1977: A Madman Turns 40: 2017

    In just a few short minutes it will be 2017. That marks the beginning of the 40th anniversary of the year 1977. 2017 will also mark the year I turn 40. 
    Starting tomorrow I will be reflecting on the year 1977. It's my favorite year in all of history and not just because it's the year I came into this world. Lots of cool things happened in '77 like St..
 or Sa... 
   You know, instead of spoiling it, let's just look at the year of the double sevens one day at a time as a Madman turns 40...

2016: A Family Comic Friday Year in Review

2016:  It was a real bummer. But there were a few bright spots. Today I will be looking back at the best Family Comic Friday finds of the past year. Also, I will be sharing my pick for the best comic book related family friendly TV show, cartoon and movie of the year.
  
   First Up: Comics-

The King of Kazoo-   The story by cartoonist Norm Feuti was funny, smart, and original. It combines a medieval fantasy motif with modern day creations like cars and mechanical men. Plus, there's the Frog People of the Swamp, an evil Alchemist, and lots of zany slapstick antics... The excitement never ends!
    I also didn't want this book to end. I wanted there to be a sequel and above all else, I want to see the King of Kazoo as either an animated feature OR a TV show. Just please don't make it CGI! That would ruin the whimsical effects that come alive with Norm Feuti's cartoons. 
     A fun read that kids and kids at heart will love. One of the best new books I have read in 2016!
  
    Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.

Benny and Penny in How To Say Goodbye-     Dealing with the subject of death is hard, especially for children. I remember as a youngster of 3 or 4 when Mr. Hooper died on Sesame Street. My parents both took the day off from work and we watched it at my grandparents house in order to properly address the subject.
    It was a big deal and it was handled in such a way, that it's considered like the bench-mark of how to teach pre-school aged children about the death of a loved one. I would have to say that How to Say Goodbye does a very good job capturing that effort of the Children's Television Workshop.
    The Benny and Penny books are rated at a level 2, meaning that it's written at a first or second grade reading level. However, one thing missing from this Toon Books publication is the study guide for adults to help young readers process what they just read. If any book was going to need that, it would be this one. 
    The art was timeless and adorable. The characters very memorable and I really think that not just this book but the entire series of (at time of this review) 5 other books would make a great addition to any youngsters library.

    Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Grumpy Cat & Pokey- Sometimes when you read a book based on a licensed product, the material gets stale. There's no originality. The jokes are older than moldy gym socks and you just can't wait for the book to end. Not so here, as every misadventure was fresh and enjoyable. I even laughed out loud on several occasions! 

      The artwork will appeal to all-ages. But there are some big words and a couple of the jokes might seem a little harsh. Plus the cartoon violence rivals Tom & Jerry or the road Runner. But readers aged 7 and up will really love this series. 
      A must for any fan of Grumpy Cat and by the end of this issue, you'll be a fan of Pokey's too!
 (Note: I read the 2016 Free Comic Book Day Edition, but there are other books from previous series and years available.) 
   Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.

Spookhouse-  A horror comic aimed at kids who love a good scare with a humorous twist. In the vein of the Goosebumps series from the 90s (recently turned into a major motion picture flop), this comic book has some real scares. Created by Eric Powell (The Goon), Spookhouse is set up like an old school horror comic from the 50s with a host, a plethora of short stories and some frightfully fun treats in between.  

 Spookhouse wasn’t gory. The language was tame. And I even laughed a couple of times. But some artwork might be a bit too scary for kids under the age of 9. It reminds me of a series of horror anthologies that I'd check out from my elementary school library called Scary Stories To Tell In The Dark where the frights were fun but some images from the book still haunt my nightmares. Also, parents should be advised that while the book is tame, the advertisement in the back of Spookhouse for other works by Powell are not for kids!

  Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Scooby-Doo Team-Up- My personal favorite of the year. So much that I can't wait to find issues in the bargain bin. It's the only book that I buy off the shelf at my favorite used bookstore and LCS, Books Do Furnish A Room. I just hope with DC rebooting the look of the Scoobies that they don't cancel this fantastic series. (Since I love this title, it's days are probably numbered.)

