Torsobear, Vol. 1: Yarns From Toyburg

Imagine a gritty crime noir, similar to Chinatown. Only it stars a variety of stuffed animals and toys. 

Someone is dismembering the teddy bears of Toyburg. A team of a rookie cop and a harden veteran are on the case. Together, the duo will come across perverts, dope fiends and a dame to die for. But the players are all stars from your favorite toy store. And that touch of innocence makes the events that take place just a bit more uneasy.

I got this book as part of a grab bag from Source Point Press. Holy cow- is this an interesting, but odd book. There's basically 2 parts to this volume. The first part is the hunt for the teddy bear killer. The second is a mish-mash of short stories, sketches and other bits and pieces that you might find in an artist's sketchbook. 

So what I am thinking about this section is that it's the origins of Torsobear. Unfortunately, this is a pretty incoherent collection of work. I'm not sure what is canon and what is just the riffs of an artist practicing on some rough drafts. Regardless, I'm intrigued by this bizarro world and I want to know how the story plays out.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

Batman: Arkham- Mister Freeze

Just like with the Batman Arkham look at Killer Croc, I felt that this book presents a full dossier at the decent into madness that Victor Von Fries takes to become Mister Freeze.

When we first meet Freeze, he's not really even the same character we have grown to love over the decades. When the character first appears in 1959, he's called Mr. Zero and he's referred to by the Caped Crusader as Dr. Art Schivel. While working on a freeze gun, the frozen mixture explodes and turns Schivel into a living breathing icicle. 

In the late 60s, as producers were looking for fun and unique villains to opposed Batman and Robin, they brought Mr. Zero back. But now he was called Mister Freeze and he mostly committed ice-themed crimes in order to fund his need for Freon. If wouldn't be until the 1990s when Dr. Art Schivel would become Dr. Victor Fries.

Paul Dini and Batman: The Animated Series would be responsible for turning the frozen fiend into a tragic figure. In 1992's 'Heart of Ice', we learn of Fries' life-long obsession with cryogenics and his strict, miserable childhood. Victor eventually marries a woman named Nora. Happy for the first time in his life, Fries becomes top in his field. But the happiness is short as Nora has a fatal disease that yet has a cure. Victor places her into a form of suspended animation. But a lab accident during his experiments turns Fries into Freeze!

Unable to go out into non-freezing temperatures, Freeze creates a refrigerated body suit. Unfortunately, it needs diamonds to fuel it. Plus, now a fugitive, Victor still needs funds to continue trying to save Nora. Disconnected totally from humanity, Mister Freeze, armed with a cryogenic gun, will let noone stand in his way to save the woman he loves.

Man, this is great tragic stuff! Shakespeare, Hemingway and Vonnegut couldn't write stuff this powerful. Okay, maybe the could. But the new origin of Mister Freeze is further proof Paul Dini belongs in some sort of comic book hall of fame!

While there is a Paul Dini penned story, there's not anything from the various comics based on the 1990s cartoon. 

After Dini, you start to really dive into Mister Freeze and his backstory. Victor Fries is possibly more demented than we thought. It's possible Nora Fries isn't really his bride. She might be a cryogenics test subject from the 1950s that Victor fell in love with while conducting his doctoral thesis. Plus, he might have killed a family member or two. It's kinda left up to the reader to decide.

Man, the New 52 and Rebirth did a number of this character. But wow!

I love the cold. Always have. And it's why I've had an affinity for Mister Freeze. Maybe I am a little biased. But I thought that this collection earned high marks. Freeze undergoes a very wide metamorphosis over the years. Yet that evolution kept getting better and better the more complex the character gets.

A chilling read for a hot summer's night. 

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.

John Carter of Mars: Weird Worlds

When I found this book at a used book store, I was super happy. I've read several of the John Carter of Mars books written by Edgar Rice Burroughs and I was looking forward to some new adventures in comic book form. Well, I got half my wish.

