Adventures in Advent: Advent 2024, Day 15

This was another Advent I found in Mebane North Carolina the other day. We went to the Sweet Grace Market at the Melville Trading Company where I found a handful of this calendar: the Harry Potter/Jelly Belly Advent Calendar 2024. With days 1-24, you get 1 of 10 randomly inserted flavors which include cinnamon, toasted marshmallow and candy floss. For those of you who don't know, candy floss is what Brits call cotton candy.

Too bad that Jelly Belly didn't make this a Bertie Botts selection of flavors. They still license the  'Every Flavor' brand of Harry Potter inspired jelly beans. So why couldn't they have used ear wax and toothpaste flavor instead of green apple and cherry? And would it have been too much of a problem to include some of Jelly Belly's holiday flavors like egg nog and peppermint? No Bertie Botts and no holiday flavors. Just seems like a missed opportunity if you ask me...

A Christmas Carol: A Ghost Story

Charles Dickens A Christmas Carol is a favorite of mine. I make a perennial effort to enjoy the holiday classic in some way. A couple of years ago, I went to a school play. Last year I watched the historical account of it's creation in The Man Who Invented Christmas. This year I consumed A Christmas Carol: A Ghost Story by European comics creator Jose-Luis Munuera.

Originally published in France in 2022, this 2023 edition by Cinebook Expresso was one that I ordered last year. But due to a shipping delay, I didn't get it until early January, 2024. So I waited almost a full year to read this book.

The big twist is that the role of Scrooge is gender swapped. In fact most of the characters are gender swapped. Ebenezer Scrooge is now Elizabeth Scrooge. The Ghost of Christmas Present is portrayed in the appearance of a boy while Christmas Present is a woman. Only Bob Cratchit and his family seem to be the only main characters that remain in their original sex. Marley too.

From the very beginning, Munuera's version is an almost word for word depiction of the original Dickens work. So much so that I started wondering what was the point of switching genders if nothing had changed. It wasn't until Scrooge is visited by the first of the three ghosts that we see any sort of deviation from the source text. 

In the 1843 novella, Ebenezer Scrooge is despised by his father, as his mother died while giving birth to him. Here, Elizabeth Scrooge is hated by her father, as Mrs. Scrooge left him, resulting in the patriarch hating all women. That alienation of parental affection motivates her to become successful. It's Elizabeth's genius at numbers and finance that results in her becoming a shrewd businesswoman and one of the leading money lenders in all of London; if not also the most despised. In a male dominated later Victorian era England, it's no wonder that Elizabeth Scrooge is bitter against the world, in turn seeing the frivolity of the Holiday season as a waste of money and time. However, it's Elizabeth's strong feminist ideals that makes her miss the true meaning of Christmas.

When in the future, Elizabeth sees how people react in a state of almost rapture when they learn of her death. That doesn't bother Scrooge because everyone dies eventually and it brings her no closer to accepting Christmas into her heart. No, it's when she learns of Tiny Tim's tragic death does Elizabeth Scrooge change and she doesn't really even change all that much. 

When Elizabeth returns to her present day, she basically becomes the secret benefactor of Tiny Tim's medical bills. Heck, she doesn't even become a second parent to the lady like Ebenezer does in the original. Yet, Elizabeth Scrooge now seems to be engaged in an ongoing war against God, threatening to do battle with the Creator should he prematurely take the life of Tiny Tim! No joke! She actually threatens God and the Ghost of Christmas Future! 

Sure, now Scrooge makes donations to the poor and has a slightly repaired relationship with her only living relative, the gender swapped niece Winifred. However this Scrooge is not really any different to the rest of the world. She's still got a huge chip on her shoulder because she's the only female financier in a male dominated society. 

I think one of the biggest problems with this book is how Munuera portrays Tiny Tim. He's not as endearing as Dickens made the iconic character. He doesn't have that dogged determination to make the best of things despite being inflected by some dread disease. Tiny Tim also doesn't express mercy on Scrooge. Not once does this version bid tidings to all by exclaiming 'God Bless Us, Everyone!' Instead, he calls Scrooge 'Stingy', at the Cratchit Christmas meal. I think had he bestowed Christmas cheer to his father's boss, Elizabeth Scrooge might have become more bonded to the child. Instead, she's more impressed by his business acumen when Tiny Tim tells his family that he was able to figure out the value of a fairy tale characters secret bounty. 

I'm not sure who missed the point of Charles Dickens classic: Elizabeth Scrooge or Jose-Luis Munuera...

I thought Munuera's artwork was stunning. I thought I was looking at stills from an animated movie. It was so vivid and life-like. Marley's Ghost was so chilling looking. As for Elizabeth Scrooge, well she wasn't old enough to be Scrooge. In almost every presentation of A Christmas Carol on stage and screen, Scrooge is an old man. In this graphic novel, our Scrooge is maybe in her late 40s, tops. That was a big swing and a miss. 

