Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood

WORTH CONSUMING!

Excellent. Required reading! I am in love with this story. I have family (adopted cousins) who lived in Tehran during this time. I never knew how much they went through. And I am surprised at how modern Iran was 30 years ago. I am in awe. This book opens one up to endless possibilities of what life really is like beyond the stereotypes.

Worth Consuming. There is a must read sequel.

"Superman in the Fifties"

WORTH CONSUMING!

Another great volume in the Superman through the age series produced by DC. Some great samples of all the Superman Family tales of the time period. Worth Consuming!

"Wearing of This Garment Does Not Enable You to Fly: 101 Real Dumb Warning Labels"

Very original and inviting premise. But the authors don’t have to make corny comments on every other page. It may work for Leno and Letterman, but they’re pros at that kind of stuff. Sometimes the explanation about a product after reading the warning label is valid, and I do applaud that. But, it doesn’t always work. For Example a Yeast Infection Medicine says to not overdose on their product and the authors point out that only one pill comes per bottle.

The art is inspired and very kitsch. I like. I like.

"Showcase Presents: Superman, Vol. 2"

WORTH CONSUMING!

There’s something safe about Superman. It’s a real thrill reading these old issues (reprints), many of which my dad had when he was a lad. It was always a rare treat when dad’s comics came out for a day or two of reading. And when I got to own them, I was the cat’s pajamas. Reprints of classic Superman tales come from Action and Superman, as well as covers and “new” material to the Superman annuals. (Basically until Marvel came around, annuals were giant collections of classic tales from the previous few years of whatever title had the annual- so those tales are not collected,) For a fan of Superman or just classic comics, this is worth consuming.

"Here's Your Sign" By Bill Engall

NOT WORTH CONSUMING

Again, folks, though I came from redneck stock, I am not a redneck. When I see raw fish, my first thought is not bait, but SUSHI!!!!! I tried this book as a measuring stick to Ron White’s book I read a few weeks ago. White’s book was X-rated, a lot of four lettered words, and has a very sobering effect on you. Engall’s book is age appropriate for all fans of the Blue Collar Comedy tour. But his jokes do not transfer to paper very well. It’s clearly due to timing and the use of conjunctions instead of just firing the punch line that ruins it for you. The format would have worked better in Bill could have teamed with MAD magazine and titled his book “Snappy Comebacks to Dumb Questions.” Anyway, he does throw it some monologues and they do great on paper. In fact, they save the book from a 1 star or worse rating. If you want to read this, save your time (And $$$), and rent his videos. I remember some of his work from the late 90’s and they’re the same jokes as in the book, but it’s Engall’s timing that wins you over.

"The Mad Archives, Vol. 1 (Issues 1-6) (DC Archive Editions.)"

NOT WORTH CONSUMING

The first issues of MAD were in comic form, not magazine. Other than that (and the fact that they are in color) not much changed. Artists and writers were the same. Both even had William Gaines as editor. However, the most glaring difference in these MAD’s is that they aren’t funny. I mean how many Melvyn jokes can one man take or make. The straight on parodies which occur more frequently after issue 3 are the best parts. Art is amazing. The 2 written word stories per issue, are awful and to be avoided at all costs.

"I Had the Right to Remain Silent...But I Didn't Have the Ability"

WORTH CONSUMING!

I am not a redneck. But I did want something humorous to read while visiting my wife’s family in Missouri. White’s book happened to be the most convenient to find at my local library, since it’s still considered a new book. This is not your typical Blue Collar Comedy Tour Fodder. Lots of sex, drugs, and more F-bombs than a Quentin Tarantino marathon.

 Parents, if your children under the age of 21 (Or little old lady grandmas for that matter) like BCCT, Don’t buy them this. True, lots of funny bits in here. But if this was made into a movie if would get an X-rating. I actually feel sorry for the guy. He seems destined to drink himself to death. This is ironic, since there’s already been an urban legend that Ron White died almost 2 years ago. Also, this Ron White is not to be confused with the Inner City School teacher of the same name. Still, it’s worth consuming, with caution.

"Justice, Vol. 1" — Alex Ross

WORTH CONSUMING!

