Krampus! #1

I don't know why, but I like Krampus. I know he's a demon. Yet, for some reason I dig the European concept of an anti-Santa, who punishes bad kids. Maybe it's because as a teacher, I see how our of control today's youth are. They need something like Krampus, who puts the fear of God into those little monsters.

In the opening chapter of this 203 comic from Image, someone has stolen the bones of Saint Nicholas, the ancient inspiration of the modern Santa Claus. This theft has resulted in the Secret Society of Santa Clauses jumping to action at the North Pole. While there, it's discovered that the magic of the Santas has gone away. This results in the Society turning to their only hope: Krampus.

In the 1960s, the Society imprisoned Krampus when the demon refused to stop eating bad little boys and girls. So for the past 6 decades, Krampus has been resting in a super max prison on the top of the world. If Krampus can find who stole Saint Nicholas's remains and restore the magic of Christmas to the Santas of the world, he'll finally earn his freedom. But to make sure he doesn't turn on them, Krampus has been fitted with a bomb that will detonate should the fiend wind up on naughty list...

Krampus! #1 was the debut work of Brian Joines. I thought it was a brilliant introduction that combined international customs of Christmas, in particular the Scandinavian countries, along with some modern touches that I hope one day becomes new additions to the Krampus legend.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.

Advent 2024 Is Coming!

Tomorrow marks the first of December and with that comes my Advent for 2024: Adventures in Advent. 

Last January I bought a DC Comics Batman Advent calendar at Ollie's for super cheap. I've been waiting all year to open it. As I explore each day's Advent treasure, I'll also explore an Advent calendar from the past and present. There's a ton of them out there and many are just too cool not to share with you this holiday season!

Until tomorrow...

The Pilgrims and the First Thanksgiving (Family Comic Friday)

2007's The Pilgrims and the First Thanksgiving from Graphic Library is an educational comic book that does a fairly decent job explaining a controversial moment of American history. While it doesn't mention that the Pilgrims choose Cape Cod to settle because they ran out of beer and ale, we do get perspective on an often forgotten part of the First Thanksgiving story: the Native Americans!

It was always a mystery to me how Squanto knew English. Turns out that the Pilgrims weren't the first Europeans in the area. Fishermen and slavers had been coming to the cape for years prior. Also, Squanto is an Anglicized pronunciation of the name.

There was also a certain amount of caution on the side of the Indians. The white man was known to bring disease with them and Chief Massasoit didn't want his people getting sick from them. (Smart man!)

A lot of detail is out into the massive amount of food that went into the Autumn feast of Pilgrims and natives. We often get that lesson in grade school. But did you know that the event lasted 3 whole days? And there were shooting contests and axe throwing competitions in between meals? 

There's an educational section in the back of this graphic novel. In it, you get a glossary of terms, an list of further reads and an interesting 2-page article about the aftermath of the First Thanksgiving. I'd always thought that the Pilgrims were the same as the Puritans. Turns out that they weren't and man, were those Puritans mean and evil! The Pilgrims kept a 50 year peace with the Native Americans. The Puritans show up, start stealing land and within a year, the whole tribe is wiped out in a massive conflict.

Direct quotes from historical figures are supposed to be on a yellow background. But the hue is so light, I could barely figure out those segments. I also felt like the artwork was a little more simple than a typical graphic novel. However, it could be because artist Peter McDonnell is more of a children's book illustrator than a comic book artist. I think that's more of a matter of taste than actual quality.

The Pilgrims and the First Thanksgiving was an informative read. It was a timely read for the holiday. I got this recently on Amazon for a very good price. Kids will enjoy reading about the history of the fourth Thursday in November while parents and guardians will delight that the young readers in their life are learning! It's too late for this year. But if you know of a child aged 7-11 who loves reading comics, this is a read that they can enjoy next year while they wait for the turkey and trimmings to finish cooking!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Flare #31

I bought this 2006 Thanksgiving themed issue last year. I either bought it after Thanksgiving or I never got around to it. I'm not familiar with the character of Flare. Nor am I with its publisher Heroic Comics, formerly Hero Comics. 

