic (Family Comic Friday)

Today's Family Comic Friday offering has just enough fear factor to be a perfect amuse bouch for the upcoming Halloween season. 

Aspiring chef Yasmina is on a budget. She's been utilizing fruits and veggies from her nearby community garden. But when a conglomerate buys the land and tears down the garden in lieu of an experimental crop, the young lady will have to make ends meet. And that means making secret raids on the rooftop garden of her overhead neighbor. 

Within weeks, a new product from the mega corp that bought up Yasmina's garden hits store shelves. It's an immediate success. In fact, you could call its fans rabid. That's because for some reason, anyone that eats the GMO potatoes in the new food stuff starts acting like rabid dogs; to the point of even chasing the neighborhood mail carrier. At first, Yasmina avoids the fervor, preparing healthy meals with the assistance of a pair of gardening fanatics. But when her father eats the mysterious potato product, she'll need all the help she can get to save the day. Even help from the neighbor that she pilfers produce from.

I thought Wauter Mannert's 2019 debut four-colored graphic novel was a great read. It was like a cross between Top Chef and The Walking Dead. Only there's no real zombies and there isn't any eating of brains! There was some oddball humor and some really unusual characters, which I chalk up to the creator being Belgian. Though I don't approve of anyone stealing items from another's property. I understand that Yasmina's theft helps bring the story to a successful conclusion to the story. But being the victim of multiple thefts in my time, I take umbrage with the hero making liberal use of the five-finger discount. And I am sure parents and guardians will feel the same as I do.

Despite my disappointment with that character flaw in our hero, I liked Yasmina and I hope that she might have some more unusual adventures with food. She does some amazing things with food. Her father has a culinary background as well, working at a Belgian fries restaurant. I think there was a missing opportunity by not having a couple of recipes included in the book. Though I greatly appreciated Mannert's one-page comic about the lives of children in Belgium and his director's cut commentary offers some amazing insight into the artist's creative process and inspirations for the story.

Genetically Modified Organisms have been in the news and cause for culinary debate for a good couple of decades now. As a culinary teacher and chef, I can tell you that not every scientific advancement in our food supply is as terrifying and reckless as the potatoes in this book. There have been some creations that straddle ethical practice. But there's also been some that have positively influenced our growing world. GMOs is one subject that my state wants different educational departments to cross teach and this is an excellent book that can get the discussion rolling with the young readers in your life while also entertaining. Plus, it was a great pick to whet my appetite for October fun which I just can't wait to get here!

Recommended for readers aged 8-12.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.