One might argue that making Elizabeth look old and spindly prevents her from being portrayed as a strong female character. I've known several old ladies who've scared the hell out of me. Maybe Munuera could have used them to convincingly change this Scrooge in a way that was more in line with Dickens's Scrooge!

A great first half. Amazing art. But the second half fell flat and the main character just didn't look right for the part. 

Rating: 6 out of 10 stars.

Adventures in Advent: Advent 2024, Day 14

I went shopping in Downtown Mebane, North Carolina with my wife and her family. While there, I came across several Advent calendars that stuck my fancy. At Solgarden, an eclectic shop of clothing, antiques and funky items you didn't know that you needed was this awesome Advent that brings Santa Claus closer to your home with each passing day.

The majority of the calendar is a wooden track with the numbers 1-23 marking tiny holes. A small red house at the end is designated #24. Every morning, you take a ceramic Santa inside his sleigh, with metal runners and place him in the corresponding day. On Christmas Eve, Santa makes it to the top of the house. Along the side of the piece in embossed red letters is the phrase 'Here Comes Santa Claus.'

This Santa tracker is manufactured by Demdaco. There was a price for it at Solgarden. A quick Google search revealed a MSRP of $65.00! That's a bit too rich for my blood. But it was really cool.

It Ate Billy On Christmas (Family Comic Friday)

I created Family Comic Friday because I was growing frustrated with parents going to shops and getting horrible recommendations about what comic books were appropriate for younger readers. I guess when it comes to reviews like these, I should cover not just the age appropriate stuff but the bad stuff well. If that's the case, then today's book definitely fits the criteria of a read where the suggestion given to me was all wrong.

It Ate Billy On Christmas was originally recommended to me as a great Christmas graphic novel to add to my wish list. For a couple of years, I would search for it regularly when shopping online for holiday themed reads. Last month I finally found a copy and ordered it along with several other Christmas comics and graphic novels. 

I should have known something was up with the shape of the book. It's rectangular. However instead of the format of the book going vertical, this hardcover was horizontal. Now, there's been a few horizontally formatted graphic novels. Frank Miller's 300 comes immediately to mind. For a few issues, Grant Morrison's run on Uncanny X-Men was a horizontal comic. I think there's even been a Fantastic Four annual published in this this configuration. 

This book was published by Dark Horse, which is known for its nearly 50 years of comic book and graphic novel offerings. Plus, on the back cover, this book is categorized as a graphic novel! So it's not really a traditional graphic novel, I thought. Then I started thumbing through the book. With an illustration on every left page and a painted piece on the right, there's a lot of visuals. However, this is not a work of sequential art. It's a children's book! Or so I thought...

Since I had waited so long to find this book and I spent money on it, I decided I might as well read it. And since it was Thursday and I needed a book for my weekly Friday post, I decided to review it as a "Family Comic Friday' read. 

Lumi is a young girl who's bullied mercilessly by her older brother. Every year for Christmas, she asks her parents for a puppy. But considering how mean and violent brother Billy is, Lumi's parents refuse. This Christmas, the girl is thrilled to discover that Santa has gifted her a puppy. The ugliest, smelliest, weirdest looking puppy you ever could imagine.

The puppy in reality is an ancient creature that broke into Lima's home looking for a snack, which the creature finds in the form of Billy! Not willing to give up her new puppy kinda glad that Billy is gone, Lumi fools her parents with a cardboard cutout of Billy. Mom and Dad don't seem to mind as a fake Billy is much more pleasant than the real thing. But as more children begin to disappear, will the town discover the truth and Lumi's new puppy?

This is a deceptively demented book that I really enjoyed. The painted artwork by Steven Daily reminded me of the animated works of Time Burton. Roman Dirge's writing style was just brilliant. You think you're getting a sweet little holiday fairy tale but the work is peppered with sarcasm and satire like a Terry Pratchett novel. Then there's the additional non-sequitur hidden inside the author's commentary like that of Douglas Adams' from Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy. However, this is not a sweet little holiday story. 

It's a tale of terror wrapped up in pink Christmas paper with happy little elves and butterflies on the surface. Some parents will love the dark twists to this 2007 book. Others will despise it. I went to Amazon in order to find a recommendation of reader age and couldn't find any.  Obviously, the world's biggest book seller doesn't think that this is a children's book no matter what the guy who suggested this book to me years ago thought. 

If the creepy CGI family movie Coraline is appropriate your little ones, then you probably won't have any qualms about this book. Never seen Coraline? (You should. It's great!) Then try to base the appropriate nature of this book on eerie book series such as Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark and RL Stine's Goosebumps.

Some eaten children, a pair of aloof parents and one swear word, this is definitely not your traditional holiday tale. But it's not really a graphic novel, children's book or work of fantasy horror for only the grownups either. What it was, was the perfect amount of gothic, surreal and darkly humorous misadventure for my taste in reads.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.

