The Spirit Archives, Vol. 21

This volume covers 6 months of Will Eisner's The Spirit towards the end of its original run. I've been reading these out of order. Normally, that hadn't been a problem as continuity wasn't an issue. However, controversial, but universally loved, sidekick Ebony White is missing from this work, replaced by 2 really annoying sidekicks (and wannabe detectives) Sammy and Willium. (Actually, Willium isn't that bad. But he's no Ebony.) 

Eisner's writing style at this point in time has exploded with creative plotting, experimental narratives and other elements that you'd only find in a masters level English Lit class. Reading this book was like attending a writing clinic. You can see how generations of comic book artists, writers and prose novelists were inspired by Will Eisner's The Spirit. The crazy thing is some of the best Spirit stories don't even have the main character as an active player. Heck, sometimes, he's nowhere to be found!

Something new, at least in the volumes I have read so far, is a multi-issue story arc about a lawman named Dick Whittler. A sheriff from another town, he's called the Spirit in to help with a murder case in which we discover that our hero is the prime suspect. Over the course of 3 chapters, the Spirit must clear his name while proving that Commissioner Dolan wasn't an accomplice to the crime. 

The Spirit is known for solving extremely puzzling mysteries. This volume solved a long-standing puzzle for myself. A couple of years ago, I read The Christmas Spirit. Produced in 1994 by Kitchen Sink Press, the holiday treasury collected all of the Christmas themed stories to appear in the series' original run. One story told of a little girl named Darling O'Shea, the richest girl in the world who wants to capture Santa Claus for skipping her house for the past several Christmas Eves. I wondered who in the heck just this little tyke was and thanks to this book, I finally learned her origins. 

As I've gotten older, heading into my late 40s, I've really been craving the comfort foods of Carl Barks, Stan and Jack, and Don Rosa. Add Will Eisner to that menu. I know that their works have flaws. But nobody is perfect. History is full of prejudices, stereotypes and ignorance. Eisner's Ebony White was steeped in black stereotype and was phased out eventually by the comics legend who was troubled by the character's legacy. When I try to read comics from 'a simplier time', I'm not oblivious to the blemishes. But man are the 2020 such a downer that I need some escape!

My first degree is in history. I love learning about the past. Especially the pop culture era of 1938-2000. And I have found that one of the best ways to learn about this time period is through the entertainment of the day. Who better than Will Eisner to learn about the highs and lows of the American storyteller? He might not have been a perfect man but his works are far superior than a lot of modern comic creators who act like they've never made a mistake in their entire life. 

I'll keep on reading and doing my darndest in trying to collect the entire Eisner library.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Captain America and the Falcon, Vol. 1: Two Americas

The Falcon has gone rogue!

Sam Wilson has infiltrated Guantanamo and broken out a prisoner. Now reports have it that the Avenger has taken the escapee to a known drug lord's Cuban compound. What's going on here? Has Wilson reverted back to his Red Skull evil origins?

Captain America has been granted 24-hours to locate the Falcon and get to the bottom of the rogue hero's actions. When his time is up, SHIELD will neutralize the Falcon without prejudice. Normally, such an assignment is easy peasy for the Sentinel of Liberty. But an incoming hurricane to the Caribbean is making it difficult for Steve Rogers to safely arrive on Cuban shores. 

Eventually, the Captain catches up with Sam Wilson and the escaped prisoner. It turns out that the fugitive is a reporter for the Daily Bugle who uncovered a biological weapon in one of the operations of the drug cartel. Post-9/11, the kingpin has been providing key information on terrorist cells to the American intelligence community in exchange for immunity. To wipe out such valuable Intel would severely hamper the new war on terror. 

Thus, the CIA or some other clandestine government agency has sought to silence the reporter who happens to be a close associate from Sam Wilson's past. With Captain America now on the scene, it appears Sam's friend will return to the Big Apple to reveal the scoop of the century. But when Captain America slaughters the drug lord's entire headquarters of bodyguards and lieutenants, it's revealed that something is seriously wrong. There's an impostor Cap assigned to terminate all parties related to the blotched biological weapon, including the real Steve Rogers!

This 2004 book was one of the worst Captain America and the Falcon volumes that I have ever read. Actually, the writing was pretty good. Christopher Priest, going just by his last name at the time pens an Ed Brubaker level story of espionage, betrayal and conspiracy. It was the art and the layouts that were a hot mess. So maybe this is one of the worst stories starring some of my favorite characters that I have ever looked at.