After a little research, I learned that Hero Comics was created in the mid-80s, after gaining the licensing rights to Hero Games' Champions role playing game. When the publisher began to focus more on cheesecake than meat and potato plots, Hero Games pulled its license and a name change to Heroic Comics came about. Several characters also had to undergo name changes. But Flare was not one of them.

Flare was the result of Nazi genetic testing after World War II. Scientists fleeing to South America, continued to create their master race of soldiers and Flare and several of her siblings were test subjects. Exhibiting powers of flight, light manipulation and the ability to change her appearance, Flare and many of her kin revolted against their genetic overlords and became heroes in America.

In this issue, there are 3 stories. The first tale is Thanksgiving themed. It sees Flare meeting her boyfriend's family for the first time. All seems well until the boyfriend's little sister throws massive shade at Flare for being a rich, privileged white girl.

The middle story is a rather odd story about 2 teen girls, who after a massive session of reading comic books, turn into their heroes, the wholesome Flare and the murderous Tigress. Things get rather erotic between the two and it's very unsettling as these are teen girls. What the frick were the writer and artist thinking?! Thankfully, the pair change back into their regular mortal selves before I had to throw this book away for becoming kiddie porn. 

The last story was surprising, based on how PG-13 heading into R territory the last story was. It sees Flare in costume going to a children's hospital on Christmas Eve to deliver presents. While there, she also takes out a Bible and reads the Christmas story from the Book of Luke: the very same verses Linus reads in A Charlie Brown Christmas!

I was impressed. The first story deals with faith and prayer and thankfulness. The last story actually recounts the birth of Jesus. So, what was the deal with that middle story? It just didn't fit and it almost broke several state and federal laws.

I'll keep this issue, only for the bookends. But I just don't know if I can give this book a high rating because of the filler!

Rating: 6 out of 10 stars.

Droopy #2

This is the second release of that 1995 Dark Horse Comics miniseries devoted to Tex Avery's Droopy. Last month I reviewed the supposed Halloween issue, based on the cover. For November, I read what the cover promised to be a Thanksgiving themed story and this time Dark Horse delivered.

The main story is set at Plymouth Rock during the time of the Pilgrims. It sees Droopy and foe Spike the Bulldog competing to find the best dressed turkey for Thanksgiving. The prize is a kiss from the mayor's daughter, who is played by the vivacious ginger haired Red Hot Riding Hood (AKA Red) ( Also AKA Miss Vavoom in the 90s). 

Spike is the main focus of the story as the turkey he's got his eyes on has no intention of becoming Thanksgiving dinner. Droopy is more of an afterthought in what is supposed to be his story! It's rather odd, if you ask me. Though things do end with Droopy winning his prize as well as a great sight gag in regards to the turkey being the best dressed- in a tuxedo!

The second story was an early Christmas present! It stars Red, along with the eternal horn-dog Wolfie. Here, Wolfie is doing everything he can to get on Santa's Nice List. Last year, because he was too much of a pig around women and Santa gave him a lump of coal. This year, Wolfie is being a good boy. Now if he can just get through his last shift as a department store Santa, he'll get lots of great stuff from Ol' Saint Nick. Unfortunately, his normal co-worker playing his Elf assistant is sick and so Red is called into as a substitute and she's dressed as the most inappropriately dressed worker to ever grace Santa's workshop!

Based on the backup feature alone, I gotta say that this 3-part Droopy series is NOT for kids! Lots of double entendres. Red's posed so seductively, in one panel you can literally see all the way up to Nebraska (Ask Sharon Stone to explain that reference.) As a collection of Tex Avery toons were being concurrently being released on VHS, this miniseries was a promotional tie-in of sorts. I think that adults were expected to be the main audience of the tapes and so this series was aimed more at the mature set. Not sure how much of a success this comic book was. But I would not be surprised in the least to find out some parent group had a fit about the contents of the second tale in this book!

Bawdy but thankfully seasonal this time. See you in December when I finish the mini on what is promised to be a Christmas themed book starring Droopy, Spike and Red.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 our of 10 stars.

