Uncle Scrooge #39 (Family Comic Friday)

With school back in session, it's not feasible for students and their families to take a trip to Italy or Australia. Or is it? For today's Family Comic Friday, we not only travel to the boot of the Mediterranean and to the land down under, but we also trek to the city of Duckburg! It's here we go on a global adventure with Daisy, her nephews and the richest man in Duckburg in the pages of Uncle Scrooge #39.

Uncle Scrooge #39

Written by Simone “SIO’ Albrigi, Bob Karp
Art by Stefano Intini, Al Taliaferro
Published by IDW Publishing

Reprinted Stories:
Main: The Colossal Coin Calamity 2016, Italy
Back-up: It’s All Relative 1962, USA


The first story is a reprint of an Italian Disney comic. When Uncle Scrooge discovers that a museum in Australia houses the ultimate rare coin needed to complete Scrooge's collection, he takes Daisy and the nephews to make a deal with the curator. But when Scrooge McDuck arrives at the museum's location, he discovers that the attraction has fallen into a deep sink hole- as has Scrooge's rare coin!

It's up to the gang to go spelunking in search of the missing museum. What bizarre creatures will the explorers discover underground? What is the big deal with remote controlled marbles? Will Donald get all of Scrooge’s coin collection dusted by the time his uncle returns? And why is Scrooge's arch-enemy, Flintheart Glomgold, nosing around the excavation site?

This was an enjoyable issue. I still would like for IDW to be producing original material for their Disney titles. But I think Disney has been giving those rights to Dark Horse and Marvel.
The artwork actually looks like the rebooted Duck Tales. I've only seen one episode of the new series but I felt like the pacing of the character’s dialogue was on point. There were a couple of awkward scenes and that's probably due to the original source material being in Italian. But overall, the main feature was quite enjoyable.

There was also a classic back-up short from the 1960s. It stars Donald and his Uncle Ludwig. It was very well crafted, especially for a non-Carl Barks story starring the Ducks of Disney! And the ending gave me a chuckle

This was a fun read starring the original Duck Dynasty family! Great for the whole family. It may not look 100% like Donald, Uncle Scrooge and the rest of the gang do on TV and the big screen. But this comic book is definitely 100% Disney!

Uncle Scrooge #39 debuted in stores and digital media on August 29, 2018.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Lex Luthor/Porky Pig Special #1

Wave 2 of the DC/Looney Tunes crossovers launched this week. My most recent Geek Pick was the Lex Luthor/Porky Pig Special. There was just something about this issue that screamed it was going to be as good as last year’s amazing Batman/Elmer Fudd team-up and it did not disappoint!

Written by: Mark Russell, Jim Fanning Art by: Brad Walker, John LoterPublished by: DC Comics

When a down on his luck Porky Pig runs into Metropolis’ most powerful man, the stuttering swine is given a second chance to conquer the business world. Luthor puts Porky in charge of Lexcorp’s new social media division Lexema. While it may look innocent enough, the new website is actually a front for Superman’s arch-enemy to steal the passwords and secrets of its users.

You would think Porky Pig would be on top of this. But he’s too busy finding out just who is stealing the sandwiches from the employee break room. Sadly, this distraction will pave the way for Lex Luthor to find his latest scapegoat, um -pig for his impending round of Senate hearings on Capitol Hill.

This odd pairing of Lex Luthor and Porky Pig actually worked. Porky is normally the sidekick of the conniving Daffy Duck. Daffy tends to be aloof and reckless. Here, Luthor is quite dangerous, but he’s no dummy. Lex plays the part of the fool so well in order to gain Porky’s undying trust. However, there’s evil intent underneath all that foolishness.

Mark Russell provides some very funny moments in the opening tale. He also manages to pen a story that reflects many of the controversies of the day (social media privacy, big pharmacy, corporate greed) without being preachy or offensive. I usually get tired of Lex Luthor being used ad nauseam in all of the Superman titles. But he’s quite refreshing here as this is a story with zero influence of the Man of Steel.

The back-up feature by Jim Fanning and John Loter was also great. It was done in the style of a Looney Tunes cartoon. Here, Porky is an office supply salesman given the chance to make a pitch directly to Lex. Things seem to be going smoothly until Luthor gets distracted in yet another attempt to rid the earth of a certain Kryptonian. It’s a great comedy of errors done in that classic Merrie Melodies style.

