Oni Double Feature #13

Oni Double Feature was an anthology series produced by Oni Press. It ran for only 13 issues from 1998-99. The final issue of this series has been on my radar for quite some time. That's because this issue features the debut of a seasonal favorite- Paul Dini's Jingle Belle.

Jingle Belle is the teenage daughter of Santa and Mrs. Claus. Bored with a life of building toys at the North Pole, Jingle seeks thrills like taking her flying yak for joyrides and rubbing noses with the local Eskimo boys. In our introduction to Jingle Belle, the Claus family are hashing things out in family therapy. Let's just say things aren't going to be fixed with just 1 session...

This early version of Jingle is a diamond in the rough. The artwork isn't of that clean Disney look that artists like Stephanie Gladden and Kyle Baker helped to elicit through the half dozen or so one-shots and miniseries that were the result of this debut issue. Everything here looks crude and that's kinda how I would describe this early version of Santa's only daughter.

In the sequels, Jingle Belle is a lot like a festive version of another Paul Dini creation that I am a huge fan of: Harley Quinn. The established Jingle is playful, chaotic and maybe just a bit insane. This first take of the character is more like Tank Girl. Here, Santa's daughter is rude, crude and maybe a bit loose. But one thing is for sure; that Paul Dini magic that made me such a fan of Jingle Belle's universe is still at the heart of it all.

Being that this series made a point to feature 2 different properties, and that the cover states that this is an 'All Paul Dini Issue', I was prepared for only 1 of the stories being about Jingle Belle. I also suspected that the other story would not be holiday themed. With that said, I was okay with this issue not being 100% Christmas. As long as I am aware of it beforehand, a comic with a holiday cover not being completely festive is okay with me. However, I really was confused by the second story.

Story #2 was the second half of a Paul Dini tale about a trio of characters known as the Honor Rollers. The Rollers are high school students who seem to have stolen drugs from a dealer and that's made them the target of retribution. Meanwhile, there's a vindictive authoritarian type after the trio of boys. Not sure why and I'm also not very sure why these boys seem to be part of a boarding school while their classmates live at home with their folks. 

I obviously missed a lot of detail in the past issue. I've got the other 12 issues on my wish list as I am a sucker for anthology titles. Once I get my hands on issue #12, I'm sure I'll get my answers. I'm also sure I'll give this one a re-read. The Jingle Belle introduction wasn't perfect. But it was classic enough to enjoy again.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

Batman: Noel (A Madman Re-Read)

When I first read this book, it was 2012. The copy was property of my local library. I wrote up a review as I normally do. Then I apparently forgot all about it.

I think it was last year or maybe 2020, when DC Comics reissued this Gotham City take on Dicken's A Christmas Carol. My favorite comic book shop held me a copy just in case I needed it for my collection; which I did. I recalled having read this holiday graphic novel as I remembered coming across my review in the database of my blog. Yet, I still couldn't remember anything about this book.

During the past couple of weeks, I've been re-cataloging my comic book collection. With it being the holidays, I decided to tackle my Christmas and Thanksgiving books for a while. It's where I came back across this book. Noticing that I hadn't even taken this hardcover out of it's protective plastic wrap, I decided it was time to stop having my mind come to a total blank when I try to remember what occurred.

Batman: Noel retells the story of Ebeneezer Scrooge with Batman in the miser role. As Batman tracks down his arch enemy, the Joker, the Dark Knight is visited by a trio of characters that represent his past, present and future. 

The Bob Cratchit role is played by a down on his luck father who joined the Joker's gang in hopes of raising some cash to bring his crippled son, Timothy, some holiday cheer. However, when the cash drop goes horribly wrong, Bob and his son will find themselves stuck in the middle of a final showdown between two mortal enemies on Christmas Eve, of all times and places!

The artist behind this graphic novel is the amazing Lee Bermejo (Joker). I've been enthralled by his work for a very long time. His covers are so detailed and lifelike. It is hard to believe that Lee Bermejo is self-taught. If anyone can draw Batman as a living, breathing entity, it's Bermejo. Batman: Noel marks Bermejo's writing debut and I think he knocked it out of the park. I just can't understand why I forgot having read this book previously.

I know I've read a lot of comic books in the past. But usually, if I've forgotten having read something previously, I wind up at some point finally remembering it. Not this time. This makes me wonder if when 2032 comes around that I'm going to have to read this festive fight fest again just to jog my memory. 

A gritty holiday fable that doesn't disappoint.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

A Smithsonian Book of Comic-Book Comics

This is one of those books I remember having from my first collection (that was stolen). This book was published in 1981; meaning I was 3 or 4 when it was released. I don't think that's when my parents bought it for me. I somehow remember seeing this book advertised on TV and wanting it really, really bad. I also remember opening the book from its shipping box on my parents' kitchen table and looking through it and being disappointed...

Over the years, as I read the book again and again, I came to appreciate it a little more each time. When I found this book recently once more at my favorite used book store, I finally understood this book's brilliance!

This book isn't comprehensive. While Superman, Batman and Captain Marvel are examined in this book, other important early superheroes like Captain America and Wonder Woman are noticeably not just absent, I don't think either are mentioned in any of the essays written by comic book historians J. Michael Barrier and Martin T. Williams. 

This book covers comics published up to 1955, right when the industry imposed the self regulated Comics Code Authority. A good stopping point if you were writing a multi-volume look at the history of comic books. EC Comics was the main target of the evils found in comic books from Dr. Wertham and state senators. As a result, no less than 5 stories from that legendary publisher are included in this book. Yet none of them are of the sci-fi or horror titles that ignited the comic book scare of the 1950s!

A number of legendary creators are examined. There are works from Walt Kelly and his critter creation, Pogo, John Stanley's version of Little Lulu and Tubby and Will Eisner's The Spirit. A seasonal story from Carl Barks starring Donald Duck and Uncle Scrooge are also included. I would have finished this book a couple of weeks ago. But I wanted to enjoy Barks' 'A Letter to Santa' during the holiday season. Thus I waited. 

To my big surprise, the stories I was the most enamored with were the Scribbly stories, featuring the Ma Hunkel Red Tornado stories. Created by Sheldon Mayer (Golden Age Green Lantern), these stories were clever parodies of the age of mystery men, lively illustrated and just oh-so fun to read. To my knowledge, those stories have never been collected. Thus, other than the 4 stories comprised here, unless I max out my credit cards, I'm probably never going to get to read Ma's further adventures. 