First is the artwork by Bart Sears. The heroes look ridiculous. Overly muscular. Proportions are all wrong. The eyes look googly, like they're all cross-eyed. And the body language is rather silly looking like our heroes have to pee really bad. It would be funny if this was a work of parody like MAD or Not Brand Echh.

Then there's those layouts. They're all over the place. Several pages are framed with unnecessary posed images of Cap and the Falcon. Then there's those 2-page splashes that are supposed to go from left to right and somehow end up those wandering paths taken by Billy in The Family Circus. If ever those black trail dashes were needed to guide the reader's eyes as to where to travel, it was here in the pages of this opening salvo. 

The first of 2 volumes, other than what was the truth behind the super bug bio-weapon that Falcon and his reporter friend discovered, I've no interest in knowing what happens next. That's how awful Sear's art was. Maybe if I found a copy for $3 or less. Otherwise, a quick search on Wikipedia should suffice. This one is definitely getting turned back in for trade credit.

Not Worth Consuming!

Rating: 3 out of 10 stars.

Nick Fury Vs. Fin Fang Foom #1 (2025 Comic Book & Graphic Novel Reading Challenge)

In 2024, shortly after stepping down as the head writer of Captain America, Marvel Comics announced that J. Michael Straczynski would be crafting an anthology team-up series. There would be no set main character, like with Marvel Two-In-One which saw the Fantastic Four's ever-lovin' blue-eyed Thing pairing up with a different character every issue. This twist for the new series would be having 2 changing and unlikely characters interacting with each other. A sneak preview of the first issue showed the cover by Gary Frank depicting Rocket Raccoon dining inside the castle fortress of Doctor Doom!

In December, the idea of a monthly title was scrapped. But instead of Straczynski's hard work being banished to the Marvel vaults, it was decided that a slew of one-and-done specials would be produced. The 'Unlikely Duo One-Shots' would see Spidey taking on not the Sinester Six but a full SIXTEEN, the Voluminous Volstagg assisting Captain America and Ghost Rider offered a chance to be the galactic herald of Galactus. But the book that I absolutely had to have in my collection was the war time meeting of Nick Fury and the alien dragon Fin Fang Foom.

Set in October, 1940, World War II is raging across the globe, but the United States has yet to officially enter the conflict... officially. A few months earlier, Fury and his childhood friend Red Hargrove undertook a clandestine mission to the Netherlands. Now barnstorming throughout Europe in a dilapidated Fokker, Fury is once again recruited by Happy Sam Sawyer to investigate the disappearance of a number of planes owned by an American company in war torn China.

The American company is actually a front for a group of US Army based mercenaries called the Flying Tigers. Planes flying reconnaissance for the Chinese army fighting off the invading Imperial Japanese forces, have disappeared without a trace. Needing fearless pilots with military experience, Fury and Hargrove are perfect to uncover the secret of the missing airplanes. On one such mission, Fury attempts to get a closer look at a mysterious cloud that upon further investigation looks a lot like a dragon. But clouds aren't supposed to be green, have teeth and dive at you from a steep angle at a very high rate of speed!!!

J. Michael Straczynski does a fairly decent job of keeping this story in line with the established Marvel Comics canon. Fury and Hargrove 's first mission for Happy Sam in the Netherlands in Sgt. Fury #7 is referenced several times. Defeated at the hands of American mercenaries, Fin Fang Foom sets his hibernation chamber to reset for reemergence in 1961; the very year the character would make his Marvel debut in the pages of Strange Tales #89. Too bad Straczynski doesn't seem to know American history! The author has the Japanese attacking Pearl Harbor a year too early!

Can somebody say 'No Prize?'  Or is this part of a new timeline some fans are debating that will see the Axis powers somehow winning World War II? What unfolds in Stracynski's remaining one-shots due out this Summer could hold the answer.

Featuring artwork by Elena Casagrande. Cover by Gary Frank.

Completing this review completes Task #13 (A war Comic) of the 2025 Comic Book and Graphic Novel Reading Challenge.