Wave 2 of crossovers between Looney Tunes and superheroes offered lots of unique pairings: Catwoman Vs. Tweety Bird, The Joker pals with Daffy Duck, and Harley Quinn meets Gossamer. But this story of Pig and Mogul was the one that captured my interest most. Other than Brad Walker’s kinda creepy way of drawing Porky Pig and other Looney Tunes characters in the DC fashion, I didn’t have any issues with this special. It was darn near flawless and a must read for any fan of weird team-ups such as myself!

The Lex Luthor/Porky Pig Special #1 debuted in stores on August 29, 2018.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

The Prisoner #1 (2018)

Justice League Dark’s Peter Milligan explores the mysterious Village just in time for the 50th anniversary of the cult classic British TV series. The forces behind the Village have kidnapped an operative of MI5 in order to extract information. Knowing their sinister plans, Agent Breen is secretly ordered to go rogue in hopes to be captured as well.

Once in the Village, Breen is to learn more about the operations of the Village and save the missing agent. The assignment seems very cut and dry. But what Agent Breen doesn't expect is that he too will be subjected to the same mind-probing techniques perfected by the Village overlords.

Welcome to the Village, Number Six!

For a first issue, this wasn't bad. Milligan did his research for this. The absence of the late, great Patrick McGoohan was deeply felt. But that's nothing you can blame Milligan for.

I've been looking forward to this book for quite a while. I'm a huge fan of the franchise. I got every issue new but I hated having to wait a month for a new chapter!

The art by Colin Lorimer is pretty good. But I had trouble figuring out who was who. Some of the characters are very generic looking. But some fault might be placed on poor introduction of the players by the author. Or it falls on the artist. Not quite sure...

I loved the Mike Allred cover. I just had to get it! I kinda wish he did the interior art and even the plotting. This series is right in his field house.

A good start to the series. I'm expecting that the best is yet to come!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

Supergirl: Being Super

Imagine if Kara Zor-El made it to Earth before Clark Kent became Superman. With no memory of her people and no Man of Steel to inspire her, she grows up knowing that she is special and that's about it. Forced to live secretly as an average teenage girl, Kara Danvers goes through life knowing that there is something different about her and it makes her special. However, now that she has turned 16, something about her powers is off and it endangers her adoptive family and friends.

This was a unique take on Supergirl. I passed on this series when it first came out and I blame poor marketing by the publisher. The story by Mariko Tamaki (This One Summer) was actually quite good. But the way DC Comics was trying to sell this story sounded so wrong. 

See, DC tried to make this coming of age story seem to be the new reboot of one of my all-time favorite characters. Supergirl had just been literally rebooted having become de-aged and depowered from her time as a Red Lantern with the whole Rebirth thing just a few months earlier. I was really digging the Rebirth series and didn't need another reboot. Had DC Comics actually presented it as an Earth One or Elseworlds type story, I would have bought every issue of Being Super new on the day it came out in print!

Joelle Jones (Catwoman) is a fantastic artist and she does not disappoint. I love the Supergirl inspired track suit Kara wears at one of her meets. And the last third act is just amazing action all throughout.

The ending was bittersweet but the very last 3 pages were absolutely awesome! I would love for Tamaki and Jones to do a sequel. But when it happens, the marketing team at DC needs to let people know that this is an alternate version of Kara Danvers. If they do that, I think it would entice more fans of the Maid of Might instead of scare them off of yet another retooling of a character that has not gotten the respect she deserves since her death in the pages of Crisis.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Scooby-Doo Team-Up #41 (Family Comic Friday)

The Mystery Inc. gang are hired to protect heiress Penelope Pitstop from a menacing monster. Could it be that her pint sized saviors, the Ant Hill Mob, are behind the attacks? Or is this the work of her arch-enemy, the Hooded Claw?

This was a much different story than I was used to in Scooby-Doo Team-Up. I really am not familiar that much with either Wacky Raceland or the spin-off series The Perils of Penelope Pitstop. If I ever caught an episode of either as a child, it was often towards the end of the episode, while ending my cereal before the start of another day of vacation with my family. 

