Spider-Man: The Short Halloween

 It's Halloween night, Spider-Man’s least favorite time of the year. Costumes make it hard to determine whose a villain and who just dressed up like the Red Skull for kicks. So when Spidey tangles with a C-list villain named Fumes, whose suit malfunctions, the wall crawler gets accidentally knocked unconscious.

   It's Halloween night, Ronnie's favorite night of the year. Dressed as Spider-Man and drunk as a skunk, Ronnie has already been kicked out of 3 bars and if it wasn't for his best buds, some dudes dressed up as the Green Goblin and Doctor Octopus would've killed him for barfing on them.

   In the ultimate case of mistaken identity, Ronnie ends up getting kidnapped by Fumes’ gang while Spider-Man is taken to Ronnie's apartment to ‘sleep it off’ while the creeps dressed as his archenemies lurk outside.

  This comedy of errors was perfectly crafted by Saturday Night Live cast mates Bill Hader and Seth Meyers. The story was laugh out loud funny and I thought it was one of the most original Spider-Man stories in a very long time.

   The rest of this book was a collection of tales from the anthology series Spider-Man Family. In these yarns, Aunt May dons her nephew Peter's costume to become Spider-May and protect her neighborhood. Then the Spectacular Spider-Ham’s daughter May-Day Porker becomes a super hero in her own right. Lastly are a couple of adventures starring female characters that I have never heard of: the mysterious Jackpot and the parkour web series star Screwball.

   I enjoyed all of these segments but they just don't hold a candle to the Short Halloween. Lately the best Marvel stories have been told by non-Marvel writers. Could it be that the House Of Ideas has run out of them and so they have to outsource? This collection of Spider-Man tales seems to say yes.

  Worth Consuming

 The Short Halloween: 10 out of 10 stars.

  Rest of the book: 7 out of 10 stars.

   Overall rating: 8.5 out of 10 stars

Happy Halloween 2016!

May your Halloween be long and fun...

Deadman: Dark Mansion of Forbidden Love #1

    Boston Brand, the Fearless Deadman, is summoned to a creepy Victorian Mansion by a woman seemingly in distress. Only this lady is a ghost and once Deadman enters the domicile, he finds himself trapped, not only unable to leave the building but now unable to past through walls. Obviously, Deadman is trapped. But he’s found a way to travel the house, as the girlfriend of the mansion’s new owner, Berenice, can see him. However, she can’t she the dark menace that is threatening her and her lover. Now the two must team together if they have any hope of discovering the secrets of the Dark Mansion of Forbidden Love.

    The Dark Mansion of Forbidden Love was a short lived horror anthology series that had a bent towards Gothic love stories. Starting in 1971, the romance angle was scrapped after only 4 issues and rebranded Forbidden Tales of Dark Mansion. But an already over-saturated market of horror comics was too much for this struggling title and it was cancelled after 15 issues.

    Deadman is a B-list character of the DC Universe that’s become a bit of a cult favorite. Great art by Neal Adams and Jim Aparo and some pretty epic team-ups with Batman has made the character a 70s legend. Having read and collected quite a few Deadman comics as well as the Showcase Presents treasury of Dark Mansion/ Sinister House titles, I was intrigued when this book was announced a few weeks ago.

    Let’s talk about the artwork first. There’s an almost painted quality to the pages crafted by Lan Medina (District X). The faded tones make the scenes a little more spooky and I felt like I was watching the opening act of an old scary movie from the 70s on a projector or fuzzy TV set. I really enjoyed it.

    Now, the story. There’s a great mystery here- 3 actually. 1) Why is Deadman trapped? 2)Why can Berenice see Deadman? 3) What’s the sinister secret to the mansion? There’s some other minor plot points but they are such surprises, I don’t want to spoil them. And for these reasons along, I am interested in coming back to this series at some point. But as with many mysteries, not everything is clear- YET!

    But the series runs for $5.99 per issue. The plus side is that this book, which is 48-pages, is presented in prestige format and is ad free. But, still, for a bargain hunter like myself $6 is still pricey. So, I may wait for this to be collected to finish out the story. But if money was not an issue, I’d been getting every issue new on the day it would drop.

A Gothic love story set in the modern day with some spooks, chills, and things to go bump in the night.

  Worth Consuming

  Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

Scooby-Doo Team-Up #19

  It's Halloween night and the magician Zatanna invites the Scooby-Doo gang to a special show. But entertainment isn't all that the mage has in store for the detectives. Someone has kidnapped her father Zatara, again!

     The gang accept the case but while teaming with Zatanna, they discover that many mystical icons of the first generation of DC magic heroes have been stolen within the past few days. With the clock ticking to midnight, Scooby and friends race to solve the mystery least a sinister plot come to find fruition at the Witching Hour.

