Marvel Comics Presents #119

Two new multi-parters debut in this issue. First up has Ghost Rider teaming with the duo of Cloak & Dagger. Dagger has been kidnapped by an inter-dimensional being called Grimbat. He's like an uglier, meaner version of Kitty Pryde's dragon Lockheed and he's decided to make Dagger his new bride!

In the second, the villain turned mercenary Constrictor is hired for a job that involves an abusive father and his son. The crime boss pop has kidnapped his kid from the mom who's got legal custody. Only this job is bringing up memories of his abusive childhood and it's severely affecting Constrictor's ability to do the job he was paid for as well as his conscience to do the right thing.

The one and done story has Simon Williams, Wonder Man, taking an acting job with that wicked media mogul, Mojo! Mojo's staff have tricked Wonder Man into an unbreakable contract. But with the help of Simon's agent, Neal Saroyan, who might just have a few tricks of his own to get Wonder Man out from under Mojo's thumb.

As for the Wolverine/Venom story, it's really not going anywhere. 3 parts have progressed now and Nightmare hasn't even officially shown up yet. It's really just a battle between mutant and symbiote. For early 90s comics fans, this was a dream come true. But for me, it's just boring.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 7 out of 10 stars.

Showcase Presents: Aquaman Vol. 2

The recent controversy behind the Johnny Depp/Amber Heard defamation case and the actresses' diminished role in the Aquaman sequel is not why I decided to read this collection of Aquaman reprints. Instead, I was inspired to have a topical (or maybe it's tropical) read on my recent beach vacation. While I didn't finish this book before I left Carolina Beach, I did keep smelling salt air and daily fresh catch as I read this collection of mid-1960s Aquaman comics. 

Nick Cardy tackles the artwork of the regular Aquaman series stories. Ramona Fradon (Metamorpho) illustrated the smaller stories that occupied the fill-in status in the pages of World's Finest Comics. Fradon's artwork was so fluid. I've been a fan of her's since I was a little kid from the stories I'd read in my dad's comic collection. Cardy's artwork is another story.

Somewhere around 1966 or '67, Nick Cardy's work shifted dramatically on this series. I think it's because for a while, Cardy was trying to (or being made to) copy Fradon's style. Before the 'shift', Cardy's Aquaman stories have heavy inks, rounder edges and look a bit like what you'd see from the Bob Kane camp (around this time.) I think once Fradon finally moved on from doing Aquaman stories, Cardy was free to start putting his deft touch on the comic. 

If you look at Cardy's other work, particularly Teen Titans, you'll notice that the paneling of the stories gets much bigger. The inks are thinner and the angling of the scenes are more dynamic. But above all, you see the artist's love of anatomy. I'm not saying Cardy was a freak or anything like that. Cardy does a lot of panels where he'll show Aquaman or another character in action in some sort of act of progression- kinda like how Carmine Infantino would show the Flash being super fast by drawing him like in one of those flip book poses. Sorry- I just don't know how to better explain it.

Aquaman gets a bad rap as being a weak member of the Justice League because all he can do is speak to fish. But really, that's not the case. Sure, as a part of a team, he's severely limited. He can't be out of water for longer than 60 minutes. (For some reason, I thought ther limit was 24-hours.) So, a lengthy trip to the Sahara is out of the question. But when you keep Aquaman in his element, he's a mighty warrior. He's strong. Can swim extremely fast. And yes, he can talk to fish.

While Aquaman's rogue's gallery is still a tad away from being firmly established at this moment, he's assortment of allies are formed in the volume. Future wife, Mera, the inter-dimensional aquatic princess, the Aquababy, and several denizens of Atlantis are introduced here. If you need a fix on the villains, it's mostly two-bit crooks and the odd extraterrestrial baddie who troubles the King of the Seven Seas. Only the angling Fisherman is a recurring villain I recall from later comic stories.

A very good collection of stories. They may not be the best DC had to offer. But they were nostalgic and nautical. And once Nick Cardy found his footing, the artwork began to look a lot like my 60s DC guilty pleasure, Sea Devils. 

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

Marvel Comics Presents #118

Both the Ghost Rider/ Iron Fist and the Bill Foster Giant-Man stories end in this issue. Both were very good stories. I was more of a fan of the Bill Foster tale if only because it was a more energetic and fun story. 

The Wolverine story is a team-up with Venom. In typical Marvel fashion, the two characters think the other is responsible for their current predicament and instead of talking things out, they beat each other's brains in.

The one-and-done story was another Marvel 2099 introduction. This time it's Doom 2099. Could it be that the tyrannic leader of Lavteria has returned after nearly a century of being long thought dead? 

Upon reviewing the last issue, I discussed how despite the character of Ravage being touted as making his Marvel debut in the pages of MCP, the Marvel [Database] wiki claims that Ravage 2099 was that guy's debut comic. Well, Marvel's editing staff claim that Doom 2099 is making his debut in this book and I wanted to know what that other resource thought. They concur that issue #118 is the first appearance. Hmmm... I wonder why the wiki agrees on the first showing of Doom 2099 but not Ravage? I guess it's just one of those eternal questions that wie'll never have an answer to.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

Marvel Comics Presents #117

I had mentioned somewhat in my review of issue #100 that I didn't think that Nightmare was done with Wolverine. This issue proves me right. Wolverine is being plagued once more by troubling sleep and is seeking Professor X's assistance once again. This time, the leader of the X-Men empowers Wolverine with tools to fight the dream lord. But when Logan enters the realm of Nightmare, he comes face to face with Venom!

And then BAM! To Be Continued...

We'll need to wait until the next issue to find out if Venom is being used as a tool of Nightmare or is the symbiote anti-hero at the mercy of the Doctor Strange villain as well?

Both the Ghost Rider/Iron Fist and the Bill Foster Giant-Man stories reach their penultimate chapters inside the flip cover. For the single issue story entry, readers get a glimpse as the Marvel 2099 universe. This issue claims that this is the first appearance of the character Ravage. However, the Marvel [Datebase] claims that the character's first appearance was in the pages of Ravage 2099 #1. 

For myself, this kind of oversight isn't an issue. I also own a copy of that issue. Plus neither this issue that I am reviewing nor Ravage 2099 #1 are valued at more than $5 each. Both books have a cover date of December, 1992. So, I guess it's not really a big deal. But should the character appear in a movie or Disney+ series, I'd expect the value of the Ravage premier issue to rise. But I want to put in a case now that this issue should also jump up in price. 

Not that I'm planning on selling this issue. Just putting it out there.