This collection of John Carter stories covers the 1972-73 run in the back of issues Tarzan and Weird Worlds. Murphy Anderson, Marv Wolfman and Joe Orlando were the creative trio behind the majority of these stories. And here's where my wish was left completely fulfilled. The comics are a present faithful recount of the first two Burroughs works about Mars: A Princess of Mars and The Gods of Mars. Then books 3-5 get smushed together. 

I don't really mind rereading the adventures of John Carter and Dejah Thoris on arid Barsoom (the Martian word for Mars). It's just not what I was expecting. 

Since Tarzan, another Edgar Rice Burroughs creation, was published at the same time by DC, there's a very good chance that those stories are adaptations as well. That won't be such a problem for myself considering I've never read a Tarzan novel. But for those of you who might be Tarzan fans and you're looking for all-new Greystoke adventures from 1970s DC, you probably are in the same boat I was with John Carter of Mars: Weird Worlds.

The writing was very faithful. The art was amazing. Exquisite. About as sexy as you can get without going into the realm of Frank Frazetta. If characters wearing very little clothes is a problem for you; this is not the book for you. 

Possibly NSFW sci-fi.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

Marvel Tsum Tsum: Takeover!

I love crossovers and team-ups. I don't think this book can be classified as a team-up. I think since two universes converge, this is more of a crossover. But I'm not really sure.

When a package belonging to the Collector is lost in transit, this spells mayhem for the Big Apple. The package crashes and a group of Tsum Tsums are unleashed on the world. As these creatures assume the form of their friends, some Tsum Tsums become heroes while a few fall under the influence of Ultron! Of all of the villains they could run afoul of, they pick the one most evil and most able to adapt to any situation. 

This miniseries is from 2016. It's yet another bargain find at Ollie's. My big question is- are Tsum Tsums still a thing? 

Tsum Tsums are a Japanese toy property based on Disney licenses. They are supposed to be rectangular in shape. But they look more like a tube or a pill capsule to me. These toys are designed to be stackable and apparently kids created a party game where you try to knock over as many of the stacked up figures as possible. The Tsum Tsums eventually became the stars of a video game or two.

If you ask me, Tsum Tsums are a fad similar to POGs. Which essentially means, I get the gist of them. But I still don't fully understand them. Thankfully, you don't have to understand the toys or the games to enjoy the book. Kudos to writer Jacob Chabot (The Mighty Skullboy Army) who made this story fun to read and enjoy without having much of a knowledge of the Tsum Tsum property. 

If the Tsum Tsums are why you are buying this book, you might need a little bit of knowledge about Marvel Comics. But you should do okay reading this if you don't.

Not a bad expenditure of $2.99.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Deathlok The Demolisher!: The Complete Collection

Deathlok the Demolisher is one of those aesthetically pleasing characters to me. I've been in love with his design since I was first made aware of the character in 1990, thanks to that amazing trading card set known as Marvel Universe. 

But aside from those couple of cards, my love and knowledge for the character really stalled out. I stopped reading comics for a while and then when I resumes, I just forgot Deathlok existed. That was until I found a copy of this book for very cheap at Ollie's. 

The story of Deathlok ironically begins in 1990. America has split into warring territories due to a nuclear war. In what was Detroit Michigan, solider Luther Manning is killed in combat. Only, Manning doesn't go to Heaven or Hell. Instead, Manning is in purgatory; reanimated into a cyborg killing machine called Deathlok. Aided by an internal CPU, Manning breaks free of his programming and seeks revenge on the men who turned him into a mechanical member of the walking dead. 

Deathlok's story will take the character back and forth through time meeting such mainstays of the Marvel Universe such as The Thing, Nick Fury, Spider-Man and Captain America. This collection contains all of the main Deathlok stories told by co-creator's Rich Buckler (Fantastic Four), Doug Moench (Moon Knight) and Bill Mantlo (ROM: Spaceknight). Created in 1974, as Deathlok got closer to 1990, his origin evolved. I'm very glad that Marvel decided to keep all of this in one volume because I think if I had to wait several months to read this in between volumes, I would have gotten really lost. 