   This issue of Scooby-Doo Team-Up was a lot of fun. Dozens of magically powered characters from over 75-years of DC Comics pop up for cameos in this. Many I remember from reading my dad's old comics and some i had never heard of before.

    I really appreciate how writer Sholly Fisch ties in Zatanna’s first appearances in comics when she enlisted the Justice League of America to help find her dad the first time way back in 1964-65. It's little Easter eggs like this that makes this series a joy for older readers and not just the young generation.

   Before closing, many thanks to those of you who have become a fan of Scooby-Doo Team-Up. It was just announced that the series will be be going monthly starting with this edition. This means that the series is growing in fan-base. I really love this series and the move from bi- monthly to monthly should mean that there is more epic team ups to come starring the crew of the Mystery Machine.

Worth Consuming

Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.

Disney Giant Halloween Hex #1

   I was really excited about this supposedly 'all-new' Disney Halloween special from IDW Publishing. But this special that hit stands just this past Wednesday wasn't comprised of all-new material at all. Instead, like with their other Disney titles, this book was made up of stories reprinted in other Disney comics. To be fair, two of them were never before published in the United States until now. But I really was looking for to something a little more 'up-to-date' looking.  
    The star of this special is the magical arch-enemy of Uncle Scrooge- Magica De Spell. In a story from a 1995 Italian comic, Magica is on a another quest to steal Uncle Scrooge's lucky dime when her annoying relatives come to visit. Insisting on helping her along, they actually help Magica. But, upon numerous rebuffs of warning from a gnome, the enchantress learns that having it all isn't all it's quacked up to be. 
   Then Magica returns for a one-page gag from Holland as she dreams up another scheme to steal Scrooge's dime. 
   Both stories were actually pretty good. The art was very clean and they both were kinda funny. Plus after years of not knowing why, I finally learned why it's so gosh darn important that Magica De Spell steals Scrooge's lucky dime- it all has to do with her being able to perfect a Midas touch spell that will turn everything she touches to gold. 
   Honestly, I don't understand why Magica doesn't just tell Scrooge her scheme and they wind up splitting the profits. I mean, he's so greedy, I think he wouldn't pass up a chance to get even richer.
    The last story of this special was the only actual Halloween themed tale. From the 1960s, it stars an elderly witch named Witch Hazel and her trusty broom. On Halloween Eve, her nephew comes to visit. But when his antics get out of control, the Witch Hazel and the broom will have to use their wits as (at least in this story) witches and warlocks can't hex each other as their powers cancel each other out.  
     The Witch Hazel story was a nice closer to a special that pleased despite not being what I wanted. I truly wish Disney would make IDW produce new stories. There's supposed to be a Duck Tales revival coming soon and this special devoted to Magica would've been a nice teaser for fans both old and new.
     Not a bad read. A fun Halloween treat but using reprints in an all-new special is a little bit of a trick.

   Worth Consuming

   Rating: 7 out of 10 stars.

Green Lanterns #8

Awesome cover by Educardo Pansica.

   It's Halloween Night and Green Lanterns Simon Baz and Jessica Cruz are on the hunt for a rouge Guardian. Also on this Guardian's trail are a pair of Dominators. But they don't want the Guardian, it's the power ring that he created and keeps on his person they want.
   Called the Phantom Ring, this power ring can be worn and operated by anyone. Thus the need to be fearless or worthy has been eliminated! Now it's up to Simon and Jessica use up every trick in their bag of treats to find the Guardian first or Earth will find itself under another Invasion of Dominators!
    This is probably the closest we'll get this year to a DC Comics Halloween special and it was pretty enjoyable. There's lots of Halloween hi-jinks and fun along with a very serious storyline that looks to impact the next several issues of Green Lanterns. However, that doesn't mean that this issue doesn't have a suitable ending to make a casual reader of this series satisfied.
    This is my first experience with these new Green Lanterns. Even though Simon Baz has been around for a while, I haven't read anything starring either of the characters (though I think one of the new supporting characters in Flashpoint was in reality Simon Baz, but I'm not certain.)
    I really liked the buddy cop dynamic between Baz (the bad cop) and Cruz (the rookie good cop.) There's a Training Day vibe going on here that I think is pretty neat. The only difference is that Simon isn't corrupt (at least I think that's the case.) (I hope that's the case.)
    I don't see this series being on my new releases pull list. But I will be on the look out for this series in bargain bins or maybe the graphic novel section of my local library. It's got a lot of promise. And who knows, maybe issue #11 or 12 will be Christmas themed?