Adventures in Advent: Advent 2024, Day 13

Today's featured Advent calendar is another from my past. This one was owned by my grandmother and at the time I didn't know it was considered an Advent calendar. I just considered it a countdown to Christmas calendar, which I know is basically what an Advent calendar is. However, it wasn't until the other day when I was scrolling my Facebook feed that I learned that this was marketed as an Advent.

Sold in the 1980s by the Avon company, the Countdown to Christmas Advent Calendar with handmade mouse was an annual staple offered by the famed cosmetics company. If I remember correctly, one of my grandmother's aunts sold Avon from her beauty salon. So that must be how she got it. The idea with this calendar, which was made of fabric stuffed with filling, was that Santa and his wife are enjoying cocoa by the fire in anticipation for Christmas. Underneath the scene are 24 pockets with a tiny mouse. Each day that you got closer to Christmas Eve, you put the mouse in that corresponding slot. Why a mouse? I think it has something to do with the line about 'not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse' line from T'was The Night Before Christmas.

This calendar was found by an antique shopper and posted on a group for those who like finding treasured memories at second hand and antique stores. Their photo helped trigger the memory of this item that hung every year either in my Grandmother's den or living room, depending on her decorative mood. In the days since writing up this blog post, at least 2 other shoppers have found Avon mice Advents at 2 other thrift stores nationwide!

I learned researching this item that some fans have created an alternative way to get closer to Christmas. Instead of moving the mouse to a new pocket each day, they've instead bought extra mice. Once you have 24 mice in all 24 sleeves, it's time for Christmas. Sellers on Etsy, Amazon and eBay sell packs of 3-5 mice in order to achieve this method of using the Avon Advent. It's up to you whether you want your rodents to all look like the 80s original or have a slightly differing style appearance.

Gross Point #7

This Christmas themed issue was one of those books that I had never heard of before but came across in my research on Christmas and holiday themed comic books. The premise is that a father with the last name of Pickett, gets a job in the town of Gross Point and moves his wife and kids to the weirdest burgh in all the 50 states. 

In this issue, the dad's boss has created a Christmas wish-list for himself. Any employee who doesn't make a purchase from it will find themselves unemployed. The gift Mr. Pickett buys ends up being like $10,000! The fam can't afford that! And with the industrial sized nose trimmer being engraved, it cannot be returned. Thus, Christmas is cancelled!

There's a backup story in this issue as well. It's not Christmas themed and it requires readers to have some prior knowledge of events that took place in previous issues. Here, Mrs. Pickett gets a new job as a tour guide of a toy factory. Things seem to be going okay until they're hexed with a voodoo curse and doomed to act out the actions of the newest set of toys being played by a focus group of destructive youngsters!

Let's go back to the main reason I bought this issue: the holiday themed hi-jinx. For one thing, I hated it. Throughout the story, there's a large tower in the center of town where people are continuously throwing themselves off of and committing suicide. Profiting off of this is a noted psychiatrist named Dr. Goodbai. Assisting him are several beauties who are persuading citizens to give into their holiday depressions and end it all.

It no way is suicide light-hearted. My best friend killed himself. It was one of the worst weekends of my life having to comfort his wife, claim the body and make burial arrangements. Nobody should ever have to go it alone. Nobody should ever have to experience all that. 

Now there was an element of the Christmas yarn that was pretty funny. The two kids in the Pickett family experience what life would be like for their parents if they weren't born. Turns out, it would have been fabulous! That ironic twist on It's A Wonderful Life was funny. But it could not excuse the plethora of jokes about suicide.

This 1997 book was published by DC Comics. I'm wondering why it wasn't published by their Vertigo imprint. This sort of edgy stuff seems to fit right in with titles like Preacher and Hellblazer. If you added some swears and maybe a little more T&A, Gross Point might have flourished as a Vertigo title. What was DC thinking publishing an ongoing series that had nothing to do with superheroes or an established licensed franchise?

I guess I'll keep this book since it is a holiday book and I might one day need this for research purposes. But it's definitely not one of my favorites.

Not Worth Consuming!

Rating: 3 out of 10 stars.

Adventures in Advent: Advent 2024, Day 12

Advent doesn't have to just be for lovers of Christmas. In fact, it doesn't even have to be for people. There's dozens of Advent calendars out there for people's pets! Obviously, the joy and excitement is for the owner. However, there's something to be said about catering to our four legged friends. According to a 2023 report, the pet industry generates over $137 billion in the United States alone. It's expected to triple in less than a decade!

To be fair to both the cat lovers and dog devotees, I'm looking at 2 pet Advents. 

First is for the pups. Smartbones is a smaller scale pet treat company that specializes in 'healthy alternatives to rawhide.' In their calendar, doggies will receive products made from chicken and pork, including chews made of bacon and cheese and vegetables. 