   

 That being said, SDTU is the perfect combination of classic Hanna-Barbera, retro DC Universe and modern pop culture references. I loved when Fred told Flash that he deserves his own TV show! Both fun and funny, (though some of the puns are groaners) this is a great all ages read and at $2.99, friendly on the wallet.

   If you child loves mysteries, superheroes, and cartoons, you need to make this bimonthly NOW MONTHLY book a regular part of their downtime reading!

Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.

TV Show: This one was really hard to narrow down. But I think with how this series best stayed true to it's roots but also has been breaking new ground with ever changing timelines, massive live action crossovers, and a moral compass that always points north even when a bad decision has to be made, my pick for the best live action comic related show of 2016 is The CW's The Flash.

Cartoon: Another tough choice. However, I went with what cartoon has stayed the most true to A) original source material and B) the movie in which the 'toon is based. Though director James Gunn says that it's not related to the movie, Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy is my pick for best comic related cartoon.

3 reasons A) Rocket Raccoon B) great supporting guests like Ego the Living Planet, J'Son, and even Thor and C) the awesome 70s/80s soundtrack spread throughout the series.

Movie: I'm going off the rails on this one. I choose a movie that while has been in comic book form for years, the franchise originally didn't start out as a comic.
Star Trek Beyond was a return to the classic feel of the 50 year old series that spawned a universe and a legion of fans. With relatively few swears, no nudity, and fairly tame violence, I choose the latest entry into the Star Trek Franchise.
The movie was fun, action packed, and there was lots and lots of heart and humor.
Yes- the movie was rated PG-13 but I think that's mostly because the main villains are a little scary. But I think children 10 and up can enjoy this film without have to be a Trekkie first.

So, there you have it. Those are my picks for the year that was 2016.
Everyone is hopeful that 2017 will be a lot better. But I think I showed that there were a few bright spots that family's could enjoy when they needed to get away from the hustle, bustle, and politics that dominated the past year.

Happy New Year and may the best days be ahead of all of you!!!

Family Comic Friday: Under Construction

    Family Comic Friday will be published tomorrow. I'm working on my end of year review and I am not quite done.

But tomorrow look forward to my Top 5 comic picks, plus my choice for best comic based TV show, cartoon, and movie of 2016!

See you then....

Bugs Bunny #46

  A Christmas themed cover does not a Christmas comic make. And that was the mistake I made when I paid $4 for this book. I'm very thrifty. I love to shop but I tried really hard to stretch my dollar. If it wasn't for dollar books, massive sales on comic book web sites, and the library, I my collection would be much, much smaller and my knowledge of comics would be greatly less. 
   But I came across this 1956 book a little while ago and I figured that I'd never come across such an old Christmas comic for such an affordable price ever again. What can I say, I'm addicted to holiday comics!
   Alas, this is NOT a Christmas or holiday comic book. Maybe I'm wrong, but I doubt it. Let's look at what's inside:

1. Bugs joins the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. But instead of being made a Mountie, he's been made to clean out the stables of the horses. So when a case of mistaken identity points to Elmer Fudd as an evil fur trapper, Bugs takes it upon himself to head a manhunt. Chaos naturally ensues.
2. In a one-page prose short story, a character named Pemrose Pig seeks to get his girlfriend, Petunia Pig, a birthday present. (I thought Porky Pig dated Petunia. Whose Pemrose?)
3. Lastly, Bugs and Elmer go on a skiing trip but problems quickly arise when the pair discover that they don't have any firewood to keep them warm. (I'm pretty sure you can figure out where this story was going.)

     And that's Bugs Bunny #46 in a nutshell. Other than the snow in the third story, there's very little winter hi-jinx much less anything to do with Christmas. My wife's family (who are half Jewish) would go so far as to say having the Pemrose and Petunia Pig story keeps this from being a Hanukkah comic as well! And yes, they have actually said this before in the past!!! 

     If I had spent only dollar or less on this, I might donate it to the reading program at my wife's work. But $4 is, to a collector like me, a lot of moolah. Plus, the book's staples are quite rusty and the cover is being held on mostly by sheer will power.

    I enjoyed the stories but I didn't like being duped by the cover. This is a prime example of how if you have doubts about a book, you should always ask the owner if you can examine it out of the bag. If they say no to your request, then it's a sign that the comic wasn't for you.

