I became a huge fan of Richard Feynman thanks to the 2013 graphic novel work by Jim Ottaviani and Leland Myrick. When I feel like being brainy while getting in a good laugh or two, I play the lectures of Feynman on my computer. It's great background noise when you are surfing the web or updating book reviews.
This was a guy who was building the first atomic bomb one minute and then sneaking out of Los Almos to play bongos at a local club the next. He was so serious and yet chill. And he was fun as well as funny as hell!
So when Previews announced the release of Ottaviani and Myrick's Hawking, I was first in line for the book. I love Stephen Hawking. I read his manga opus, A Brief History of Time when I was in the fifth grade (for fun; not a requirement.) I've followed Hawking career ever since, enjoying his hilarious appearances on The Simpsons, Futurama and The Big Bang Theory.
So how was this book? Was it all I hoped it would be cracked up to be? In short- NO!
This book was an almost complete 180 turn from Feynman. While Dr. Feynman was the life of the party, Professor Hawking was a massive stick in the mud. Prof. Feynman was willing to accept concepts that didn't gel with his personal philosophy. Dr. Hawking tries to change those rejected ideas to fit into his view of the universe. But above all, this book was boring!
I was hoping for a more personal look at Stephen Hawking's personal life. His struggle with ALS has been in inspiration for me and countless others. While his personal life is glossed upon, this book was more of a treatise on cosmology and physics.
Only Stephen Hawking can make his insanely complex concepts seem simple. Ottaviani and Myrick are no Stephen Hawking. I literally was bored to tears with this book. It's also why it's taking me up till now to have finally completed this. I had to take breaks in order to overtake the mind numbing!
Sadly, Stephen Hawking also seems to have been a bit of a jerk. Understandably, suffering from something as crippling as ALS is enough to make anyone sour. But way before he started to show symptoms, Hawking seemed a bit of an ass. I really felt sorry for his first wife.
Should Jim Ottaviani and Leland Myrick do a third graphic novel based on a famous scientist, I would read it. It's not exactly that the creative team did a poor job on this. The true life of Stephen Hawking wasn't as enjoyable as the myth the late physicist had built up around himself. But I would recommend that they maybe not spending quite as much time on really difficult physics. It just wasn't as enjoyable read as it could have been as I didn't think that the creators really understood the mind of a master thinker; no matter how tarnished his armor now is in my mind.
Rating: 6 out of 10 stars.
I'm not going to say that Joe Hill is a better writer than his father, Stephen King. But I will say that he's quite more of a terrifying writer. I've read IT. I've read The Shining and several other Stephen King books. While they are great reads, none of them have ever frightened me like a work from Joe Hill.
Locke and Keye was a creepy good horror comic. The Firefighter was an engrossing, scary futuristic biotech gone wrong thriller. And then there's NOS4A2...
A young girl named Vic has the ability to travel great distances thanks to a powerful psychic bond with her Raleigh bicycle. One day Vic runs afoul of Charlie Manx; a sadistic murderer of children who travels to and from realities in his Rolls Royce Wraith. With the vanity plate NOS4A2, Manx lures children into his car under the promise of taking them to Christmasland. But this Winter Wonderland is anything but a Utopia as Manx and his automobile feeds on the energy and innocence of the children they kidnap.
As a result of Vic's encounter with the madman, Manx is captured and imprisoned. Manx spends his final days in a prison hospital. And life seems to go on for Vic. But it's not an easy life as PTSD and drug use have put a toll on the young lady.
Years later, Vic and her son spend a summer at a cabin by the lake in hopes of repairing their fragile relationship. Things seem to be going well as the days go by. That is until a maniac in a gas mask arrives in an antique Rolls.
Vic fights for the life of herself and her son. She almost wins against the armored man, when a silver hammer goes down across her spine. Stunned, Vic watches as the gas-masked man and his accomplice steal her son, Wayne. That other character appears to be Charlie Manx! But Vic just received news earlier that day that Manx died of old age in prison!
It took me over a year to finish this book. The character of the gas-masked man, Bing Partridge, was so deranged that I had to put the book away for a while. I don't often let a book defeat me. I try to conquer it but if I find a book to be just unreadable, I will put it down and not look twice.
