Justice League of America #134

After a shocking defeat at the hands of Despero, Superman and the phony Justice Leaguers are placed in stasis aboard the baddie's ship. I thought Despero wanted to conquer that planet in which Superman was whisked away to. But plans change, I guess. 

Meanwhile, aboard Hawkman's space cruise, Supergirl has managed to get some members of the League to finally go on a rescue mission from her cousin. Literally, flying blind, the team finds Superman and his captor thanks to a pair of omniscient beings fascinated by the concept of anger and revenge. 

As Despero and the heroes are pitted against each other in a series of conflicts, I am reminded of two things. One is Marvel's Contest of Champions in which the Grandmaster and the Collector pit heroes and villains against one another in a fight for the universe. Secondly is a number of Star Trek episodes, especially the 'Gamesters of Triskelion', in which god-like beings test the mortal crew members of the Enterprise.

Since Star Trek came first, I wonder if the crew behind this book (Gerry Conway, Dick Dillin and Ernie Chan), had Star Trek as an inspiration and Marvel later taking notes from these 3-issues storyline.

As with quite a few DC books at this time, the ending is quite abrupt with nothing very satisfying. The last panel or two get philosophical as you'd expect an episode of classic Trek. But there's so many loose ends left dangling without any adequate conclusion.

One thing that I was quite happy with was the additional presence of Supergirl. In issue #133, her presence was in my opinion a dirty trick bait-and-switch. Here, Kara Zor-El is a major player in saving her beloved cuz, Kal-El from the villain.

Lots of great Supergirl action but things don't add up from the end of the previous issue to the conclusion here. That really doesn't make a lot of sense as Conway wrote all 3 issues!

 It's very typical of mid-70s DC sadly...

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 7 out of 10 stars. 

Dear Justice League (Family Comic Friday)

Family Comic Friday is thrilled to present to you a graphic novel that has been on top of our wish list ever since it was first announced earlier this year! Have you ever wondered why Green Lantern always wears green? Or if Superman has ever had a bad day? Now those important questions can finally be answered in the pages of DC Zoom’s Dear Justice League!

Dear Justice League
Written by Michael Northrop
Illustrated by Gustavo Duarte
Published by DC Zoom
Pages: 176
Retail: $9.99

I love the concept of someone answering fan mail and the responses have hilarious effects. David Letterman and Jimmy Fallon have perfected these viewer mail bits over the past 30 years. That’s why when DC Comics announced its first wave line-up of young reader titles earlier this year, I immediately zeroed in on this graphic novel.

All of your favorite characters answer emails from their most loyal young fans. In the midst of doing so, the Justice League will uncover an alien invasion, bond with their super-pet mascots and maybe attend a birthday party or two.

Dear Justice League was smartly written by Michael Northtrop (Tombquest series). The questions from the kids are so sincere that I wonder if Northtrop got his inspiration from actual child fans of the Justice League.

My favorite aspect of this book was the artwork! I’m a big fan of Gustavo Duarte, ever since I was introduced to him in the pages of the hilarious miniseries, 2016’s Bizarro! Duarte illustrates his characters beautifully. It’s very cartoony and yet very classic looking and clean. Plus, his characters have such lively expressions to the extent that you don’t need words to understand what is going on. But it helps

One added treat to Dear Justice League was a preview to 2020’s Dear Super-Villians. In this follow-up, Harley Quinn, The Joker and more of your favorite DC Comics baddies will be answering their own batch of fan mail. I can’t wait for next Fall!

Dear Justice League was a lot of fun. Full of laughs and great illustrations, this is a book that is recommended for readers 7-10. But almost all ages of readers should get some sort of enjoyment out of this great graphic novel from DC’s amazing Zoom imprint!

Dear Justice League debuted in print and digital formats on August 6, 2019.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.

Justice League of America #133

When we last left the Justice League of America in the pages of Showcase Presents: Justice League of America, Volume 6, Superman had gone missing. His cousin, Supergirl, called on the League to investigate the disappearance. And then we had a big ole' 'To Be Continued...'

As fate, or DC's publishers, would have it, Volume 7 never materialized. Both DC and Marvel decided to stop publication of the very popular black and white reprints for a more expensive (and profitable?) line of color collections. 

This now meant that I was on the hunt for individual issues of Justice League of America #133-261. Recently, I found the two issues that completed the storyline left hanging in Showcase Presents and I must say, I was blown away by issue #133!

Superman awakes on an alien planet with the rest of his Justice League teammates. Only, his pals are actually actors equipt with high tech gadgets to mimic the powers of the other Leaguers. Together, Superman is put through a ruse to defeat the 3-eyed menace of Despero who has claimed this alien world as his new base of operations. 

