Wonder Woman/ Tasmanian Devil Special #1

     The Batman/ Elmer Fudd Special got all of the attention during last month's release of DC/ Warner Bros. crossovers. But one of the best unsung specials was this one. In the Wonder Woman/ Tasmanian Devil Special, the evil goddess Circe has turned the Amazons of Themyscira into stone. In order to save her sisters, Princess Diana must obtain a mystical object from the fabled Minotaur of the Labyrinth.

     This will not be an easy journey for Wonder Woman. For the walkways of the Labyrinth are constantly in flux and soon the changes to the Amazons will become permanent. Seeking a guide that can transverse the maze without getting lost, Wonder Woman enlists the help of the Tasmanian Devil. But Diana and Taz have a precarious history together. Will the world's most destructive force assist the Amazonian princess before time runs out?

     Birds of Prey's Tony Bedard crafts a very heart-felt story that combines the spirit of the DC Universe with Greek legend and Warner Bros. humor. The back-up feature which stars Wonder Woman, Taz, and a score of Looney Tunes icons acting out the scenes of Illiad and the Odyssey follows that same formula. Writer Ben Caldwell pens that story in verse, much like the Looney Tunes cartoons of old. The whole special was a delight. Unfortunately, it just didn't get the critical praise it deserves because a sister title hogged it all.

     With dynamically different but both just as masterful art styles by Barry Kitson and Byron Vaughns, this is an enjoyable special that deserves a read.

    Worth Consuming!

     Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Star Trek: Boldly Go, Volume 1

Story by Mike Johnson and Ryan Parrott. Art by Tony Shasteen and Chris Mooneyham. Published by IDW.

Go Your Own Way

Star Trek: Boldly Go immediately follows the explosive events of Star Trek Beyond. This miniseries continues the story of the Kelvin Universe after the destruction of the Enterprise. A new Enterprise is being constructed. But until then, the ship’s crew have undertaken temporary assignments.
Kirk has accepted the position of the interim captain of the Endeavor. Spock and Uhura have taken sabbatical to establish an academy on New Vulcan. The family Sulu undertake a 6-month long scouting mission. Meanwhile Scotty teaches safety protocols at Starfleet.
Once the reader has become familiar with the roles of the crew, the action takes a giant leap into… I’m sorry folks, but there is no way in the universe that I am going to spoil things. What I will say is that the cliffhanger at the end of chapter 1 left me stunned.

Potential For So Much More

I’ve been reading for some time now that there doesn’t seem to be a script ready for a fourth Star Trek film. The producers can’t seem to nail one down. Actor Chris Pine hasn’t seen a script. Actress Zoe Saldana is clueless as to if another film set in the Kelvin Universe will be made at all. Hello? Guys- your script is right here! Just have someone adapt this series into a script and get going on filming Star Trek 4!
Maybe series writers Mike Johnson and Ryan Parrott should do it. Star Trek: Boldy Go, Volume One only captures the opening rounds of miniseries.Yet, I am thrilled with the direction it’s heading. Johnson is putting ‘Holy Crap!’ moments into a franchise that hasn’t really surprised anyone for years! Meanwhile, Parrott is shaking the Kelvin Universe up in mind blowing ways. You might not like every change either are making in the alternative universe Trek. But at least they're reinvigorating it at warp nine speeds!

Spock Looks Like Spock

Equally as good is the artwork. There’s been quite a bit of debate on the internet about photo-realism in comics lately. For books based on TV/ Movies, should the drawings looks just like the actors or not? I am strongly in the camp of making James T. Kirk look like Jim Kirk. Witchblade illustrator Tony Shasteen and Chris Mooneyham do an amazing job in capturing the likenesses of the actors. But I think I like Shasteen's work a little better as it looks a bit less like it's Manga.
Plus, I like the extras he’s adding to the series as well. For instance, following a Trek tradition of having respected British actresses play high ranking Vulcan’s, Tony Shasteen cast Dame Judi Dench as the head of the Vulcan High Council.
Drawing Judi Dench as a Vulcan! This is an example of the nostalgic feel of the original series that the creative staff have put in the series. You can tell that they all equally love Star Trek. But the team also don’t want this book to be a repeat of already established story lines either. If the next volume is just a fraction as good as this one, I will boldy go wherever they take the Enterprise crew!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Review originally published July 27, 2017 on outrightgeekery.com.

