Right around 1988-1991 ALF ruled the world. The sitcom about a furry Alien Life Form that crashed into the garage of the unassuming Tanner family was great for kids. But when you get older, you notice how insipid the whole thing was.
The idea behind the show was that the Tanners wanted to protect ALF from being turned into a lab experiment by the US government. But boy, was ALF rude and crude and implusive. I really think after a week, I would have turned him in myself.
ALF's downfall was that because he needed to be hid from the world; and so he was limited to just the property of the Tanner household. Yet in some strokes of genius with this holiday special, ALF was able to trek out in public.
In one story, the mom Kate takes ALF Christmas shopping by having the fuzzball pose as a toy. As with any holiday shopping, there's chaos and ALF gets separated from Kate. Things go from bad to worse when somebody accidentally mistakes ALF as being on sale. Now it's up to Kate to save the day!
Another story has the Tanners taking ALF on a holiday ski trip. With enough coats and scarfs, nobody can tell that there is an extraterrestrial underneath all those layers. It's up to ALF to save the day when an avalanche snows the family in!
Lastly, this issue is truly a holiday special as the final story is set at New Year's Eve. Once again, ALF can't mingle with the guests. But when each of the Tanner family comes to check on the little guy, they end up having more fun with him than their neighbors.
There were a few other stories in this comic book. But those 3 were the highlights. Compared to the TV series, this was way more enjoyable. The scripting by Michael Gallagher featured dialogue just as lame as in the show. But the stories were more creative. The art was cartoony. But for a kids comic, it's not bad. E.C. Comics legend Marie Severin does several assists while Dave Manak (Bullwinkle & Rocky) is the main feature artist.
When you want to add a little bit of the 80s to your holiday reads, this is right up there as a main choice. It's not Shakespeare. I guess that's not a bad thing. I mean whoever thinks of Shakespeare as a holiday go to?
Worth Consuming!
Rating: 7 out of 10 stars.
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