Tuesday, May 31, 2022

Fire!!: The Zora Neale Hurston Story (2022 Comic Book and Graphic Novel Reading Challenge)

Prior to reading this biographical graphic novel by Peter Bagge, I wouldn't have been able to tell you who Zore Neale Hurston was. Without multiple choice, I would have put money on her being a singer and I would have lost. But thanks to my local library and my comic book and graphic novel reading challenge, I feel that I've greatly enriched myself by learning about the talented but scandal ridden African American writer, researcher and playwright. 

Zora Neale Hurston was perhaps the major female influence of the Harlem Renaissance. A known storyteller, Hurston completed her education by researching and collecting African American folklore and culture in the deep South, particularly in her home state of Florida. Her studies introduced a number of wealthy white patrons who funded her education and research. As a result, Hurston became a student of voodoo priestesses and witch doctors as well introduced to a variety of lifestyles contrary to her strict Southern Baptist upbringing.


In her spare time, Hurston wrote several semi-biographical novels including her most famous work, Their Eyes Were Watching God. Hurston was not afraid to use native dialect or set her stories in the middle of immense poverty and discrimination. Hurston's blunt portrayal of pre-World War II black lifestyle and culture inspired many to praise her truthfulness while fellow leaders of the Harlem Renaissance, like W.E.B. Dubois, criticized Hurston for perpetuating black stereotypes to white readers. Regardless of who supported her or stood in opposition to her, Zora Neal Hurston was not afraid to speak her truth. 

 

Peter Bagge's look at the life of Zora Neale Hurston seems more like a scrapbook of the writer's life instead of a full on biography. Since the writer has been dead for over 60 years, it isn't a spoiler to mention that Bagge glosses over Hurston's death. On one page,she is suffering from early stages of heart disease. The next page jumps 13 years to long after she's been dead and buried. 

 

I'm not sure why this is. Peter Bagge has an extensive notes section in the back of the book that requires a magnifying glass to read it. I would imagine if you used a 12 point font, the notes section would be longer than the 70 some odd pages of the graphic novel portion of the book. Bagge mentions often (in the notes) that record keeping of blacks in the days of Jim Crow and later just weren’t all that great. It could be that Peter Bagge was trying to reflect that as many of the interviews Hurston gave about herself and her childhood were jumbled collections of stories and personal history.

 

I enjoyed this book very much. I felt that I learned a lot about a period in history that was basically overlooked in my high school and middle school classes. I also understood some perspectives on race a little better. And now if you were to bet me on who Zora Neale Hurston was, I'd beat the house every time.


Worth Consuming!


Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.


Completing this review completes Task #18 (That's a memoir/biography) of the 2022 Comic Book and Graphic Novel Reading Challenge. 

Monday, May 30, 2022

Supernatural Law: Grandfathered In

The Counselors of the Macabre are hired to assist with a family dispute. The heirs of an old house are ready to sell. But the ghost of the grandfather who passed away just isn't willing to let go of the home yet. 

Meanwhile, back at the law firm of Wolff & Byrd, things are not going so well. Most of their accounts are in arrears despite a glut of billable hours. The museum that purchases many of the relics that are used as payment by the firm''s clients has put a moratorium on sales. And Byrd's mother needs expensive life saving treatments after a collapse at home. 

If this all sounds like the last hurrah for Supernatural Law, you're not wrong. Sadly, just a few short months after this graphic novel length story was published, Batton Lash lost his battle with cancer. Grandfathered In does have that 'close the book' feel. But the very last page seems to promise a return of Wolff & Byrd. It could very well be that Batton Lash was working on another volume before his death. So we might see his widow Jackie Estrada and Exhibit A Press running a Kickstarter for that work. Or things could be done. I really hope that's not the case.

Supernatural Law is such a fun series. It's funny. It's nostalgic. It's smart. I really enjoyed doing a deep dive back into the complete comic book run. And when I read this book, things were bittersweet. But in the back of the book, Batton Lash discusses all of the appearances of Wolff & Byrd in print and there's about half a dozen books out there to find. So my experience with Supernatural Law is far from over! (There's also 3 collections of the newspaper strips. I'll re-read those the closer we get to Halloween, I think).

A very nice closer to a favorite franchise. The art was rough. I chalk that up to the illness Lash was battling. But the storytelling was stronger than ever!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

Sunday, May 29, 2022

Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen: Who Killed Jimmy Olsen?


I read a lot of insane, wacky stuff. I love The Tick, Madman, Deadpool, Harley Quinn, Tales From Bizarro World. Oddball stuff just seems my nature. But I don't think I've ever rad anything so off-the-wall, strange and sometimes down right silly as the 12-issue Jimmy Olsen miniseries from Matt Fraction!

After accidentally destroying a giant lion statue erected by one of Lex Luthor's ancestors, the whole city of Metropolis has it out for Jimmy Olsen. Perry White would fire him if it wasn't for all the revenue generated by Olsen's online reporting. Still, the high ups at the Daily Planet advise Olsen to lay low for a while. So when someone makes a hit on Jimmy's apartment, Superman's pal must fake his own death and go into hiding to find out who did it!

It was Luthor! WE all know it was Luthor, right? 

Actually, Lex Luthor might be trying to keep Jimmy Olsen alive. Now why would he want to do that?

And why did Olsen steal one of the wheels off the Batmobile and it's not even the holiday season? 

And why is the feline Red Lantern Dexx-Starr and his acidic blood vomits involved in all this?

There is so much going on in this story and none of it is in order. It's like Matt Fraction (Hawkeye) decided to make a Quentin Tarantino Superman story. Oh, my God! This book should be Tarantino's final film! It's got nostalgia. It's got mystery. It's kinda noirish but silly. And there's a lot of blood, death and mayhem. 

You don't have to be a fan of the old Jimmy Olsen books from the 50s, 60s and 70s. But it helps! What you do need is to be someone who looks at the world a little askew. Like me! Or Fred Hembeck. This is not a serious Superman story. But it is very much a Superman Family tale told with love.

The only thing I wasn't a fan of were the variant covers by Ben Oliver. I mostly didn't like Jimmy Olsen's face. Oliver makes Superman's pal look like a SAWK (scary-ass white kid. See: Village of the Damned). But the inks, color palette and tributes to the Saturday Evening Post covers of Norman Rockwell were really cool. Though I must warn you- stay away from the cover gallery until you finish the story. The alternate cover for issue #12 is in my opinion a real spoiler to the very end of Fraction's yarn.

Be ready for anything with this one!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.





Saturday, May 28, 2022

Marvel Comics Presents #104

I haven't really talked about the 3 continuing segments in a while. There's still a Wolverine/Nightcrawler team up, a Ghost Rider/Doctor Strange team-up and a story starring the Young Gods, a kind of second rate Eternals. 

The Wolverine/Nightcrawler story is pretty good. It's been setup as a whodunit with Nightcrawler being asked by his old German circus trope to solve a murder and Wolverine being called in for help. 

