Walt Disney's Uncle Scrooge "Only a Poor Old Man": The Complete Carl Barks Disney Library Vol.12

I'm having a bit of a rough time right now, waiting for several medical appointments to hopefully diagnose that mystery ailment of mine. Thus, I have needed a pick-me-up. Thankfully I still had a Carload Barks Library volume on hand. 

Starring my favorite of the Disney Ducks, this edition contains the first four Uncle Scrooge solo issues by Dell. Though Uncle Scrooge has previously appeared in issues of Walt Disney Comics and Stories and Donald Duck, the contents here are not to be overlooked! There is a Duckburg money bin sized amount of origin story and key first appearances of supporting characters and relics. Glittering Goldie, Scrooge's lucky dime, and his biggest foes, the Beagle Boys! Although, by this time, it would be the 3rd appearance of the Beagles. In the other 2 times, they were cameos with no lines. The title tale 'Only a Poor Old Man's, sees the crooks finally talking and actively attempting to rob McDuck of his vast riches. 

Major events in Scrooge's early days are explored here. His discovery of the massive Goose Egg nugget when a sourdough in the Klondike is retold. We'll also learn some of the major talents the entrepreneur has gleaned over time building his fortune. Fluent in several languages, Scrooge can also communicate with various animal species.

It's not just Uncle Scrooge whose backstory is being developed. Donald is pretty much established. But his nephews Huey, Dewey and Louie are beginning to transition from mischievous brats to valuable resources in Uncle Scrooge's globetrotting adventures for fabled treasures. The Junior Woodchuck Handbook begins to see wear and tear in epics that see the ducks discovering Atlantis and a Utopian, or Duck-topian version of Shangri-la. 

The stories are still a bit rough around the edges. It's like the first season of a now classic TV sitcom. The lighting isn't quite right. Background information on a character might be a bit inaccurate from the eventual finished product. Heck, you might even find that some of the original cast will be changed over time. Still, to see the early version of my all-time favorite Disney characters was so awesome. 

(Note: The first three issues were originally published as part of the massive Dell Four Color Series, #s 386, 456, & 495. They are retroactively known among collectors as Uncle Scrooge #1-3.)

The director's cut commentary by several noted 'Duck experts' was as usual. The backstory information and history of Carl Barks was so interesting. I'd love to read a biography about this iconic comic creator. But when these experts start to wax philosophic about how some random item in the background of a single scene was Barks' silent protest against totalitarianism.  Have these experts never taken advice from Sigmund Freud? Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

A Christmas Carol

It's an annual holiday tradition of my own accord to consume in some way a version of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol. It's one of my all-time favorite stories and I am a sucker for it in any form of media. I'll even fawn over a parody or a reboot of it. I just love the story and it's not the holidays without it's heartwarming message.

This year, I selected this 2009 adaption from Campfire. An Indian publisher, this version is in English and is a very faithful retelling of the Victorian era classic. The art is very good. But it's not clean. For one thing, Victorian era London wasn't a very tidy place. But the images by Naresh Kumar have a sort of woodcutting effect to them that makes the artwork seem a little faded and muddled from multiple printings over time.

Every year, I notice something that I never really noticed before. Here, Scrooge's time visiting his nephew, Fred, is covered more in-depth, with the reformed miser actually partaking in holiday parlor games with the entire household. Meanwhile, Scrooge's visit to the Cratchit household doesn't even occur. Instead, Scrooge provides the family with a Christmas feast as an unknown benefactor, thanks for multiple deliveries, while not even revealing to Bob Cratchit his emotional change of heart upon the employee's return to work on December 26th. At least it's revealed that Tiny Tim DOES NOT DIE and that Ebenezer becomes like a second father to the lad.

I still can't figure out Jacob Marley's timetable. He always makes it seem like Scrooge gets visited by ghost #1 on Christmas morning, ghost #2 on Boxing Day and the third ghost on December 27th. It's got to be some kind of old English way of telling time because it has never made sense to me. 

A very good retelling. More classic than contemporary. That's not a bad thing! I've read quite a few versions of the book that really try to push the envelope and it was refreshing to get a very straight forward adaptation for a change.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

Spider-Man Holiday Spectacular #1

Marvel decided to make Spider-Man the headliner for their 2025 holiday special and I think that was a brilliant idea. Working with high schoolers and middle school students as well, I can attest that the wall crawler in all of his many forms is extremely popular. Actually, I think I referred to it as 'absurdly popular' because I am seeing girls of all ages and races wearing Spidey shirts, hats and bookbags! I've never seen an across the board popularity of a superhero like this before. 

So I think I have established that Spider-Man is having a moment.

In this one-shot, Peter Parker is planning on spending a nice, quiet Christmas with his Aunt May. However, she's unexpectedly booked herself on a cruise, leaving Parker with nobody to share the season with. Almost immediately, he finds himself being asked by any and everyone in the Marvel universe to spend Christmas with them. Parker thinks they're all feeling sorry for him. However, Wolverine lets it slip that the invites aren't out of pity. Instead, everyone is fighting for the privilege to give Peter Parker the best Christmas ever!