    Rating: 6 out of 10 stars.

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

   It was with great sadness and irony that the day my wife and I choose to see the new Star Wars film, it was the day Carrie Fisher died. Work and holiday emergencies postponed our seeing the movie earlier. It's just how it worked out.
   Even 2 weeks after the movie debuted and on a middle of the afternoon workday, our showing was still packed. Critics have called this the best Star Wars film since either Empire Strikes Back or A New Hope. So, let's dig into the specifics of the movie and find out if the critics were right or just caught up in the hype.
    Rogue One has the unique distinction of being both a prequel and a sequel. The film tells the untold story of the construction of the Death Star, which had begun at the end of Episode III, along with how the Rebellion obtained the schematics to the Empire's super weapon just prior to Episode IV. The film also answers a lot of burning questions that fans of A New Hope have been asking for years, such as:

• Why would the Empire allow for a simple design flaw of a 2 meters exhaust port to potentially destroy their super expensive mega-weapon?
• Why does the Rebellion only have a small handful of ships to go against the Death Star at the Battle of Yavin?
• and there's several other questions I could post, but that would spoil many of the surprises built into the film.

   

    Speaking of surprises, there are references, Easter eggs, and cameos galore in the film. One that I will spoil involves on of the main characters- Grand Moff Tarkin! The actor who portrayed Tarkin, Peter Cushing, died almost 30 years ago. Yet, through the magic of CGI, the veteran actor lives again in a pretty convincing yet subtly creepy fashion. Along with Cushing's character, I counted at least 3 other smaller roles done in similar fashion. But honestly, I think it helped keep a decorum of continuity between Rogue One and A New Hope which was filmed 40 years prior. 

      I enjoyed Rogue One. It was great getting to see some big budget production battles. It think they rival and surpass the prequels! I enjoyed how the film captured the magic of the original trilogy and finally, a film without any annoying characters like Jar Jar Binks! Alan Tudyk's (Firefly) voice as the droid K-2SO and Martial Arts master Donnie Yen's (Ip Man) portrayal as blind warrior  in tune with the Force Chirrut Îmwe stole many scenes. 

     

    So was Rogue One the best Star Wars film ever? Nope- because technically, it's not a Star Wars movie. It's set in the Star Wars Universe but it's really a stand alone film. You don't have to even know what's been going on prior or afterwards to enjoy Rogue One- but it helps! 

     The film pulls no punches and to many Star Wars fans, Rogue One has shown them that Disney has no intentions of turning George Lucas' universe into a version of It's a Small World with aliens. The House of Mouse is working on other 'Star Wars Story' films to release at a rate of about 1 a year. If they continue to follow the formula of Rogue One, then the fate of a galaxy far, far away is in very good hands.

    Worth Consuming

     Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.

OK- fine. I'll rank them...

                1. Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back

                2. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

                3. Episode IV: A New Hope

                4. Episode VII: The Force Awakens

                5. Episode III: Revenge of the Sith

                6. Episode VI: Return of the Jedi

                7. Episode II: Attack of the Clones

                8: Episode I: The Phantom Menace

    There... happy?

Don't Let Hope Fade- The Passing of a Princess

    Today marked the passing of Carrie Fisher. It was really a sad and weird experience. Especially, since my wife and I had planned to go see Rogue One today and getting to see a CGI Princess Leia one last time was a little jarring. A Princess died today, but her death doesn't have to be in vain

    As Princess Leia, the fierce leader of the Rebel Alliance in multiple Star Wars ventures, Carrie Fisher was a hero to many. Carrying the Death Star plans to Yavin IV, the Princess was a source of inspiration and hope. 

    Well, now's our chance to be a hero and provide hope. 

   Hope- that's the last word of the movie Rogue One and it's spoken by the CGI version of Carrie Fisher circa 1977. Well, it inspired me to spread that message of hope to someone else in need. My choice was to donate blood at the nearest Red Cross.

   I challenge all friends of the Force to donate blood in Carrie's honor like I did to visit a Red Cross (or other blood donation center.) When you do, share the hash tag #givehopegiveblood. Take pictures, too! 

