Marvel Fanfare #10

 

The legendary George Perez pencils a really good 3-part Black Widow tale. (It was later stretched into 4 chapters.) When her former mentor and chauffeur is kidnapped, almost everybody in SHIELD thinks that the red-headed assassin is perfect for the job, ‘cept Nick Fury. Essentially part one is a retelling of her original and meant to bring the reader up to date on Widow as well as convince Fury to give her the assignment. The only bad part about this story is that Perez doesn’t ink every page and so some of his work isn’t as striking as the rest.

Then in the continuing Jungle Book Wolf Boy series, Mowgli is told a fable as to why tigers have stripes and why they are natural predators of humans and yet afraid of them as well. It’s an okay tale, but doesn’t have the syntax quality of the previous Mowgli stories.

Worth Consuming.

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Thor: The Mighty Avenger, Vol. 2

Cover to Issue #6, which was also
the cover to this collection.

Thor: Mighty Avenger was an all-ages series, but I suspect it was published not just to introduce a new generation to the god of Thunder, but to give young viewers of the Thor movie a book that was less gory than the standard Thor titles.

I thought it was a great series. The art was very retro and Thor’s love story with Jane Foster wasn’t gushy, but deftly written as a metaphor for Thor finding a place on Midgard. Sadly, the book ended after only 8 issues, yet that doesn’t stop the series from incorporating some of Thor’s greatest enemies and pals. The Warriors 3, Loki, Namor, and Iron Man all make appearances in this final volume. Unfortunately the indentity of the mysterious Mr. K, who kidnaps and attempts to kill Thor in the final 2 issues was never revealed.

Includes reprints of Journey Into Mystery 85-86.

Worth Consuming.

Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.

Walt Disney's Donald Duck Family Comics (FCBD 2012)

This Free Comic Book Day offering features some of legendary Duck family artist Carl Bank’s work. It may not be his best, (I’m no Banks expert- maybe it is?) but it features some classic tales that obviously inspired the classic 80s cartoon, Duck Tales.

A very fun read. 

Worth Consuming.

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Marvel Fanfare #9

A great pair of storyies with very good art.

In the first story, the Man-Thing goes to battle for the soul of a rock band that happens to be represented by the Prince of Lies.

Then we return to the Jungle Book, where Mowgli’s life is in danger from the murderous Shire Khan and faces a return to the world of men. I really don’t know where these stories are going because Mowgli going back to humanity was like the end of the Jungle Book. Yet in issue 10, there is to be another Mowgli tale published. Really confused.

Worth Consuming

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Marvel Fanfare #8

Doctor Strange makes a quick return to the pages of Marvel Fanfare, when he’s summoned by the girlfriend of an aspiring sorcerer, who’s trip through the black arts has him stuck in a battle for his soul. Imagery meets imagination when the lover of the gal pal reflects a truly heroic vision of his replacement Sorcerer Supreme. 

I had trouble with some of the metaphors, but it was a beautifully drawn Carmine Infantino story. Sadly, the cover was too goofy and didn’t reflect the best work of the artist or Marvel.

Then in a strange twist, MFF begins a series of single issue tales based on the Jungle Book. In the first of the series, we learn of Mowgli’s origin and how he became a member of the Jungle wolf pack. I am not sure where this is going. In fact, did Marvel have an on-going series on the Jungle Book or was this to made due of a Marvel Classics tale that never got published? It’s no bad. Just not what I’d expect from a Marvel anthology series.

Worth Consuming

Rating: 7 out of 10 stars.

Jack Cross #1

Ellis is a master of writing espionage. But, his newest creation, Jack Cross, a Homeland Security operative by day, who can get information out of anyone and a peacenik hippie by night, trying to overthrow big corporate America is a little bit of a stretch. That is until the last powerful page of issue 1. Then it all made sense.

The sequential art is all wrong, however. For example, a CCTV scene where an operative goes rogue, killing his own team- the bodies keep reappearing and disappearing in each panel. It would be considered an Ed Wood type of error if done on film. Better work on that is needed by either Ellis or the artist, Gary Erskine.