Snoopy's Thanksgiving

Fantagraphics celebrates Thanksgiving Peanuts style in this hilarious 2014 collection of strips from Charles Schulz. 

First, Snoopy ventures out West to visit his brother Spike who lives in the desert with a bunch of bunny-eating coyotes. Then Charlie Brown tries his luck selling Thanksgiving wreaths before Woodstock has a panic attack that he's going to be the main course at this year's Thanksgiving dinner. 

Silly birdie. Doesn't Woodstock know that his friends eat jelly beans, milkshakes and toast for Turkey Day?

There's a few one page shorts as well as a couple of strips blown up and spread out in separate panels over several pages to give readers just over 60 pages of Thanksgiving fun. I'm surprised that this was published by Fantagraphics. Not that they couldn't produce this or anything about the quality. It's just that the format looked more like a series of books about Snoopy and friends that the greeting card magnate Hallmark used to produce in the 90s and early 00s. I'm now wondering if Fantagraphics was tapped to produce those books for Hallmark much like how Dynamite Entertainment and Dark Horse are publishing Marvel's outsourced material...

If you're stressing about having the relatives over for the holiday, then take a much needed break and enjoy the exploits of a boy named Charlie Brown and his dog.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.

Walt Disney's Autumn Adventures #1

I could have finished this book earlier. I started in in mid-October. However, once I realized that there was some Thanksgiving themed stories, I decided to wait until now to complete.

Walt Disney's Autumn Adventures #1 doesn't just cover Halloween which is what I thought based on Chip and Dale hauling a gigantic jack-o'-lantern on the cover. Had I been a bit more keen, I would have noticed Gyro Gearloose using one of his new inventions to capture a turkey! No, this really is a book that runs the entire Fall season gambit.

The book is essentially divided into 3 sections: the coming of Autumn, Halloween and Thanksgiving. In the first part, Huey, Dewey and Louie get in trouble playing hooky during the first day of school in a Carl Barks classic while chipmunks Chip and Dale contemplate going south for the winter.

In the middle section, Donald's nephews and the Junior Woodchucks explore a haunted house owned by Uncle Scrooge in a DuckTales themed Halloween romp. Readers get to marvel at the genius of Barks once again when Donald tries out Gyro's latest invention: a jet powered broomstick, to disastrous effect. 

Thanksgiving stories include the Three Little Pigs and Li'l Bad Wolf feeding some turkeys when the Big Bad Wolf decides to use it to his advantage in another attempt to eat the piggies. Meanwhile, Pluto must save Horace Horsecollar's prize winning turkey from poachers after Mickey's dog accidentally lets the bird loose.

From the early 90s when Disney was self publishing it's own comics after the shuttering of Gemstone. It was a very brief affair that later lead to Marvel and then IDW publishing Disney comics for a time. Unfortunately, I can't accurately date this book as there's no copyright inside the book. However I do know that before they went defunct, Disney released another Autumn Adventures the following year. I'm on the lookout for that...

I had no idea that Len Wein was the EIC here. Based on his resume of horror works, heading Disney's comics division seems odd for him. Apparently, Wein brought some DC talent with him as Marv Wolfman among others is listed as one of the writers of a couple of other releases for the month in the back of this book.

A wonderful Fall holiday read that lasts the whole season.

Worth Consuming!

Rating:9 out of 10 stars.

Bigfoot and Nessie: The Art of Getting Noticed (Family Comic Friday)

A delightful little boom that joins together two of the world's most well known cryptids. Although, this book should be called Bigfoot, Jr. and Nessie. That's because the title Bigfoot of this story is the son of the famed Sasquatch of blurry videos and off-center photograph fame. 

Bigfoot Jr lives in the shadows of his famous dad and his well documented family. One day when trying to make sense of his place in the world, Junior comes across a new friend. Wearing sunglasses and a scarf, Nessie is very secretive of her personal life. But she delights in the company of Junior because they both struggle with finding their way in life as part of a famous family. Though Junior doesn't know that his new friend is in fact Scotland's Loch Ness Monster!