By the way- that Wolverine/Venom cover was killer!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

Poorcraft: The Funnybook Fundamentals of Living Well on Less (2022 Comic Book and Graphic Novel Reading Challenge)

Today more than ever, people need help making ends meet. Inflation, rising gas prices and the war in Ukraine are taking a toll on all our wallets. C. Spike Trotman takes it upon herself to help those with financial constraints with this graphic novel full of money saving tips. Along with whimsically cartoony artist Diana Nock (The Intrepid Girlbot), Trotman presents a method called Poorcraft. But it's really an amalgamation of a bunch of economical philosophies and techniques.

My wife and I partook in Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University seminar a few years back. Trotman's advice on how to pay for a car and to reduce debt using the 'snowball' effect of paying off the smaller dues first and then applying that money to the next larger bill, is something I learned from Ramsey.

In this book, Trotman uses the character of Penny and her faithful dog, Nickel to help their pal Mil out of a sticky financial situation. From finding affordable housing to the use of transportation, cutting corners on grocery, clothes and entertainment and how to navigate the tricky paradox that is called higher education, just about any lifetime situation is covered in this book.

Not everything in this book is practical for everyone. Penny's use of a bicycle along with a bus to get around everywhere isn't really feasible for somebody who lives in a rural area. But a bunch of the tips in this book are universally helpful.

Ryan Estrada, one of the reviewers on the back cover suggests that Poorcraft replace Seuss' Oh, The Places You'll Go! as the essential work to give high school graduates. I'd almost agree with this assessment. Only, I think rising Juniors should get this book in order to avoid the traps of for-profit universities, un-repayable student loans and how to utilize affordable community colleges in order to meet the core class standards. Some of my pupils seek me out with help looking at culinary schools and I think the resources listed in this book will assist with that.

I'm thinking of hanging on to this book as a resource for the high school culinary classes I teach. There's a lot of great tips for cooking on a budget without resorting to just ramen noodles! That's a major concern in my students- being able to cook for themselves after high school. Our unit on the cooking of authentic ramen was a big hit with my upperclassmen. My level 1 students can't wait to do it this coming school year!

C. Spike Trotman has two other books in the Poorcraft series. One is about travelling on a budget. But it's her budget cookbook that I'm looking to add to my collection of texts useful for teaching culinary. I learned a lot from this book and I think my student will too!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Completing this review completes Task #29 (With Chapter Titles) of the 2022 Comic Book and Graphic Novel Reading Challenge. 

Essential Doctor Strange, Vol. 3

This volume of Essential Doctor Strange sees the good doctor back in the starring role of his own title. After renouncing his title as Master of the Mystic Arts with the cancellation of his first series, Stephen Strange went back into medicine. But as with just about any and all comic book universes, you just can't keep a good character down.

After teaming with both the Hulk and the Sub-Mariner, Doctor Strange donned his mystical cape and formed the Defenders. With the popularity of that super-team title, Strange starred in about a dozen issues of Marvel Premiere. With the horror levels amped up thanks to the recent loosening of the Comics Code, Doctor Strange won over a ton of new fans. 

By the summer of 1974, Doctor Strange was leading his own title again. And that's where this book begins. Strange has resettled into his Sanctum Sanctorium. Along with his faithful servant Wong, Strange has taken an apprentice, his lover Clea. Strange has also taken on the mantle of Sorcerer Supreme after his master, The Ancient One, has left this physical plane to become one with the universe.

The adventures in this volume is one to boggle the mind. First Strange must save himself by entering the Orb of Agamotto. Then Doctor Strange must battle Eternity after the Earth has been deemed ready for destruction. After that battle, Strange takes on the Lord of Vampires, Dracula, after the Count attacks Wong. Things wrap up with a twisty little saga called the 'Creator Chronicles'.

The last volume wasn't really something I enjoyed. The level of evil in the characters was upped, especially as Strange went from dueling super-powered beings from other dimensions to magically imbued satanists. From page one of this book, things were mystical and arcane. But I saw that magic as science that wasn't yet understood. Strange and Clea have to struggle with this type of thinking when they go back in time to Colonial America. But when Strange battles Dracula, I started feeling ill at ease again.

Anything magical Doctor Strange does to take on the Lord of the Vampires didn't bother me. But the workings of Dracula and his followers were not my thing. There's literal devil worship and I don't like stories like that. I had been wanting to one day gather the collected Tomb of Dracula books. But if the comics contained in this collection as any indication of such, I won't be taking part. 

A good collection of stories. Just some of those stories felt so very evil. I'll be selling this book along with my other 2 Essential volumes. 

Rating: 6 out of 10 stars.

Looney Tunes #266 (Family Comic Friday)

There's a trio of fun in this issue. I'm just afraid I might be a little too old to fully enjoy it now.

First up, in the brand new story, Bugs is awakened by an earthquake. Upon going topside, Bugs discovers that something is off with his friends. They've all been replaced with robots!

The cover story was what sold me on making a purchase of this issue. The story was interesting as I was stymied as to just who was behind the robotic changes... I was convinced it was Marvin the Martian. But I was so disappointed with the cliched ending. Yeah, this was a comic book story full of cliches. But it was that last ending that was just 1 banality too many!

The two reprint stories weren't so guilty of the offense of overuse of the worn out jokes. In reprint #1, Tweety and Sylvester fight over the TV remote. In the second, Bugs takes on a grocery store that stole his carrots. Of these two, the Tweety & Sylvester romp was the best.

I thought that there was a major over reaction with Bugs. Instead of trying to either reason with the store owner or hire a lawyer, the rascally rabbit decides to use deceit and trickery to get his nums back. Maybe I'm just getting older, but I felt like that second Bugs story could have been handled in a much different way.

I only paid $2.99 for this book. That's retail. I'm not terribly upset with my purchase as I would love to one day own the whole run. Though, I think with all the reprints, I might not have to buy every issue. Possible. But I bet it would take a lot of research to get a complete list in order to not have a bunch of doubles. 

If the young reader in your life loves Looney Tunes cartoons, this is a great bi-monthly series for them. The artwork has always been animation style quality. And the stories themselves are so much like cartoons. That ending that I hated is definitely the type of ending you would expect for a Merry Melodies cartoon. I'm pretty sure that had I experienced this on the TV, I'd be disappointed with the results as well.

That's what happens when you get older, I guess. Silly things just look silly. I might not be a fan of all of it, but your kids are gonna love it!

Rating: 6 out of 10 stars.

