Pink Panther: Classic Christmas #1 (Family Comics Friday)

It’s officially the holiday season and Family Comic Friday knows how to celebrate. For the next 4 weeks, we’ll be reviewing new holiday specials that are perfect for the whole family. And do we have the purr-fect way to start- it’s Pink Panther: Classic Christmas #1.

Pink Panther: Classic Christmas #1Written and Illustrated by Warren Tufts
Published by American Mythology
Cover Price: $3.99

Though they have been around for just a few years, when it comes to classic comics, American Mythology has been up there on my list of great publishers.I that very small window of time, they’ve managed to pick up an impressive inventory of licensed properties. Zorro, Stargate, The Three Stooges, and the Edgar Rice Burroughs Estate are some examples of franchises that it takes some publishers decades to built up a reputation in order to obtain rights to create comic books about.

Perhaps the franchises that I have been the most excited about are those based around classic kids cartoons. In October, I sang the praises of AMP’s newest series Casper’s Ghost Land. Well today, I am looking at another classic kids property- The Pink Panther!

Pink Panther didn’t originally start out as all-ages fun. At first, Pink Panther wasn’t even a cat. Instead, it was a pink jewel with a flaw in it that looked like a panther when viewed up close. The ever bumbling Inspector Clouseau was in charge of protecting the diamond from a cat burglar. Even though the gem wasn’t in all of the film directed by Blake Edwards, the name ‘Pink Panther’ stuck around in almost every sequel except for two entries.

The Pink Panther films were pretty bawdy for their time. Yet, the cartoon feline became a family cartoon thanks to the popularity of the animated opening and closing segments of the movies which featured a cartoon Inspector Clouseau being stymied by the Pink Panther. Eventually, the Panther branched out into a series of award-winning animated shorts. By 1969, the character was given his own TV show.

Pink Panther was so popular that in the 1970s and early 80s, the toons were still airing on TV. A number of items such as dolls, art kits and even home insulation were being licensed with the rose colored pussy cat’s image. And that’s where this comic book fits in.

Pink Panther: Classic Christmas reprints a long-lost issue of the Pink Panther comic from 1978-79. The issue, #60, was published by Gold Key, a legendary comic book publisher that has been long defunct. The book published a comic book adaptation of the 1978 animated TV Christmas special, Pink Christmas.

In both the comic and the cartoon, Panther is homeless, cold and hungry. A number of episodes involve the character trying to find something to eat to no success. When he finds a Santa Claus uniform, the Panther’s luck changes as a department store desperate for a Kris Kringle hires him on the spot. But alas, that is all for naught when the Pink Panther is overcome by his empty stomach and the smell of fresh baked gingerbread. Can this poor puss ever catch a break on a snowy Christmas Eve?

Written and illustrated by Warren Tufts (Challenge of the Super Friends), I thoroughly enjoyed this trip down memory lane. While I do not remember the animate holiday special that this story was based on, the art and slapstick was pure Pink Panther. It’s exactly how I remembered that show- almost.

In this comic, the Pink Panther talks! Up until the 1990s, Pink Panther was mute. I was able to find Pink Christmas on Youtube and with the exception of sound effects, the entire episode is without dialogue. I’m not sure why the author or publisher decided to have all of the characters talking in this. But I am sure that it has something to do with quality. For a comic book reader such as myself, a comic book without any words feels like a gyp. And this isn’t a new thing, I’ve felt this way for a very long time.

I am completely okay with the addition of a voice to the Pink Panther. It just wasn’t something I was expecting. However, I think having the dialogue helped me to enjoy this book a little better. Even with the talking, this is an extremely quick read. But I got to enjoy it’s magic for just a little bit longer thanks to the words included with the pictures.

This is a holiday special from long ago. When comic books used the word ‘Christmas’ on the cover. When coloring was done in four-colors with micro-sized dots. When if was fun to be a kid. This is what classic comics were like for me and I am so thankful American Mythology has decided to share this lost treasure with a new generation! Though this comic book is not rated- it’s something that the entire family can read together and enjoy!

Pink Panther: Classic Christmas #1 debuted in print and digital media on November 28th, 2018.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

This review was concurrently published on Outrightgeekery.com.

