Advent 2017 Begins Tomorrow...

The annual A Madman With A Book Advent starts tomorrow. The 25-day long theme will be A Classic TV Christmas. So stop back by tomorrow and everyday through Christmas for some fun and surprises. 

See you then...

Red Xmas, Part One

Red Xmas, Part One
Writers: Clay Adams and Alexandre O. Phillippe
Art: Dominike Stanton
Letters: Charles Pritchett
Colors: Emily Elmer
Published by Fried Comics

It's Christmas Eve and Santa is having trouble capturing that Christmas magic that helps him deliver toys to all the good little girls and boys of the world. The only thing that is helping is Mrs. Claus. But when she dies in a tragic accident right before Santa is to leave for the night, Santa goes into shock and needs the elves to help him through the night. Meanwhile in Vermont, young Bryon is expecting Santa to bring him his estranged father for Christmas. Despite the misgivings of his mother, an FBI agent, Bryon is adamant that the Santa at the mall promised him that his dad would return.

So when Bryon and Santa finally meet, the lad learns that his pop is a deadbeat wannabe elf now. Not happy with the revelation, Bryon gives Santa a swift kick in the jingle bells to which a traumatized Santa finally snaps! Thus begins a very bloody Red Xmas!

Naughty, But Nice

First and foremost- this is not a Christmas comic for just anybody. It's definitely not for kids and if the movie Bad Santa was appalling to you then you're not going to enjoy this book. But if you are like me who likes a wide arrange of Christmas comics, especially those that are completely insane, then you are going to love Red Xmas.

When we first meet Santa Claus, how do I put this- he's getting a very special present from Mrs. Claus. Yes- it's kinda dirty at the Old North Pole. Add a jigger of Quentin Tarantino-like violence, a smattering of slapstick, and a touch of vigilante justice and I think you've got an idea what the first chapter of Red Xmas is like. Then add some gasoline to the yule log and you've got the most outlandish holiday comic of all. I'm really interested in knowing what Christmas is like at the Adams and Philippe households. I'm sure it's wild at both!

A Yearly Tradition

Red Xmas, Part One was released in 2015. Despite a one-year skip, Fried Comics is hoping to make the continuing saga of Santa and Bryon an annual event. But it can only happen with your help. There's just a couple of days left on Fried's latest Kickstarter project that looks to combine the now out-of-print first issue along with the second chapter of Red Xmas. With only about $600 left until the project is fully funded, there's a great chance that Red Xmas: O Holy Crap could be sitting under your tree next Christmas!

Maybe you aren't ready to commit to the Kickstarter. That's okay. You can still request a free PDF of chapter one if you sign up for the Fried Pie newsletter. Just head over to friedcomics.com/free for an early Christmas present!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles/ Ghostbusters 2 #2

The Turtles have run afoul of the ghost of a crime lord that Master Splinter ordered assassinated. As the sins of the father come back to hunt the ninjas, they are hunted by a group of bounty hunting ghosts known as the Collectors. With the help of the Ghostbusters, who have dealt with the Collectors before, each Ninja Turtle pairs with a buddy. 

Armed with trans-dimensional tech, each team will jump from dimension to dimension in order to stay ahead of the Collectors. Ray and Raphael leap to a frozen world filled with menacing pink spirits that might be vikings... Leonardo and Winston are stuck on a battle world filled with robot assassins... Mickey and Peter are on an anthropomorphic variant of the Big Apple where they just happen to run into that world's version of Ghostbusters! 

Meanwhile, Donatello and Egon are back on the home world of the Ghostbusters trying to devise a trap for the Collectors. But time is running out and the pair have zero time to waste. But that might be a problem as a short in the trap's system may have merged Don's brain with that of one of the Ghostbusters!

A great second act. It's still filled with a lot of eye-glossing techobabble. But the artwork did exactly what I wanted to happen in the first issue. While Dan Schoening is on main art detail, a number of additional artists are drawing each team of Turtle and Ghostbuster on their separate worlds in a different style of art. (Why, there might even be a Saturday morning Easter egg or two floating about. But I'll never tell!)

Some key details about why the crime lord Darius Dun hates the Turtles as well as why Splinter had him killed are finally revealed. So, if you are like me and not up to date on your IDW Turtles history, that's a-okay! Writers Erik Burnham and Tom Waltz have got you covered!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

Youngblood Volume 1: Focus Tested

The government is looking to reform the Youngblood team. Only this time, the reboot will be televised. Now the stars of their own reality TV series, Youngblood is guided more by focus groups and marketing strategy than by original member Shaft. So when Youngblood is openly challenged by members of it's former arch-enemies, Mayhem Inc., the heroes must determine whether this is all for ratings or are their foes really out for blood?

This 2008 reboot of Youngblood wasn't something I had on my wish list, much less my radar. But I recently got a Bento Box and this was one of the books included. 