Not so much of a fan of the Ghost Rider and Doctor Strange story. I like both characters very much. It just suffers from too much darkness as many stories starring Ghost Rider do. Doctor Strange stories have their share of demons and such. But their more like monsters from another dimension and not denizens of Hell like as in this story. Thus why I am not a fan.

 I'm on the fence about the Young Gods story. Right now, the team of super-powered humans is divided into teams around the globe, trying to stop an ancient evil from spawning. The story is okay. The dialogue is awful. Like from a bad detective novel. But the art is amazing. Tom Sutton is an artist that I am pretty familiar with. I've seen his work in What If... (first series) and Amazing Adventures. But I didn't remember his female characters being so alluring looking. It must have something to do with the inks of X-Force's Jon Holredge. Sometimes, the right inker can turn a good artist's work into something great and that very well could be the case here.

The one-shot story is pretty good. It stars the knockoff Captain America, U.S. Agent. But the thing that sold me on this 8-pager was the villain. It's the Peace Monger. First and only seen in the pages of MCP #27, it was pretty cool reading a follow-up to that tale. It never felt like it was the last we'd seen of the Peace Monger with that story that starred the Native American superhero, American Eagle. But, this appearance will be the last we ever see of the villain unless somebody decides to use him in the future. But after nearly 30 years of obsolesce, I doubt we ever will.

An enjoyable issue with one segment that is just not my cup of tea.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 7 out of 10 stars.

Friday, May 27, 2022

Zombie Wife: And Other Tales of Supernatural Law

Zombie Wife continues the adventures of Wolff & Byrd: The Counselors of the Macabre. Though the comic book series Supernatural Law is no more, Batton Lash kept the fun going with a web comic. With a web comic, Lash got to use color, he wasn't restrained by deadlines, page limits or finances. You might think owning your own publishing company would be cookies and cream. But Exhibit A Press had a major cash flow problem despite a loyal following. 

Almost a whole year transpired between the penultimate and final issues!

The main story is titled 'Zombie Wife'. In it, a man is acquitted for the death of his loving bride. As a result, the spouse has not just rolled in her grave, she crawled out and filed a wrongful death civil suit! 

Then the Gorgon Medusa obtains the services of Wolff & Byrd. At first it was to review the contract of her latest tell-all biography. Now it's to defend her from a lawsuit from a rogue cartoonist who has gotten under Medusa's scales! (See what I did there! I said scales not skin because she has snakes for hair!) This one is a longer romp that examines freedom of speech. But it's also a prime example of how Batton Lash would draw characters differently to represent an art form or style instead of being consistent. And I'm finally okay with it!

Then we've got a story about a wiccan who is offended by Halloween. She claims that All Hallow's Eve has been watered-down the legitimacy of true witches. In what is the second holiday themed story of the franchise, I'm kicking myself that I didn't wait for Halloween to read this one!

Zombie Wife is wrapped up with four-color reprints of the Vampire of Hollywood issues. Not sure why Batton Lash decided to reprint those issues. They had just been published in the volume prior. I would have liked to seen a couple of the earliest issues remastered.

The whole book was great. There are hints of the OJ trial, Scott Peterson, Charlie Hebdo, and Madalyn Murray O'Hare. I'm a little disappointed in the choice of floppy reprints (mostly because of how recently I had read them). But I really enjoyed this book!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

Wildflowers (Family Comic Friday)

 A terrible plane crash. A bevy of exotic flowers. And a man-eating dragon. 

Thus begins a mysterious, deserted island adventure of 3 sisters.

But don't let this intense description of this graphic novel scare you off. Wildflowers is one of the newest works by acclaimed Argentinian cartoonist Liniers. He crafted this work after inspiration hit when taking a photo of his 3 little girls in the Yucatan jungle. 

There's something really cool and interactive about this book. If you purchase the graphic novel via the Toon Books website, you'l get a free packet of wildflowers. So the young readers in your life can create their own island botanical garden as well! 

Wildflowers by Liniers is a very short and quick read for readers in first and second grade. The colorful artwork, the imaginative adventures and the witty dialogue between the siblings was just so great. 

Again, I know that when you hear about a plane crashing on a deserted isle and a fierce monster, you might be thinking can a 6 or 7 year old really read this? I promise you, this is not a kiddie version of LOST. I don't want to ruin the surprise ending to this book. But everything is age appropriate here.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Thursday, May 26, 2022

Marvel Comics Presents #103

The backup story is the most memorable part of this issue. It involves a pan-dimensional being that looks like a lime green Minotaur. Named Rintrah, he's the apprentice of Doctor Stephen Strange. 

This is Rintrah's second appearance in MCP. I really liked him in my first encounter with him. After this story, I am in love with him! 

Rintrah has made the acquaintance of a human female. She knows he's not human. But in order to not start a panic, if Rintrah is to leave the confines of the Sanctum Sanctorum, he must cast a spell to look human. Everything seems to be going well on Rintrah's date. That is until the spell begins to wear off in the middle of a Central Park concert!

While I really loved this story, I don't understand why the sight of Rintrah is such a cause of panic in the Big Apple! Manhattan is rife with battling mutants, avenging superheroes and uncanny villains. Why would 1 lone chartreuse bull-man cause a panic in Central Park? Now if I saw a regular white dude morph into a monster, sure, I'd freak out. But since sights like The Thing and Tigra are a dime a dozen in NYC, why does Rintrah have to disguise himself? 

Is it because his isn't orange? I bet it's because of his color! Wow! Is MCP masking a statement against racism in a charming yarn about magic and mirth? 

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 7 out of 10 stars.

Wednesday, May 25, 2022

Marvel Comics Presents #102

One of the stories in this issue involves a character from the Old West. He wears all white and rides a devilish white pony named Banshee. When I was young, he was called Ghost Rider. But in this issue, he's referred to as the Phantom Rider. When the heck did that happen?

It does turn out that this version of the hero is from the 1990s. But even according to the story by Howard Mackie (Gambit), all previous ancestors of the modern horseman were called Phantom Riders as well. Again, when did this transitional name change happen? 

That story is the only single issue tale. In the chapter tales, Wolverine and Nightcrawler investigate a town that may be harboring anti-mutant radicals, the Danny Ketch Ghost Rider and Doctor Strange protect the sanctum sanctorum from an ancient evil, and a diverse group of Celestial sponsored heroes travel the globe to prevent a series of events from unleashing an ancient horror upon the world. 

A very supernatural heavy issue. It felt very 1970s Marvel. I liked it!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Tuesday, May 24, 2022

Dragon Hoops (2022 Comic Book and Graphic Novel Reading Challenge)

Oakland, California. It's the start of the 2014-15 school year and graphic novelist Gene Luen Yang has just finished the book tour of his 2 volume account of China's Boxer Rebellion Boxers and Saints. Ready to begin another year of teaching computer science at Bishop O'Dowd High School, Yang is also feeling the stress of following up his recent critically acclaimed works. 