NOS4A2 was a great book. I just couldn't give up on it. The novel just had a sexually depraved character who really made me really uncomfortable. Like Joey (on Friends) having to put Cujo in the freezer because it got too scary for him, I had to let this book go for a while! But Joe Hill had his hooks in me and after a good enough break, I returned!
It's almost October. That means spooky reads for a spooky time of year. If you are looking for a lengthy read that will unsettle you with a touch of the spirit of Christmas, then you need to take NOS4A2 for a ride. Just don't say I didn't warn you if you need to hide this book behind the ice cream for a while.
Worth Consuming!
Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.
Load up your Pea Shooters! Fire up your Torchwoods! It’s time to visit that wacky town of Neighborville. Get in on the epic battle between freaky flora and goofy ghouls as Family Comic Friday explores Plants Vs. Zombies!
Plants Vs. Zombies: Snow Thanks
Written by Paul Tobin
Art by Cat Farris
Published by Dark Horse Comics
Pages: 88
Retail: $9.99
The people of Neighborville have had to deal with many wacky zombie attacks lead by the vile Dr. Zomboss for quite some time. From boxing zombies to time-warped zombies to even bite-sized zombies; there seems no end to the ghastly creations of that daffy mad scientist. This time around, Zomboss has used his voodoo to create a permanent winter in order to freeze his plant foes!
See, the plants can't survive in winter. Despite the defensive are the combined mights of brave Patrice, her friend goofy friend Nate, and her equally daffy uncle, Crazy Dave, it just seems that the Winter weather is more in the favor of the zombies! Could Dr. Zomboss finally have a win on his hands? With time running out, what can Patrice and her frozen friends do in order to save the town they love so dearly?!
I have been a fan of this nutty series from Dark Horse Comics for years! Based on the critically acclaimed video game series of the same name, Plants vs Zombies is a wacky and wild adventure. The reading comprehension level is low, with a suggested age range of 8-12. However, with the numerous toilet humor style gags, some parents may not want their younger readers engaging in such frivolity.
One deceptive aspect of this book is one half of the series stars- the zombies! In traditional media, they are the walking dead that feast on the brains of the living. Here, the only thing a zombie chews on is one of Dr. Zomboss’ slippers for a hilarious sight gag. While the zombies are way more humorous than terrifying, the concept of monsters attacking a town might be too intense for some children. Artist Cat Farris (My Boyfriend is a Bear) does a terrific jobs making the zombies look more silly than menacing!
This all-new graphic novel is debuting just in time for the release of Electronic Arts’ new game, Plants Vs. Zombies: Battle for Neighborville. If the young reader in your life loves to play the games in this fun franchise- buy them this book! Then, make them read 10 pages before they can play the video game version!
You might find the place suddenly very quiet as readers might choose to skip their game play to finish this great book filled with lots of laughs and a touch of chills!
Plants Vs Zombies: Snow Thanks debuted in print and digital formats on June 25, 2019.
Worth Consuming!
Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.
Jeff Lemire's sci-fi epic continues with a new Black Hammer taking up the Hammer of Justice! But before that person can save the stranded residents of Black Hammer Farm-POOF!
Our new hero awakes in a bar that could be purgatory. Or somewhere worse!
Before this exciting chapter is through, readers will learn the truth as to why the heroes cannot escape from their supposedly ideal small town life.
I loved how Lemire introduces his version of The Endless. I'm not sure if this is the Distinguished Competitor's version. But if so; it lends credence to possibility how the Justice League are currently in a team-up mini with the Black Hammer crew.
As for that surprise reveal! Man, I did not see that coming! It just adds to the simply divine complexity of this Lemire/Dean Ormston production!
I cannot wait until Volume 4!
Worth Consuming!
Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.
First Order bounty hunter Bazine Netal is on the hunt for the Millennium Falcon. Her search will take Star Wars fans on a roller coaster ride through decades of history set during, before and after the fall of the Empire! Flight of the Falcon was a fantastic read full of cameos of some of the greatest as well as some of the most obscure characters to ever grace the Star Wars universe. But due to spoilers, you'll have to read this collection for yourself to find out just who makes their appearances inside!
