The Flintstones and the Jetsons, Vol. 1

It's finally October. After a rough, rough September, I am so glad we're now in the 10th month of the year. I choose this collection of the first 6 issues of the 1997-1999 series because of what was awaiting me in issue #5. But first, a recap of some of the stories from America's favorite Stone Age and Space Age families.

The first issue is a quasi-crossover. It starts with Fred and Barney meeting the ancestor of the Jetsons, Gorge Jetstone. The newest employee at the rock quarry, Jetstone is a terrible bumbler. Yet somehow he manages to get Fred's promised promotion when Gorge accidentally discovers fire. Then George Jetson meets Spacely Sprocket's newest employee, Ferd Flintson; a descendant of the Flintstones! Here George and Ferd compete for a new promotion by being the first one to bring an emergency sprocket to the history museum.

Other stories sees Fred and Barney transformed into women by the Great Gazoo. Mr. Spacely gets turned into a baby when a practical joke from George backfires. When George and Jane go on a romantic weekend getaway, Judy and Elroy throw a huge house party. Dino becomes the one first purple dinosaur on TV and then back in the future, in a story that while supposed to be funny, is eerily a modern day horror, George is required to train his robot replacement.

These were all very funny stories. The art was good. But I couldn't tell whether the inking was bad or if it was something off about the print process. That's because in several stories, especially the Jetsons episodes, the dark brush-like outlines of the characters looked pixelated instead of smooth. I guess it's a good thing that the inking wasn't the reason I got this book. My interests were all due to the holidays. 

In the Flintstones story of issue #5, the Flintstones and Rubbles celebrate Halloween with their frightful neighbors, the Gruesomes. In keeping with the tradition of having real modern day celebrities given the stone age treatment, the guest star is a prehistoric ancestor of Marilyn Manson. 

I just couldn't wait and got into early Halloween reading mode by reading the Gruesomes story last night. I apparently couldn't wait for Turkey Day either, as in the next issue, Fred and Barney go hunting for a dodo to grace their Thanksgiving Day table spread. It was a heartwarming story and a surprise as I only knew about the Halloween tale before I bought it. 

With just a single holiday story, I'd be tempted to sell this for trade credit. But with 2 of them and Thanksgiving comics being so rare, this volume is definitely now a permanent feature in my holiday comic book collection. Now if I could just figure out which holiday to catalog it under.

Oh, and just so you know. Volume 1 is the only trade produced from DC based on this series.

Worth Consuming!

Rating 8 out of 10 stars.

Planet of the Apes Vs Fantastic Four #3

Issue #3 sees the original Fantastic Four still without their powers with Dr. Zaius, Cornelius, Zira and General Ursus bearing those missing cosmic powers. 

The Crimson Ghost, along with his super powered apes, have arrived on the Planet of the Apes. So has the dreaded Doctor Doom! To help become the planet's new ruler, the Crimson Ghost has been spreading propaganda, inciting a insurrection that puts General Ursus as the puppet leader of Ape City. 

A very thrilling issue that sets the board up for what promises to be an unforgettable finale. I understand why the Crimson Ghost is on the Planet of the Apes. He's got a thing for monkeys. But why does Doctor Doom want in on the seemingly primitive planet? It just doesn't make sense to me.

As for the upcoming finale, I hope that will be a definite ending. Not that I hate this crossover. In fact it's fantastic. But I am getting tired of the memories of really good miniseries being tarnished by the eventual sequels that diminish in quality with each subsequent attempt to milk a drying up cash cow.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 10 out of 10 stars. 

Planet of the Apes Vs Fantastic Four #2

As you can tell from the cover, the Apes have obtained the cosmic powers of the Fantastic Four! The design of Dr. Zaius as the rock cover Thing was awesome. You can thank artist Andrea Di Vito for that.

I'm also a fan of the way a human form Ben Grimm is looking. He's got a crooked beak from too many broken noses. Cauliflower ears as well. He's hairy as all get out and along with being covered in scars and muscles, you very much see the Thing hiding underneath the man. 

Another excellent chapter in this once unthinkable crossover. It really makes me wish I had my old General Ursus T-shirt from my college days. It's also got me wishing for a Planet of the Apes (classic franchise, please) marathon, though with October just days away, I probably would have to wait until November for that to occur. 

Bring on chapter #3!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.

Great Moments in Chocolate History: With 20 Classic Recipes From Around the World by Howard-Yana Shaprio, Ph.D

This look at the history of chocolate was published in 2015 by National Geographic. So don't expect a more commercial look like when the first Reese's Peanut Butter Cup debuted. This is more of a scholarly text but told in layman's terms. Although I still have trouble understanding what chocolate liquor is. I've tried for years to wrap my head around that luxurious food stuff. Some candy bars are mentioned. But it's mostly if the manufacturer made a major breakthrough in the process or the manufacturing of chocolate. 