   Worth Consuming

   Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Emily's Secret Book of Strange (Family Comic Friday)

  I've been holding on to this week's selection for just a time as this. It's the last Family Comic Friday before Halloween and I thought now would be the right time to read and review Emily's Secret Book of Strange.
    A little background about Emily. She's an advertising mascot designed in the early 90s. Since her inception, Emily and her kitties have graced skateboards, purses, guitars, stationary- you name it. There's even boutiques devoted to her in Taiwan, Japan, and in 2017, a store will open in her birthplace of San Francisco. In 2001, Emily even made the jump to comics and graphic novels.
    I had seen a couple of Emily the Strange books in the Young Adult section at my local library. But I just wouldn't make time to check it out. Then one day at a discount book sale, I found a copy of one of her books for literal pennies on the dollar. "Huh,' I thought, 'This would make a great Halloween read' and I snagged it up.
    So, was it a great read?
    The neat thing about about Emily's Secret Book of Strange is that some of it is printed in this kind of invisible ink. If you hold the book up to the light in a certain way, secret messages and other spooky images appear. That's actually pretty neat. There's even this secret decoder activity throughout the book that requires you to find a secret rune in order to find even more hidden messages from Emily.
    Stylistically, this book is beautiful. But the book itself borderlines on the disturbing. Emily hates people. Her only friends are her cats. In order to not feel so lonely she creates these hybrid creatures called Zonsters. So far, I'm on board with everything though I'm a bit spooked as well.
    Because of her creation of new beings, she also shes herself as God.
    Huh? say what? Yeah, I'm sure there's some Doctor Frankenstein mixed into this but if I am trying to be objective for parents, I have to point this personality trait out because some adults may find this objectionable for their kids. Going on the Emily the Strange website, it's pointed out that Emily isn't for kids. But this book is aimed at those 10 and up. Honestly, some of the images and cryptic messages might be too scary for youngsters. So, I would have to say that the suggested reading age actually be 12 and up.
    A very artistic book that is at times visually beautiful as it's advertising at it's very best. But it contains images and ideas that parents  and guardians may not feel are appropriate for their child. Personally, this won't be a permanent fixture of my collection but that's my opinion.

   Rating: 6 out of 10.
    

Elvira's House of Mystery #1

 

  The House of Mystery has a new owner in Elvira, Mistress of the Dark.

   Upon fleeing an angry mob, Elvira takes refuge in what is revealed to be the House of Mystery. Upset upon the loss of it’s owner Cain, the House, which all of a sudden can talk secretly hopes Elvira will find him. So the House of Mystery, under the guise of the domicile protecting her from the violent throng outside sends Elvira throughout time and space in hopes of finding something that will calm the crowd and return Cain as the spooky mansion’s rightful owner.

   Stories include a real life game of Dungeons and Dragons that turns deadly for a coven, a battle between elderly sorcerers in medieval Japan, and a group of kids hoping to win a thousand dollar prize take advantage of a nebbish child in order to do it. As is tradition with the horror version of the House of Mystery, there was also a couple of humorous comic strips peppered throughout.

     Of the three tales, the one about Japan was my least favorite. It had good art and the story was good but it was long. It was all narration (nobody speaks!) and it ran for 36-pages whereas the other yarns were only about 8-pages apiece.

     Elvira’s House of Mystery #1 doubled as a 64-page Halloween Special. As specials go it wasn’t bad. But compared to the quality of the Cain led House of Mystery books, this was a pale imitation as best. I think I understand why this book only lasted 11 issues.

   Rating: 6 out of 10 stars.

Beavis and Butt-Head #10

    I'm not what you would call a fan of Beavis and Butt-Head. I never watched the series, though I did watch Beavis and Butt-Head Do America during a lazy Sunday some years ago during summer vacation from school. It was okay, had some funny moments but it didn't turn me into a fan.
    So why am I reviewing an issue of the Beavis and Butt-Head comic from the fine folks at Marvel? What can I say? It's a holiday comic. I have a special section of my collection devoted to comics featuring Christmas, Valentines, Independence Day, even Easter. Okay- I don't think I have any Easter comics... Yet!
     So let's talk about the issue. It's Halloween day and the guys realize that despite that they are too old for trick or treating, it's a great opportunity to score some free candy... and maybe score with some vampire chicks. As night falls, the boys crash a friends party, get mixed up with some pranks gone wrong, and end up haunting a haunted house.
    The art was crude and the jokes were even cruder and while I wasn't big on this comic, I did think it captured the spirit of Beavis and Butt-Head quite well.
     I DID enjoy the segments in which the guys criticize comics kinda like how they would ridicule music videos. I thought that was very clever. 
    Am I a fan now? Not on your life. Do I feel like I wasted the dollar I paid for this? Not on your life. An okay Halloween themed read that entertained but didn't thrill.
    Oh, one more thing. My issue had a really bizarre printing error. The middle page(s) of the book were somehow folded around in a way that half of the page on the right somehow wound up near the very front of the book. I really can't figure out this goof but if it happened to one, it might have happened to others. That's probably why I found this book in a bargain bin. But it's something to be aware of if you need this issue to complete your Beavis and Butt-Head collection.