An interesting aspect of this story is the time difference. Penelope Pitstop's stand alone series was set during the 1920s. If her costume as well as the leader of the AHM's outfit were not dead giveaways, Google even says so! Usually the great Sholly Fisch will make some sort of joke about anachronisms in the decided upon team-ups, but he didn't this time. But with the inclusion of old timey narration boards, he does hit upon that roarin' twenties feel somewhat. But whether that sort of things was a part of the classic 70s cartoon is beyond my scope of knowledge. 

By the way, has anyone ever made the connection that Penelope Pitstop is a retelling of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs? Penelope is always in danger from an evil relative. Her rescuers are 7 tiny fellas with interesting quirks. One is always sleepy; another is always laughing. My favorite was Pockets. His zoot suit had extra storage for keeping just about anything. 

The artwork is by Looney Tunes comics artist Scott Jeralds. He usually does the artwork for the Hanna-Barbera team-ups. But with DC team-ups artist Dario Brizuela tackling an all-ages project for Marvel, I'm a little afraid that it will be Jeralds who handles my favorite crossovers. He's great at drawing the funny animals and other classic TV properties, but I do not want to lose Brizuela!

This was a very good read. Not my favorite in the series. But again, I prefer the DC teamings more. But this is still a great all-ages series and one of my very few monthly new release purchases.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

Sgt. Rock:Between Hell and a Hard Place

After a nearly 10 year absence, Joe Kubert returned to his best known character, Sgt. Rock. With Brian Azzrello writing, Kubert plotted and illustrated this 2003 graphic novel under the Vertigo imprint. Meant to be more edgy and adult, other than maybe a bit more violence, I could not tell a difference from this and the stuff my father used to read in the 70s and 80s.

I'm going to make a stunning confession here. Most of you know me as a big DC fan. Yet, when it comes to the World War II characters, I prefer Sgt. Fury and His Howlin' Commandos over the guys of Easy Co. I always felt that the Commandos had more personality. In contrast, I felt like Easy Co. was just a rotating group of grunts that had very little personality and even less chance at staying alive than a red shirt on Star Trek.

I bought this book more for the something extra inside it than the art and story. Along with this book, there was a piece of DC Comics stationary that was meant to drum up business for a book seller into buying multiple copies of this book. This volume I purchased wasn't a proof, but it was sent out in advance. Seeing as DC stationary is considered a holy grail among DC fans, I had to have this book if only for that treasure piece of comic book history.

Between Hell and a Hard Place was an okay read. The story has Sgt. Rock and his men finding a group of Nazi officers. Rock decides to take the men back to base in hopes of gaining some valuable information that might put an end to the war. But on the journey back, 3 of the officers are murdered at point blank range, during an assault from another group of German soldiers. With a fourth officer on the run, Rock must play detective as one of his own soldiers may have been who shot the other Nazis in cold blood.

I felt that the main storyline gets gobbled up in other elements, like the origin of the Ice Cream Soldier and the introduction of new recruits to Easy Co. I was fine with the ending but I did feel that elements of the murder mystery tied themselves up in just too neat of a bow.

My favorite part of this book was the art. I love Joe Kubert. His work on Weird War Tales is just fantastic. His images of Rock adorned in red, white and blue tipped bandoliers was awe-inspiring. It also felt nostalgic as I feel like that is how I grew up seeing Sgt. Rock in the comics as a kid. But I cannot find any evidence on this on Google.

A good read but if not for the stationery treasure contained within, I wouldn't keep this book as a part of my collection.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 7 out of 10 stars.

How to Spot a Sasquatch (Family Comic Friday)

School might be starting back but that doesn't mean that the Summer fun has to stop. For this week's Family Comic Friday we examine J. Torres' How to Spot a Sasquatch. It's about a young boy, his camping buddies and a Bigfoot named Sass!

How to Spot a Sasquatch
Written by J. Torres
Illustrated by Aurelie Grand
Published by OWL Kids

Jay is a Junior Ranger. He and the rest of his troop buddies are hoping to earn some badges during their weekend in the woods. Jay is also hoping to catch himself a Sasquatch.

In a hilarious series of vignettes, Jay's attempts to find and capture a Bigfoot are teased by his fellow Junior Rangers and they are thwarted by a girl Sasquatch. Sass and her forest buddies are very interested in the snacks and gadgets of the campers and hi-jinks ensues as they keep stealing from the camp.

I've been a fan of J. Torres for quite some time. His work on Teen Titans Go!, Brobots and Batman: The Brave and the Bold has just been fantastic. Torres has a great sense of humor and has such a way of making characters come alive!

