Archie's Mad House Mayhem (2018 Halloween ComicFest)

Over the years of the Halloween ComicFest, the Archie Comics offerings have been a consistent contributor! This year's selection was no different! Well, almost...

First up is an adventure with Betty and Archie. They're biking when Betty's beloved cat jumps out of Betty's basket and runs into a supposed haunted house. Can the teens find the kitty or will Betty and Archie find something a little more sinister?

Then the Archie Gang run a community center Halloween party. Archie thinks he's going to be the main attraction, Frankenstein. But Reggie wheels and deals a way to be Frankie instead. Now Archie is put in a frumpy pumpkin party and now the clown of the party. Will Reg get away with his usual slimy tricks or will things turn out okay for the world's oldest red head?

Both stories were good fun. The haunted house story was actually a tiny bit spooky and gave me chills. The Frankenstein yarn was quite funny. But one thing was missing and to me, it was a big piece of the puzzle- Dan Parent!

Dan Parent is a master at Archie Comics stories. I don't know what it is but Parent plus Riverdale is magic. In terms of the stories themselves, they were really good. But with the artwork, there was something not so clean about it. It was kinda scratchy looking. Almost like it was photocopied but I couldn't find evidence of it. It's just not the clean work that I expect from Archie Comics. 

Though it wasn't 100% perfect, I was barely disappointed by this mini-comic special. If I had to choose, I'd still pick this one above all the other selections. When it comes to free comics at Halloween, Archie is still my pick!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Cursed Comics Cavalcade #1

This, the official 2018 Halloween special from DC Comics has it's roots in history. 

First is the amazing cover that pays homage to the EC Comics of the 1950s. EC is the benchmark for which all other horror anthologies are ranked. Nice work Doug Manke!

Then there's the title. Back in 1978, sales at DC were dismal and a slew of comic book titles were unmercifully cancelled. To finish up the titles' running story-lines and to finalize pay for the creators, artists and writers, a small hand full of ash cans titled 'Cancelled Comics Cavalcade' were produced. To find one of these two issues is to find a holy grail in which you'd have to mortgage a first child to be able to afford. If you were a fan of any of the books cancelled, it was a day full of horrors.

So that's where we get the cover and title of our book. What's inside is 10 spooky stories starring characters from the DC Universe. Some tales are set during Halloween; some are not. Just as the seasons vary, so do the quality of the stories. 

The Batman story involving horror-themed movies and the Robin/Solomon Grundy team-up are the best stories. Once again the Batman Family tales are the best. Is this because of some unfair bias on the part of DC to put better talent on these titles? Or are the Gotham City themed characters the best that DC has to offer?

In the almost perfect category is a New Orleans 1880s themed story starring Jason Blood and his counterpart, The Demon. Then there's a heartwarming tale starring Zatanna and her dad. Plus the Swamp Thing story was quite good though it was a bit too meta at times to thoroughly enjoy. 

The Black Lightning/Katana story was good but it wasn't great. For some reason, lately, nobody really seems to be able to do the character of Katana right. Black Lightning is obviously in this book because of his series of The CW. So why couldn't he have been given a solo story? Is it because Katana is currently a weak character? (I think she needs to show up on the TV show, but that's subject of a different review.)

Dragging up the rear was a poorly drawn Green Arrow feature that has a bunch of plot holes. Then there's the disappointing (because he's my favorite and this story sucked) Superman tale that have more holes in it than the Titanic. 

The Guy Gardner story was another tale that should have been better than it was. Plus, the art was a very pale imitation of the late Darwyn Cooke. And rounding out the book was....

And then there's that problematic Wonder Woman story. As if you could not tell, I forgot all about it and had to go back to see which story I was forgetting. It had great art. The monster was quite creepy. I was satisfied with the ending. Yet, I had completely forgot about this ghost tale.

Cursed Comics Cavalcade was a decent mix of horror themed adventures. But based on the title, I think it would have been cool to have had this special comprised of stories starring characters who were cancelled during the DC Implosion. Along with Black Lightning, we could have see scares starring Firestorm, Kamandi, Vixen, and Shade the Changing Man. To appease the DC Editors, you could still have a couple of Dark Knight capers as the anthology series Batman Family was cancelled during this time. 

It's a missed opportunity but hey, there's always next year! Come on, DC Comics! Give this idea a chance... if you dare!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

Kid Death & Fluffy Halloween Special #1

I am in no way familiar with the main character of Kid Death. He's a boy of 12 or so. He looks a lot like Sylvester P. Smythe, the janitor mascot of the long defunct Cracked Magazine. And he likes to kill and maim! Kid Death also has a pet dog named Fluffy. The dog is also quite ripe; having been dead for some time. And he's got a very dumb and very busty sister named Bubbles.