As these phony superheroes are no match for Despero's might, they start dropping like flies. Instead of being inspired to save the day, the Man of Steel becomes despondent at the fall of his comrades. Can Superman overcome the one weakness that is even mightier than Kryptonite?- His love and devotion for his friends!!!

Issue #133 was a near flawless masterpiece from Gerry Conway, Dick Dillin and Frank McLaughlin. The only thing I wanted was more Supergirl! We're promised a lot more of her on the cover. But except for a brief- VERY BRIEF- cameo, there's really no Maid of Might here. That's a big disappointment for a huge fan of Supergirl such as myself!

The fate of Superman and a beleaguered planet hang in the balance. It's a good thing I've got issue #134 for the epic conclusion to look forward to next!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

Great Quicksolve Whodunit Puzzles

I'm always surprised by how much death and violence and mayhem is within a mystery solve book for young readers. Encyclopedia Brown isn't that bad an offender. But Donald J. Sobol's other books- Two-Minute Mysteries, are filled with a bunch of victims. Jim Sukach's Dr. Quicksolve books are no exception.

The small town detective and his son Junior are on the scene of over two dozen crimes including stabbings, assaults and robberies. There's even a couple of mysteries involving the CIA and a trio of crimes involving the tragic demise of a 1960s rock band.

Most of the solutions were pretty easy to solve. A couple were quite tricky. And one or two had a solution that I just disagree with. To go into it further would bring about massive (and unforgivable) spoilers. So all I will say is that speculation and not fact are how Dr. Quicksolve arrives at 1 or 2 of his deductions. Sadly, poor detective work is rubbing off on the next generation as one of Junior's mysteries is solved by a 'guestimate' and not proven fact!

Seems a little unfair to me. But I am sure that's what happens in the real world too!

Two sections in this book involves a series of mysteries being grouped together. The first one had a one page set-up that took me a few minutes to figure out. It looked just like the other mysteries with a header and an illustration. But there was no blurb explaining to the reader about what aspect of the crime there was to solve. So when you get to this section of the book, don't do like I did and think that there is a page missing or a printing error. There's not. It's a transition that is just not presented to the reader very well.

While I thought that some aspects of this book had a little too much creative license, I did like how the solutions don't go in order. The solution for mystery #1 might be on page 95 and the solution for mystery #2 might be on page 88. This prevents over-eager sleuths from cheating. This was an innovation that I thought was greatly superior to those mysteries of Encyclopedia Brown. But that's about all that this book does better than the kid detective. 

Rating: 6 out of 10 stars.

Star Wars Adventures Annual 2019: Ac Family Comic Friday Extra!

Some weeks there's just so much great stuff coming out that you can't put in into just one review. That's why we have Family Comic Friday Extra! This week, meet a forgotten character from a galaxy far, far away in our look at Star Wars Adventures Annual 2019!

Star Wars Adventures Annual 2019Written by Cavan Scott, Pierrick Colinet, Elsa Charretier
Art by Mauricet, Margaux Saltel
Published by IDW Publishing
Pages: 48
Retail: $7.99

2019 has seen the return of the original Star Wars universe! Earlier this year, Marvel released Star Wars #108, wrapping up several long-lost story lines from the first ever Star Wars comic book series. That issue brought about the return of a few characters that many fans never thought that they'd ever get to see again.

One thing I have to say about Disney- they listen to their customers. Star Wars #108 was such a big hit, the over-sized issue went into a second print. The cyborg bounty Hunter, Valance was so well received, he's back in the pages of the new Marvel miniseries Target: Vader.

Valance isn't the only character seeing a return to action. In this giant-sized annual, the ever-so-suave Lando Calrissian is joined by a character so controversial, he's considered the Jar-Jar Binks of the original Star Wars trilogy. I'm taking about Jaxxon!
Jaxxon is a smuggler rival of Han Solo's. He's rude, crude and incredibly self-centered. He's also a giant green bunny rabbit!

For years fans have debated on the character. The creation of Jaxxon was brought about because Lucasfilm forbid Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader from interacting with each other during the gaps between A New Hope and Empire Strikes Back. So Han Solo and Chewbacca went on a series of solo adventures, running into the likes of Jaxxon.

Like a broken bottle of vinegar, Jaxxon stunk. And he was very hard to get rid of...

Jaxxon would appear several times throughout the original comic book run along with appearances in the Star Wars newspaper strip and some Dark Horse books. But we all thought we'd seen the last of the space bunny when Disney declared that all events of the Star Wars extended universe were null and void.

As Disney and fans would have it, Jaxxon appears here to stay as he and Lando seek to free a race of people enslaved by the Empire. Together, these two swindlers must pull off the ultimate con which will require Jaxxon and Lando to rob the Emperor's archive of stolen relics.