I liked the premise that super heroes would be treated as celebrities and those first couple of issues were excellent. But the cliffhanger of issue #2 going into issues 3 and 4 caused a paradigm shift and all that I really enjoyed about this book was gone. Like all of the cameos of famous people. Almost a dozen pepper the first two issues. By the end of the fourth issue, all we got was a strange appearance of what was supposed to be Jay Leno, but his chin was way too small!

There's a second volume that concludes this series. But the piss-poor quality of the second half of this book isn't inspiring me to run out to my local book store to know what happens next. If I come across it, great. But I will not loose sleep if I do not find out what happens next.

Rating: 6 out of 10 stars. 

The Dark Knight III: The Master Race

The latest chapter in the Dark Knight saga by Frank Miller has Bruce Wayne dead after being unable to recover from injuries in a battle with a super-powered Lex Luthor. Cassie, the Dark Knight's former apprentice has taken up the mantle of the Bat and has declared war on the corrupt cops of Gotham.

Meanwhile, Wonder Woman is ruling Themyscira alone with her new son; the product of a union between the Amazon and Superman. While their eldest daughter seeks her place in the world, the Man of Steel has exiled himself to the Fortress of Solitude after an unknown defeat. When a forgotten evil presents itself as the savior of the human race, which side will both Cassie and Lara, the Last Daughter of Krypton, take?

Yes, a lot seems to have transpired from the events of the Dark Knight Strikes Again. Some things which seem to contradict said events. For example, in the sequel to The Dark Knight Returns, The Dark Knight Strikes Again, Green Lantern had become just a source of Emerald power. Yet here, Hal Jordan has seemingly returned to human form and no explanation is given.

One of the reasons for these inconsistencies maybe that Frank Miller isn't doing the majority of the writing here. Instead, it's 100 Bullets Brain Azzarello who has taken on head writing duties. Miller is still involved in the project but at the time of production he was suffering from a number of health problems. Thus Azzarello's need to take over.

Unlike in the first two books, Miller does more art. Original series artist Klaus Janson is still around but he is on inking duty only here. Frank Miller is instead assisted by Andy Kubert for a majority of the nine issue series. But it's what Miller focuses on throughout this mini's run was my favorite part of the Master Race. 

At the end of each issue was series of tie-ins called The Dark Knight Universe Presents. These back-up features focused on characters mainly unexplored in Miller's Dark Knight universe such as the Atom and Aquaman. I actually wanted more of those stories than the main story of the Master Race I was presented. 

Don't get me wrong, I did enjoy this chapter in the Dark Knight story. But I enjoyed the back-ups more. I am told that a fourth volume is in the works and if so, I really hope Miller focuses more on the supporting cast as they were a lot more interesting to me than what was going on with the DCU Trinity.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 7 out of 10 stars. 

Crypt of Shadows #10

If you were to just to look at the cover, you would think that the title story was about a poor sap running afoul of some death cult. In order to win his freedom, he must find an enchanted item placed inside a bottomless cloak.

Instead the title story is about a vagabond who is caught shoplifting. But the police are stymied when they can't find his stolen goods. Turns out that the coat he found has a special pocket that connects to another dimension.

What's so scary about that? Then again, what do you expect from a story published right after the comics scare?! It's not that the story was bad. It's just compared to the frightening scene on the cover, the story we get is extremely tame. Not to mention unexpected.

Among collectors of horror comics, this mid-seventies anthology series from Marvel is a cult favorite. It only ran for 21 issues and was comprised entirely of reprints. That alone is why the series was so short lived and yet reflected upon so fondly.

Crypt of Shadows wasn't what 1970s fans were expecting in an era that was opening to meatier horror stories after nearly 20 years of oppressive rules by the Comics Code. However, as these issues contain do contain a number of tales from when Marvel was Timely Comics as well as some very early Marvel stuff. For some fans of the modern era, finding these books are the only way that can get those nearly impossible to locate (and often pricey) stories as these comics are occasionally peppered in bargain bins.

A good issue that is proof of the adage: never judge a book by its cover!

Worth Consuming.

Rating: 7 out of 10 stars.

Phantom of Fear City #10

Every 10 years, a pirate's ghost is given a chance to escape purgatory and cross over to the other side. His task is to make a living woman fall in love with him. Having been rejected by his latest best chance of salvation, the so-called Phantom of Fear City counts down his final hours of freedom before having to spend another decade in limbo. So when the former object of his affection finally realized she does in fact love the Phantom, can she reunite with him before his time runs out?

From 1993, I found this book in a grab bag and thought from the cover scene of a seance, this would make a great Halloween read. Written by Steve Englehart (Captain America), if you were to base this series on just my description, you'd think it's just a soap opera love story. And there's elements of that. But there's so much great stuff going on in the background, along with tie-ins to a couple of other series that ran alongside this title back in 1993.

I would have to say that this book was a lot like Dark Shadows of which I am a fan. Yes, it's a little sappy, but the supernatural elements of Fear City have won me over to finding not only the rest of this 12-issue miniseries but the other companion titles that I saw advertised in this comic- Soulsearchers and Company and Deadbeats.