Have a pup over 50lbs? Don't worry! Smartbones has a calendar filled with appropriate size treats for all sizes of canines. 

Felines can also enjoy treats with their Advent calendars. But I didn't want to be repetitive. Instead, let's look at enrichment. Having owned a cat my entire life, I know that they get bored really easily. Ever had a kitty knock something over for no good reason? It's because they are craving excitement and interaction. Many companies know this and offer a variety of Advents that feature 24 different cat toys that focus on different textures and assorted activation of the senses. There's toys with feathers, bells, crinkly materials and scratcher material like sisal and hemp rope. 

However, with each cat toy Advent, there seems to be one 'toy' that's solely for the benefit of the cat parents: the bow-tie with adjustable strap. I don't know about you but most of my cats would rather been dunked in Alpo and have to spend the night with a pack of Chihuahuas than have to wear clothes. Much less a necktie. But Lord knows, my wife and I just swoon over the sight of our cat babies in human style clothing.

Affordable, fun and festive. Next year, think about including your favorite pet in the Advent adventure.

Adventures in Advent 2024: Advent, Day 11

Today's Advent calendar is a work of art... Literally.  

For the past 40 years, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, or The Met, have decorated a 20 foot tall blue spruce with dozens of 18th century ceramic angels adorn in silken robes. The cherubs take flight above a 360-degree nativity scene that depicts the birth of Christ, the arrival of the Magi and other key moments retold from the first few chapters of the Book of Luke. 

Now visitors to The Met who have become enamored with the tree and its Neapolitan Baroque Creche can bring the awe inspiring decoration home in the form of a 3-D card stock Advent calendar. 

When you unfold the piece, it takes the shape of the tree and the nativity scenes depicted on all sides; a full 360 degrees. But where are the angels? Throughout the tree are numbered die-cut flaps that when flipped open reveal one of the heavenly hosts . By the time you get to December 24th, your tree will look like a miniature version of the real McCoy!

Advents like this are just as fun as the ones where you have no clue as to what's inside, even though you know what you are getting! And why is that? I think it's because it builds on a tradition. People all over the world have fallen in love with The Met's tree. Yet not everyone can make the trip to New York City during the holidays. These kind of Advents share the experience and makes lasting memories which is more important than some daily trinket that more than likely has zero real user value other than their novelty. This calendar is something that children and grandkids and great grandchildren can share with their parents and loved ones while spreading appreciation of the fine arts and making memories in the process.

Adventures in Advent: Advent 2024, Day 10

It appears that Advent Calendars have entered this digital age. Designed by mindscape, the Games Advent Calendar 2024 is available for the PS5. With this video game Advent calendar, you board a train set for 25 stops. With each daily stop, you enter a cottage and unlock a unique new game to play for the day. 

From what I can tell, and there isn't much is that with this one, you're a snowman in a Sonic the Hedgehog style adventure game. In another, you ski down an obstacle course. In a third, you participate in a holiday themed shooting range event. It's a grab bag as to what the other 22 games detail.

Players get to choose between 8 festive characters to play as. All games allow up to 2 players. However, each game is designed for use of only 1 controller. Thus, you'll have to switch back and forth between turns.

Rated E for Everyone, this game sells for $19.99 (MSRP). It's available on Amazon, Best Buy and GameStop. A Nintendo Switch compatible version is also available.

DC's Batman Smells, Robin Laid an Egg #1

This year's annual holiday special from DC Comics is rather unusual. For one thing, they embraced the classic parodying of Jingle Bells with a cover and title that confirms that the Dark Knight indeed has odor issues.

Other than the cover, and a couple of cameos by millionaire Bruce Wayne, Batman doesn't star in any of the octet of Christmas stories in this book. But even odder is the complete absence of Harley Quinn. Is she no longer the darling of DC? And if you're looking for Poison Ivy who appears on the cover, you're out of luck. And the egg laying Damien Wayne only appears in a couple of panels at the beginning of one story.

The rundown of the holiday heroics are as follows:

• John Stewart teams with a substitute Santa when the Toyman steals the famed bag of toys from St. Nick's sleigh.
• John Constantine must save a woman targeted by death at midnight. However, it's magic that will save her but a kiss under the mistletoe by the Hellblazer.
• An old flame reappears in Vixen's life. With a reunion date set for Christmas, she has 12 days to find her old flame the perfect gift.
• Deadman comes across a Pennsylvanian mining town in need of a Christmas miracle after the local mine experiences a cave-in.
• The Secret Six introduces Bane to the concept of Secret Santa.
• The Joker gets a chance to see what Gotham City would be like if he was never born, with the Jason Todd Robin playing the role of the angel Clarence.
• Doctor Mid-Nite tries to help a down on their luck family during the holidays. But it might be his day job as a noted physician that saves the day.
• After an encounter with a different Toyman, Superman finds his entire body glowing like Rudolph on steroids. Watch as the Man of Steel runs through his gambit of foes to discover the source behind his illuminating predicament.