Stan Lee: A Life of Marvel (2025 Comic Book & Graphic Novel Reading Challenge)

Just weeks after the death of comic book legend Stan Lee, Entertainment Weekly issued this commemorative magazine. The 80 page book was filled with dozens of photos of Lee through the years from his days in the US Army as a playwright to editor of Marvel during its heyday in the 1960s all the way through to the end of his life where he spent the last 4 decades making memorable cameos and appearances in virtually every Marvel movie made up until that time. Stan also appeared on a variety of TV shows such as Heroes and The Big Bang Theory. He was also animated as himself on shows such as The Simpsons and Ultimate Spider-Man. Let's not forget his two season stint as the creator and host of the reality series Who Wants to Be a Superhero? But according to the Man himself, Stan's favorite movie role was as himself offering sage romantic wisdom to Jason Lee's (no relation) Brodie in Kevin Smith's Mallrats.

There are a number of tributes to Stan in this retrospective. Kevin Fiege thanks Stan for laying the foundation of the Marvel universe. Todd McFarland reflects on the day he met Stan when he was only 16 and gained a mentor for life. Finally, many of the stars of the Marvel Cinematic Universe are quoted, presumably from their social media accounts, mourning the death of the Marvel legend. 

The impact Stan's creations made on television and movies are explored with Spider-Man receiving the most attention. If you're expecting an in-depth look at the comic book industry, you'll want to look elsewhere. While his time as a writer and editor are covered in this book, a majority of the comic book images inside are of titles Stan had very little to do with. The controversies surrounding claims that Stan Lee was the singular creator of characters such as the The Fantastic Four and most of the original Avengers line up are briefly mentioned. But the majority of this book is designed to praise Stan; not bury him. Even the allegations of financial mismanagement and elder abuse against some of his assistants and daughter are buried under piles of positive encounters with an iconic figure that every fan must admit, seemed to be the happiest guy in the room everywhere he went when his adoring public was present. 

For more in-depth looks at the highs and lows in the life of Stan Lee, Stan's own graphic novel autobiography Amazing Fantastic Incredible: A Marvelous Memoir as well as Tom Scioli's I Am Stan: A Biography of the Legendary Stan Lee are reads that cannot be missed. And to truly decide if Stan Lee is comics' biggest hero or villain, read Scioli's Jack Kirby: The Epic Life of the King of Comics that tells of the legendary Stan Lee/Jack Kirby collaboration from the King's point of view. 

No matter how you feel about him, Stan Lee will be missed.

Completing this review completes Task #40 (Prose Non-Fiction About Comic Book History) of the 2025 Comic Book and Graphic Novel Reading Challenge.

Marvel Age Fantastic Four, Vol. 3: The Return of Doom (2025 Comic Book & Graphic Novel Reading Challenge)

Before the advent of Marvel's all-ages Marvel Adventures imprint, the House of Ideas introduced young readers to their most popular characters with Marvel Age. Along with incorporating a handful of Manga inspired titles from Marvel's failed Tsunami line, Marvel Age retold the earliest adventures of Spider-Man, the Hulk and the Fantastic Four. Updated with modern twists, writer Marc Sumerak and artists Alitha Martinez and Joe Dodd followed the original plots of Marvel's First Family created by legends Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. 

Volume 3 of Marvel Age Fantastic Four, 'The Return of Doom' reprinted the last 4 issues of the all-ages series. 

Issue #9 sees Mr. Fantastic dogged by creditors in 'The End of the Fantastic Four.' Recent bad investments lead Reed Richards to accept an offer from Prince Namor, the Sub-Mariner to star in a reality series starring the FF. In a challenge show similar to Survivor, it's a battle for survival as all of Namor 's challenges are secretly rigged as fights to the death!

Issue #10, the title story, ushers in 'The Return of Doctor Doom!' Victor Von Doom has escaped from am orbital prison constructed by Mr. Fantastic thanks to a pair of aliens called Ovoids. From the creatures' space ship, Doctor Doom discovers a way to switch bodies with Reed. Now Doom's mind is in Richards' body and the leader of the Fantastic Four is trapped inside the iron armor of Doom.

After escaping from the clutches of their arch-enemy, the Fantastic Four meet 'The Impossible Man!' In this retelling of the classic second story of issue #11, the are plagued by the madcap antics of the shape-changing visitor from the planet Poppup.

Issue #12 retells the team's epic first encounter with the green colossus, The Incredible Hulk. After another top secret project is destroyed, the United States Army calls upon the FF to investigate. General Thunderbolt Ross is convinced that the sabotage is the result of another Hulk rampage. Dr. Bruce Banner is convinced it's something else and he should know since he's secretly the Hulk!

