Captain Power and the Soldiers of the Future #1 (2026 Comic Book & Graphic Novel Reading Challenge)

One of the top toys for boys in 1987 was the Captain Power line from Mattel. The idea of being able to basically play laser tag with friends using fighter ships and menacing robots was a dream come true for those of use who would play a similar type game with our X-Wings and TIE Fighters. For those of us who lived in more remote locations, the opportunity to play against a weekly television show was a godsend. If you were really lucky, you could play all the time against the show if you owned one of the 3 VHS recordings of the series. 

Captain Power and the Soldiers of the Future was a live action/CGI series that aired for 22 episodes from 1987-88. The show was syndicated, meaning that some regions of the country might not have even aired the series. Some of those locations lucky enough to receive the dystopian sci-fi series, like WLFL-22 in Raleigh, NC, Captain Power aired on Sundays at the ungodly hour of 6:30am! 

For my 10th birthday, I received the XF-7 jet for my main present. Along with the toy which was essentially a light gun, came a - inch Captain Power pilot action figure and a training program video cassette. A month later, thousands of boys got their wish opening up similar flyer sets for Christmas. By that time, I had already figured out what a host of kids were about to find out- this toy sucked!

Each episode would have computer generated scenes in which Captain Jonathan Power and his band of human resistance fighters would fight against the evil robotic army lead by a thrift store version of Darth Vader called Lord Dread and the discount Skynet computer system he co-created and mentally fused with, OverMind. Both teams would have areas on their suits and ships that bared a shimmering red or golden light. The idea was during the battles on the TV, you played along shooting at the opposite team. If you accidentally shot an ally, you lost points. If your score went to zero, your figure would eject from the cockpit symbolizing your defeat.

Keep in mind, 1987-88 was a time where some homes still had black and white TVs. Not quite 50% of the population didn't have cable yet. There was no streaming. Satellite TV was for the very rich. If you didn't have crystal clear reception, many of your 'shots' wouldn't register. Or you would be accused of shooting an enemy, which during the training video, are nowhere to be found. I've heard reports that if you didn't have a color TV, your toy wouldn't even work with it. The ships went through batteries like worms through a goose. The only time that the toys worked decently was one-on-one play. At $33 a vehicle, you were lucky to find someone else that had another Captain Power vehicle to interact with. Being a household with both an XF-7 and Lord Dread's Phantom Striker was even scarce. So, for varying game play, you looked forward to the TV show. 

However, by Spring of 1988, most TV stations had stopped carrying the series. Parents found the concept of a robot apocalypse series geared at kids to be questionable subject matter. Human survivors were slaughtered with abandon by android hunters. The series faced criticism of being an allegory of Nazism and the Holocaust. And as holiday sale reports declared the toy line a failure, by March, Captain Power was a victim of cancellation and it's toys were clearance aisle fodder.

Unfortunately for Neal Adams, by the time his Continuity Comics had released it's first issue of a Captain Power and the Soldiers of the Future comic book, the franchise was dead and buried. As a result, only 2 issues were published. Based J. Michael Straczynski's 2-part script, ' A Summoning of Thunder' reveals the origins of Captain Power, Lord Dread and what caused the Metal Wars that led to the near destruction of humanity. The most shocking revelation is that OverMind was co-created by Power's father, who spends the rest of his life leading the few remaining humans, including his son,  in a battle of man vs machine. 

Written and illustrated by Neal Adams with script assists by Peter Stone. Cover was also by Adams.

Completing this review completes Task #23 (Live Action Comic Adaptation from the 1980s or 90s) of the 2026 Comic Book and Graphic Novel Reading Challenge.

The Partridge Family #16 (2026 Comic Book & Graphic Novel Reading Challenge)

Inspired by the real life family singing group, the Cowsills, ABC's The Partridge Family rocked airwaves for 4 seasons, from 1970-1974. In fact, the child members of the Cowsills were originally considered for the sitcom. Officially, their lack of acting experience rules them out of contention. Unofficially, the prima donna antics of the Cowsills' manager, their father, William, might have doomed the children's chances at television stardom.