I really enjoyed this collection. The artwork is so starkly different from what I grew up with and primitive compared to modern comics. The scripts are like works of art. They capture the dialect and tone of the times. For a kid born anywhere after 1977, these things are like trying to read Shakespeare. When I was young, everything just looked off and I couldn't really understand the stories. Now I am 45 and I felt like I was in the presence of greatness. and well into that presence I was. 

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars,

Gudetama: Surviving the Holidays

Gudetama. Pronounced Goo-De-Tah-Mah.

He's an anthropomorphic egg from Sanrio, creators of other such characters like Hello Kitty and Badtz-Maru. Along with his assistant, the egg-yolk leotard dressed Nisetama, Gudetama provides people advice throughout various holiday conundrums. 

Since this book covers Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, Christmas, Kwanzaa and New Year's, my original plan was to read bits and pieces of this book over the course of the next 45 days. However, this book doesn't follow any sort of calendar. Gudetama might help provide gift assistant with the employees at a local office party. Then he helps a family hosting a foreign exchange student experience Hanukkah before then helping a girl whose family gets really competitive playing games during Thanksgiving. I understand that Gudetama is a Japanese property, but I am pretty sure that they celebrate the traditional 'ber month' holidays in the same order we do in the States. 

Thus what I am trying to say is that I was hoping this book would have a survival guide section for Turkey Day, then another for the Festival of Lights, before slipping into Christmas, Kwanzaa and a quick trip through to the new year. I would have read each section as we reached the appropriate holiday. But since it didn't happen that way, I read this book in the course of one fun filled night. 

Written and illustrated by Wook-Jin Clark (Flavor), this book perfectly captured the holidays and the many troubles that come along with them. My first real introduction to Gudetama, I thought he was hilarious as a kind of protein packed version of Garfield, only not quite as snarky. Nisetama, while clearly an annoying soul, was a great foil to Gudetama; playing the Nermal role. I only wish this book was done in sections so as I could enjoy these two characters over the course of an entire holiday season.

And if Oni Press was to bring Gudetama back for another helping of holiday delights in the future, I would gladly put the egg and his human friend on the guest list for another round of cheer.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Turkey Day One-Shot

I closed my 2022 Thanksgiving comic book readings with this 2021 horror one-shot from Source Point Press.

A small town in Illinois is about to host its annual community theater Thanksgiving pageant. This year's organizer promises a huge surprise is in the works. Meanwhile, an alien invasion force has landed in a nearby field chock full of turkeys. Taking over the brains of the delicious fowl, the alien army waddles over to the theater house in order to make their first kill, though the theater goers think this is all staged as part of the big surprise. Truly, this will be a Thanksgiving Day to remember when everyone realizes that these guys aren't here to just 'talk turkey'.

I bought this book right after Thanksgiving last year. So I've been waiting just about a full year to enjoy this sci-fi black comedy. This book was grim, gory, irreverent, and fun as hell! I loved just about every moment of it; though the story did take a turn I wasn't expecting at all. And I thought that homage final page, which was just darn near perfect. 

I did briefly think that this book made a slightly wrong turn adding in a certain former POTUS in a cameo towards the end. Just seeing his face made me feel for a brief moment of 'here we go again' with some sort of political statement. But the use of this character for 1 panel was actually pretty funny and it added to the dark humor tone of the story. 

I'm going to let you dear readers in on a little secret: I am terrified of turkeys. They're mean. They're evil. They'd kill you if they had the chance. But over the past year, I've made friends with a turkey at a local farm. Though she has a different name, I've started to call this bird 'Swanson' after the turkey TV dinner. Over this time, I've come to realize, 'Swanson' is a salt & pepper hued turkey. All the turkeys in this comic and countless viewed videos of poultry on human violence have been perpetrated by brown feathered turkeys. Thus, I change my stance that only those brown feathered foul are direct ancestors of velociraptors! 

Being a comedy, did this book do anything to make me less afraid of turkeys? No, not really. In fact, when the alien leader plucks out a turkey's eye in order to take over its brain, I wasn't mortified like in previous books where other adorable animals are hurt or killed. If anything, I think the use of turkeys are things of holiday horror are a thing of brilliance and I would strongly recommend to SyFy channel getting the rights to this comic and turning it into next year's Thanksgiving movie ASAP! It's campy like Sharknado and bloody like The Evil Dead. I'm sure doing so would make this the next Turkey Day classic for generations of families to come!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Felix the Cat & Friends #2

I got a Tofurky!

After being enamored by this beautifully darling cover of a Tom Turkey being the guest of honor of a Thanksgiving made up of peanut butter and jelly, I was tricked into an issue that has absolutely nothing to do with giving thanks! 

In 1989, Felix the Cat was to experience a brief resurgence with audiences thanks to an animated feature film. However, as is the case with many films, financing with distributor, New World Pictures, fell through and the movie ended up being shelved. Then in 1991, Don Oriolo, the son of the creator of the 1950s cartoon TV series starring Felix, was able to work out a direct-to-video deal with Buena Vista Home Video for the movie to finally see the light of day. Despite great efforts by Oriolo to market the heck out of the film with t-shirts, posters, calendars and pins, Felix the Cat just didn't connect with audiences like reigning fat cats of the day Garfield and Heathcliff were doing at the time. 

This comic book series was one of Oriolo's attempts at returning Felix the Cat to his days of greatness. Oriolo self-published a full-color comic, with assistance from Harvey Comics (Richie Rich), starring Felix and other characters such as comedic foil The Professor and his nephew Poindexter and Felix's gal pal Kitty. 

While there is not anything Thanksgiving related in this book, there are a trio of fine quality stories starring Felix and friends. In the first story, Felix gets a job at a soda factory. As a result with a mishap with the carbonation machine, the gato becomes the first feline on the moon. But he's not the planetoid's only inhabitant.

Story #2 has Felix becoming the owner of a magic treasure chest. But instead of finding lots of great things, Felix discovers that the chest can make things disappear. Cue the money making opportunities that await!

The last adventure involves Felix and an Inuit character named Vavoom. He's looking for a job and Felix is willing to help Vavoom with his employment search. Only Vavoom's thunderous voice causes him great trouble finding a job!