I have never heard of Claypool Comics before. But somehow they were able to snag Englehart along with George Perez (Crisis on Infinite Earths) on covers and Amanda Conner (Harley Quinn) on a backup story starring the Soulsearchers; a group of ghost hunters who are the world's worst Ghostbusters! Impressive, I must say.

A very good introduction to a whole universe of stories that I hope to come across in my comic book searches sometime in the near future.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

My Top 10 All-Ages Comics of All-Time! (Family Comic Friday)

Welcome to another edition of Family Comic Friday. I turn 40 today! So instead of focusing on a single book or title to review, I decided to make this article a countdown of my 10 favorite all-ages comic book series of all-time.

While most of these titles are no longer being produced in monthly form, you can find many of these titles in bargain bins for a dollar or less nationwide. You’ll just have to search through thousands upon thousands of books at comic book shops and conventions. But unless you wanna use an online source, the search is half the fun of collecting comic books.
A couple of these titles are being reprinted in omnibus form or other collected formats and I will do my best to point those out. I used eBay and Amazon primarily for my online shopping needs. But there’s dozens of sites out there waiting to become your next source of comic book relief.

With that being said, let’s explore my pick of the Top 10 All-Ages Comics of All-Time:

10. Hanna Barbera’s Laff-A-Lympics

If you are a fan of crossovers, then you have to start with the granddaddy of them all Hanna Barbera’s Laff-A-Lympics. This comic based on the cartoon of the same name from 1977-79, this series featured no less than 35 different characters from shows like Scooby-Doo, Yogi Bear, and much more.

Each issue had the characters participate in oddball events in an olympics style setting. There were two teams of good guys as well as a group of baddies! One thing that appealed to me about the show was that sometimes the villains won!

The series was published by Marvel. It only ran for 13 issues. Of all the books on my list, this one is probably the hardest ones to track down- and most expensive! To my knowledge, they’ve never been collected. Though Amazon sells these annuals from 1982 and 1983 based on the TV show that might have reprints in them. But the site isn’t really clear on that.

9. Marvel’s Star Comics Imprint

The only selection on my list that isn’t a single comic book. In 1984, Marvel created an all-ages imprint called Star Comics. The first few titles were all original stuff. Top Dog was about a talking dog. Planet Terry was a young space explorer. Perhaps the most infamous of all was Royal Roy, which was a blatant rip-off of Harvey Comics’ Richie Rich. Marvel was actually sued for copyright infringement by Harvey and the title was ended after only 6-issues.

By 1986, all of the original titles were toast. They just weren’t all that great. But what Marvel kick major butt at was getting licensed material from some of the hottest properties of all-time. For two additional glorious years, Star Comics issued forth comic book antics of character like Chuck Norris, Count Dukula, Mad Balls, Masters of the Universe, and even Star Wars!

A couple of years ago, Marvel started releasing collections of the original titles. The Star Wars Droids and Ewoks titles have been released at least twice in a combined omnibus fashion from Dark Horse. In terms of most of the other series, the licenses are probably lost to time or buy-out from one defunct company to another. But I find Star Comics in bargain bins at every convention I go to. However, because they were owned by kids, they’re not in the best shape. For someone wanting to start collecting comics, cheap and low grade isn’t a bad way to start.

 8. Tiny Titans 

This 2008-2012 DC Comics series was the brainchild of Art Baltazar and Franco. Sure, the artwork looks like a 6-year old did it and some of the stories are pretty goofy. But one thing that kept me coming back to it was the subtle Easter eggs that peppered each issue. They were clearly put there for the adults and definitely why it’s on my all-time fav list!

DC published a total of 8 collected volumes. There’s also a sequel miniseries called Return to the Treehouse. It was good, but the magic was missing from it. There’s also a 3-issue crossovers with the Little Archie gang that has not been reprinted ever in the 7 years since its debut.

7. Ducktales

 I loved the original series from the 80s. So much that when I heard that there was going to be a Ducktales comic, I bought a 2-year subscription to it! I was quite disappointed to learn that this book wasn’t of all-new material related to the cartoon but reprints of the numerous Carl Barks stories from the 1940s and 50s in which the show was based on.

As I have gotten older, I have since grown to appreciate these stories for their historical and entertainment values. It’s still a pet peeve of mine that Disney rarely will issue new comic stories in the US- at least in the IDW books that they’ve authorized. But reprints of Ducktales and the endless cache of 80 years of comics based on Disney properties are as common in bargain bins as are issues of the DC Bloodlines annuals from 1993 that fans as a whole just seem to hate.

(Note: The Ducktales books were published by Gladstone/Gemstone. But there are several publishers of Disney comics including Gold Key, Marvel, and Disney’s own publishing company.)

6. Marvel Adventures Avengers

 Issued under the Marvel Adventures imprint, when Wolverine, Storm, and Spider-Man joined the Avengers around 2003, the House of Ideas struck gold. Add in a slightly non-canon Janet Van Dyne in the form of Giant Girl along with the Big Three of Thor, Captain America, and Iron Man- plus the Hulk and this is my favorite Avengers line-up of all-time.