This was a delightful tale, that begins a series of boost starring Bigfoot Jr and Nessie. Written by Chelsea M. Campbell with artwork by Laura Knetzger, The Art of Getting Noticed was a fun read. Obviously Campbell and Knetzger subscribe to the Clark Kent School of Disguise as nobody recognizes Nessie until her scarf and shades are accidentally removed in public. I also liked how Knetzger peppered in famous photos of Bigfoot inside Junior's house. Of course, they'd have a picture from the famed Patterson-Gimlin film supposedly of Bigfoot in their living room! It was subtle touches like that that made this such a brilliant read 

Recommended for readers ages 6-9, I did think that some of this 2023 book was a little too wordy for a younger reader. But someone aged 8-11 should really enjoy this opening volume that explores the hidden world of characters of folklore and legend! Aside from a couple of moments where Nessie feels that Junior is not being a good friend and she gets angry, the majority of this book is light-hearted and provokes a discussion about fitting in and being yourself.

Book #2, The Haunting of Loch Ness Castle is also currently available for sale.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Showcase Presents: Adam Strange, Vol. 1

It's another volume of the Showcase Presents series of reprints that was designated a Volume 1, but never received a follow up. Reprinting the first appearances of Earth archaeologist turned savior of the far off planet of Rann, Adam Strange was very much cut from the same cloth as Buck Rogers and Flash Gordon, with a twist! Adam Strange could only travel the 21 trillion miles journey from Earth to Rann with the help of a transportation ray called a Zeta Beam. Once the energy dissipated from Adam's body, the hero would vanish from Rann and Strange would reappear back on Earth. Sometimes, the vanishing act would occur at the most inopportune times and Adam Strange would have to wait days, even weeks to return to Rann in order to save the beleaguered planet from a host of threats, both Terran and extraterrestrial.

Adam Strange was created by famed editor Julius Schwartz with assists by Murphy Anderson and Carmine Infantino. After a 3-issue test in the pages of Showcase Presents, the tryout anthology series, Adam Strange would become the feature character of about 60 issues of the sci-fi anthology title Mystery in Space. The writer of all of the stories contained in this book was Gardner Fox. After several artists lent their talents to Strange's appearances in Showcase, Carmine Infantino became the regular artist for the hero's exploits. 

While not Infantino's most well known work, Adam Strange would become Carmine's most favorite project to work on. So much that sci-fi lover Infantino structured his contract to allow him to work on the Adam Strange stories no matter how in demand he was over at DC Comics. The quality of the artwork really shines in the this volume. Unfortunately, the storytelling started to slip around the halfway point.

The first dozen or so stories in Mystery in Space were 8-pagers. They're excellent. After about a year, the page count of the tales would range from 16-32 pages. That's where the quality begins to slip. As impressive it is that an early silver age title maintained a level of cohesive storyline with recurring villains, Gardner Fox seemed to run out of gas in the longer stories. The set up would take forever with a conclusion so fast and clunky that would leave me overwhelmed and unimpressed. Then Fox begins to spread the dangers Adam Strange would face between Rann and Earth. As much as having the hero go back and forth between Earth and Rann is a bit tiring, the quality of those later stories improved.

My dad had quite a few Adam Strange starring books in his collection. They were big favs of mine. I enjoyed this volume very much, flaws and all. A lot really isn't said about how much of a strong female character Adam's girlfriend Alanna was. Rarely a damsel in distress, Alanna often fights without fear on Adam's side. She clearly was an archetype influence on characters like Princess Leia and Ripley. 

I really regret that DC cancelled the Showcase Presents line because I would love to get my hands on the remaining two dozen stories starring Adam Strange. Maybe there's a deluxe 4-color volume available? Or I could try to find those remaining issues of Mystery in Space. Regardless, its not going to be cheap. I can tell you that.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

Choo Choo Dino Crew

My wife won this children's book in a giveaway on Goodreads. I've not received any sort of reimbursement for my review. In fact, I am doing this review independent of my bride. So here goes...