I couldn't tell you who was behind the stories or artwork. There's no credits posted for anyone other than Oriolo as presenter. However, the artwork is crazy clean and the stories, while a tad far fetched are smartly written. I know that early versions of Felix had the character carrying with him a bag of tricks. While he's not carpet-bagging here, the magic element is front in center in every story.

As for the character of Vavoom, I know some of you might think having an Inuit/Eskimo in a cartoon could be problematic. However, based on his costume, I thought he was a squire from medieval days having come to stay with Felix from some adventure through time. It wasn't until I researched some for this review that I learned who the character really was. I'd say based on my assumptions and the fact that Vavoom doesn't come across as being from the Great White North at all, I don't think there's anything to be afraid of in this department.

Issue #3 shows Felix standing out in the freezing cold looking at island getaway pamphlets in a travel agency office window. A good rule of thumb is that an issue with snow/ice on the cover without a superhero/villain with cold powers on the cover, is going to be Christmas themed. Based on this book not living up to the cover, I am a bit hesitant to fork over a couple of bucks to find. However, the quality of the contents of this issue does assuage some fears of throwing my money away. 

Maybe we'll see in the near future. But I am going to grade hard now on my seasonal disappointment. 

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 7 out of 10 stars.

Post Halloween Left Over Thanksgiving Special #1

More Halloween than Thanksgiving, this excessively long-titled book features early work by Art Baltazar and Franco! 

The Post Halloween Left Over Thanksgiving Special stars Baltazar's character of Cray-Baby and Franco's assortment of monster characters that occupy the town of Weirdsville. I'm not really sure what Cray-Baby is. To me, I thought it was more of a twist on that Bat Boy character from the Weekly World News. Added to the mix is Chris Yambar's Mr. Beat, a sort of beatnik that is kinda a father figure to other characters.

Of the 3, Mr. Beat was my least popular. Not because I'm a devotee of Baltazar and Franco and thus biased. I am on both. My disdain of Mr. Beat is because of his liberal use of the R-word. Yes, I know this book came out over 20 years ago and things were different enough for it to be 'okay to say' the R-word. But I still don't like it. 

Only 2 stories are Thanksgiving themed. Although one might not be the case at all. That questionable story has a witch on the hunt for a young boy with a pumpkin for a head. She wants very much to make a pumpkin pie out of it. Pumpkin pie is very much a Thanksgiving staple, so that's why I consider it a Thanksgiving event. 

The second Turkey Day tale is called 'Franksgiving'. Here, Frankenstein's monster is on a rampage until a kind family invites him to Thanksgiving dinner. A silent tale. I really enjoyed its twist ending. 

The majority of the vignettes and shorts were funny. For a Thanksgiving special, I wish there was more Thanksgiving. But I guess it's better than nothing.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

The Kilroys #15

Experience Thanksgiving 1948 in this classic from Al Hartley (Archie's One-Way) and others. Taking the Archie Comics formula and adding a family dynamic, The Kilroys was a sitcom on paper! Published by the basically now unheard of American Comic Group, the Kilroys were made up of Pop, Mom, son Natch, daughter Katie and rounding out the cast was Natch's kooky pal, Solid Jackson.

There are a total of 4 stories in this book. The first story is the only one set during the season of giving. Starting months prior to November, Mr. Kilroy brings home a turkey in hopes of fattening it up in order to save money on Thanksgiving dinner. But as Gertrude grows, the bird becomes a part of the family. Now with Thanksgiving just a couple of days away, who's going to be the one to give Gertrude the ax?

Story #2 is at least set during the winter. So, I felt that after the Turkey, I got to enjoy a lead up to Christmas with this farce involving Natch and Jackson attempting to go ice fishing. Tale #3 sees Mr. Kilroy needing to sell tickets to his lodge's barn dance. In order to meet his quota, Pop tasks his kids with selling his tickets- which they all do. Only, the tickets got sold on credit!

The final story doesn't star the Kilroys. Nor does it feature the art of Hartley. But that last story was also completed by a comic book legend. It's Milt Gross (Milt Gross' New York) and the story features one of his most beloved creations, the madcap Count Screwloose. In this story, the Count attends a fancy soiree as the self-appointed entertainment of the night. This yarn has typical Milt Gross screwiness and to a point that was fine. But the story felt like something was missing because at one point, the cops arrived and then they disappeared without any explanation. It's almost like 2 stories got mended together but in the process some of the plot gets jumbled.

The copy of this issue I bought was only a couple of dollars. As a result, this book, which is right around 75 years old, is fragile. The cover, which had a coupon on the back removed, was also detached. The center spread page had detached from the staples. And the edges of the rest of the book were really ruffled. Needless to say, this book will be a part of my permanent collection. But this will probably be the only time it ever leaves it's protective cover.

A fun look at post-war America. And pre-code comics! A few laughs and nothing overly cheesy. I did think the trio of one-page prose stories were lame. I understand why they needed to be included- in order to fulfill first class postage requirements. Still, I see them as the biggest thing detracting from the overall quality of this book.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

The New Archies #11

In 1987, Archie Comics in collaboration with NBC, developed a new animated series based on the Archie gang. As several teenage versions of the Archies were done previously on rival station CBS, producers decided to retool the kids from Riverdale. Archie, Jughead, Betty and Veronica were de-aged from high schoolers to middler school students. Dilton was absent; replaced by an African-American clone named Eugene. And a completely new student named Amani (Eugene's girlfriend) was added to the roster.

When The New Archies project was announced, I being only 9 years old, didn't understand the need to reboot everything. It confused me even more as educators Mrs. Grundy and Principal Weatherbee looked completely the same. It's only been recently that I learned that concerns over CBS and/or production company Filmation, still having rights to the Archies property was the reason for the adjustments. Thus, my decades-long bias against these guys has abated over time. Having not one but two Thanksgiving themed issues definitely helped.

Only the first of the 3 stories in this book is Thanksgiving themed. But it was a good one. Archie laments that his folks have decided to go the dining out route for their Thanksgiving dinner. So Betty invites Archie and Jughead to dinner with the Coopers. Not to be outdone, Veronica also invites the guys to break bread with her family. Good thing Betty's event is at 1 and Ronnie's is at 5! Too bad Archie doesn't have 2 stomachs...