A total of 39 issues were written by Jeff Parker and Paul Tobin with awesome art from numerous artists. Each story was creative, action-packed, and extremely funny. Collected in digest format only, these are not the easiest to find in bookstores but pretty affordable online.

5. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Adventures

When the TMNT cartoon debuted in the late 80s, the Turtles went from adult to kid friendly. As a result Archie Comics was awarded the license to published a series of all-ages adventures.

The first series was only 4-issue long and each story was devoted to the first couple of episodes of the show. After the trail run proved successful, Archie issued a monthly series that ran six years. Add in the dozen of so spin-offs and miniseries that Archie put out to cash in on the Turtles popularity, there’s well over 150 issues to collect.

 Thankfully in the past couple of years, IDW, who currently owns the license to the Ninja Turtles has been reissuing the comics in trade form. If you want individual issues, they’re not that very hard to find. It is hit-and-miss as when I do find them, I am able to snag up a dozen of so issues. But it’s the first 40 or so issues that are more common than the later Archie Comics stuff.

4. Peter Porker: Spider-Ham

 A spider by the name of Peter is bitten by a radioactive pig and becomes your friendly neighborhood Spider-Ham! This funny animal series was a parody by Marvel Comics that ran sporadically throughout the 80s. With great characters like Goose Rider and The Hulk Bunny, this was another series I remember subscribing to when I was a kid.

Spider-Ham first debuted in a 1983 one-shot called Marvel Tails. Thanks to popular demand, Spider-Ham joined the Star Comics line-up in 1985. When it was cancelled, that was not to be the end of Peter Porker as various issues of the reprint series Spider-Man Tales would run back-up features on Peter and his friends off-and-off for the next five years. Spider-Ham seems to be unkillable as he keeps popping up in specials and miniseries such as Spider-Verse every couple of years. The Spider-Ham 2099 issue of What The--?!  (#26) is the most sought after of the Spider-Ham related issues by collectors. It usually runs for $4-10, depending on condition and seller.

Currently only Marvel Tails and the first 3 or 4 issues of Peter Porker have ever been reprinted. It’s still available on Amazon. Issues of Peter Porker can be found online but it’s a fan favorite series and not cheap. As for the Spider-Man Tales issues, Wikipedia offers a complete list of the issues that contained Spider-Ham stories on the Spider-Ham page. However, the Spider-Man Tales issues are pretty commonly found in bargain bins.

 3. Pep Comics

There’s countless Archie Comics related books that star Archie and the gang. To me, the cream of the crop was PEP Comics. The series started first as a superhero anthology series starring characters such as the SHIELD. But it wasn’t until issue #22 that the title stuck gold. In that issue, a young redhead lad met a blonde bombshell named Betty and history was made.

There’s no way in the world that I can afford those older issues. But as a kid, I enjoyed current issues of PEP which was a monthly who’s who of the Archie Universe. A typical issue might have appearance by Josie and the Pussycats, Little Archie, Sabrina the Teenage Witch. Add to it jokes, games, and other cool things and a monthly offering of PEP was a solid hour of fun!

Most of the pre-Archie issues have been reprinted in pristine formats. Individual issues can be found littered in bargain bins worldwide. It's not hard to find as there was over 400 issues printed in it's nearly 50 year run.

2. Justice League Unlimited

 The Justice League cartoon from Cartoon Network was awesome. But when the show rebooted in 2004 as Justice League Unlimited, a great cartoon got even better.

Justice League only focused on the team of Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, J’onn J’onzz, Hawkgirl, Flash, and Green Lantern. But JLU opened enrollment to almost the entire gambit of DC Universe superheroes. Added to the mix was the Injustice League of super villains lead by Lex Luthor and Gorilla Grodd.

The comic of the same actually outlived the TV series by 2 years. It including dozens of characters that the show not got the chance to explore like the Phantom Stranger, the Metal Men, and Mary Marvel. There were even a couple of holiday themed issues!  While DC did issue 5 volumes of collected stories, only the first 30 issues were reprinted. So if you want the entire series, you will have to find issues 31-46 elsewhere.

1. Scooby-Doo Team-Up

Last but surely not least. I present to you my favorite all-ages comic book series of all-time. What makes Scooby-Doo Team-Up so great. First of all, there was no better Scooby-Doo show than the New Scooby-Doo Movies where the Mystery Inc gang teamed up with the Harlem Globetrotters, the Addams Family, and of course Batman & Robin. Building on that premise, every month Scooby and Shaggy solve mysteries with members of the Hanna-Barbera family or the DC Universe.

In my opinion. The DC team-ups are the best. They’re quite funny while filled with clever inside jokes that only established DC fans will get. Tons of great B and C-list characters have been used like Bat Lash, Deadman, and Jemm: the Son of Saturn. All of it is thanks to the marvelous work of Sholly Fisch and it’s one of only two series I buy new on a monthly basis! For a notorious bargain hunter as myself, that’s high praise.