   Right now the Red Cross is suffering epic shortages. So, why not go out in droves folks to your nearest center and make give Princess Leia one last victory? 

#givehopegiveblood

   Who knows- the next life you save might be your own!?

To Schedule A Donation Through the Red Cross, Click Here.

Power Man and Iron Fist: Sweet Christmas Annual #1

Variant Cover

   It's taken him nearly 5 decades, but Luke Cage has finally been on the receiving end of much respect and love that he deserves. A large part is due to the Netflix Defenders project that Marvel has been unveiling over the past couple of years. Luke made his live action debut late last year on Jessica Jones and later starred in a series of his own this September. 
Both series have been huge hits and in response, Marvel Comics put out this holiday special starring Power Man and his partner, Iron Fist (who'll be getting his own Netflix series sometime in 2017.)
    It's Christmas Eve and everyone in New York wants the latest toy, a Pokemon knock-off called a Schnuckie. Iron Fist, Power Man, and his daughter are in line at a toy store in hopes of snagging one of the hot toys before the place closes at midnight. But when the clock strikes 12, the duo learn that there's a sinister plot behind the year's hottest toy.
    Featuring guest appearances by Spider-Woman Jessica Drew, the Son of Satan, and maybe even a certain jolly old fat man, this was a very fun holiday special. Marvel has undergone quite a few changes in the past 3-5 years, some good and some bad. Often the company has been criticized for turning it's back on it's established fan base. But Sweet Christmas was in my opinion a very good mix of humor, action, and holiday cheer that I think is directed at fans both young and old. 
     There's one slight bit of controversy with this book; but it has nothing to do with content. The problem is how to catalogue this comic. It's touted as the Power Man and Iron Fist: Sweet Christmas Annual #1. However, some comic book sites that fans use to manage their comics stash list this book as an annual to the current Power Man and Iron Man series run. So, if you buy this book and can't find it under Sweet Christmas, check it out under the Power Man heading.

    Worth Consuming

    Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.

Limited Collectors Edition C-34 (Christmas With the Super-Heroes)

   If there really is a holy grail of Christmas comics, this book would be one of the two most sought after by long-time collectors (The Marvel Holiday Grab-Bag would be the other!) This tabloid sized collection of Christmas themed reprints and all-new material is a perennial favorite. On Facebook groups like Unite the DCU Project, this book pops up a lot during the holiday season. Either someone just received the book or another is desperate to add it to their collection before Christmas comes. 
   Well this spring, I was pretty lucky to stumble across a fairly decent copy for a pretty sweet price. And then like with all the other holiday comics I find over the year, I waited until the season finally arrived. (Hey, I waited over 30 years for my copy, so what's with a couple more months...) So was it worth the long wait?
   Limited Collectors Edition C-34 (AKA Christmas With the Super-Heroes) starts off with a Denny O'Neil Batman classic in which the Dark Knight races through the snow to stop a mad who seeks vengeance on the man who laid him off before the holidays. Up next is a 1940's Captain Marvel tale in which the Big Red Cheese helps a store Santa get his job back after being wrongly accused of setting a fire. 
      The third adventure was a never before published yarn starring that wacky detective duo: Angel and the Ape. Here, the pair are involved in an international caper involving stolen gems, spooky monsters, and even old St. Nick. 
      A reprint of the classic Nick Cardy Teen Titans version of the Christmas Carol and a 1947 Superman adventure round out the stories in this collection. The Titans story was groovy fun but I really had issues with the Man of Steel story. I dunno which was worse: the ridiculous premise of Superman putting on a holiday pageant during a major flood event or having Superman/ Clark Kent and Lois Lane's 1940s faces superimposed with their more modern 1974 looks. 
     Throughout this collection are nifty Christmas trivia challenges, a 1975 super hero themed wall calendar, an activity for making your own DC Comics themed Christmas cards, and a math brain teaser that really is magic. Lastly, is a look at how some of your favorite DC villains celebrate Christmas. 
     This was a really fun comic book collection. It was so worth the wait. There's at least 1 sister piece to this book and oddly enough, even though it's not as sought after as this book, it's actually the harder of the pair to find. If you can find either one- it's worth obtaining. But don't break the bank for them either.