They Made A Christmas Album?: My Advent for 2018

This year's Advent theme involves music. This past year has seen my wife and I burning through the playlists on Songpop2. Inspired by some very wacky holiday selections found on the game, I decided to focus this year's countdown to Christmas on carols done by performers that you usually don't think of Christmas artists.

Some of the songs are just absolute garbage. Some are actually really good. It's not so much the oddity of the song being chosen as it's who is singing it that just seems strange. But wait till December 23rd's selection- it's really, really weird. And perhaps a little NSFW.

So tune in back here tomorrow for the first selection of Advent 2018: They Made a Christmas Album? No, you won't find Bing, Elvis or Mariah in these postings. But hopefully, each day will be filled with a small touch of holiday cheer... or at least kitsch.

Doctor Who: The 12th Doctor #16

The Doctor and Clara are about to celebrate the holidays whether they want to or not. In classic fashion, the TARDIS has taken her crew to the most mysterious setting of all- festive holiday party. Everything looks straight out of a Hallmark Channel Movie. That is until Susan, the long lost granddaughter of the Doctor appears bearing a cup of eggnog and Christmas cheer.

Found in a grab bag, this comic book was a pleasant surprise. A perfect read, especially for fans of both the classic and modern series. Mariano Laclaustra was on point with the artwork in this special. There's so many Easter eggs, you forget it's a Christmas special!

Cavan Scott (Star Wars Adventures: Tales From Vader's Castle) and George Mann (Tomorrowland) pull out all the stops in this story which is a sequel to a First Doctor story. Nope- I'm not telling which. 

In a year which will not see a Doctor Who Christmas special, this 2015 adventure is a much needed boost of Time Lord holiday fun!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars!

World of Archie Double Digest #53

What a fun way to start off my holiday 2018 comic book readings! Starring Archie and the gang in a number of Christmas and winter themed stories. Featuring works by Dan Parent (the Master of Archie Holiday stories), Dan DeCarlo, Pat Kennedy and many more. 

The only issue I have with the Christmas annual is the middle content. It's very funny, classic Archie material. But it's not Christmas! With over 75 years of stories, you'd think that a holiday themed double digest would be filled with 100% holiday material. If you were afraid of running out of Christmas stories, then at least have all of the non-holiday stories be set during the Winter. I am sure there's plenty of those types of tales. 

A very fun read. A great thrift story bargain for only a buck. I just wish their was more seasonally appropriate material contained within.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

Marvel Zombie #1

This is one of those titles where when I saw the premise, I slapped myself in the head and was like 'why didn't I think of that!’

Back in the 1970s when the Comics Code eased the restrictions on horror comics,
Marvel bought the rights for the word zombie. They then quickly put out a comics black
and white magazine called Tales of the Zombie. It follows a young man named Simon
Garth whose turned into one of the undead by a voodoo priest. But unlike most
Zombies, Garth retains a small vestige of his humanity and becomes a wandering enemy
against practitioners of the dark arts.

Tales of the Zombie lasted only 10 issues. Marvel's trademark on the word ‘ zombie’ was
found to be too vast to litigate misuse. Any legal claim was soon forfeited. But what about
Simon Garth? Did Marvel give up on him too?

Marvel's original Zombie has come and gone over the years. Garth has appeared in
several team-ups titles and even had a miniseries and a chance at being one of the
Howling Commandos unit of SHIELD monsters. He even popped up in the fourth series of
Marvel Zombies. Only he wasn't really the Zombie old timers like myself grew up with---
until now!

This one-shot takes place sometime after God knows which latest chapter in the Marvel
Zombies series. Manhattan's remaining few is protected by just a small handful of
superheroes lead by Daredevil. Recon by Falcon is showing the zombie horde about to
prepare a final offensive when one of the child survivors befriends one of the walking dead
and allows it into camp.

It's Simon Garth and the heroes are quick to notice that due to a mysterious talisman worn
by him, thezombie can be controlled. Seeing their one chance at survival, the heroes are
going to make Simon into a suicide bomber of sorts! But will destroying such a gentle
creature as Simon turn the heroes into an even more uncanny monster than the dead
that stalk them?

This was a really good story. It had an insane ending. But it was jammed packed with action,
excitement and brains. I enjoy the art work by Stefano Raffaele and I didn't want this story
to end! Of course, this being the Marvel Zombies franchise, it's not going to end anytime
soon.