Yang is afraid that he's out of ideas. But a chance encounter with members of the O'Dowd Dragons boys basketball squad brings forth inspiration. Gene has never really been great at sports. More of a nerd than a jock, the part-time comics creator really doesn't even understand that game of basketball. But after meeting with O'Dowd's coach, Lou Richie, Yang thinks he's got the idea for his next book.

O'Dowd lost in the state final last year. Always a bridesmaid, never a bride seems to follow the boys of Bishop O'Dowd. But with the state's top prospect, Ivan Rabb along with seniors Paris Austin, Alex Zhao, Isaiah Thomas and Jeevin Sandhu, O'Dowd has a very good chance to finally win their first championship!

From pre-season practices all the way to the California High School big dance, Gene Luen Yang will travel with the Dragons to chronicle their season. Along the way, Yang highlights the team seniors, diving into the depths of their past histories. What is it like to be a young black basketball star in Oakland, America, the world? How does a Sikh Indian immigrant handle the pressure when the opposing fans brand him an Islamic terrorist? How does a Chinese basketball prospect live abroad in the United States with a host family? Can you thrive in basketball as the little brother of a superstar women's basketball prospect? These are just some of the questions about culture Yang will explore as he also takes the reader on an early history of the game of basketball.

I found Dragon Hoops a fascinating read. It's what Friday Night Lights is to football. Yang basically has to do 3 things in this book. He's got to educate us on the origins of basketball. He'll need to introduce us to all of the major characters of this book. And he has to guide us through an entire season of high school boys basketball. Gene Luen Yang balances all 3 segments of this book extremely well without once being boring or repetitive. 

Dragon Hoops is just over 440 pages long. I did not want this book to end. I've been all smiles as I've Googled many of the characters in this graphic novel to see how they've fared since the end of the 2014-15 season. Yang berates himself for not being good at drawing likenesses. But I think he did a really great job at this book.

Gene Luen Yang no longer teaches. Right after this book, he devoted himself to comics full time being tasked with a run on Superman before creating a line-up of Chinese legacy heroes in the pages of New Super-Man. After both successful runs, it was nothing but up, Up and UP for Yang. But don't be surprised if we see a return to Bishop O'Dowd. Not that I think Yang is going to go back to teaching or anything like that. But I really could see this biographical graphic novel becoming a movie or TV series.

And if that happens, you read it here first! 

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.

Completing this review completes Task #39 (Featuring the LGBTQ+ or different ethnic group) of the 2022 Comic Book and Graphic Novel Reading Challenge. 

Monday, May 23, 2022

A Vampire in Hollywood: And Other Tales of Supernatural Law

The last few issues of Supernatural Law are collected in this volume. 

I personally have a connection to this book as I was one of the backers on Kickstarter for the publication of A Vampire in Hollywood. Yes! My name is really inside this book, somewhere in the back. 

When I backed this project, I opted for an autographed copy of a rare collection of Supernatural Law comic strips commonly known as 'The Red Book', due to the blood red cover. That was about 7 years ago. Just recently, I decided to stop sitting on the pot and complete my collection. (Naturally, I've learned that I'm actually farther away from finishing up my run of Supernatural Law books.)

The cover story of this book is about a 5th generation vampire who's being sued for sexual harassment. The reluctant vampire is claiming to have been outed as a bloodsucker, even though he's a vegetarian. But when his newfound popularity opens the doors to Hollywood stardom, all of a sudden, this milksop will embrace his inner Nosferatu!

While in Burbank, Wolff & Byrd will entertain a series of pitches for a Supernatural Law movie. Led by former Mavis boyfriend, Toby, this pitch session will be anything but normal. 

Oh, and remember when I said that the original Supernatural Law graphic novel, The Werewolf in New York was set to be read before this book? Well, Wolff & Byrd are in California as an in-direct follow-up to the events of that story. While Leon, the werewolf from that graphic novel is never shown, scenes from that graphic novel are used in the 'sequel' story. 

Lastly, things come to an end for both Supernatural Law (the comic book, not the series itself) and Mavis, the sister series. With Mavis, she's got a new beau and she's desperate to show off him at a gathering of friends. But he's got a complicated history with one of the other party goers. And the birthday boy guest-of-honor is nowhere to be found!

With Supernatural Law's last issue, Woff & Byrd defend their most famous client aside from Count Dracula. It's Troma's Toxic Avenger! Toxie has become the pariah of hometown Tromaville and needs the counselors of the macabre to come to his defense. Featuring the George Lucas of Troma Entertainment, Lloyd Kaufman as narrator and extra guest star!

I always enjoy reading Batton Lash's Supernatural Law. But I think this volume was the most fun I've had since reading volume 3: The Vampire Brat. It's got great storytelling. Awesome artwork. And with that last story, it also gets downright silly. And I loved every page of it!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.

Sunday, May 22, 2022

The Werewolf of New York: A Supernatural Law Book (A Madman Re-Read)

The Werewolf of New York is the first Supernatural Law original graphic novel. It's also the first full-color story! In the reading order of things, yes, you do skip in-between the individual Supernatural Law issues. At another review post, I'll explain why. But for now, it's all about lycanthropy. 

Leon Reed has a chance encounter with some wolfsbane and turns into a werewolf as a result. During one of Leon's monthly changes, he attacks a man with a gun. Leon claims it was all in self defense. But it's election time and both the New York District Attorney and the judge proceeding over the case are up for re-election. Still, to throw Leon behind bars for a first offense wouldn't be just. So probation and rehab are ordered.

In the 28 days leading up to his next transformation, Leon attends a 13-step program to curb his animalistic urges. Meanwhile, a shape-shifters rights group is in the wings mucking things up. They believe that Wolff & Byrd aren't doing enough for Leon. These activists believe Leon should be encouraged to embrace his wild side and run free. And they're not afraid to flood the airwaves with their message!

Many of the stories of Supernatural Law appear to be parodies of monster flicks. But underneath, a ton of these stories are satire of important social debates of the day. Batton Lash has done stories on the First Amendment, divorce, abortion and many other issues that seem to grace the floor of our higher courts. The Werewolf of New York is a little bit about animal rights as well as gender rights and identity. But the overall message of this graphic novel is about the overly pervasive role of media in our lives. 

Batton Lash's storytelling isn't an issue. It's amazing. And I really liked that Wolff and Byrd's personal lives take a backseat here for a change. But I did think that the artwork was uneven. I've complained in the past about how Mavis looks like she's from Riverdale and different from everyone else. I've gotten over that as I see that Lash likes to incorporate from different art styles. But when Leon changes to a werewolf, Batton Lash for some reason can't draw him consistently. 

There have been other werewolves in this series before. And they've looked amazing. Mostly, because Lash draws upon 100 years of cinema's most iconic lycanthropes. I think when needing to create a changeling from scratch, Lash had some difficulties.

