I like to read and collect a title called 'What If...' Begun in 1977 and having ungone several incarnations, the Marvel Comics series ponders questions like 'What if Wolverine was a Vampire?' and 'What if Captain America was never unfrozen?' One of the most popular storylines of the original title run were two issues devoted to the Robert E. Howard character Conan the Barbarian.
Written by Roy Thomas, the pair (issues #13 & 43) asked 'What If Conan was Stranded in Modern Times?' These stories, due to licensing problems were never reprinted and are highly sought out by collectors. But despite their rarity, the stories were really quite good. It was those excellent issues that made reading my selection for this week's Family Comic Friday so intriguing.
Fangbone is a barbarian youth from Skullbania, a land of another time or another dimension- not sure which. When the evil Venomous Droll is about to attack his village, the earnest warrior is sent to modern day earth with a vital part of Drool's body needed to make him all-powerful: his big toe! When monsters from Skullbania are sent to earth to retrieve the appendage, Fangbone must raise an army of third-grade misfits at once in order to save both his native land and his new adopted one as well.
Fangbone was quite funny. Readers aged 8-12 will enjoy this book that is quite clever and very silly. Though humorous read, some of the jokes are used ad nauseam like the following:
Teacher: Where are you From?
Fangbone: Skullbania!
Teacher: Is that in New Jersey?
The array of monsters are extremely creative without being frightening and the book itself has an important message of teamwork and that even misfits have strengths that can assist any army no matter how motley!
There are two more books in the series created by Michael Rex. However, the last volume was published in 2012. So unless you find it on Amazon or your local library (like I did) you probably won't find this book at a mass market bookstore. But that shouldn't stop your child from joining Fangbone's army of 3rd graders.
Worth Consuming
Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.
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