    Worth Consuming

    Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.
     

The Great Treasury of Christmas Comic Book Stories

   I actually waited a full-scale year to read this book. My wife gave it to me for Christmas. But since we had traveled to St. Louis to visit her family, we didn't exchange gifts with each other until after we got back a few days after Christmas 2015. So I added this treasury to my collection database, put it on my 'To Read' shelf and I waited... and waited... and waited until it was Christmas time 2016 to finally read this volume.
    The Great Treasury of Christmas Comic Book Stories is just that; it's over one hundred and seventy pages of classic Christmas themed comics from the 1940s up till 1960. It features the work of comic book legends such as John Stanley (Little Lulu), Walt Kelly (Pogo), and even an Al Fago yuletide yarn starring his creation Atomic Mouse. Added to the holiday fun is a rare comic story from children's book master Richard Scarry (Busytown.) 
    Some of these stories are quite dated, either in appearance or conventional mores. A few are quite silly and there were a couple of duds. But this was a pretty enjoyable read. Plus, not liking every story is to be expected in a collection such as this and as long as the majority of the stories are gems, it still makes for an overall favorable read.
    This treasury was co-published by YOe Books, in cooperation with IDW Publishing. YOe has been building a reputation with it's massive editions of comic works featuring Steve Ditko, Dan DeCarlo, and Jack Kirby and the level of quality and detail in this treasury shows. 
     A really awesome Christmas present that was worth the wait. 

    Worth Consuming

    Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.
   

Some Words of Wisdom About Books...

  Christmas is a time when I catch up on reading. Well over the weekend, I saw a couple of mantras that I just needed to share.

   The first is a fortune I got yesterday at Christmas brunch with my wife and brother-in-law:

   Then I saw this one at the Triangle Christmas Tree Challenge at the American Tobacco Campus in Durham, NC. I think it's perfect! See, my wife and I run a reading program at her clinic for the children who come to visit with their parents and guardians. The clinic is for lower income families and often a wait in a doctor's office for a child can be torture. Especially if the visit isn't for you. So my wife and I spend our own time and money getting books and comics for kids to read and take home.
 

    When you donate to charities such as Book Harvest, from which I got the above motto, you also get awesome thank yous such as the one below:

 
    What more can I say? Reading is so important to our everyday lives. May you be enriched by it's wisdom and by possibly sharing the joys of it with others.

                                                                                                                                                                              

Countdown to New Who: Advent 2016: Day 25

A Who-ville Celebration! A DOCTOR Who-villed Celebration!

  Well, this is it. 
  It's Christmas!
 That means in just a few short hours the Doctor will return after a very long 1-year absence. 
    So for my final Advent gift to you this year, I'm getting you all warmed up. It's a short story from Titan, the good folks who do the Doctor Who comics. Starring the 9th Doctor, Rose Tyler, and some Slitheen. 
  
   Enjoy!

Merry Christmas, 2016!

Here's hoping you don't get stuck in the holiday rut!

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays
from a Madman(with a book)!

Countdown to New Who: Advent 2016: Day 24

    Not only is tonight Christmas Eve- it's the First Night of Hanukkah! My wife's father and is his family are Jewish. So for the past 17 years, my wife and I have been celebrating 
Christmu-Kah!

     
    So for tonight's Advent because of the two holidays, this Madman is giving you 2 presents.

    For Hanukkah, I'm sharing with you the ultimate tune of the festival of lights: Adam Sandler's The Hanukkah Song. 

    Then for Christmas Eve, with less than one day until the Doctor Who holiday special, I'm sharing with you the BBC's definitive ranking of all of the best moments of the Doctor Who specials until to last year's Last Christmas. 

    Enjoy...

   

Marvel Universe: Guardians of the Galaxy #15 (Family Comic Friday)

   This issue hits stores just this past Wednesday- so it's probably still on shelves. But the main reason I choose this book was actually not for reading purposes but TV watching!