In the other two stories, a surprise history test prevents Archie from going on a date with Betty and Veronica. So, Reggie takes his place! Then the Girls of Riverdale Jr. High compete for the title of 'Dream Queen' in a delightfully sweet story that highlights Big Ethel!

There was a familiarity with The New Archies and another franchise that was developing at this exact same time. NBC's Saved by the Bell was in its early stages as a Disney property known as Good Morning, Miss Bliss. When the show fizzled after a brief 13-episode season, NBC reclaimed the franchise and it became the classic late 80s-early 90s Saturday morning live action series Saved by the Bell. By having both students and staff transfer from jr. high to high school in both realms, I feel like producers over at Bayside might have been inspired by the people in charge of Riverdale. It's definitely a possibility, this theory of mine!

All 3 tales had that classic Archie charm. A Turkey Day themed word search added to the festive mood. And there were a few other surprises peppered in. Finally (for this season), I had a Thanksgiving read that I enjoyed!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars

Scooby-Doo #114 (Family Comic Friday)

Depending on how you consider when the week begins, we're just 2-3 short days away from the Thanksgiving holiday week beginning and just a touch bit further away from the official start of the 2022 Holiday Season! I couldn't be more excited. Time away from work, a chance to put my knowledge of exterior lighting to the test and of course a chance to read holiday comics. 

I really wanted to get started early. So I went to MyComicShop.com, the web page of Lone Star Comics. Lone Star does this really cool thing where the post theme lists of comic titles in order to help just about every collector out there. 2 weeks ago, they had a list of available Thanksgiving books and I snatched up several that I felt were affordable within my price range. I bought some old titles, new stuff and some adult stuff. Above all, I bought some Scooby-Doo stuff! 

This issue contains 3 stories. Unfortunately, only the cover and the first story are set during Turkey Day. In the opening mystery, the Mystery Inc. crew are on their way to Daphne's aunts house for their annual Thanksgiving feast. Almost there, the meddling kids spot a man running in terror. Then a few brief moments later, they witness Daphne's uncle being attacked- BY A GIANT TURKEY!

Folks, this is my worst nightmare. I am scared to death of turkeys. Those suckers are mean. I've personally seen them chase down a child and viewed videos where these big birds will go after law enforcement agents and mail carriers. If ever there was an argument that birds come from dinosaurs, the turkey is the de facto winner of said disagreement. 

The second story takes place on the Moon! Yes- the detectives are summoned to a space station on the moon where a werewolf is attacking crew members! Episode 3 takes place at a Chinese restaurant. The owners recently bought some ancient armor that might be cursed because the ghost of a Chinese warrior is not only scaring off customers, it might have also kidnapped the niece of the owner as well!

When it comes to this issue, I've actually been waiting almost a full year to read this one. The copy I bought last year was missing a couple of pages due to a publishing error. My replacement didn't arrive until after Thanksgiving. Thus, I held on to it as at the time, I only had 1 other Thanksgiving book in the wings for this current reading season. But boy- was I disappointed with this read! Despite the fact that this book is over 20 years old, don't read any further if you don't want any spoilers.

With the Turkey story, we're to believe that the guy running in fear is the one behind the mask of the giant fowl. Not the mysterious research corporation that wants to buy Daphne's family plot. But there's no way that guy could have run away, put on the costume and then beat up the uncle! Not in that amount of time! There had to be a second culprit. 

With the Moon story, I knew who the villain was as soon as I met them. Same goes with the bad guy behind the kidnapping and haunting at the restaurant. The problem with both these stories is that there seems to be a substantial amount of missing evidence in these stories. Velma knows what's happening. But for some reason the viewer is not made privy to what clues are being uncovered by her.

Here's what I think the problem is with this entire book: it's only 32 pages long and that's just not enough room to squeeze in 3 coherent and plausible mysteries. The editors at DC should have reduced it to only 2 stories and added 3-4 more pages with more apparent clues and less speculation. Sure, I bet the powers that be thought that a kid's attention can't be held for more than 8-10 pages per story. But kids are smarter than you think and they know when something has been dumbed down to them. AND THEY HATE THAT!

And the Moon? Really? Weird things happen on a space station and the Mystery Inc. folks are who NASA calls? Not buying it!

The artwork was good and there were some really smart moments. For example, one of the lunar werewolf victims mentioned that the attack happened during a full moon to which Velma states that on the moon, it's always full. That little statement just blew my mind! However, those kind of moments were few and far between.

Parents, the holiday season is upon us. There's going to be a few kid approved Christmas reads coming. I know Archie has one or two planned. I seem to recall that American Mythology has a Zorro Feliz Navidad special in the works. However, from what little I have seen, it appears that 'horror holidays' are the main theme of publishers this year. So, feel free to explore the internet for some Christmas Comic Book reads. At last count, I've documented nearly 1000 holiday themed comics and a huge majority are appropriate for the whole family. As the great reading advocate LeVar Burton once said- 'if your kid loves comic books, then dammit, buy them comic books!' And if the young reader in your life loves the holidays, then gosh darn it, buy them holiday themed comics! 

Just be sure to save a few for me...

Rating: 4 out of 10 stars.

Spider-Gwen #14

I've got to remind myself that when I read a book starring the Gwen Stacy Spider-Woman that her story takes place on another earth. She's not from Earth-616. These aren't the characters I am used to. 

It wasn't until a couple of weeks ago that I even knew this issue existed. A Thanksgiving tale, I promptly ordered this book after doing further research for some Turkey Day reads to get into an early festive mood. After a sucky last couple of school years, I am doing everything possible to stay positive and say no when I need to say no and temporarily step away from it all. This early jump on the holiday season is one of my ways of practicing some self care. 

This issue is essentially 1 complete story, told in two parts. The first part has Gwen Stacy spending her first Thanksgiving away from her father. Captain Stacy has taken the fall to prevent Gwen from being arrested as the vigilante Spider-Woman. Aiding the family is a very corrupt Matt Murdock. Changes in fate have resulted in the blind lawyer secretly taking control of New York's criminal element as the Kingpin of Crime! And for some reason, Murdock has taken an interest in Gwen!

After a fateful meeting with May Parker, Gwen, still mourning the death of Peter Parker, runs into an old friend- a Jessica Drew from some other earth that occupies the Spider-Verse. 