The idea of telling the backstories of all these artifacts that the Empire has ransacked would make for an awesome anthology series set in the style of Star Wars Adventures. But for now, let's talk about this story…

It's set immediately after the battle of Endor. There's great cameos from beloved characters such as Han, Leia and Nien Nub. Landon is great and he's got way better chemistry with Jaxxon than Solo ever did.

The problem with Jaxxon is that he's a total jerk. You might hate Jar-Jar Binks. But you also kinda pity him. There's not very much redeeming about Jaxxon. But he's a great comedic foil in this story.

The artwork was very good. I was disappointed that regular Star Wars Adventures artist Derek Charm wasn't available for this annual. But I liked the cartoonish style of Mauricet (Dastardly & Muttley). It greatly reflects the humor that writer Cavan Scott masterfully peppers throughout this adventure.

Jaxxon and Lando's tale isn't the only glimpse into the universe of Star Wars. The back-up story stars a very young Princess Leia and her until-now unseen adoptive mother. In this beautiful epic by writers Pierrick Colinet and Elsa Charretier (The Infinite Loop) and artist Margaux Saltel (The Wicked + The Devine), Leia's mom regales the tyke with a hopeful bedtime story about the brave Padme Amidala!

The artwork was a little more Little Golden Books than IDW Publishing. But it was still a very adorable tale that links mother and daughter of the first two trilogies together. If you have a young reader who is a big fan of the Star Wars Forces of Destiny line of toys and webisodes, they are going to love this capper to the 2019 annual.

The Star Wars Adventures Annual 2019 brought back fond memories of Marvel's Star Wars comics. This is a thrill ride and a half that all fans of Star Wars will love! And so will parents and guardians of younger readers! It's Force friendly and Jedi approved!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 10 out of 10 stars!

Jim Henson's Fraggle Rock: Where Is It? (Family Comic Friday)

For this week's Family Comic Friday, we trek into an underground wonderland. Join Boober, Mokey, and friends in the all-new young readers graphic novel: Jim Henson's Fraggle Rock: Where Is It?

Jim Henson's Fraggle Rock: Where Is It?
Written and Illustrated by art Baltazar
Published by Archaia
Pages: 32
Retail: $9.99

Gobo is missing something very special. With the help of his best friend Wembley, hopefully he'll find it. But as more Fraggles join the search for Gobo's missing item, will they all come to the realization that pink-haired moppet forgot to tell his pals just what it is he's looking for?

Fraggle Rock: Where Is It? was written and illustrated by one of my favorite all-ages talent, Art Baltazar. The co-creator of such fun titles as Tiny Titans and Aw Yeah! Comics, Baltazar's work is engaging for all readers. He's got a cartoony style that makes iconic characters approachable for both the youngest and most veteran of fans. But what makes me a huge fan of Art Baltazar is his classic Easter eggs! They are added for those keen-eyed fanatics who are looking to share their beloved childhood franchises with the next generation of fans. Plus, unlike Disney Easter eggs, the one's Baltazar hides in his artwork aren't naughty!

I do feel that with a title such as 'Where Is It?', a great opportunity was missed. Instead of a funny story about Gobo and his missing item, the creators at Archaia could have made this graphic novel into an introduction to the world of the Fraggles. There's some many wondrous realms and characters in this book aching for a proper introduction to readers new and established. And just where are the Doozers at in this book?! It's not Fraggle Rock without those mint green miners!

Devoted fans know that Fraggle Rock lies on the other side of a series of holes in Doc's workshop and house. When a Fraggle says that they are going to venture into outer space, they wind up somewhere on Doc's property. Often the Fraggles run afoul of Doc's dog, Sprocket , as one does in this book. But that encounter isn't very well explained and could be confusing to new readers. 

Another aspect that isn't properly established for newcomers are the roles of the Gorgs. They pop up in this story scaring Wembley. But other than Wembley's state of fright, if you were new to this franchise, you would not really understand the why behind the alarm.

This hardcover graphic novel is great for readers aged 5-8. But even an original watcher of Fraggle Rock from the days of airing on HBO will enjoy this book. It's not set up just right for newcomers to the Fraggles. But longtime fans and the young readers they introduce the Fraggles to will have a perfect trip to the land of Fraggle Rock!

Jim Henson's Fraggle Rock: Where Is It? Debuted in print and digital formats on August 14th, 2019.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Simpsons Comics Shake-Up

It's another collection of Simpsons Comics pick-me-ups starring not just everyone's favorite dysfunctional family but the insane residents of Springfield too! 