I'm not so familiar with J. Torres' art partner, Aurelie Grand. According to the back cover of the book, Grand is a French illustrator based in Quebec. Works of the artist include a Ben Franklin biography and a young reader's picture book about the Olympics in French. She gives How to Spot a Sasquatch a very whimsical fee with her pens and pencils.


This 2018 graphic novel was very funny. It was also fun to read.  At only 64 pages, this is also quick read. But it's also one that you and the young reader in your life will want to read together over and over.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

Hot to Spot a Sasquatch debuted in print and digital media in May of this year. It is recommended for readers aged 7-10, though it very well could be enjoyed by those a couple of years older or younger without objection by adults.

Supergirl Rebirth #1

Supergirl's return to earth after freeing herself from the Red Lanterns has resulted in many changes for Kara. She's de-aged a few years back into a high schooler. She's gotten stronger but she's also become more reckless. Thus, the Maid of Might is now subject to the DEO and it's leader, Maggie Sawyer.

When the DEO encounters a Kryptonian 'werewolf', it's up to Supergirl to save the day. Realizing that the DEO lacks the manpower to tackle a Super man-sized threat, Sawyer and Kara will form a new partnership that will net her some extra freedom. But is it a partnership that can be trusted?

I missed this when it first came out in 2016. I didn't realize that there was to be both a Rebirth special on top of the Rebirth DC series of Supergirl. Thank goodness for Ollie's DC grab bags! I've been looking for this book forever with zero success. But there she was smiling at me with those glowing red eyes.

The stunning cover by Emanuela Lupacchino was just a teaser for an exciting story inside. The team of Ray McCarthy and Steve Orlando, a great story that sets up the Supergirl Rebirth series of which I have read the first six-issue storyline. This special, along with a conversation with a friend of mine explain a lot of questions that were bugging me about Supergirl's backstory- especially her role with the Red Lanterns.

The artwork, also by Lupacchino, was pretty good. It's got that almost cartoony/manga quality that I can't decide if I like or not. But it's Supergirl and I can't say no to stuff starring her or her cousin.

A good introduction that I wish I hadn't overlooked when it first came out. But better late than never.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Fantastic Four #1 (2018)

I gotta admit- I bought into the hype. I could not control myself and on Wednesday, I purchased the first issue marking the return of the Fantastic Four. I must admit, Dan Slott did one heck of a job on this initial outing. 

Let's face facts though: the only reason the FF disappeared was due to Marvel and their parent company (especially) Disney being upset that Fox held the rights to the Fantastic Four. The idea was that without Marvel's First Family being in print, any TV show or movie starring them would flop. Needless to say, that the 2015 film being giant sacks of garbage, didn't help matters any; the PR move was the first in a long line of missteps by Marvel Comics.

The former Spider-Man writer, Dan Slott, did an pretty good job with this first issue. Unfortunately, it's not quite the reunion loyal fans were expecting. But Marvel promises that it will happen soon! If this series continues to exceed from the first issue, then I think this could be Marvel the publisher's first step to returning a two-way street of respect and appreciation for it's fans that has been lost for the past several years from the House of Ideas.

I liked Sara Pichelli's art. It was very clean and bold. I think if she stays on, it will become a fan favorite of not just mine but of many other readers.

The back-up story did not impress me much. It marks the return of Doctor Doom. I understand that Doom is the main villain just as Luthor is the foil to Superman. But they both lack the creative inspiration of a Green Goblin or a Joker do in order to make me excited when they are both used ad nauseam. 

If I had unlimited resources, I would add this Fantastic Four revival to my monthly pull list. I really love this team and I feel like some great things are in store. However, money is an issue for myself, so I will have to wait until the trade. But if you can afford the monthly adventures of the Richards family, I highly recommend this book!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Batman Odyssey

Neal Adams returns to some of his most beloved characters in the DC Universe. But man, is this book a stinker. Throughout two miniseries, Batman asks the question 'Is a Batman who kills still Batman?' And as he tries to find the answer, he becomes embroiled in a caper of unimaginable silliness.