Everything I just described was what I gleamed from reading this Halloween special. My God, what have I read???

The story of this issue is as follows... Kid Death has to go to a Halloween party with his sister. It's being held the funeral home that a friend of Kid Death's sister's family owns. At the local funeral home, business is booming. That's because the owners are killing townsfolk and then charging a literal arm and leg for burial expenses. Will Kid Death, his dead dog and brain-dead sister make it out alive? Our serial killing gravediggers have no idea just who they've let in their doors.

I found this book over the summer in a bargain bin. I thought the (variant) cover by Jimmy Palmiotti (Harley Quinn) and John Cebollero was kinda cool. Kid Death is giving some classic horror monsters the biz. But this is one of those times where you never should judge a book by it's cover. 

This special from the Event Comics was as they used to say in 1990s Southern Baptist churches: it's was rude, crude, and social unexceptionable. Some Halloween special can be enjoyed by a wide array of age grows. That's true even if the book isn't rated All Ages. But that is not the case here. This Halloween comic is very gory. It's quite gross. And it's filled with some right-wing, anti-Semitic, anti-Catholic, and pro-pedophilic imagery. 

I'm sure that the creators behind this book from 1997 aren't really deep down racists. No- I haven't unraveled a Comicsgate conspiracy. This book was created over 20 years ago, during the height of Palmiotti and best bud (and regular cover artist) Joe Quesada's immature period. People change over time. Heck, I've actually started liking Joe Q after years of bashing the guy when he was in charge of Marvel. 

Speaking of change, 20 years ago, I might have been fawning all over this special. But I've mature a tiny bit and this book was just ick... So disappointed in this. After reading, I feel like I need to take a shower. 

Not Worth Consuming and no longer a part of my collection.

Rating: 2 out of 10 stars.

Scooby-Doo Team-Up #43

Scooby and the gang find themselves in the middle of a mystery right in the middle of the Doom Patrol’s headquarters. The world's strangest heroes have been constantly attacked by some of their most fearsome foes! Can Mystery Inc discover who's behind the assaults before time runs out for the Doom Patrol?

Sholly Fisch pens another instant classic in this, the latest issue of Scooby-Doo Team-Up. This story features both classic and modern cameos of friends and foes of one of my favorite DC superhero teams. But I won't reveal just who shows up as that might ruin the fun and surprises!

If you are a regular reader of Madman With a Book, you'll know that I absolutely adore Dario Brizuela’s stylization of the DC characters. Well Brizuela has really upped his game on several members of the Doom Patrol. Robotman looked so sleek and powerful. Elasti Girl was stunning. And we've got the mystery characters who really rocked. But what was going on with the stars of this title?

When it came to drawing the teen detectives, they didn't really match the DC characters very well. Velma and Daphne in particular had very thick ink lines compared to the svelte design of Robotman. Plus there were a couple of panels that looked pixelated. Normally, all of the characters have a very fluid design style. But in those other panels, they looked fuzzy; like somebody made copies from a 1990s Hewlett Packard printer.

One of the best stories out of the entire series. If only the art was consistent, this would be perhaps the best issue of them all. An almost perfect read.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Marvel Super Hero Adventures Halloween Spooktacular #1/Halloween ComicFest 2018 Part 4 (Family Comic Friday)

I have the best LCS in the world. When things get really busy and I overlook cool things to add to my pull list, they’re there to fill-in for my slack. And that’s the case with this week’s Family Comic Friday selection; an all-ages Halloween special. If it wasn’t for my guys at Books Do Furnish A Room, I would have missed out on the Marvel Super Hero Adventures Halloween Spooktacular #1.

After that review, we’ll conclude our look at the 2018 Halloween ComicFest mini comics with a preview of Top Shelf’s Johnny Boo and the Spooky Tree! ComicFest is this Saturday! Don’t forget to stop by your favorite comic shop for some free Halloween themed comics!

Marvel Super Hero Adventures Halloween Spooktacular #1
Art and stories by Ty Templeton, Jeff Loveness, and Jacob Chabot
Published by Marvel Comics
It’s been a while since Marvel Super Heroes Adventures has even been on my radar. Based on the epically vast toy line from Playskool and Disney cartoon series, MSHA offered all-ages adventures with all of your favorite superheroes. There was even Stan Lee as the mayor of the heroes’ hometown! Then about 2 or 3 years ago, Marvel and it’s partners just up and stopped the line without very much warning. But the franchise appears to be back!