With the arrival of this Jessica Drew as well as a very childlike version of the villain Porcupine, things change tone. For one thing, the art goes from rather streamlined and from the portfolio of Paul Pope-looking to kinda cartoonish and something out of MAD Magazine. I preferred the first style, by regular artist Robbi Rodriguez (Spider-Women). I'm really not sure why the artwork is taken over in part 2 by Chris Visions (Scarlet Witch). However, I can attest that it really wasn't warranted. And since there wasn't an announced change in artists, it was rather striking.

It took me a couple of minutes to figure out that this was the same story. The artwork change was just that so differing, I thought briefly that I was reading a sneak peak of some forthcoming Marvel title. On the plus side, the second half of this story had more of a Thanksgiving day theme.

So technically, I think this is my first real encounter with Gwen Stacy and her world of Earth-65. I've encountered the character in other Marvel titles and animated features. But when I've experienced Spider-Gwen, it's always as a supporting player. This strange new world intrigues me. I think I like a Matt Murdock who isn't on the side of the angels. Should I come across any further Spider-Gwen titles at my local library, I think I'd have zero issue grabbing a couple for a read. Even though this series is 7 years old, it's got a lot of peaked interest in this Madman all of a sudden.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars. 

Not All Robots #1

With 10 days until Thanksgiving, last night began my countdown to the holiday with a decent size stack of comics devoted to Turkey Day! 

When it comes to Christmas comic books, if a book has a holiday looking cover but there's nothing Christmasy inside, I call it a Scrooge! So what do I need to call a book that I thought was set during the fourth Thursday of November but probably was really set during the month of July? I want to call it a Turducken. That sounds really funny. But that's probably more of a comic book without a Thanksgiving cover but has a food feast inside! So I guess I am calling this book a 'Tofurky'!

Set in a dystopian future of 2056, lucky citizens occupy city domes while millions struggle to survive the outdoors in a toxic wasteland. In the domes, humans live a life of luxury, while their family robot works and brings home the bacon. With a slew of murders and assaults being made by malfunctioning machines, the population of the Atlanta dome in particular is beginning to worry of a robot uprising. 

In the Atlanta dome, the Walters family is getting a tad suspicious of their automaton. As soon as Razorball returns home from his factory job, he slinks off into the garage and does God knows what. The Walters thinks Razorball is designing something to kill them with. And when a malfunction eliminates the entire population of the Orlando dome, the Walters' fears and that of humans everywhere might have come true! 

Has the revolution begun?

Even though there wasn't anything Thanksgiving about this comic, except for a 21st century twist on that iconic Norman Rockwell painting of a family serving a roast turkey, I was digging this first issue. That was until I read writer and series creator Mark Russell's soapbox article at the end of this issue. 

Instead of citing inspiration on how humans are becoming too reliant technology or how automation could literally destroy our economy or cause millions to lose their jobs, their livelihoods, The Prez reboot writer cites toxic masculinity as the root of all evil in this book. Primarily, WHITE masculinity. I'm not normally one to question a writer's motivations or creative license. But I rolled my eyes that of all the things Russell could blame for an ill wind between humans and robots, blaming white men for the problem would have been 50th on my list.

And then I realized who the editor for AWA (Artists, Writers & Artisans) was- Axel Alonso. During Alonso's time at Marvel as the EIC, he nearly brought the House of Ideas to its knees. Alonso alienated fans and retailers, telling everyone that he was in charge and didn't care about the feelings of those who had disposable income. There's nothing wrong with wanting to promote diversity in the storylines and voices of their creative team. But to blame a lack of sales on comics on white fragility is a complete cop out. Plain and simple, the stuff Alonso promoted just wasn't on par with the quality stories overseen by Stan Lee, Jim Shooter or even Joe Quesada. 

So I carry a bit of a grudge against Axel Alonso. And knowing that he's got a hand in this recipe has put a bad taste in my mouth. I really want to read this rest of the story. I'm just not willing to spend my hand earned money on something produced by somebody who claims that they can live without it. So if I find this book at my local library or maybe for trade credit at a used book store, I'll find out how it all ends. But until then, I can blissfully wait and use my money to buy something from someone who appreciates my voting dollars.

Maybe tonight's read will be more about the holidays...

Rating: 6 out of 10 stars.

Footnote- I teach high school culinary. So it is my job to educate the next generation of chefs and cooks. Unfortunately, I see how my industry is in danger of losing the human element with strides in robotics and automation. As food workers request higher pay, owners and operators are looking to save money by replacing employees with robots. Such an issue troubles me to no end and for Mark Russell to completely gloss over this controversial and industry threatening issue for an axe to grind with Trump supporters and the like was just irksome to me. My apologies for allowing politics to seep deeply into my review.

 

Red Tornado: Family Reunion

Thanks to the now classic Batman: The Brave and the Bold animated series, which just the other day celebrated its 10th anniversary, I became more familiar with the character of Red Tornado. I knew that he was an android and that he was created by the T.O. Morrow, an arch enemy of the Justice League. But I did not know that the character longed to be human and donned a human mask, taking the name John Smith, when not on active duty with the JLA. I also didn't know that he married a human woman and that adopted a child until I learned about that on the Cartoon Network team-up series. But when I did, that opened a ton of interest to me. Thus when I found this book at Ollie's, I snatched it up. 

True, I sat on this book for a couple of years before finding going into a box of trades and graphic novels that was just begging to be sorted through and giving this volume a read. Looking back, I kinda see how the Red Tornado is a lot like the Avenger, Vision. While I believe that the Red Tornado came first, I don't think John Smith's relationship with a human female transpired until after Vision and Scarlet Witch became a couple. In some other ways, Red Tornado is a lot like the character of Data from the Star Trek Universe; always wanting to better understand the human condition. Maybe that's why I am fascinated by this Justice Leaguer. Also like Data, we learn that for an android, the Red Tornado sure has a lot of siblings!

An unexpected visitor to T.O. Morrow's cell at Belle Reve brings to light that the mad scientist created 3 other androids before crafting Red Tornado. Based on the 4 elements, one android is insane and super strong, another is carrying scars from being betrayed by Morrow, while the third is presumed missing. When the forgotten android manifests itself due to an episode of intense stress, Tornado has a chance to finally have a family. But the wind elemental must get to his little brother before psycho older sibling finds him. Yet in order to maintain that which he always longed for, the Red Tornado may have to sacrifice the human family he's earned.