Worth Consuming

Rating: 7 out of 10 stars

Marvel Fanfare #7

   

In yet another tale that I think I’ve read before when Lee and Kirby did it, the Hulk takes refuge in a circus. Only it’s not to hide out from the Avengers in issue 3. Here, the circus is held hostage by the mutant duo of Blob and Unis the Untouchable. With Unis’ force field going out of control, the Hulk sees it as a sign of aggression and decides to use deadly force. The retro art and shocking ending makes for an enjoyable tale that I thought was going to be a repeat of stuff I’d already read. Thankfully, that is not the case.

Then in probably the saddest story of all-time, Daredevil offers to help a blind boy whose seeing-eye dog got spooked and is on the lam. It’s a race against the dog catcher and death itself that ends oh so tragically. I cannot bear to ever read that sad tale ever again. But it was so powerful, it should have won some major comic awards when published in 82-83.

Worth Consuming

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Smoke & Mirrors

  In a world where science and technology exist only as the latest spell or hex, a magician from our earth finds himself trapped, relying on slight of hand to help him panhandle his way through this strange world.

  When the magician takes an apprentice, his life is in danger to a large corporation that hopes to exploit his unusual blend of magic tricks.

  The art was very good. But, it’s the story that makes for a fantastic book. I take that back, the art is so good, for the first time ever, readers can participate in a series of magic tricks and illusions. How wicked is that?

  A great read- Worth Consuming.

Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.

JLA Showcase 80-Page Giant

Almost a dozen stories about the JLA, ranging from when the League was in Detroit and Europe, as well as taking up residence on the moon. Almost a collection of lost tales- most work, like the Steel/ Aquaman team-up that includes bonding over pork rinds and Wally West and Black Canary matching wits with a Rumplestiltskin-type sprite.

The art was very, very good and I enjoyed reading most of these tales. With an anthology, you can’t expect all perfect tales. But, it’s good enough.

Worth Consuming.

Rating: 7 out of 10 stars.

Marvel Fanfare #6

Great cover- too bad the story inside stunk.

Part two of the Doctor Strange and Clea story has Strange in his spectral form trying to save the life of the little girl being used as a vessel of evil while Clea works on some hunches of her own. Has she faced this menace before? The art continues to thrill in this story and the writing is superb as well. I like the flashbacks as they shed a lot of light on a group of characters that I'm not too familiar with.

Then in story two, Spider-man finds himself rescuing the Scarlet Witch from a mysterious force. This tale was very confusing as it frequently jumps from the real world to the fantasy world with little warning. The art and inking was good, but I really was not a fan of this back-up story.

Rating: 6 out of 10 stars.

Marvel Fanfare #5

First we’ve got Doctor Strange and Clea in a really awesome story in which a little girl comes to the Sanctum for refuge from a dark entity- only it appears the Sorceror Supreme should have been on the look out for the little girl. Part one is a Great opening act with some fantastic Ditko-like art of the magical realms.

Then, go back to the early days of Capt. America and Bucky as they fight off the latest in Hitler’s technological nightmare’s design to destroy America. Then flash forward to modern day America, where Captain America faces retribution from the son of the Nazi scientist humiliated by the first Avenger and his sidekick. A great Capt tale that I just loved. The art was fantastic. I wish that story was longer.

Worth Consuming

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Ultimate Comics Spider-Man, Vol. 3

All troubles I’ve had with a Spider-man this young has completely vanished. Though folks like Captain America are having trouble with the idea of such a youngster being an Ultimate, Miles Morales has won me over. With a great side storyline involving a sort of new Civil War has me on the look out for those tales. Divided We Fall/ United We Stand, you both are on my wish list. Art is fantastic as seen in the cover page’s easter worth. Cannot wait for further volumes.

Worth Consuming

Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.

Marvel Fanfare #4

After 4 issues, the Spidey-Kazar-X-Men team-up story is completed. It had good art and the story was fairly good. It just rambled on a little too much. It should have ended an issue sooner. I think there as just too many cooks in the pot.

