Wednesday, October 29, 2025

Archie's Halloween Spectacular #1

As strange as it may seem, the Archie Halloween Spectacular is the Halloween special that I most look forward to! This annual one-shot is just so fun. Contrary to what you might think, while it is all-ages appropriate reading, it not all sunshine and lollipops.

The all-new opener is from the mind and might of Dan Parent; who in my opinion is the definitive modern day Archie creator. The story involves the South Side Serpents who have been transformed into actual monsters thanks to a defective invention of Dilton's. Transformed, the bullies look pretty terrifying and they seem eager to do some damage against Archie and his pals. 

It's the second story that I thought was the most intense of the bunch. In yet another reputed Riverdale haunted house, the gang seeks to put on a Halloween bash. Archie is on guard, expecting trouble from those Samhain sprites, Trick and Treat. Archie is on the money as the two do indeed cause calamity. Only there's an air of evil in these pranks which lead to teenage witch Sabrina to go into battle versus an old foe.

That story, along with the other 3 or 4 other tales are supposed to be reprints. But Trick and Treat were only introduced to the Archie universe a couple of years ago. And the last Archie Halloween Spectacular I read, which I assumed was last year's special, alluded to a rematch between Sabrina and Amber Nightstone. So did I miss something?! I mean obviously I did. I just don't know when and where I did and is there even more to this saga that I have yet to encounter because I am not reading a monthly Archie title regularly?

As for the other stories, only one sticks out to me as being memorable. It is by Frank Doyle and Harry Lucey and it looks like it's from the 1950s or early 60s. Betty and Veronica plan to meet up with Archie and Jughead at yet another haunted house. (How many violent deaths have occurred in this tiny burg to warrant so many haunted places?) The girls think that the guys are trying to scare them. The boys think that the gals are trying to spook them. It turns out that it's really the ghosts who occupy the dilapidated structure. And yet because each group thought the others were behind the frights, nobody gets scared. 

There was another story that looked like it's from the Silver Age that has Archie being the mark on a prank TV show similar to Candid Camera. Only, Archie has been warned ahead of time of the ruse and doesn't react to the ghost, which turns out to be the real thing! It wasn't a bad story. It just didn't feel as fresh being in the same book with another similar story. 

As for story #5 and #6 I think it involves Reggie. Maybe...? I just can't recall what happened in either. They must not have been all that great.

I enjoyed this special. It feels like Archie Comics is reading my annual reviews and making changes. At 30 pages and no middle ads, this felt like a giant read. Many thanks to my favorite LCS for ordering me the vintage looking variant cover. I like it so much more than the standard cover which looks CGI to me. Also, taking center stage is some random character that I bet most readers don't even know. Heck, I'm still not 100% sure I know who they are. I just with the green face paint, purple and black hair and fangs, whomever it is just is NOT recognizable. 

I loved this special. But it wasn't a perfect read. And it left me wondering if I missed something important.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 7 out of 10 stars.

Tuesday, October 28, 2025

Gil's All Fright Diner by A. Lee Martinez

Duke is a werewolf. Earl is a vampire. They're friends but they act like they hate each other. Since Earl is in a vulnerable state during daylight hours, Duke is his pal's protector. Imagine Lennie and George from Of Mice and Men. I picture Duke and Earl as the main characters from Tremors: rude, crude and a little dumb. But what they lack in book smarts, they make up for with rugged ingenuity and supernatural powers. While those characters were played by Fred Ward and Kevin Bacon, I don't really envision those actors as Duke and Earl. In terms of Duke, I picture Tyler Labine from Tucker & Dale Vs. Evil. But hairier. I couldn't picture anyone famous for Earl.

Okay, back to the story...

The two drifters wind up at an all-night greasy spoon looking for gas and grub. Instead, they wind up having to take on a legion of zombies. So begins a tale that I could see being a Netflix series or even a SyFy movie that takes the two characters and puts them against a young adult aspiring pagan priestess who wants to usher in the apocalypse. Turns out that the truck stop is situated on the nexus point that will open up the gates of the underworld and introduce ancient deities to the 21st century.