The Halloween Spooktacular promises to be the first in a new line of specials based on MSHA. There’s a food and Thanksgiving related special coming out next month! But it’s October, so of course, that means some spooks and scares first!

Being an all-ages book, if I was to gauge the scariness of the overall book, I would give it a 2 out of 10. The Spider-Man story in which the webslinger is trying to scare a trio of pranksters was very goofy and pretty funny. Spidey is many things- a master scary-storyteller is not one of them. There was quite a few chuckles in that yarn.

It’s the second story that might be a little scary for some. It has Spidey and some friends touring the Sanctum Sanctorum of Doctor Strange. The Sorcerer Supreme’s home is filled with many magical things that look spooky. Also, the villains of the story, little purple demons with wings and big teeth, might be a little intimidating for the youngest of readers.

This special also features some fun and games. There’s a maze of Spider-Man’s mask, some hysterical parodies of the Sunday comics and much more. One thing that is going to make this comic much more rarer and more valuable in the future is an activity that has you cut out paper dolls in which to play with against Thanos! Many of these issues will be damaged due to that play theatre. Thus when kids grow up into adults and want to find this book as a way of capturing some bit of lost youth, it will be very hard to find an unspoiled copy without spending a little extra for it.

The one thing I was disappointed it was the editing. The table of contents for this issue is 100% wrong. It lists the Doctor Strange story as being on page 2. The scary stories of Spidey supposed to be on page 14. That’s actually switched in the contents of this comic. For some, this isn’t a big deal. But things like this make my brain itch.

The Marvel Super Hero Adventures Halloween Spooktacular was a fun surprise this week. It’s a great way to spend time with the Marvel young fan in your life as the holiday draws near. Two very funny stories; with a slight bit of intensity in the scare factor in one of them. I loved the cover, especially how the Hulk’s costume alludes to the fabled 1950s Spider-Man costume that made have inspired Marvel’s Steve Ditko in designing the wallcrawler! Plus fun activities to enjoy! You may want to buy 2 copies as one is sure to get damaged thanks to the craft project!

The Marvel Super Hero Adventures Halloween Spooktacular #1 debuted in print and digital formats on Wednesday October 24th, 2018!

This review was concurrently published on Outrightgeekery.com.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

Johnny Boo and the Scary Tree Mini-Comic #1

Written and illustrated James Kochalka
Published by Top Shelf
Rating: All-Ages
Code: JUL180059
Release Date: October 27, 2018
Price: Free, also comes in packs of 25 for trick-or-treaters at $4.99/ea.

Are you scared of scary stuff? Don't worry, Johnny Boo will keep you safe with BOO POWER! Being scared can be really fun... when you're the best little ghost in the world! It's a brand-new spooky adventure from the Eisner-Award-winning mind of James Kochalka!

Scooby-Doo Team-Up #39

The Mystery Gang travel back in time to help the Justice Society of America!

When a time capsule from World War II is unearthed, it unleashes a trio of demons. Doctor Fate needs the detectives to help recapture the entities and sends them back to the 1940s. 

Being that this was a story set in during the second World War, I liked seeing some of the classic JSA characters. But I feel like Sholly Fisch could have done more. Why didn't we see Sgt. Rock and the men of Easy Company? Where were the Blackhawks? The Kid Commandoes? We do get a cool cameo. But there were a lot of characters that could have been added. Maybe we'll see the war heroes popping up in the future!?

Scooby-Doo versus the Nazis and demons!? DC has really upped it's game for an all-ages comic book. Another reason that I love this series so very much.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.

The Tick 2018 Free Comic Book Day Edition

Another annual romp with The Tick and Arthur and friends. This edition focuses on some little known versions of Mighty Blue Justice.

Years ago in an unknown land, there's a King Tick whose life or death or whatever will result in the fall of his kingdom. Or maybe it will usher in a glorious new age. Apparently, this was some idea of Ben Edlund's that was hinted at during his initial run on The Tick but never came to pass until now.

Then we go back to land of Tick and Artie. This is an actual tick and an actual moth who are the heroes of the insect world. I own the Tick and Artie series, I just haven't gotten around to reading it yet. 

In between these alternate tales of The Tick, we've got a couple of regular universe stories. One involves Tick, a massive appetite for food AND justice and a hapless pizza guy. The other involves Tick being the best man at Rubber Duck's wedding to Bee. We get RD's origin story and some wedding rehearsal insanity. It is the classic type of Tick story I would expect from NEC.