    Marvel's kids titles based on the Disney XD cartoons have one very annoying trait to them- they're taken straight from the TV show!
    The artwork is stills from the cartoon. The images are often not very clear and sometimes it just looks like a bunch of pixels.
    The stories are taken from the scripts. Word for word- NO EXCEPTIONS!!!
    Except for the cover, there isn't any originality to these. 
    To be honest, if I'm going to choose- I take the cartoons on the comics. 
    Now you might think that it's heresy for a Madman who supports children reading comics. However, if I had to choose between the copy or the real thing, I'm going to choose the TV shows that these issues are based on. I would have no problem if Disney or Marvel would make original stories based on the cartoons. But they don't and since they do not look that aesthetically pleasing, I'd rather watch the toons. (Plus, with the cartoons, you get the awesome voice overs of actors like Will Friedle (Star Lord), Trevor Duvall (Rocket), Jonathan Frakes (Star Lord's father J'son), and many more.
   You'll actually get your wish as the episode that this comic is based on will air on Disney XD tomorrow on Christmas Eve at 4:30am and 10:30pm. True, those times are both too early and too late for those needing to be in bed for Santa. But that doesn't mean that you can't set your DVRs now for some festive Marvel fun later on in the week. 

   Hey, make the event double fun! Buy the comic and then follow along with the show!


   
 

    

Countdown to New Who: Advent 2016: Day 23

I can't do a Doctor Who Advent without giving some love to one of, if not the most popular character to have ever spun-off from the long-running series. Yes, I'm talking about the ageless wonder himself, Captain Jack Harkness!

    Brilliantly played by the ageless wonder John Barrowman, Capt. Jack is a con man, time travelling, and Lothario to anything that walks. He invented the term 'omni-sexual!'  But the good captain is also one of the Doctor's most loyal allies, even if he's more willing to do things beyond the Doctor's moral code as the head of Torchwood.

What every Torchwood fan dreams of... a Weevil under the mistletoe!

    While Barrowman is widely considered one heck of an actor, very few know that he's also an accomplished singer. So my Advent gift today is a link to some of John Barrowman's Christmas tunes from his CD 'The Making of Me."

 Enjoy...

Countdown to New Who: Advent 2016: Day 22

  Yesterday, I went down memory lane of how toys and stuff was like in American with some links to old Sears Wish Books. Well, for today's Advent present to you, I'm going overseas and back in time to show you what Doctor Who toys were like...

So to see an array of vintage Dalek toys, click here... Be sure to scroll down just a bit.

Then head over to Britain's ToyBox Treasures to check out some other cool vintage Doctor Who items including trading cards, pins, decorations, and much, much more. You can even buy some of the items here too!

   I bet many of these items were on many a child in the U.K.'s wish list!

Enjoy...

Countdown to New Who: Advent 2016: Day 21

    I wish Doctor Who toys were available when I was a kid. There were Doctor Who toys but for the most part, they were only available in the UK. But if they had American Doctor Who toys, I would've wanted them. 

   As a kid who grew up in the 70s, 80s, and 90s, the ultimate sign that Christmas was near was the Sears Christmas Wish book. Every year around September or October, this massive book of clothes, decorations, and of course toys would arrive in the mail. I would devour every page (Even the ultra dull women's clothes and housewares sections),  just so I was building up anticipation until I got to the toys. It was so cool.
    For my Advent present for you today, I decided to go retro. Below are links to what a Sears Christmas Wish Book would look like in 1990, 1983, and the year this Madman was born- 1977!
    Who says that my Advent gifts have to be all Who? 
   
    Enjoy...

The 1990 Christmas Wish Book

The 1983 Christmas Wish Book

The 1977 Christmas Wish Book

The Simpsons Winter Wingding #2

   Normally if a Christmas special isn't 100% about the holidays, I get quite upset. It's a big pet peeve of mine. But the title to the Simpsons: Winter Wingding doesn't imply that it's supposed to be holiday themed at the least. Instead, with these annual specials, I expect all of these stories to involve cold weather antics starring television's funniest family and their zany neighbors.
    As a bonus, this issue starts out with some holiday fun as Bart wishes for it to be Christmas everyday. Interestingly enough, this issue, while extremely silly, actually has some very good points economically and socially why 365 days of Christmas isn't exactly a good thing. 
    Finishing out this comic are a trio of short stories involving Bart and the Junior Campers going on a bobsled race, Otto the Bus Driver's guide to snowboarding lingo, and the greatest snowball fight in Springfield history.
    I love the Winter Wingdings. They are extremely enjoyable. Plus, they're a great cure for when you need a Simpsons holiday fix and your local TV station is airing a Treehouse of Horror marathon instead.
  