Once again, Alex Ross makes your favorite heroes appear as if they were the everyday "gods’ of earth. His best artwork to date. The Armageddon first act and a fourth chapter that really leads one to believe that the JLA are actually venerable is awesome.

Some of the story line is vague, probably due to a real shocking twist to come up later.

 

 

"What Color Is Your Parachute? 2007: A Practical Manual for Job-Hunters and Career-Changers"

"What Color Is Your Parachute? 2007: A Practical Manual for Job-Hunters and Career-Changers"

 

Being temporarily disabled, reading a book about your dreams can be a bummer. The parts I really want to know, like what jobs are right for me are so far in the back, that after reading 100 pages worth of reasons you are NOT going to get that dream job you want, I just gave up trying.

 

"Marvel Holiday Special #1 (2005 Giant One Shot)"

 

 

WORTH CONSUMING!

The perfect Marvel Holiday Special I have read to date. Sure, I have a few more to go before I have all of them, but out of the 4 I have read, this one is tops. The FF Moleman story is freakin’ Hilarious and worth the cover price alone. The Avengers story just makes it even better. Especially with Spider-Woman’s problem of always being under the mistletoe. The Hurricane story (also FF), is a poem, that starts out a little slow, but has a great plot and finish to it. This is a 10, which says a lot since it’s a Joe Quesada edited work. Worth Consuming.

"Marvel Holiday Special #1 (1996 Giant One Shot)"

WORTH CONSUMING!

Really fun comic special. The Stan Lee Silver Surfer story, the X-Men story, and especially the Spidey vs. J. Jonah for Christmas Pride were worth the consuming. Kitty’s story is nice. But the Rawhide story, while loads of fun, is more Western than Christmas for my taste, and the weakest story in this volume.

"The Collected Alison Dare, Little Miss Adventures: Volume 2"

WORTH CONSUMING!

More great adventures from Torres and Bone. But, I think something was wrong with my issue. In the Sunday Comics section, the first 6 strips are essentially chunks of the “Heart of the Maiden” miniseries, which is collected here. However, the strips leave that plotline hanging. Does anyone know if this was intentional?

"What the?!(regular series) Issue #16"

One of the best covers in the entire series. Very clever Ant-Man vs. Doc. Ock for the soul of Santa poem. Excellent Milk and Cookies Hanukkah story. Like issue 10, not a complete Christmas, well in this case, it really is a holiday special, because if you flip the issue over, it’s a Halloween special for some reason. Still, overall, it is very much worth consuming.

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

 

 

"Marvel Adventures Fantastic Four Vol. 1: Family of Heroes (v. 1)"

WORTH CONSUMING!

4 great stories about the “most realistic super hero group ever": the Fantastic Four. I find it very hard to find a poorly written FF story (With exception of FF: 1,2,3,4). This is all-age appropriate and lots of fun to read. This is not a kid’s book by no means. Though aimed at youth, adults will enjoy this book if only for nostalgia purposes. Just top quality comics like those of the 1960’s and 70’s. Oh how I miss those days.

"What the?!(regular series) Issue #10"

WORTH CONSUMING!

Half of this book is about Christmas. The Dr. Doom and the Cloak and Dagger parody are great. The non-Christmas Capt. America story is awesome. But I did not like the Manga parody of Akira. Because I am not a Manga fan, I probably did not get all the jokes.

Rating 7 out of 10 stars.

"Son of Film Flubs: More Memorable Movie Mistakes"

NOT WORTH CONSUMING

This sequel is like many sequels….Not as good as the original. The first flub book focused on flubs, while this book tries to disguise itself as a flub book, while the authors focus is primarily Intro to Filmmaking 101. (I was a History of Film minor, so I should know). There is supposed to be a third installment in the Film Flub Series. Any advice to the author I have for upcoming volumes would be to eliminate his dissertations on film styles and film making basics and stick to what he does best, pointing out “memorable movie mistakes.”

Ant-Man's Big Christmas

 

WORTH CONSUMING!

A cautionary tale starring Ant-Man and Wasp. Starts off slow, but once the revenge of 12 year-old Larry McGruder starts, it’s one of the most clever stories I have read in quite some time.

Worth 9 out of 10 stars. Worth Consuming!