1977: A Madman Turns 40: 2017- Day 208

  

  How many of you are familiar with the restaurant Bojangles? If you do live in the on the Central East Coast of the US, you probably haven't. Bojangles is a regional chain that specializes in Cajun style chicken and biscuits. It's also turning the big 4-0!

    Just the other day, my wife asked for Bojangles. It's reasonably easy to get to from our house. Prices are really fair. Plus, They've got great iced tea and really good fries. The trick is to dip them in their Cajun sausage gravy!

   Anyways, on my way driving home, I took a sip of tea (the temp was almost 100, folks) and I noticed on the cup that Bojangles got their start the same year I did- 1977! So, of course, I felt it was appropriate to do a write-up about them for the A Madman Turns 40 project.

The founders at the original location, 1977

   Bojangles was started in 1977 by Jack Fulk and Richard Thomas. Their idea to serve chicken, and biscuits, and breakfast all-day with a Cajun flare was a unique idea to my home state of North Carolina. That's right, Bojangles was started in Charlotte, NC! 

  Within a year, Bojangles opened it's first franchise location. By the time I was 4 or 5, I remember going to the Bojangles on Falls of the Neuse Road every Sunday after church with my mom and dad. That locale was the first in Raleigh and the 28th location opened in the franchise overall. I don't remember my regular order but I was in love with the dirty rice- a spicy blend of rice, sausage, peppers, and God knows what else. But man is it good stuff!

The first Bojangles Franchise locale, 1978.

There's now over 600 Bojangles opened as far north as Pennsylvania and south in Florida. The company is even a publicly traded company, opening on the NASDAQ in 2015. The future continues to look bright for Bojangles. You poor souls without a Bojangles, who knows, maybe they'll head to your neck of the woods sometime soon!

Man, don't this look good!

So that's my look at 1977 for today. 2017 seems to be a big year for Bojangles and a certain Madman with a Book. Now if I could only get the owners to give me their 4-piece Supreme Dinner for only $.77 for the rest of the year...

Kid Savage, Volume 1 (Family Comic Friday)

     A top-of-the-line space ship crashes onto an alien world. Light years from home, dad Gerard and his children Alina and Ethan are not only lost; they're stranded. If the family can stay on the wreckage until help comes, they might just survive. But when a giant alien mistakes the ship for food, the survivors will have to rely on their skills alone. Unfortunately, Gerard and his family don't have any skills that don't involve technology.

      Likely to not survive the night, the dysfunctional family meet a young inhabitant of the planet. With his savage skills in hunting and war as well as knowledge of the local flora and fauna, Gerard's family just might have a chance. But is their new ally up to the task of survival expert? For on his own home planet, he is an outcast. For this Kid Savage is considered by his former tribe to be as unskilled as his new friends really are.

     Kid Savage is the first volume in a proposed series of graphic novels by Deadpool's Joe Kelly and British illustrator Iyla. There's definitely a dynamic of the Space Family Robinson (AKA Lost In Space) with this book. But with Kid Savage added to the mix, I was reminded of the 1971 film Walkabout.

    For you who may not know this movie, it's from Australia. In the film, a pair of civilized children lost in the Outback meet with an Aborigine boy. The boy shows them survival skills in order to get them back home. That's really what Kid Savage is in a nutshell and I loved it.

    The artwork was really good. It's a stunning mix of sleek hi-tech and paleo folk art. The panels don't quite go in traditional sequential fashion. So it gets a little tricky to read as you have to got it a sort of pinwheel fashion with every splash page to follow the action. 

      Another thing that I was not a fan of was the annoying banter of the brother and sister. When they interact with Dad Gerard, I can tolerate them. But together, I just want to bash their heads together and leave them unconscious while Gerard and Kid Savage try to find help. Maybe in volume 2, Alina and Ethan will get a little more civilized...

     This 2017 graphic novel by Image was an exciting read. Lots of creative thrills and chills. Kid Savage's story of redemption is equally as interesting as Gerard's family's quest of endurance. In fact, it might even be just a little bit more compelling to read as those scenes have real heart to them. This book wasn't perfect but then again no family or situation is. As long as the next chapter continues to grow the characters of the human kids in a more positive direction, I expect to be on this journey until the end.