If you can get past the clunky first two chapters, you're in for a treat. It was almost like the author had a little trouble getting out of the starting gate. (This 2005 work from TOR Books was his first novel.) I find as a rule of thumb that anytime a character is described as wearing a T-shirt with a funny but also inappropriate saying on it, there's just something off about the storytelling. Heck, Stephen King and Douglas Adams were both guilty of this at times. But I am very glad that I pressed on with the book.

Gil's All Fright Diner does some really clever work re-adjusting the established rules behind traditional folk characters such as the Wolfman, vampires, zombies and especially ghosts. There's a whole dichotomy that makes ghosts more believable in this world than here in reality. And they're smartly written too.

I liked the universe that writer A. Lee Martinez created and I was actually disappointed to see this book end. It's not a world that I would want to live in. But it's definitely a place that I would like to visit again. Sadly, though Martinez has written other similar type works of horror/comedy/fantasy, it doesn't appear that Duke nor Earl return in any of them. That being said, I wouldn't mind giving another one of the author's works a try and he's got a couple that do look interesting.

We'll see...

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars

Monday, October 27, 2025

Army of Darkness: Halloween Special


Army of Darkness is about the limit of horror involving demons that I can tolerate. Ironically, I've never seen Evil Dead or Evil Dead 2. But I think Army of Darkness is one of the best horror comedies ever made. It's all because of living legend Bruce Campbell who stars as ego maniac Ash, our planet's last line of defense against the Deadite legions that seek to usher literal Hell on Earth.

Actually, Campbell stars in all incarnations of the Evil Dead films. So what is it that makes Army of Darkness okay for me to watch but not the first two films on the series. I think it is the level of seriousness of the movies. The first two movies were so shocking, let alone terrifying, with the first film being rated X. Army of Darkness with it's main character with his 1973 Oldsmobile and gas powered chain saw time, being stranded in medieval times is so tongue in cheek, that it turned the franchise into a bit of a farce instead of a soul stealing tale of terror. 

Plus, Bruce Campbell is such a definitive comedic actor. He's too restrained in the first movies.

The main story of this 2018 Halloween special from Dynamite has 2 stories. The opener sees Ash in Charleston seeking the his online match from a dating app. Instead of romance, Ash finds himself face-to-face with perhaps the most famous Deadite ever: the notorious Blackbeard the Pirate! Then on an eerie Halloween night, a group of meddling kids break into a graveyard. Armed with beer and a spell book, these horny teens seek to unleash some harmless fun but end up awakening a gaggle of Deadites instead!

Written by Chad Bowers, Chris Sims and Benito Cerano, my copy is autographed by Sims. That being said, I loved both stories, regardless of one of the creators being nice enough to put their John Hancock on the cover. Both captures the swagger and bravado of Ash, which is in very large part due to Bruce Campbell. 

As for the art, both stories were good. But I am going to give the title of best in show to Eion Marron who penciled and inked the opener. It's more dynamic. Ash looks amazingly like actor Campbell, whereas Sam Lofti's Ash appears more like a caricature. Plus Marron's Deadites, including Blackbeard, looked so freaking awesome.

Not sure why it took me so long to read this. Also not sure why I had it sitting in my 'to review ' pile despite actually having not read this. I must have misplaced it. But it was worth the wait!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

Sunday, October 26, 2025

Sad Sack and the Sarge #128

If the cover to this 1977 Harvey Comic was Christmas themed, I would call this book a 'Scrooge'. We get this really really festive Halloween cover with Sad Sack skewering his gruff, but caring Sarge, as the most frightening decoration for the Army base's upcoming Halloween bash. But in terms of any of the stories being Halloween themed, there's absolutely nothing.

There are 4 stories starring Sad Sack, the Sarge and other characters in this book. 3 are paneled stories. 1 is prose. The artists and writers might have set these tales during the month of October. But there's nothing to the plot or settings that imply that the characters are in the throes of the season of the witch.