I really wish I could say that I was a fan of this book. The parts where Red Tornado/John Smith interacts with his family are my favorite parts. They're also quite humorous. Get Red Tornado with his android siblings and I lose interest. These other elemental robots aren't really likeable. The female droid who was betrayed by her creator is perhaps the most sympathetic of the three. But she's so cold and cunning. Could it be that T.O. Morrow gifted the Red Tornado with a heart? 

The artwork, by Jose Luis (Titans United), was really good. It's sleek and full of energy. Plus, the character design for the female member of Tornado's family was really well done.  I also liked that writer Kevin Vanhook (Bloodshot) brings in another Justice Leaguer to offer some assistance to this story. However, I think I would've liked it if at least one or two more characters would have been peppered in. 

The book looks like a Justice League title from the late 2000s. It reads like a Greek Tragedy. I'm not willing to give up on Red Tornado. Though in the future, I hope that my next encounter will focus more on the current home life of the character and not forgotten members of the Tornado family tree. Maybe something a little more like WandaVision and less like Oedipus Rex.

Rating: 4 out of 10 stars.

Justice League of America's Vibe, Vol. 1: Breach

Next to the character of Wells and his various incarnations, my favorite character on The CW's The Flash is Cisco Ramon. Played by actor Carlos Valdes, the character is witty, smart and super chill. With his love of pop culture and Star Wars, I think we'd make great friends if we were to meet IRL. But when it comes to the comic book version, I know very little about the superhero known as Vibe. That interest in knowing a little bit more about the hero is why I chose to pick up this book a while back at my local Ollie's store.

The New 52! incarnation of Vibe/Cisco Ramon is similar to what little I know about the character. He's Latino. From Detroit. Has some sort of ability to alter the vibrational frequencies of not just our Earth; but the entire gambit of the multiverse. And he was a part of the Justice League of America- the original version.

Here we get Vibe's origin of how Ramon obtained his powers as a young boy when he's unfortunately sliced in half by a boom tube during an early invasion from Darkseid's parademon forces. Cisco survived the incident. However, his older brother died in the rescue attempt. Due to his ultra-close encounter with boom tube technology, Cisco Ramon's latent meta-human genes were unlocked and the ability to command the multiverse was now his.

As Cisco's powers strengthen, this puts him in the crosshairs of ARGUS. The feelings of the clandestine agency is that if Cisco can't be used as a super-powered weapon against potential foes that slip into our dimension then Cisco too is a potential threat to global safety. 

Now training to be an agent of ARGUS, Cisco is given the codename VIBE. Vibe's powers help him to sense when someone has breached the barriers between our universe and their own. Things seem to be going great as the newest wunderkind at ARGUS until Cisco is tasked with apprehending a mysterious woman named Gyspy who seems to have familiar air to her.

I felt like this book had two tones to it. Vibe was originally a 10 issue series. The first 4 or 5 issues in which Vibe is learning the ropes of being an agent of ARGUS feels like the Denzel Washington film Training Day or something similar. Cisco learns that being a hero doesn't always mean being a good guy. Then when Vibe meets Gypsy things shift over to The Fugitive (pick your version). Add some DC Comics touches like Apokolips and some forgotten characters from the 60s and 70s getting a modern retouch and you've got the basis for one of the more enjoyable titles to come from the New 52! experiment.

I did have one problem with this book and it's more of a design flaw or issue with the marketing/editing department. This book is touted as Volume 1. As I said early, the Vibe series lasted 10 issues, from 2013-2014. All 10 issues are reprinted here. So, why call this a Volume 1? The back cover even confirms that this book contains the 'full 10-issue series' and there's a 1 on the spine of the book!

This isn't the first time DC has done this. They did it a lot with the Showcase Presents B&W reprint collections and some other works. It irks my OCD to no end and it kinda ruins how my bookcase display looks. I know this is a small thing. But it makes my brain itch to no end.

A good story poorly marketed. Definitely a reason NOT to judge a book by it's cover!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

The Legion: Foundations

I'm not sure why I'm not more of a fan of the Legion of Superheroes. Just about everything I read starring them is top notch stuff. And yet, I will overlook their adventures in lieu of a What If... or an Elseworlds book every time. If I wasn't given this book as a gift, I probably wouldn't have picked it up in a million years. 

This trade collects 6 issues from the 2001-04 DC series. In this book, Superboy returns to the ranks of the Legion. But it's not the Clark Kent Superboy but rather the Conner Kent version. Or is it. 

A strange anomaly that threatens all of reality gives birth to Conner. Even in the year 3003, Darkseid remains. The pure evil ruler of Apokolips has plans on unleashing his Anti-Life Equation on the universe and a time-displaced Superboy is at the center of Darkseid's plan. However, with no less than 2 other members of the Legion having recently betrayed the team, folks have their doubts that this Superboy is legit. But deep down in my heart, I know. This is the real deal... I think.

This volume also includes the main story taken from Legion Secret Files 3003. It's a great introduction to all the members of the Legion. It needed to have been added first to this volume. But that would have spoiled the inclusion of Superboy to the Legion's ranks. Though I don't think it's much of a spoiler as Superboy is right there on the corner- FRONT and mostly CENTER!

This was a great read. Lots of mystery, action and intrigue. I really wouldn't have any qualms reading the 24 issues that take place before this collection as well as the 7 or so issues that precede. But knowing me, I'll probably pass them over for something else on my wish list. I just have other preferred tastes even though this was a wonderful read.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars

Magic Pickle (Family Comic Friday)

I've had this book sitting on my to-read pile for a very long time. I got this book during my days of volunteering at a dollar book warehouse. So it's been with me for maybe 5 years and I am really kicking myself for having waited so long!

Sometime in the 1950s or 60s, a scientist accidentally dropped the pickle he was having for lunch into some chemicals. As a result, the brined cucumber became sentient and Weapon Kosher was born! Over time, the scientist developed a whole army of veggie superheroes. Unfortunately, these guys all turned evil and went into hiding. As a result, Weapon Kosher was put into cryo-freeze with the hopes that where the bad produce returned, the Magic Pickle would be there to save the day.