 Back issues are very hard to find. But DC has been issuing collections of the series in trade paperback. They run for about $15 a piece new. But if you are looking to get into this series based on my recommendation, it’s worth the price.

And there you have my top 10 picks for greatest all ages comics of all-time. And that’s all the time I have. It’s time for presents and cake. If you have a suggestion for this list, let’s hear them in the comments section below.

Until next week, have a great holiday weekend and keep reading!

Article published concurrently at outrightgeekery.com!

Quantum and Woody, Volume 1: The World's Worst Superhero Team

One looks like Deadpool during his blue period. 

One looks like Chris Jericho in a bad suit.

One is a goat.

Together, they are the world's worst superhero team! That alone was why I choose this book. 

A couple of weeks ago I was working a booth at NCComicon. I happened to be right next to Valiant's booth when I saw a sign for Quantum and Woody. With the moniker of the worst superhero team of all-time, I just had to read it. (I'd be lying if the booth's 5 for $30 deal didn't help to sweeten the deal.)

Eric and Woody Henderson are adopted brothers who are polar opposites. Estranged for years, the boys are brought back together with the mysterious death of their father, a noted physicist. When the duo are fingered as the suspects behind the crime, Eric and Woody decide to investigate their father's death. That takes them to Mr. Henderson's lab at Quantum Solutions in search of answers. However, a lab accident restructures the boys molecular structure and as a result become America's newest and worst superhero duo- Quantum and Woody!

Funny. Irreverent. Insane. 

The reboot of Quantum and Woody is what Deadpool or Harley Quinn could be if their publisher's weren't afraid of offending anybody. I can understand why Valiant Comics has such a devoted fan base. They make good comics even better!

James Asmus and Tom Fowler's story was extremely intriguing. There was a solid mystery at the heart of it this volume which collects the first four issues. The artwork by Jordie Bellaire seemed to be from the Eric Powell school. Considering how un-apologetic Eric Powell is in his work, it really fits. 

It only took four issues, but I am hooked. I not only want to get the other volumes in this series, I want to invest in Valiant's reprints of the original series as well. Plus, as an added bonus, I just happened to learn today that Quantum and Woody have another series ready to drop sometime early next year.

A great buddy-cop farce that is extremely unpredictable!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars. 

1977: A Madman Turns 40: 2017- Day 327

I love Thanksgiving. It's cause I was born on Thanksgiving in 1977. Tomorrow is my official day of birth. But my family has always observed it during Turkey Day.

One year I even got to go to the parade up in New York in which my birthday was on Thanksgiving. I got to see Grover from Sesame Street and my favorite Steeler of all-time, Franco Harris! It was a great day.

Here's a video snippet or two of the parade on the day of my birth 40 years ago...

Well, that's my look at Thanksgiving '77. Until next time... I'll be another year older.

Justice League

Centuries ago the Apokoliptian war lord Steppenwolf sought to make the earth the latest conquest in the name of the Fourth World. But an alliance between the realms of men, Atlantis, and the Amazons resulted in his first ever defeat. Driven insane with embarrassment of his lost, Steppenwolf was exiled and his three mother boxes, called the Trinity were hidden away from the rest of the world. 

With the death of Superman, the time is right for Steppenwolf's return to conquer earth again. As mankind mourns the loss of the Man of Steel, morale is at an all-time low for the human race. Thus, fear and anguish are just what the New God needs in order to power his horde of Parademons for attempt #2.

Aware of a mounting attack, but hopelessly out-manned, Bruce Wayne seeks a to raise his own army of defenders. Aided by Diana Prince, Wonder Woman, the Batman has a list of potential helpers. But does the aging billionaire playboy have what it takes to recruit a speedster with ADHD and social anxiety disorder, an aquatic hippie, and a cybernetically enhanced teen who can communicate with Steppenwolf's mother boxes?

Justice League was been getting slammed in the press, mostly by critics and amateur online reporters that don't understand comic books. Everyone is making such a big deal of what Rotten Tomatoes has to say. That site is just an average of critics nationwide and should be taken with a grain of salt.

Back in my day, nobody cared what Siskel and Ebert thought about the movies. We just wanted to see them insult each other- and maybe throw a punch. Gene Shalit's mustache was more important to us than what he thought about films. The only critic worth listening to was Leonard Maltin. But he's more like Bob Costas in that his depth of film knowledge is so impressive, he's like the Stephen Hawking of movie history. 

Look, if you don't even want to read my review, that's fine. I do this blog because I like to write about geeky things and this is more like my personal reading and movie journal. If it inspires someone to give something a go- cool. If they decide not to consume something because of my opinion- that's fine too. But I am in now way the only opinion that should matter. I might be considered an expert in comics because of my 40-years of knowledge on the subject, but in the end- it's all up to you on whether to see the Justice League movie.