Featuring modernized versions of some of the greatest Marvel stories ever written, the Marvel Age imprint only lasted from 2004-05. It's predecessor, Marvel Adventures vastly outlived Marvel Age, running from 2005-2012. The success was large part to the addition of Darwyn Cooke who crafted a story Bible that set Marvel's best and brightest into new adventures that were nostalgic without relying completely on the scripts of Lee and Kirby. The artwork was less manga heavy as the Marvel Age books were and reflected a more sleeker style that was more commercial. As with all good things, the imprint was dismantled in order to usher in books based on the Disney XD animated lineup that were set in the Marvel cinematic universe. Being that the Fantastic Four were the property of Fox Studios, young readers were no longer able to find new comic book exploits of Mr. Fantastic, The Thing, The Invisible Woman and The Human Torch by 2013.

Completing this review completes Task #8 (Starring the Human Torch) of the 2025 Comic Book and Graphic Novel Reading Challenge.

Joey Green's Amazing Kitchen Cures by Joey Green

Some of you might recall the name Joey Green. He's a life hack expert who has been helping people save money by using everyday household items in some very practical and often unusual ways. I seem to remember at some point he went to The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and got Jay to smother peanut all over his iconic chin and use it as shaving cream. 

Joey Green's Amazing Kitchen Cures is a book in which Joey offers tips on how to cure and treat a variety of ailments using everyday ingredients like olive oil and black tea bags. Not all of his offered cures are edible. Like you can use WD-40 to help get a stuck ring off your finger or use panty hose, filled with oatmeal, as a soothing exfoliant if you have the chicken pox or shingles. Being from 2002, I'm not sure if all of the brand names Green recommends using are still in existence. Do they still make Star olive oil? 

The book can borderline on the repetitive. Let's be honest; there's only so many ways that you can tell readers how to use a Ziploc bag filled with ice as an ice pack. To combat the redundancy, Green includes factoids in each chapter about the ailments covered within. Some chapters include articles on the history of some of the household name products recommended by the author. There's also tips about when to give up on the home remedies and seek professional medical treatment. 

Not all of the suggestions seem practical or even safe. Green's chapter on sex has some ideas that border on risky. No way in the world am I ever going to use one of my credit cards as a toothpick! Even if I was to Purell and Clorox the heck out of it before hand... Google claims that some of Joey Green's suggestions are jokes. If that's true, I'm just not sure if some readers these days are able to weed out the hoaxes from tried and true cures.

I got this book at a consignment store. Good price. The shop had a couple other of Joey Green's books. Based on my experience with this read, I wouldn't mind a trip back to get them. Now that I understand the formula of his writing and know that not every suggestion is a serious one, I should have a better experience.

Worth Consuming!

Rating:7 out of 10 stars.

Insectopolis : A Natural History

The legendary Peter Kuper (Spy Vs. Spy) utilizes his lifelong fascination with insects and takes readers on a nearly half a billion years of history of the impact bugs, bees, beetles and butterflies have made on planet earth. 

Kuper bases Insectopolis on the hallowed halls of the New York Public Library. The human race has mysteriously disappeared, leaving insects as the dominant species. Free to roam about, a number of arthropods enter the library, eager to learn more from an interactive exhibit about themselves and how the human race loved and loathed these marvelous creatures.

There's a ton of history contained in this more than 250 page graphic novel. I'd conservatively estimate that I knew beforehand less than 10 percent of the data on entomology presented in this book. The writing is a mixture of vignettes, concise facts and in-depth theories on insect behavior. Do not expect this to be a safe book. While Kuper humanizes the insect narrators by giving them speech and a sense of humor, mankind's damage to the earth and nature's method of survival of the fittest is very much front and center in Insectopolis. The twist ending of 'The Cicada and The Tree' was heartbreaking, while what happened to the dragonfly cousin was extremely shocking.

Peter Kuper utilizes mixed media when crafting Insectopolis. You've got pencils, markers, watercolor and photography just like you would encounter if you were traversing a museum exhibit. Being set in the 21st century, there are even QR codes peppered throughout the exhibit that really work; expanding the immersive nature of the exhibit. I thought Kuper's bibliography section was so brilliant, set up to look like the library's bookstore gift shop with his sources on display instead of a boring old list of works typed up on plain white paper. 