AS I said, the wedding story was the best of all four. The first tale would have been better enjoyed if I understood the backstory a little more. The middle stories were okay. The pizza guy story had some funny moments but the art was amateurish for a NEC publication. The Tick and Artie story was amateurish but that's the point as the series is supposed to be thought up as a child would if they had to create adventures of a superhero dressed as a tick and a moth. Plus, it was a one-pager and not meant to be very thought provoking.

Based on the awesome cover, this issue was a little disappointing. Especially since this FCBD offering was supposed to build interest in the new Tick series that was debuting at about the same time as the annual comic lovers event. 

Yah- it's a free Tick comic book. Boo- it's not the best one ever offered by NEC. Not by far.

But as I feel about it like I feel with the band Queen, the worst song of theirs is better than no song at all. Just sub the word comic book in place of song.

Rating: 6 out of 10 stars.

Superman: The Earth Stealers

Set right in the middle of John Bryne's amazing run on Superman, this one-shot has the Man of Steel fighting for Truth, Justice and the Earthling-Way! 

Someone has stolen the earth from it's orbit. This mysterious entity is towing the former third rock from the sun to a giant processing plant in the farthest reaches of the galaxy. There, the earth will be stripped down for it's raw materials and the people of earth will be used as fuel for the planet killer's refineries. 

In order to save the earth, Superman agrees to a test of strength. However, his foes are also massive cheats as they've weakened the Man of Tomorrow by using red-sun lights as well as Superman's friends as bargaining chips.

The John Byrne era of Superman is like a fine wine. It's gotten better with age. In fact, most modern Superman fans agree that this is one of the best, if not the best, Superman runs. Byrne was obliviously a fan of Superman and it shows in stories such as this one. 

I don't think the post-Crisis Superman had ever been through such a test as The Earth Stealers. This one-shot really seals the deal with this rebooted Superman being an untapped resource of raw-energy. I remember fans being upset that Bryne made Superman not as strong as he was before the events of Crisis. But stories such as this showed that Superman wasn't a wimp but hero maturing in his powers. As a kid, I hated seeing Superman struggle. As an adult, I love watching Kal-El grow from Clark Kent into the Last Man from Krypton. 

An almost forgotten Superman classic from the 80s. Features a fantastic story from John Byrne, amazing art from master Superman artists Curt Swan and Jerry Ordway. This can be a dollar bin gem. You just have to look for it!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

What If Marvel Comics Went Metal With Ghost Rider? #1

Of the six What If one-shots arriving in stores this month, this one was the that I wasn't the most excited about. For one thing was the advanced description. Supposedly, the metal band that guests stars, Hassenwald, is a real group from Nordic country. But I can't find anything about them on Google. So I just couldn't understand the premise.

Had I left the advertised description alone and just used the cover to build up anticipation for the book, I'd be fine. I love the awesome Fury Road inspired cover by Aleksi Briclot (New Avengers). It's got the Robbie Reyes Rider playing a flaming guitar atop his sweet Dodge charger.

The story was actually pretty good, if you can get past the extremely confusing open pair of pages. The opener looks like some kind of table of contents for a real publication devoted to Hassenwald. The editorial on page two was the same way. But once you get to the actually story, everything changes…

Reyes is working as an intern for Marvel where editor C.B. Cebluski has him take the dark metal band on a tour of the studios. Hassenwald is doing a special issue with Marvel. A la KISS, the band mates want to publish the issue with their blood as ink. Little does the house of ideas know that Hassenwald’s motives will usher in the reign of a dark lord of unspeakable evil.

Other than what I have seen on Agents of SHIELD, I'm not very familiar with the Reyes Ghost Rider. I highly doubt he is an intern at Marvel in the comics. But I wouldn't have a problem if he did. Having real and fictitious characters playing parts of the story is a time honored tradition at Marvel. In fact one of the first What If stories examined what would it be like if Stan Lee, Jack Kirby and others actually were the Fantastic Four. So I really loved this element of the comic.

I was also a fan of the art. Marvel has been getting a lot of flak for some of the new artists the publisher has been bringing into the fold. I'd have to agree with the current artwork for the current Avengers title advertised in this issue. It's not good- everybody looks bloated and the normally stunning She-Hulk is a complete mess.

But I liked the art of Caspar Wijngaard (Limbo). Wijngaard’s Ghost Rider looks almost exactly like he does on live TV. Well, except for the head. But that looks freaking cool as well. It's like the Rider is wearing a skull helmet over his flaming skull head!

Speaking of the Rider, I don't know if it's canon, but I liked the dynamic between him and Reyes. I don't know if you have seen the new Venom movie, but one of the best parts in the interaction between Eddie Brock and the Symbiote inside Eddie's head. That's done the same way here and I love it!