Speaking of candy companies, the Mars corporation gets a lot of love. That's because the writer of this book is Dr. Howard-Yana Shapiro, the chief agricultural officer of Mars, Incorporated. Somehow that just feels like Nat. Geo is lowering its standards with a corporate sponsor. The author lauds praise upon praise of the steps towards sustainable farming of cacao and fair trade practices that the Mars corporation is doing to ensure that the next generation of chocoholics have chocolate. I would have been okay with this if Dr. Shapiro had included how the Mars family first managed to get a life-time contract for purchasing Hershey chocolate and then stabbed Milton Hershey in the back, reneging on the contract and then leaving the Pennsylvania company in the dust.

About a third of this book is a cookbook. And with the chocolate expert's tips on the proper uses and techniques for cooking with chocolate, these are some of the best recipes that I have ever come across as a culinary instructor. There's several that I think my students will enjoy like how to make macarons. Thanks to the recipe in this book, I finally feel like I have a much better scientific understanding of the process of making this highly requested desert. Personally, I want to make the Chicken Mole dish with the recommended pairing of steamed rice. 

If you want a book that explores chocolate through historical accounts, scientific discoveries and the taste buds of fans worldwide, this is a good book to start with. I bought my copy of a Friend's of the Library bookcase sale display for only $5. While I do feel that there was a bias towards the makers of M&Ms and Snickers, I did learn some new facts and new cooking techniques. Plus I don't feel quite so scared that the world's supply of chocolate is going to dry up in the next few weeks. Though if we don't get on the ball in supporting more farmers and pest and disease resistant strains of cocoa trees, it might be a confection that only the richest citizens of planet Earth will be able to afford.

I don't know about you. But I need my chocolate fix. So, Dr Shapiro, if you needed to give your employer a little bit of free advertising to get the message of sustainable farming practices for cacao, that I guess I will begrudgingly support your efforts.

Worth Consuming!

Rating:7 out of 10 stars. 

Planet of the Apes Vs Fantastic Four #1

I know that with my mystery blood disease that I've been really behind on keeping up with the new releases. But how did I miss this one?!

From earlier this year, Planet of the Apes Vs Fantastic Four is a 4-issue mini co-published by 20th Century Fox and Marvel. As much as Disney's monolithic acquisition of studios and franchises alarm many, I appreciate how we're getting crossovers that 5-10-20 years ago would have been unthinkable. Some crossovers aren't that very hard to pair together. Having a Predator stalking prey in downtown New York City and battling Earth's Mightiest Heroes in an effort to take the perfect hunter down isn't as big of a stretch as the pairing of apes and Marvel's First Family. They're from 2 totally different universes. But writer Josh Trujillo actually found a way to make it work.

Our story begins at the Baxter Building. The former Soviet supervillain, Crimson Ghost and his band of super smart simians infiltrate the home of the FF in search of a device called a Di-Quantum Stabilizer. Somehow the Crimson Ghost learned of the existence of a world where apes are the dominant species over man and the Commie wants in on the action. (As the villain once maintained operations on the moon, I suspect that he learned of the Planet of the Apes from his one-time lunar neighbor, Uatu the Watcher.)

The Crimson Ghost finds the device and in battle with Mr. Fantastic, he activates it. Only instead of himself and his monkey minions going through the inter-dimensional portal, it's the Fantastic Four who are sucked through!

Reed, Sue, Johnny and Ben find themselves on a semi-arid planet. Instead of being covered in rocks, Ben Grimm is back in his flesh and blood form. Reed cannot stretch. The only thing hot about Johnny Storm is his temper. The Fantastic Four have lost their cosmic powers and they better figure out things fast because they soon find themselves captured by the gorilla soldiers of General Ursus and in front of the tribunal of Dr. Zaius, facing a death sentence!

I loved this opening chapter. It had the feel of that 1968 original sci-fi classic. I especially loved how you get an opening scene of about 3-4 pages and them boom! There's this amazing splash page that is an homage to the '68 theatrical poster. If ever a comic book needed a soundtrack, it's this one. Though in my head, those iconic drums from the opening theme played in THX surround sound in my head.

There's a fantastic twist that occurs right before the not-so surprising cliffhanger reveal. The cover kinda spoils the cliffhanger. As for the twist, you'll find out on the cover of issue #2. So you can't blame me for letting that cat out of the bag. 

I cannot wait to read it. This has been a nearly flawless crossover this far.

Rating 9 out of 10 stars.

Marvel Point One #1

2011's Marvel Point One isn't as coveted as the following year's Marvel NOW! Point One. The 2012 one-shot marks the very first appearance of Kamala Kahn, who will become Ms. Marvel. I'm very fortunate to have gotten a copy of that book in a grab bag and have it graded. But that doesn't mean that this issue doesn't have any resell value also.

This issue bears the first appearance of the Sam Alexander Nova. Kaine Parker, the clone of Peter Parker, takes up the mantle of the Scarlet Spider for the first time. Plus, there's the only and only appearance of twin siblings Coldmoon and Dragonfire. Don't know who those last two are? Don't worry, I didn't either. 

Further research says that the yin and yang siblings were supposed to be the main characters for a new video game aimed at the Chinese market. This issue was to be their formalization into established Marvel canon. But the game got cancelled and plans for Coldmoon and Dragonfire to become the newest members of the Avengers was quietly scrapped.