( I will give you one hint: fans finally will learn why Han and Chewie were looking for the Falcon in The Force Awakens!)
Disney made a smart decision outsourcing their all-ages Star Wars stuff to IDW. The editors and staff at IDW Publishing seem like big kids to me who want the fun they had with the properties and franchises of their childhood to be just as epic now as they were back then!
Hoax Hunters' Michael Moreci combs through 40 years of Star Wars to bring fans young and old an eclectic history of the Millennium Falcon and it's numerous owners. The art was perfectly done as an old school 80s cartoon by Arianna Florian (Doctor Who: The Tenth Doctor). The art looks how I wish a Star Wars cartoon would have looked if ever that childhood wish of mine would've ever been granted.
Not everything about this book was perfect. A major flaw was somebody's decision to not finish Bazine Netal's story in the pages of Star Wars Adventures. To get that conclusion, you have to get another book: Star Wars: Pirate's Price. That book isn't even a comic book! It's a young adult prose novel by Disney Lucasfilm Press!
I can understand (but not forgive) having to read the conclusion in another comic book series. It's a pet peeve of mine. But such an action is a staple of the comic book industry that I don't see publishers ever changing their market plan. But to make kids have to go from the comic book store to the book store to get the conclusion to a story seems just plain rude.
I love to get kids reading. But to interrupt the flow of a story by requiring kids (and their parents) to go searching all over town for the conclusion... No wonder the comic book industry is in jeopardy!
I loved this book. I hated the bait-and-switch. The editor's do their 'best' to explain the storyline gap, but it's not the same. Want to keep young reader reading comic books. My advice IDW: don't try such a stunt again no matter what 'Emperor Mickey' decrees.
Worth Consuming!
Rating: 7 out of 10 stars.
Our friends at IDW Publishing have an awesome autumn new release for those youngest of trick-or-treaters. While Little Jackie Lantern isn’t your typical comic book, it’s a whimsical board book for readers in grades 1-3 who just can’t wait for Halloween!
Little Jackie Lantern
Written by Tom Waltz
Illustrations by Jessica Hickman
Colors by Mickey Clausen and Peter Zaragora
Published by IDW Publishing
Pages 12
Retail: $7.99
Poor Jackie Lantern. He’s been afraid of Halloween ever since he was the age of 2! It’s all those ghosts and ghouls and goblins. With help from his mom and best buddies, will this be the year Little Jackie Lantern conquerors his fear of All Hallow’s Eve and learn that sometimes being scared can also be fun?
Little Jackie Lantern is perhaps the shortest book I have ever read or reviewed for Family Comic Friday. Being from IDW Publishing, I was expecting a traditional graphic novel. Instead it’s a very short board book! I guess board books can be considered graphic novels for very young readers…
The story itself was delightful. Writer Tom Waltz pens a melodic poem about a child’s hesitations with Halloween. The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle author explains that it’s okay to be afraid. Sometimes frights can even be a little fun. But someone, such as Jackie, can’t enjoy being scared if they will never face their fears.
The artwork is perfect for readers aged 5-8. Jessica Hickman’s touch is very expressive with vibrant Fall season colors. Plus, the not-scary use of bats, black cats and other Halloween fare make for an enjoyable Autumn holiday read that they’ll want to read again and again.
Little Jackie Lantern debuted in print on Wednesday, September 11th, 2019. However, as of press time, Amazon is sold out of its current inventory. The website does not expect a reorder until October 25th. It's not too late to find this great Halloween board book. But it might be a little bit of a challenge.
Happy Hunting!
Worth Consuming!
Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.
This review was concurrently published on Outrightgeekery.com.
There's a new criminal queen on the Gotham City scene. Her name is Poison Ivy and she uses a mix of botanical knowledge and chemistry to put others under her command. But in order to become the most feared femme fatale of them all, Ivy must eliminate Interpol's top 3 most dangerous female criminals. In order to do that, Poison Ivy plans to use the Caped Crusader whose fallen under the villainess's spell with her bedeviled kiss!
In the second feature, the members of the Gotham City Detective's Club must protect a mystery novelist who has been marked for death when the clock strikes 10pm! While the majority of the club members seek to provide protection for writer, Batman will do the dirty work by doing what he does best: sleuthing and maybe knocking around a few heads!