ToteMan: You Are Not Alone (2022 Comic Book and Graphic Novel Reading Challenge)

ToteMan is the creation of Durham, NC area copier repairman turned comic book writer John McLaren. McLaren was diagnosed with epilepsy as a teen, though his family now suspects that John had a mild form of the condition all his life. Seeking a way to explain his brain disorder to his son, McLaren wrote a comic book script. 

In the story of ToteMan, the superhero battled bank robbing androids while in costume and rush hour traffic in his civilian secret identity. In between, ToteMan was ever vigilante to help kids who suffered an unexpected seizure brought on by epilepsy!

John McLaren created the character back in 2002. After writing the script on his honeymoon, where he ended up having 2 seizures, John tested the script out with some positive reviews from readers who either had epilepsy or personally knew someone with the disorder. 

Up next was to find the right illustrator for the job, the graphic artist and musician, Rickman.  After a lot of begging and a cleared up schedule, McLaren and Rickman got to work on at least 1 comic, ToteMan: You Are Not Alone.

ToteMan first saw print in 2009. Later teaming with the National Walk for Epilepsy and the Epilepsy Foundation, a Special Collector's Edition was published. For a few years, John McLaren was a staple of the Central North Carolina Triangle area (Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill) with ToteMan appearing at a number of Free Comic Book day events. A second comic was in the works and a GoFundMe type project was set to be pitched. And then COVID hit. Though there is tons of evidence of new character designs for the second book on Facebook. No further project posts have been made since 2021. 

It's anybody's guess if ToteMan will return to fight crime and end the stigma against epilepsy some day.

This edition includes a list of steps to take if someone has a seizure, myths debunked about epilepsy, a set of trading cards and a list of famous people who are epileptics. 

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

Completing this review completes Task #10 ( About Health/Wellness) of the 2022 Comic Book and Graphic Novel Reading Challenge. 

A Wealth of Pigeons: A Cartoon Collection

I really am a huge fan of Steve Martin. He was on SNL so much in the 70s, as a kid, I really thought he was a member of the Not Ready For Primetime Players. Martin's The Jerk is a film that should be considered required viewing. His comedy book Pure Drivel was pure genius. Though you really should consume it as an audio book in order to get the inflection of his voice. 

So when I found this cartoon book, I was all over it for very good reason!

The book came about because of an idea Martin had for a New Yorker cartoon. Not exactly blessed with drawing prowess, At a party, Martin ran across Francoise Mouly, the art editor of the publication since the mid-90s. Mouly paired the comedian with cartoonist Harry Bliss and comedic history was made. 

Okay. The duo of Martin and Bliss probably doesn't rank up there with Lewis & Martin or Rowan &Martin. (Neither Martin is of any relation to Steve, as far as I know.) But once the two got together, the singular idea of Steve Martin's produced another strip. And another. And Another. Until there was about 150 more strips. Just enough to make a hardcover collection of!

This volume was a lot like a copy of The New Yorker. There were some hilarious jokes. A couple were very dry. A few needed a couple of minutes to get the punchline. And there were a handful I just didn't get. Thank God that there weren't any articles about the thriving Broadway scene. I gotta admit. I don't read The New Yorker for the articles!

The artwork was great. It was a little bit caricature. Especially the little vignettes that parody the working relationship between Martin and Bliss. The light pencil work just captures Steve Martin's comedy stylings so well- sophisticated and yet just a bit goofy. 

An entertaining yet quick read. Not quite perfect. But a perfect combination in that of Steve Martin and Harry Bliss.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

Marvel Comics Presents #116

In what I think is only the second time in the history of this anthology series, a Western character appears in a one-and-down story. The Two-Gun Kid makes his debut and his story is amazing! Featuring artwork by the legendary Gil Kane (Superman), a group of 13 outlaws call the Kid out and in this issue a major character dies! 

That's twice in two straight issues where a character dies in this book. Not a major title or a massive crossover. But this tiny little anthology series that by many collectors has not just been overlooked but downright forgotten. True, the character that dies in this book isn't ranking up there with Spider-Man's Uncle Ben or Captain Marvel. But the character that dies is important to the history and legend of the Two-Gun Kid.

Also of note, the Wolverine/Typhoid Mary story ends in this issue. I'm not satisfied that this is the end of the torrid love story between these two damaged characters. But I was happy (for now) with the ending. 

A good issue that doesn't have an off segment at all. 4 very good reads in one!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Marvel Comics Presents #115

The duo of Cloak & Dagger make a single issue appearance. For a story appearing in MCP, a fairly major character dies in this issue. And no, I'm not talking about a villain either. I didn't read a ton of Cloak & Dagger as a kid. But the little bit I do recall, the character who gets the axe was a fairly big supporting player to the Cloak & Dagger mythos. 

I really don't have any complaints about this issue. Wolverine continues to be about 1 step behind Typhoid Mary, who is indiscriminately taking out just about any guy who ever wronged her in the past.

 With the Bill Foster Giant-Man story, another baddie enters the story. It's Goliath! No. Clint Barton hasn't gone back to wearing that hokey harness. Nor is he living a life of crime again. This is the Goliath who later as part of Baron Nemo's Thunderbolts, becomes Atlas.

And then the Ghost Rider/Iron Fist story. The last member of the Legion of Vengeance is introduced. Named Strontium-90, we now know that all of these characters got their powers from nuclear science testing that went out of control. As a result, this quartet has a very short half life and as they burn out, they plan on taking any and everyone they can with them; including Danny Rand!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Marvel Comics Presents #114

The Arabic superhero, the Arabian Knight, makes a return visit in this issue. In his last appearance, issue #47, I was under the assumption that Abdul Qamar was a character in like the 8th or 9th century. But as Qamar battles a mutated villain called Sandstorm, I learned that this guy's story has been occurring in the present day. 

See Sandstorm was a former American soldier who had recently fought in the Gulf War. Iraqi enemy agents captured this guy and dosed him with some sort of chemical agent that reacted with the soldier's latent mutant abilities. As a result, the Marvel Universe has another master of silicon dioxide (Sand for those of you in South Carolina.)

The other 3 segments were really good. Wolverine's torrid love affair with Typhoid Mary, Ghost Rider's encounter with a group of mutated scientists turned bad and Iron Fist, and the Bill Foster led story just kept getting better. 

If I had to choose a winner for this issue, it would be the Giant-Man tale. Turns out that all the missing Stane tech was at the result of a shrinking baddie. So the contrast of a growing superhero having to take on a shrinking villain was very well balanced fun.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

Marvel Comics Presents # 113

A whole lot is happening in this issue. 