   Rating: 6 out of 10 stars.

Doctor Strange: The Oath #1 (2015 Halloween ComicFest Edition)

     It's a typical evening at the secret clinic of the Night Nurse. Iron Fist pulled a hamstring fighting ninjas and somebody got hit in the face with a mace- not the spray but an actual medieval one! Yeah, it looks like it's will be smooth sailing for the Florence Nightingale of the superhero community. That is until Doctor Strange is brought in by his faithful servant, Wong and the Sorcerer Supreme has been brutally shot.
     Clearing her schedule, the Night Nurse races to save the Doctor's life as his astral projection brings her up to date as to how he ended up on her gurney. Recently, it's been revealed that Wong is battling an incurable brain tumor. Determined to follow the Hippocratic oath he swore upon becoming a surgeon, Doctor Strange transverses the dimensions to find a remedy for his servant. Only what the wizard brought back to earth wasn't just the cure for Wong's form of cancer but all cancers! And somebody is willing to kill the mystic master of the ancient arts to obtain it!
     This Halloween ComicFest edition of the first chapter of Doctor Strange: The Oath was fantastic. The always amazing Brian K. Vaughan (Y: The Last Man) has penned a story that I want to read the remainder of; about a character that I'm not really a big fan of. That's a powerful statement about Vaughan's level of writing talent. 
     Plus, I love the whimsical art style of Marcos Martin (Amazing Spider-Man.) It's one-part Doctor Strange legend, Steve Ditko and one-part classic noir a'la Darwyn Cooke.
     Great story, amazing art, and awesome supporting characters like Night Nurse: it all adds up to the perfect formula to get Doctor Strange: The Oath on my wish list.
     
    Worth Consuming

   Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.

Frankenstein Mobster #0

   Yesterday, I reviewed a more traditional approach to the Frankenstein Monster created by Mary Shelley. Well, for today's review, I went with a more radical approach to the character...
  
    The Frankenstein Mobster!

   In an unnamed town, there's a neighborhood made up of immigrants from Asian, Europe, and the Middle East. But these aren't your usual 'tired, poor, huddled masses.' No, these residents of Dead End are comprised of vampires, werewolves, witches, and ghouls. 
    On a dark and stormy night, a young woman stumbles upon a taxi cab being carjacked. But in a twist, the woman is actually a cop and the daughter of the toughest cop to patrol the city. Enter Terri Todd, a legacy in high heels and just hours before her first day as a the city's newest detective, the crime fighter is on the case of a missing mummy girl. With the help of medusa prostitutes, fortune tellers, and the undead, Terri Todd brings hope to a forgotten section of the city that has become a target of corrupt politicians, cops, and underworld thugs (both figuratively and literally.)
    
    I actually liked this opening chapter created by Mark Wheatley (Doctor Cyborg.) It's kinda like the Goon but in reverse as the humans seem to be the villains to the downtrodden monsters of Dead End. The story was really good and the art was amazing (with a great variant cover by Adam Hughes.) There was only 1 thing- the Frankenstein Mobster!
    Though the character is featured prominently on both covers, only parts of his body being sewn by an undisclosed and presumably mad scientist are shown. I have a feeling that Frankenstein is being created as the answer to Dead End's prayers for relief from those who seek to exploit the borough. Somehow, Terri Todd will eventually team with the monster playing good cop to his bad.
    I found this comic in a quarter bin in Asheville, NC. It was the only issue of the series from 2004 that ran for a total of 8 issues. Though this issue had a satisfying ending, I am clamoring for the next 7 issues! This series was that good!
    Fun, funny, spooky, thrilling, and very refreshing, the Frankenstein Mobster breathes new life into a timeless legend.

   Worth Consuming

   Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.
   
    

Frankenstein: Or the Modern Prometheus

   Tonight's Halloween themed comic is a from a grab bag. (I know, but I just love grab bags.) This 1994 one-shot by Caliber Press seeks to recount the terrifying events of Mary Shelley's original novel without any of the trappings of Hollywood. I had to read Frankenstein for a college course years ago. While I do not remember that book verbatim, I would have to say that the editors and writer, Eric Johnson, of this comic did a pretty good job at that goal. One thing I feel that they failed at was the art.
    First of all, the painted cover by Vincent Locke was fantastic. There's actually an ad in the back of the comic for an autograph lithograph of the cover image and if it wasn't 22 years old, I'd actually try to send away for one. But the interior art wasn't so great.
    I try really hard to be fair with artists. They do something amazing with their hands that I could only dream of. But I have carpal tunnel and they toil away for hours/days/weeks at a project doing something that would have me in tears if I tried for more than 5 minutes. But something with this artwork was off.
    The characters looked static. It reminded me of the artwork used in textbooks for 5th graders. There's not much depth and with such thin ink lines, not much of a 3-D quality either. Plus the Monster and all of the females in this story's hair is thick and tubular like it's made of those foam noodles you take to the pool. The scenery wasn't much better- except for the opening and closing scenes set in the frigid Arctic Circle. Those are actually pretty sweet.
     Not a terrible read, (plus it's a little creepy fun) especially for something that I got as a total surprise and probably for only about 50 cents or so.