In the second story, we’ve got Iron Man in dream land, fighting personifications of his dark side. Obviously, this is a take on Demon in a Bottle in which Stark battles alcoholism. Yet, it’s not mentioned anywhere here. A true missed opportunity. I didn’t like the imagery or the symbolism. Art was good. Story was lame. Not the best issue in this short of a series.

Not Worth Consuming.

Rating: 4 out of 10 stars.

Startling Stories: The Thing: Night Falls on Yancy Street #4

 

Turns out that The Thing’s new gal pal has a thing for big guys. From Giantman to Stiltman, the weirder their powers, the better. Adding to the mix is a double-cross not seen on this side of Newman and Redford’s The Sting!

The art was awesome! Very retro- it looked a lot like Darywn Cooke’s and I loved it. The story grew on me. Once all was revealed, you get this “Oh, yeah!” forehead slap moment and things fall into place.

Very Impressive.

Worth Consuming.

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Marvel Fanfare #3

Issue 3 sees the Claremont story head into familiar territory with the arrival of Wolverine, Storm, Nightcrawler, and Colossus into the Savage Land in hopes of saving the expedition. I’ve forgotten how well Claremont had crafted not a bunch of characters but an entire universe during his lengthy run on the X-titles. Claremont makes a point that the reader doesn’t forget either, reminding readers every few panels that Storm hates tight spaces, Colossus is Russian, and that Wolverine has a temper.

In the back-up tale, Hawkeye’s got into the security consultation game. Only his new client might be operating some sinister experiments. Not a bad story. The art could use some work and the plotting is so quick, the story ends up lapping itself in order to explain some gaffs.

Worth Consuming.

Rating: 7 out of 10 stars

Startling Stories: The Thing - Night Falls on Yancy Street #3

 

The Thing and his new girlfriend find themselves the captives of the Frightful Four and new member- Crusher Steel- The Absorbing Man. With the girl as a hostage, Thing is forced to steal the notorious Ultimate Nulifier from Reed Richards. Just as the plan is about to go down, the Yancy Street Gang interferes!

Something about this whole set-up seems fishy. And from the Yancys appearance, it appears all it not as it seems with Ben Grimm’s new paramour. Hopefully, all will be revealed in the final upcoming issue!

Great Art by Dean Haspiel!!!

Worth Consuming

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

Startling Stories: The Thing- Night Falls on Yancy Street #2

When you’re a superhero and your new girlfriend has a phobia to sand boxes, it’s a good chance that it’s cause she used to date the Sandman of Frightful Four fame.

That’s what The Thing discovers about his mysterious new gal pal in this second issue of Startling Stories. Along with Sandman, it looks like his old gang is right behind him and they’ve got a loose cannon for their replacement of Medusa- The Absorbing Man!

Awesome art! I still have trouble with Grimm cheating on Alicia. But, I am enjoying this book, I just hope is ends up in a good place!

Worth Consuming.

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

Startling Stories: The Thing Night Falls on Yancy Street #1

The title of Startling Stories is just that. In what seems like a typical Thing story, Ben Grimm gets down in the dumps at being stuck looking like a granite slab, quits the FF, and then takes it out on faithful gal, Alicia. 

 

Then, The Thing does something I’d never expect, he goes to his hometown of Yancy St. and he hooks up! Ole Blue eyes takes a shine to a blondie with a little bit of an edge and a slight aversion to sand.

Not sure where this is going and it’s weird to have an entire issue go without a massive villain on hero fight. The art is retro cool. I look forward to the next issue to learn more of this mystery lady.

Worth Consuming.

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

Marvel Fanfare #2

In the second issue of this 1980s Marvel anthology series, X-Men scribe Chris Claremont continues his Savage Land story having the Peter Parker expedition run afoul of evil mutants that were once loyal to Magneto. Armed with the madman’s genetic accelerator’s, the Angel, Spider-man, and the former love of the man who would be Sauron, find themselves the instrument’s next target.