Anyways, now that I cleared that, here's my take on what went right and wrong with the film. 

Not Long Enough- The movie runs right at about 2 hours. DC is taking a huge gamble putting the League together first and then building solo films around it. They're having to play catch up to Marvel and the speedy pace is off-putting to many. Personally, I would have liked to have seen the movie about 15-20 minutes longer.

 I hope there will be a director's cut. But please DC/ Warner Bros, don't make it for Bluray only! I still have student loans to repay and can't afford one just right yet.

Music To My Ears- Composer Danny Elfman was behind a majority of the tracks in this film. Though he's been a bit of a dick about it, I did enjoy having the 1989 Batman theme and some of the Animated Series peppered throughout the film. It's a been a very long time since I left a movie wishing that the music store was open. I really do want the soundtrack to this. It's pretty great.

Lack of Heavy Hitters- Having Steppenwolf as the main bad guy is really not the best idea. Most people I talk to have actually responded to my naming of him by saying 'That 70's rock band?' I kid you not. Honestly, I was hoping for an appearance by Darkseid, Steppenwolf's master, but even he is less of a household name than the Joker, Luthor, or Penguin. 

Another relative unknown to many is that of Cyborg. Unless you are familiar with the New 52 Justice League or the Teen Titans, not many casual fans are going to be very knowledgeable of him. I had a Cyborg Super Powers action figure as a kid and I remember him from some version of Super Friends in the 80s and I thought newcomer Ray Fisher was really good as the reluctant hero. But for every 1 me out there who grew up with the character, there's probably 3 people who are asking 'Cyborg? Who's he?'

Hail to the King- Tapping into Kirby's Fourth World is smart. Jack Kirby's very short stint at DC sent the publisher into a quantum leap that rivaled Marvel. Honestly, I feel like Marvel's Infinity War stuff is way less interesting than Kirby's New Gods. The House of Ideas is banking on the creations of Jim Starlin to send the Marvel Cinematic Universe into it's next phase of films. But let's be real people- Jim Starlin is no Jack Kirby!

Casting- For the most part, DC got almost every character right. The dup of Gal Gadot, and Ben Affleck as Batman and Wonder Woman is perfect. As I said earlier Ray Fisher's Cyborg was great! And man I think I am in love with Jason Momoa. His portrayal as Aquaman finally made the character relevant and not the joke of the DC Universe.

But I have to talk about Ezra Miller's version of the Flash. I really don't think Miller's acting was terrible as that I think Zack Synder vision of the speedster is flawed. Miller's Barry Allen is hyper, socially awkward, and the comic relief of the team. That's not Barry Allen so much as how I would describe Allen's great-grandson Impulse (Bart Allen.) Maybe the heads at DC didn't want people to be confused between the Flash on Justice League with Grant Gustin's superior version of the Flash on the CW. But for a huge Flash fan like myself, I was a bit put off.

The Chuckle Hut- Finally, I want to talk some about the laughs. Apparently, Zack Synder's version of the film was too dark and so when he stepped down after a family tragedy, Warner Bros. called in Joss Whedon to beef up the lighter side of the film. I understand that the Flash was used ad nauseam for a majority of this. But did you have to turn Batman into a heavily armored version of Spider-Man? 

At about the halfway point of the movie, Batman starts making one-liners and kinds taunts both his teammates and the villain in a way similar to that of Peter Parker. We already had a great movie with Spider-Man and a billionaire playboy with lots of tech. We didn't need to morph the two together in the second act of Justice League.

I had a ton of fun with this movie. There's some great Easter Eggs and I personally have a theory about who the seventh member of the League is. All I will say is that he's already made a couple of appearances in the movie. But it will be some time before I post my theory as to not be accused of spoilers.

Despite the negative press, Justice League is a great way to spend a couple of hours. Though a bit scary with those Parademons, Justice League is a lot more fun for the whole family than current comic book movie competitor Thor: Ragnarok, which has quite a bit of innuendo and overt sexual content. So if you desperately need to escape the house with a nephew or cousin this Thanksgiving weekend for a little bit, flock to the theaters and check it out. In the end, after the two bonus scenes, I think you'll be glad you did. 

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Volume 1: The Coulson Protocols

Art imitates art in this series, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., based on the ABC television show of the same name. In this volume, a villain bearing stolen Stark Iron Man tech has broken into the Pentagon. Making off with a set of contingency plans to take out superheroes that go rogue, the good guy community is on high alert! For this mystery baddie looks to auction the so-called Coulson Protocols off to the highest bidder!

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. has some great elements as well as a few that put me off. All of your favorite characters from the show are here- Coulson, May, Daisy, Fitz and Simmons. Only there's no Fitzsimmons here. The two characters aren't a couple. Heck, they're so far apart from each other, I highly doubt these two even went to the Academy together. 

One thing I love in the comic that I wish they did in the TV series was to include the Henry Hayes Deathlok as a permanent member of the cast after the completion of season 1. They missed a great chance to do that on the show. But here in the comic, I could not be more happier that he's used in great length and not just as filler. 