Not only does this collection help me fall further in love with Deathlok; it also helps with my wish list. Issues from the second Astonishing Tales series along with chapters from Marvel Team-UP, Marvel Two-In-One and many more are included. Even if I was to have paid the full cover price of $39.99, I would have saved so much cash thanks to the inclusion of those pricey extra issues. 

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

Spider-Man: No Way Home

 WARNING- MASSIVE SPOILERS!

Batman/Joker: Switch

This has got to be the weirdest Batman/Joker story that I've ever read. 

On the streets of London, the Clown Prince of Crime finds himself having been drugged and with his signature smile surgically planted onto the back of his neck. Taking a page out of his arch-adversary, The Batman's, book, the Joker decides to get to the bottom of this mutilation. Of course, with Joker's fractured psyche, his version of a Dark Knight Detective is pretty warped, resulting in chaos, tragedy and death in his wake. 

I had to read this book twice to understand it. It's very confusing and I think that's because writer Devin Grayson (Nightwing) tried to write most of this book from the Joker's point of view. 

Part of the blame also falls on the cover writer. I really thought that the description of this book made it sound like the Joker was trying to be like Batman. But he's not trying to be the Batman. The Joker is only switching roles in playing detective instead of criminal. The Joker is just being a really bad detective because he's nuts and he's a murdering psycho!

The art was quite good. It's painted. And it reflects that fractured psyche of the Joker. Angles are invented. Shadows are exaggerated. Plus, artist John Bolton (Batman: Manbat) has a sensual style, especially with a trio of beauties that the Joker kidnaps. 

Speaking of those beauties. One of the girls intrigued the heck out of me. She stands up to the Joker and the villain refers to her as his 'Robin'. I'd love to see more of her in comics. But it's been 9 years since this graphic novel was published and if she's yet to have shows up in further Batman comics, I doubt the character is gonna show up now!

Enjoyable Read. But man was it confusing and very demented.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 7 out of 10 stars.

SHIELD by Jim Steranko: The Complete Collection

Even though Nick Fury and SHIELD was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby...

Even though dozens of talented writers and artists have put the World War II hero turned secret agent through thick and thin...

-You just cannot explore this cloak and dagger corner of the Marvel universe without mentioning Jim Steranko.

Steranko's time at Marvel might have been brief. But the time Steranko spent at the House of Ideas not only changed Marvel Comics but the entire medium as well. He loved to fuse psychedelic art with optical illusions. There was also a little bit of Dali's surrealism infused with the dynamic posing created by Jack Kirby and Will Eisner's love of playing with story titles within the artwork.

When it came to the writing style, Steranko's Nick Fury was like Ian Fleming's James Bond on acid and steroids. The gadgets were more far out. The women were more exotic. And the baddies were so much more deadlier. Plus, Steranko wasn't afraid to kill off characters. Nor was he afraid to literally destroy SHIELD headquarters in every issue (only to miraculously have the agency built back up the next issue.)

One thing Steranko did that I wasn't a fan of was that he broke up the team. Gabriel Jones and Dum Dum Dugan both disappear midway through this book. Thankfully, Dum Dum's absence wasn't very long. But Gabe stays MIA. He was always a favorite of mine in the pages of Howling Commandos. So to not have Gabe around was a disappointment. (BTW- Gabe was the star of one of the first Marvel features to involve a black main character; posing as a AIM agent. When will those historic issues ever get collected and published?)

I'm trying to read my way through the complete adventures of Nick Fury. I seem to be going more in a chronological order of publication rather than through Nick's timeline. But I don't mind. Fury is a favorite, always has been. I can't experience the true story of Nick Fury without this period of comics history. And if you are wanting the full course of Nick Fury stories, neither should you!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

Tales of the Batman: J.H. Williams III

A couple of years ago, the bargain discount store Ollie's was the place for comic collectors! DC Comics unloaded a very large chunk of their graphic novel overstock. $50 dollar books were now selling for less than $10. And that's how I came across this collection!

This volume of Tales of the Batman is over 400 pages long. Inside, you'll meet Batman's earliest attempts at a Batman family, participate in the reunion of the Batmen of All Nations, and creep around the darkest corners of Arkham Asylum. There's also a great multi-issue arc involving the Clayfaces, The Dark Knight and DEO agent Cameron Chase. 