Good friends Stark, the Tyrannosaurus Rex and Vivi, the Triceratops are looking for fun and adventure. Perhaps they'll even make some new friends. In order to do this, they'll take a ride on the Dino Express!

I thought Choo Choo Dino Crew was a cute little board book. But it was the premise behind this book that made me love it even more. Stark and Vivi are the names of author Bethann Pate. Since the two children are obsessed with both trains and dinosaurs, Bethann Pate mixed those two interests together into a delightful trek towards the final station on the line.

But I just have to ask: does the train run on fossil fuels?!

Full of colorful characters, children who love the big lizards and trains will want to read this book again and again. There's nothing objectionable, making for a friendly read that parents or guardians will love. Not all of the lines in the book rhyme. While that does work my orderly loving brain, I still thought that this was a charming little read.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

DuckTales #1 (Family Comic Friday)

Dynamite Entertainment seems to be the new official home of comic books starring your favorite Disney properties. Hercules, Darkwing Duck and Lilo and Stitch have been leading a 90s resurgence and I think that's great. But what I really want is something with Peter Pan. However, my interest in Dynamite's Disney books was peaked when it was announced over the Summer that DuckTales would be returning to print!

No, this isn't the recently rebooted version of the show featuring the voice talents of David Tennant. Here, Donald Duck is off serving in the Navy. Launchpad McQuack is Scrooge's personal pilot and bodyguard. Della Duck is nowhere to be found. Nope, Dynamite has brought back the original 1980s syndicated animated classic version of DuckTales and I couldn't be more thrilled!

The first issue is basically an introduction to the main characters. Great nephews Huey Dewey and Louie are bored with counting Uncle Scrooge's money bin. Looking for a little adventure, the nephews ask Scrooge to tell them a story of one of his greatest adventures. Scrooge in return tells them 3 yarns. And that's issue #1. It ends with a 'to be continued' blurb. Normally I hate that. But in this case where there aren't any loose ends needing tightening up or a thrilling cliffhanger, I feel like the 'TBC' was more of a promise of more great things to come.

Next issue promises Magica De Spell. I've already told my favorite LCS to pre-order the entire series. So I won't be missing any of the action.  

Writer Brandon Montclare captures the spirit of the original series very well. I liked the vignettes about Scrooge's earlier days as an adventurer and explorer. I just wish we'd only gotten more of an origin story as to how the nephews came to live at McDuck Manor or that we could have gotten an full length adventure.

Tommaso Ronda's artwork was very good. It wasn't Carl Barks or Don Rosa quality. However, it was better than that more modern style of the reboot that makes everyone look more angular and exaggerated. While the reboot stories were pretty good. I thought the art needed to return to the drawing board 

The 80s and 90s heyday of Disney is in full swing at Dynamite Entertainment. For a company that a couple of years ago looked ready to cash in their chips, the publisher reorganized into what IDW was so close to achieving before losing those lucrative Hasbro licenses. Retro fun for the whole family!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

Danger Street, Vol. 1

Tom King, who's an amazing writer, is known for taking some beloved B-list characters from the DC Universe and destroying our childhood notions of them. Case in point: Mister Miracle. Second case in point: Adam Strange. In Danger Street, King dips deep into DC lore with a series that was so unthinkable when it debuted, it really confused a lot of readers and was cancelled pretty darn quick.

Carmine Infantino had the brilliant idea of releasing an anthology series of only first issues. In 1975, First Issue Special released a baker's dozen of issues that introduced readers to all-new concepts such as the Dingbats of Danger Street as well as tried and true DC characters such as Metamorpho and Doctor Fate. Tom King takes all 13 of those characters and teams and creates a unique story filled with intrigue, murder, conspiracy and humor. It unlike anything you've ever encountered in the DC Universe and probably never will.

Metamorpho, Starman and Warlord are all hoping for spots in the Justice League of America. Despite their own heroic exploits over the years, it seems to this trio that they've really got to capture the attention of the League in order to score an invitation. So using the helmet of Doctor Fate and a spell, the heroes decide to summon Darkseid to Earth and subdue him for Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman. Instead, what comes through the portal is a force so destructive and so terrible that when it dies, it threatens the existence of all of the known universe.