I wanted to mention a couple of issues ago that when Mary Walker transformed into Typhoid Mary, she set Wolverine ablaze. Since he's on the cover of this issue and he's smoldering, I figured it wasn't so much of a spoiler now. Let alone the fact that this issue is nearly 30 years old now. 

Iron Fist joins Ghost Rider in a new multi-parter that begins here. A bunch of bizarre fiends are terrorizing areas of the Big Apple. One is named Vesper and she's literally on fire. The other has a gigantic eyeball on his chest named Mind's Eye. We mostly get a small introduction of the two villains and don't really get the two heroes crossing paths... yet. 

The Bill Foster Giant-Man also has a multi-parter that kicks off in this issue. An expert at security as well as bio-sciences, Foster is pulling double duty at a high clearance research facility for Stane International. Things have been going missing. Very expensive, important stuff! And Stane security has no answer for the disappearances. 

Lastly, the Werewolf by Night returns! Okay, is it really a disappearance if he never actually went away? I loved his single issue tale. Jack Russell comes across a man who's been cursed to become a Wendigo. Len Kaminski (Web of Spider-Man) crafts a beautifully sad morality tale in which Russell laments his unwarranted animal urges in comparison with the man cursed to be a carnivorous beast because he willingly choose to feast on another human. 

A fantastic quartet of stories that I just couldn't put down. 

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Marvel Comics Presents #112

The Werewolf by Night/Ghost Rider story ends. I had to double check that Robert Kirkman didn't have anything to do with this story based on the level of red ink used. It's a bloody closing chapter is what I'm wittily trying to say.

Two new single issue stories appear in this issue. The first stars the Spider-Man villain Hobgoblin, who at this point in his career has been imbued by demonic powers and is known as the Demogoblin. Not really much of a memorable story. Though the real protagonist for this story is a NYPD task force of peacekeepers trained to take on meta human threats. I thought it was really groundbreaking for this group, called Code: Blue, to have a member who is a paraplegic. 

The other story is another Infinity War crossover. It stars Adam Warlock allies Pip and Gamora. Having both been obliterated by Thanos in the war, Pip and Gamora are exploring their new surroundings inside of Adam's Soul gem. It's a beautifully illustrated story by Rita Fagiani. 

And I've just got to talk about this Steve Lightle cover. It's a good thing the artist decided to use a silhouette because there'd be all kinds of bits and stuff hanging out. And there's not much left to the old imagination as Typhoid Mary gives Wolverine the slip and starts enacting revenge on some of the slimeballs who abused her as a youth. It hearkens to the 1980s Linda Blair retribution thriller Savage Streets in which Balir dresses and acts seductively to her friends' tormentors before serving a dish of ice cold revenge. 

Another mixed bag of stuff that was good but not really enough to make me say this issue was great.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 7 out of 10 stars

Dog Man (Family Comic Friday)

Today's featured graphic novel is the result of a promise. If you are an older parent, grandparent or guardian, you might remember the 1994 Macaulay Culkin film, The Pagemaster. In that movie, Culkin's character promises a trio of books that he'll check them out from his local library. Well, last weekend, I was at a flash sale at a used book store when I saw a run of the first 5 books of the series I am reviewing today. Deciding to let another family own them for an affordable price, I promised that the next time I was at my local library, I would check out the first volume and review it in my Family Comic Friday column.

The book series I am reviewing is Dak Pilkey's Dog Man. A spin-off from Pilkey's Captain Underpants series, Dog Man is a comic book made by the absurd superhero's sidekicks George and Harold. 

At the end of the main Captain Underpants series, George and Harold rediscover an old series they first came up with in Kindergarten- Dog Man. Seeking a new creative direction, the boys decide to retool Dog Man as seen in this series of graphic novels. 

The origin of Dog Man is something only a couple of grade schoolers could come up with. A K-9 cop and a dog are injured in an accident. Only able to save the policeman's body and the dog's head, doctors stitch the two together to form Dog Man!

Dog Man's arch enemy is an orange tabby named Petey. Petey seeks total world domination by conducting a number of mad scientist level schemes such as erasing all the books in the world in order to make people dumb. Unfortunately, for Petey, his schemes work too well as when the populace lose their intelligence, they become really, really stupid!

Along with the comic stories made by George and Harold, little pieces of the Captain Underpants universe pop up in the books. Letters of disapproval from the boy's teacher, Miss Ribble and other paraphernalia from Jerome Horwitz Elementary School. Look closely, and you'll even find a blurb from Captain Underpants' alter-ego! 

I tore through this 240-page book in maybe 30 minutes. But it was extremely fun. It was also a little bit elementary. There's some toilet humor. Situations get kinda oddball if not down right surreal. But it's the type of graphic novel readers aged 7-12 will love. Especially boys!

With 10 books in the series, this is a series that kids will devour as part of a Summer reading challenge. And since this is a graphic novel about kids who make a comic book series, this series might inspire the next generation of comic book writers and artists.

And parents, if the stories your kids make involve boogers or explosions or mean people, don't freak out! Realize that they're trying to make sense of their world while using their imagination. If you're not a fan, that's okay. This type of project isn't about you. Just smile, praise and be ready to provide some more paper, pens and pencils for their next volume of work.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Marvel Comics Presents #111

Typhoid Mary finally appears in the Wolverine story to some explosive effects. Despite the slowness of how the Ann Nocenti (Daredevil) story is going, this noirish tale has been anything but boring. And the artwork from Steve Lightle (Legion of Super-Heroes), it's some pretty risque stuff. 

The only thing else to talk about that is of note is that the Infinity War crossover story starring Thanos ends in this issue. While I enjoyed the first 3 chapters, I was very disappointed with the ending. It literally goes nowhere. I guess I should have expected this. With this being a tie-in to a larger story arc, why would Marvel want to accomplish anything that would take away from Infinity War? Still, I was disappointed.

Ghost Rider and the Werewolf by Night continue to take on the Braineaters. Danny Rand, the Iron Fist, stars in a single issue story. But both aren't really all that memorable even though Iron Fist takes on some mummies in a desecrated church.

Rating: 4 out of 10 stars.

My First Pandemic (2022 Comic Book and Graphic Novel Reading Challenge)

Jamison Odone is a writer and graphic artist of numerous children's books and more mature-level graphic novels. His first published professional work was 2007's Honey Badgers about a young boy who was adopted by a pair of 'the most fearless species on the planet.'

Odone originates from Kentucky. He moved east to Connecticut for college. When he isn't creating fanciful stories or graphic novel adaptations of famous poems, like Edgar Allen Poe's Annabel Lee, Odone is an associate professor of illustration at Frostburg State University in Maryland. 

