Gold Digger Halloween Super Special

I don't hate the Gold Digger franchise. I think the stories are entertaining and I greatly appreciate the holiday specials. I just don't understand it. 

There seems to be at least 2 timelines of stories in this 2018 special. One is set when the Earth's last remaining were-cheetah Brittany Diggers was a teen and then when she is a retired superhero and mother to teens of her own. Though it seems like there might be a storyline set during the Cheetah's young adult superheroing years, at least I think so. If ever a Halloween special needed a chronology, this would get my vote. 

If you can set the past the confusion of the jumping timeline after story #1 and 2, this was a fitting special for a chilly October read. Not scary. But definitely very much a Halloween read. 

First, while Brittany gets changed into her Halloween costume, her date meets Papa Diggers, who puts the fear of God into the hormonal jerk about any thoughts of making the moves on his adopted daughter. Then youngest Diggers tells her Peebo robotic pals the legend of the Great Pumpkin.

Lastly, in the future, Brittany reunites with her old teammate, the Pink Avenger, to spread some Halloween tricks and treats at a charity event and end up running afoul of one of the Avenger's old enemies. 

The artwork is heavily influenced by Manga. But it's got a lot of American influences in terms of the pop culture references and more traditional approach to super heroes. The cover doesn't really tell you anything about the contents. There is a Peebo centered story. But it's not a parody of Stephen King's Pet Sematary. Though it is a parody of Charlie Brown and the Great Pumpkin. 

Maybe not the most easiest Halloween book to follow. Definitely not scary. But I'm trying to stay away from really hard horror this year because of the emotional and physical problems my health is giving me right now. So in a way, it's just what the doctor ordered.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 7 out of 10 stars.

Jughead #79 Facsimile Edition

This facsimile edition of a 1961 issue of Jughead is highly prized not for the contents. There's no epic first appearance of any major character. Nobody dies or gets married. When it comes to judging a book by it's cover, this one fits the definition to a T. 

Sammie Schwartz drew this iconic cover that parodies MAD Magazine while dipping a Comic Code defying toe into the realm of monsters. There's a vampire, a werewolf and a shrunken head on the cover and in 1961, those were all forbidden subjects according to the CCA. True, these ghouls are only partially seen. But its envelope pushing for the era. Although, it helps when your publisher was one of the co-creators of the Comics Code.

I've seen this image on tee-shirts, post cards and there's been a couple of homage covers that tie in Archie's humor horror titles from the 50s and 60s with the 'Afterlife With Archie' imprint that thrusted the flagging publisher back into the limelight with established and new fans. 

Unfortunately, despite the cover, this isn't really an issue that matches with my want for creepy Halloween time reads. Only one story seems to fit with the cover, a 2-pager that sees Jughead losing his nerve with every late night horror movie he watches with Archie. There's another story where Juggie has a nightmare about food. But it's more farcical than frightful even though it temporarily scares the teen off of eating hamburgers for a brief time.

The main story is definitely a product of the times. Jughead overhears a plot to steal the Riverdale High mascot thanks to a party line, a shared telephone circuit that made privacy nearly impossible! With a free victory dinner on the line, it's Jughead to the rescue! I also loved looking at all of the vintage ads. Being from the early 60s, a lot of these ads felt older. Though I was surprised with the ad for an art course near the inside back cover. It shows a girl in one of those form fitting swimsuits Julie Adams wore in Creature From the Black Lagoon. Pretty risque for a CCA children's book.

A fun time capsule of the Archie universe before it exploded into pop culture relevance thanks to the Animated TV series and faux pop group The Archie's took to the scene in 1968-69. Just don't wait until Halloween time to read it as you'll be a little disappointed by the filler doesn't live up to the creepy cover!

Worth Consuming! 

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

The Little Monsters #39

This is another book that I had on my wishlist where I didn't care what issue I got. I just wanted to own a copy of it. I had seen images of collectors of both comic books and horror merch finding issues of the Gold Key series in the wild and I admit, I got a little envious over it. Then this summer, right before going back to work on another school year, I found a copy in fair shape for a decent price. 