Meanwhile, reporter Jack Ryder has been hired to anchor a new 24-hour news channel owned by the boy billionaires, the Green Team. They want Ryder to blame the rise in crime and violence on a mysterious group known as the Outsiders. However, when Ryder in his Creeper form, witnesses an attack on an immigrant by anti-Outsider supporters and it's blamed on the Green Team pariahs, the anchor man will begin to investigate a conspiracy that could destroy the very foundation of the DC Universe!

You might be wondering why I would be willing to read more from Tom King despite how he destroyed some really great characters. Well, he is a good writer. Plus, the inclusion of the New Gods was something that I just couldn't overlook. Besides, this is a Black Label title, so it's not canon. If I end up hating this book I can just say it didn't happen, which is one of the things that makes the DC Black Label line so appealing. They leave the validity of these stories up to the fans as whether they are canonical or not. 

The art was good. It wasn't by Mitch Gerads, Tom King's usual artist. But it was good. By Jorge Fornes, it had the quality of a Gerads work but with nostalgic nuances to it.

There's still a second volume to read. So the jury isn't out yet. I love how all these characters from an obscure 70s anthology of which I am a fan of,  have all been tossed together in this story. I like the surprises that have awaited inside. That one scene with Darkseid; I never saw it coming in a million years and yet it was so perfect. But I am not a fan of the narrator who weaves this story like a very complicated fairy tale written in iambic pentameter or so other archaic pride. Just give me the story in modern jargon please.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

Goat on the Go: Scout's Muddy Day

This is 100% true. I know Scout. Scout is a real goat. He lives on the same farm my goats Brickey and Moppet are housed at. One of Brickey's oldest and best friends, my family and I have had our share of adventures with Scout. When Scout's mom, author Natalie Horseman recounts how Scout escapes from his pen one day for a glorious adventure exploring his home farm, I can attest with my own eyes seeing Scout escape his pen on a number of occasions!

It's hard to believe Scout was ever so little! A Nigerian Dwarf goat, he ironically dwarves the other adult goats at the farm, being almost double fellow ND Brickey's size! To this day, Scout still thinks of himself as a little goatie and like in this adventure, it gets him into mischief!

It was great getting to see many of Scout's friends in this book. Everyone who visits the farm knows Ms. Luna. She's a silkie black pup that makes sure that all the farm goats stay in line and in their pens. Although, in this book, in order for her face and body to stand out more, artist Cosette Alcade adds some gray and white to Luna's coat. It's amazing to see Luna in action and how just the sight of her will make other goats immediately run to enclose themselves in the nearest pen! In this book, there's also a highland cow, some piggies, a few guineas and lots of goats that despite name changes, I recognized immediately from my nearly 3 years of weekly (or more) check-ins with my herd.

I cannot wait to share this book with all the little ones in my life. Scout's adventure is heartwarming and fun. Plus, if those kiddos ever come to the farm with my wife and I for a visit, it will make that experience that much more fun getting to meet the real life Scout!

Goat on the Go: Scout's Muddy Day is currently available on Kindle and in paperback.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.

The He-Man Effect: How American Toy Makers Sold Your Childhood

Box Brown explores how corporations have manipulated our fandoms in this 2023 non-fiction graphic novel. While Brown explores the affects of propaganda on the American populace during the two World Wars, his focus is on toys because many of those psychiatrists who used science to ideally heighten pro-American sentiments ended up being hired by advertising agencies after the conflicts. In between the first World War and the attack on Pearl Harbor, women were the primary targets of those advertisers. However, with the baby boom after the fall of Japan, companies were made aware of a brand new untapped market: children.