While Peter Kuper reveals the wonders of the insect world to the reader, he also crafts a mystery that is just too intriguing to be left unsolved. At the beginning of Insectopolis a pair of human siblings discuss the evolution of insects while on their way to the New York Public Library. Just before they enter the athenaeum, everyone's phones declare a terrible emergency and that all citizens must return to their homes. A few weeks later, New York is an abandoned metropolis showing signs of a terrible tragedy. As I said earlier, all of humanity is just gone. What the heck happened? I understand the irony of humanity's extinction instead of the insects who have been endangered for decades due to climate change, pollution and the introduction of cancer causing pesticides. But I really want to read the hidden story about the end of the human race, and I feel like Kuper is holding on to that for the time being. 

Not exactly a book for all ages. There is a section on the sex lives of insects and some really thought provoking parts about evolution, the environment and use of bugs as food and everyday objects like silk. Did you know that silk worms are boiled alive while in their cocoons because when the moth hatches, it secretes a chemical that dissolves the threads? It's a terrible fate that has sworn me off of silk. But if adults read Insectopolis with their children, it might develop the next generation of insect researchers who might discover a way to have healthy moths and silk threads more humanely. 

Definitely a read for the whole family to explore.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Classic Doctor Who Comics #9 (2025 Comic Book & Graphic Novel Reading Challenge)

In 1964, British horror studio, Amicus Productions decided to dip their toe into the science fiction genre. Hoping for an immediate hit, they contacted BBC Studios to license a series of films based on the smash television hit Doctor Who. 

They went with the Doctor's most famous foes, the Daleks. After penning a 3 movie deal with the creator of the Daleks, Terry Nation, Amicus went about adapting their origin story, aptly titled 'The Daleks.' Amicus then hired esteemed actor Peter Cushing as the title role. 

Not wanting viewers confused about there being another Doctor, the BBC demanded some changes be made. Instead of being an alien known only as the Doctor, Cushing's Dr. Who would be an eccentric elderly human who creates a time machine called TARDIS, which can also transverse the universe. Thus the Doctor can change the location of where his time machine emerges from a journey forward or backwards in time. He would also have 2 grandchildren, older teenager Barbara and precious 11-year old Susan. Along for the journey would be Barbara's klutzy boyfriend Ian. 

Adjustments would also be made to the Daleks. Their frames were bulked up and height was added to make the cybernetic aliens look more intimidating. As the film would mark the Daleks' first appearance in color, two new models were produced with a fiery red and black shell. Some of the suction cups were replaced with pincer claws. Other Daleks were to be armed with flame throwers. The BBC put the kibosh on that upgrade, fearing that it would frighten young viewers.

Dr. Who and the Daleks 1965 debut in the United Kingdom was a massive hit. While the TV series had universal appeal with audiences of all ages, the film was clearly aimed at children. Across the pond in the United States, the film bombed. 1966 audiences had yet to become familiar with the Doctor as it was still several years away from Doctor Who debuting on public broadcasting airwaves. 

Since the British sci-fi series was an unknown entity to American audiences, a comic book adaptation was produced. Dell Comics accepted the challenge for garnering interest in the movie. Joe Gill adapted the Milton Subotsky and Terry Nation screenplay. Gill must have been given an early version of the script because those forbidden flame-throwing Daleks menace Dr. Who and his family on more than one occasion in this book. Dick Giordano and Sal Trapani penciled and inked with photos of the cast adorning the interior and exterior covers.

The story of Dr. Who and the Daleks is an origin story. While showing his granddaughters and Ian his newly invented time machine, Ian accidentally activates TARDIS sending the quartet to a desolate planet. A thermonuclear war has caused survivors to mutate into two warring factions: the humanoid Thals, who developed a cure for the effects of radiation sickness and the underground dwelling Daleks, who look like giant brains with tentacles. The Daleks also happen to control the planet's limited food supply. 

The Thals make frequent raids on the Daleks stronghold for food while the Daleks seek the radiation cure. Finding killing abhorrent, the Thals would be willing to make a peace with their foes, trading food for medicine. The Daleks seek to annihilate their foes once the cure is in their grasp. As Dr. Who attempts to escape from his Daleks captors, a planet killing bomb is activated. Now the Thals must disarm the weapon in hopes of their survival, even if it means wiping out the Daleks forever.