Just like many of us, in March of 2020, Jamison Odone found himself with a lot of time on his hands. College courses were cancelled. Forthcoming publications were delayed. Projects placed on the back burner. COVID-19 and the resulting lockdown had reared its ugly head.

To bid his time, Jamison Odone read a lot of poetry and doodled. Sometimes he illustrated favorite passages of work. Other times, Odone used his drawings as a way to journal through such an uncertain time in the history of our modern world. Unable to be there for the passing of a step parent and then a best friend, compiled with the social upheaval brought about in the wake of the George Floyd killing and the chaos that was the 2020 election and the subsequent events of January 6th, 2021, Odone slowly sunk into a depression. 

As the promised 2 week lock down approached the one year anniversary, Jamison Odone's work becomes less refined and more frantic. His penmanship, which was a rough but clean version of what you'd see in professional comic books devolves into a chicken scratch by the end of this collection of thoughts, drawings and poetry. 

Confined to his home and basically cut off from friends and family, you can see Odone's anger and frustration bleed out onto every page. A recurring theme of this book are bunny people and a berating little blue bird. The bunnies are supposed to represent Odone and the bird is the illustrator's late friend Marc McChesney. Many of the interactions between those two characters are Odone's artistic way of working through his grief and loneliness in a cartoon version of the empty chair technique.

My First Pandemic is a work that is rather difficult to critique. This is about 18 months of an isolated man's attempts to reconcile with the dumpster fire that was 2020-21. I empathize greatly with Odone. Classified as an essential worker because I was a school teacher, I had to be on the front line when the government ordered the kids back in school. I had to be their counselor, their mediator and their refuge despite personally being high risk due to a genetic condition. I was so exhausted at the end of the day, I was avoiding my favorite thing to do every night, which is to review comics and graphic novels. As I wasn't journaling through my reviews, my anxiety got the best of me and I was back in counseling before the end of my Fall quarter.

So I won't negatively review or rate this book as I feel it's something very personal and honest that was shared by Jamison Odone in order for him to stay sane. The content inside is brutal and raw. But I just can't fault someone doing their best to take care of themselves. However, I do have to ask- was the misplaced ending of 'The Hero Nurse: A Covid Fairytale' on page 287 intentional or did somebody over at Black Pan El Press make a goof? That's something I really want to get to the bottom of.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

Completing this review completes Task #46 ( About Current Events) of the 2022 Comic Book and Graphic Novel Reading Challenge. 

Action Comics 2022 Annual (2022 Comic Book and Graphic Novel Reading Challenge)

The character of Mongul made his debut in the pages of DC Comics Presents #27 (November, 1980). Created by Len Wein and Jim Starlin, Mongul was the exiled leader of the Wazoons, a warrior-like race. Not one to let a little thing like a coup keep a despot down, Mongul has plans to create the Warworld; essentially a Death Star-like artificial planet that Mongul would use to re-conquer his home world and then later the galaxy.

Superman and fellow Justice Leaguer J'onn J'onzz, the Martian Manhunter, manage to destroy Warworld. But this still doesn't stop Mongul. His attack on the Throneworld of the Prince Gavyn Starman results in the death of several members of the royal family. Superman's actions result in an obsession by Mongul, with the Warzoon warlord plotting to first destroy Earth's sun and then later gifting Superman with a Black Mercy. The mind-altering attack of the extraterrestrial parasitic flower is so brutal that the resulting smackdown by Superman is one of the few times the Man of Steel actually loses control in the pre-CRISIS era. 

Placed in a coma by Superman, Mongul would not return to comics until after the retcon of CRISIS. In the pages of Superman #454, Jerry Conway introduces a newer version of Mongul. With the Warworld returned to continuity, Mongul operates a sort of floating Las Vegas, where the villain oversees a series of gladiatorial games that eliminates any threats to Mongul's reign, while making himself very wealthy. 

The Warworld comes across a dying Superman in the dark recesses of space. Despite being at such a point of his Post-CRISIS career, Superman's name has traveled far and wide. With an artificial red sun, Mongul gives Superman just enough power to compete as the Warworld's latest champion. Eventually, the Man of Steel manages to gain the trust of Mongul's former #1 warrior, Draaga ,and Superman leads a revolt of the Warworld sending Mongul once again into exile. 

Numerous retcons since then have put Mongul back on the throne of Warworld. But the Warzoon's hatred for Superman has never abated. In the past couple of years, Superman and Mongul have butted heads with the 'Warworld Rising' storyline. In it, Mongul, leading a squadron of Warzoon battleships have the Earth back in their cross hairs. 

Jumping to the 2022 Annual of Action Comics, the Warworld Rising arc has completed. As sort of postscript, regular series writer Phillip Kennedy Johnson and Si Spurrer (Way of X) craft a never revealed origin story for the character. Exploring Mongul's time as a child forced into exile with his mother for showing cowardice during the culling of the Warzoon tribal chief, also called Mongul; the Superman villain's childhood story is paired with a period of time from Clark Kent's youth. Mongul is having to learn how to fight for himself in a wasteland of poisoned pools, scavenger species, and cannibal warriors. At the same time, Clark is learning what it means to let others get the glory despite having powers that the last son of Krypton could use to his advantage to become the best at everything. 

Dale Eaglesham (Shazam!) and Ian Churchill (Supergirl) are the artists for this annual. Based on the differences in the artwork and previous experience, I believe that Eaglesham penciled the Clark Kent origin. Franco Francavilla was the regular cover artist. Steve Rude crafted the variant cover that was printed on card stock with an extra dollar added to the cover price. 

While the promise of a Mongul origin story called to me, I must admit, it's the pastel cover of both Superman and Mongul by the Afterlife With Archie artist was what sold me on this book. The story is both grim and gritty like a Mad Max movie and full of down home charm like Field of Dreams.

As of June 14th, 2022, Action Comics 2022 Annual was #20 of the list of Highest Rated Current Comics on Comicbookroundup.com.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

Completing this review completes Task #50 ( Is trending on the comicbookroundup.com top 20) of the 2022 Comic Book and Graphic Novel Reading Challenge. 

Marvel Comics Presents #110

It took 2 chapters. But Logan finally meets Mary Walker. This story really feels like the noir films Body Heat or Double Indemnity. Mary tells Logan that she's got memory gaps but knows that she's been abused. Logan is falling for her and thinks that her past is somehow tied in with the serial killer from chapter 1. 