I also want to point out that I recently learned that during this time Batton Lash was having some severe health issues. If the entire book was at a lower level of quality, I would be graceful towards the Supernatural Law creator. But really, it's just the werewolf artwork that is not up to snuff. So, I hope with this re-read, I am being fairer than fair on this. 

I really enjoyed re-reading this one. I really don't seem to remember it all that much from before. That was 8 years ago and it kinda scares me that I seemed to have blanked out on about 80% of this book. But I guess it was fun to feel like I was reading an all-new Supernatural Law story. maybe...

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Saturday, May 21, 2022

The Monsters Meet on Court Street and Other Tales of Supernatural Law

Nope. This one's not a re-read. The Monsters Meet on Court Street was one of about 4 volumes I recently purchased in order to fill my run on Supernatural Law. (FYI- turns out there's still some uncollected stuff out there too!)

Wolff & Byrd: The Counselors of the Macabre, have their work cut out for them in this, the 6th volume in the Supernatural Law collected series. In this volume, the lawyers defend a mafioso who turned into a giant gorilla. In Vol. 5, the mobster, stuck in the body of a 600lb gorilla thanks to an experimental surgery, eventually de-evolved and was sent to live out his days in the Bronx Zoo. Now he's back cognitively and he wants his day in court!

Then Wolff & Byrd help an imaginary friend sue his former best friend, now a wealthy and unscrupulous tycoon who has been blaming the plaintiff for all his company's shysty ways.

My favorite story is about a lonely scientist who discovers a way to communicate with another dimension. Via a sort of television link-up of sorts, the scientist meets another inventor and they fall in love. Add amazing artwork from a pair of comic book legends, a wrongful termination, a restraining order and a twist ending that I knew was coming- I just didn't know what the twist would be- and you have what might be my favorite story of the series so far!

Plus, the world's greatest secretary, Mavis, comes to grips with the fact that her ex-boyfriend, Toby, has moved on. But new love may be in the cards for Mavis, if she can survive the rampaging robot runny rampant in Brooklyn!

A fantastically fun volume that I just couldn't put down. I'm a bit mad at myself as I read this way too fast!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Friday, May 20, 2022

The Mystery of the Meanest Teacher: A Johnny Constantine Graphic Novel (Family Comic Friday)

Confession time. I've never read a Constantine/Hellraiser comic or graphic novel. I've read lots of stuff involving the character like Saga of the Swamp Thing. I'm a huge, devastated fan of the cancelled Legends of Tomorrow. But the hellacious subject matter of any series named after the character of John Constantine has kept me away- until now!

As a part of DC's amazing run of graphic novels for young adults, The Mystery of the Meanest Teacher is a retooling of John Constantine's earliest days. In the canon of adult DC Comics books, Constantine's young life was wrought with tragedy. This leads to the Brit becoming an expert on the occult. Here, Johnny Constantine has been practicing from a very young age. After he angers some ghosts one too many times, Kid Constantine flees to the States to attend a boarding school.

Thinking he's the only practitioner of magic in the world, Johnny meets fellow outcast Anna. She too knows some magic. And since Kid Constantine's English magic doesn't work so well in America, he becomes a fast friend and confidant. 

Now with a friend with similar interests, Johnny's transition to his new school might be just perfect. Except for his homeroom teacher who absolutely hates him. And she might just be a witch!

My belief that this book might not be filled with demons and black magic was way wrong. I had read the junior graphic novel. Zatanna and the House of Secrets which was pretty tame. Naturally, I thought that would be the case here. But from the very beginning, Kid Constantine is playing fast and loose with fallen angels and long dormant beings of the macabre.

True, I wasn't as freaked out by this story as I've been by the more adult demons and devils that plague John Constantine. But I was still ill at ease. As I've said many a times before, those more darker recesses of horror and the supernatural are just not my thing. And there's some parts of this book that really creep pretty close towards those forbidden shadow places of terror. 

Amazon gives a recommended reading age of 7-12 years of age. They also list grade levels of 2nd and 3rd grade. I think those two ranges don't correlate. When I was 12 years old, I was in 6th grade. And with the scary creatures and practice of the dark arts, I doubt very many parents and guardians of 7, 8 and 9 year olds may be very approving of this book. An aspiring 5th grade through senior in middle school will probably be mature enough to read this book. As it goes with kids in general, the appropriateness of this book is up to you the adult in charge. 

Personally, I enjoyed this book. There's a great surprise guest in this story of which I've always been a fan of despite their devilish ways. I loved the twist ending. And I'd be on board for a sequel. But yes- I am not a fan of demons or devils. And how this book makes such species kinda the good guys troubles me.

Writer Ryan North (The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl) does make the final baddie truly evil. But North makes all of the other fiends rather likable. It doesn't help that Star Wars Adventures' Derek Charm is such a master illustrator. Everything he draws has that eye-twinkling charm (pun not intended). Derek Charm has a talent that can make mean ol' Emperor Palpatine look grandfatherly. And with the demons that Kid Constantine pals around, the artist makes them look downright neighborly. 

An enjoyable book that I personally wasn't all that comfortable with. But that's my hang-up. Not you the parent or guardian. 

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

Thursday, May 19, 2022

Marvel Comics Presents #101

After an epic centennial issue, a quartet of new stories and segments appear in between the Sam Kieth illustrated flip covers.

The X-Man Nightcrawler is summoned back to the circus he called home in Old World Germany. Seems that some strange things have been happening. As a back-up, Kurt Wagner calls upon Wolverine to assist in the investigation. 

Ghost Rider begins a team-up with the Sorcerer Supreme, Doctor Strange, to take on a demon called Gorn. And we're not talking about the reptilian alien race from Star Trek!

In the lone single issue segment, The Punisher takes on a gang of gun runners. This story had a very powerful message that involves a youth torn between following the straight and narrow or the luxurious life of a thug. Fantastic Ron Marz (DC Vs. Marvel Comics) scripted tale!

Then we've got a multi-parter starring characters called the Young Gods. This diverse team of heroes is kinda like a third rate version of the Eternals. Since the Celestials are involved, I think I'm kinda right about my summation. Maybe they're second rate. Dunno.  

Otherwise, an ancient evil has awakened on Earth and the Young Gods have asked the Celestials for the chance to save their former home planet. The ancient ones allow them to intervene. But should they fail, they will die and die really brutally. 

I normally am a fan of Gerry Conway (Superman). But I felt like the story was a little contrived. Really riding on the coat tails of the great Jack Kirby here. But the artwork of Tom Sutton (Amazing Adventures) was fantastic. The men each looked like an Adonis. The women are drawn like super models. Definite early 90s eye candy.

An uneven mix of stories. A pair are really good. One, pretty forgettable. And another only superior in terms of art appeal.

Rating: 6 out of 10 stars.