Bruce Wayne constantly flying off the handle. Ra's al Ghul in need of the Dark Knight Detective from his League of Assassins and is kinda a wimp. A hollow land in the middle of the earth made up of evolved Dino-hybrids. A caveman Caped Crusader! A solid state and visible Deadman. A Boy Wonder, almost eaten by trolls. And Batman gets giddy as a school boy when he breaks a bucking pterodactyl!

It all really doesn't make much sense. 

Here's the deal- if Adams hadn't tied everything up in a very nice, shiny package, Batman Odyssey may very well be the worst comic book I have ever read. 

On several occasions, I was ready to give up on this book. I took a couple of medium sized breaks from it as well. (To take a breather any longer would mean possibly forgetting just what exactly was going on.) I adore Neal Adams' work. I don't know what the hell this was!

Age is not the friend of an artist. The joints swell. The eyesite fades. And that stamina to do an all-nighter is gone. And the quality of Neal's work has definitely seen the affects of time. 

It's like when I watched Disney's The Black Hole after years of enjoying and marveling at it as a child. Returning to it as an adult was not pretty. The sci-fi movie I loved so as a wee child was in reality garbage. Sometimes, it's best to allow the good things of your past stay there. For me, that means not reading anything of Neal Adams' that was published after 1999.

Not Worth Consuming!

Rating: 3 out of 10 stars.

Robots Vs Princesses #1 (Family Comic Friday)

Who says that girls can't be both dainty and rough and tumble? The stereotype of the typical fairy-tale princess is put out to pasture in this week's Family Comic Friday review of the new series Robots Vs Princesses.

Robots Vs Princesses #1
Written by Todd Matthy
Art by Nicolas Chapuis
Published by Dynamite Entertainment

In the capital City of Harmonia, a group of princesses are about to participate in a special ceremony. Giving honor to a legendary queen who conquered the now disappeared dragons of her kingdom, aspiring sovereigns must perform a recital with an animal of their choosing. Not wishing to be out done, Zara sneaks out of the castle to search the forbidden woods in hopes of a dragon of her own in which to perform with.

Meanwhile deep in the forests surrounding Harmonia is a region called Chromia. There, an endless war is raging between two races of automatons. Little Wheeler is tired of the fighting and he decides to go off into uncharted territory in search of peace and quiet.

As you might have guessed, these two characters meet. But what you might not expect is that Zara's singing voice turns WHeeler into a mechanical dragon. Could he help Zara successfully perform her musical ritual? And could Wheeler be the key to the return of the dragons of long ago?

Dynamite Entertainment hasn’t been known for doing all-ages fair. But Robots Vs Princesses has great promise. It’s a cross between Disney’s line-up of ladies fair and Transformers. Issue #1 is a great setup in order to explain most, if not all, of the main players. But while there are both princesses and robots in this story, there is very little versus here. I’m assuming that will change in forthcoming issues…

The story so far was good. The strong female roles obviously got some inspiration from Action Lab’s Princeless. But Todd Matthy’s inclusion of automatons and the animal recital are both elements that I have not encountered in Princeless. As I said earlier, hopefully the action will ramp up in issue #2.

The art was a slightly different story. The artwork was good but there was something off about some of the angles. The great Jack Kirby introduced the idea of the dynamic posing of characters. Instead of seeing character character from straight ahead, artists are instead to render them in unique angles.

Nicolas Chapuis attempts to do so throughout this book. Yet as a result, the proportions seems off. His drawings of the robots look like they are all about to tip over. They are impressively designed. But in some panels they look really top-heavy, ready to topple over with their toothpick thin legs.

The first issue of Robots Vs Princesses sets up a very interesting looking story. It’s got a lot of promise, but it’s also got a lot to offer. Because young readers are fickle when it comes to stories that end with that dreaded ‘To Be Continued’, I think this series will be enjoyed more as a collected. Especially since no royal family members battle any androids in this first chapter, it may not be so appealing to those readers ready for Rock ‘em, Sock ‘em Robots from right off the bat. But I really think great things are in store for those readers who are patient throughout the run of this title.

Robots Vs Princesses is recommended for readers of all-ages. However, there’s some very big words in this comic. So readers under the age of 8 might need the help of an older reader. Plus, I don’t know how intense the battle scenes are going to be, so parental discretion is advised with future issues.

Robots Vs Princesses #1 debuted in print and digital platforms on August 8th, 2018.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

This review was concurrently published at Outrightgeekery.com.