It turns out that our tiny undeveloped brains cannot tell the difference between the fictions of a TV show and the commercials that fill in gap time. So when a kid sees Superman telling kids that Wheaties is the only cereal for him to eat, they believe that in order to be just like the Man of Steel, the kiddies need to eat Wheaties too! This blending of the two types of media got so bad that restrictions were made by the FCC, thanks to a bunch of angry moms, that prohibited children's programming from being essentially a 30 minute commercial for products. There were a few exceptions like Sesame Street, which was considered educational for children and being on public television, never ran commercials. It's also why during the 60s and 70s, that TV shows like Laugh-In, which was clearly for more mature audiences could appeal to children on lunch boxes and trading cards. It wasn't considered kids programming, so those shows could license out products meant for kids. It also explains why the 1970s was the best decade for cartoons.

This all changed in November, 1980. Ronald Reagan became President and he appointed those to head the FCC who opposed the restrictions on advertising to children during the Saturday morning cartoons and after school programming. Mattel was about to launch a new toy line that promised to rival Kenner's Star Wars behemoth, Its main character was called He-Man. However, capturing the imagination of the youngsters who would demand mom and dad buy it for them would be no easy feat without able word of mouth and frequency on the airwaves. With FCC deregulation of kids programming, Mattel was able to produce an animated series that would essentially be a 22-minute commercial for the Masters of the Universe toyline. 

Thanks to the series produced by Filmation, He-Man and the Masters of the Universe became a cultural touchstone for children in the mid-1980s. I should know, I was on of those kindergartners who started to drop their Star Wars figures and instead pickup a He-Man and a Skeletor figure. I still love the original He-Man series. I've bought massive omnibuses containing the entire run of mini comics inserted with each action figure. I also have a book devoted to the seldom seen newspaper strips. I'm currently on the hunt for the comics produced by Marvel imprint, Star Comics, without going bankrupt doing so. 

While my love for He-Man hasn't diminished reading this historical account of pop culture in the 20th century, I am chagrined to see how much I have been manipulated by Mattel, Kenner, Hasbro and the likes. Eternia's Prince Adam doesn't say 'By the power of Gray Skull. I have the power.' to become He-Man, though it helps. That was an ear worm planted by toy designers to trigger something in our little pea brains to want to consume more Masters of the Universe merch! The same goes with 'Yo, Joe!', 'Thundercats, Ho!' and so many other catch phrases of my childhood.

I'm almost mad at Box Brown. I've enjoyed a lot of his previous works. But with The He-Man Effect, I feel like he exposed the man behind the curtain. There was just a little too much of Adam Ruins Everything that destroyed some of the magic of my youth. The book does explain very well why we get upset when our favorite childhood franchises are rebooted or made 'woke' with diverse casting changes or switching genders of characters. But what I'm most upset about is that these toy lines and animated series that were bright spots to a childhood fraught with bullying and abuse, weren't there to make me happy and secure. They were created to make people rich. Thanks to Box Brown, the truth about my childhood heroes is that they weren't there to protect me. They just wanted my money.

Worth Consuming, but man does it hurt.

Rating: 7 out of 10 stars.

Spy Vs. Spy 2: The Cloak and Dagger Files

Black Spy vs White Spy. Are they birds? I've always wondered if they were birds because of the beak-like noses. 

I couldn't tell you where I got this 2007 collection of later Spy vs Spy strips. My guess would be Ollie's. But I'm not sure. The strip of two similar looking secret agents trying to steal the secret plans of the other while attacking them with booby traps was originally created by Cuban political cartoonist, Antonio Prohias. An earlier volume paid tribute to Phobias time at MAD Magazine. This book would feature the numerous artists and writers who were tasked with filling the Spy vs Spy creator's shoes.

I knew that this book was a volume 2. I didn't know that it was not going to have any of the original Prohias works in it. But I'm not too upset as he had retired from MAD before I started reading the magazine as a kid. There were several articles in the book including a section by current Spy vs Spy artist, Peter Kuper, whose use of stencil and spray paint have given the series an industrial artistic look. His section explains his creative process. How Mountain Dew came to do a series of live action Spy vs Spy commercials and how Spy vs Spy became a video game are other interesting features. But I think it's a forgotten piece of Spy vs Spy history that was most interesting: a newspaper comic strip.