Wednesday, May 18, 2022

Marvel Comics Presents #100

To celebrate MCP reaching the century mark, Marvel goes epic. Instead of 4 unconnected episodes, writer Howard Mackie (Spirits of Venom) and artist Sam Keith (The Maxx) take a single story and have it presented in 4 separate chapters.

Building off stories from the past couple of issues, the Doctor Strange villain, Nightmare, has decided to invade the slumber of a trio of Marvel Universe characters. First up, Doctor Doom. Nightmare has been using his insecurities as the totalitarian leader of Latveria. 

Then Wolverine, who for a couple of issues now, has been using Professor X's help to navigate a reoccurring night terror, faces Nightmare and causes the dream lord a tiny bit of battle damage. Which is something unthinkable in Nightmare's realm!

Last on Nightmare's hit list is Ghost Rider. The past couple of issues, Nightmare has been using some pesky little blue demons as weapons against Danny Ketch. Now licking his wounds from tussling with Wolverine, Nightmare goes for broke against the Spirit of Vengeance.

With Chapter 4, expect 3 very pissed off super-humans to pay Nightmare a visit!

While I hate the idea of this anthology series going away from 4 different tales, I was okay with this. It was a one-time thing. It was done to celebrate a milestone. And it felt like 4 different stories that were interconnected and not an overdrawn novel-length story.

A really enjoyable read. As long as MCP doesn't make a habit of straying away from its roots, I am pleased with the results of issue #100!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars. 

Plastic Man #19 (2022 Comic Book and Graphic Novel Reading Challenge)

Plastic Man was created by Jack Cole, first appearing in Police Comics #1 (August, 1941). As small time hood Eel O'Brian, a burglary went wrong. The cops crowded in and Eel's fellow gang members abandoned him. O'Brian gets shot in the shoulder and falls into a vat of undisclosed chemicals. Instead of dying, O'Brian escaped, only to pass out on the grounds of a monastery. 

O'Brian awakens on a bed, taken in by the monks. He also discovers that he's got incredible powers. O'Brian's body has taken on the properties of rubber. He can stretch, change shapes and bounce! 

Inspired by the kindness of the monks, Eel O'Brian forsakes his criminal past and becomes a crime fighter. With his sidekick, the paunchy Woozy Winks, Eel defends his city as the superhero Plastic Man. By day, he remains Eel O'Brian in order to infiltrate the criminal underground. At night, he changes the composition of his face, dons white goggles and fights for right. And if he collects some reward money, well, a hero's gotta eat don't they?

In 1956, Plastic Man's original publisher, Quality Comics shut down. Sometime shortly after that, DC Comics bought the rights to Plastic Man and other Quality characters. It wasn't until 1966 that the House That Superman Built gave Plas his own series. That series ran for only 10 issues from December 1966-June 1968. Gil Kane (Superman), Jack Sparling (Silver Surfer), Win Mortimer(Night Nurse) were among the talented artists who worked on the title. Doom Patrol's Arnold Drake was the scripter. 

Plastic Man made an unexpected return in 1976. With a March cover date, the revival continued the legacy numbering with #11. This new run had art by Ramona Fradon (Metamorpho) and Ernie Chan (Conan The Barbarian). Steve Skeates (Blue Beetle) and John Albano (Jonah Hex) were the plotters.

For the issue I read for my reading challenge, the creative team was of Albano and Fradon. Detective Comics' Bob Smith was on inks and Ben Oda (Flash Gordon) was the letterer. 

In this issue, a gang of street toughs are terrorizing the citizens of Plastic Man and Woozy's town. With assistance from a mousy grocery delivery man, Plas puts the hurt on the gang leader who swears revenge on the employee. But before they get their hands on Plastic Man's accomplice, the young man has an encounter with a UFO. 

Thinking the meek male is a threat, the aliens shoot him with an energy beam. As he falls off the roof of his apartment building, Plastic Man tries to rescue the guy. But he's too late! Yet instead of having plummeted to his doom, the young gentleman shrugs things off and goes back to his apartment to sleep.

Thus begins the career of the newest hero of the block! With super hearing, the newcomer to crime fighting can get the upper hand on tackling the baddies first. It looks like the city will no longer need Plastic Man! Will he retire? Or is it time to find a new city to patrol?

The Plastic Man revival only lasted another issue. However, that was not the end of Plastic Man. Just 2 years later, Plastic Man would return. This time in animated form. The Plastic Man Comedy/Adventure Show would air on ABC from 1978-81. For all of 1980, he became the one of the cover features for Adventure Comics. A 4 issue miniseries was created post-CRISIS in 1988. In the 90s, Plastic Man was eventually made a member of the JLA thanks to Grant Morrison. The 2000s saw new blood injected into the character in a bi-monthly series by Kyle Baker that also ran for 20 issues. 

Over the years, Plastic Man has been seen as a very goofy character. That's how he was created by Jack Cole. It's also how I remember him on the cartoon series. In the past 30 years or so, Plastic Man has been a constant headache to Batman and isn't allowed within 100 feet of Wonder Woman. Yet with this issue, something was off.

Yes, Plastic Man disguises himself as numerous objects like a fire hydrant and his patented bouncing ball. However, this version of Plastic Man is pretty serious. He's almost has a Batman '66 kinda uber-boy scout kind of vibe him. Even when he thinks that his town doesn't need him any more, Plastic Man is more resolved to find another place to call home rather that have an over-the-top pity party like the character is wont to do in more recent titles and animated series. If anything was cheesy about this issue, it was Jeanette Kahn's 'Stan's Soapbox' style column about the revival of Showcase Presents and the mildly racist artist stoplight about one DC's up and coming talent, Mike Nasser (now known as Michael Netzer).

Despite the very uncharacteristic seriousness of Plastic Man, this issue was pretty decent. Though I thought it was strange for the narrator to say that Eel feel into a vat of acid. I don't think acid would give Plas any powers. I think had he fell into acid, the substance would have torn Eel to shreds. Okay- so the edits needed to work on consistency. It's still a fun read.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

Completing this review completes Task #13 (Published the Year You Were Born) of the 2022 Comic Book and Graphic Novel Reading Challenge. 

Tuesday, May 17, 2022

My Hero Academia, Vol. 1 (2022 Comic Book and Graphic Novel Reading Challenge)

Visit a future in which 80% of the world has superpowers. It's now an everyday occurrence to witness heroes taking on villains. But it's also not unusual to have the guy taking your fast food order have some sort of 'quirk.'

Those without powers are referred to as 'quirkless'. One such powerless member of the dwindling populace is Izuru Midoriya. With parents who have powers, it's been Izuru's dream to become a superhero like his idol, All Might. Though Izuru is without powers, that doesn't stop him from practicing for the entrance exam to U.A. High School, the world's most prestigious training facility for turning Quirks into superheroes.