I liked that some of the lesser rans such as Doctor Mid-Nite and the Secret Six got a chance to shine. John Stewart's tale was adorable and I got a great kick out of the Joker's Christmas Carol. DC really wants Vixen to jump up to A-list status. This is like her 3rd appearance in a Christmas special in I think 4 years.

Major kudos to the Superman story which took inspiration from one of my personal favs, Superman: The Animated Series.

Every story was well written. But the art varied and most of it was not good. This was probably the least preachy holiday special issued by DC in decades. This was also the most Christmasy of the Christmas specials done in this modern format by the publisher EVER! Neither Hanukkah, Diwali, Kwanzaa or Ramadan is celebrated in any of these tales. Only Christmas! It really makes me wonder if DC is trying to stay under the radar of the incoming administration or is this the calm before the storm? Will next year's holiday special aim to skewer our returning President or is DC going to try and re-patch severed relationships with it's older readers, since they're the ones with the most expendable income?

These holiday specials are usually touchstones for the direction that the House That Superman Built is heading in the coming year. But I'm kinda flummoxed considering how uncontroversial this 80-page giant was. Not complaining. Just not sure what to expect next from DC...

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Adventures in Advent: Advent Day 9

Not every Advent Calendar gives you something to enjoy. Some encourage you to spread the joy all December long. The Acts of Kindness Advent calendar is part storybook and part exercises in mindfulness.

Made up of 25 flashcards, the story stars a cast of adorable furry animals such as a reindeer, a mittens loving kitty and Santa Claus. That days card tells of the kind acts the characters perform on others. Then the reader is encouraged to execute that same act to others.

Designed for families with young kids, each card is assigned a date. So this deck can be used over the years. Since it's reusable, after the first year, the level of spontaneity diminishes. But as child will remember their favorite elements of the Advent deck, a degree of excitement will build as they get closer to performing the assignments of their favorite acts of kindness towards others.

Available on Amazon from fun and games creator Uflognirz, this kit retails for $19.99.

The Super Heroes Monthly #3

I remember exactly when I bought this. Earlier this year, I was at my favorite comic shop. I had just finished buying some new release stuff I had ordered when I saw it. The book hadn't been put out yet. It was on top of a pile of things to be bagged, boarded and priced. But from the cover, I was enticed. I had to have it!

The book was actually a magazine from the U.K.. Filled with holiday reprints from DC Comics America, I was fairly certain that I already had copies of all 3 stories. But because of that Bryan Talbot cover and the title's exotic nature, I needed this as part of my Christmas comic book collection.

The cover reminds me of that scene from the beginning of Lethal Weapon where we first meet Mel Gibson character of Riggs... or is it Murtaugh? Anyways, the character is working undercover at a Christmas tree lot trying to weed out drug dealers. With Batman standing over the body of one of Santa's helpers in the middle of a tree lot with guns pointed at the Dark Knight, I feel like this is what would have occurred if the first Lethal Weapon film took place in Gotham instead of L.A..

The 3 tales inside are classics. Batman investigates the appearance of a boat owned by an underworld kingpin and stumbles upon a Christmas Eve theft at a local department store. Paul Levitz pens a tale set a thousand years in the future with Superboy invited to spend Christmas with the Legion of Superheroes. Lastly, Len Wein crafts a murder mystery where the Justice League of America investigate the killing of a man playing Santa Claus. Guest starring John Stewart subbing in for an injured Gal Jordan, the investigation turns into a race against time when the mysterious killer reveals in clues that he's set a bomb somewhere in the United States at the stroke of midnight!

Like I said, I've read all 3 stories before. I don't think I own any of them in their original formats. But over the years I've managed to collect them in reprint form. A fascinating glimpse of British comic books published by DC Comics in 1981. Since nothing over the pond seems to ever be issued first run or even in chronological order, I don't think I could live permanently in the UK and be a comic book collector with any sort of sanity.

A great time capsule. My only problem, it's oversized, like a tabloid,and I don't have a comic book box that will fit it. So where am I going to store it???

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Adventures in Advent: Advent, Day 8

Not every Advent Calendar has to give you a present. And if you think that a Countdown to Christmas item doesn't count as an Advent Calendar, well then I invite you to create your own list of interesting, odd, quirky and fun Advents.

Today's Advent is found on Amazon. Made or sold by Aladayquinquit, this Countdown to Christmas calendar doubles as a Christmas ornament. I don't know when the old ol' timey red pickup truck carrying a Christmas tree in the back became a holiday icon. But I like it. It's rustic. It's country. And it reminds me of my grandmama for some reason. Maybe it's the old red Ford pickup she and my grandpa would drive all the time.

The design is simple. There's a small dial with the numbers 1-24 on it. Next to the dial is a little switch that looks like the kind you would find on a View Master. Flip the switch and the numbers count down closer to Christmas. 