I was really excited when I heard that DC was releasing this facsimile edition of the first appearance of Poison Ivy. Of most of Batman's most deadly and famed foes, Poison Ivy is perhaps the only one whose first appearance of which I am not familiar with.
When the character appeared in Joel Schumacher's Batman and Robin, I was disappointed on how much of a romantic wedge she was between the dynamic duo. I guess I must forgive Schumacher a little bit as this debut has Poison Ivy toying with Batman's heart strings while Robin struggles to detoxify Batman from Ivy's lipstick.
While I understand that 1960s comics often played the romance angle quite a bit between the heroes and their opposite sex foes, I really thought that Poison Ivy was immune to such outdated tropes. Man- was I wrong!
I really enjoyed the second story. Last year's Batman: The Brave and the Bold/Scooby-Doo movie had a version of the mystery club. It's neat to see one of that awesome film's inspirations for the first time.
I also loved the 1966 vintage ads. I really loved those. Some were so timeless looking, especially the Bullwinkle ad. It looked more like some I would have seen in a 1980s comics not a reprint from the mid-60s. The advertising art and print quality was that prestine! There's also letters from the editor and a full run-down of other DC titles released during this time period.
DC has plans for more facsimile edition books. As much as I love seeing the vintage extras and secondary adventures, the publisher is going to have to offer books that I don't have in my collection. I've got so many reprint collections of classic DC material, the odds that I have a version of the work in question are often in my favor. I got lucky this time around! We'll just have to see what else the House that Superman built has in store for this run of reprints!
Worth Consuming!
Rating: 7 out of 10 stars.
This comedic one-shot tie-in to Marvel's 2015-16 Secret Wars event was a bit of a disappointment. Over the year's Marvel had developed a number of 'Not Brand Echh' style parodies of their annual massive event story lines. Many of them have been quite funny. But not this time around.
The main story is a metaphysical story in which Secret Wars scribe, Jonathan Hickman has just finished pitching the idea to Marvel's think tank to great success. However, Hickman realizes that he doesn't have a clue how it's going to end. Enter Doctor Victor Von Doom for a funny pep talk that goes off an a great tangent about hot dogs.
Unfortunately, this story is peppered with jokes about how the issues in the miniseries will not ship on time as well as groaners about too many tie-in comics. My question is: If Marvel knows that this is a problem, why do they repeat themselves time and time again?
The other stories in this book were pretty forgettable. There's a yarn about how not killing off Uncle Ben would actually be one of the worst follies to ever befall the Marvel multiverse. Aside from the clever puns of alternate Peter Parker heroic personas, it was a stupid story. A tale involving the tragic character of D-Man was naturally quite sad. We also had a couple of episodes involving a universe of Bear Marvel heroes and the computer hacking adventures of Spidey, Jessica Jones and Daredevil that started out great but got ridiculous pretty quick.
Only the dimension shifting adventures of Kate Bishop and America in their quest for something called 'pizza' and a Eric Powell parody on a reality series starring Doctor Doom were back-ups in this one-shot that were any good.
An excellent question is posed thanks to the last story: why hasn't Marvel signed The Goon creator, Powell, to any sort of contract. I bet something by him and Donny Cates would kick serious booty!
Thankfully, I only paid a buck for this book. Quite a disappointment really. But it's from the Axel Alonso era. So could you expect anything less?
Rating: 5 out of 10 stars.
Learning is great when it can be fun! And that’s what young readers who love computers and comics books will have in this week’s edition of Family Comic Friday. Journey to the future in a caper that combines robots, computer coding and a thrilling mystery in Debian Perl, Digital Detective: The Memory Thief!
Debian Perl, Digital Detective: The Memory Thief
Written by Melanie Hilario and Lauren Davis
Art by Katie Longua
Published by Lion Forge
Pages: 208
Retail: $12.99
Debian Perl in a technomancer. That means that she has an uncanny ability to speak to computers of all shapes and sizes. Especially very old models. In the very distant future biology and technology have merged, making the need for most large programmable robots an unnecessary if not forgotten skill. So when Debian and the social media superstar, Digits, come across a rampaging robot, the duo uncover a mystery of epic proportions: who stole Ray-Bot the Robot’s memory?