You might be wondering just how do you explain these two characters saving Earth's Mightiest Heroes and then just never seeing the light of day ever again. Turns out that the framing story by Ed Brubaker presents every story as either the happenings of an alternate Earth or being part of a possible Earth-616 reality.  

A pair of mysterious men in indecipherable spacesuits have infiltrated the lunar sanctuary of the Watcher. Every 3 years, Oatu goes catatonic for precisely 42 minutes. During this time, anyone can enter the Watcher's domain undetected. These infiltrators are looking for some key piece of information about a future cataclysmic event and while searching for that data, they encounter those events that may or may not ever come to pass. 

This special was designed to give new and established readers a starting point for the events that would take place over the course of 2012. A look at the Age of Apocalypse and Steven Strange's newest lineup of Defenders are also shown in these pages. The over-arching action occurring on the Moon would be the starting off point for the year-long maxi-series event Original Sin, which I think I own the whole thing but haven't read it yet. 

I can't believe I was so dumb. I looked up just who were the 2 guys in spacesuits trespassing Uatu's compound. The main character is never mentioned by name. But he does call his partner Andrew. Andrew it turns out isn't important. In fact, I don't think he ever turns up again. As for the leader, I'll give you a couple of hints: he's one of my favorite non-super powered Marvel characters and he is a major player in the events of Original Sin. Once I figured out who it was, I was smacking myself upside the head because I couldn't believe that I couldn't figure out who it was!!!

A good story, of only to motivate me to read Original Sin after my Halloween 2026 reads are completed. I have no interest in following up on the return to AoA. I don't think I really care about the new Nova. Scarlet Spider? Maybe if I found the books at my local library. But the Defenders book has been on my radar for a while. Maybe it's time to pull the trigger on that one. 

I probably won't get this one graded as I have a slew of other books I would like to see get the treatment that are way front in line of this book. But it's something I will be holding on to!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

Spider-Man/Superman

A lot of people don't know this but after the 1976 historic first meeting of Superman and Spider-Man, a sequel was released. DC Comics was adamant that they were going to be the main publishers of the initial team-up. Seeing that a book starring the Man of Steel and Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man was going to be a massive hit, Marvel let their distinguished competition have the first run; they would publish the eventual sequel. It took another 5 years, but in 1981, Marvel, in the lead role, co-published the follow up. Unfortunately, while it's the superior story, the sequel wasn't as well received. 

Now in honor of the 50th anniversary of the two comic book icons meeting, DC and Marvel issued not one but two giant-sized specials. Naturally, DC published first. But for Marvel's entry, fans didn't have to wait another 5-6 years. Nope. Just a couple of months later, readers got to enjoy more of Superman and Spider-Man together in action.

The main story takes place during Peter Parker's time with the symbiote suit. Trapped underneath a pile of Kryptonite laced rubble by the combined efforts of the Green Goblin and Lex Luthor, readers finally get a chance to see what would happen if Superman and Venom bonded together!

There's 8 shorts that occupy the last half of this special. Spider-Man Noir has less than 10 minutes to save his biggest detractor, J. Jonah Jameson from the electric chair, having been famed for murder by by Lex Luthor. Featuring the Golden Age Superman, the plot hearkens back to the very first story by Siegel and Shuster to star the Man of Steel.

Gwen Stacy and Lana Lang run into each other and discuss the men in their lives. Then the ever lovin' Thing must lead a team of Justice Leaguers and Avengers against the Hulk, who has become the newest member of the Red Lantern Corps. Thor assists Steel after the Hobgoblin has stolen the newest tech from John Henry Irons' lab. Supergirl and Ghost Spider team-up against Livewire. In my favorite story, Darkseid has overthrown Odin as the supreme leader of Asgard. The only warrior able to defend the throne remains Thor. Only it's the Jane Foster version of the Thunder God.

Superman shows up a couple more times in this book. First he offers some sagely advice to Miles Morales on what it means to be a super hero. Then in the capper, Superman finds Spider-Man atop the George Washington Bridge on the anniversary of the web-crawler's darkest day: the day Gwen Stacy died. 

Once again, I think Marvel published the better of the 2 Superman and Spider-Man team-up specials. For one thing, it's got Supergirl. For another, we see a Venomized Man of Steel and a Hulk in full Red Lantern rage. Plus anytime you get to visit Kirby's Fourth World is a treat for me. I didn't mind that the hero of the story was the Jane Foster Thor. I also enjoyed the cameo addition of the DC hero who comes to help. I just would have loved it if Beta Ray Bill might have also arrived on the scene. He could have had a personal history with Darkseid. Maybe the New God killed BRB's race and the alien Thor was hungry for revenge. 

As with every one of the Marvel/DC crossover specials, there has been one story that I demand that the Big Two publishers follow up on. With this one-shot, I want to see an Asgard Vs. Apokolips battle to the finish! Throw in a scene where Darkseid obliterates Thanos for being a cheap copy of the New God and I'll happily pay $10.99 for the special!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.