The one caveat, if you flip too many times, you either have to stick with the mistake or you have to keep spinning the dial until you get back to the correct date. Going backwards doesn't seem to be an option.

Simple and efficient. My kind of countdown to Christmas. Speaking of countdowns, let's see what I received in today's Batman Advent calendar...

Mighty Samson #30

It's not really a Christmas comic book. But there are definitely elements of the holidays in this issue. It's been on my radar since I learned about it during the pandemic, when I spent a lot of time researching Holiday comic books. When I finally found an issue for sale, I pounced despite the fact that I probably could have gotten it cheaper somewhere else down the road.

Mighty Samson was one of several post-apocalyptic comics that came about after the premiere of the first Planet of the Apes film. The main character is a member of a tribe of mutants. Both a giant and super strong, he explores the ruins of New York which was devastated by a nuclear bomb. He's joined by a professor and his daughter. While quite brilliant, the professor doesn't quite get the facts about pre-war New York, now N'Yark, that quite right and it's that wrong information where the fun begins.

Samson and his compatriots are in need of supplies. So they head to the ruins of Macy's department store. It's there that they stumble across a few of the balloons used in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. Samson attacked one thinking it was a monster lurking in the shadows. But it turns out that the balloon had been revered as a god by a tribe of survivors who dwell in the derelict mercantile. Certain death is nigh!

After that a lot happens. The professor uses his knowledge of science disguised as magic to save their lives. A jealous witch doctor betrays the tribe of Macy's dwellers. A mysterious woman with her lustful eyes set on Samson arrives. As do a pack of mutant birds with the heads of dogs. Arm Samson with some beach umbrellas and put him astride a reindeer balloon and you've got yourself one heck of a story. Cheesy. But entertaining enough that if I ever came across another issue of the Otto Binder created antics of the Mighty Samson, I'd gladly find a way to purchase it.

I know I get mad if I buy a comic book with a holiday cover but there's nothing Christmas, Hanukkah or even Kwanzaa inside. I call such books 'Scrooges'. And if I'm being honest, this isn't a Christmas time cover. Even though Samson and a foe ride Christmas balloons on the cover of this book, nowhere does Gold Key make a claim that this story takes place during Christmas time. Having this book on my Christmas comic wish list was in error. However, any sort of belief that this was a holiday book was a mistake on my part. It was the idea of having survivors of a nuclear use balloons from the Macy's parade that awoken fantasies of a wasteland Christmas!  

This issue really entertained me. I felt the wonder of Christmas along with the happiness of Thanksgiving. Plus cameos from Bullwinkle and Tubby! This book is staying in my collection and I'm keeping it in my holiday boxes. It's a Christmas miracle of guilty pleasure proportions!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.

Adventures in Advent: Advent 2024, Day 7

 If you're new to the Foodie community and don't have many ideas on where to start, then might I suggest this edible Advent calendar from the Tilz Collection? In it, you receive 24 different spices and blends to craft an array of culinary delights from countries such as Turkey, Vietnam and Pakistan.

Unfortunately you don't get a recipe card or booklet giving you ideas on how to use your daily gift. But the tins that the spices and herbs come in as reusable as well as labeled. For the retail price on Amazon of $45.99, this is an affordable way to start a spice rack for your kitchen.

When I decided to get serious about learning how to cook 25 years ago, I didn't know where to start. Mostly because at that time, I didn't know what I liked and disliked. Now a professional chef, I've got a repertoire that I feel pretty confident in. But man how I wish I had one of these when I was first starting out. I would have had a blast.

If you do decide that this is the Advent calendar for you for next year or you want to get this as a gift for someone else, websites such as Epicurious and the Food Network homepage will help you figure out how to use these ingredients in any skill level recipe from beginners to advanced.

The Nutcracker and the Mouse King: The Graphic Novel (Family Comic Friday)

The holiday classic is presented in graphic novel form for the first time ever in this 2020 graphic novel from 2020.

I'm kinda familiar with Tchaikovsky's The Nutcracker ballet. I've attempted to watch it a couple of times. But by about the time the Nutcracker shows up, I would get bored and go to something else. What I didn't know was that The Nutcracker wasn't originally a ballet. It was a novel written in Germany and later adapted into English by Alexandre Dumas. This graphic novel takes its inspiration from the original German text by E.T.A. Hoffman.

On a snowy Christmas morning,  a young girl named Marie discovers a wooden Nutcracker underneath her Christmas tree. Nobody seems to know how it got there. But that doesn't matter to Marie. She's completely enamored with it.

Later that night as Marie plays with the Nutcracker, a mouse in Royal garb attacks. The Nutcracker comes to life and beats back the Mouse King. However, the war is far from over. During the skirmish, Marie injures her arm, which becomes infected and she's afflicted with a terrible fever. As she recovers, an old family friend regales Marie and her brother, Fitz with a story of a faraway kingdom besieged by mice. 