One of the best Marvel stories I have read in a year that has been more of a downer for
the House of Ideas than a plus.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Captain Universe: Power Unimaginable

Collecting the almost very first adventures of Captain Universe- the superhero who could be you! 

This volume features the Bill Mantlo/Steve Ditko creation that debuted in the pages of Micronauts. Since Marvel no longer owns the rights to that property, the first storyline is missing from this book. It seems really weird to me. The Micronauts are referred to several times in the stories collected and in at least one of them, there are characters from the Micronauts seen in panels recalling Captain Universe's origin. Surely, Marvel could have worked out some sort of licensing agreement to have had those books added to this assemblage.

I bought this book because of the reprinted stories from Marvel Spotlight. I figured paying less than $7.00 cover price (Check your local Ollie's for this book!) was going to be cheaper than finding those 3 issues from the early 70s. It was a very good gamble as I enjoyed almost the entire book.

The concept behind Captain Universe was that there's the sentient power called the Unipower. It bestows itself upon random people in need of superhero assistance. From a small child to a pair of twins, the Unipower wasn't prejudiced. The best story involves Bruce Banner being stripped from his Hulk persona and becoming Captain Universe. While fighting his mean green alter-ego, Banner must also stop a nuclear missile from being launched on the Soviet Union!

My least favorite story was the last one. It sorta reboots the character and ends on a cliffhanger. I wouldn't mind either if Marvel ever published a second volume. As this book debuted in 2005 and a quick Amazon search doesn't show a sequel, I ended this amazing read a little unfulfilled. 

Another thing that might make you feel like you are missing something is that some of these stories are from Web of Spider-Man. Other than an off-panel cameo of Peter Parker, the wall-crawler is absent from this book. Do not expect this book to be the jewel of your Spidey collection.

But for someone like myself who didn't any of the books or stories reprinted (except for the Marvel Fanfare beauty), this is a great collection of adventures. I love the Steve Ditko art and it's kinda fitting to read this now as he passed away earlier this year. Plus it features work from the great Bill Mantlo whose career, but not life, was cut way too short by a hit-and-run driver.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

Hawkeye Vs. Deadpool

It's Halloween and Hawkeye isn't giving out the king sized Snickers this year.
Even worse, a desperate man shows up at his door in need of help from an
Avenger. Unfortunately, Clint Barton thinks the guy is a whack job and slams
the door in his face.

Shortly thereafter, the desperate man runs into Deadpool who's trick-or-treating

with his daughter Ellie. During that confrontation, the guy slips a data stick into

Wade's bucket right before being grisly murdered by The Punisher!?

Upon learning that the zip drive has the key to unlocking information of all

clandestined SHIELD agents, Deadpool and Hawkeye and Hawkeye team up

to find out who killed the whistleblower. Along the way they hope to recover the

stolen data. But making things difficult is the addition of Felicia Hardy, the Black

Cat and her legion of brain controlled minions dressed as superherooes. They

want the data too!

Hawkeye Vs Deadpool was another hilarious romp by Gerry Duggan. Along with

being extremely funny, it was a great cat and mouse story in the vein of 1960s era

spy movies. The addition of a second zip drive was a little bit confusing. But it was necessary for the development of the plot.

One thing I wish was that I had known if it was a Halloween set story. I would

have read this in October instead of just now. I love the very meta moment in

which the Kate Bishop Hawkeye dresses as Hawkeye from M*A*S*H*. It took

me a couple of minutes to catch on but when I got it, I was in awe of the brilliance.

When I need a pick me up, Deadpool is a good source of enjoyment and cheer.

Deadpool and the Hawkeye's make a great team up. However there was one

nagging nit that annoyed me end.

In this story, Clint Barton is deaf due to a previous encounter. He says from just

about the very beginning that he can only read lips. Yet there are countless panels

in which he is seen conversing with other characters but he's not looking at their

faces!!! If you are going to constantly remind the reader that Hawkeye can't hear

what Deadpool is saying when he wears his mask then you can't pick and

choose what Hawkeye hears! Consistency, people!