If you are a fan of Grant Morrison, Dough Moench and especially Kelley Jones, this is the collection for you! 

Unfortunately, I doubt I'll be able to get any of the companion pieces in this collection. The inside cover touts anthologies featuring Carmine Infantino, Gene Colan, Jim Aparo and Archie Goodwin. I never saw those at Ollie's and I don't see DC doing such a massive unload of books again any time soon. But it doesn't mean that I don't long to own them. $50 is just too beyond my price range.

A wonderful collection of Batman stories. Featuring both the artwork and writing of J.H. Williams III. It's all of his stories up to 2014. This is a creator with his finger firmly on the pulse of the Batman corner of the DC Universe!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Star Wars: Lando

Charles Soule (Death of Wolverine) takes Star Wars fans on an adventure set during Lando Calrissian's time as a scoundrel prior to becoming the baron administrator to Cloud City. 

Lobot is a main character in this story. Learning Lobot's origins; especially how the character lost his ability to talk was one of the main selling points for me enjoying this story. 

As with any Lando story, there are double crosses, swindles and heists. But above all, there is tragedy and the ending of this Marvel miniseries is gonna stick with me for a very long time.

The artwork by Alex Maleev (Age of Ultron) was good. But if you are going to a photo-realistic Billy Dee Williams Lando, you will not find that here. Yes, Lando is recognizable. But it does not look like the breakout star of Brian's Song. 

A great read that answers many questions about Lando and especially Lobot's early days. 

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Classic Comics Library: Santa's Tinker Tots

A Christmas gift from my bride. This book reprints the 1958 Charlton Comics issue of the same name.

In this comic, Santa's helpers are little tykes dressed in red called Tinker Tots. Not Elves! The youngest of the group is a blonde munchkin named Punch. When a last minute letter to Santa arrives, Punch works hard on the rush order. Sadly, he breaks the toys as he slips on ice while loading the gifts into Santa's sleigh. 

It's too late for Santa to wait any further. So one family is going without presents. That just wont do for Punch for anyone to go without presents from St. Nick. Thus the Tinker Tot goes to his room and sacrifices his favorite gift from his boss and takes a trio of baby reindeer on an emergency delivery run!

This was a very sweet issue. The art was very clean. The story had a definite Christmas feel with carols and religious imagery that isn't gratuitous. 

While I do not think that the Tinker Tots have ever popped back up in another comic, the artwork looks very similar to several stories taken from Dell's numerous Santa Claus Funnies that were published as part of the Dell Four Color Comics series. 

This cover looks similar to the Gwandanaland Comics reprints of which I am a fan of. I've talks with other fans and this book isn't from them. There was another publisher called Classic Comics Library that released this. A quick Amazon search reveals that their last publication was 5 years ago. So I think CCL is now defunct. Regardless, I loved this book. It was a great Boxing Day treat!

And this is my last holiday comic read of 2021. I've still got a bunch of stuff I haven't reviewed in the past couple of years, so more stuff will pop up until New Years. So stay tuned for more- maybe.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Walt Disney's Holiday Parade #1

It's 1991 and with a lineup of Ducktales, Tailspin, Chip n' Dale Rescue Rangers and Darkwing Duck, weekday afternoons were dominated by Disney. 

I've long thought that holiday comics weren't for expanding the canon of a character but for a tremendous opportunity to advertise a publisher's characters and comics. From reading this book, I think I was on to something. At the end each of the 7 or 8 stories in this holiday anthology, there's a small blurb (at the page bottom) advertising what regular monthly comics the characters further appear in. 

Those stories are a mix of classic and all-new (to 1991) stories. They include:

• A Carl Barks favorite in which Donald's nephews try really hard to be good for Santa and fail miserably.
• Baloo and his beloved cargo plane are taken hostage in the tiny nation of Thembria, in a story that reflects the miracle of the first Hanukkah!
• Chip and Dale get an unexpected visitor in the form of a flying squirrel that flies in its sleep!
• Uncle Scrooge tries really hard to think of one good deed he's done in order to impress Santa.
• A snow drift threatens to keep Santa from coming to town. That is unless Super Goof can save the day!