As the story unfolds, Marie begins to suspect that there's a hint of truth behind the fairy tale. Nightly, the Mouse King torments her with threats against the Nutcracker. Final conflict is looming. Can Marie break an antique curse and save not only the Nutcracker but her own family from the threat of the kingdom of mice?

Written and illustrated by North Carolina native Natalie Andrewson, this was a delightful holiday tale that started off kinda weird. I don't blame Andrewson for that. I think it's the fault of E.T.A. Hoffman. Plus whatever prior knowledge I had of the ballet was probably tampering with how the story unfolded for me. For years I always thought that the weird old family friend with an eye patch, Herr Drosselmeyer, was in love with Marie and thought it was kinda creepy. Man, did I get that part of the ballet wrong...

Andrewson's art was wonderful. I was saddened to learn that some of her childhood art teachers didn't encourage her more cartoonish style. As a culinary teacher, I try to teach my students the basics. But I then try to encourage their creativity with the dishes they practice to thrive past the set guidelines of their recipes. I'm glad Andrewson didn't give up on her personal style. This book would have been severely lacking without that  attention to detail that I just loved. I also marveled at how traditional 1800s German Yule time she made everything look. 

This adaptation is recommended for readers aged 6-10 years old. I think 6 might be a bit too young. 7 too. This is a very wordy book. So unless there's an older trusted adult helping, this might seem like a mighty task for a first grader to read on their own. 

Parents have been bringing younger children to performances of The Nutcracker for generations. However, with the graphic novel, there's several scenes of war and violence. The Nutcracker and Marie get bloodied. A lot of mice die as do a couple of toy soldiers. Plus Marie and her brother Fitz are pretty disrespectful to their parents and they tease elderly Drosselmeyer for his ugly appearance. Christmas stories are filled with horrible people learning the true meaning of Christmas. So parents and guardians: take that into account when presenting this to the young reader in your life 

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

Adventures in Advent: Advent 2024, Day 6

Today's featured Advent is from a brand that intrigues me as well as one that I have to resist spending my money on. Actually, it's not just one brand. It's literally dozens of brands in extremely small form and I want them so bad...

Toy company Zuru has been selling a line of collectible tchotchkes called Mini Brands for several years now. They produce mystery packs of microscopic representations of product franchises such as Disney, Nickelodeon, Crayola, Kellogg's, Kodak, Reebok and MasterChef- all in the same kits! For a fan of crossovers, Mini Brands is the ultimate joiner of products and franchises never in a million years would I have thought possible. 

Last year one of my students gave me a blind box grab bag. I got a tiny, WORKING, View Master, a game of Life and a couple of Star Wars toys. I ended up making of them into magnets. (The View Master was too big and clunky.) They're treasures little keepsakes in my office at work.

With the Mini Brands Advent Calendar, there's 24 mystery collectibles to unearth. Unfortunately, the element of surprise is missing here because a image of each item is partially behind the corresponding day on the Advent. For example on Day 5, your supposed to get a miniature Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle action figure, in package. You just don't know which character you will get. Despite that obstructed view, I'm disappointed that the sense of wonder has been removed from this Advent calendar. Maybe the images are giant fake outs to throw off the user of this countdown to Christmas. But I doubt it.

Sadly, the one brand I don't think we'll see is Warner Bros. properties. I bet Disney has put the kibosh on any sort of pairing with the gang from Looney Tunes, Scooby-Doo and the DC Universe. Big Bullies!!! Speaking of DC, let's take a look at my Batman Advent prize for today...

Adventures in Advent: Advent 2024, Day 5

Today's Advent calendar is a novel concept. It's the My First Advent Calendar from Step2. Designed to look like a snow covered house, this plastic Advent has 25 plastic bins. Fairly large in size, these bins can be filled with surprises teaching children about the progression of time as well as building the anticipation and excitement of the coming of Christmas. 

There's an element of magic to this Advent because you don't have to pre-fill all 25 bins. In fact, what you do is fill one bin a day and let the kids play with the house and the prizes from the previous day. Then the next morning, the kids come downstairs and open up the corresponding day's bin to find a new surprise. You could say that Santa or one of his helpers or even the mega popular Elf on a Shelf was behind the filling of the Advent bin.

I know this would have been something my mom would have bought for me or my sister. Instead of having to wrap 25 days worth of presents for us to open each day, all she would have had to do would be to fill the bin. Though I don't think my mom would have had as much fun with this and she would've gone ahead and wrapped everything... with way too much tape!

21st Century Santa Stories #1

I meant to read this book last year when it came out. But for some reason I didn't get to purchase it until after the holiday. Maybe it was a shipping delay. But for some reason, I was late to the party for this one-shot anthology from American Mythology. 