I haven't been much of a fan of the Wolverine stories as they all feel like really bad action movies. But this one has got a sexual tension and a mystery angle to it that is really making me a fan.

I forgot to mention this last issue, but Marvel has finally decided that it's time to stop having Sam Keith do both of the covers to this flip book anthology. Last issue introduced Marvel Swimsuit Special artist Steve Lightle to the mix. Lightle has been tasked with the Wolverine covers based on his pencils in the Wolverine/Bloody Mary story. Lightle's covers are a breath of fresh air, though I must say that I think Keith's cover is the better offering of this issue. 

Oh, and Nightcrawler returns. He's only been gone 2 issues. But I don't mind his return in this 8-page single issue story. It's a murder mystery based on the legend of Jack the Ripper. I loved the ending. Maybe it's because I figured out who the killer was. Maybe it's because Nightcrawler is one of my favorite superheroes of all-time. Maybe it's both. It's a real good story.

The Werewolf by Night/Ghost Rider story and the Thanos epic are both continuing to impress me as well. Both segments don't really have a lot of action to them. But they are interesting and unique enough to keep my attention.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Mister Miracle: The Great Escape

I write a weekly column on my blog called Family Comic Friday. I originally was going to review this for that post. But after I completed this book, I decided it wasn't appropriate for that.

In the very beginning of this book, there is a trigger warning about how details in this book involved talk of suicide and experiences of PTSD. Not to mention there's a whole academy of youngsters being trained to become soldiers by beating everyone else's brains in. But no. Neither of those reasons is why I decided not to review this for my weekly family review. It's because of the swears. They're all here. Even the BIG one of all-time- the F-Bomb!

Amazon rates this 2022 young adult graphic novel for those in grades 8-12. I'm completely fine with that. But my local library has this book put with the kids graphic novel section. I'm not one to ban books. But I do think it's my duty to let the library know that they've got this book placed in the wrong age group lest some irate parent start a protest demanding Mister Miracle: The Great Escape become the latest victim of a good ol' fashioned book burning. 

That last sentence is about as ironic a statement I can make as the planet on which this book takes place, Apokolips, would like nothing more than to eliminate any and all things considered seditious to the reign of the New God, Darkseid. So if a parent did in deed decide that this young adult graphic novel was destined for the furnace, they'd very much be enacting the despotic actions of the scum of Apokolips! Plus, with changes done to the characters, I am sure there will be some comic book fans out there wanting to cry foul! 

When I checked this book out, I actually knew very little about it's publication. Even though I check the previews of new comics and graphic novels weekly, I somehow overlooked this book. I am a huge fan of Jack Kirby and I'm doing everything in my power to collect any and everything Fourth World. So when I stumbled across this book at my LCS, I was very excited. 

The main change from this book and the original vision of Jack Kirby is the skin color of Scott Free and several other characters are reversed. At first, I thought that this might be yet another attempt by DC to be what detractors call 'woke.' But then I remembered from reading a Jack Kirby biography recently that Kirby wanted Mister Miracle originally to be black but the editors vetoed that idea. So in reality writer Varian Johnson (The Great Greene Heist) is fulfilling Kirby's original plan for the Fourth World.

See when Jack Kirby came over in 1971 to DC Comics, The King planned to make Apokolips this post-apocalyptic world that was an allegory on class warfare and face. Darkseid and his elete minions were supposed to all be white. While the dregs of Apokolips, the war dogs of Darkseid's army, were all to be people of color. The heavenly people of New Genesis, including Scott Free's real father, Highfather were going to be black (or of color) just like Scott and Big Barda. However, this vision of Kirby's Fourth World was just decades ahead of its time. I'm glad to see it coming to fruition finally, even if it did take 50 years to happen and only occurs in a Young Adult novel that probably isn't canon.

While I enjoyed the changes, I wasn't a big fan of some of the artwork. Artist Daniel Isles (Joyama) draws some characters as if they had a Muppet nose. Instead of a tip and pair of nostrils, some characters noses are completely outlined with a nose-like circle. This makes them look like Bert and Ernie with their foam ball proboscises.

I also didn't like how Scott Free was drawn in his downtime clothes, which looks like a hoodie and sweatpants. Though I wonder if these are some of Himon's Earth clothes and he's given them to Scott so that if he ever escapes to Earth, he'll fit it. If that's the case, I am okay with it. But what the heck is up with those tiny red balls that float around Scott all the time?

I loved Isles design of Big Barda. She's tall. She's rough. And she looks like I would imagine Kirby would have drawn her if the legend was allowed to use a woman of color as a model instead of Jewish chanteuse Lanie Kazan. And the twist with Granny Goodness- that was a brilliant character design that I didn't see coming. 

I did feel that the 3rd act of this book was rushed. It's a trap a lot of comic book and graphic novel writers get into. The first two acts really dive into the hierarchy of the orphanage run by Granny Goodness. The climatic last act is supposed to occur over the span of 8 days and yet maybe only 10-15% of the book's 208 pages is devoted to that time period. Wasn't bad. Just seemed rushed. 

If Varian Johnson and Daniel Isles decided to do a sequel, I would be so on board. I'm interested to see how the character of Shilo Norman would be approached- if introduced. As a compromise to bypassing his dynamic social relevant vision for Scott Free, Jack Kirby created the character of Shilo, a young black pre-teen who one day would become Mister Miracle's replacement. We've already seen Shilo don the suit of the World's Greatest Escape Artist. I'm just interested to see if the creators of this book would make Shilo white to really explore the race-switching nature of this book or if they might make Shilo be of another marginalized race like Asian or Middle Eastern. 

There's a lot left to be explored with this most authentic version of Jack Kirby's epic creations. And I'm willing to camp out to be first in line to acquire it should DC decide to green light a sequel.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

 

Marvel Comics Presents #109

This was a great issue!

A new Wolverine team-up starts. This one co-stars Typhoid Mary. Though the Daredevil enemy doesn't really appear in the opening chapter, it's got an intriguing premise with Logan on the trail of a serial killer who has a history with Mary. I can't wait to see where this one goes...

The Young Gods story comes to a close. The Gerry Conway/Eric Fein story still seems like a second rate Eternals story. But the Tom Sutton artwork is stunning. 

I'm really enjoying the Werewolf by Night/Ghost Rider adventure. It follows up from a MCP story from a couple of years back. As wild as that story was involving a bunch of in-breed werewolf cannibals that also happen to be members of a biker gang. This sequel starring that same pack is just as wild and maybe a little bit S&M.