The opening story was the best. Sad Sack and Sarge are going on leave via air travel. Sarge got business class while Sad Sack flies 2nd class. The differences in the experiences of the 2 characters couldn't be more polarizing or funny. The middle story was interesting as it's got Sad Sack being an Army test subject to early virtual reality and hard light hologram technology. A funny read but lacking the magic of the opener.

The prose yarn was a rambling mess. These fillers were merely requirements to help meet first class postage standards and the lack of care and finesse shows. But it seems that whomever plotted the prose tale also scripted the last story which sees Sad Sack and Sarge on horseback getting lost on a vacation excursion at a dude ranch. 

There were also a couple of one-page gags that were okay. But again, not involving Halloween. In fact the only thing Halloween themed was an ad for UNICEF starring the main characters of Harvey Comics, including Richie Rich, Casper and Baby Huey. 

This is the second time that I have been burned by an issue of Sad Sack. I bought a reprint of Sad Sack: At Home for the Holidays that features a beautiful cover of the main character coming back to his metropolitan home for a Christmas break. But it was devoid of Holiday cheer. At least one story was set during Sad Sack's trip back home and there was snow. But none of the sets were decorated with boughs of holly; nor were there any 'fa-la-la-la-laaas' in the air.

If I had spent a ton of money on this book I would have been really disappointed. But the asking price was only 90 cents and I think I used trade credit. And at least half of the material in this book was decent. However, if I come across another Sad Sack comic book with a holiday cover of any sort of celebration, you can be assure that I will be making sure there's at least 1 themed tale in the book before I shell out some cash to purchase it.

Rating: 6 out of 10 stars.

Friday, October 24, 2025

Stitch Head: The Graphic Novel (Family Comic Friday)


A new animated feature film will be debuting in theaters on October 29th. Stitch Head is a heartwarming tale filled with monsters, a mad scientist and angry townsfolk, much in the vein of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. However, in this story, Stitch Head is Doctor' Eramus' first experiment, created from when the researcher was just a lad. After creating life with a patchwork rag doll, his father sends the aspiring scientist to college in order to achieve his degree in mad science.

Forgotten Stitch Head waits patiently for his master to remember him. But as the doctor creates 300 more creatures, one things becomes clear: the mad scientist isn't all that brilliant! Good thing Stitch Head has all of the knowledge and experience to help his master perfect his experiments.

I know. You're probably thinking 'I thought that this was a book review' and it is. I didn't watch the animated movie. Instead, I found this book on the new release shelf in the young readers graphic novel section at my local library. Stitch Head: The Graphic Novel is based on the 2011 young readers novel by Guy Bass. If you were going for a faithful adaptation, I don't think you get any better than this as it was adapted by Bass and it features art by Pete Williamson, the original illustrator of the Stitch Head series of chapter books.

They say that you shouldn't judge a book by its cover. But there's nothing wrong with being enticed by it! When I first saw the book, I got definite vibes of Tim Burton. Add in the character of the traveling circus ringmaster Filbert, who captivates Stitch Head with promises of a glamorous life, defiant young Arabella who's not afraid of the terrifying legends coming out of Castle Grotteskew, and Creature, the newest creation of Stitch Head's master and the ragamuffin's only, new friend and this could be a newly discovered corner of the Tim Burton-verse!

Though this story takes place in an eerie looking fortress overlooking a spooky little village, there's nothing too frightening. It's got a creepy vibe. Perfect for Halloween. Kids should love it. Parents should approve. 

Why not take the young readers in your life to the movie (or stream it wherever possible), then after they fall in love with it, have copy of this amazing graphic novel on hand for them to read and continue the experience? Maybe pick up some of the chapter books too? Say it's a gift from the Great Pumpkin! It might just make this a Halloween to remember for them and the whole family!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.

Tuesday, October 21, 2025

Donald Duck's Halloween Scream! Mini Comic #2

This mini comic from 2017 features a William Van Horn classic. Donald has decided to become a house painter. His first job is to spruce up a haunted house. Only Donald accepts the job without the knowledge about the home's spooky history. Nephews Huey, Dewey and Louie have heard that the place has a dubious history and they decide to play a little prank on their uncle. But as Donald chalks up the strange goings on in the house as age and disrepair, the nephews turn up the heat only to become victims of a real poltergeist!