A funny read full of action and espionage. But it's got a major plot hole running

throughout. I'm a little disappointed in you Gerry Duggan. I know you are the

writer but you have a keen eye on detail. How did you miss the Hawkeye lip

reading goofs in Matteo Lolli and Jacopo Camagni's art? If all three of you would

like to try to get it right a second time in a sequel, I'll allow it. I'm sure the rest of

the Deadpool and Hawkeye legions of fans would eagerly agree.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

Rugrats: C is for Chanukah

I hope everyone had a fantastic Thanksgiving. Now that we’re done with the turkey and football, parades and such, it’s time for Family Comic Friday to focus on the holidays This week we begin reviewing  holiday specials for 2018. But before we get ready for a visit from Santa, we must get ready for the festival of lights. To help us, we’ve got some little tykes with big imaginations. It’s Kaboom’s Rugrats: C is for Chanukah.

Rugrats: C is For ChanukahWritten by Daniel Kibblesmith, Cullen Crawford
Illustrated by Kate Sherron
Published by Kaboom! Studios.

(Note: There are dozens of ways to spell Chanukah. I will be using ‘Hanukkah’ as my family spells it during our traditional festivities, unless referring to the title of the book.)

I was absolutely thrilled when I first heard about this comic. To my knowledge, there’s never been a Hanukkah special. There’s been Hanukkah stories in the pages of DC, Marvel and even Archie holiday specials. But as far as I can tell C is for Chanukah is the first of its kind. (At least from a major publisher.)  I’m sure that this has made Mr. Adam Sandler’s day and eight crazy nights!

Rugrats is the perfect vehicle to introduce people to Hanukkah. In 1995, the Snick cartoon made history introducing millions to the Jewish holiday of Passover with 1995’s A Rugrats Passover. Now Tommy, Chuckie, Angelica and the twins Phil and Lil introduce the miracle of Hanukkah to families in this hilarious special.

The kids and their families embark in a week-long winter vacation. Watching the Reptar Chanukah Special, Tommy and friends get a very weird education into the holiday’s origins. Thus during this vacay, Tommy’s grandparents, the Kropotkin’s decide it’s the right time to start teaching the kids about Hanukkah.

Unfortunately, Mr. Kropotkin isn’t exactly the best storyteller and he tells the babies of a golem monster that eats bad little children when the lights go off. Thus, Tommy and friends decide to go on the offensive. With flashlights in hand, can the Rugrats survive 8 whole nights with a Hanukkah monster on the loose? Where’s Reptar when you need him?!

One of the best things about the Rugrats cartoon was how the babies got things wrong and try to solve their dilemmas with their overactive imaginations. Writers Daniel Kibblesmith (Valiant High) and Cullen Crawford do a fantastic job capturing that sense of wonder in this book. I wouldn’t be surprised if Nickelodeon decided to adapt this book into a 30-minute animated special. I would watch it!

The book was laugh-out-loud funny! The dialogue was perfect. Thankfully, Chuckie’s very annoying father, Chaz, has a part of this story that was kept to a minimum. I’m also glad that the Christmas Vs. Hanukkah rivalry between Tommy’s grandfathers wasn’t as big a deal as the trade solicitations advertised it as being. I think that would have minimized the importance of Hanukkah.

I loved the art in this book as well. Artist Kate Sherron (Amazing World of Gumball) does a fabulous job making everybody look like their 1990s counterparts. But I also appreciate how the artist renders the Reptar TV special and the children’s daydreams in different art styles to keep the excitement fresh and engrossing.

I really wanted to personally own a copy of this book. Holiday comics are one of my favorite things to collect and read. C is for Chanukah would have been a perfect addition to my collection. However, that just isn’t meant to be just yet. I went to several comic book stores the day after the book dropped and each store was sold out!

This is one of the few times where I will tell you that if you can’t find it in print, go digital! The book retails for $7.99. However, it’s bigger than a regular 24-page comic and it’s just so funny and informative at the same time! If you come from a mixed Jewish/Christian family like I do or you have friends who are curious about the Jewish people and their cultures, I highly recommend this book! Make it your Hanukkah present to them!

Now if someone would only make a Kwanzaa holiday special, my collection would be complete… almost. Who am I kidding? I’m never gonna stop hunting for a new holiday special!

Rugrats: C is for Chanukah debuted in print and digital platforms on Wednesday, November 14th.

Hanukkah, 2018 begins the evening of December 2nd.

This review was concurrently published on Outrightgeekery.com.

Bohemian Rhapsody

I was finally able to get the family together in order to watch this at the movies. It was very much worth the wait. And I want to see it again and again and again! Though the story is about how the legendary rock band Queen formed, Freddie Mercury is clearly the focus of the story.