Once the Cowsills were ruled out of contention, singer and actress Shirley Jones was cast in the mom role. Oldest son Keith would be played by her stepson David Cassidy. There might have been even more of the Cassidy family, as David's father, Jack Cassidy was cast to play Mrs. Partridge's boyfriend who happened to be the Partridge Family's manager. The actor even co-starred in an un-aired pilot, but ABC executives decided to forgo the romance angle between the adults. Jack Cassidy's character was cut while David's role as eldest son Keith was beefed up to make him the romantic heavy as he tested extremely well with young viewers. 

David Cassidy's near Beatles level stardom made him the main focus of the series. By the time this issue hit newsstands, Cassidy was attempting to break out of the wholesome image of Keith Partridge. Maybe that explains why in the cover feature Keith puts his music career on hold and goes out for his high school basketball team. Unfortunately for the rest of the family, Keith is really good at basketball and that means everything else takes a backseat to his current passion- including the band!

Rounding out the rest of the family was Susan Dey as oldest daughter Laurie. Red headed Danny Bonaduce as the smart aleck Danny. Suzanne Crough as youngest daughter Tracy and on drums, Jeremy Gelbwaks as Chris. Not quite fitting in with the rest of the cast and reputedly the target of Danny Bonaduce's incessant bullying, Gelbwaks was replaced after season 1 with actor Brian Foster. 

Actor Dave Madden completed the cast as the band's manager, the long-suffering Reuben Kincaid. Instead of being Mrs. Partridge's love interest, young Danny Partridge would do everything in his power to set up his Reuben with a future Mrs. Kincaid. 

Reuben's role with the family has a lot to do with the plots of the 2 backup stories. First Keith falls head over heels for Reuben's visiting niece. So much that the lad wants to make her a part of the band. Only the girl cannot carry a tune! Then in the last story, it appears that Danny has finally succeeded at playing matchmaker, introducing Reuben to an old friend of Mrs. Partridge.

In the early 1970s, Charlton Comics was still relying on prose stories to help their comics maintain their affordable 2nd Class postage rates. In a clever spin on the requirement, this issue features a 2-page spread of lyrics to several songs that appear on the series. The spread doubled as advertising for a magazine called Song Hits, which reprinted the full lyrics of both crock classics and pop hits of the time. 

If you're a collector who enjoys reading the classic ads in back issues, you'll enjoy this one. But don't expect much of a variety. With the exception of the 3 pages devoted to Song Hits Magazine, all of the rest of the ads are about products pertaining to The Partridge Family and its cast. There's an ad for a beauty and lifestyle book written by Susan Dey, several ads for posters and photo books featuring David Cassidy and on the back cover, information about joining the official Partridge Family Fan Club. 

I was pretty lucky to find an issue that wasn't full of holes from a rabid fan clipping out dozens of requests for Partridge Family merchandise. When I inherited some of my mom's old horror and TV comics, I noticed that her issue of The Partridge Family was all cut up. I couldn't understand why she had left that book in such poor condition especially since she claimed to be a huge fan of the show. After reading through this issue, I now understand as almost every ad had a small order form included.

Featuring art stories by Don Sherwood, there's amazing likenesses of all of the Partridge Family. But I think Sherwood copied the images from publicity stills because many panels are of extreme close-ups and the poses are stilted. As for the stories themselves, they all start out very well in terms of plot and pace. But I think Sherwood was the type of comic book creator who just couldn't stop himself because all 3 stories end abruptly with no real sitcom style conclusion in which the dilemmas are adequately wrapped up. 

Add all these factors together and this issue reads less like an officially licensed comic book adaptation and more like the material for a fanzine.

Completing this review completes Task #22 (Live Action Comic Adaptation from the 1970s) of the 2026 Comic Book and Graphic Novel Reading Challenge.

Not Worth Consuming!

Rating: 4 out of 10 stars.

I Love Lucy Comics #34 (2026 Comic Book & Graphic Novel Reading Challenge)

During the last season of I Love Lucy, the Ricardos and the Mertz family moved to the suburbs of Connecticut. This helps to explain the setting of this issue's last story. A sudden snow storm makes it impossible for Ricky to get out of his driveway. Things get chaotic when the Ricardos' inventor neighbor turns their lawnmower into an ersatz snowplow.