There are 4 stories in this book. The first story ponders what would happen to Santa if Christmas was cancelled. Now, normally, you'd think that St. Nick would have an early vacation. But the twist on this story is that Santa only gets paid if there's a holiday. So without his annual stipend, Kris Kringle is forced to make ends meet until next year's holiday season. 

Then a bunch of homemade ornaments meet the newest decoration on the tree, a cute little puppy. But when an accident causes Santa's milk and cookies to be ruined, the baubles panic thinking that they've ruined Christmas.

Then a young boy is taught to pray to Saint Nicholas for protection over his father who's at sea on a merchant vessel. Unknown to the child, dad's praying too because his ship has just sunk and he's about to plunge into the bring deep.

Lastly, a pair of brothers, and one sleepy sister, use modern technology to try and capture Santa Claus.

This issue ends with a couple of interactive one-pagers for kids. I particularly liked the form letter to Santa. That was kinda funny. An unexpected addition was a glimpse at all of American Mythology's Three Stooges books over the years. I greatly appreciated it as I saw that there's a couple of holiday themed specials that I don't have yet. (I'll need to update my wish list.)

Overall, a very good book. The prayers to Santa story was a little weird. But then again, I don't live in a predominantly Catholic nation where intercession with Saint Nicholas is common. So I learned something there. But I also experienced some heartache inside this book.

In the opening tale, there was a single panel that just broke my heart. In need of cash, Santa has to sell his reindeer. The look on Donner's face just killed me. He looks so loving and proud at Santa, who's refusing to sell one of his team for no less than $500. I just couldn't tell if Donner had no idea that someone was about to buy him or if the reindeer was hopeful that for such a large sum of money, Donner isn't going anywhere. The whole swirl of mixed emotions and uncertainty over the outcome of that scene just made me so sad and I just can't shake its effect on me.

The main cover by Roy Allen Martinez is just so wonderful. It should rank up there as one of the best holiday covers of all time. However, I don't think that's going happen with this being an Indy book that flew under a lot of comic book lovers radar.

I wouldn't mind a second volume. Just don't play with my heartstrings when it comes to Santa's reindeer.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

Adventures in Advent: Advent 2024, Day 4

Today's feature Advent is rather intriguing. In fact, it's marketed how I think all Advent calendars should be advertised. 

The Star Trek Borg Advent calendar promises 24 days of holiday themed collectibles and accessories. But just what those items are, I couldn't tell you. That's because in every listing I have seen for this Advent calendar, the promotional pictures don't show you any of the goodies! And I say hurray for that!

Ads that show you everything you get in the assortment just ruins the Advent surprise for me. Double for the Advents that shows the entire contents on the back of the box. I like that the Borg Advent is done up as a massive black cube, just like the ships that house the Borg on various Star Trek franchises. Efficiently packaged, you have to pull one of 4 sleeves out of the Borg ship to find the correct day in order to receive your Star Trek themed prize. 

I really wish more companies would advertise their Advent calendar like manufacturer Eaglemoss has done. I'm okay with the packaging and the seller post showing an example of one item that awaits inside the box. Two tops. But to show everything laid out like the spoils of war is just too much of a party pooper for me and it puts me off buying them as much as I want them! I almost want to pay the $85 MSRP to find out what's inside. I said 'almost!'

It's taken every bit of resolve to not cheat and look up what lies in store with my Batman Advent calendar. Speaking of which, I wonder what I got today...

Krampus! #5

The final issue of this series wasn't supposed to be this way. Writer Brian Joines had intentions for this 2013 5-issue miniseries to be an ongoing series. Issue #5 was supposed to end the opening story arc. The real villain behind the theft of Saint Nicholas's remains would have been revealed and the next story arc would have Krampus going after them. Some new Santas would be introduced. A new holiday would be added to the mix. 

However, sales after issue #1 began to slump. For a series about Christmas to drag on into February and March, the fan base just fizzled out. Things just end with the big reveal. There was faith that a one-shot special would be forthcoming in the 2014 holiday season. However, jump ahead 10 years and we're no closer to a resolution of that characters original plans or what Joines had in store for Krampus. 

These days, we see publishers issuing seasonal miniseries on a weekly basis. Last year, DC Comics released the Batman/ Santa Claus: Silent Knight miniseries over a series of 4 weeks. They're looking to capture lightning in a bottle with a 2024 sequel. Then you've got Image who hasn't seemed to learn it's lesson issuing the Christmas themed serial killer horror title The Deviant well into the Spring and early summer of this year. I've been told that sales really dropped off after January as fans felt like the series was taking forever to complete.

I thought that Krampus! #5 ended well. But that setup leaves me wanting a completion. It's possible that Image might green light a conclusion. But after a decade of silence, I really doubt it will ever come to pass. You at least get a conclusion to the main story line. But if you want to have a definite conclusion that doesn't leave you in a perpetual wait for an ending that will very well never come, skip the last 3 pages of this story and head directly to the letters page 

Worth Consuming!

Rating 7 out of 10 stars.