People, namely professional critics, have complained of the inaccuracies. My biggest problem with the film was having 1977's We Will Rock You/We Are The Champions coming out in 1980. I'm not sure why they mixed up the timeline on that.

Anyway, the biggest complaint of the inaccuracies was the downplay of Mercury's homosexuality. But I think that the film did a great job of dealing with the subject without taking anything away from the main reason most fans went to see the film- the kick-ass music! Besides, Brian May and Roger Taylor were the producers. It was their story and their right to decide what was to be the priority and what wasn't.

One could also argue that the film wasn't long enough. In 2.5 hours, you just cannot squeeze everything epic about a band of 4 completely different people and do it right. This is one of those times I wish I could have been in charge of a movie instead of Brian Singer (X-Men.) 

Though Singer did an amazing job, I would have split the film into 2 parts. Part one would go from the start of the band up to Live Aid as it did exactly in this movie. But instead of doing a small glossing over Freddie's death, I would have part 2 coming out in 2019.

That segment would have dealt with the last 5 years of Freddie's life and the band's choice whether to stay together or not after the death from AIDS of their lead singer. There was just some amazing music and powerful things happening in those last days of Mercury's life that are not worth passing over. Besides you'd also need to show Adam Lambert's tenure with Queen at some point. He's no Freddie, but he's the best 2nd runner up in the biz for the job!

I'm going say this now- Rami Malek (Mr. Robot) should be nominated and win the Best Actor Oscar for this film. He was amazing. I don't feel that he should win because he's an Egyptian-American actor. I'm not playing some sympathetic race card as those of Middle-Eastern and African decent have been grossly under-represented in the Academy Awards. I support his role because there were times that I forgot it wasn't actually Freddie on screen. 

The idea to have a majority of the vocals be that of Mercury was the wise choice. Nobody can ever replace arguably the greatest voice of all-time. But if saying it's time that a person Middle Eastern heritage won the Academy Award for Best Actor, I will! Rami Malek really was that good in this part.

Be sure to not miss Mike Myers role in this film. When I saw his name in the opening credits, I thought it odd. But when you catch the Easter egg he throws to the crowd, it makes perfect sense. It was in a way--- excellent.

My pick for movie of the year. It may not be Best Picture worthy. But that might surprise you as well. It was a movie that will make you dance in your seat and even sing along. For once, I don't have to say I want the soundtrack because I already have all three of Queen's Greatest Hits albums. But I surely do want this on DVD when it comes out next year!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Happy Thanksgiving, 2018!

Avengers/Thunderbolts, Vol. 2: Best Intentions

I go from the very first Thunderbolts story to one of their last. 

Baron Zemo has reformed the Thunderbolts and is on a mission to rid the world of nukes and other abnormal energy sources that he fears will result in the ultimate destruction of mankind. Of course, Captain America and the Avengers do not trust the goosestepping hero. For Capt., it's once a Nazi, always a Nazi. But for Hawkeye, one-time leader of the Thunderbolts and a former baddie himself, he sees a opportunity for good in his former teammates. 

Hence one of the most action-packed and thrilling stories I have ever read, whilst doubling as an almost to-dull-for-words morality play. There's just so much poetic waxing about human goodness with an unclear debate over nature vs. nurture and self-reform in this book. It's the type of Marvel story that could have only been thanks to the influence of Stan Lee. Too bad, The Man didn't write it...

While I was pleased with the story by Thunderbolts creator Kurt Busiek*, I thought the art was kinda weird. Baron Zemo looks like he's wearing Uggs. Anybody not wearing a mask appears to be turning into a Klingon with odd looking winkles on their head. And what's with everyone looking puffy in this book? It's like George Perez did the art and then all of the characters put on about 20lbs of water weight. Who is to blame on this- Barry Kitson or Tom Grummett?

Another thing I took issue with was the character design for a character known as Blackheath, AKA Plant Man. This character is tapped into the Earth's mystical growing powers known as THE GREEN (I thought that was Swamp Thing's thing). Formerly a costumed villain, Blackheath is now comprised of organic plant-based material. With an afro made of a shrub and fu-manchu moss, there's no other way around it- Marvel stole Jason Woodrue, the Floronic Man, and made him a Thunderbolt! How did that one escape DC's law department?