Then in the back-up issue, a very frazzled Mr. Fantastic forgets Sue’s anniversary again after tiredly opening the Negative Zone portal. With Annihilus waiting on the other side, the scientist may never see home or his dutiful wife ever again.

Both stories were very good. Though, I feel Claremont’s tale is dragging out a little too much and I know I've read the Mr. Fantastic story before when Lee and Kirby were doing the book. The art is very good, but it’s the inking in both stories that powerfully stand out.

Worth Consuming.

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

Marvel Fanfare #1

In the premiere issue of this 1980s Marvel anthology series, Editor Al Milgrom and Chief Jim Shooter look to use Grade A talent and rising stars to making essentially their dream stories. 

In the very first multi-issue arc, Peter Parker is sent on assignment to the Savage Land to follow the Angel and a very desperate woman on a quest to find a man named Lykos. This Lykos guy has a habit of turning into a mutated pteradon named Sauron. Written by Chris Claremont, I am not sure why the editors didn’t roll out their best-selling characters, the X-Men.

In the second tale, Daredevil makes a rather ho-hum stroll through Hell’s Kitchen. The story and the art aren't that memorable.

Not a bad first issue. I hope it doesn’t become a place where miniseries that don’t get the green light go to die. Instead, I hope it’s filled with quality stories and art by those longing to work with characters and situations that they’ve never gotten a chance to work on prior.

Worth Consuming.

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

Tales of the Sinestro Corps: Cyborg Superman

A few weeks ago, I read the “origin” story about the Cyborg Superman and didn’t even realize it. In a tale that closely resembled a certain foursome from the Marvel Universe, Superman struggled to save the lives of 4 mutated astronauts.

In this Sinestro Corps tale, we learn what happened to the captain and his wife after that John Byrne classic. It was a very informative story that finally answered (to me) the question as to just who in the heck was the Cyborg really?

There are several other one-shots that tie into the Sinestro Corps Wars and I would very much like to get my hands on those as well as read the SCW storyline in the pages of Green Lantern as well.

Great art. Awesome story.

Worth Consuming.

Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.

Star Trek #3, 1995 Special

This special is all about Kirk and his nephews in light of the aftermath of the events of the classic Trek episode: Operation Annihilate! In the first tale, Kirk and his boys stumble across an Orion invasion while dealing with the demons of having lost both a dad and mom.

The second tale involves Kirk’s only nephew to appear on the show, Peter and his attempt to travel back in time to stop the death of his parents from occurring. It’s a powerful tale and has a great tie-in easter egg with the original series.

The art is very good. But, it’s the powerful storytelling that steals the show.

Worth Consuming.

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Star Trek #2, Winter 1994 Special

The Enterprise returns to the world of the Tholian Web when the crew is tasked with bringing the Defiant back home.

But, the real winner in this special is the Saavik/ Valeris story. In this tale, Saavik is charged with rating Valeris’ performance appraisal that will basically determine her future in Starfleet. However, Valeris has a lot of prejudices to get in front of, especially of her half-Romulan superior before she’ll go anywhere in the galaxy.

While I love this story- it’s very inaccurate. In The Undiscovered Country, Kirk and Valeris had never met, yet they are both engaging with each other during several scenes of the story. Clearly, someone made a big continuity nit here. A real shame- the story and art were awesome.

Worth Consuming

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars

Peter Cannon: Thunderbolt #1

When your lead character gets thrashed in the first 5 pages and needs guest star Green Lantern to save him, you know the book’s in trouble.

As I am reading this tale about a blonde English boy raised by Tibetan monks, aided by a Vishanti in a turban, and fighting crime without any powers, I think to myself that this book would have worked well in the 40s. I soon find out in the Editor’s page, that Thunderbolt was an early Charlton Comics character that has yet to get his day until now (well, 1992.) Well, I am sad to say, I think that Thunderbolt’s day passed years ago. It might’ve worked in the early 80s, during Reagan’s nostalgic presidency. But, in the angst-ridden 90s, Thunderbolt just didn't work.

Not Worth Consuming

Rating: 5 out of 10 stars.