Bobbi Morse, Mockingbird, is also a part of this S.H.I.E.L.D. team. But she wears a costume instead of looking like Adrianne Palicki's version on the show.

It's at this juncture, I must point out that this 2015-2016 series is not a continuation of the live action show.Though masterfully written by S.H.I.E.L.D. screenwriter Marc Guggenheim, you can't expect this book to cover the gaps in-between the show's summer hiatuses. Instead, this book is Marvel's way of integrating the Cinematic Universe with the comics. I don't mind that. But I am so behind on Marvel's new stuff from the past 3 years that there were some plot points involving the Fear Itself and Civil War II story lines that kinda flew over my head.

For one reason or another this series only lasted about a dozen issues. I don't know if that was Marvel's plan or if sales were just that bad. (Marvel has this new habit of running titles for only 12-issues, so that could be the case.) But this was one of Marvel's better current titles. I'm sad to see it didn't succeed. But thankfully, there's one more volume full of story left out there for me to read and consume!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Clue #6

The murderers are finally revealed!

No-way am I going to tell you who did what. Uh-uh!!! No spoilers here!

However, I will say that this issue is dynamic in two very distinct ways. For one, certain lines in the first 5 pages of the book pays great homage to both the classic board game and the 1980s live-action film version on which this miniseries was based. Secondly, that ending! WOW! It's a fourth-wall busting scene that I didn't think was possible in comics!

If you want to experience it, your just gonna have to wait until this Wednesday (November 22nd) when it debuts in store.

A masterful ending to a very fun series by Paul Allor and Nelson Daniel. Yes, I know I harp on it, but still no praise to whomever was behind the coloring of this book. That person or persons was the real star of this production team.

If you love mysteries that are unpredictable and slightly interactive, then Clue is the book you've been looking for. Not all of the motives may have made sense to me. I blame a little on the fact, that I have probably forgotten some key elements over the past 3 months that this series has been gradually released. 

I highly recommend reading all 6-issues consecutively for optimal enjoyment.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Clue #5

With only one issue before the finale, this chapter reveals but a sliver of the motives behind the murders of Mr. Boddy and several other characters. 

Not exactly the most tongue-in-cheek episode of the series. But there's several shocking twists and turns that I did not see coming. 

Another great entry by Paul Allor and Nelson Daniel. Who will finally be revealed as the murderer is anybody's game. But with a dwindling cast, the list of culprits runs awfully thin. 

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

The Not-So Secret Society: The Tale of the Gummy (Family Comic Friday)

It's time for another edition of Family Comic Friday. The book I have selected this week is called The Not-So Secret Society. The book is actually classified as a Halloween book on Amazon. When I first learned of this 2017 graphic novel from Kaboom!, I didn't even realize that it was a Halloween book.

I knew of this book as it was a selection of potential all-ages best of 2017 picks by Goodreads. So, when I found this at my local library, I was excited to read it because of that honor and didn't really know of the book's holiday implications. So please forgive me for not having a timely selection this week.

So what is the book about?

A group of middle school misfits called the Not-So Secret Society love science. But they're constantly overlooked by another group of science loving students that seem to make magic with their science projects. Tired of being upstaged, one of the members of the Not-So Secret Society challenges their rivals to build the greatest science fair experiment of all-time. The only problem- they've only got the weekend to do it and it just happens to be the same weekend that Halloween falls on.

Working with all their might, the students create a machine that can potentially bring any piece of candy to life! After some trial and error, the group finally manage to get a gummy bear candy to come alive. Only, this confection has a sweet tooth and everytime it eats sugar, the gummy doubles in size. With it being Halloween and candy everywhere, how can the members of the No-So Secret Society stop their mad science experiment without destroying the whole city block?

I actually enjoyed this book. It had heart, personality, and was pretty funny. Plus, I had fun reading it. The book started off very different than I expected however.

In the beginning, the Not-So Secret Society are in a subway terminal attempting to open some magical portal to another dimension. And they actually succeed. However, the book's authors Matthew and Arlene Daley never return to this plot line! I was convinced that somehow the kids had goofed in not securing the doorway and some creature got out. But that wasn't to be. Amazon seems to indicate that the Tale of the Gummy is the first in a series. So maybe they'll return to this plot point in the future?

There's a ton of extras at the end of this graphic novel. The Daley's, along with co-creators Trevor and Ellen Crafts are educators and they include several activities designed to make learning fun. Plus there's over 25 mini comic one-pagers that expand the personalities of the No-So Secret Society. The last story is actually a prequel to the beginning of The Tale of the Gummy. While only gag is by series artist Wook Jin Clark (Regular Show), I'm not sure why these adventures weren't placed at the beginning of the book. They really add a depth to the characters that is lacking in the first 30-pages of the book.

The No-So Secret Society have potential to be a great series for readers of all ages. But you, the readers are going to have to go out there and show your support if there's to be a volume 2. Yes, Halloween is the time of year this book is set, but The Tale of the Gummy can be enjoyed 365 days of the year! That's right, I'm saying it- this would make a great holiday gift!