Marvel Firsts: The 1990s, Volume 2

The 1990s was a touch and go time for Marvel. Believe it or not, the House of Ideas almost went belly up. It filed for bankruptcy and actually needed DC's help to bail it out. So for all of you who hate DC, just remember if not for the owners of Superman and Batman, who knows if Marvel would still be in existence???

Anyways, there was just as many terrible ideas and stories coming out of Marvel as there were successes. For every Venom or Web of Spider-Man there was The Nightstalkers or Beowulf. X-Men titles dominated but there were so many different X-series, the market was really over-saturated. Yet Cable, Gambit and Generation X managed to overcome the glut of mutant related titles to give the Uncanny X-Men a run for their money. 

There were a few glimmers of hope during the 90s. Iron Man got a chance to be a legitimate team leader with Force Works. Blade got his own solo title right before Wesley Snipes made him a household name. And though not as funny or self-deprecating as he was now, Deadpool was given an early chance to shine thanks to Fabian Nicieza, Wade Wilson's lesser known co-creator. 

Some of these stories were first appearances. Some were first issues of already established characters. And a few were of either completely or partially brand-new teams of heroes or even villains. It was a wild time for Marvel and this edition captures a large chunk of some of the more bizarre works from the Bullpen.

This isn't exactly my favorite time period of not just Marvel but comics in general. Yet, I want the other volume in the series. And for historical (and money saving) purposes, I plan on keeping this volume even if it's wasn't the greatest read of all-time.

Rating: 6 out of 10 stars.

Harley Quinn Volume 4: Vengeance Unlimited

This volume of Harley Quinn sees a new creative team of A.J. Lieberman, Mike Huddleston and Troy Nixey. With this new team Harley Quinn becomes dark--- very dark.

First Harley creates for herself a new persona and begins seeing patients again. As she unlocks her patients inner-most secrets, Harley becomes the target of a killer with a penchant for puzzles.

Then Harley takes on a gig that will net her a nice nest egg. Only, the target she's meant to obtain is a young orphan. As a devil Harley and an angel Harleen perch themselves on the shoulders of the Joker's ex-girlfriend, will Quinn listen to her heart or her checkbook?

I was okay with the change of tone. And I find it quite odd. I hate it when Deadpool gets crapped on. Yet I am strangely okay with it when the crap hits the fan for Harley. I have nothing but love for Harley Quinn. I think (MAYBE) the reason why I'm not so fazed by it is that I know that such tragedy is important for the villainess to escape her abusive relationship from the Joker.

One thing that bothered me to no end was that there was this great story set up involving the Joker, Harley and her new beau, a police detective. Supposedly, Harley was going to use the cop to pull off a heist of drug money. Yet, by the next issue, this plot line is completely abandoned. Man, that irks me!!!

A very good look at the pain and sufferings of Harley Quinn. Now that I've read all of this series, it's on to find the next collection of stories starring the Maid of Mischief!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

Rocko's Modern Life #7 (Family Comic Friday)

This week's selection for Family Comic Friday should make Mom and Dad smile… along with the kiddies too. It’s the return of a Nicktoons classic- Rocko’s Modern Life. But with this issue, I wasn’t sure if this was supposed to be a nostalgic trip for just the parents or was it supposed to be fun for the whole family?

Rocko’s Modern Life #7

Written by Ryan Ferrier, K.C. Green

Art by Ian McGinty, Jorge Monlongo (Cover)

Published by Kaboom! Studios

First of all, I would like to point out that the story listed by Previews and other sites is false. Issue #7 does not have our favorite wallaby, Rocko, going to his high school reunion. Instead, Rocko’s job at Conglom-o Corporation is causing him great stress. It turns out that the company’s biggest seller, the Pi-Hole, is malfunctioning. The Amazon Echo-like device keeps ordering stuff that people didn’t ask for and in mass quantities as well.

When Rocko goes to complain to the head of the Conglom-o Corporation, the wallaby learns of a conspiracy in which the company wants to enslave the people of earth to the useless goods and wares sold by the company. Thus, always in debt, the customers of Conglom-o would be beholden forever to the company.

The manic nature of Rocko’s Modern Life which ran from 1993-96 is still present in this comic book from kaboom! Studios. Ian McGinty’s art overtakes not only panels but pages, just like in the classic Nickelodeon series. And the characters of Heifer and Filburt are as neurotic and dumb as usual. But was Rocko also such an adult oriented cartoon???