Add L'il Bad Wolf and his Pop, Mickey, Minnie and Pluto and a host of other Disney favs and you've got a fantastic assortment of holiday themed stories!

If I had found this when I was a teen, I probably wouldn't have enjoyed it. But now that I'm older, I long for simpler things. Walt Disney's Holiday Parade is a time capsule to the early 90s. It wasn't a perfect time. But it sure wasn't as cruddy as 2021 has been.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Archie Christmas Spectacular 2021 #1

Sure, I've read my share of holiday Archie books this year. But this one-shot has become my annual must-read. Dan Parent, even though for some reason he's blocked me from making comments on his FB page, has become my all-time fav Archie writer/artist. Parent not only co-creates the cover image, he contributes to 3 of the 4 stories included within. 

In the all-new story, Dan Parent brings back a holiday favorite- Jingles the Elf. Jingles feelings are hurt when Archie and Betty are seemingly more interested in the Winter Dance rather than be entertained by one of Santa's helpers. So Jingles decides to tag along. Using some Christmas magic, the Elf masquerades as Archie and decides to dance with everyone and anyone willing to cut a rug. It's a festive twist on the Archie with 2 dates at the same time storyline!

In the 3 repeat stories, Veronica goes all out to win a gingerbread contest against Betty. Then the gang debate over just who made Pop's favorite Christmas ornament. Lastly, when the heating and air goes out in the Lodge estate, Veronica goes overboard making an igloo for her annual holiday sleepover. 

As I've read my share of Christmas Archie stories, the gingerbread tale and the ornament story were not new to me. That's okay! I enjoyed the re-reads.

That igloo story was great. But as I reflect over my read, I noticed a big plot hole. Mr. Lodge said it would be a week before things could get fixed. Later, as Veronica's friends marvel on how quick things get done building the igloo, the rich girl says that money can be a great motivator. So why didn't Ronnie motivate the HVAC guy with some cash to get the heat fixed in the first place?

This annual toast to the holidays didn't disappoint. I would have liked to not have read any of the older stories. I probably would have gotten away with it if I hadn't read Archie: 80 Years of Christmas. That's where those 2 tales I had read previously from before. Still, it was worth the wait!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars. 

DC Comics Presents #67

For Christmas Eve 2020, I went with a classic. DC Comics Presents #67, teaming Superman with Santa Claus, is a story that is every bit as magical as the Christmas holiday is. 

I had this comic book when I was a kid during the 1983 Christmas holiday. (Remember, comics were usually dated 2-3 months later than when they actually hit store shelves back in the day.) And it became an annual read for me up until about 1992 or so when my comic book collection was stolen. 

The story has the Man of Steel and Kris Kringle taking on the Toyman, who has booby-trapped a number of toys. Within the toys are subliminal messages ordering the kiddies to steal cash and jewels and take them to their local Schott's Toy Store. Considering that these are toys that parents will be giving to their children as presents from Santa, the Jolly Ol' Fat Man cannot stand idly by letting his reputation go to pot. 

This book is almost 40 years old. So I think it's okay to spoil it a bit. 

The story ends with Superman's encounter with Santa being a dream (or is it?) The fact that Toyman has a nefarious scheme hasn't changed. That part is definitely real. Yet this story ends with Superman going to his Clark Kent apartment to dress back into his secret identity to go to a holiday party. There's no mention of what happened to the Toyman. So did Superman allowed Toyman to ruin Christmas?  While this issue is an all-time classic- it's got some plot holes!

E. Nelson Birdwell (Justice League of America) and Len Wein (Swamp Thing) wrote the story. Curt Swan drew it and definitive feelgood DC artist Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez crafted that timeless cover. It all makes for a very festive read that is fitting for a night of waiting for Santa. But it's far from perfect especially thanks to Sups letting Toyman off scott free!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

Tis The Ugly Sweater Season! Advent 2021: Day 25

It's Christmas Day. I know that many of you will point out that this holiday is all about commercialism. Or you might point out how the holiday had pagan origins and then the church took it over. But for me, this day is about the birth of Christ.