In this volume:

• Homer becomes a defense attorney who actually wins cases due to his unconventional style of lawyering. But does he have what it takes to bust Bart from a seemingly unbeatable arson charge?
• Mr. Burns frames Homer for selling nuclear materials to enemy agents. While it looks like Homer is going to be doing hard time, he learns that things aren't as bad as they look; even with Sideshow Bob as a jail mate!
• Then the whole Simpsons clan find themselves as the stars of Krusty's new off-Broadway show: Simpsons: The Musical!
• Learn what vacation life is like for Snowball II and Santa's Little Helper when the Simpsons head off on a month-long road trip.
• Lastly, in my favorite story of the bunch, Dr. Nick faces a medical review board and must defend himself as the only doctor in town willing to do the medical work no other self-respecting physician will touch!

That final story was a lot like my all-time favorite episode '23 Short Film About Springfield.' While I love Bart, Homer and Marge, I love it when the episodes focus more on the town folk. It just seems like more unusual and albeit riskier things can be done with those characters than with the Simpsons clan. Although, the creativity of that Attorney Homer story was brilliant! 

Simpsons Comics are always a great pick-me-up during times of great stress. I always seem to find a new collection when I need it most. And right now, as I wait to hear back from a highly desired job interview, I haven't needed a laugh this badly in a very long time. 

Thank you Matt Groening and the staff of Bongo Comics. You will be missed, but not forgotten or unappreciated!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars!

Essential Doctor Strange, Volume 1

For a fan of horror comics, I am considered a bit of an outsider. I have no problem with ghost stories and tales of the macabre- or monsters. But when you get into witchcraft, demons and spells, I tend to shy away. That's one reason that you don't see a lot of Doctor Strange or Hellblazer on this blog. 

So why am I reading Doctor Strange now? The answer is easy with just 2 words:

Benedict Cumberbatch!

I love this actor. I adore him in Sherlock. I thought he was perfect in The Hobbit trilogy as the dragon Smaug. Heck, I could watch him read the phone book. 

The British actor's portrayal of the Sorcerer Supreme has made Doctor Strange one of my top 3 favorite Marvel movies of all-time. And it's piqued my interest in reading up on the earliest exploits of Stephen Strange.

It also greatly helps that the majority of the stories written and illustrated in this book are by some of my all-time favs as well- Stan Lee and Steve Ditko. Together, they wove an intricate foundation of magic and wonder into the Marvel universe. and I loved every panel of it!

From legendary villains such as Dormammu and Baron Mordo to lesser known baddies such as random street thugs, if someone was misusing the mystic arts, Doctor Strange was there to restore order. 

As with all good things, both Stan Lee and Ditko would eventually depart the series. But a bunch of legends in their own right took over the mantle as creators with varying degrees of success. Roy Thomas was a Stan the Man clone; whereas Denny O'Neil showed little glimpses of the that eerie supernatural touch that he'd later bring to DC in the pages of Batman. I was a bit disappointed with former EC crew member Marie Severin's artwork. It was too static. But I loved the art deco touch of the 1930s brought about with the pen strokes of Bill Everett (The Sub-Mariner). It's literally unsung brilliance in the annals of great Doctor Strange talent.

Like a lot of comics from this era, I am now hooked. I really want to get my hands on volume 2 as it has issues 3-14 of the very expensive Marvel Premiere run of Strange stories that I need to complete that collection. As a penny-pinching collector, I count reprints as part of a run because for me, it's more important to be able to read and enjoy the entire story as opposed to owning issues. And this volume collects some of the most amazingly entertaining supernatural tales ever told!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Man of Steel: A Retro Review

I've been cleaning out my archives and discovered that I never posted this review of 2013's Man of Steel. Well, better late than never...

It’s been a few weeks since Man of Steel came out and from what I saw, it was fantastic. The film’s made over $530 million worldwide and yet it’s been panned by critics and viewers alike. I think the trouble was that this Superman isn’t just 'not your dad’s Superman', he’s not really the Man of Steel you remember growing up with.

The Henry Cavill Superman is essentially the New 52 Superman with tones of Superman: Earth One and New Krypton Superman thrown in.

This Superman isn’t quite so concerned about his secret identity. The world’s got more serious problems these days and trying to keep a pesky girl reporter from finding out who you are when the cape comes off is not one of those problems.

Now, does that mean this Superman wants to be found? Absolutely not! But since this Clark Kent is still trying to find his place in this world, he’s more free to run when his powers are reveal to the public then to try and fool the public with robot look-a-likes or blaming swamp gas bouncing off of Venus for what looks like a young man pulling a tractor off Old Man McGregor.

People gave Cavill a bad rap for not separating his Kent and Kal-El personas. But, at this point in Superman’s career he’s always been Clark Kent and only now finding out he’s from Krypton.