  Worth Consuming!

  Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

  

Countdown to New Who: Advent 2016: Day 20

  I spent the day trying to finish my Christmas lights. (In case you were wondering, I didn't- but I', close...) But I thought since I was in the holiday mood and enjoying the lights, I thought for today's Advent present, I would share a video of a really cool Doctor Who Christmas display.
   The music is a little techno,  but with the images of scrolling Daleks and array of flashing lights, it's actually kinda fun.

  
    Then for some added fun, here's a video of the 50th Anniversary light show from Australia. It's not holiday themed, but it's really awesome.

    Enjoy...

The Trencher X-Mas Bites 1994 Holiday Blow-Out #1

  Gideon Trencher- Zombie repo-man. His mission, to kill those souls that were erroneously reincarnated. With the help of his dispatcher, Phoebe, it doesn't matter if you are a good soul or bad. If you are on Trencher's list, you're as good as dead.
    The creation of Justice League legend and Ambush Bug creator, Keith Giffen, I was excited when I found this holiday special in a bargain bin. You can tell that this is a Giffen project. The art is gritty, the humor is dark and somewhat absurd. But it's also kinda gross.
    In this 1994 holiday special, Trencher is on the hunt for a Proctologist whose also a serial killer. See, after the doctor performed a rectal surgery on a superhero, result in radioactive far-...
    I'm sorry, I can't go any further. It's really that disgusting.
    I tend to keep my holiday comics, even if it's just the biggest load of manure I've ever laid my eyes on. This holiday special might very well break that rule.
   Part one in which Trencher himself, while pretty crude, was enjoyable when he targets one of Santa's helper. The back-up features including pin-ups of Trencher characters, a short story starring Mr. Monster, and some other one-pager gags were pretty funny. But the potty humor of Part two includes quite a bit of beans jokes and noxious gases was beyond the pale for me.
    Really, a big disappointment for a book that I at first thought would be pretty dope. Instead, it's just dopey. At least I only spent 50 cents on it...

   Not Worth Consuming

   Rating: 2 out of 10 stars.

Countdown to New Who: Advent 2016: Day 19

    A couple of years ago, the BBC created the Doctor Who Experience. It's an interactive museum dedicated to the over 53-year history of the longest running science-fiction series in TV history. Set in Porth Teigr on the iconic Cardiff Bay, near where many modern episodes of Doctor Who and it's sister series, Torchwood have been filmed.
    If only I had the money to fly to Wales...
    So my Advent gift to you today is a link to the Doctor Who Experience website. Give it a very long tour. It's the next best thing to actually being there and the folks behind this do an excellent job making you feel as if you are there. And if you can get across the pond, there's a link to buy tickets! 

   Enjoy...

DC Rebirth Holiday Special #1

    Harley Quinn is your host in the super hero holiday spectacular to end all holiday spectaculars. Batman Adventures legend Paul Dini (who also created the character of Harley Quinn) pens the framing segments before a host of holiday themed stories starring Superman and son Jon, Batman and son Damian, Wonder Woman, John Constantine, the Titans, members of the Green Lantern Corps, Batwoman, and many, many more...
    At $9.99, this special is a bit pricey. But it is a 96-pager and there were several stories that I loved so much, I had to read it over. The Batman/ Superman story and the Batman/ Detective Chimp story were the best. But the Paul Dini penned vignettes were the highlight. Nobody does Harley Quinn better- nobody! This book just dropped last Wednesday, but it's getting such rave reviews, I don't think it's going to be on store shelves for long! So act fast!!!
   Featuring a slew of DC talent including Cullen Bunn, Steve Orlando, Dustin Nguyen, and Gustavo Duarte, this was the best DC Special I think I've ever read. And I'm not just saying this because of how excited I am to see DC returning to making holiday specials (it's been 6 years since DC published the last one! Curse you, New 52!) 
    Rebirth has been a great thing for DC Comics and this holiday special was just another great example of how DC is the real mover and shaker of the Big Two! I look forward to 2017 and the next volume!
       