One of the main plot points for I Love Lucy is Lucy's constant attempts at fame, often to disastrous effect. In the opener, Fred gets Ricky hired to perform at a dude ranch. In return for Lucy and Ethel tagging along, the girls have to work a few shifts at the check-in desk. When Lucy learns that a famous TV producer is visiting in hopes of researching a new Western series starring a woman cow hand, Lucy tries to show the exec that she's the only woman for the show! Spoiler- she really is not.

The middle story features the forgotten member of the Ricardo clan: Little Ricky! When Ricky and Lucy go on a ski trip, they take their son along. Being his first time skiing, Little Ricky is given a beginners level course on the bunny slopes. However when it's determined that the tyke is a natural skier, he runs laps around mom and dad!

I Love Lucy stopped producing new episodes in 1957, 4 years before this issue debuted on newsstands. A smattering of one-hour specials kept Lucille Ball and Desi Arnez on people's minds, but the reason I Love Lucy continued as a comic book published by Dell until 1962, 2 years AFTER Lucy and Desi divorced, was because I Love Lucy never left airwaves! 

Desi Arnez was a Hollywood executive genius. Being a Cuban entertainer, he had been screwed over by agents and movie execs before. So when he brokered the deal for I Love Lucy, Arnez made secure the rights to the series. This, along with the use of revolutionary high-quality 33-mm film helped ensure that I Love Lucy lived on in syndicated rerun history literally till the end of time. 

I Love Lucy Comics was not Lucy and Desi's first time in sequential art form. The show was tested out in 2 Dell Four Color issues (#535 and #559). Those two issues were retroactively numbered as the first two issues of the series. Before that, I Love Lucy was run as a daily newspaper comic strip from 1952-55 through King Features Syndicate. 

This would be the penultimate issue of the series. #35 (April, 1962) would be the final issue of I Love Lucy Comics. However, it would not be the end of Lucille Ball, nor the other cast members in comics. From 1963-64, Gold Key released 5 issues based on Ball's first post-divorce comedy, The Lucy Show, which costarred Vivian Vance who played Ethel on I Love Lucy. In 1990, Eternity Comics produced several Collector's Edition issues that reprinted stories from both the comic strip and Dell Comics catalog. 

Paul S. Newman is colloquially attributed as the series writer and artist. As it wasn't a common practice at that time for Dell Comics to give their creators any sort of by-line credit, it is possible that this issue was written and illustrated by someone else. 

Cover photo was provided by either CBS Studios or Desilu Productions.

Completing this review completes Task #21 (Live Action Comic Adaptation from the 1960s) of the 2026 Comic Book and Graphic Novel Reading Challenge.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

The Long Goodbye by Raymond Chandler

One of Chandler's novels written towards the end of his career/life. Philip Marlowe has always been a cynical character (to be a private investigator in a mega-corrupt City of Angels, you really have to be as such), but here it seems that Chandler started to become that type of cantankerous old man who yells at kids to stay off his lawn. There are several diatribes at how society has lost its way. Quite a bit about how America became a super power after the second world war, producing terrible products sold inside of top of the line quality packaging. It almost read like a boomer who doesn't know how to stay quiet on social media 

That's not to say that I didn't love this 1953 book. There's several mysteries all intertwined and while I needed a dictionary to decipher many of the outdated references and lingo sprinkled throughout this book, I didn't get lost in the plot. In, fact I actually was able to solve most of the crimes before Marlowe did and I was pretty proud of myself for it.

Marlowe becomes friends with a cuckold veteran of WWII. His wealthy wife openly cheats on him while nobody is able to say a single bad thing about the guy. When the wife turns up brutally murdered, the guy takes the fall and flees to Mexico. Marlowe is arrested for driving the guy to the Mexican border. But the detective is soon released when news arrives that the fugitive kills himself.

Marlowe is willing to let things drop. But friends and acquaintances of the killer keep approaching Marlowe, warning him from looking further into the murder/suicide. Thus the P.I. has no option but to determine if his old pal did it or if he was framed. There's also concern that Marlowe's friend might not have actually pulled the trigger on himself but instead was made to look like it was suicide. 

Meanwhile, a publishing agent of a famous hack romance writer, is looking to hire Marlowe to keep the author, who's got a history of drink and violence, on track to finish his latest work. Marlowe doesn't do babysitting assignments. Normally, he'd turn the job down. Only the scribe has an alluring wife who's caught Marlowe's eye. Plus the guy has gone missing for several days now. So it appears that as much as Phillip wants to wash his hands of this crew, just like with the death of his friend in Mexico, he's got another mystery to solve whether he likes it or not.