The casting is spot on for the most part. Kevin Costner and Diane Lane are the perfect models for Ma and Pa Kent. Laurence Fishbourne is a fantastic Perry White, who does such a great job that you don’t hear people yelling at the screen “Perry’s a white guy in the comics!” With the actor, race doesn’t matter and he transcends the role. Russell Crowe’s Jor-El is quite good, but he’s even better as a ghost acting as the AI tutor to Clark as he discovers his Kryptonian heritage.

The biggest problem I had was with Amy Adams. She’s not bad as Lois Lane, but she’s not great either. I think some of that problem has to do with her acting chops. Fishbourne’s Perry White is black, yet he’s got the role of Daily Planet Editor down pat to which fans have correctly overlooked this. Adams’ Lane is gutsy but she’s just a little too aloof an actress to play Lois Lane as opposed to Margot Kidder or even Teri Hatcher. There’s just a little chemistry missing in that part.

And where the heck is Jimmy Olsen???

Lastly, let’s talk about the villain: General Zod. This Zod has been bred for war and to protect Krypton at all costs. He blames Jor-El for his planet’s demise and since Jor-El is dead, then naturally, the general sees that the sins of the father is past down to the son.

SPOILER- I’d heard how Man of Steel ends and I thought to myself, “Superman doesn’t kill.” But I was happy with the ending because Zod placed Superman in a Kobyashi Maru situation. He could either submit to Zod, thus dooming planet earth or allow Zod’s heat vision to turn a family of four into charcoal brickettes. Superman had to kill Zod, but you can tell he had no choice and thankfully, they show Superman in a moment of pain after everything transpires. They don’t have him shrug it off and fly out into the sunset.

In the end, I was very pleased with Zack Snyder’s efforts and I commend him. Good job. The only problem is now how do you follow up with s sequel. You can’t just focus on Lex Luthor, who thankfully was absent from a Superman film for the first time in history. To focus on a villain any lower than Brainiac or maybe a Luthor/ Brainiac team-up will just be an understatement.

Worth Consuming.

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

Dial H, Volume 1: Into You (New 52)

I’ve always enjoyed the premise of Dial H for Hero. Anybody with the right rotary phone can spell out the words H-E-R-O and for a little while become a superhero. Some of the heroes were super cool and some made the Inferior 5 look like Mohammed Ali.

Here in this New 52 reboot, an overweight slacker and an elderly woman learn that not all super heroes are meant to be seen in public.

With fantastic art and some mysterious villains that want the dial for themselves, I was hooked. I cannot wait for future volumes. I also wonder if the series will allow readers to create new heroes as they used too in the old series.

Awesome stuff!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars

Over the Garden Wall: Soulful Symphonies #1 (Family Comic Friday)

Journey back to a land full of surreal wonders in this week's Family Comic Friday as we review Over the Garden Wall: Soulful Symphonies  #1.

Over the Garden Wall: Soulful Symphonies #1Written by: Birdie Willis
Art by: Rowan MacColl
Published by: Boom! Studios/Kaboom!
Retail: $3.99

Fans of Cartoon Network's 2014 miniseries Over the Garden Wall will be thrilled when they make their next trip to their favorite comic book store. Brothers Wirt and Greg are back, along with their companion Beatrice, in an untold adventure set in the land of the Unknown.

The brothers stumble upon what they think is a ghost town. It's only residents are a trio of sisters who run the local theatre. Missing their two leading roles, Wirt and Greg audition for the show much to Beatrice's warnings. Is this a simple musical in need of a helping hand? Or is there a sinister secret behind the actions of the sisters three?

Over the Garden Wall: Soulful Symphonies was a very surreal read. Wirt and Greg have great comedic timing. Like the Marx Brothers before them, the brothers conversations are often in two different directions with hilarious results.

I also liked the eerie nature of the story. It was spooky without being horrifying or gory. I'm very interested to know what happens in issue #2.

One thing I didn't like was the singing. I guess with a name like ‘Soulful Symphonies’, I should have expected singing. Trying to understand the pace and tempo of a song without any music is really difficult for me. If you have very little musical inclinations, you probably feel the same way. I understand that music played a big role in the animated miniseries. But in my opinion, music doesn't translate very well in comic books.

The art looks a little primitive. The brothers' faces look like a grade-schooler drew it with simple circles for eyes and triangles for the nose. However, the artwork of this comic is nearly a flawless representation by artist Rowan MacColl of that from the miniseries.

If you are looking for a humorous read that is full of unexpected twists mixed in with a healthy dose of chills, the young readers in your life are going to enjoy Over the Garden Wall: Soulful Symphonies. Further issues do promise to up the scare factor a little bit. Most sources cite that the Over the Garden Wall miniseries is for ages 10 and up. So, parents of younger comics readers may want to hold off on this Boom! Studios publication for a little while.