It's now the modern day and Weapon Kosher's slumber has been interrupted. He wakes up to find himself in the bedroom of young JoJo Wigman, an elementary school child whose house was built over the science lab facility that gave birth to Magic Pickle! JoJo is indignant that there's now a giant hole in her bedroom floor. But she's thrilled to become a part of a secret world of science, superheroes and evil vegetables. And whether Weapon Kosher likes it or not, the Magic Pickle has a new sidekick!

The book was brilliantly written. Funny and smart. The artwork, especially of the produce, was dynamic, brooding and inked to a point, that they literally all jump off the page!

Magic Pickle is part Captain America and part Veggie Tales and 100% pure fun! I laughed and chuckled so many times. I was something that I didn't want to see end!

The fun actually extends past the main story as there is a bonus story in which the Magic Pickle takes on the threat of the Loconut! Plus, there's a section on how to draw the characters of this story. I thought the Loconut tale was just great. The art lesson, however, was just a little too off-the-wall for my tastes. A story about a pickle with super powers and the how-to section was the part that was too silly? Yes- but it's because of how unlike an art instructional article this section was that I thought it was just too much.

I personally, didn't get my fill of Magic Pickle. I've researched and there appears to be at least 4 other books in the series. Amazon seems to have most of them. I'm hoping my local library has more copies. Either way, I'm getting my hands on some more of this Scott Morse (Plastic Man) creation in the very near future.

And with a character named Weapon Kosher, might I recommend a Hanukkah volume? As a fan of holiday comics and graphic novels, I would definitely buy a copy of that- NEW!

This is a book that will make the kiddies want to finish all their vegetables!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Elvira Meets Vincent Price #5

The Earth has been saved. So why hasn't Vincent Price's ghost transitioned over to the other side? Obviously, the soul of the late horror actor hasn't completed its mission on Earth. And until that happens, Vincent and Elvira will have tons of fun playing detective!

When a starlet goes missing, this dynamic duo goes into action against a list of suspects. They'll get to the bottom of this case, even if it kills them. Hopefully it won't kill them... Maybe...

I had originally thought that this miniseries was 4 issues long. With the Egyptian threat against the world neutralized in the last issue, that conclusion made sense. But I am guessing that sales were robust enough for Dynamite Entertainment that the story got extended and a 5th issue was ordered. It's the only thing that makes sense here as this issue has a completely different tone and flow. 

In all honesty, I would have preferred this mini getting extended by 2 or 3 issues. Just 1 issue involving Elvira and Vincent Price as a sort of paranormal investigators upsets the whole balance of the series. If I had purchased this story as a trade and not a set of 5 floppies, I probably would have rated that book lower because of the last minute detour. Something to think about in the future, Dynamite...

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 7 out of 10 stars.

Elvira Meets Vincent Price #4

A global telecast promises to unleash an Egyptian god of the dead. Elvira is fit to be tied and Vincent Price is nowhere to be found. 

I felt as if I had read this ending before. It just seemed like many of a cliched kinda end of the world action movie set in Egypt or some nearby part of the Middle East. Good guys get captured. A beloved character is seemingly killed off. Somebody who was brainwashed gets their mind back and then brainwashed again. Lots of weather and fire as an evil follower summons the terrible deity that they worship to rule the earth while also destroying it.

You know, that part never made sense to me ever. Why would someone want to rule the world by destroying it? That just seems counter intuitive. Either you want to rule the planet or destroy it. You can't do both. Right?

Probably the weakest issue of the series thus far. But the artwork and the one-liners do manage to keep this an entertaining read.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 7 out of 10 stars.

Elvira Meets Vincent Price #3

After a disastrous turn in Hollywood and then Merry Old England, Vincent Price and Elvira head to Egypt. The hope is to find the writer of the lost B-movie 'The Rise of the Ram', who hails from the North African nation. Turns out that the former writer is there and he's got the lost film and the original text that contains both the curse that could end all time and its cure. Unfortunately, a pair of goons devoted to the Egyptian Deity of Death and his bride are there too. And they've got guns! Does Vincent and his friends have guns? Nope? Yup! They're screwed!

I don't really understand why they need both the cursed ancient text as well as the print of the lost film. If it's the only copy of each, can't they just destroy it and then... problem solved? That seems to be the only thing wrong with this whole book. That sort of plot twist just seems unnecessary. 

It's like this episode of MASH when this nurse is in trouble and can't sneak out to visit her husband who is on a 24-hour leave. Instead of putting the guy in the VIP tent, the doctors put him in Margaret's tent and have Hot Lips sleep with the nurses. It just didn't make a hill of sense and neither does my complaint with this story.

The dialogue is witty. The artwork of Vincent Price is amazing and Elvira is not half bad either. She still looks a tad cartoony. But then again, isn't that the point with her? Plus, I love that artist Juan Samu (Marvel Action: Black Panther) decided to draw the goons to look like Laurel & Hardy. It just seems to jive with the tribute to classic Hollywood that oozes through every panel. 

A very fun read with a small bit of business I just can't figure out.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

Elvira Meets Vincent Price #2

I generally say that the second issue gets even better if it's a series which has a debut I was blown away with. I can't say that this time. I can't say that it got worse either. 

Things in this issue pretty much maintain the status quo. After a close encounter with the flunky of an Eygptian deity, Vincent Price and Elvira continue their search for the sole surviving print of 'Rise of the Ram'. Up next- a jaunt to merry ole' England. Here, the horror hostess and her deceased partner hope that the director and the film main starlet might have an idea where the film may be. 

I will have to say that pairing Elvira with the legendary Vincent Price was a stroke of genius. I never in 45 years of life and collecting comic books have thought to pair the two together. And yet they're gold! Elvira is smitten with her horror movie idol and Vincent is a complete and total gentleman.

A very good chapter with a hint of mystery and a dash of Egyptian magic. I just wish that the main theme of the comic was about Egyptian deities and instead a tale about the Norse or Greek or even Roman. When it came to reading mythology, the Egyptians just never were my thing; despite how awesome mummies and pyramids are. 

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Elvira Meets Vincent Price #1

Just because Halloween is over means I have to stop reading and reviewing horror titles. This 6-issue series pairs one of the most iconic horror hosts of all-time with one of the most iconic horror actors of all-time. 