    Worth Consuming

    Rating: 7 out of 10 stars.
   

Finding Molly: Adventures in Catsitting #4 (Family Comic Friday)

   I wanted to go a little different for my Family Comic Friday selection this week. I've not had a chance to go to the library in weeks and at my local comic bookstore is some good stuff. But I wanted to review something different than Disney, Archie, or Scooby-Doo. 
   My choice for this week is based on a Kickstarter project by Emet Comics, a publisher devoted to giving female writers and artists a venue. I'm all for girls and women getting into comic books and I'm always game to try a new comic aimed at young female readers and then help spread the word. Plus, this cover had a Siamese kitten who looks like my baby girl Sarakit (she's so darn cute!) that I just had to try it.
    Finding Molly is about a young aspiring artist who just moved to LA to find her fortune in the world of comics. To make ends meet while her web comic gets off the ground, Molly works as a catsitter. Just as she takes a freelance position at a trendy new website, Molly accepts a catsitting job in Malibu, to which all her friends see as a chance for a weekend beach trip. Just as a deadline looms, a missed chance at love occurs and on her way back to the City of Angels, Molly discovers that the precious Siamese from the cover, stowed away in her purse and is now making a nuisance of herself at Molly's new job.
    First of all, I could totally see my Siamese doing this. One day, I'm going to find the car missing as her son Andre has taken daddy's car keys and driven Miss Sarakit around town. 

Miss Sarakit, the Cross-eyed Wonder.

I love my Siamese and her half-British Blue son. But they can be a handful.
    Now about Finding Molly. I found it in the young readers section of a really great comics and hobby shop called Atomic Empire in Durham, NC. While yes, young adult readers will like this book, it's not an all-ages affair. With some mild swears and use of alcohol (albeit responsibly) this book is more suitable for those 12-15. 11, if shows like Gossip Girl or Jane, The Virgin are acceptable for your child to watch. 
    The team of Justine Prado, Jenn St-Onge and Carey Pietsch are ones to watch. The artwork is whimsical and their cats are so gosh darn precious. The color palette is stunning. The storyline is pretty funny. It's a tench on the more for the Millennial generation side for this Gen-Xer, but it wasn't bad. Plus, while the story ends with a 'cliffhanger', the story itself ties up nicely like an episode of something like Doctor Who, where there is a general theme throughout the whole season but each episode has a satisfying conclusion.
   For more about Finding Molly: Adventures in Catsitting and
other titles from Emet Comics click here!
  
   Worth Consuming

   Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Wolff & Byrd, Counselors of the Macabre: Fright Court

       Wolff and Byrd, the Counselors of the Macabre have their hands full with another docket of strange cases involving Supernatural Law! Cases involve the Boogeyman, whose being bullied by one of the kids he's supposed to scare! Jealousy, the Ol' Green Eyed Monster himself puts the firm on retainer. Plus the duo attend traffic court to assist a man forced to drive a haunted RV get out of his numerous parking tickets. Oh, and I did I mention that Alanna Wolff finds herself suspended after being found in contempt and thus the firm has to pick up a new partner!

     This was perhaps my least favorite collection of Supernatural Law comics. The earlier stuff, which was originally relegated to a 3-5 panel weekly strip in some small papers up North, is creator Batton Lash's work that is most in need of polishing. But what really turned my stomach was the sleaze ball new partner that the Counselors of the Macabre hire on. This guy really just upset the balance of the firm and I found him a total nuisance. 

     Plus, there's a couple of stories that focus on Shakespeare- or at least try to parody it. One was a retelling of Hamlet. The other was even more forgettable. Anyways, I really didn't like them either. 

    Batton Lash's series that skewers the judicial system as well as the horror/ sci-fi genre is awesome. But it's best when the series sticks to horror/sci-fi. Shakespeare and Supernatural Law, like driving and driving just don't mix and should be left to high school plays nationwide. 

   Not Worth Consuming

   Rating: 4 out of 10 stars.

     

Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman

First of all, I love this book. The stories are great. The art is classic 80s/90s. I love the writing and there’s not a weak story in the bunch. I very much consider this book worth consuming, but there is a catch. This isn’t a collection of comics about the 90s TV show Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman. It’s a collection of post-Crisis tales that inspired the show. Even though the back cover explains this, the front is devoid of this info, thus, I felt like it’s false advertising.