Over the Garden Wall: Soulful Symphonies #1 was published in print and digital formats on August 7th, 2019.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

Avengers: Season One

The purpose behind Marvel’s Season One was to update the origins of many of the publisher’s most popular super heroes in order to A) help appeal to a newer audience and B) put the origins more in line with the various film properties of the Marvel Universe.

But with Avengers: Season One, you don’t get a reboot of their origin. What you do get is an awesome “lost tale” of the early days of Earth’s mightiest heroes. Angered by his exile at the hands of the Avengers, Loki works his magic pitting Iron Man, Thor, and Captain America in myriad of suspicious happenings while the trio hunts for the Hulk.

Peter David is such a brilliant writer and he works his magic with the awesome tale. There’s also a preview of Avengers Assemble. I loved what I read and hated that the preview ended as quick as it did.

Worth Consuming.

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

The Invaders #4 (Classic TV Comics Week)

I've discovered a new favorite show over the Summer. Well, it's new for me. The show is called The Invaders. Having run from 1967-1968, it starred Roy Thinnes as David Vincent; a man who witnessed an alien threat to the earth and seeks ways to stop their invasion of our planet.

MeTV has been showing reruns late nights on Saturday and I've been enjoying it very much. There's a slew of stars, many not yet at the height of their popularity, such as Dabney Coleman, Barbara Hershey and Jack Warden. There's even some sci-fi legends appearing on this show; such as Michael Rennie (The Day The Earth Stood Still) and Kevin McCarthy (Invasion of the Body Snatchers.) Seeing David Vincent travel the country in an attempt to find allies as he single handed tries to stop the Invaders has been a lot of fun.

In this comic, David has apparently finally found an ally; an older gent named Edgar Scoville. Together, the pair face the Invaders in two stories. The first, titled 'The Doomsday Window', is about a mysterious device that can pull in objects from another realm. The Invaders seek to use it to help bring more of their kind across the far reaches of space fastest than travelling via a flying sauce. It's got a great Twilight Zone-esque ending. In the second story, Vincent and Scoville learn that not all of the Invaders want to conquer the earth. 

I really like the premise that some of the aliens were actually allies. Unfortunately, that idea never really came to fruition as A) this was the last issue that Gold Key published and B) The TV series was soon cancelled; never to be renewed for a third season.

There was a revival miniseries that might have lead to a new series in the 90s. Scott Bakula took over for Thinnes, who did appear in the two-part event. But ratings stunk. Many fans do see similarities between The Invaders and The X-Files and consider both to be in the same universe. I'm one who likes to think that's so. But other than X-Files creator Chris Carter claiming to be a huge fan of The Invaders, the link has never been made official.

This book is proof that if you take the time to search through random boxes of comics, you can find some great stuff. I wasn't looking for this book. I was actually on the hunt for issues of Gold Key's Man from U.N.C.L.E. comics and other stuff based on classic TV shows from the 60s. I just happened to luck out an find this near mint beauty. 

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.

FF #1

With the death of Johnny “Human Torch” Storm, the Fantastic Four add Spider-man to their ranks and become the Future Foundation. For some reason, the team has picked up about a dozen kids from various species as well as added Dragon Man and Reed’s dad as allies.

The series feels a little like the Fantastic Four meet the Brady Bunch from Outer Space.

Despite this, it’s a really interesting read that was a quick read. Too quick, if you ask me. The cliffhanger left me wanting more. FF is now on my wish list.

WORTH CONSUMING! 

Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.

Mad-Dog #1 (Classic TV Comics Week!)

Mad-Dog isn't the name of a TV show. At least not any that I know of. Instead, Mad-Dog was a fictional comic book character from the first season of the CBS sitcom, Bob.

Bob ran for a little over a season, 1992-93. It starred Bob Newhart as the title character of Bob McKay; a former comic book creator who was blacklisted thanks to the comics scare of the 1950s. Basically retired from the industry, Bob returns when he learns that his creation Mad-Dog is being brought back in a gritty modernized reboot. Hoping to keep his creation pure and innocent, Bob works with up-and-comer Harland Stone to craft a comic that hearkens back to those easier times of the 1950s while adapting to the Dark Knight Returns world of 90s comic books. This sort of balance was maintained pretty well by head screenwriter Mark Evanier, who knew the comics industry pretty well as the writer of Groo The Wanderer.

The collaborative effort of Bob and Harland is imagined here in this flip book. One one side, Bob McKay pens a quirky tale about alien cats seeking to make planet Earth their personal litter box. One the other is Harland's first chapter in the retooled modern adventures of a mysterious vigilante with sharp claws and a bad attitude.