Without a quirk, Izuru doesn't have a prayer. But a chance encounter with a super villain gives Izuru a chance to play hero. That episode captures the attention of All Might. Seeing potential in Izuru, All Might reveals that he is dying and as a result, looking for a successor. Thus will begin an intense training session towards making Izuru's body capable of accepting All Might's powers. That's the easy part. The real challenge will be to get Izuru accepted into the next class of Quirks at U.A.!

My Hero Academia is a long running Manga by Kohei Horikoshi (Barrage). Appearing as a segment in the weekly anthology series Weekly Shonen Jump, My Hero Academia has produced over 34 tankobon volumes of collected reprints, numerous spin-offs, an anime series, several animated films, a pair of video games and literal tons of merch! There's even talk of a live-action TV series or film (or both) in the works.

This series has elements that are quite familiar to me. The setting of a school to train the next gen of heroes in a competitive nature reminds me of Hogwarts. The competitions themselves are set up like video games. In fact, during Izuru's entrance exam, there's a series of silhouettes taken directly from a Nintendo franchise that was just 'Super'. I also felt that Izuru being the odd man out in a society full of powers was a lot like the relatively obscure Jim Valentino satire, Normalman!

Manga isn't really my thing. But thanks to the reading challenge, I'm reading more than I ever expected. I'm getting used to the uneven artwork; knowing now that emotions might sometimes result in a totally different character being used in place of the emoting protagonist. I'm also doing okay going from right to left in flipping the pages. But it's the counter-clockwise fashion of the panels that I'm still having difficulty with. Kohei Horikoshi loves to experiment with the format of the page and it gets very confusing. Imagine Jack Kirby's plotting. Now hold it in a mirror and you'll know my struggle.

I read this book as it has been a frequent recommendation of a friend. He believes that My Hero Academia is the type of story to which all American comics should aspire to. I think that some publishers are already doing so. Gotham Academy and Strange Academy and Young Avengers all seem to  have captured the young hero in training trope pretty well. What I think my friend is alluding to is DC and Marvel's hesitancy to create new series with completely all-new, all-original line-ups and not legacy characters. If that's the case, I can get behind that  opinion. Though I doubt either of the big two publishers would ever take such a risk.

An interesting toe-dip in to a beloved Manga franchise. Might I return for the rest of the story? I don't really know. There's so much stuff on my to-read list. But I will say that I enjoyed what I read, even though I had some difficulties. Plus, I am itching to know what happens to Izuru and his pals next. So maybe once I get to the end of my reading challenge list, I'll jump back in the Manga pool. Regardless, this experience has made me appreciate Manga just a tiny bit more.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

Completing this review completes Task #3 (Recommended by a Friend) of the 2022 Comic Book and Graphic Novel Reading Challenge.

Monday, May 16, 2022

Mister Negativity and Other Tales of Supernatural Law (A Madman Re-read)

This is the volume that got me started on Supernatural Law. I don't know why but for some reason my local library has only had volume 5 in it's stacks. It's been like 10 years since I read the book and my library still refuses to add any other Supernatural Law books to the graphic novel shelving units. 

The main story is about a man with the ability to turn even the brightest of situations into a real bummer. Mister Negativity isn't being sued. Instead, he's suing for damages due to his now permanent sour disposition, which in a word is repelling! 

Paralleling this case is a suit filed against a medium. Seems that a fortuneteller promised a man a long life. Only the guy gets hit by a bus or something right after. As a result, he keeps digging himself up feeling misled about the fortune he was issued. 

The connection between the two stories is kinda telegraphed. But the ending was still pretty powerful. 

Another story I enjoyed a bunch involves a demon. No, I haven't started warming up to the darker sides of horror. I just really appreciated the Dave Sims tribute to the aardvark Cerebus in this story. Yeah, I know I've never read a Cerebus story before. But I still appreciated it. 

One tale that I wasn't a fan of takes place in the dream world. A horror writer is in a coma as a result of a mysterious hit and run. As death creeps even closer, the author reaches out to Wolff & Byrd through their slumber. It's a rare episode where Mavis gets to save the day for once. But I felt that this take on Stephen King's near-death experience was full of parodies that just weren't funny. It just was too serious. This poses the questions: can a parody be serious?

I like it better when Batton Lash is light-hearted and this story was far from being happy-go-lucky. A good volume of Supernatural Law. Not the best one of the bunch. But still fun to read!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

Sunday, May 15, 2022

Marvel Comics Presents #99

 Wolverine has a very bad night's sleep in a single issue story that features Professor X.

Ghost Rider's 2-parter comes to a close. The last issue was set during the holidays. This chapter seems to have forgotten all that. 

That's pretty typical in comics. One issue is set during Christmas. Ends with a cliffhanger. And boom, next issue, all the decorations and holiday cheer are all gone. I wish I could wrap up my holiday set dressings that quickly.

Love seems to be in the air for the other two 8-pagers. Puck, the other diminutive member of Alpha Flight has his sights set on fellow Alpha Flight member, Heather Hudson. Here is Puck feeling all down on himself saying that Hudson can never love him. I'm thinking it's because he's short. It's actually because really he's like 100 years old and is only making himself look young thanks to his mutant abilities.

Then Peter Parker has trouble getting in touch with Mary Jane. This little tale is actually quirky and not a typical Marvel tale full of fisticuffs. It was an enjoyable capper to a very exciting issue.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Friday, May 13, 2022

Marvel Comics Presents #98

The Pioneer Wolverine story comes to a close. I love how the people of the Blackfoot tribe call him Skunk-Bear. I kinda hated how this great story ended. Make sense for it to end as it did. I just didn't appreciate it. All except that last panel. That was epic!

A short Ghost Rider story begins in this issue. Despite being told that the Ghost Rider stories were going to be team-ups, this two-parter doesn't appear to be such. What keeps me from hating this story is that it takes place during Christmas. An unexpected holiday story stuck in the middle of an unassuming Marvel Comics Presents. That's a broken promise I can get behind. 

I'm also a fan of the two single issue stories. One has the Werewolf by Night taking on Sabretooth in rural Kansas.

The other is about the reformed Daredevil villain, Gladiator. Now going by his real name, Melvin Potter, he owns a costume shop with the woman he loves. Everything seems serene until a young punk comes to him asking for a Gladiator costume. The Gladiator costume with working buzz saws and everything. And should that reformed villain refuse, that serene life might be in jeopardy. Looks like Melvin Potter might need to suit up one last time.

Not my favorite issue. But with a holiday miracle, despite it's smearing of coal, among 3 very good segments, I was happy.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

Bite Sized Archie (Family Comic Friday)

Forget that just 2 weeks ago, I reviewed an Archie comic for Family Comic Friday. I haven't had a chance to head to my local library for some new all ages reads yet. And with a release date of May 17th, this is one of the few times I'm ahead of the game instead of catching up. 

Bite Sized Archie is a weekly web comic from Archiecomics.com. Written and illustrated by Ron Cacace and Vincent Lovallo, a couple of Archie veterans, this print volume collects the first year of strips. 