With Superman being added to the CW's Supergirl, I'm really digging the Man of Steel in a major way that's been missing with the Zack Synder movies. I didn't hate them, but having Superman be more of a god among men than a super-powered alien just isn't my style of Superman. Plus, having Dean Cain as Supergirl's adopted father, I've been nostalgic for Lois & Clark. Corny as it may have been, it was a cool show.

If I had all the stories contained in this volume, it would mean I spent money on books I already had. Adding to the problem is that the book doesn’t have an index to let you know what issues are collected within. So, if you have an extensive late 80s Superman collection, this may not be the collection for you if you are looking for never before collecting material. Buyer Beware- but keep in mind I am a big fan of John Byrne, Jerry Ordway, and Dan Jurgens and think the material within is top notch.

However, the cover sucks rocks. Kidding! I actually miss Teri's Lois Lane too!

Worth Consuming

Rating: 7 out of 10 stars.

Arrgh! #3

 It's getting rare for me to find a Marvel or DC Comic book that I have never heard of. But it still happens from time to time. Case in point, Arrgh! From 1974-75. I just happened upon this issue in a dollar box not even a month ago. I thought this would make a great Halloween read and for the most part, I was right.

      This short-lived series devoted to horror with a comedic twist, only lasted a handful of issues but it's brief run is actually steeped in controversy. At about the exact same time, DC published a series called Plop! readers debated often in the letters page as to which book came first.

    Though Plop! hit newsstands a couple of months before Arrgh!, most comic book experts agree that Arrgh! came first. Why even series creator Roy Thomas writes in the letters section of this book to a fan explaining how he came up with this series in 1972 or ‘73, but production delays put Arrgh!'s release date after the first issue of Plop!

      This sort of thing happens all the time in comic books. Some fans think this sort of coincidence is a conspiracy to attract readership. I think it has to do with morphic fields.

     Sorry, I'm going to go off topic for a moment.

     The theory behind the morphic field had to do with how cultures in one side of the world were able to develop a technology at the same time another does without any way of communicating. The field is some sort of energy that affects how cells develop. I think it also affects creativity and can explain why Marvel and DC keeps coming up with the same ideas. (Either that or there's some serious industrial espionage going on.)

   Now back to the book…

   There were 3 stories in this issue. The first scenario is the classic monster falls in love with a beautiful woman. Here, Bigfoot develops a crush on a country gal whose hubby isn't to happy to be the third leg of a love triangle.

   Our next escapade involved a small time hood who gets turned into a giant rat. Every time he's hit by a bolt of lightning, the rodent grows in size until eventually he's the Big Cheese of the Big Apple.

   Last is an adventure involving Russian spies and the mummy of King Tut. This tale is supposed to be a reprint from the 1950s. But I don't know if this was part of the joke or not as no information as to which comic this was originally published is mentioned anywhere. With apologies made to certain Russian leaders by the editor, I’m inclined to think it’s a parody of EC’s horror books from the early 50s.

    Arrgh! was surely different than most horror titles from the 70s. For one thing, everything is tongue-in-cheek. DC was clearly better at horror, even funny horror than Marvel with titles like House of Mystery and Weird War Tales that featured great little yarns by Sergio Aragones and Don Martin. Horror was one of Marvel's big failures during this time period.

    Even with a couple of notable exceptions like Ghost Rider, Dracula's Tomb, and Man-Thing, the majority of Marvel horror comics didn’t last more than a dozen issues. Arrgh! didn’t survive past issue #5. I guess Marvelites just were ready for Abbott and Costello type horror.

  Worth Consuming.

  Rating: 7 out of 10 stars.

Spacehawk #1

That creature on the cover... not a brain-bat!

This Dark Horse title was a reprint of legendary comic artist Basil Wolverton’s greatest creation, Spacehawk. Spacehawk #1 was supposed to reprint all of Wolverton’s Spacehawk stories while introducing the 90s crowd to new adventures of the galactic do-gooder in an all-new adventure at the back of each book.

Sadly, it only lasted 5 issues.

However, I am not that sad to see it go. Spacehawk was done in 1940 and even for books of that era, the art is preposterous (Spacehawk’s space ship looks like a flying school bus), the plots were paper thin, and the dialogue A), often repeated what was just said in the captions and B), used poor sentence structure that made for uneasy reading.

The new modern tale didn’t fare much better as the art was merely cleaned up and the story ended abruptly with the newly rescued heroine saying she's now going to be following Spacehawk wherever he goes. Yet, the story ends there and we don’t get a “The End” or a “Tune in next time..” teaser to help explain the loose ends.