     Some scenes can be a little intense for younger readers. So, I recommend it for fans of action and adventure ages 12 and up.

    Worth Consuming!

     Rating: 7 out of 10 stars.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles/ Usagi Yojimbo One-Shot (2017)

Written, drawn, and Lettered by Stan Sakai

Established Histories

   I first learned about Usagi Yojimbo from a random visit to a toy store in 1989. I was on a major Ninja Turtles kick at the time and I had to have all of the figures. A new batch of figures had just arrived and Usagi was one of them. Decked in a blue samurai outfit, and brandished two sharpened katanas, I instantly fell in love with that white rabbit!

   So what if the toy manufacturer Playmates called him by the wrong name? He was super cool looking! For those of you new to the character, Usagi Yojimbo is the name of the series. Miyamoto Usagi is the rabbit's full name. Usagi is hired out as a yojimbo; a kind of Japanese bodyguard.

    When I learned that IDW was putting out a new crossover one-shot starring Miyamoto Usagi and the Turtles, I was thrilled. Stan Sakai is doing the story and art? Consider me first in line! Variant covers by talent such as Sergio Aragones- with a team-up of Stan and Turtles co-creator Kevin Eastman? Consider my comic reserved and paid for!

Hello Again For The First Time

   An ancient danger threatens to tumble all of feudal Japan into the sea. To battle it, the Kakera-Sensei must replace a stone fragment that has broken off the seal that weakens the beast. Needing protection, Kakera-Sensei calls upon the rabbit ronin Miyamoto Usagi to guard him on his quest.

    However, this mission is far too important for the yojimbo to face alone. So Kakera-Sensei summons a quartet of heroes from the future to assist in the quest: the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. While this is Leonardo, Donatello, Michelangelo, and Raphael; these are not the same turtles that Usagi has teamed with in the past.

   This Turtle team is from an alternate universe. They are just as skilled and qualified as the ninja master Usagi knows. But the danger is mounting in the form of a army led by the wicked Jei. Can the rabbit warrior and the reptilian fighters learn to become a cohesive fighting unit and save Japan before it’s too late?

Classic Usagi

   As true to Stan Sakai’s style, he combines Japanese folklore with historical settings. Sakai’s use of Namazu, a giant catfish, who’s massive body resulted in earth-moving tremors, was classic Usagi fare. Then to use actual places like the Kashima Shrine, Sakai makes a story like this one-shot come alive.

   I’m not very sure that I liked that these turtles weren’t the same version that Usagi knows. The camaraderie between the two sets of friends is a missing dynamic. It does help to simplify the story as this book is only 48-pages. But that spark of friendship is sorely missing. However, now that we’ve established alternate versions of the Turtles exist, could we be seeing a crisis on Infinite Ninja Turtles on the horizon?

   Don’t stop reading after the story ends. Be sure to flip a few pages to the great interview with Stan Sakai. It gives so very informative backstory as to how a group of Ninja Turtles meet up with a samurai bunny in the first place. Plus, it’s talks about that beloved Yojimbo figure of mine from 1989!

    The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle/ Usagi Yojimbo one-shot is a fun trip down memory lane indeed!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Clue #2

Story by Paul Allor. Art by Nelson Daniel. Published by IDW.

  The bodies continue to stack up at Boddy Manor. The second issue of Clue: the Comic Book, based on the classic Parker Bros board game, is filled with clues and motives. But what’s missing is the dark humor of the first issue.

   Upton the Butler is still your host through this dinner theatre mystery. Yet, his witty barbs about the players is suddenly gone. The butler has suddenly morphed from being a bit cheeky to acting darn near morbid. It’s like he’s the host of a classic horror anthology now. It seriously changes the tone of this miniseries.

    Another thing missing are the bonus pages. In Clue #1, there were 3 additional pages of clues that were randomly inserted into issues. I’m not sure if readers complained about having to buy variants for the extra material. Maybe IDW planned it this way. I only know that the bonus clue pages are not in this issue. The lone thing different between the variants for the second issue are the covers.

     The black comedy and additional hints have disappeared but the quality of the overall book remains. Writer Paul Allor has woven a masterful web of intrigue that only promises to get better in issue 3. I’m composing my own list of suspects and Upton assures readers that some very important details are forthcoming very soon.