True, the cartoon of Rocko’s Modern Life had some dirty Easter eggs in the background. Things like strategically placed initials of businesses that spell out bad words and other inside jokes. But properties like Disney and Warner Brothers have been guilty of the same thing for years. No, when I talk about RML being adult, I am talking about the overt subject matter.

When Rocko discovers that Conglom-o is trying to take over the world through some free enterprise sleight of hand, the protagonist goes on a rant. He tries to warn all of the citizens of O-Town of the dangers of capitalism. Earlier, there’s also some pretty unsubtle talk about the lack of privacy on social media. Plus, it’s not lost on this comic book reader that the Pi-Hole and it’s malfunctions is a satire of the many faults of Amazon’s all-purpose home assistant Alexa.

So with these cases in point, was the cartoon this comic is based on so brazen in it’s social commentary? I really don’t remember it being like this. Maybe I was too young to notice. Or maybe I have a good point!

Reboots are all the rage right now in the entertainment industry. Some of  these returning properties are aging right along with the viewers who grew up with them. Is that the plan of the editors at Kaboom!? If so, maybe they shouldn’t have released this series under the all-ages imprint of Kaboom!, but under the more adult oriented Boom! Studios.

I don’t really have a problem under which imprint that the put Rocko. But I do think that a lot of the social commentary in this storyline isn’t geared for an all-age audience. Let’s say all of the things covered in this tale was occurring in real life 25 years ago. If this story was done as a cartoon in 1993, I think my sister, who is 12 years younger than me, would have gotten a lot of laughs out of Rocko’s frantic behavior. But I don’t think she would have understood why he’s so upset about capitalism and data breaches.

This comic book doesn’t have a rating on it. The Kaboom imprint is supposed to be for a younger audience. But I wouldn’t go too young. I think readers under the age of 10 will enjoy the silly aspects. Those aged 11-15 might get some of the deeper concepts. But mom and dad, they’ll be the ones to get all the inside jokes. They’ll also feel old knowing that Rocko’s Modern Life debuted back when Bill Clinton was President, Nicktoons was a Saturday night rite of passage and Amazon was little more than a jungle in South America.

Rating: 7 out of 10 stars.

The Witch's Vacuum Cleaner and Other Stories by Terry Pratchett

• A Television set that sends viewers back to prehistoric times.
• An amateur wizard with a 400 year old toothache.
• The Hobbit; if told using a hot air balloon to travel with.
• A town in Wales that experiences a number of Wild West troubles after coal is found prompting a coal-rush.

     These are just a few of the tales found inside this collection of short stories by the late Terry Pratchett (Discworld.) This is the second such volume and it was a delight to read. All of these stories were written by Pratchett when he was a junior newspaper writer at the young age of 17. 

While none of Pratchett's characters from his dozens of Discworld novels appear in this book, you can see the wheels of creativity turning in the young writer's head. The stories of wizards and witches are precursors to Rincewind, the Wyrd Sisters, and other practitioners of magic. The Wild West Wales tales are early attempts at satire and parody. While his stories of wee people, time traveling appliances and rebellious ants are the foundations of Pratchett's mastery at word puns and using asterisks to convey additional humorous asides*.

Once again, reading something from Terry Pratchett has thrown me off my game. I just want to read more or his stuff everytime I get my hands on something of his (instead of my usual plan of just reading comic books.) Plus, I find myself trying to emulate him more and more in my writings. And that's quite a challenge as you aren't supposed to imitate other writers. Yet, I find that Terry Pratchett writes often how I think: witty, somewhat odd, and full of additional words because hey, I love the English language!

I adore how totally different words sound the same and have completely different meanings. I love how you can make puns out of those and I just marvel at how Terry Pratchett could do it and now be corny or dumb-sounding doing it. 

This book might be considered for younger readers because of the age at which Pratchett was when he wrote this. But I've found very little objectionable in Pratchett's Discworld series. So perhaps a 12-year old might enjoy Feet of Clay or The Hogfather. Besides, I know of writers in their 80s who wrote children books and nobody said that they could only write stories for the elderly to enjoy. (There's that Pratchett wit coming out of my head again...)

A great short story collection that has me looking for the first collection.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

*This aside, while not so much funny, is an example of what I was talking about previously.