I only got this book because of the 'brain-bats' story this volume contains. I had read one of Wolverton’s 'brain-bat' stories in another comic or treasury (to which I can’t figure out where I read or saw the story that compelled me to get this book.) But, I remember that that tale was very good and it had turned me on to further Spacehawk adventures. Alas, in was this very volume that I am now reviewing, that has ended that curiosity for good.

NOT Worth Consuming.

Rating: 2 out of 10 stars.

Batman: Unseen #5

  

 The final confrontation between Batman and the Invisible Man. Only, this time, Batman too is see-through and he's geared with special goggles that allows him to track the villain's heat signature. The tables have reversed. But with the instability of the Invisible Man's invisibility formula, at what cost will this affect the Dark Knight's sanity.
    A really cool conclusion to this miniseries. That is until you realize that Batman and the Invisible Man are dueling each other completely invisible and completely naked. That's not a batarang you're grabbing there!
    That's a mental image you couldn't unsee if this wasn't Batman: Unseen!

    Worth Consuming

    Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

Walt Disney's Comics and Stories #721 (Family Comic Friday)

      Folks, I was really excited about this week's Family Comic Friday selection: Walt Disney's Comics and Stories #721 . I had just gotten the issue in a grab bag and with it being IDW Publishing's first issue since obtaining the Disney license from Gladstone/Gemstone, I was excited to see what new blood the company would add to a group of Disney books that had become rather stale. There hadn't been any new stories done by the folks at Gladstone/Gemstone for a while and the Disney titles had become nothing more than a collection of reprints. Plus, IDW has done such a fantastic job with licensed products like Star Trek, Doctor Who, and Transformers that I had actually been looking forward to reading this for quite some time. 
    Plus, the spooky Mickey Mouse villain, the Phantom Blot, was on the cover! I love reading stories of Detective Mickey taking on the Blot! I always thought of those stories were perfectly suited for fall reading in anticipation for Halloween. So, I waited a bit longer to read it.
    Well, last night was the night! I got home from working a double shift and I was ready to read this all-new Disney comic. So imagine my disappointment to learn that this book was A) nothing but reprints B) contains a story with my biggest comic book pet peeve, an unanticipated cliffhanger (spaced out into 12 parts no less) and C) the Phantom Blot, despite being on the cover, was nowhere to be found!!!
    I muddled through it anyways . The first tale was sorta new. Published in the 90s in an Italian comic, this English version story had never been published in the States. This adventure involved Mickey and Goofy going back in time to learn the mystery of the Lost Colony (which I assumed was published by Gemstone just before the license switch.) While back in time, the guys learn of a mysterious amulet that was divided between 12 astrologers. Back in the present, Mickey and Goofy set out to find the 12 missing pieces before their arch-enemy Peg-leg Pete (who has 2 perfectly fine legs in this story) can get to them first and become a powerful villain! This story was the one that ended in a cliffhanger.
     The second story was from a Swedish Disney Comic from 1990. I don't know if it was ever published prior to this book but it stars Donald and his nephews. Donald Duck has taken on a job as a bookkeeper, taking off site racing bets from the residents of Duckburg. Poor Donald accidentally forgets to submit one of the slips and when that bet comes through, the hapless Duck is in the hole for $2,000. And the guys whose bet got misplaced sure aren't happy. 
   Both stories were a comedy of errors and they were funny. But the art of the Mickey story just looked wrong and the translation of the Donald story seemed oft mismatched. There were also a couple of short stories featuring some unknown Disney characters from the 30s and 40s, which were okay but not great.
    Before writing this review, I decided to check out my favorite LCS to do a little more research on this title. I thought maybe IDW Publishing didn't have enough time to produce any new work thus all the reprints. But upon checking a couple of issue published in the last 3 months, those books too are nothing but reprints!
    I'm wondering whether to blame Disney on this. They own Marvel and have for sometime. I think it weird that Marvel doesn't have the rights to produce Mickey and Donald comics since the publisher has produced books based on Disney World rides like Thunder Mountain Railroad and other Disney properties like Star Wars. So what gives? Why isn't Walt Disney's Comics and Stories along with other titles like Donald Duck and Uncle Scrooge putting out new material? Why stick with the reprints?
     While the classic Walt Disney books are a cult classic among adults, there seems to be a disconnect with them and young readers. So before you splurge on a bunch of these for your child, maybe try just one to see if it strikes their fancy. It couldn't hurt. It's just disappointing to not get what you expected.

   Rating: 6 out of 10 stars.

Batman: Unseen #4

 Talk about biting the hand that feeds you. Gotham’s newest villain, the Invisible Man, strikes at his benefactor, Black Mask. In a race against time (in an M. Night Shyamalan twist), it is up to the Dark Knight to save one of Gotham’s most ruthless crime lord’s.