The Dell adaptation of Dr. Who and the Daleks was never officially released in the UK. It was an American only release. One of the few times that the States possessed a classic Doctor Who licensed product and Britain didn't. A few copies are said to have appeared on American bases throughout the UK at the PX, eventually making it's way into the populace. 

British Who fans wouldn't get an official chance to see the collective work of Gill, Giordano and Trapani until the Summer of 1993. The 9th issue of Classic Doctor Who Comics, released by Marvel Comics UK, featured a complete reprinting of the 1966 adaptation. Colin Howard crafted the cover image of Cushing as Dr. Who, facing one of those terrifying new Red Daleks. The Neutron Knights by Steve Parkhouse and Dave Gibbons is this issue's backup comic. It sees the Fourth Doctor played by Tom Baker summoned to Earth by Merlin the Magician. Photographed posters of a reject from the Planet of the Apes called an Orgon and Mary Tamm as the first incarnation of the Time Lord Romana are centerfold inserts and producer/director John Ainsworth examines the comics of the Slyvester McCoy era of Doctor Who.

In 1966, Amicus produced its follow-up to Dr. Who and The Daleks. Daleks' Invasion Earth 2150 A.D. was a box office bust. Production problems and Cushing's diminished role due to a serious illness were blamed for the film's problems. As a result, the sequel never made it to the States and Amicus scraped its option for a third film. Both movies have garnered cult status, though neither are officially canon. To explain the existence of the Peter Cushing films, they have been retconned over the years, explained to have been films officially requested by the Doctor in hopes of educating the populace to the threat of the Daleks. 

Completing this review completes Task #28 (A Doctor Who Comic or Graphic Novel) of the 2025 Comic Book and Graphic Novel Reading Challenge.

Worth Consuming! 

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

Batgirl: A Knight Alone (2025 Comic Book & Graphic Novel Reading Challenge)

After being given back the gift of speech and literacy, Cassandra Cain discovers that she's lost her near metahuman ability to predict a person's moves during combat. It has put Cassandra in a bit of a funk and made her lose her confidence. Being unexpectedly shot will do that to a person. Originally, Cassandra was allowed to be Batgirl without formal martial arts training because of her ability to know when her foes were going to strike before they did. Now the Batman has benched her until she can master the art of defense.

Endless nights of research and practice has become boring for the young women. Cassandra is just itching to get back out on the streets and dispense some vigilante justice. Thus she will make a literal deal with the devil, in the form of Lady Shiva, just for a taste of being a hero again. Batgirl had better enjoy it because in return for regaining her sixth sense in battle, Cassandra Cain must agree to combat Shiva in a year's time in a battle to the death. 

Cassandra is the daughter of David Cain and a woman named Sandra. Cassandra was raised to become the perfect bodyguard and assassin for Ra's al Ghul. Cassandra is not taught to read or read; only how to interpret the body language of others. Her training by David is abusive and callous. But deep down, David loves her and seeks to repent from his wicked ways in hopes of one day rekindling a relationship with the daughter he never really had. As for Sandra, she leaves Cassandra almost immediately after the child's birth. But mother and daughter will be reunited because Sandra will one day become Lady Shiva.

The character of Cassandra Cain was created by Kelley Puckett and Daimon Smith. Her debut in comics was Batman #567 (July, 1999). A month later, she would become the next Batgirl in the pages of Legends of the Dark Knight #120, during the 'No Man's Land storyline that saw Gotham devastated by an earthquake. A fan favorite character, she became the first Batgirl to star in her own title just a year later. 

Cassandra's journey to restore her abilities to understand human behavior and body language precognitively were chronicled in issues #7-11 and collected in the trade paperback Batgirl: A Knight Alone.  Also included in this collection is a fateful meeting between Father and daughter, Cassandra gets tangled up in a CIA mission gone awry and a new Bat Cave is christened. 

Kelley Puckett pens all of the stories contained in this trade. Daimon Smith pencils with some assists by Coy Turnbull (Koi Turnbull). Along with Smith, covers are penciled by Robert Campanella, Aaron Dowd and John Lowe. 

All 7 issues would be reissued in a 2025 omnibus edition titled DC Finest: Batgirl- Nobody Dies Tonight.