Now I know what you're thinking. There's only 52 weeks in a year. This book is 112 pages long. And the strip is only 4 panels long. What's going on here? Along with the finished product, this book also presents the original sketches of each strip. Plus, there's factoids and BTS information on how the strips came to life and valuable tips about computer generated art and story structure.

Most books I review for my Family Comic Friday column are constructed where the entire book is fun for the whole family. This book is different. The readers under age 8 will love the Chibi inspired artwork  The teen and under 30s family members will love the references to social media and anime. The older readers will enjoy the classic pop culture references to movies and the 80 year plus history of Archie Comics. Throw in the background factoids and art class additions and if you've got any aspiring writers or artists in the family and I think you've got everyone covered. 

Unfortunately, just don't think every page offers something that every member of the theoretic comics reading family will enjoy. For example- the use of the Japanese inspired Chibi art technique, the older readers who grew up with Archie in the 70s and 80s won't quite understand why Archie and friends look so angelic. I should know! I showed this book to my bride and Vincent Lovallo's images confused the heck out of her! I at least thought the characters seemed inspired by my personal favorite Archie series, Little Archie. But I can understand how wonky our brains get if something rebooted doesn't reflect the icons we grew up with. 

This first volume ended too soon. I want to read ahead but I don't want to miss out being surprised on what I expect to be next year's second collection. Sure, we'll get all the great director's cut commentary. But I think I'll stay away from the internet in order to stay surprised. 

A book full of something for the whole family. Just don't expect everyone to be on the same page!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

#bitesizedarchie 

Thursday, May 12, 2022

Marvel Comics Presents #97

The Ghost Rider/Cable story comes to a close. It was about 4 chapters too many. Good ending. But like I said earlier, it was telegraphed early on.

The Pioneer Wolverine story keeps getting better. There's some sort of Medusa creature terrorizing the Blackfoot tribe. It kills with a glance. It's up to Logan to stop it.

There's a Silver Surfer one-shot story that was okay. I appreciated the cameo by Mr. Fantastic. But with all the doctorate-level jargon, I don't really know all that was happening. 

Finally, we head down to the Bar With No Name. There's a ton of cameos from a bunch of baddies. There's the standard mix-up fight amongst friends- or enemies in this case. And a fantastic twist ending!

A .500 batting average is great in baseball. This is my reading enjoyment. Not good enough! No siree, Bob! 

Rating: 5 out of 10 stars.


Wednesday, May 11, 2022

The Vampire Brat and Other Tales of Supernatural Law (A Madman Re-Read)

The Batton Law series goes through a bunch of changes with this volume. 

First Wolff & Byrd: Counselors of the Macabre changed its title name to Supernatural Law. Then the super couple of Mavis & Toby splits with Toby heading to Hollywood to become a movie producer and lawyer. Then when the monster friend of a troubled youngster runs amok, the law firm will need to find new office space.

The level of homages and tributes really multiply in these volume as well. There's at least a dozen or more famous teen bloodsuckers peppering the background of the 'Vampire Brat' story. Horror movies legends Vincent Price and Peter Lorre show up in a tale about a mad scientist who discovers a way to capture the human soul. And if you were a fan of the Fat Fury, Herbie, from the 1960s, then you are going to love the last story line of the book!

Plus, the only holiday issue of the series (not counting how it's Halloween every day!) Not sure which winter holiday is being represented. But issue #25 is a great tribute to all of the previous cases and characters to have ever graced the pages of this hilarious series!

When I first read this book, I gave it an 8 out of 10. I think I am going to stick with that rating. The Ally McBeal parody subplot to the Vampire Brat story was absurd. I'm not sure if Batton Lash was trying to be topical or was he really fed-up with feminism? The romance angle seems to be taking away from the fun of the unusual practices of the law. With the Mavis spin-off issues, I think that's okay as it focuses more on the private lives of all the characters as opposed to judicial services. But I feel that Mavis' relationship woes are affecting the rest of the firm.

The series when it deals with the supernatural, macabre and strange is just perfect. Not big on when this series starts being a soap opera. Maybe I've missed something. But I didn't think this was supposed to be like Dark Shadows.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.l

Tuesday, May 10, 2022

Marvel Comics Presents #96

The Nova story comes to an end. And just now, I remember what this story is about. Nova has been called to help a refuge train of ships from certain extinction. After a lot of destroyed ships, a dwindling population and a mutiny, the story ends with hope. But that level of hope is very small. I think only about 50 refugees survive this story. There were more survivors of the Resistance at the end of The Last Jedi than aliens left behind by Frankie Raye at the end of this.

I was a big fan of the Speedball one-and-done story. There's this cornball baddie named Class Clown. He's a cross between Groucho Marx and the X-Men villain, Arcade. And he's bound and determined to turn Speedball into the pariah of Robbie Baldwin's high school.

The Logan story still continues to impress. I think it's the best story of Wolverine in this entire MCP run. 

As for the Ghost Rider/Cable story, I really could be done with it. It's taking too long to end with the ending I have seen telegraphed for a good two or three previous chapters. Enough already!

3 great segments. One that I'm ready for it to be over with. A good read. Just not perfect.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 7 out of 10 stars.

Monday, May 9, 2022

Supernatural Law #25 (2022 Comic Book and Graphic Novel Reading Challenge)

I think all collectors of any hobby get like this from time to time. You have something on your wish list that's been there seemingly forever, until one day you decide to pull the trigger and complete your set or run. That's what I've been doing with Batton Lash's Wolff & Byrd Counselors of the Macabre/Supernatural Law books lately. I just got the hankering for some never before read Supernatural Law and decided to cash in some trade credit via Amazon to get it. 

Batton Lash got the idea for Wolff & Byrd in the early late 70s when he was a courtroom artist for the New York Judicial System. Lash thought it would be hilarious to have a monster like the Wolfman or Dracula having to go to court for howling at the moon or turning someone into a vampire. Lash managed to convince the small weekly publication, The Brooklyn Paper to run a strip about the spooky courtroom team of Alanna Wolff and Jeff Byrd. In 1983, The Counselors of the Macabre were picked up by the prestigious National Law Journal. 

In 1993, Batton Lash and his wife, San Diego Comic-Con legend Jackie Estrada, started their own independent publishing company, the aptly named Exhibit A Press. After a couple of collections of the strips, Lash decided to start a regular series based on Wolff & Byrd while ending the strip runs. 

The first issue of Wolff & Byrd: Counselors of the Macabre hit stores with a May, 1994 cover date. The series did great with those who were already fans of the series from the other publications. But Lash found it hard to gain new readership due to the title. For one thing, Wolff and Byrd were often misspelled by fans, stores and reviewers. Plus, it seems that the word MACABRE is just impossible to say. A running joke throughout the later issues is the pronunciation of macabre as 'Mack-A-Bree!' 