Overall, I enjoyed this book. I'm very intrigued to not only collect the original Thunderbolts series but to learn more of Hawkeye's tenure as team leader. However, I don't think that I need to hold on to this volume in order to feel like one day, my collection will be complete. But this was a good starting place for someone trying to decide if the Thunderbolts is worth pursing. If you've read the very first issue of Thunderbolts, there's a great moment that acts as an Easter egg to the team's first adventure. And you see a decent progression of how many of the characters have evolved,

For me, Avengers/Thunderbolts Volume 2 is Worth Consuming, I just don't feel that it's worth keeping. This one's going to the used book store for trade credit. 

Rating: 7 out of 10 stars.

*Fabian Nicieza (New Warriors) was also a writer on this book.

Thunderbolts: First Strikes

The story of a new group of superheroes who hit the scene after the deaths of Captain America, Iron Man, Thor and the Fantastic Four. The very first two issues of the groundbreaking Thunderbolts are collected in this volume. Written by Kurt Busiek (Astro City) with art by Mark Bagley (Ultimate Spider-Man), it was a very good introduction to this team but I'm wondering if I had read this years ago if it might have been better.

Thunderbolts is a series that is over 20 years old. There's a twist at the end of issue; one that in it's day was shocking. Whether or not I should reveal it is something that I'm not 100% sure of doing. But let me say that in regards to reading this book in 2018, since I had already knew the twist, the impact of the first half of this book was lost on me. 

The second issue which has the Mad Thinker trying to kidnap a now orphaned Franklin Richards with the assistance of a Super Adaptoid was way better. I didn't have any pre-knowledge on that story and it was a thrilling ride. So much that I am eager to add this series to my wish list and eventually my collection. 

With an overall quite good first issue and a superb second issue, I am now a fan of the Thunderbolts. Bagley's artwork is top-notch for 1990s Marvel. In an age of overly-endowed and quite top heavy characters, the Thunderbolts look the way normal people as superheroes should be proportioned.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 7 out of 10 stars, though if I was reading this at time of the original publishing, I am sure it would have been higher. 

What If? The X-Men #1

Welcome to the world of the EXE/men: EXE/scape!

In the not too distant future, there's no such thing as mutants. At least not in the way you

would think of a traditional Marvel mutant. Instead in this tech driven Utopia in which

people upload their consciousness into the internet, some users have developed special

abilities. Able to hack into people's bank accounts, create firewalls and literally kill users

in real life without even touching them, these renegades have become enemies of the state.

Enter Erik Lehnsherr. Instead of being the powerful Master of Magnetism, he's an influential

computer developer and the leading advocate for EXE/men rights. But an equally powerful

computer virus is about to be uploaded that will neutralize these 'cyber-mutants.’ And it's

about to be uploaded into the brain of a kidnapped Lehnsherr. Thus it's up to the combined

efforts of Charles Xavier, Cable and Domino to save not only Erik but the fate of the

EXE/men as well.

If this premise sounds confusing, then I feel like I did my job as a reviewer quite well.

When I read the story synopsis for this one-shot, I didn't know what the hell Marvel was

talking about. After about 3 tries, I gave up. But I didn't pass up on this book and I am glad

I persevered!

When you actually read the book, it's actually pretty good. I think that the cyberpunk

premise is just so out there that only a fan of William Gibson could truly understand it

without reading it. There's such a thin line between the real world and the online one that

a 200 word description just will not be able to do the actual story by Bryan Edward Hill

(American Carnage) justice.

The artwork by Neil Edwards (Fantastic Four) was pretty cool. There's a definite change

in style between the two world's. That really helps to understand what is going on. I also

loved the cover by Luke Cage's Rahzzah. I couldn't tell if Domino was developed from a

real image or computer generated. Except for Cable's face. That was 100% not realistic

at all!

There was one part of this book that I was a little confused about. At the end are two

appendices. They look like entries in an issue of The Official Handbook of the Marvel

Universe. They're about the EXE/men Jubilee and Rogue. If you'll notice, I didn't mention

either in the synopsis. That's because neither appear in this book except in one panel.

Several normally mutant characters appear in cameo here. So I'm wondering if other

copies of this What If? have features of those other guest stars in them.

This one-shot was a lot better than the advertised teaser. If you can overlook it, you're in

for a treat with this book. And if anyone has read this comic and can attest if there's

different character appendices in the back, I'd appreciate the info. (It might raise my

rating somewhat.)