In reality, Bob's idealized story is crafted by Ty Templeton (Batman Adventures) with Evan Dorkin (Milk and Cheese) taking on the modern story of Harland's. The two art and story styles could not be more different. Nor could be the reactions of the two creators. Templeton has said over the years that working on Mad-Dog was some of the most fun he ever had in comics. Meanwhile, Dorkin proclaims that working on this book was one of the dumbest things ever!

Ironically, I prefer Dorkin's grittier version of Mad-Dog. While I did like the Batman '66 take of Templeton's Mad-Dog, I was more draw to the 90s style. Sure, Dorkin's Mad-Dog looks like a canine version of Nomad. But for one reason or another, I liked it better.

Mad-Dog ran as a 6-issue miniseries. Whether it did anything to truly promote the show live tie-in is anyone's guess. Bob was the only show of it's scheduled night to be picked up for the 93-94 season. However, season two was a complete retool with the comic book angle replaced with Bob working for a greeting card company with Betty White as McKay's zany boss. Constant shifting of the show's schedule along with a dominating TGIF line-up from ABC brought about a swift death to the series right at the holiday break of 1993.

Finding the issues to this book wasn't hard. In fact, I constantly find copies of this book in bargain bins just about everywhere I go looking for bargain comic books. I think this was the 90s version of 'Bi-Clops', a Lenscrafters comic book in which Milhouse bought way too many copies of when he and Bart ran the Android's Dungeon for an ailing Comic Book Guy on The Simpsons. 

I am sure that a lot of stores incorrectly thought that the comic book reader of the 1990s would go gaga for a comic book based on a Bob Newhart comedy. Thus, they ordered tons of were stuck with the issues for decades to come.

While I wouldn't recommend you going out of your way to track down the TV show this book was based on; I do think that if you can find all 6 books for $6 or less, you should do it. It's a pretty decent read by two very talented comic creators. It's not hard to find. Like I said, nearly every comic book store with a bargain bin in America has at least one full set hanging around somewhere gathering dust. 

Fun stuff, Worth Consuming!

Rating: 7 out of 10 stars!s

Star Wars Adventures: Destroyer Down

I love Star Wars Adventures! It's the all-ages Star Wars comic book I wish I had growing up.
When IDW announced this spin-off, I was thrilled. I haven't been reading the post-Jedi novels. So, unless I find info online, I know very little about what lead up to the Battle of Jakku.

In this 3-issue miniseries, Rey and her fellow scavengers unlock the secrets of that climatic battle between Rebels and Imperial forces. When a sand storm uncovers the missing Star Destroyer, Spectral, it's a race to be the first to recover parts and assorted relics from the ghost ship. But Rey and company will have to be on alert, for this ghost ship really does have some phantoms aboard. 

I was a little upset at myself for missing this book when it came out as individual issues. I'm a big fan of Derek Charm's artwork on SWA. But this collection has an added bonus for those who waited like me- an action packed story set during the battle of Jakku! That's right! Fans will get to learn just what happened to cause the Spectral to crash. It's the perfect tie-in to the events of Destroyer Down!

Jon Sommariva (Rexodus) pencils the prequel tale. And while I love Charm, I though Sommariva added such a great Clone Wars touch to the story. 

Destroyer Down was a great blend of classic and new Star Wars. Scott Beatty (Nightwing: Year One) captured the spirit of Star Wars almost perfectly. The humorish moments ware pure fun. I especially loved a funny scene involving a thermal detonator and some skeptical storm troopers. The only thing missing was Han Solo...

A great read for fans of a galaxy far, far away!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars. 

Sonic the Hedgehog: Tangle and Whisper #1 (Family Comic Friday)

A villain is on the loose in Spiral Hill Village. He looks like Sonic the Hedgehog. He sounds like Sonic. But believe us, it’s not everyone’s favorite blue speedster! Join the original characters Tangle the Lemur and Whisper the Wolf as they team-up to stop this impostor hedgehog in IDW Publishing’s new miniseries Tangle and Whisper in this week’s Family Comic Friday.

Sonic the Hedgehog: Tangle and Whisper #1Written by Ian Flynn
Art by Evan Stanley
Published by IDW Publishing
Pages: 26
Retail: $3.99

Sonic the Hedgehog’s buddy Tangle is a rambunctious sort of fellow. He’s really out of sorts than usual because he’s so bored! Looking for some adventure, Tangle dreams of being a hero like Sonic. But he’s kinda afraid to do it all by himself.