I've read this tale somewhere before and it never fails to disappoint. I wouldn't be surprised to learn that this story eventually became a Disney animated short. So maybe that's where I remember this tale from. I've checked my entries on this blog and despite having owned this Halloween ComicFest freebie for a long time, I can't find when and how I've come across this story before. 

Carl Barks is definitely my favorite Duck creator. Don Rosa follows. I may have to give serious consideration for Van Horn being my pick for number 3. His art is clean. His word play is brilliant. And I love how his Donald is smarter like Don Rosa's version of the character. I'm just not sure if I like a mischievous Huey Dewey and Louie or not. I think I like it better when they're the experts on everything thanks to their massive time of knowledge, the Junior Woodchuck Guidebook. But the guys sure can pull off some great pranks on their Uncle Donald.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

Monday, October 20, 2025

Ghosts and Girls of Fiction House


This YOe Books/IDW Publishing collaboration seemed doomed almost from the start. 

Craig Yoe's forward that recounts how he was first introduced to Fiction House's massive anthology series Jumbo Comics was a brilliant piece. Then we get an introduction by noted comic book historian Michael H. Price. However, his look at Jumbo Comics is a rambling mess that leads the reader to believe that they'll be experiencing stories of jungle goddess Sheena, swashbuckling tales adapted from Dumas' The Count of Monte Cristo and Mickey Mouse inspired funny animal yarns written and illustrated by comic book legends such as Al Feldstein, Bob Kane and Matt Baker. Yet all you get once you slough through about 50 pages of pre-code comics commentary,, that seems more like an commercial for the authority's other scholarly works, is a collection of spectral tales called The Ghost Gallery

Jumbo Comics had about a dozen regular features that appeared in the publication's 15 year history. The book was known for it's voluptuous dames, thanks in very large part to Feldstein, Baker and Maurice Whitman. Yet none of these artists worked on The Ghost Gallery. Or if they did, none of their efforts are presented in this 2015 hardcover, except for a few sketches and completed pieces. Instead, one should expect to view the efforts of Alex Blum, Bob Hebberd and the famed but more anonymous staff of the Iger Shop. That's right; a lot of the work in this book was considered so beneath the staff at Fiction House, that it was sourced out to an art house and the lack of creativity and love for the source material shows.

Officially, it was titled The Ghost Gallery by Drew Murdoch. Only there was no Drew Murdoch on the Fiction House staff. He's actually the main character. You might think that he's narrating each story. But aside from the first page (and maybe the very last panel) which would have Murdoch explaining his paranormal investigations to a cynical criminologist, the author of these mortifying myths takes a more active role in the story. 

The stories seemed rushed, which is how it was in the Golden Age of comics. The more pages turned out, the more money a writer, artist or inker could make. Artistically, the art isn't bad. But it doesn't stand out amongst the crowds either. Here, it's the writing which is not all that good. The plots have more holes than Swiss cheese, and there seems to be massive edits throughout the flow of the adventures. That leads me to believe that perhaps the writer had these vast plots that due to time or page allotments had to be trimmed - alot!

Thankfully, the stories get better towards the end. Sadly, the less we see of Drew Murdoch, the better the ghost tales got. Eventually, Murdoch became a phantom in his own series, though his name remained in the title. Eventually, Fiction House too gave up the ghost when the comics scare saw an end to all but a handful of publishers by the end of the 1950s.

I just wasn't a fan of this book. I tried to enjoy it and it did get better the last third of the book. But I really could have done without all of the extraneous information about both the publisher history and all the extra details on the other features that appeared in Jumbo Comics but not in this volume. It was almost like Michael H. Price wrote an essay about the entire company's publishing history in hopes that would be used in other future Yoe publications that feature the other stars of Jumbo Comics. A clever way to save money- sure. And maybe this generalized history was Craig Yoe's idea. Regardless, it is not a great way to introduce readers to what they might find inside, especially if they bought this book expecting to find works by the omitted artists praised in the prose section of the book.