I think all the more revealing and explicit artwork and story-lines are because Marvel (at this time) is edging away from the Comics Code. I think they're trying to figure out how far they can go before finally splitting away from the CCA. That way, the House of Ideas doesn't just go completely wild and end up in yet another comics scare level of trouble based on the content. 

Wrapping things up is the latest chapter of the Thanos story. Death has for some reason been avoiding the Mad Titan. Not one to be stood up, Thanos takes on Death's legions of followers to finally win an audience with his true love.

As I've said before, I am not really a Jim Starlin fan. He's too cosmic for my tastes. But this second volley wasn't that bad. And I am actually looking forward to see what happens next. Plus, it doesn't hurt to have amazing artwork from Spider-Man's Shawn McManus!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

The Nightmare Brigade, Vol. 1: The Girl From Deja Vu

I've never seen the movie. But I from what I've heard and read about it, I really think that today's book is Inception for kids!

Dr. Angus runs a sleep clinic that specializes in nightmares. With the help of his wheelchair bound son Tristan and the mysterious Estoban, a doe-eyed boy with amnesia, Dr. Angus is able to dig deep into the psyche of his patients. Literally!

Thanks to computers, a special wrist device and hi-tech communications, Dr. Angus has created a way for the two boys to physically enter the dreams of others. In this dream world, Tristan can walk again and Estoban can walk through solid objects. Once the dreamer begins their REM cycle, the boys have 20 minutes to solve what is behind the patients nightmares or they will be trapped until the next sleep cycle. Good thing that every 1 minute of REM sleep in reality is equal to 1 hour of time in the dream realm.

The next patient Tristan and Estoban are assigned to help is a teen girl named Sarah. She's been having this recurring dream of being chased by angry adults. Each night Sarah dreams, the number of children dwindle. With only Sarah and a couple of other kids left, if the Nightmare Brigade doesn't act soon, Sarah might become trapped within her own mind. But why does Estoban, who has no idea who he really is, have a funny feeling that he's met Sarah before?

The Nightmare Brigade is a French comic story that began in 2018. Only this year has the series been translated into English and become available in the States thanks to Papercutz. It's been a while since I have really gotten into a new young adult series. But the Nightmare Brigade has really captured my attention! Gosh darn it that I'm going have to wait an unknown amount of time for the promised volume 2!

Being a French series, there's a few minor things that might not be appropriate for American young readers. In Sarah's dream, one of the remaining teenagers smokes. With how cigarettes and tobacco paraphernalia being erased from old TV shows and movies, such an act is considered unimaginable in today's family media. But in Europe, the fervor against tobacco is nowhere near that of Yankee opinions.

This series can also be considered a bit intense. There's a second story in this volume in which a boy has recurring nightmares of tourists turning to stone. There's a monstrous creature behind the scenes and that's one scary looking entity! I'm reminded of the Weeping Angels of Doctor Who!

Amazon rates this book as being for readers in grades 3-7. School Library Journal recommends this book for those in grades 5 and up. Based on the fear factor and some intense situations involving a one of the clinic's long-term care patients, I'm going say that I think the latter might be on to something with their reading recommendations. 

One of the most cerebral series for middle-schoolers I have read in a very long time. There's a ton of mysteries waiting to be explored with The Nightmare Brigade. I just hope Papercutz hurries up with Vol. 2. I've got to know what happens next! 

UPDATE: Thankfully, I won't have to wait long. Thanks to a trip to Papercutz' website, I leanrned Vol. 2 drops next month!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.

Marvel Comics Presents #108

The curtain finals closes on the Wolverine/Nightcrawler tale. Part 1 started off really well. Then things just went in circles. It was like a Scooby-Doo mystery without any clues. This final part was actually exciting. There are humans attacking mutants and mutants attacking humans. The real question is 'Who's the real monster here?' 

Really loved the poignant ending. But why does Nightcrawler have to be the Charlie Brown of the X-Men? I love Nightcrawler. I know I say this kind of thing a lot. But he really is in my 10 top list of favorite comic book characters. Yet nothing seems to go right for Kurt Wagner. And when something good actually happens to the character, it just feels so out of place. 

The Ghost Rider/Werewolf by Night story is awesome. It's so unusual and I love unusual.

Thanos stars in a new multi-parter. It's a tie-in to one of the Infinity Gauntlet sequels. I think. Heck, it might just be an extension of the Infinity Gauntlet itself. I wasn't really sure. Sorry, but I haven't read all those books yet and to be honest, I'm not really big on Jim Starlin.

Only 1 chapter left in the Young Gods story. It too, finally is starting to get really good. And I am not just talking about the artwork from Tom Sutton that I have been a fan of since the beginning.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 7 out of 10 stars.

Marvel Comics Presents #107

A new multi-parter begins in this issue. Jack Russell, the Werewolf by Night teams with Ghost Rider, Danny Ketch, in a tale that has a lot of promise. The Braineaters, a biker gang of carnivorous werewolves return. We last saw the Braineaters in issues #55-59 of MCP. In that story, Jack Russell was by himself against this gang of maniacs as well as having to also take on a demented Catholic priest who thought it was his God ordained duty to kill all creatures of the night. Here, the Werewolf by Night has the Spirit of Vengeance on his side and it looks like only the Braineaters are involved in this story. 

The one-shot story stars the Native American superhero Red Wolf. This story involves the corrupt oil and tech company Roxxon and the drilling on indigenous lands. At first you think this story is going to be nothing but a social relevance story about the evils of big oil and the rights of Native people. There's absolutely nothing wrong with this. I was just surprised how by page 2 or 3 of this 8-pager, the story turned into a whodunit? Okay, more like a Who's-gonna-do-it? 

Threats have been made to both members of the Roxxon board of directors and some of the Native American activists. It's up to Red Wolf, who is working security at an Roxxon gala, to figure out who the gunman or gunmen are! This was a great mystery story in which superpowers were an afterthought. I loved this Batman level detective story!

Crap, Crap, Crap. Both the Wolverine/Nightcrawler and Young Gods story keep on chugging along. When will either mercifully end? 

Rating: 5 out of 10 stars.

Marvel Comics Presents #106

One of the stories mercifully comes to a close in this issue. The curtains close on the demon-filled Ghost Rider/Doctor Strange story. I would have liked the Wolverine/Nightcrawler tale and the Gerry Conway Young Gods epic to have ended this issue. But I understand why you can't have all 3 of your multi-parters end in the same volume. That kinda defeats the purpose of a rotating anthology title.