   Nelson Daniel’s art is also very good too! But as with the last issue, whomever is coloring this title is doing a killer job. Notice the color schemes of the variant covers below. Come on IDW! Give this genius colorist their due credit!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

Review originally published July 19, 2017 on outrightgeekery.com.

Legends of the DC Universe 3-D Gallery

 Man, was this book a disappointment. It's been the final book on my Legends of the DC Universe wish list forever. Last week, I finally found a copy, at a price just outside of my comfort range. After a busy week of work I was counting down the days until I had a chance to sit back and read it. And wouldn't you know- it's a freaking gallery book!

With exception of the illustration credits inside the front and back cover, there was nothing to read. Yes, there were some lovely illustrations. But when you expect to get to sit down and read a comic, you expect there to actually be words to read.

If you’ve been a long-time reader of my blog, then you will know that this is a huge pet peeve of mine. To buy a comic book and it basically be a portfolio feels like a waste. Oddly, enough, these gallery books are amongst some of the most sought out. They’re pretty expensive too. I think the reason this book was much more pricey than the others in the Legends series is because the book is in 3-D.

The comic (if you can call it that) comes with 2 pairs of 3-D glasses. Thus, in order to view the pictures, you have to tear the glasses out of the book. As I expect most copies of this book don’t come with them, it has made this book much more rarer.

I decided not to destroy my copy. I would rather hold on to this book as Near Mint than to enjoy it. Yes, that’s very rare for me. Maybe a collector is looking for this book and I can pass it along to them- for a price. I’m hoping I can get my hands on a pair of 3-D glasses elsewhere.Then I might enjoy the book as it was meant to with hurting the value.

Really folks, if I knew that this was just a book of artwork, it wouldn’t have been on my wishlist for so long. I didn’t have the word ‘gallery’ on my list, thus the oversight. Plus, I was so overjoyed when I found this at the comic book store, I overlooked that word. I know, it is my own damn fault for not paying attention. Maybe you are like me and extremely frugal when it comes to your purchases. If so, hopefully, you will appreciate my efforts to enlighten you on what this book really is all out.

Featuring art by masters such as Gene Ha, Dave Johnson, and others. The pictures are great. But this Madman needs words in his comics!

Rating: 6 out of 10 stars.

1977: A Madman Turns 40: 2017- Day 203

This is San Diego Comic Con weekend. So, of course, you know I am going to be showing you a glimpse of what the convention was like during the year of my birth, 1977.

The event was held at the El Cortez Hotel from July 20-24th. Over 4,000 guests attended. Being the 10th annual holding of Comic Con, all the stops were pulled out to make it a smash hit!

Heinlein and his wife Virginia arriving at the '77 con.

This con saw the first ever Robert A. Heinlein blood drive. It's a tradition that still continues in San Diego each Comic Con weekend. The event was started by the Heinlein Society, a fan group that seeks to continue the sci-fi writers humanitarian believe to 'pay it forward.'

The '77 event also bore witness to the first ever 'making of Star Wars' panel. A small film about production of the film was shown. Just a year prior, Mark Hamill and some producers did a panel and maybe 100 people showed. A year later, with the film a blockbuster success, the panel had 4x as many attendees. 

Guest tag, illustrated by Scott Shaw!

Several big name guests were in attendance. Jack Kirby, Carl Banks, Alex Nino, and Harvey Kurtzman were some of the now legendary guests in attendance. Man, to have got some of those autographs!

Program Guide Cover by Michael Kaluta.

One thing the San Diego Comic Con had that is doesn't anymore is comic books! Over time, it's getting way too expensive for mom and pop shops to be able to sell comics at the Con. This year's announcement that Mile High Comics from Denver wouldn't be at SDCC 2017 marked the end of back issue selling at the event.

Fans picking through stacks of poorly organized back issues.
Oh, the lack of care just breaks my heart.

Well, that's my look at my favorite year for now. Tune in again sometime soon for more fun as A Madman Turns 40.

The Crypt #1 (1987)

Aaaargh! Associated Artists. Written by  Gregory Krolczyk. Art by Damon Willis

This Indy comic one shot from 1987 was both a delight and a bore. A group of teens are whisked away from the real world into a land of elves, trolls and magic. They must retrieve a mystical torch. Doing so will determine who rules supreme over the enchanted realms for the next decade.