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

What If? Magik Became Sorcerer Supreme #1

This is an interesting take on what could have happened to Colossus's sister Illyana after her time-warping time in limbo. Instead of staying with the X-Men, Magik goes off on her own to find herself. With untamed dark powers, everywhere Illyana goes is filled with supernatural dangers. This captures the attention of the Sorcerer Supreme, Doctor Strange.

So what if Stephen Strange decided to train Illyana Rasputin to be his successor?

This was another What If that I would love to see explored further. The premise is very intriguing. Having
Colossus enter the picture as a sort of devil's advocate against his sister's training would
have made for a dramatic story. Plus, I really like the character of Doctor Strange. It's just he
gets a little too dark for my tastes sometimes.

I absolutely love the cover by Jeff Dekal. It's my favorite of the 2018 one-shots. Quite
stunning and really cool looking.

The interior art was a different story. Felipe Andrade's stuff here looks like scribbles. Marvel
has been criticized lately for some really poor artwork in their books. I've tried to be fair
about it. But this time, I'd have to agree.

The last What If? One-shot of the 2018 bunch was the best- in terms of story. The art was a mess at best. But
it wasn't enough to prevent me from wanting more.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 Stars.

Star Trek: New Visions #21

Two great stories comprise this John Bryne produced picto-comic.

In the first adventure, Captain Kirk and the Klingon commander, Kor are taken prisoner by an all-new alien race. The unlikely allies escape their prison together because they've both been implanted with detention charges in their hearts that will explode if either gets further than 10 meters from the other. 

The second tale takes place aboard the Christopher Pike Enterprise. Here, the crew encounter a ship and a weary traveler that according to read-outs are from early 1900s Earth. While the technology and the science of the traveler's story seems to check out, clearly there's something odd. Because this Victorian era space traveler is also the character from a novel by H.G. Wells!

Both stories were very good. The Kirk and Kor story was better if only because I wasn't familiar with the Wells' story that was the inspiration for the Pike episode. I love Bryne's creativity and enthusiasm with these stories. I hate that the series just recently came to an end.

What I had issue with was some of the 'art'. The premise of these untold tales of Star Trek: The Original Series is that they are made of old cast photos mixed with new CGI photo shop. I normally overlook the oddity of how the computerized stuff looks. But I can't this time.

There were several panels in the Kirk/Kor story in which I couldn't tell what it was Bryne had made. Turns out later it was a phaser weapon used by this new alien race. But it was so poorly crafted and just plain dark and hard to make out. Then there's the space traveler in the Pike-era set adventure. At first, he looks pretty decent for an all-new character. But by the end, he starts looking like parts of his faces were being morphed out of existence. I swear, one panel looked like Scotty was transporting the poor guys lips right off his face. 

The stories were good, the photos were great but the new art had some technical issues. So really bad, the Enterprise explodes in Star Trek III: The Search for Spock technical issues...

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 7 out of 10 stars.

A&A: The Adventures of Archer & Armstrong, Volume 1: In The Bag

The adventures of an immortal every-man and a teen-aged fallen acolyte continue in A&A: The Adventures of Archer & Armstrong. I was a little bit afraid that I was going to be lost with this series considering that I hadn't read all of the rebooted Archer & Armstrong regular series. But for the most part, writer Rafer Roberts does a great job not hinging the plot too much on that series- as long as you have read the first issue. 

This volume's first story arc explores more of Armstrong's past. When a former partner dies, Armstrong goes searching through his bottomless satchel. When some of the immortal's secrets start pouring out of the bag, Archer must trek into it's contents to find his new friend. Leaving his untrustworthy step-sister to guard the bag, Archer and especially Armstrong will learn that some secrets are best not forgotten.

I bought this book along with some other books at a con. Valiant was in attendance and they had a 5 for $20 sale. Well, 3 books in and so far not a dud among them. This book was very funny, had great action and art by David Lafuente and the story was really engrossing. I don't care what that dunderhead from HBO thinks about comic books! Sequential art can have intellectual merit especially when they build upon established tropes of myth and legend. 

I was just at another convention that Valiant was at. I should have stopped there to see if there were any further volumes of Archer & Armstrong were in stock on sale. I know from now on; when Valiant is involved, always check for discounts!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.