Spider-Man is the heart and soul of Marvel Comics. There's no doubt about that. Written by Rainbow Rowell, this was a brilliant way to showcase the rest of the Marvel Universe, that is probably grossly overlooked by all but the most discerning of comic book fans, while featuring Marvel's most popular character. Sadly, as today's youngster isn't buying comics, I question how much of an impact having Spidey as the star of this holiday showcase is going to make on readership among those 13-21. As the advisor for the comic book club at the high school that I teach at, I just don't think it's going to move the needle that much, if at all. 

But of all the 2025 season holiday releases, this one might have been the best. It was heartfelt. It was festive. It was classic Spider-Man, with a perfect ending, set in the modern era. I loved it!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.

The Flinstones and the Jetsons #18

I've still got a few books from this past holiday season to review. This one from 1999 was a DC series that had both Flintstones and Jetsons stories in the same issue; but aside from the occasional cover that had Fred and George interacting together, never seemed to have the two actually meeting in a story. 

There are 2 Christmas themed stories here. The cover carol is a parody of It's a Wonderful Life, though Wilma and Barney don't get married as the illustration would imply. It's Christmas Eve and Fred was expecting a big bonus in order to buy Christmas dinner and presents for everyone. However, he didn't get that bonus and instead of asking his boss why, Fred is wishing he was never born. So the Great Gazoo grants his request and Fred views life without him ever being a part of it. However, it all seems like his friends and family are much better off without him... on the surface.

The Jetsons tale was a slapstick farce. Elroy doesn't believe in Santa Claus anymore. Naturally, George rents a Santa costume and tries to restore his boy's faith in Christmas magic. Too bad for George, he forgot to disarm the elaborate alarm system to his home, the robot maid Rosie!

I enjoyed both stories with the Jetsons story probably being my favorite. Not because the first story was bad. As Christmas story aficionado, of not just comic books, it drives me crazy that the Flintstones celebrate Christmas! How is this possible?!? Jesus wasn't even born yet! Who's birth are these cavemen commemorating? 

I'd be okay with a situation similar to Star Wars. They celebrate Life Day, which with the decorating of trees and wearing of red, surprisingly looks a lot like Christmas but isn't. If the cave people of Bedrock celebrated the solstice and it just happens to look very festive like Christmas, I would be okay with that! Just don't call a pre-Christianity holiday Christmas! 

Sorry, but I have to acquiesce to my pet peeve and rate this issue a bit lower than I would normally.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 7 out of 10 stars.

The 1975 Mighty Marvel Calendar: 2025 Reissue

I know that this might sound odd but I spent the better part of an hour last night reading a calendar. The 1975 Mighty Marvel Calendar to be exact. Well, it was also the 2025 calendar, facsimile mind you, in which the dates for last year just happened to coincide with the dates for 1975. Now that I think about it, the calendar was maybe 99 and ⅜ facsimile as there was no such thing as Martin Luther King Birthday yet and I highly doubt that the original edition of this calendar listed things like Diwali or Juneteenth. 

I had seen images of this fabled calendar for years, no decades. Along with an annual posting on various comic book groups on social media (typically with each coming new year), I remember seeing ads for this in the pages of Marvel back issues from 1974 and wishing I could have had one. December of 2024, I finally got my wish.

Apparently, holding onto calendars to reuse later on down the road is a thing. A local radio morning show I listen to has talked for years about this as they have a colleague who will use an old calendar for a current year. This guy notes 'that the dates lineup.' He's got about a dozen calendars that he recycles and seems to haven't bought a new one since the mid-90s. One of the DJs thinks its rather brilliant. The other says that this guy is 'sticking it to big calendar.' I'm hoping the trend continues for at least one more year.

I received the 2026 calendar, which reprints the 1976 edition in all it's patriotic glory. Plus a day, actually. 2026 is a leap year while our nation's bicentennial was not. (The '76 calendar has an overall patriotic theme.) Anyways, I really hope this trend of reprinting all of the  Mighty Marvel Calendars continues because the next one would be a reprint of 1977 and that's the year I was born! Selfishly, I kinda hope DC jumps on the bandwagon, because I really want a copy of their 1977 edition, which was Super-Heroes' vs Villains themed.

So why did I spend a night that I could have been reading comic books reading a calendar that is essentially 50 years old? 51, now as of yesterday. It's because of all the snarky little things that are peppered throughout the whole thing. Along with important moments in Marvel Comics history like when the first issue of Amazing Spider-Man debuted, there's a celebration of writers and artists from the Marvel bullpen and their birthdays as well as 'humorous' reminders of what you might see written on a superhero or villain's day planner. All done in the Mighty Marvel Manner; which means they're self-deprecating and full of dad jokes. And I loved all of it.

There's also some fantastic artwork. John Buscema, Barry Windsor Smith, and John Romita, Sr contribute some masterpieces. Too bad that not all of the months give attribute to the artist. Man, does Barry Smith have a killer signature! 

I'm torn as to whether dismantle this in order to decorate my office or if I should hold onto this until 2031, the next year that this calendar can be reused accordingly.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.