The Little Monsters is one of Gold Key's few independent properties. Known mostly for licensed material such as Star Trek, this series debuted in 1964 as a backup feature to The Three Stooges. By the 1970s, siblings 'Orrible Orvie and Awful Annie were headlining their own series which ran for 44 issues until being cancelled in 1978. This issue was from my birth year of 1977; so its near the end of their impressive run. 

The first adventure sees a visit from a distant relative who creates a tornado every time they laugh. Then the family goes on vacation to a ghost town. While exploring, the siblings discover a window into the past and end up capturing an Old West bank robber. Lastly, Mama Monster enters a painting into an art contest. Only the unseen image is so frightening, it turns anyone who views it into stone!

There might have been a fourth story. If there was it wasn't memorable to me. These stories had a feel that I remember anytime I read a Gold Key humor book as a child. It felt immersive. It felt safe. It felt just a tiny bit off. Like there was a lack of fluidity to the art. It's almost like whomever was illustrating this issue did it for the paycheck. There's no love of the artist's craft in these stories. No care about the characters. A really sad disconnect. 

At least I enjoyed it. It definitely was worth waiting until October to read. But now that I finally have an issue in my collection, I don't feel compelled to go out searching for the other 43 issues starring the Little Monsters.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 7 out of 10 stars.

Archie Comics Digest Halloween Special (Archie Double Digest, Vol. 2 #7)

This might be an Archie Halloween. I have so many issues that are appropriate for the season and with my recent health struggles, I've been needing a pick-me-up. 

My favorite comic book shop came through again ordering this digest sized collection of spooky tales set in Riverdale. I had forgotten all about making pre-orders with everything going on. Great to know that I have the guys at Books Do Furnish a Room have got my back.

Usually, when I get a brand new Archie digest, there's at least 1 story that I have either read before or I own in a holiday collection... Or both. But for 2026, I batted a 1000, because there wasn't a story or fun page that I had encountered before! Let's look at some highlights:

1) Little Archie and pals travel with Mr. Lodge to inspect a new property he bought. The home of a former movie special effects wizard, rumor has it that the place is haunted. The group is naturally uneasy by this. But they press on.Howver, the legend might be true with Little Archie encounters a monster on sight. 

2) An all-new story written by R. Alan Brooks, that pays homage to a location so revered, it's appeared in both the DC and Marvel universe and the interactions of both worlds is considered canon without the need of a licensing agreement. The artistic Scarlet, gets an invitation to host a float in the annual Rutland Vermont Halloween parade. Hoping to spread awareness about Autism, Scarlet starts to panic. With Scarlet's cat Michelangelo as inspiration, friends Chuck and Nancy rally around her to create the most float ever!

3) In at least 2 stories, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, visits ghost towns and abandoned mansions that really do seem to be haunted.

4) Lastly, Archie uncovers a plot to rob the Halloween charity event being hosted by Veronica. 

There was several other stories that I probably have forgotten about. It doesn't necessarily mean that they were bad. I actually changed my opinion on one of the stories. I at first was not a fan of the story about Scarlet. The artwork was by Colleen Doran, of which I am a big fan of her collabs with Neil Gaiman. But her art didn't match what I am used to. Yet when I read the post script and was reminded of the importance of the town of Rutland, I actually fell in love with the adventure. 

Still I am struck by how violent the Little Archie stories are with a madman in a monster suit trying to push the kids off of the roof of the haunted house. Maybe that's why I like the Little Archie stories the best because they don't pull any punches. Not that teen Archie doesn't have it's share of danger and intrigue. But I really think that whomever wrote those tales wasn't a fan of kids.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Melvin Monster #7

This is one of those books where you really want to own a copy of it and you really don't mind which issue it is. Melvin Monster was the creation of legendary humor comics specialist John Stanley. 10 issues of Melvin Monster was intermittently published from 1965-1969. And each issue was scripted and illustrated by Stanley himself.