Completing this review completes Task #33 (Book Begins with the Letter B) of the 2025 Comic Book and Graphic Novel Reading Challenge.

Why There's Antifreeze in Your Toothpaste: The Chemistry of Household Ingredients by Simon Quellen Field

This book intimated me at first. Many, but not all, of the chemicals, minerals and polymers referred to in this book have an illustration of their molecular structure. Since carbon atoms are assumed to have bonds with 4 hydrogen atoms, their presence is shortened with a straight line that is often off kilter to represent another shared bond with another hydrogen atom.

In other words, to keep the image of molecular structure from being too cluttered, it's simplified with straight lines and angles. I forgot to mention that atoms that share electrons are represented with parallel lines, adding to the confusion. The first 3 chapters are filled with a glut of information about how electrons are shared and atoms are removed within their structure, I kept having to refer to the introduction that explained all of that complexity of everyday chemistry. 

I was about ready to trash this book. But the next morning, I found myself explaining some of the chemical makeup of  teen favorite foods, such as Flaming Hot Cheetos. Food dyes in foods are a big political issue right now and I had some students asking about if their favorite snacks were going to be discontinued. I really didn't understand why brominated vegetable oil would be in orange soda in the first place. Thanks to this book, I now understand that orange flavonoids are composed of fats which do not bind with water. That means without the emulsifying effect of the bromides, your orange soda will separate like an unshaken bottle of Italian dressing. Plus it wouldn't look orange. Having just read about all that in this book, I was able to explain that thanks to the government ban, you would still have your favorite foods. Only, I imagine your unopened bottle of Sunkist is going to look very different in the next couple of years.

I started to see that the teaching resource that I was hoping this book would be in my culinary classes actually coming to pass. But I was still overwhelmed by the writing since this was a college level read. So I set a goal to read 5 pages a day. Eventually I began to learn about how emulsifiers, cleansers, flavoring agents and food dye are not just made but crafted into other products that we use in our everyday lives. Not all of it bad, either.

The antifreeze mentioned in this book is actually a natural chemical that by itself does prevent products from freezing. But without another chemical agent added to the antifreeze that helps prevent damage to vehicles, it's not toxic to humans.

If you teach CTE Culinary Arts or Foods and Nutrition Courses in either middle or high school, you should get this book! If your department head is anything like mine, you're expected to cross teach from a variety of subjects in hopes of boosting those ever important testing scores. This book can help you work on making Chemistry and bio-sciences more relatable to your students. Just don't feel bad if you have to do a review of that section on how to read and understand a structural formula more than once. Lord knows that I was still checking it over with just a couple of pages left to read. 

Maybe I should have paid better attention in Chemistry when I was in high school...

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

Alien³ #1-3 (2025 Comic Book & Graphic Novel Reading Challenge)

1992's third installment in the Alien movie series could have been so much better than what audiences received. Cyberpunk author William Gibson was originally tasked with writing a script that included elements of the Cold War, government corruption and religious fervor. Rushed to complete before a potential Hollywood strike, producers were unimpressed with Gibson's original treatment. They called it 'uninteresting'. So Fox Studios issued a number of rewrites. A film that was supposed to quickly capitalize on the success of James Cameron's 1986 action heavy sequel, Aliens, languished in pre-production for several years, resulting in some of it's stars to become unavailable or in the case of actress Carrie Henn, who played 12 year old survivor Newt; age out of their roles.

Alien³ would eventually see Sigourney Weaver's character Ripley crash landing on a former prison work colony along with a facehugger that survived from the previous film. Ripley believes that Newt's body is being inhabited by a Xenomorph embryo. However, an autopsy proves otherwise. That's because the facehugger choose another host - Ellen Ripley!

This 3-issue adaptation produced by Dark Horse Comics was written by Steven Grant. Except for some awkward translations of curse words into more comics friendly words and phrases, any qualms with the plot or scripting shouldn't be directed at Grant. The writer was tasked with a script that seemed doomed from the start. The same cannot be said about the artwork.

Pencils and inks for this mini were by Christopher Taylor and Rick Magyar. Their adult Xenomorph warrior referred to as a 'Dragon' Alien, because its 4-legged frame with a long tail was the result of bonding with the penal colony's guard dog, is impressive. But one has to wonder if Taylor and Magyar had ever seen either of the previous Alien films because their facehugger looked like a miniature Xenomorph with hair instead of an albino scorpion. 