I swear I have read this book before. When I was about 12, I read a couple of Philip Marlowe novels. I know that I read Lady in the Lake and I at least tried to complete Raymond Chandler's unfinished work, Poodle Springs, and hated it. There was just so many aspects of this book that were extremely familiar to me. Maybe that's why I solved many of the mysteries in here. 

It could be that I have seen the 1973 Robert Altman version starring Elliot Gould. I was a big fan of Altman's in the 90s and would watch just about anything he made. But after I finished this book, I went to Wikipedia, mostly to see who was cast in the roles. From what I gleaned, I don't think seeing the movie explains my feeling like I had read this book previously. The plot of the film differs too darn much from Chandler's work. 

I will admit that I couldn't stop picturing Gould as Marlowe. There's just too many lines that sound like they would have come from the M*A*S*H* and Friends actor's mouth. I had always pictured someone more plain as Marlowe, like a Montgomery Clift. But I don't think I will be able to anymore. 

There's only 4 Chandler novels and just an even smaller handful of short stories starring Philip Marlowe left. I really want to read them all. But I also don't want to rush through it and be left with nothing new. I've got Farewell, My Lovely already in my possession. But I will probably wait until closer to the beginning of summer to start it. I don't think it matters what order you read the Marlowe books in, although there were a couple of characters that have appeared in some previous stories. I just think that I like the older, post-war Marlowe the best. I don't know why because he gets away with insults and barbs that would end up in viral video fisticuffs these days. 

Oh what a simpler, grittier time...

Worth Consuming!

Rating 10 out of 10 stars.

Get Fury #5

In the penultimate issue of this 2024-25 miniseries, Frank Castle initiates his rescue of Nick Fury from the confines of the Hanoi Hilton. Meanwhile dirty CIA operatives Steve and Dave convince General Mackie to send out a group of commandos to eliminate Castle and Fury, branding them Communist double agents. 

It's a really powerful chapter, especially when seen through the eyes of Lt. Castle. As much as he needs to free Nick Fury from the notorious North Vietnamese prison, it's killing Frank to have to overlook the hundreds of other American POWS being held under deplorable conditions. 

Man, I just brainstormed  what would be a freaking awesome What If... What if the Punisher existed during the Vietnam War? Have Castle's wife killed while he's in Nam. Have him lose all care and go all Rambo, armed to the teeth, staging a raid on Hóa Lò. Through in a few characters from 1990's The 'Nam series. Have Larry Hama and Garth Ennis pen it together. Give it the Marvel MAX treatment. I would be first in line, pre-ordered for that epic! Think it over CB Cebulski! 

An awesome issue that opens up a multiverse of opportunities.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Get Fury #4

Col. Nick Fury has arrived at the notorious Hanoi Hilton. Lt. Frank Castle has established himself in the capitol city of North Vietnam, posing as a Soviet army advisor. But his Russian is limited and he's leaving a trail behind him everywhere he goes. Thankfully, Castle has found a pair of allies that have a way of getting inside the prison and they both have a history with Nick Fury. That's because one of them is Fury's former lover and the other is Nick's daughter.

Meanwhile, back at base, CIA agents Steve and Dave have uncovered further evidence that Castle and Fury are working together to end the agency's drug trade in Cambodia. Instead of following his orders to execute Nick Fury, it's becoming increasingly clear that Frank is going to rescue the Colonel. This is calling for a Plan B, which will mean the elimination of both Fury and Castle.

The scenes involving Frank Castle were perfect. I wouldn't change a thing; especially the whole added dimension of Nick's daughter being added to the mix. As for the scenes where Dave has figured out that Frank Castle was the last person to select for the Nick Fury mission, I understand the importance of those scenes. I just found that they went too freaking long. This is a 6 issue miniseries. But if Garth Ennis could have made the CIA scenes a little more streamlined, Get Fury could've ended in 4 issues. 5 tops.

I know that nothing that the CIA did in Southeast Asia was anything but concise or ethical. But I still felt like I could have done without a majority of it.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 7 out of 10 stars.