This one-shot turned out a lot better than I expected. It wasn't perfect but it made for a great read. Another thing What If is known for is for it's events coming true. Both Spider-Girl and the Jane Foster Thor had their beginning in the pages of What If. I would love if the ending to this issue became a  mini or 12-issue maxiseries.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars!

Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #1/Halloween ComicFest 2018 Week 3 (Family Comic Friday)

Your favorite green amphibians have returned to the small screen with the new Nickelodeon cartoon Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. For those of you who just can’t get enough Turtle Power, IDW Publishing has just released a new all-ages comic based on the series. In this week’s Family Comic Friday, we review the first issue and judge how it compares to the original series moms and dads grew up with in the 80s!

Then we’ll continue our 5 part look at the mini-comics being offered at this year’s Halloween ComicFest. We got a few complaints that last week’s preview wasn’t Halloween themed. Well, you’ll just have to get upset again this week! See, IDW’s releasing a Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles mini-comics for this year’s festivities. It just seemed wrong not to tie it in with our review of the regular series. Plus, this book also is being released in 25-pack polypack bundles for those wanting to give away comic books for trick-or-treating. This preview might help those of you not able to make Comicfest be able to score a TMNT mini on All Hallow’s Eve. So bear with us, we’ll have a spooky themed preview lined up next week. Promise!

Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #1

Written by Matthew K. Manning
Art by Chad Thomas
Cover by Andy Sunano
Published by IDW Publishing

I was very excited when I found out about this comic coming out this week. I actually bumped my intended pick for this week’s review when I saw that Matthew K. Manning was writing it. Manning did the scripts for the fantastic Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Adventures crossover. That 2016-2017 miniseries was a classic. It had the feel (and the look) of both the Batman: The Animated Series and the original Ninja Turtles cartoon. When it comes to The Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, I have no idea what I just read…

Rise is not just completely different from the original cartoon, it doesn’t even resemble the original Eastman and Laird comics that inspired the TV show. True, all four turtles are here. But instead of all being of the same species of turtle, Raphael is a snapping turtle while Donatello is a soft-shelled turtle. I don’t know about you, but being a ninja without a hard shell seems like a bad idea to me.

Then we have the issue with the villain. It’s NOT Shredder! Instead we have an alchemist warrior mutant named Baron Draxum. I understand that to have Shredder right now would probably keep this version of the Turtles from being a fresh reboot.

But this new series doesn’t just reboot; it retcons. Instead of Shredder being the creator of the Turtles, this Draxum fella is their maker. That correction ruins some of the backstory of the series. Here, Baron Draxum seems to have created the Turtles as a sort of lab experiment. He throws all sorts of mutant foes at the Turtles in order for Draxum to better create an army of baddies. Instead of doing his experiments in hiding, why doesn’t Draxum just have the Turtles in a controlled environment and have them fight in an arena every time this new foe makes a mutant?

By not having Shredder or his motivation of revenge against the Turtles’ adoptive father Splinter, you don’t really need the rat sensei. In fact, Splinter isn’t even in this comic. While he was missed, without the right arch-enemy, he wasn’t needed.

I kinda felt that April O’Neil was missing too. In this series, she is portrayed as an African American girl. While many readers will obvious have fits with this, I did not. What I did not like was that instead of an intrepid reporter investigating rumors of sewer monsters, April is now a weird amalgam of Casey Jones. She’s now of a street fighter and not a street reporter.
A lot of characters in Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are mixed up versions of classic Turtles characters. In this issue, the character of Man-Bun was a combination of Stan Sakai’s Yosagi Yojimbo and Baxter Stockman. I liked the individual elements that Man-Bun represented. But put together, it was a mix of honorable hero and spineless wimp that just didn’t gel right.

I am also rather mixed with the artwork. Baron Draxum actually looks pretty cool. But when it comes to the Turtles, Leonardo and Michelangelo look retro-awesome and Donatello and Raphael look like emerald colored Lucha Libre. You can’t really blame Chad Thomas for the uneven character designs of the established characters. That was all done months in advance by the series’ animation team. Man-Bun seemed to be the only original character here and I did like how he was drawn. So, majors props to Thomas on the character.


If parents and guardians, who were fans of the original, expect to answer questions about characters and history of origin, they might want to do some research. This is not the Turtles you grew up with. Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles has action and adventure that should delight to young fans. Unfortunately, it’s missing some key characters to advance the story. As much as I hate the character, you wouldn’t reboot Superman without Lex Luthor now would ya?