Using her knowledge of ‘old school’ computer coding and programming, Debian Perl will teach Digits how to reprogram Ray-Bot’s CPU. But they’ll have to act fast as the city police are eager to have Ray-Bot shutdown; least he goes on a rampage again. With time running out, what is the sinister secret behind Ray-Bot’s strange behavior?
I was a big fan of the futuristic setting of this book. It reminded me of the movie Blade Runner of which I am a diehard devotee. If ever there was going to be a graphic novel for younger readers set in the Philip K. Dick/Ridley Scott universe; Debian Perl is what I would expect it to look like! It was totally awesome!
My favorite part about this book was that it was an enjoyable book in which children can learn while not feeling like a textbook. That being said, I am not a ‘computer person.’ I am very much like the character of Digits. I know enough to find what I need on the internet to get things done. Like just earlier today, I found a website to help me come up with culinary math questions for my cooking students. But try to develop a way to create such a website from scratch like Debian? Forget it! I do not have those types of skills!
The Memory Thief starts off with some basic code commands. But by the middle of this book, it got very technical. Conversations between Debian and Digits and Ray-Bot were told entirely in computer speak. I’m a little ashamed to admit that I glossed over those pages. But without a computer in front of me to possibly execute some of the commands the technomancers are trying to do while reprogramming Ray-Bot, those sections had very little tangible meaning to me.
The creative team of Melanie Hilario and Lauren Davis, along with Katie Longua have plans to produce more Debian Perl adventures. I would like to propose that next time around, the creators make the book more interactive. Possibly create some activities online in which kids can code Ray-Bot to do some cool stuff themselves. I think I would have learned quite a bit more about the world of coding and computer programming if I had had something to do in which my commands moved Ray-Bot through a maze or something. And I am sure young readers would love it too!
I’m going to recommend that this book be read by readers 12 and up. Not that parents and guardians should be concerned of anything offensive. It’s just that there’s quite a bit of technical stuff about coding that unless the young reader in your life has experience (or a passing interest) in computer programming, this might be a little too advanced stuff for them.
Hey, I read A Brief History of Time when I was in the fifth grade. Kids show interest in advanced things at different stages in life. You might buy this book for your youngster and they’ll not understand any of it. That’s okay! Just set the book aside for now! Give them time. Learning must be entertaining, as it is educational, if it’s too have any true meaning.
And grown-ups- you might just learn some cool skills here too!
Debian Perl, Digital Detective: The Memory Thief debuted in print on September 3rd, 2019!
Worth Consuming!
Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.
This review was concurrently published on Outrightgeekery.com.
Though I am very much a bit of a city mouse, I do have some down-home roots. I spent many a summer working on my grandparents' farm. I've run barefoot in fields and creeks. And I have a fondness for a good country western story.
Legendary writer Louis L'amour is a good go-to for such a need. But when you don't have time to sit down and read a lengthy adventure tale, you can't go wrong with the Western comics of Marvel!
This volume collects issues #17-35 of the Silver Age adventures of the Rawhide Kid. Retooled from a fledgling 1950s cowpoke who was pretty forgettable, this iteration of the character is a rough-and-tumble loner who's not quite a teen anymore but barely a man.
After the death of his adoptive father-figure, the Rawhide Kid travels the Old West in search of peace and quiet. But more often than not, the Kid runs afoul of varmints, Indians and gunslingers looking to make a name for themselves. As the Rawhide Kid leaves his mark of Justice and fairness on the cities and towns of the Western frontier, his legend grows...
These stories were crafted by a group of legends in their own right. Stan Lee crafted all of the tales in this book. Jack Kirby penciled all except the last 2 or 3 issues of this book. His work is adeptly inked by Dick Ayers. Finishing out this volume is Jack Davis. Known for his work on the EC Comics of the 1950s, Davis adds a whimsical flare to the Rawhide Kid.
Each reprinted issue features an extra Western tale that often ends with an EC Comics style twist ending. More often than not, the hero's of these adventures turn out to be legends such as Doc Holiday, or----uh,uh,uh! SPOILERS!