I was very intrigued by the one-shot story. It's about a one-eyed priest called Gabriel, the Devil-Hunter. If you were to call this guy a D-lister, I'd say you were being generous. A quick Marvel Wiki search reveals that Gabriel has only made 22 appearances in comics. 13 of those appearances were in the 1990s Damien Hellstrom horror series. His very first appearances were in a long-forgotten Marvel horror magazine, NOT COMIC, called Haunt of Horror.

Anyways, this story isn't memorable to me as I became an instant fan or anything like that. This issue was full of 1990s Marvel Comics cliches- gritty, grim and poorly drawn. But I swear I can see a character from Vertigo Comics swirling around in this. If Garth Ennis' Preacher- AKA Jesse Custer- wasn't birthed from this Devil-Hunter character, I'll eat my hat. Both characters are preachers with questionable faith, they both wear clerical collars and they both will at one point or another lose an eye! 

Yeah, I don't think I'll be dining on a fedora any time soon...

Rating: 5 out of 10 stars.

Avengers Spotlight #29

The 'Acts of Vengeance' have come to a close. In the aftermath, Hawkeye is tasked to rescue the madcap anti-hero Madcap from a group of thugs seeking payback with Daredevil. Meanwhile, back at the Vault, as the prisoners start piling in, Iron Man completes the training of the security force with some new Stark powered armor and tech.

It's interesting seeing Madcap before he became a thorn in the side of Deadpool. Compared to how the character is now, this 30 year old plus version is way less powerful and nowhere near as nutty.

I loved how the story about the Vault takes the Acts of Vengeance full circle. Dwayne McDuffie started that huge story line in the humble pages of this Avengers spin-off. And the first issue was almost 100% contained within the walls of this super villain prison. And I loved how the story closed. True, the ending was very similar to stories of police violence that we're seeing way too much these days. But I think only McDuffie could pull it off. 

Dwayne McDuffie was a black man and so his views on how the police operate is a completely different view from mine. The ending to this story is one that we the reader roots for as it's a good guy getting revenge on a baddie. But, when you think more about this, you realize that a prison guard getting their own personal form of justice and blaming the injury of the prisoner of being clumsy, is still an action of injustice. No matter how much the villain might deserve what he's got coming to him. 

A great issue with a poignant layer hidden deep under the superheroing and zany antics.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 10 out of 10 stars. 

Avengers Spotlight #28

Hawkeye and Mockingbird travel to Denver to investigate reports of the both of them committing a series of robberies in the Mile High City. Meanwhile, the Mad Thinker must take action to prevent the passing of the Superhero Registration Act, lest the new law spoil plans that the fiend has been putting into place for years. 

That mysterious guy in the trench coat I mentioned during my review of issue #26 pops back up in the Mad Thinker story. Based on clues laid in the Mad Thinker's dialogue with him, I think I've got this mystery man's identity figured out. Upon a later Wiki search, I discovered I was right!

What I've been reading so far, a minuscule amount of course, I've really enjoyed. So much that I'd really like to read the entire Acts of Vengeance story line. There are 4 MASSIVE omnibuses out there. But they're all out of print. And they aren't cheap. There's also some smaller collections. I'm just not sure if the extra time to find the non-collected stuff is worth the money saved. 

At least I've got one more AoV themed book to read. 

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Algeria is Beautiful Like America (2022 Comic Book and Graphic Novel Reading Challenge)

The saying goes that the winners are the ones who write the history books. That may be the case. But that doesn't mean that the losers don't have a story to tell. Algeria is Beautiful Like America is an account of a family of French colonists to Algeria who after 50 years of settling, must flee their homes due to revolt. As the war gets more widespread, the book's featured family continues to move west before eventually returning to France in disgrace and immense financial hardship.

After years of hearing stories of her family's life in Algeria growing up, French professor Olivia Burton decides to take a pilgrimage to discover the African nation for herself. Though nearly 50 years have passed, Algeria is a nation still reeling from its war of Independence from France. A resulting civil war, terrorism and political strife has given Algeria the reputation of unsafe and unwelcoming, especially to the so-called Black Foot- French Christian and Jewish settlers of which Olivia is a descendant. 

Despite her family's misgivings, Olivia makes the trip to Algeria. But for the sake of safety and in need of an interpreter, Olivia meets Djaffar; an Algerian ex-pat who is in the country visiting relatives. Over the course of 3 days, Olivia and Djaffar will travel into the vast Algerian desert in hopes of locating her ancestral homes and anyone who might remember her family. She'll see the effects of colonialism from the perspective of Algeria's Muslim and Arab population. Before her trip ends, Olivia will also find a sort of redemptive closure that has been unattainable for her older family members.

Algeria is Beautiful like America was originally published in French in 2015 by Steinkis Editions. The volume I read was a 2018 English edition published by Oni Press. Some of Burton's story is confusing. The author's account of the Algerian Revolution is told in disjointed segments. Much of which is not in chronological order. 

I also had a lot of trouble trying to decipher Olivia Burton's definition of what a Black Foot is. Burton says that it's a French born Algerian. In my mind, that reads as a person from Algerian parents who happens to be born in the country of France. But to Burton's family, if you were born in France but happen to live in Algeria, you were a Black Foot; a term derived from the black leather footwear of early colonists. Yet Olivia's mother and grandparents were born in Algeria. I hope you can understand the confusion as I would think those family members should have been considered Algerian born French men and women. 

One element of this book that was not confusing was the artwork. The work of illustrator, Mahi Grand (La Conference/A Report to the Academy), is light years ahead of it's time. Grand uses some many creative framing techniques in this work that would make the great Jack Kirby jealous. Some of the scenes are done as photos from Burton's camera and Mahi Grand makes them almost lifelike. And the way he adapts his penciling to different decades of both French and Algerian history, it was like a team of illustrators were behind this work, not just one. 

This graphic novel memoir is something that I will not forget. I took a history class in college about Middle Eastern studies that looked at colonization from really only the indigenous perspective. It was interesting to finally get the European perspective even if it did take me almost a quarter of a century to obtain it. 

The book ends with Olivia meeting the family who now occupy the last domicile before her family returned to France. Apparently Olivia's family and the native family met during the moving process. A barrage of insults and bad blood was traded. Years later, one of the descendants says to Olivia, 'Neither you nor I are to blame for any of it. We must simply move on.' This sort of sentiment might seem passive. But it gives a promise of hope and healing. It's a message that I hope my country, America, can one day adopt especially as it seems like everything right now is at a breaking point. 

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 7 out of 10 stars.

Completing this review completes Task #2 (Set in a Foreign Country) of the 2022 Comic Book and Graphic Novel Reading Challenge.