Just as Superman needs a bald business man to fight, the Ninja Turtles must battle Shredder! It’s like an unwritten rule. A rule that was broken, sadly.

Rating: 6 out of 10 stars.

Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #1 debuted in print and digital platforms on October 17th, 2018.

This review was concurrently published on Outrightgeekery.com.

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Halloween ComicFest 2018 Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Minicomic #1
Written by Dale Malinowski
Art by Andy Suriano, Ida Hem, Brandon Cuellar
Published by IDW Publishing

The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles reinvent the meaning of "fast food" as they chase after the diabolical Meat Sweats who has just stolen a pizza truck! 

Rating: All Ages.
Code: JUL180060
SRP: Free. Trick-or-treat 25-issue polypacks are $4.99 each.

Archie Comics is never shy to celebrate the seasons with a holiday special! Fans of Archie can enjoy a trio of Halloween tales starring your favorite residents of Riverdale. Plus, there's an in-depth guide on how to throw the perfect trick-or-treat bash thanks to your hosts Betty and Veronica.

Archie Halloween Spectacular

Stories by Dan Parent
Art by Bill Golliher, Jeff Shultz, Bill Galvan and Dan Parent

A couple of years ago when Archie Comics rebooted the franchise with a new series by Mark Waid and Fiona Staples, fans like myself thought it was a bad idea. Honestly, we all thought classic Archie was dead. I must say that I was wrong.

The retooling for a more adult audience was a masterful stroke at testing the future of the franchise. Along with the new Archie series, the publisher released Afterlife With Archie. This more adult oriented horror line proved that the normally family friendly line of comics could expand into more grown-up situations. With this success, Archie was ready for the next logical step- live action TV. All of a sudden, there was a hit drama TV-series on The CW based on a red-headed teen who can't decide between the blonde or the brunette.

While it looked like Archie Comics was going to stay modern, the publisher made the next smart move- it went retro. The classic look and feel that countless generations of Archie readers grew up with returned to print. While I'm not big on the new Archie stuff, except for the horror titles, I do love me some Classic Archie!

That's why I bought this book yesterday. In fact, my purchase was an impulse buy at the register. I had missed that Archie Comics was doing a Halloween special. I knew that they've got a couple of freebies coming out with this year's Halloween ComicFest. But it had not alerted me to the release of this book. But seeing a classic style Archie and the gang dressed as an array of characters such as a cave-girl and a Hersey bar, I just could not resist it's charms!

I really love Dan Parent's take on Archie. His stories are timelessly fun and yet he adds small touches that subtlety modernizes the tale. From Archie disappearing inside a creepy house to Betty and Veronica acting out a 'wicked' play, it's all classic Archie!

Whether or not the stories in this book are reprints or not is beyond me- and that's OKAY! Normally, publishers will tell you which issues a story was reprinted from. This issue doesn't but it's released under the Classic Archie line of Archie Comics.

For the cover price of $2.99, I got more joy out of this book than that of the Distinguished Competition who charged $4.99 for their 2018 Halloween reprint special. The Archie Halloween Spectacular just felt right at home. It's how a holiday special should be: bringing tricks and treats without the stress of everyday life. For example when Jughead's sister, Jellybean, finishes trick-or-treating she heads to Pop's to count her loot. She doesn't go to Riverdale Hospital to have her candy x-rayed like you'd see in a Marvel Halloween book!

If you love Halloween or holiday comics or Archie-OR ALL THREE!- this is the perfect book for you. Though this special dropped over a week ago, there's still copies for sale at your LCS! Bring home a timeless classic franchise and get to reading. Then follow the directions in the back of the book on how to have the perfect Halloween party the entire neighborhood will be talking about until the next Halloween.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Archie Halloween Spectacular debuted in print and digital formats on October 10, 2018.

You Are Deadpool #5

After your time-travelling adventures in issues #2,3 and 4, you, as Deadpool, have made it to issue #5. Here, all of your running around in the Marvel Universe timeline has created a seemingly infinite number of Wade Wilsons. Now in order to finish the game you have to unravel some of the mess made to the timeline.

You will need a calculator for this issue of You Are Deadpool. There's some serious math to be done and using fingers and toes will not get this job done.

My least favorite issue of the miniseries/RPG adventure. Like I said, there is some quite difficult mathematics to be done in this final issue. It felt a little bit lit algebra and I really hate algebra. 

Thankfully, there are some very funny moments thanks to writer Al Ewing. Plus Aco's art is second to none. It's just that this last chapter, LEVEL was quite complicated. Maybe if I get around to playing You Are Deadpool again, I will enjoy the ending a little more now that I have some experience with it. 