The boredom seems to have passed for Tangle when he discovers his friend, Whisper the Wolf targeting poor Sonic with her laser blaster. But it turns out that there’s more than meets the eye to this caper when Whisper reveals that the character she’s been hunting isn’t Sonic the Hedgehog but a shape-shifting villain!

It looks like Tangle is going to finally get his adventure without having to do it all alone. If only Tangle can get Whisper to agree to let the hyperactive lemur to be her partner!

If you are a regular player of the number of Sonic the Hedgehog video games that have been produced over the past 30 years, then you are probably wondering just who are Tangle and Whisper?! Both characters are original to the Sonic comics created by IDW Publishing. Fan favs, readers have been asking IDW’s editors for more adventures starting the duo and those fans have gotten their wish with this book.

Ian Flynn has been writing the adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog ever since issue #160 from way back when Archie Comics had the rights to the franchise. So just about nobody out there has a better sense of the scoop of Sonic and friends to pen this tale than him. (It also helps that Flynn created the characters of Tangle and Whisper!)

The idea of a villain impersonating Sonic isn’t really a new idea. But the fact that this ‘mimic’ can pose as anyone makes for an exciting twist. However, I did feel that some of the dialogue was stunted. More than one character speaks a sort of broken English. Not being the world’s expert on Sonic the Hedgehog, I didn’t know if this was meant to be for so many characters. But it made for a slightly difficult read for me.

The artwork of Evan Stanley was very good. Another veteran at the Sonic books, his pencils are way more polished that some of the artwork of those very early Archie Sonic books. I wish that Stanley had did the art for all of the covers because a couple of those variants are just so chaotic looking. They’re such a jumble of characters that it looks like our heroic lemur and wolf got their tails tangled together.

Tangle and Whisper #1 is a follow-up to April’s Tangle and Whisper #0. That book is a sort of origin story intro. While it provides a good introduction to these two new characters, you don’t have to had read that issue to be able to follow the action in this first issue.

If the young reader in your life already plays the Sonic video games, then you shouldn’t have any objections to the adventures and dangers inside this issue. Some parents may take issue with Whisper’s use of a laser rifle when combating the baddie. Also, the villain uses a knife to make a threat to some of the characters in this issue.

Sonic has fans of all ages. But adults should not have to worry about the dialogue, while not verbally correct; it wasn’t dirty and there’s no scenes of a suggestive nature.

Tangle and Whisper #1 sets up an interesting story with promise. Compared to most ‘team-ups’ this one had a good pace to it in the opening act. I hope the variant covers and the dialogue gets better though.

Tangle and Whisper #1 debuted on July 31st, 2019 and is available in print and digital formats.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

Dick Tracy: Dead or Alive

Incorruptible cop Dick Tracy is one of those properties that is visually stunning. With it's bright colors and ever so colorful villains, you can't look away from this gritty crime comic created by Chester Gould. 

My biggest problem with Dick Tracy was that it wasn't readily available in my area growing up as a kid. You would think a big city such as Raleigh, NC would have a newspaper that carried Dick Tracy. But except for when I would travel into very rural country to see either my grandmama or my great-grandmother, I never got to read Tracy's exploits all that often.

I was a big fan of the Warren Beatty picture from the 90s. Being only 11 or 12, I didn't know that it was supposed to suck. But even looking at the film today, you can't deny that the producers and make-up team did a pretty darn good job of making a comic strip come alive on the silver screen.

When it was announced last year that Dick Tracy was coming to comics in an all-new series and that not just one, but 3 Allreds were to be involved, I was overjoyed. Michael and his brother, Lee Allred wrote the script to this quasi-modern rebooted origin of the world's greatest cop. Comics legend Michael also penciled everything with his equally legendary wife Laura coloring the book. Dark Corridor's Rich Tommaso inked the book and he's so good at it that his inks don't flush out Mike Allred's iconic art style. 

I thought that this was a great origin tale. It had a classic feel to it with very little modern changes. Dick Tracy had always been ahead of it's time with two-way radio wrist-watches and engine-less cop cars. Thus, any new changes to the technology, while far-out, didn't seem all that odd. 

The extra material was really my only complaint. There's a timeline of important moments in Dick Tracy history which I really enjoyed. But for some reason, it stops abruptly sometime in the 1950s without any warning or explanation. Are later years planned for future collected works of Dick Tracy comics? I know that there's a new Dick Tracy miniseries being published right now (Dick Tracy Forever). Is that the plan? A small blurb promising such would have been greatly appreciated.

Dick Tracy: Dead or Alive was a super fun book by those amazing Allreds. I love their work so freakin' much. I hate that the only blemish to this awesome miniseries from IDW Publishing was the director's cut material which is left unfinished. It just doesn't seem fair. But I must stick to my ratings. Otherwise, this was a nearly flawless work.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.