Spread the Joy: Advent 2025: Day 6

Children who have at least 1 parent that is incarcerated are more likely to experience poverty, struggle with mental health issues, to have difficulty in school, face homelessness and to follow the pathways of the parent and become engaged with gangs, criminal activity and perhaps be incarcerated themselves. Children of parents that are imprisoned struggle with fear and embarrassment surrounding their parents' confinements and are often teased and bullied by their peers.

If you ask me, a child shouldn't have to suffer because of the poor choices of their parents. Especially during the holidays. The Christian ministry Prison Fellowship, seeks ways to help children deal with having one or more parent in prison. Along with helping the family unit continue to engage and interact as much as possible through letters, email, visitation and special events, Prison Fellowship helps provide counseling for minors of convicted parents as well as summer camp experiences in which children can interact with other children whose parents are incarcerated.

But perhaps my favorite annual event is the Angel Tree. You used to be able to go to the local mall and pick an angel ornament off of the Prison Fellowship Christmas tree. On the back of the Angel was a name of a child, their age and wishes for clothes and toys for the holidays.

I remember one year a child wanted a Dr. Drill n' Fill toy. It was only a couple of days before Christmas and the  volunteers didn't know what that toy was. But I remember having one as a kid. It was a dentistry set from Play Doh where you would fill a patient's cavities with silver clay and you could brush the teeth and other things. 

We had already already bought some gifts for some of my wife's DSS kids for Christmas. But I just couldn't let that little guy go without a Dr. Drill n' Fill for Christmas. So I promptly took the ornament off the tree, headed off to the nearest store where I knew I could find it and bought it, wrapped it up in one of my patented gift bags with matching tissue paper and gave the gift to the volunteers. 

I can't remember the child's name and I never got a thank you card or anything like that. But I hope that my wish fulfillment possibly inspired that little fella to grow up and become a dentist. Or at the very least, practice a lifetime of proper dental hygiene.

Not the one I bought for the Angel Tree.

If such a story is inspiring to you, then consider one of two ways to help. First, you can make a financial contribution here. Or if you are wanting to shop for some toys (and who doesn't?!), check with Prison Fellowship for area churches and religious organizations that are Angel Tree partners by emailing them at info@pfm.org.

Teen Titans Go! #10 (family Comic Friday)

Readers of all ages got an early Christmas present this year from DC Comics with a holiday issue of Teen Titans Go!

It's Christmas Eve and the Titans are on their way to Doom Patrol headquarters to spend the holidays with Beast Boy and his former teammates/family. While there, the Titans learn of a very strange Christmas Eve tradition that the Doom Patrol partakes in: the annual holiday attack of the shape shifting villain, Madame Rouge.

I apparently have a serious case of the Mandela Effect here because I was sure that Negative Man was a member of the TTG! version of the Doom Patrol. Yet upon checking things out, Negative GIRL is who's always been a member of this team. 

This was a fun holiday issue, written by J. Torres and illustrated by Dario Brizuela. It had a classic DC whodunnit where you, the reader, were to figure out who or what Madame Rouge was hiding in another form as. (I'm proud to say that I solved it before the Teen Titans did!) Everything felt so festive and fun. Plus with how the Chief's mustache and beard makes him look like Santa Claus, I'm wondering if there might be a sequel holiday story that floats around the possibility that the 2 are related. I'd totally be fine with that!

The only thing that I was unhappy with is something that you can't fault the artistic creative team for. It was the cover. Something is wrong with DC's printing process. The area where my thumb rested as I was reading the book bleached out all the colors. Now that one section of the cover looks like a faded postcard of some Christmastime of long, long ago. Too bad that the rest of the cover lacks this appeal. It kinda makes my brain itch, and sadly this has happened with other current DC book covers as well.

The cover says this read is for ages 8+. That's probably because of the fight scenes and a few gross humor one liners. But if you let a child younger than 8 was the long-running Cartoon Network series, then you will have no problem letting them read this hysterical Christmas read.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Spread the Joy: Advent 2025: Day 5

Data, Lily and Eddy.  These 3 babies were products of today's featured charity. All 3 are cats and thanks to the love, care and dedication of the ASPCA, had a loving, warm home and a furever place in the heart of my bride and myself for just a few short years. 

I also cannot forget my dog Lassie whom I owned before I met my wife!

I know that the ASPCA has had some controversy in the past with the culling of animals. But I also know that this is the exception- not the rule. Yes, unfortunately, there are some animals that are so abused, malnourished and mistreated that it's not possible to rehabilitate. But there are now hundreds of charities out there that cater to the fostering of pets that the ASPCA works in cooperation with those organizations to give every possible animal a chance at a happy home. Plus our local shelters will cut adoption fees to nearly $0 to get the animals into a forever home so that when they get overcrowded, they don't have to put them to sleep.

Yes- my family supports the ASPCA- warts and all. We love them so much that we've covered adoption fees for other kitties so that other families can experience the joy of adopting a fur baby of there own! Heck, we'd continue to adopt from the ASPCA if we didn't keep getting strays showing up on our door. But thankfully, that's meant we've been blessed to keep them rather than have to take them to the shelter and add to the shelter's already overflowing levels of capacity.

The Garner, NC shelter where we adopted Lily. AKA- The Donut Shop.

If helping our four legged friends find a furever home, you can do more than just donate here; or check out a huge database of kitties and puppies needing adoption. But don't overlook the shy guys, the veterans who have been there a long time, the re-homes whose owners passed away or gave up on them or those with injuries or illnesses. We've adopted a wide arrange of kitties with special needs and have enjoyed our years with them!