Cashing in on the D&D craze during it's height in the mid 80s, the plot was good but not great. The dialogue was filled with 80s cliches. Plus, there's a romantic element between a couple that's hinted at but never resolved by the end of the book.

I felt the same about the artwork. The fight scenes were epic. There's some fantastic beasts and monsters doing some major +3 damage. All of the magical creatures looked amazing. Yet artist Damon Willis really needed some practice in drawing human bodies to appropriate scale.

The Crypt end with a cool twist ending that deserved a second chapter. But overall, this book is still not great enough for me to hang on with.

Rating: 6 out of 10 stars.

Teen Titans Go! Volume 3: Mumbo Jumble (Family Comic Friday)

 

   A couple of weeks ago, I reviewed what I thought was a collection of Teen Titans Go! comics based on the cartoon of the same name. What it turned out to be were reprints of comics based on the original Teen Titans series. While the book was really good, it wasn't what I was hoping for. Well, this time I got my hands on the genuine article.

    From a run-in with the Tamaranean Flu to a not-so-friendly baseball game with the Titans East squad to a big-time Hollywood producer wanting to turn the Titans into reality stars, these were the type of adventures I had been looking for. 

    Yes, this current version of the show has a lot of haters. But I for one like both versions of the show. But I am a bigger fan of TTG! I love that the same voice actors are used. I adore how the Titans make fun of themselves. And Beast Boy is my spirit animal, Yo!

    Sholly Fisch is one of my favorite all-ages writers. He has such a love and devotion to the classic DC source material while keeping his pulse on the new trends as well. Fisch is incredible on Scooby-Doo Team-Up and he did an fantastic job on these Titans books as well. Maybe he should write for the show?

     With additional writing and art by talents such as Derek Fridolfs, Merrill Hagan, Lea Hernandez, and others, this volume was a delight. It captures the loony spirit of the show without being too goofy. Every page was funny and a joy to read. The young reader in your life will delight in these as well.

     Worth Consuming!

     Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Rom Vs Transformers: Shining Knight #1

An Outcast Amongst Peers

Set 200 years in the past, Rom Vs.Transformers: Shining Armor is IDW’s latest entry in the Hasbro Universe. It tells the story of Stardrive, the first Cybertronian to become a knight in the Solstar Order. Encouraged by the Rom, the greatest Space Knight of them all, Stardrive rises to the ranks of cadet. But her journey isn’t easy. Even though she’s been raised with other Galadorians, Stardrive is subject to the same prejudices and fears as her fellow Cybertronians are.

The blood-thirsty Dire Wraiths are the mortal foes of the Space Knights. Yet it turns out that the Transformers, due to their reputations are genocidal killing machines, are hated by all intergalactic species. What will happen when Stardrive finally meets a Transformer face-to-face? Will she serve the order of the Space Knights as she’s been trained? Or will she succumb to the spark of bloodlust that resides in every Decepticon?

A Superior Crossover

John Barber and Cristos Gage do a fantastic job with this opening salvo in the war between Space Knight and Transformer. Unlike most crossovers, the duo actually focused on story. Stardrive’s journey from being rescued by Rom from a destroyed shuttle craft to joining his side as a fellow Space Knight is one of the best issues I’ve read all year!

The artwork by Alex Milne was equally amazing. It’s been a very long time since I have seen Transformers looking so sleek and polished in comics. The Dire Wraiths has never been illustrated so hideously. Or at least since the Bill Mantlo era at Marvel. And Rom- what can I say?! I’ve haven’t seen him look so spiffy since the day I unwrapped an action figure of him for my third birthday!

The past year has been chopped full of Hasbro Universe crossovers such as Revolution and sister title Revolutionaries. I’ve read them both. The pair of titles are good but they were missing passion in the storytelling. I wasn’t 100% caught up in what’s going on in the regular Rom and Transformers books to understand everything going on here. But I loved everything I read in this 32-pager opening chapter. If you are looking for an epic title to really dive into the mythos of what IDW and Hasbro is trying to accomplish in a shared universe of your favorite childhood memories- this is the title to start with!

A 2017 must read!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.

The 4 Stages of Breaking in a New Doctor Who Lead

Who Are You?