    Worth Consuming

    Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.

Countdown to New Who: Advent 2016: Day 18

   David Tennant, the Tenth Doctor, is arguably the best modern version of the Doctor (my wife would argue for Tennant's replacement, Matt Smith, which is her Doctor.) Tennant's version is also said to surpass that of Fourth Doctor, Tom Baker, whose classic series portrayal has often been the benchmark to which all previous Doctor's aspire to achieve.
    My Doctor has always been Peter Davison: the Fifth Doctor. I starting watching Doctor Who at age 3 or 4 right as Tom Baker left. The first episodes I watched were the multi-parters of Logopolis, which said goodbye to Baker and hello to Davison.  I ended up watching his entire run. So, for me, Peter Davison is my first Doctor, though I was briefly exposed to Tom Baker for a couple of days. At that time, PBS would sow 2 episodes back-to-back and by Day 2, Peter Davison had regenerated into the role...
    Anyways, Tennant is very similar to the Davison Doctor. It was the actor's favorite Doctor when he was young. Plus, Tennant ended up marrying Davison's daughter- who played the daughter of Tennant's Doctor in series 4. 
   I wonder how confused they all are during the holidays...

    So, my gift for today's Advent is a double dose of the Doctor. It's a mini-episode called Time Crash in which Tennant's Doctor meets Davison's Doctor for a 2007 BBC Children in Need special.  Then, scroll down for another treat, a rarely seen Christmas commercial starring the Tenth Doctor.

  

Enjoy...

Countdown to New Who: Advent 2016: Day 17

   Besides the TARDIS and the Doctor's Sonic Screw Driver, the most iconic item in all things Who has got to be the scarf worn by the Forth Doctor, Tom Baker. The thing was made of almost a dozen colors, was made of fluffy wool and a good 12 feet long! 

The Tom Baker Doctor cautiously contemplating his recent
holiday gifts...

    Rumor has it that producers of Doctor Who sent a garbage bag full of wool samples for this lady to make Tom Baker's Doctor a scarf for his costume. However, she mistakenly thought the producers wanted her to use the whole bag which she did. Thankfully, Baker loved it and history was made. 
    For my Advent gift to you today, here's a link to the BBC's official directions on how to make your our Fourth Doctor's scarf from the 80s. (Click here to view the list from a recent Mental Floss Article)

A certain Madman,
wearing his Doctor Who
Pajamas as a fashionable scarf...

   Enjoy...

Countdown to New Who: Advent 2016: Day 16

  The Ugly Christmas Sweater- it's a fairly old Christmas tradition that has suddenly become trendy in the past few years. I love it. I'm not really a sweater person but I do love looking at the designs. Plus, for people like me that are more into cotton (as opposed to wool) there are now tee shirts with ugly designs.

The Seventh Doctor Sporting the original Ugly Doctor Who Themed sweater!

My Advent gift to you for today is a link to the 2016 Geek's Guide to Ugly Christmas Sweaters. It's a fun gallery to look at or maybe even shop by...

For more Ugly fun, click here...

Enjoy!

Blip! (Family Comic Friday)

 Blip is an adorable early reader graphic novel about an adventurous but lonely robot searching for a friend that he can talk to. Along the way, he'll meet up with hungry alien fish, mischievous creatures and even a human astronaut. But alas, none of them understand his 'blips.’

   Another success by Toon Books! I love that they support up-and-coming cartoonists as well as little known but in no ways inferior international authors like book creator Barnaby Richards. This is the Londoner’s first book, but his robot creation has been a pet project for years. I hope we’ll see more of him.

   One more thing I love about Toon Books is their commitment to raising up the next generation of graphic novel and comics readers through their different levels of reading difficulty. (Check out back for the primer for parents on how to read a graphic novel!) With the simple words and bright colors, this is a perfect book for getting Kindergarten aged and younger children reading.

   So check your local library for this book like I did. Or go to Amazon where you can check out the first few pages of this amazing book.

  Worth Consuming

  Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.