Rating: 6 out of 10 stars.

You are Deadpool #2-4

Generally, when I review a series, I read each book in order. Then I post my reviews of the individual issues in order starting with issue #1. I then review all of the numbered issues until I reach the final issue. However with You Are Deadpool issues #2-4, I can't do that.

You Are Deadpool is a RPG comic book. Based on your score in the first issue, you then proceed to issues #2, 3 or 4. If your score is not in the right range, you may not get to issue #2 until you score enough points in issue #4. Also, there are certain special items that would benefit you if you don't do the issues in order. Being that You are Deadpool is a game, you also might have to go in a different order in order to win. 

Yes- in You Are Deadpool, you can die and have to start over as well...

Since I do not want to ruin the fun of game play, here's a general overview of issues #2,3, and 4...

Issue #2: Due to the time machine device you stole in the first issue, you end up in the 1960s. Here you must find the proper fuel in order to re-power the device in hopes of getting back to the future. Your travels will put you either at the origin story of the Fantastic Four or the Incredible Hulk or face-to-face discussing art appreciation with Grasshopper Man?!

Issue #3: Due to the time machine device you stole in the first issue, you end up in the supernatural swamps of the 1970s. Here you must collect a certain number of mystical gems in order to transport yourself through a magical portal in the heart of the swamp. But be careful- if you don't have enough gems, you die and have to start over. Featuring appearances by Man-Thing, a jive-talking eye-patchless Nick Fury and a face-to-face battle with Richard Nixon's minion, Grasshopper Man?!

Issue #3:  Due to the time machine device you stole in the first issue, you end up in the corporate raiding 1980s. Just as you are admiring the Big Apple before Disney got a hold of it, your time device is stolen. In order to get it back, here you run afoul of gritty superheroes such as Daredevil and the Punisher and a souped-out Grasshopper Man?!

I really enjoyed these levels of game play by Al Ewing and Aco. This is the type of Deadpool insanity I have been missing since Wade Wilson became a baddie again thanks to stupid ole' Secret Empire. My favorite issue was the issue #3. I like the 1960s Marvel era very much. But I grew up reading the 70s stuff with it's madcap titles such as Master of Kung-Fu and Werewolf by Night. The 80s was a hit-or-miss time for me when it comes to Marvel and so I wasn't such a fan of that book. Still, this was a lot of fun to read and play and unlike some of those Choose Your Own Adventure books, I actually went back a few times and did the other scenarios to see how things would play out. 

Issue #2- Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.
Issue #3- Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.
Issue #4- Rating: 7 out of 10 stars.
Average rating: 8.333 out of 10 stars,

What If? Peter Parker Became The Punisher? #1

For the month of October, the alternate timeline comic What If? returns in a series of one-shots. In this issue, the question 'What If Peter Parker Became the Punisher?' is explored. 

For those of all wondering why put Peter Parker in the role of the Punisher, let me explain why it's not such a far-off idea. First of all, the Punisher originated in the pages of Amazing Spider-Man (#129, the Holy Grail of comics for those Coyote Ugly fans out there) as a villain of Spidey. Secondly, when Spider-Man first decides to fight evil-doers, he questions whether to do it out of justice or revenge. In his origin story, Spider-Man chooses justice. But what if he choose the path of murderous vengeance instead?

This is one of those few times where I read a comic, rated it in my head, did some research and then gave the book a higher rating. My issue with the story was that Peter Parker went dark from the very beginning. Before fighting crime, Parker went on TV as a celebrity wall-crawler to make money for his ailing caretakers. It's not until his Uncle Ben was murdered in response to Parker's selfish actions that Spider-Man becomes a superhero. To have Spidey wearing the Punisher's skull on his costume  before Ben's death didn't make any sense. So I went back over the first couple of pages again.

In this alternate tale, Peter is bitten by a radioactive 'false widow' spider, in which he obtains his spider-like powers from. The spider in this story has what looks like a skull on it's back. I decided to google this spider and there really is a false widow spider! And this spider will sometimes have markings that looks like a skull on it's back!!! So, I upped my rating of this book from a 6 to an 8.

One thing that prevented me from going any further in my ratings adjustment is the lack of a host. Both the original, 90s revivial and other one-shot What Ifs have had the Watcher as the host, guide and sometimes narrator of the title. I know that currently, the Watcher is dead. But it's not the same What If? without him. Couldn't Marvel have used one of Uatu's kind? Or even have the new Watcher, Nick Fury hosting this issue? Either would have been better than no host as all.