  Well it finally happened. Months of speculation are finally over as the BBC announced just who would be replacing Peter Capaldi as the Doctor. So what happens next? If you’re new to Doctor Who, let me, a 37-year super fan of the series, walk you through a regeneration as a Whovian.

The Four Whovian Stages of Grief

     Stage 1: Shock. The initial reaction when the actor playing the Doctor says that it’s time to quit is to scream ‘Noooooo!’ For a show built change, no true Whovian really wants their Doctors to go.

     Stage 2: Denial. The next stage is absolute refusal to like the new Doctor! ‘Nope! Nada! Noway!’ Fans will absolutely deny that the new actor playing the Doctor is actually the Doctor. ‘They’re not worthy.’ He doesn’t even look like the Doctor.’ ‘This is an impostor acting like the Doctor.’ By the way, the above are actual sayings are ones I have heard from fans after Peter Capaldi was announced as Matt Smith’s replacement four years ago.

Stage 3: The Trial Tun. Despite these vehement misgivings, all Whovians willengage in stage three. Doctor Who is such a beloved show that even though you’re mad as heck that your favorite Doctor is going away, there’s no way you’re going to miss the replacements first episode. Besides, how best can you criticize this pseudo Time Lord if you don’t watch their premiere performance?

      Stage 4: Acceptance. The final stage all Whovians go through with a new regeneration is acceptance. By the end of the new Doctor’s debut, The average Who fan might not be won over to the new owner of the TARDIS but they have changed their tune- somewhat. Phrases like ‘he’s not a bad as I thought they would be’ are begrudgingly thrown about. Usually by the end of the season, almost all fans agree that the new Doctor is pretty awesome. 

A Big Announcement

  As mentioned, earlier today a new actor was announced to play the iconic science fiction character. But there was a twist to this announcement. For the first time in the show’s 54-year existence a woman would be taking over the role of the Doctor! Actress Jodie Whittaker was revealed as the 13th Doctor.

The news came in the form of a minute long announcement on the BBC right after the completion of the Wimbledon Men’s final. But because the next Doctor is to be a woman, should she get a pass from typical Whovian scrutiny? On the flip side, are fans who react in normal fashion sexist if they resist Whittaker’s selection as the next Doctor? I think the answer to both questions is no!

Rules of Regeneration

     Over the past 7 years, we’ve been building up to such a radical change in the Doctor. In the Neil Gaiman penned episode ‘The Doctor’s Wife’ we learn that Time Lords can change sex. A few episodes later, in a twist on River Song’s origin, we learned that Time Lords can change skin color as well. Being a long established Who fan, this all made sense to me.

 When I experienced my first generation, I was 5. During my first week of watching Doctor Who on American public television, Tom Baker fell off a radio tower and morphed into my Doctor, Peter Davison. Since that day, the idea of beating death by changing into a new body was just what the Doctor did.

Sadly not everybody has this reaction to change like 5-year old me did. For several years, some very vocal people have been accusing the BBC and showrunner Stephen Moffat of being discriminatory for not having a female Doctor or one of color. Initial fan reaction I have seen so far on social media has been either A) positive, B) joking that the Doctor is ‘still not ginger’ or C) scared to make an opinion out of being attacked. C has been the dominant response. Not liking the new Doctor has been a tradition for over 50 years. It’s really sad that people are are nervous of keeping that custom going out of fear of being called sexist by internet trolls.

Change Doesn’t Always Work

Change is good. But it’s only good if you admit that it’s a mistake when it doesn’t work. Pressing on out of a stubborn belief that change is good can backfire. I really hope that the decision to make the Doctor a woman was because the powers that be found the right thespian for the part. Please don’t have made the decision just to appease social media haters who called for change.

    Placating the loudest (and often the meanest) voices that could go wrong for the BBC. If the selection of Jodie Whittaker is a one-and-done kinda media stunt, people are going to figure it out quickly. I feel a little bad for Jodie Whittaker. She’s the outlier in a role historically portrayed by men. There’s going to be a lot of pressure on her. I really hope the BBC doesn’t treat her like they did Colin Baker.