World of Archie Jumbo Comics #84

One of my biggest complaints about the Archie series of digests, both regular, double, jumbo, and giant, is that they are never 100% topical. You would think with over 80 years of stories, gags and fun pages, (not to mention all-new material that's still being churned out) that Archie Comics would have no problem filling a jumbo digest sporting a Christmas cover with nothing but holiday material. Yet, they are always book-ending these digests with the seasonal material, while the majority of the filler is a smorgasbord of random material that has absolutely nothing to do with Christmas.

Now Archie has gotten a little bit better at this.The very recent Halfway to Halloween digest I read at least had the fillers containing spooky characters or mysterious encounters. But with the stories here that weren't holiday related, they could have occurred on September 16th or May 12th. They are that generic looking. 

I would say least been okay if all of the stories occurred while it was snowing. But only a 2-parter in which Archie travels to the Arctic for a report on the habits of wolves, seems to involve really cold weather. Plus I have read this story several times prior! Sure, this collection of Archie works is from 2019. But I remember reading that wolf tale when it was brand new in the late 80s. I even think that I can recall where I got the book: from my childhood dentist who gave away comic books as prizes to the patients. 

The Christmas material that we do manage to get was enjoyable. There was a classic looking story by Joe Edwards where Mr. Weatherbee decides he's had it with playing Santa every Christmas at the Riverdale Orphanage, so Archie tries to recruit someone else which has results on par for when Archie dates both Betty and Veronica at the same time.

Speaking of Veronica, she's the focus of another holiday classic. Bummed out that her folks are making her spend Christmas on a cruise ship, Betty gets the Archies signed up as the on-board entertainment. But when the kids start driving Mr. Lodge bonkers, the millionaire arranges for everyone's parents to join the cruise. It's a delightful tale that may be one of the only times you see and engage with Reggie's parents!

A fun, classic holiday read that needs more Christmas cheer.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

Spread the Joy: Advent 2025: Day 4

Hear those bells ringing? That might be because today's featured charity is The Salvation Army. They've been using bells to attract attention to passerbys for charitable giving ever since 16-year old volunteer Amelia Kunkle got the idea at a New York red kettle way back in 1900.

I didn't know this but the Salvation Army is not just a charity. It's a church. Formed as a Methodist place of worship in 1865. Originally started as the East London Christian Mission by William Booth and his wife Catherine. Booth changed the name to the Salvation Army in 1878 when one of his son's bristled at being called a member of the church's 'volunteer army'. The word 'salvation' replaced volunteer and Booth began to adopt a more militaristic approach to his church, dressing workers in uniform, creating a flag and appointing himself the Salvation Army's first general. They even have their own anthem and flag!

Perhaps the most well known charitable operation of the Salvation Army is its homeless shelters and 'soup lines' which have become as synonymous with the holidays as well as the Great Depression of the 1930s. They also provide addiction recovery services, financial assistance for rent utilities and transportation, and humanitarian aid worldwide. Last year, an estimated 27 million American men, women and children were helped by the Salvation Army.

If the ringing of a Salvation Army volunteer's bell brings back memories of your parents giving you a quarter when you were a kid to drop in the donation kettles, then perhaps think about making a much larger donation now as an adult. If so, you can donate here to the Salvation Army USA

A Boy and His 'Bot #1

 A holiday comic aficionado, I  personally classify any comic book that has a holiday cover but no such interior filler as a SCROOGE. (To have a generic cover but set during the holidays is what I call a CHRISTMAS MIRACLE. Though I am wondering if I should label those as DIE HARDs...?)

Anyways, I am conflicted with this 1986 special from the short-lived NOW Comics. It is labeled as 'A Holiday Special'. Only there's nothing Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa or any other holiday related to be found inside. And yet, I had that feel good Christmas feeling reading A Boy and His 'Bot. 

Young Rick is outside stargazing when he witnesses a meteor crashing down nearby. Only it's no mere space rock. Instead, Rick discovers a large sentient robot that was knocked off course and into the boy's backyard. 

The mech offers Rick the chance of a lifetime: to become the pilot of the craft which is designed for a crew of one. As Rick travels around the world saving lives, he wishes he could be a hero full time. But he's been gone for several hours. Surely, mom and dad are wondering where the lad is. Maybe there's time for one last trip before dinner.

A Boy and His 'Bot was created, written and illustrated by Gary Thomas Washington. Washington doesn't have a ton of comic book credits. The indie hero comic Megaton seems to be his biggest and most long-term project. The back of this book stated that Washington was then enrolled at a College art program in the Midwest with hopes of a A Boy and His 'Bot monthly series. However, that didn't seem to ever come to pass. I wonder what happened to him. Did he graduate from art school? Did he go the way of many struggling comic artists and enter the field of animation or commercial art? Did Mr. Washington die before achieving his dreams?

I really would have liked to if they had followed this book up with a series. NOW stayed solvent for a few more years. So I don't think that was the reason for there not being a series based on this. And it's not to be confused with the young adult novel of the same name by Daniel H. Wilson It has a similar plot to this one. But I checked and it's very different.

Another work that has similar vibes but is different is The Iron Giant. Though the animated film is from 1999, it's based on The Iron Man, a children's novel from 1968. However with A Boy and His 'Bot, they go on adventures in outer space and becomes a Star Trek for kiddos when Rick and the robot meet a new alien species. But if you are a fan of The Iron Giant, I think you are going to love this book!

A lovely one-shot that I wish kept on. Plus I just can't figure out why this is called a' holiday special.'  So, I will knock off 1 star. But I'll keep it in my holiday comics bin since that's technically what this book is. 

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Spread the Joy: Advent 2025: Day 3

Based on some recent comments made by a certain Commander-in-Chief about a sitting governor of Minnesota, I've shifted my Advent features around. Today's featured charity is now Reece's Rainbow and here is my bride to talk about it...