I know you are wondering how does Vincent Price, who has been dead for nearly 3 decades, happen to team-up with the still living Elvira. Does this story occur before his death in 1993? Nope! Price is a ghost and he's returned from the Great Beyond to save the world from total destruction. 

In the 1970s, Vincent Price filmed a movie titled 'Rise of the Ram.' The horror picture involves an actress recanting an ancient Egyptian spell that is supposed to prevent the rise of an old deity who seeks to destroy all of creation. To prevent the spell from ever being reversed, the only remaining print of both the film and the spell book were lost to time. However, a handful of devotees to the forgone god have located and stolen the missing items and are planning on unleashing hell on earth. 

With time running short, Vincent Price recruits Elvira to his cause. With the hostess' knowledge of B-movie lore and her extensive number of Hollywood contacts, Vincent is able to locate the original producer of Rise of the Ram. Only before they can get some answers, the bigwig bursts into flames. In his place, a demonic devotee to the Egyptian dark lord and this guy is mad as hell!

I didn't realize that Elvira has been in so many comic books. I knew that there was a Vincent Price horror anthology. I've read and reviewed a couple of issues from that series from Bluewater Productions. But I only thought Elvira had her version of the House of Mystery and maybe a couple other releases from Dynamite. But she recounts a whole slew of other comics that she has starred in previously and I was just unaware.

I've been waiting over a year to read this issue. The first issue came out in stores in the summer of 2021. The final issue didn't arrive until this past winter! It took a really freakin' long time to produce 6 issues of a comic book. The heck with blaming things on COVID and stuff. This miniseries should not have been released bi-monthly.

Thankfully, this book was worth the wait. I'm really hoping Vincent Price was as nice as a guy as he seems in this comic. I would hate to learn that he was the horror community's version of Joan Crawford or Bing Crosby. I had a lots of fun reading this book and I hope the remaining issues are just as good as this opening chapter was.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Donald Duck and Friends #332

On the second day of Dia de los Muertos, I closed out my Halloween 2022 reviews with this classic from Disney! 

Gladstone Publishing re-issued this Carl Barks adaptation of the 1952 classic Halloween Disney short called 'Trick or Treat.' It's Halloween night and Donald Duck is playing the Scrooge to his trick-or-treating nephews, Huey, Dewey and Louie. The sorceress Witch Hazel observes Donald's dirty tricks. Taking pity on the boys Witch Hazel decides to trick Donald for not giving out any treats. 

I remember watching this cartoon during many a Knightdale public library Halloween party and just about any Halloween themed Disney special from the early 80s through 1998. It's an animated holiday classic up there with It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown and The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. And no, I didn't feel cheated with having a comic book version of a cartoon I've probably seen two dozens times before.

One reason I'm not hating this issue is that Gladstone actually includes 4 or 5 pages of material that actually never appeared in the cartoon nor the comic book. Comic adaptation creator Barks didn't think this story had enough material to fill a 32-page comic. Thus the reason for the extra stuff. But the editors hated the extras and the extras were omitted. For those of you wondering, the extra scenes include an ogre named Smorgie who Witch Hazel recruits as a partner in her war on Duck!  So this was like reading a director's cut of the adaptation of the Disney classic.

Carl Barks is a comics legend. Just about anything he did with the Disney Ducks was perfection. This was a perfect adaptation, even with the never before seen stuff that was once deemed unworthy of print!

And so I say goodbye to the Halloween season. I can't wait to see what Thanksgiving and Christmas have in store for me this year. I hope it's just as special and fun as this closing read was.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.

Victor Crowley's Hatchet Halloween Tales III #1

Sure. It's November 1st and I'm reviewing yet another Halloween comic book. In Mexico, today and tomorrow is Dia de los Muertos and today in Europe, it's All Saints Day. Both holidays are what All Hallow's Eve or Halloween lead up to. Thus, expect 2 more Halloween comics for review!

One of those two books up for review is this one: Victor Crowley's Hatchet Tales III is based on the main character from the Adam Green horror franchise Hatchet. I was really looking forward to this book after I had read a small preview of another Hatchet one-shot in the pages of American Mythology Monsters II #1 earlier this year. That preview had deranged ax murderer Victor Crowley taking on a Sasquatch in the Louisiana Bayou. I was hooked. I was also thrilled as I realized that I had another comic starring Crowley and was pumped into thinking it was going to be as good as that preview. 

Boy was I wrong...

First of all, Victor Crowley doesn't host any of these stories. In fact, I don't think the character has the ability to really speak in the first place. Instead, this trio of terror all takes place during several very deadly Halloweens on or very near Victor's home base of Honey Island, La.

In one story, a group of corrupt cops lure an honest cop to his demise only to meet ghastly fates at the hands of Victor. In another, a young man seeking revenge against Victor for the death of his father, unleashes a demon. Soon, Victor appears and everything goes to hell. Lastly, in the somewhat near future, a group of teens uncover the legend of Victor Crowley and head out to Honey Island to find out the truth behind the mythos.

The story with the corrupt cops was perhaps the best of the 3 stories. I just wish that there was more backstory between the bad cops and the one good policeman. 

The story that occurs in the future was rather interesting because one of the characters in the story was a real person. The year prior, a young man won a silent action benefiting yorkie terriers. The fundraiser was hosted by Hatchet creator Adam Green and the prize was the chance to be killed by Victor in one of the stories of this book. I had learned that there was another auction going to be held for someone to win the chance to be in the 2022 special. But I missed my chance of a lifetime as that auction had occurred earlier in the year. Maybe there's a chance for 2023!

The one problem I had with all these stories was that they were just too freakin' gory. I think the encapsulating stories were good. It's just that the way Victor kills indiscriminately. It actually was making me a tiny bit nauseous. 

I also wasn't a fan of the story involving that demon. That kind of horror really isn't my thing. But I will admit that the opening narration about how the boundaries between good and evil are razor thin on Halloween night, was one of the best openings in a horror comic that I have come across in a very long time. 

For the most part, Victor Crowley's Hatchet Halloween Tales weren't scary. But they were sick and bloody. If you were one who went to see Terrifier 2 and it didn't make you vomit nor faint, then this might be the sort of comic book for you. In reverse, the way I felt reading this comic is proof I should never see Terrifier 2. EVER!

Rating: 4 out of 10 stars.