The 2026 Comic Book & Graphic Novel Reading Challenge is HERE!!!

Keeping the Comic Book and Graphic Novel Reading Challenge from getting stale, I've made a new adjustment. Last year, I cut the number of books to read from 50 to 40. The lessened number of reads was a smart move. Battling a mystery aliment, that still has yet to be determined, there were many nights I was too exhausted mentally or physically to read before I went to bed. It was a blessing to not feel rushed, nor guilty, because my body and mind wouldn't let me relax the way I like and make continual progress towards my reading goals. 

This year, I am exploring the progression of characters, superhero teams and genres over the decades. I still kept some criteria that have been on my list since I started this challenge 4 years ago. There are a few returning favorites, like #4: About food, whereas I dropped the criteria about having to read a manga book for the first time ever. Maybe it will be back next year. 

Here are the rules, which have undergone their first change since I began my annual reading challenge. The rule that has changed is rule #1

THE RULES- 

1. I must read 40 graphic novels or comic books. The only exception is #40, which does involve reading a prose work of non-fiction about comic book history. Only certain criteria can be completed in any order. I do not have to start at #1 and work my way down to 40, unless they are progression criteria books. Those criteria are listed in numbers 6-26. For Example, I must read the Fantastic Four comic from the 1980s before I begin the FF comic from the 1990s. I then must complete that work before finishing with the team with a comic from the decade of the 2000s. However, I can read my 3 progression books about Superman (criteria #15-17) before choosing to read the Fantastic Four books from 3 different decades. Progression books can include one-shots, annuals, graphic novels or miniseries.

2. I might read a book that fits multiple criteria. But I can only use 1 criteria per book. For example from an older challenge, I might read Star Wars #1 which from the year I was born (1977). As that book was also published during the Bronze Age, I could select that one instead. It's up to me to choose which criteria I mark off.

3. Once a criteria is selected, it's off the board. I cannot go back and switch criteria. For example, if I marked off Star Wars #1 as being a book more than 20 years old from my list, I can't go back and switch it to the book that was when I was born just because I am having trouble finding other comics/graphic novels from the greatest year ever!

4. I must write a review of the book in order to receive full credit. Those reviews will be listed as being part of the reading challenge. Every month I will post the challenge list to show my progress. 

5. Finally, I have until midnight, December 31st to complete my readings. That final review must be posted by January 4th, 2027 since life could get in the way. In a year that has seen power outages, cancelled flights and unexpected illnesses, a couple days grace to complete the last review is probably not such a bad idea.

Star Wars: Life Day Treasury - Holiday Stories From a Galaxy Far, Far Away by George Mann & Cavan Scott

George Mann and Cavan Scott present Star Wars stories set during the Wookiee holiday known as Life Day. Other than Boba Fett, Life Day has become the most enduring contribution to the Star Wars universe to come from the infamous 1978 Star Wars Holiday Special. This treasury of tales show how different cultures and solar systems celebrate Life Day in regards to the winter solstice. As each populated planet has their winter solstice begin at different times, potentially you could celebrate the holidays every day. Coruscant, Tattioone, Alderaan, even the forest moon of Endor celebrate the beginning of winter and the New hope of warm, fertile days ahead.

I like that this book is set during different periods of time. The story on Coruscant occurs during the days of the Old Republic. My favorite story, 'The Song of Winter's Heart' takes place during the early days of the rebellion, showing how a pair of best friends can grow apart on different sides of the political spectrum, with one becoming a storm trooper and the other a rebel, and yet, the shared cultural heritage of the holidays can make even the worst of enemies brothers once more.

I also like that a majority of these stories star established characters. While my favorite tale had all-new characters, whom I hope to one day encounter again, other stories feature some of the most beloved characters across all 3 trilogies. Obi-Wan Kenobi, Wicket and the rest of his tribe are amongst those who appear. You won't get Darth Vader, Luke Skywalker or Princess Leia. But as you could probably guess, Chewbacca and his family, including son Lumpy, star in the Life Day story set on Kashyyyk that closes out this collection. Yup! Han Solo is there too!

Some characters from before Episode I, who have been established in the pages of either Dark Horse or Marvel comics publications appear here too. One such character is Jedi Knight Stellan Gios, who appears on the cover. I only know that Stellan is an established character thanks to a Google search. I'm wondering if he was meant to be based on actor David Tennant. Because that's who he looks like in profile in the beautifully painted cover image by Grant Griffin. All of the artist's paintings were fantastic and added greatly to the intended theme of each story which range from humorous and heartfelt to suspenseful and scary. 

I wouldn't mind a second volume of Life Day stories. Maybe we could see what Life Day festivities are like on Cloud City or when observed by the Hutts. But I would also like to see some sequels. I really would like to know what happened to the opposing main characters of my favorite tale. Did both survive? Did they reconcile? I really want to know more about their story. If that's not reason to believe that is a great read, I don't know what is! And there are several characters, who are not Han or Chewie, in this book that I wanted to know more about.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 10 out of 10 stars