This one-shot was pretty good. With real-life science, this is a great example of the scope of science fiction storytelling. However, this modern version is missing that X-factor (and I am not talking mutants here) that could have made this story an all-time classic What If.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

Tales From Vader's Castle #1/ Halloween ComicFest 2018 Week 2 (Family Comic Friday)

Welcome to Family Comic Friday. Here we explore kid friendly titles that the whole family can enjoy. This week we look at IDW’s 5-issue miniseries Star Wars Adventures: Tales From Vader’s Castle. This weekly mini is a month-long countdown to Halloween with spooky tales from all realms of the Star Wars franchise.

Then we continue our month-long look at the Halloween Comicfest mini comics that will be given away for free on October 27th in a comic book store near you. This week we will preview a few pages from Rocky and Bullwinkle Adventures. But first…

A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away…

Star Wars Adventures: Tales From Vader’s Castle #2
Written by Cavan Scott
Art by Derek Charm with Kelley Jones
Published by IDW Publishing

When a Rebellion ship crash lands on the lava planet of Mustafar, the crew must decide whether to venture to the nearest Imperial outpost for help or burn alive inside the wreckage. As the ship’s crew debates their actions, survivors recount spooky tales from their travels across the war torn galaxy. In this week’s issue, a battle between Obi-Wan Kenobi, Count Dooku and what can only be described as a were-mynock.

I started on this series too late last week to cover it for that edition of Family Comic Friday. (For that issue’s review, click here.) But since Tales From Vader’s Castle is a 5-week long miniseries, I had a second chance to feature this horror-themed title. Several publishers are taking advantage of the fact that Halloween falls on a Wednesday this year. DC is doing a crossover with Wonder Woman and Justice League Dark. Marvel is doing another series of What If…

However, with both of those titles, the ratings are listed for teens and older readers. Tales From Vader’s Castle is all-ages fun. Last week was an old fashioned ghost story. This week it’s a monster mash. Next week promises to have Han and Chewie running afoul of a witch.

I love that Disney and Lucasfilm have found a way to tie in Halloween with Star Wars thanks to this clever miniseries. This isn’t the first time Star Wars delved into all-ages scares. In the late 90s, a number of chapter books were published under the series title ‘Galaxy of Fear.’ But the series was not published as a Halloween miniseries.

I also like how IDW is covering all of the realms of the Star Wars franchise. For example, next week’s issue features the Solo Story version of Chewbacca and Han Solo. All of the stories are written by Cavan Scott (Doctor Who and the Supremacy of the Cybermen) and framing artwork by regular Star Wars Adventures series artist Derek Charm. The featured stories are pencilled by some of the best horror-masters in the industry such as Robert Hack and Charles Paul Wilson, III.

This week’s featured artist is Kelley Scott. Scott has done a number of horror-themed works such as the Invisible Man miniseries Batman: Unseen and a scraped Len Wein opener published in the Swamp Thing Winter Special. Kelley Scott has a kind of style that is like looking in a funhouse mirror. The features are slightly distorted and it makes for creepier looking characters.

Using Count Dooku for a monster tale was brilliant. Count Dooku was portrayed by the late Christopher Lee. Many don’t realize that next to Bela Lugosi, Lee was considered the definitive actor to play Count Dracula. Kelley Jones does an amazing job rendering the late actor as Dooku in this tale that was surely inspired by Dracula and Wolfman films from the past century.

Some scenes in this issue may be too intense for young readers. But if your household is already watching Star Wars, Tales From Vader’s Castle is a great way to countdown to All Hallow’s Eve. I would have liked for this series to have been hosted by the Dark Lord himself, Darth Vader. This series is named after him after all. But otherwise, this has been a series fun of seasonally fun scares.

Issue #2 debuted in stores and digital platforms on Wednesday, October 10, 2018. Issue #3 drops on October 17th.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.

Rocky and Bullwinkle Adventures #1 (Halloween ComicFest 2018 mini comic)
Publisher: American Mythology
Rated: All Ages
Price: Free and comes in 25-issue mini packs for $4.99 each
Date: October 27, 2018
Code: JUL180055

Hey Rocky, watch me pull a rabbit outta my hat. Presto! This Halloween we are celebrating the return of Rocky & Bullwinkle to cartoons in the new Amazon Prime animated series. To help introduce new generations of fans and readers to everyone's favorite Wossamotta U graduate, we're giving you the Halloween treats with a fantastic mini comic featuring classic adventures of the whole R&B gang - Rocky, Boris, Natacha, Dudley Do-Right, Peabody & Sherman, and moose-about-town, Bullwinkle!

This review was concurrently posted on Outrightgeekery.com.