Sure, you may point out that Jesus probably was born in the Summer. You may not even be Christian and get upset that I share a holiday Advent that uses the word Christmas. If that's the case- it's okay. You're still welcome here. Because the one thing I am not in anything I do, even my Christian walk, is reverent. It's just not who I am. 

I love Jesus. But I am not one to shy away from a good joke or two or three.

Here's a look at Jesus and nativity themed ugly sweaters. 

Holy Family Selfie.

His ERA is 0.92.

What was missing from the Christmas Story- Velociraptors! 

Here it is- the last ugly sweater. Fitting!

And that's the 2021 Advent. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did making it. But one more thing. A last minute gift. It's from A Charlie Brown Christmas and it's a very appropriate way to close this event out. Whether you believe or not- this is what Christmas means to me. 

Enjoy! And Merry Christmas, Everyone!

Tis The Ugly Sweater Season! Advent 2021: Day 24

The Fat Man comes tonight!

So lets wait by the fireplace while looking at some ugly sweaters starring Santa Claus and his reindeer!

For today's Advent, I gift you 2 presents. The first is a glimpse at how my wife and I will be celebrating Christmas Eve- with the goats at Spring Haven Farm! Then take a look at what tonight is like from Santa's point of view!

Enjoy them both!

The Three Stooges Stocking Stuffer #1

With just a couple of days before Christmas, American Mythology pulled out a holiday classic starring the Sages of Slapstick- the Three Stooges. 

As there are 3 Stooges (technically), there's a trio of holiday themed stories. 

The first story has Larry, Moe and what I think is Curly Joe. I say that because the artwork looks a lot like the Three Stooges cartoon from the 1960s and Curly Joe was the 3rd Stooge for that incarnation of the fellas. This story is classic slapstick as the guys attempt to trim the tree to disastrous effect! 

Story 2 is a Hanukkah yarn. The guys are left in charge of a very expensive diamond crusted dreidel at a Hanukkah street festival. But when the luxury top is accidentally gifted to a young girl, the boys will do everything in their power to retrieve it! Even if it means destroying the entire carnival!

The final story has the fellas playing guardian angels to a young boy on Christmas Eve. This lad seems to be the object of quite a bit of danger. Thankfully, he's got not 1 but 3 heavenly protectors on his back!

I loved the awesome twist to that final story. And the Hanukkah tale was very funny. (Though I did think using photographs of items instead of drawing them was a bit of a cop out. Plus, would a Hanukkah festival use temple menorahs, which have only 7 candles?) Both seem to utilize Curly. Though the Hanukkah story might use the Stooges from the 2012 live action film; seeing as rap music and other cultural elements weren't around in the 1940s. Still, I wasn't 100% with this Christmas comic and it all comes down to 1 thing- No Shemp!!!

My wife says that I'm the only person in the world that says Shemp is my favorite Stooge. I don't think that's true seeing as American Mythology put out a Shemp special a couple of years ago. Still, I would have liked it if at least 1 story had my favorite Stooge in it. Especially because the listing for this book promised an appearance from Shemp!

According to the Previews listing- 'Join Moe, Larry, Curly, and even Shemp with tales that will fill your Christmas with chuckles and your Hanukah with hilarity!' Even with the 3 classic one-page gags, there's no Shemp! I feel like somebody told me there's no Santa Claus!

A very fun read. Only not 100% what I was promised!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

Tis The Ugly Sweater Season! Advent 2021: Day 23

Day 23- what a perfect day to look at some snowman themed ugly sweaters!

Happy Birthday!

I'm Having a Meltdown.

 

Holmes & Watson snowmen.

Sadly, because of el Nino, global warming, climate change or fate, it doesn't look like much of the US is going to get a white Christmas unless you take matters into your own hands. So, here's a video on how to make your own snow. Enjoy!