The Ratings Blame

   Just like in the mid-80s, the ratings for Doctor Who currently have been slipping. Some say that the lack of a diversion Doctor is the reason. (Honestly, I think it’s because Stephen Moffat has admitted to getting burned out with the series.)  So, the BBC in typical business fashion is making a change to fix those poor showings. But let’s say that next season the ratings keep tumbling like they did during the Colin Baker years. I’m afraid that the BBC will throw Whittaker under the double decker bus faster that you can say Sylvester McCoy (Baker’s replacement!)

 The next 6-12 months is going to be a do-or-die moment for Doctor Who. I would’ve liked Whitaker’s Broadchurch cohort, Olivia Coleman, to have been the Doctor. But that’s my opinion. Just remember that the fandom of Doctor Who is one of initial uneasiness to change. If a fan criticizes Whitaker as the next Doctor, look for context. If it’s because they don’t want Calpaldi to go- then that’s perfectly acceptable Whovian backlash. But if it starts to involve talk of Whitaker’s sex or makes jokes about PMS, bras, or her place is in the TARDIS kitchen, then yeah, tell that jerk to shut the hell up!

Having the Doctor become a woman is not the worst thing he could change into. Should ratings and popularity sink, believe me, the BBC is going to place blame as to it being the reason. But there are really some dumb regeneration that the producers could have everyone’s favorite Time Lord make. At least they didn’t make the Doctor a Dalek!

This opinion piece, written by me was originally published July 16, 2017 on outrightgeekery.com

Muties: The Changling #1

(2002) Marvel Comics. Written by Karl Boilers. Art by Peter Ferguson & Sam Salgood

Muties is a 6-issue miniseries of stand alone stories. Each issue is a tale of mutants that aren't fortunate enough to become members of the Xavier School. The premiere issue tells of a Columbine-like incident with a gut wrenching shocking ending you won't see coming.

I'm actually surprised that this issue was allowed to be published. I'm not calling for censorship of it. It's just that in this day and age, such stories as the Changling are frowned upon. The master of horror himself, Stephen King, won't allow his book Rage (penned under the name Richard Bachman) to be released anymore due to several school shootings that sought to mirror events in the book.

That all being said, I am also very surprised that this book doesn't get more recognition or praise. It's quite powerful and it doesn't glorify violence. The horrific ending just happens to be a result of countless years of bullying and abuse.

The book bears some great interior art. But I hate the disjointed collage cover by Ferguson.

Worth Consuming.

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Geek Girl #1

New To the Game

   A winning hand at strip poker gifts coed Ruby Kaye a pair of hi-tech glasses. When she dons them, Ruby gains super strength. Thanks to the glasses, she can now fly. And thanks to a flaw in the depth-perceptions of the lenses, Ruby also becomes super-klutz.

   A nerd to the core, Ruby eagerly creates a costume and patrols her city as Geek-Girl! Things are relatively easy until one of her idols comes crashing down from the Heavens right in front of her. Still new to the super-heroing game, does Ruby have what is takes to avenge a fallen comrade?

With Great Promise Comes Great Readability…

   This comic by Indy publisher AAM-MARKOSIA has great promise. Ruby struggles to balance her secret identity with her new life as a superhero. Her battle with everyday problems as well as her reputation makes her a female equivalent to Spider-Man. She even battles a Flash Thompson-like bully at her college.

    The art by Charmed’s Carlos Granda was quite stunning. Geek-Girl is extremely gorgeous with a John Byrne’s She-Hulk kind of allure. The vast array of heroes that patrol Ruby’s look amazing. The fight scenes that involves a villain with lightning powers and a grudge against the superhero community was quite crisp and electric.

A New Comic Crush in the Mix

     Sam Johnson’s creation is a visually appealing book. The first issue is a little rough but you know Batman wasn’t perfect when he first debuted in Detective Comics #27. Geek-Girl deserves a look by old and new comic fans alike. But you’re gonna have to be willing to go digital to find her. All 4 current issues are available only at Comixology. I’m a paper guy myself but there’s nothing wrong with dipping your toe occasionally in the digital end of the pool.

    Geek-Girl is smart, funny, and very sexy. But what makes her all that more appealing is that she’s not your typical damsel in distress heroine. As a rookie superhero, she may not know the ropes but she’s not some dumb blonde whose curiosity gets the better of her. A female hero for the new millennium, I think Geek-Girl could become your next comic book crush.

Worth Consuming!

Ratings: 9 out of 10 stars.

Review was originally published on July 15, 2017 on outrightgeekery.com.