These issues also had a prose story. These 2-pagers were early 60's postal requirements for comic books to maintain their status as first-rate mail. They're actually pretty good reads but they're anonymous. Stan Lee got his chops in the comic book industry penning such tales in the pages of Captain America in the 1940s. He might have wrote some of these epics. Or someone else might have got their unsung start writing them. I just don't know.
On at least 3 occasions, stories are retold. It's interesting seeing Stan and Jack remake their own works. (Davis retools one Rawhide yarn as well with Stan's able pen.) But where Western stories that hard to think up? Obviously, this wasn't one of Stan Lee's most verbose titles as the words 'owlhoot' and 'hombre' were used to mind-numbing effect and there's quite a bit of poor vocabulary and grammar spoken on the rustic plains.
With the Rawhide Kid just wanting to be left alone, I'm wondering if this comic book was the inspiration for another Marvel creation- the Incredible Hulk! Coincidentally, the first appearances of the Hulk are advertised frequently in the pages of this book. Should the Rawhide Kid have been a forefather to the big green machine, it would add all that much more to the mystique of that all encompassing world known as the Marvel Universe that was brilliantly brought to use by Stan the Man and Jack the King!
Worth Consuming!
Rating: 8 out of 10 stars!
Sadly, only one volume was ever
Can’t get enough of Huey, Dewey and Louie? Mad for Donald Duck? Then get ready for more DuckTales action in the new IDW miniseries: DuckTales: Silence and Science!
DuckTales: Silence and Science #1
Written by Steve Behling
Illustrated by Luca Usai
Published by IDW Publishing
Retail: $3.99
An old Disney gag has been for Donald Duck to desperately try and get some peace and quiet. But thanks to a house full of rambunctious nephews, oddball neighbors and maybe a pesky chipmunk or two, Donald can never find a moment of solitude. That is- until now!
Donald stumbles upon an ancient golden idol in the form of a panda bear. On a previous expedition with Uncle Scrooge and his sister Della, the trio discovered that if you open the panda’s mouth, everything will go silent. And by everything, we mean not just all of Duckburg; but the entire planet!
Now will the idol’s jaw stuck open, how will Uncle Scrooge and company restore sound to the world? You’ll just have to read and find out for yourself!
This first issue of Silence and Science was an enjoyable read. As much as I loved the original DuckTales TV show; I was unhappy by the absence of Donald Duck. Having Donald play a large part in the new show is what has made me such a fan of the reboot!
The next issue will focus on the science aspect with Gyro Gearloose poised as being issues #2 main star. I’m am thrilled that IDW Publishing decided to have issue #1 have a set ending and not leave young readers hanging with the dreaded ‘To Be Continued...’ closure. But I have totally no idea as to how or even if the stories in this miniseries will indeed tie in to each other or not.
Maybe DuckTales: Silence and Science is a supplemental miniseries for Disney and it’s ducks fans. I’m trying not to complain here. I just wish there was a tiny bit more explanation in what readers can expect with this series. All-new DuckTales action is a really great thing. I just would like a little more info into this all-new series than from what I can find on IDW’s website.
Ever since IDW got the rights to several Disney comic properties, I was hoping for all-new material. Titles like Walt Disney Comics and Stories have been filled with new-to-the-US stories reprinted from Disney comics around the world. While they’ve been fun to read, something always seems a little wrong with the translation of what the characters are saying. Regular DuckTales comic book write Steve Behling has done a phenomenal job on this issue. It was clever and very funny. Plus, it fits the tone and dialogue of the new series cast quite well!
Also doing amazing work is the art team of Luca Usai, Circo Cangialosi and Gianfranco Florio (Toy Story Adventures). Their illustrations of Donald, Launchpad and the rest looks just like they would on the Disney Channel.
I hope the next issue is just as flawless. I only hope that with issue #2 we’ll find out if there’s to be an issue #3 and how the events of those issues fit together. But kids will enjoy not having to wait until next month with this issue for a cliffhanger to be resolved. They won’t like having to wait a whole month for the next issue to debut; but that's a matter of discussion for another edition of Family Comic Friday!
DuckTales: Silence and Science #1 debuted in print and digital formats on Wednesday August 26, 2019!
Worth Consuming!
Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.
