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!
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