Dell Four Color #631- Davy Crockett, Indian Fighter (2026 Comic Book & Graphic Novel Reading Challenge)

From December, 1954 to February, 1955, ABC aired 3 one-hour mini movies starring Fess Parker as legendary frontiersman, Davy Crockett. The programming was part of a deal with the television network to produce weekly family entertainment in return for funding for Walt Disney to build his dream theme park: Disneyland. This deal also acted as a weekly advertisement in which Disney would provide updates on the park's construction.

The trio of Davy Crockett episodes were produced to highlight Disneyland's Frontierland, the park's tribute to explorers and cowboys. The three parts were titled 'Davy Crockett, Indian Fighter', 'Davy Crockett Goes to Congress' and 'Davy Crockett at the Alamo'. These films ended up becoming a nationwide success and sparked a fad in children wearing coon skin caps as well as boosting interest in Westerns as a growing genre in post-war television and movies. 

Seeing dollar signs, Disney repackaged the 3 episodes into a feature length movie. In May, 1955 Davy Crockett: King of the Wild Frontier hit theaters and was an immediate hit. Grossing over $2 million dollars, that's about $30 million dollars in 2026 dollars. 

Historians know that Davy Crockett met his demise at the infamous battle of the Alamo. (Whether he died heroically in battle or was taken as a prisoner and executed at a later date is a subject for debate that will not be examined here.) After losing his Tennessee  congressional seat, Crockett sought to make a new start in politics further South. Texas was in the middle of a battle for Independence from Mexico and Crockett saw a chance to reap massive political and personal benefits should Texas win the war. He joined the garrison in San Antonio in the winter of 1836 and died a few months later at the regiment's last stand at the Alamo. 

As Fess Parker's character dies at the conclusion of the 3-episode miniseries, you would think that would be the end of Disney and the exploits of Davy Crockett. Never one to let a money making opportunity slip away, Walt Disney decided to produce another set of films based on the historical figure. Only they would be more fiction than fact and they would be set in between Crockett's time as a scout for the United States Army during the Creek Indian Wars and his brief stint in Washington DC. 'Davy Crockett's Keelboat Race' and 'Davy Crockett and the River Pirates' were brilliantly released in the fall of 1955, just in time to make Davy Crockett hats, bubble gum cards and pop-style muskets the most requested toys from American boys AND girls! An estimated $300 million in Christmas sales revolved around Davy Crockett themed merchandise.

The prequel episodes were edited and repackaged as another feature in the summer of 1956. Walt Disney's Davy Crockett and the River Pirates was released in July. It took earned over $2 million in ticket sales. However, by the time the film exited theaters, the fervor over Davy Crockett had become passé and American children moved on to the next fad.

This edition of Dell Four Color was published during the height of Crockett Mania. It adapts the first chapter of the Davy Crockett miniseries seeing Davy and his singing pal George Russel volunteering to join the U.S. Army under the command of General Andrew Jackson. They act as scouts and use their knowledge of animal tracking to procure food for the troops before returning home for the winter to hunt for their families.

Upon their return to the Army, Davy and George learn that Jackson has been transferred to New Orleans to help fortify the important port city against the British. The incompetent Major Norton is now in charge of the Army. His mission is to hunt down the remaining Creek warrior Chief Red Stick in hopes of ending the war. George is taken captive by Red Stick's men prompting Crockett to a tomahawk duel to the death! 

With the exception of 'Davy Crockett Goes to Congress', the other 3 segments of Disney's miniseries were given solo treatment in the Four Color series. Crockett's time in DC was included in the reprint heavy Dell Giant Davy Crockett, King of the Wild Frontier. Dell also produced a holiday special to cash in on the hoopla with Sears promo comic, the Davy Crockett Christmas Book that along with a dozen pages of comics including puzzles and games. 

The comic adventures of Davy Crockett would live on in reprint form through the 1980s in issues of Gold Key's Walt Disney Showcase and Walt Disney Comics Digest.

According to leagueofcomicgeeks.com Chase Craig scripted this issue. John Ushler is attributed by several sources for providing the pencils and inks. The front cover is a photograph image of Fess Parker as Crockett. Additional artwork for the background and the map of the Creek Indian Wars were provided by the staff of the Western Publishing Production Shop.

Completing this review completes Task #1 (Comic from the Golden Age (1938-1955)) of the 2026 Comic Book and Graphic Novel Reading Challenge.