For only 39 weeks in 2002, newspapers across the country ran a Sunday funnies strip involving White Spy and Black Spy trying to outdo each other. The pantomime strip was novel in that it looked just like you'd see in the pages of MAD, except in a paneled format like a strip. However, with the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan occurring at the same time, it was felt that such a strip like Spy vs Spy seeing one or both of the characters blowing up and maiming the other, that it was the wrong time for such antics in cartoon form and the strip was quickly cancelled.

One area of Spy vs Spy history that I didn't see in the book was the animated shorts seen on Fox's MAD TV. Maybe they were included in the first volume. But with this being a chronological account of life after Prohias, it's absence seems strange.

Also, can someone explain to me why the occasionally appearing Grey Spy, a voluptuous blonde in a grey dress never gets her comeuppance? If she appears, she always gets the best of the two spies. They never manage to get her. Just like how Wile E. Coyote can never capture the Road Runner!

This was an okay book. The articles were needed as there's almost no words in the strips. Plus, this is not a book for folks who need reading glasses. To include as many strips as possible, a bunch are shrunken by at least half and with needing to pay attention to detail, the smaller size can give you blurry eyes at best or as with me occasionally, a migraine.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 7 out of 10 stars.

The Legend of the Swamp Thing Halloween Spectacular #1

My last read for Halloween 2024. It's a Swamp Thing special from 2020 built on a unique premise. 6 terrifying tales starring various Guardians of the Green throughout history. You thought Alec Holland was the only human to become the creature known as the Swamp Thing? Think again!

This anthology begins with Holland's Swamp Thing rescuing a missing child from the Great Abysmal Swamp. Afterwards, he begins to reflect on his past lives throughout history, including an encounter with the armies of Julius Caesar in Brittany and witnessing a group of Spanish explorers become trapped on an island of living rage. That one was the best story, by the way. Things wrap up with a glimpse at a future incarnation of the Avatar of the Green.

Though touted as a Halloween special, none of the stories were set at Halloween. But all 6 did have elements of fear. Did I feel gypped by the erroneous title despite pay for the full cover price? No, not really. Maybe it's because I had long lost this book in my massive pile of books needing to be added to my collection and the feel of wasted money over a Halloween comic that really wasn't has passed. Or maybe it's because this book was so darn good. 

Great stories. Very good art. A reboot of a legend that I hope I can live long enough to experience when the future Swamp Thing's time finally arrives.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Hearing Things (Family Comic Friday)

Tim and his sister are new in town. Tim likes to record interesting sounds he's encountered during his daily walks and incorporate them into his sister's music which is inspired by horror movies. However his sister is feeling uninspired and depressed. Martha has had trouble making friends since their move and is considering quitting music altogether.

Tim, joined by his cat, Frankie, decides to explore a creepy abandoned house in hopes of capturing some spooky sound effects that will bring Martha out of her depression. Yet when Tim and Frankie climb over the estate's stone fence they discover that the entire area is devoid of sound. How can Tim prevent his sister from quitting music, which is her passion, if he cannot record any scary sounds?

Hearing Things was an awesome read by newcomer Ben Spears. I thought it would be a quaint little read for the month of October. I wasn't aware of how explosive a read it was going to be. Tim's cat Frankie steals the show. Such a funny character with so much life and energy. I couldn't stop marveling at Frankie.

Not to ruin the surprise, but this book ends up being a ghost story with charm and decorum. The pair of spooks might look a little scary. But they're harmless. In fact, one of them gets startled by Frankie.

I hope this isn't the last we see of Tim and Frankie. I probably would be okay without a return of the ghosts, though they were great characters as well. I just think it would be wrong to never get more of the pantomimes of Frankie the Cat or another recording session of sounds with Tim. 

This 2024 book is part of the Toon Books series edited by Francoise Mouly. I've been a fan of these books which introduce readers to dynamic new creators as well as translated readers from across the globe that would have been ignored by American readers without the efforts of Mouly. 

Spooky. Charming. Funny. A read that might produce a few chills but has a heartwarming ending as well as some unforgettable characters. Hearing Things is a book perfect for this time of year and is sure to become an annual classic.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.