Rating: 5 out of 10 stars.

Sunday, October 19, 2025

Popeye Halloween Mini-Comic: Popeye Vs. the Ghosk

This 2009 mini-comic might say Popeye on the cover. But the story that occurs in this book was originally published as part of E C. Segar's Thimble Theater before the spinach loving sailor eventually became the title character of the long-running comic strip.

This Halloween Comic Fest freebie not only provided a classic haunt for comic book collectors but it also advertised a 4-volume collected set of the earliest adventures of Olive Oyl, her brother Castor and hamburger loving pal Wimpy to appear in newsprint. It might surprise you but Popeye didn't appear in the strip in 1929, a nearly full decade after Thimble Theater debuted! Until then, pencil thin Olive Oyl was the main character. 

With that information established and Popeye taking the lead role, this story was first published in the 1930s. As this adventure occurs during Popeye's expedition to find his long lost father, a further Google search reveals that this episode first saw print around the late summer/early autumn of 1936. 

The search for Popeye's pop is just the framing device. Set on the fearless sailor's ship, the Elsie, Popeye reveals to a crew member that legend has it that his boat is haunted. At first, everyone, including Popeye, laugh this rumor off. However, as more and more sailors report at having seen a ghost aboard, including the helmsman who is constantly ordered by the spook to drift off course, Popeye and Olive Oyl seeks to get to the bottom of things. 

Naturally, this results in Popeye getting into fisticuffs with the 'ghosk'. But what I didn't expect was for the story to involve a floating head that hops around the boat and even talks! At first I thought that character might be Popeye's father. But the sailor man doesn't recognize the head. While there's no a cliffhanger at mini comic's end, the book closes without revealing who this dude was. And now I'm obsessed with finding out his identity!

I guess this Halloween time promo comic did it's job. It just took 16 years to attract me. I entered into my reading not really caring about reading more Popeye related work. But now I'm interested in reading more. Though conventional wisdom would argue that I start with volume 1, I don't think I can wait to get to volume 3 or 4 before finding out what happens next. I've read other series out of order. What's one more on my reading resume...

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Saturday, October 18, 2025

Food For Thought: Essays and Ruminations by Alton Brown

How many people can say that Alton Brown told them to go to culinary school. Well he did and I did. Mind you, I didn't just enroll as soon as he gave me advice at a Raleigh area food expose when I asked him about some of my career goals. The time just wasn't right. But what he told me was definitely something that I spent a very long time thinking upon.

Thanks to a life changing back injury which resulted in an ill-fated, but fun as heck running, hot sauce shop, I finally took Alton's advice and enrolled in culinary school. About a year later working in the school's store room, I found that I had so much fun educating the hapless students who came in looking for extra ingredients ordered by their chef instructors  that I made it my ultimate goal to become one myself.

I spent the recommended 5 years time sloughing through the culinary industry rising to the rank of sous chef when I got the chance to go back home to teach at the very same culinary school where I got my degree in Hospitality management. When the school, which was a for-profit institution, finally closed after tons of pressure from the Federal government, I found myself wanting to continue teaching. But all of the culinary schools were either shutdown or over an hour away commute. So I found myself working as a freelance restaurant consultant, which opened me up to a bunch of culinary experiences. Finally, in 2019, I found a new home as a culinary teacher... for high school students! 

Anyways, I know that this is a really long setup for a review of a book written by Alton Brown. But feel like I should mention all of this because the Food Network legend is my biggest inspiration as a culinary teacher. I use humor, games, videos, props and unusual facts to help inspire those called 'Generation Alpha' to want to become the next generation of chefs. With cell phones, the threat of Ai destroying the restaurant industry as we know it, and a general disregard for hard work, it's a very difficult task. Thankfully, growing kids love to eat and TikTok for all it's annoying little habits, has done more to inspired young people to go experiment with their food than just about any reality series hosted by Gordon Ramsay, the late Anthony Bourdain and Guy Fieri combined.