That's why I wanted to own just a single book from the original run. I have a few comics with material from John Stanley. But this is the first one that is from original printings. So it's like owning an original Mickey Mantle Topps baseball card and not one of the seemingly endless reprints of the Yankees legend.

Melvin is a diminutive green monster with a pointy head. He kinda looks like a kid's version of the Frankenstein monster. It's his dream to one day be admitted to the local monster school. But he keeps getting turned down because he's too sweet and innocent. His father is a hulking purple version of his son and is called Baddy by family and friends. Melvin's Mummy is a literal mummy. 

It took me a little while to catch that joke about Mummy mummy.  Or is it mummy Mummy? I was too busy trying to figure out how a monster and a mummy could have a child that didn't require cloth strips. It was a real Munsters conundrum, like how a Frankenstein monster and a vampire procreate a child werewolf... But once I understood the joke, I got a real kick out of it. 

Most of the stories star Melvin. At least twice he tries to convince the witch headmistress of the monster school to admit him. One has Melvin sneaking out of town to enjoy nature. Another has Melvin trying to stay clear of his family pet, a crocodile named Cleopatra, that would rather have Melvin as dinner instead of as a loving master. One story focuses on Baddy trying to stay awake to see the fights on a TV. 

As for Baddy's birthday party on the cover, it doesn't appear as a story inside. Just a cover gag. 

Something else missing from this book is a one-page prose. Even by the late 60s with the USPS removing that first class requirement, having a story or page of informative columns was still being practiced by Gold Key and Dell. So I'm interested to know why this issue is missing such filler. I don't mind not having it as most of the prose addition isn't really that good.

But as for this 1967 issue, it was a humorous way to spend an October evening. I see shades of Little Lulu and best friend Tubby throughout as well as the Addams Family with everyone's macabre approach to life. Definitely a keeper in my collection.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

Walt Disney's Donald and Mickey: Treasure Menace in Venice (Donald & Mickey #3)

I selected this 2017 Disney issue from IDW because of the cover. The image shows Donald and his nephews in the canals of Venice being menaced by a phantom. It had a Scooby-Doo edge to it and for a October read, it was a good choice.

In the title story, Scrooge McDuck foreclosures a bad debt and gains a derelict Venetian opera house. To save a buck, Scrooge sends Donald, Huey, Dewie and Louie to renovate the place. On day one, the ducks learn that the opera house is haunted by the ghost of a famous playwright who fled Italy in disgrace. Supposedly the phantom is looking for a treasure that he buried and left behind for nearly 500 years. And wouldn't you know it; on the first night in the haunted palace, that very ghost has shown up to chase away Donald and his wards!

The second story starred Mickey Mouse and his friend from the future Eega Beeva. In 'The Terrifying World of Tudor', the animals of Earth have begun to act suspiciously. On top of that, the bees have all disappeared. As more animals keep vanishing, Mickey learns that an alien entity has been offering the disappearing breeds the chance to live in paradise, away from menacing mankind. After Pluto and all of his canine kin have disappeared, Mickey is visited by, wouldn't you know it; a blasted 'To be continued next issue...'

Now as much as I hate finding out the I don't own the continuing issue of a story opener that I just read, I hate what happened here even more. This issue was marketed right on the cover as a one-shot. One-shot means one and done. There is no issue #2. Even worse, IDW doesn't tell you where to find the closer. No wonder IDW was stripped of the Disney license after only 5 years with no renewal. If stuff like this was how IDW treated a beloved property, I can imagine that they lost devoted fans and readers pretty quick. Disney is not known for letting their fan base be disappointed for very long.

Upon some further research, I learned that while this issue was labeled as a one-shot, this oversized issue was part of a series of quarterly annuals. Each sold as a one-shot! and yet inside the cover, it is listed as the 3rd issue of Donald & Mickey!  So I will be on the lookout for the Donald and Mickey: The Terrifying World of Tudor 'one-shot' for the rest of the story because I really did enjoy the opener and I want to know what happens. Plus, these Disney stories from Italy and Denmark, Sweden and places elsewhere are growing on me. They've got a clean, classic look and they're some of the more imaginative stories being produced in the creativity desert known as the early 21st century. 