      I liked the action in this story. But the detective work was sloppy. The clue that Batman uncovers to discover who is behind a thug’s gruesome murder is just a little too convenient. The victim just happens to be in an abandoned costume shop when he was attacked. (OK- I get it, symbolism.) But that out of all the masks in the store, he happens to grab the Claude Raines Invisible Man mask? Not only that, the victim manages hold on to it as he plunges through a window into Gotham Harbor below and then dies from drowning?! Nope, I cry foul on this one.

    An otherwise sad blemish on a pretty decent issue.

  Worth Consuming

  Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

Batman: Unseen #3

  Gotham’s Invisible Man is becoming more unstable. His body is rejecting the formula, resulting in more injections. Thus, this new villain is slipping ever so deeper into madness. Now out for complete revenge, the Invisible Man is striking back at anyone who has wronged him- former landlords, jilted lovers, former boss Bruce Wayne…

   Yes, once again Bruce Wayne is somehow responsible for creating another monster that stalks the innocent of Gotham City. So Black Mask, Mr. Freeze, and depending on which version of the DC Universe, the Riddler are all products of Wayne Enterprises’ toxic culture. If I was Wayne, I‘d shut the company down. It sure would cut down on the number of rogues in Batman’s gallery.

    Some rather neat imagery by artist Kelley Jones. How he puts Bruce Wayne into shadow to make him look like the Dark Knight was pretty cool. I’d love to see this done in one of the live action films sometime.

    Another intriguing chapter with a great cover.

   

  Worth Consuming

  Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Garbage Pail Kids Comic-Book Puke-Tacular

    Halloween, 1985. I had just returned from a night of trick-or-treating. I had a plethora of Tootsie Rolls, lollipops, and Reese's Cups. Not a bad haul. But at the bottom of my bucket was something different. It was enclosed in wax paper and produced by Topps. But these weren't baseball cards. No, this was something truly bizarre- they looked like Cabbage Patch Kids on the cards but they were kinda gross and really funny. They were Garbage Pail Kids. 
     Now we jump to October, 2016. I just got the latest Comic Bento box from the post office. This month's theme was 'As Seen On TV.' I was very interested to see what the folks at Comic Bento had for me in this month's mystery offering. 
    The first 3 books were based on shows that I was familiar with. But number 4 was kinda strange- it was a collection of Garbage Pail Kids comic books published by IDW Publishing. Apparently, a short-lived animated series that only aired in Canada counts as a 'As Seen On TV.' Well, Comic Bento is a Canadian based company...
    About the book- it reminded me of my childhood and I couldn't wait to read it. 
    Boy, did I wish I waited...
    The comics feature some of the most popular Garbage Pail Kids- Blasted Billy, Greaser Greg, and Nat Nerd and the ick factor is set to overload. But these comics are not for kids! 
     I remember there being potty humor, fart jokes, and boogers galore in the original trading cards that doubled as stickers. But there wasn't sex jokes, cursing, and more visual poop than all of the world's sewers combined. I'm hoping this was rated at least Teen cause this stuff wasn't for kids.
      I realize now that these comics, filled with short stories and single-page spreads, were mean to be read by grown-ups who remembered having these cards when they were little and wanted to revisit a childhood memory. But as with anyone who is approached by a rebooted franchise from their childhood, it's quite shocking when the material isn't so innocent anymore. 
     Unlike the elementary school I attended, which banned the Garbage Pail Kids eventually, I'm not calling for this book to be censored. It's just not for me anymore. Some stories actually made me nauseous. Some made me feel like a grown man that's just too old for this silliness. I muddled through and finished this book. But it's not going to be a permanent part of my collection. I'll take it to the used book store in hopes of getting some a little more sophisticated- like a copy of To Kill a Mockingbird or the Collected works of Plato. Who am I kidding? I'm probably gonna get a new Archie's Double Digest.

   Not Worth Consuming

   Rating: 2 out of 10 stars.
     

Batman: Unseen #2

  With his transformation complete, the Invisible Man of Gotham City goes on a rampage. For the most part, many of his escapades seem like harmless pranks. But as the villain ups the ante with each misdeed, the level of violence grows. Batman is on the Invisible Man’s trail but he’s nowhere close to catching the monster.

   Chapter 2 was much better than the first and I thought the first issue was quite good. The first issue however got a little too philosophical. See, Batman finds himself struggling to be the mysterious Bat of Gotham as more and more of the bad guys he puts away spread the word that the underneath the cape and cowl is a regular red-blooded man. Thus, those who decide to take on Batman are more brazen. Sadly, they don’t realize that Bruce Wayne is no mere mortal.

    I’m excited to see how this Invisible Man will deal with Batman as this new baddie’s ego has become super inflated thanks to his new found abilities.

Awesome cover by the way!!!

   Worth Consuming

  Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.