Ripley looks like, well anyone but actress Sigourney Weaver. But at least the artists seemed not to confuse her with another actor. The oplikeness of Bishop looks more like Paul Reiser's character of Carter Burke, right down to the curly pompadour hairstyle and long trench coat! As for likenesses of the inmates, that's kinda hard to assess. They're pretty much all clones of one another as a lice infestation on the planet results in all of the colonists shaving their heads.

Alien³ would go on to make an estimate of $160-180 million dollars thanks in part to its Memorial Day weekend opening. Only the third installment in the Lethal Weapon series would outpace the space horror. Despite making three times as much as it's budget, the film is considered the worst of the Ripley films and tied with the franchise crossover Alien V. Predator: Requiem as the most underperforming of the franchise.

This would not be Weaver's final appearance in the Alien series. In 1997, she would return, this time as a clone, in Alien: Resurrection. Time would also see William Gibson returning to the franchise as a comic book writer. In 2018, Dark Horse published a 5-issue adaptation of what Alien³ could have been with William Gibson's Alien 3. 

The covers for Alien³ #1-3 were all painted by Arthur Suydam.    

Completing this review completes Task #7 (A Movie Adaptation) of the 2025 Comic Book and Graphic Novel Reading Challenge.

Crime Does Not Pay: Blackjacked and Pistol-Whipped

Crime Does Not Pay was a notorious comic book magazine that caught the ire of Senator Estes Kefauver and Dr. Fredrick Wertham. The book was filled with murder, torture, sadism towards women and just about every crime and vice ever imagined. While it shocked small town USA during the Comics Scare of the early to mid 1950s, the book actually earned the support of some very unlikely champions. 

Representatives of the Catholic Church, the Boy Scouts of America and educators nationwide praised the book for helping children to the straight and narrow. An overwhelming majority of the stories presented in Crime Does Not Pay were true stories of mobsters such as Lucky Luciano and real life monsters like H.H. Holmes. While the stories were sensationalized to entice readers, publisher Lev Gleason received a number of praises from those working with at-risk youth as seen in a collage inside the front and back covers of this book.

I found this anthology from Dark Horse at a used bookstore about a month ago. My plans were to read it as a part of my 2025 reading challenge. Unfortunately, I don't think there's enough prose material about the history of the book and it's co-creators, Bob Wood and Charles Biro, to count this as a book about the history of comics. That's not to say that I didn't enjoy the book. But less than 30 pages of research from Denis Kitchen compared to about 200 pages of comics is a bit of a stretch for item #40 on my challenge.

This is pre-code comics at it's very best and very worst. The storytelling is amazing. There's a slew of comic book legends making their way in the industry in this book such as Bob Montana and George Tuska. However, the gratuitous violence paved the way for a legion of imitators and ushered in the books that would result in the coming of the Comics Code.

At the time of Crime Does Not Pay's debut with the 2nd class mail skirting 22nd issue, EC Comics had yet to introduce its readers to horror comics. Without this title, the Crypt Keeper, Vault Keeper and the Old Witch might never been created. Crime introduced fans to the concept of the host narrator with the top hat donning Mr. Crime. With his dripping fangs, maniacal smile and inch-long fingernails, Mr. Crime was more than just a narrator, he was a part of the story, playing the devil on each crook's shoulder in hopes of helping them execute the perfect crime. Only it was never to be with most criminals being executed by law enforcement at story's end.

Crime Does Not Pay lasted for an impressive 147 issues. However, by the end of its run, the book has become a victim of censorship it brought about, with later titles having far less emphasis over crime and becoming more of a police procedural comic. Ironically, one of the creators of the book would not learn from the lessons against hard living as espoused in the pages of Crime Does Not Pay. In 1958, Wood would go on a week-long bender with a divorcee full of drinking and arguing before ultimately taking the woman's life in a fit of rage because 'she wouldn't clam up.' 

The question I'm left with is 'do I keep this book?' I'm leaning towards no. Not because I hated it. It's more for the fact that this is an album of the series' true crime tales. Had this been an omnibus of several full issues, I would keep it. I think there's too great a chance that I'll find some Dark Horse archives for a good price or some of the single issue reprints making a need to own this book obsolete. So I'll trade it in for something else to add to my collection. Maybe I'll get lucky and find that prose book about comic book history I need for my reading challenge!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.