Along with being available in paperback in bookstores everywhere, the NS3 can be found digitally on ComiXology and Kindle. 

And that will do it for this week's Family Comic Friday. Next week, I turn big 4-0 and I count down my top 10 all-ages books and series of all-time. Until then, read on!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Weird War Tales Special

Vertigo's 2000 special devoted to Weird War Tales was just plain weird...

In a tale from Garth Ennis, a quartet of buddies swap war stories while waiting out a rain storm. Then learn the secrets behind Helen of Troy. The brief history of warfare reveals a never ending pattern of bloodshed while a custodian attempts to make a nuclear holocaust a little bit prettier place to live. Plus a POW in Vietnam is saved thanks to his dynamic drawing skills. 

I should have known from the book's cover that this isn't my Weird War Tales. I have such fond memories of that title. This thing gave me heartburn.

The book doesn't have a rating but this definitely isn't for kids. There's some very, VERY graphic material here- mostly it's all in conversation (and mostly I'm pointing my finger at the Garth Ennis tale!) That one really shook me to my core and not in a good way at all.

I only paid a quarter for this from a bargain bin. Yet, I feel like I want my money back on this. 

And just what the heck is that thing on the cover supposed to be?

Rating: 5 out of 10 stars.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Season 10 #8

This was another bargain bid find. 

No, I'm not a Scooby or whatever it is that Buffy fans call themselves. I've never seen the show. The original movie starring Kristy Swanson, I have seen several times. I liked it. Wouldn't say that I am obsessed or anything with it.

Nevertheless, the main reason I got this issue was that it was a Halloween themed comic. It also helps that the cover says that this is a good starting point for new readers. So I wasn't so very lost. But some requirement in knowing what had happened in the previous 8 issues or so were greatly needed, especially in understanding who the villain was and his motives.

In terms of a story, it was pretty good. There were some very funny moments which I am told Buffy was known for. The artwork which was a collaboration between regular artist Rebekah Isaacs and guest Richard Corben (Batman: Black & White) was quite good too. I really dug the 1940s style cover by Steve Morris. I think that's what really persuaded me to want to get this book.

So am I Buffy fan now? Not really. Though if I found these books at my local library or something free like that, I would consider giving it further examination. But for now, I have a ton more stuff on my 'to-read' list that I want to get into first.

Worth Consuming.

Rating: 7 out of 10 stars.

Minky Woodcock: The Girl Who Handcuffed Houdini #1

Art and Story by Cynthia Von Buhler
Covers by David Mack and Robert McGinnis
Published by Titan Comics

Minky Woodcock is a young secretary who longs to become a private detective like her famous father. Instead, she spends her days at the agency as his secretary. However, her chance to finally snag a case comes when her father is on holiday and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle arrives in need of an investigator. Doyle wants to expose his former friend, the great magician Harry Houdini, as a closet spiritualist whose trying to put his competition out of business.

Knowing very little of the spiritualist movement, Minky is invited by Doyle to attend a seance. However, instead of contacting the dead, Minky discovers quite a bit of tomfoolery with the whole thing and exposes the medium as a fraud. No longer wanting to deal with Doyle and his fictitious cronies, Minky fears that her chances of becoming a detective are over. That is until a chance meeting at a local speakeasy puts her face-to-face with the mysterious Houdini!

The Girl Who Handcuffed Houdini is crime fiction publisher Hard Case Crime's first foray into comic books. Teaming with the folks at Titan, this miniseries is written and illustrated by Cyntihia Von Buhler (An Evening with Neil Gaiman and Amanda Palmer.) This first issue was quite interesting. I was a big fan of the short-lived Victorian mystery series Houdini and Doyle and was quite upset to learn it was cancelled. This story almost acts, unofficially of course, as a sort of closer to that TV show as the former friends and partners are now at odds with each other due to some sort of falling out.

Cynthia Von Buhler's art work is quite remarkable. It almost looks like it was drawn on stained glass. Yes- her style and technique does give the art a flat 2-D feel. But you really can't say that anyone out on the market today is putting out as visually stunning and exceptionally colored comics as Von Buhler is doing with this book either.

Let's talk a bit about the covers. Von Buhler cover as well as David Mack's are good. But the variant cover by Hard Case Crime artist Robert McGinnis is exotic and deadly. My mother used to read all sorts of mystery paperbacks when I was a kid. Those sordid painted covers were tawdry and alluring- and yes a little dirty. That's how the overall story is. There's quite a bit of nudity, hanky panky, and beautiful things that if you are not careful will reveal that it's a wolf in sheep's clothing and attack when your guard is done. The publisher sure knew what it was doing putting a Mature rating on this one. But I cannot wait for the next issue as this historical mystery has me hooked in just one oh too short issue!
Issue #1 debuts in stores on November 15, 2017. It retails for $3.99.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.