Lastly, one thing about the art in the first story that just really bugged me. As you can see from the image of the cover, the menace is clearly a human male. This is exactly what the ghost looks like in the story. But when locals tell the legend of the playwright who later haunts the opera house, he looks like one of the Beagle Boys; complete with black bulbous nose. That sort of overlook is irksome to someone who gave up drawing as a teen because I never could get my characters to appear the same!

Worth Consuming but fraught with frustration. 

Rating: 7 out of 10 stars.

Men-Thing by R.L. Stine

Legendary children's horror writer R.L. Stine takes a shot at the Man-Thing in this 2017 miniseries. I like Man-Thing. I also like his DC clone, Swamp Thing. So finding this book at an Ollie's for less than $4 was a done deal. But instead of reading immediately when I bought it over the past summer or spring, I waited until it was October. 

I think waiting was a good choice. The story is very unlike any Man-Thing story ever made, unless it was as a parody. That's because this version of the character can actually talk. Somewhere before the events of this adventure, Man-Thing was able to restore his original identity. Once again Army researcher, Ted Sallis, in mind only, he follows his dreams of becoming a movie star by moving to Hollywood. 

While in California, Ted gets attacked by his mindless old self. Suddenly, Sallis is back in the Florida Everglades. But something is seriously wrong in the swamp as gators are suddenly 30 feet tall, birds are randomly exploding and the roots of the trees are strangling the aquatic life to death. Man-Thing goes to find the Oldfather, a timeless keeper of the Nexus of All Realities. While in his domicile, Sallis discovers that the wizened man is missing and that the door to the Nexus has been left a jar! 

I swear this is not a What If... Or a What The?!,,, story. I've researched since reading this trade paperback and R.L. Stine's treatment of the Man-Thing is considered canon. But it wasn't something that sticks however. The whole affair is treated as either a dream or the result of the chaos brought about by the door to the Nexus of All Realities being left open. 

Here's the thing, while the Nexus has been a part of Man-Thing lore all the way back to 1972, a mere year after the debut of the character, this Oldfather guy had only been around since the second issue of this miniseries. And he has not been seen since. I know that I hadn't read a lot of Man-Thing stuff after the early 80s, but I knew that this guy was pretty unfamiliar to me. Usually, when this happens, I think to myself that I must have forgotten something as the Oldfather is presented as someone who's been a part of Man-Thing lore since his beginning. But no, this is a Stine creation.

When this mini was first published as 5 individual issues, Stine included a backup horror feature, very similar to how Marvel horror was presented in the 70s. Each tale of terror was very good. In fact, in terms of the dialogue, they were light years ahead of the main feature. I think the story about the neighborhood watch on alert from a series of werewolf attacks was the best. The last story about a father not thinking that the boy dating his only daughter is good enough for her was the weakest. Creepy as all get out. But it was left too ambiguous at the end and I hate loose ends.

The horror tales were what I was really expecting. 5 tales done like an E.C. Comics horror anthology. Only instead of a chatty host, it has the silent Man-Thing encountering a league of deplorable people who somehow wound up in the Everglades. As those who know fear burn at the Man-Thing's touch, when the main character goes to touch these folks, Man-Thing is able to experience their story. 

That's what I thought from the cover showing Man-Thing in Hollywood. I never thought in a million years that the muck monster would try to become a movie star. 

You know, if R.L. Stine would return to the character and try my idea, t would be willing to give the author a mulligan on this series. Enjoyable as it was, it had it's faults. I think Stine was trying to make a Goosebumps story starring the Man-Thing and it just doesn't work. Man-Thing is too serious of a character for that. But pairing of Stine and Man-Thing has promise. It just needs to be done in a serious way and I think you've got to make Man-Thing more of a observer than an active participant in the action. 

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 7 out of 10 stars.