Trying to curb the confusion, Lash changed the name of the series to Supernatural Law with issue #24. The series ran infrequently at that point up to issue #45 (July, 2008) with a story that saw both the Toxic Avenger and Troma filmmaker Lloyd Kaufman starring as themselves!

The crossover wasn't the end of Wolff & Byrd. Batton Lash ran a couple of Kickstarter campaigns to publish graphic two novel length stories and to complete the trade paperback run of the comic series. The last Supernatural Law story completely finished was 'Grandfathered In' which was released in 2018 just a few short months before Lash's death in January 2019. The story of a ghost who refuses to leave his domicle serves as a bittersweet ending to the series. But I wonder if we'll see the counselors return to court with a new creative team as the last page of the story promises more to come.

The issue I chose for this task in the 2022 Comic Book and Graphic Novel Reading Challenge was issue #25. It's the lone holiday issue of the series. Though whether this takes place during Christmas or New Year's Eve isn't quite clear. It's snowing during the story and lots of champagne is drunk. But the only holiday actually mentioned in the story is Bacchanalia which occurs in March.

With many of their accounts in arrears, the law firm decides to host an open house for past and prospective clients. Alanna is just about to join the festivities when she is approached by a time traveler who claims he's a client from the future. Seeking a patent on his time machine, the scientist went back in time to see how things are going on the case. Only, nobody in the firm knows who this guy is!

Issue #25 is not an issue for casual fans. There's either a cameo or a mention of every character to have appeared in the comic book thus far. If you haven't followed the series in some order, you probably will miss a couple of those references. But for an established fan- and for someone who is reading every issue in order- this floppie is a treasure trove of Supernatural Law history. 

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Completing this review completes Task #4 (Part of a Series) of the 2022 Comic Book and Graphic Novel Reading Challenge.

Sunday, May 8, 2022

Sonovawitch! and Other Tales of Supernatural Law (A Madman Re-Read)

The comic book stories of Wolff & Byrd, counselors of the macabre, become even more complex in the pages of Sonovawitch! While story arcs aren't anything new to creator Batton Lash, every issue up to this point has been self contained. For example, it took 13 issues before the lawyers went to trial for Sodd, the Thing that was an It. But the story of a young man accused of hexual harassment due to the meddlings of his witch mom was one in which if you missed an issue, you would be completely lost.

Along with the title story, there's a lot going on in the after hours lives of the employees of the firm. Wolff has taken a break with her beau, the hot shot attorney Chase Hawkins. Jeff Byrd sees his dreams of a love life with model Dawn Devine fly away when she elopes with a Hollywood producer. And the World's Greatest Secretary, Mavis, has a decision to make when boyfriend Toby gets on one knee. 

Don't think that this has turned into a romance series. There's still plenty of supernatural law to be practiced. There's the demon that gets possessed by a human who is being sued for deserting a petty thief in his time of dastardly need. Plus we jump into the future to witness a trio of supernatural law students debate that time a kaiju attacked the Big Apple. 

Another enjoyable read. I must say that even though I've now read this book twice now, the twist ending of the Sonovawitch story still shocked the heck out of me. Wow, was it sad and powerful! But yes- there is a little too much of the mushy stuff floating around as well.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Saturday, May 7, 2022

Farewell, George Perez

A lot of icons from my youth seem to be passing away with frequent expedience it seems lately. Just last week, the great Neal Adams passed away. I got to meet him at a con a couple of years ago. Despite having read a very large amount of the stuff Adams did over the years, the only thing I had for him to sign was a reprint of one of his Green Lantern/Green Arrow books. I was so embarrassed when I approached him with the issue thinking he'd be mad not coming to him with the real thing. But he couldn't have been nicer.

Well, today, I saw the news on Facebook that another beloved comic book creator from my youth passed away last night, George Perez. I knew that George's time on Earth wasn't for long. Just a few short months ago, he announced having stage IV pancreatic cancer. So, I had some time to prepare for this. I just wasn't prepared for that time to be today.

The resume of George Perez isn't just a Who's Who of comic book characters. It's more of an Who Aint'? Because he's done them all. The Avengers. Justice League of America. The New Teen Titans. The X-Men. He's also responsible for the artwork of my all-time favorite comic book story- Crisis on Infinite Earths. And that's where I want to pay tribute to George Perez.

It was father's day weekend, 2007. Charlotte, NC at HeroesCon. It was the first comic book convention I went to as a married man and the first Con I had been to in probably a decade. My best friend Todd and his wife met with my wife and I there. And at times, we'd go off while the wives sat and talked. 

I saw that George Perez was one of the guests and I always wanted to confront him about doing the unthinkable: killing my beloved Supergirl off in the pages of CRISIS #7. Since at the time I didn't have any of the number of comics that I have now, I needed to find a copy of CRISIS so I could get it signed by Perez. I seriously thought about buying a copy of #7. But in all honesty, my favorite cover was that of CRISIS #5 in which there are about probably 50 portraits of many of the major players on the cover. And I just loved how Perez drew faces. 

So I buy my copy, march over to his booth and I see that he's doing special signings for a donation to ACTOR, now known as the Hero Initiative. It's a charity for providing healthcare, housing and other needs for those who worked in the comic book industry but made next to nothing from their work. 

At the moment, I arrived, George was working on something that was going to be auctioned off later for the charity. I told him that I wanted him to sign my issue of CRISIS with the admission that he had killed Supergirl on it. George and his handler told me that he would do it if I came back at 2pm. So I made sure to pledge $30 as a donation if he'll do it. He agreed and I went back to enjoying the Con.

Well at 1:55, an announcement went over the intercom that Mr. Perez was too busy with commissions that he had to cancel the signing. I looked at my wife heartbroken thinking I missed my chance. My wife on the other hand figured since he made a promise to us, maybe he'll follow through. It couldn't hurt to try. So we raced over to try.

George's handler must have seen me coming cause she tried to shoo me away. But I had mentioned that I still intended to donate to the cause if he would just sign it. George put down his ink pen and gracious said '30 bucks, right?' I upped it to $40. He smiled and told me that I had a deal. At this point, my friend Todd came up and for 15 minutes we were the center of George Perez's attention. He talked about how hard a decision it was for them to kill Supergirl. But since the DC universe was being reset, they could always bring her back. We talked about Teen Titans since that was Todd's favorite. At one point, for some reason, Todd had mentioned Roy Thomas and George pointed behind us and said 'Well, there he is. Tell him I told you to sign your program."Which Roy did!

Anyways, for 15 minutes, I got to hang out with George Perez and I've never forgotten the experience. I talk about it often and fondly. I show my issue off with joy as not only did George Perez confess to the murder, he drew a sketch of the S-shield on the cover as well. So I actually own an original sketch from Perez as well.

I think one thing about that meeting means so much to me was that I got to do it with my best friend. Sadly, Todd lost his battle with mental illness over a decade ago. God, I still miss him. Now, I will be missing George Perez as well. 


Rest in Peace Todd and George and Neal...