This book is comprised of essays written by Brown primarily for this volume. It's not a collection of works he's has previously published in other publications. Here, Alton reflects on how his past history both involving and separate from food inspired him to go to culinary school for his second degree in order to change the scope of the traditional cooking show with his brilliant series Good Eats. Alton also looks at food portrayed as in books, TV and movies, his thoughts on the future of the culinary industry and potential trends we might see on our dining room table - that is if communal eating is still destined to be a thing in 5-10 years. He also postulates his theory for teaching the next generation of cooks and chefs. 

This was the chapter of which I was most interested in seeing how I stacked up. I mean, I asked the guy nearly a quarter of a century ago how do I become the host of my own cooking show and while I don't have a weekly series on cable or the Internet, I am hosting my own cooking show 3 times a day, 5 days a week; barring summer break, teacher work days and those blessed school holidays!

Alton says that to be an effective teacher you must entertain, engage and empower. I try so hard to do these 3 things. I've been trying my entire career as a culinary teacher which I have been doing for just about a decade. At least my wife thinks I do these well. And I do have contact with some of my students years after they've graduated and I am not just talking about being friends with on Facebook.

I love teaching and I try to learn from my mistakes. During my first day as a high school teacher, I got all high and mighty about the term 'Chef' and told a couple swaggering teen boys who declared themselves to be chefs that they hadn't earned the title. Needless to say, I didn't connect with those 2. But I have learned that when a kid calls themselves a chef, they're not attempting to challenge my skills, knowledge and experience. They're showing a passion for an art form that one day they might want to make into a career. 

From this read, I didn't even know Alton Brown wasn't really a chef. Nor does he want to be referred to as one. He considers himself a 'food educator.' And for the sake of pretension, true chefs don't refer to themselves as that, I learned.  For the most part, I refer to myself as a culinary teacher or instructor. But just as. French teachers have their students call them Madame or Monsieur, I do have my guys call me Chef. It's my way of making our Culinary labs as real world approached as possible by maintaining Escoffier's kitchen brigade system. I've stepped away from the ego trips for the sake of making a quality impact on my students and their career goals.

I approached this book as a student coming back to his mentor after years in practice for a refresher course on whether or not the pupil had achieved a job well done. I still fight with feelings of inadequacies because I've never once ever been mentioned in the same sentence as any teaching award, much less even been nominated. But I feel like I've lived up to Sensei Brown's philosophy on the culinary world and how to teach it. Have I made mistakes? Oh, yes. But I think that my philosophy on how to make cooking and eating even more fun and exciting than it already is, was thanks in very large part to Alton Brown.

If you became interested in cooking around the turn of the 21st century, during the heyday of the Food Network before it became all about competition instead of creativity and love of the food, whether you became a culinary professional or not, you need to read this book. Use it as a reference to see how well you did over the years. Did you pick up the baton from Alton and his predecessors? (In my case, that would be Julia Child, Martin Yan, Jeff Smith of The Frugal Gourmet and Chef Masaharu Morimoto.) Or did you let the pursuit of perfection kill that spark of passion for cooking?  

We've all had meals that missed the mark. I still remember the third meal I ever tried to make after becoming a foodie. My wife and I still talk about how terrible it was. But despite injury and a lack of time, I still haven't given up trying to make my next meal my greatest work of culinary art. And I've got Alton Brown to thank for it and I think you can too when you pick up this 2025 dissertation on the state of the world of the culinary arts.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.

Friday, October 17, 2025

The Simple Art of Murder by Raymond Chandler

This is my first venture into the Philip Marlowe archetype stories written by Raymond Chandler. Well, almost. If you thought George Lucas was bad with his constant retooling of the original Star Wars trilogy, you have never encountered Raymond Chandler. The celebrated crime author was never happy with the end result of his work and he struggled for years with perfection. It is listed as one of the underlying causes of his chronic alcoholism. 

The character began with the name Mallory. Ever the perfectionist, Chandler switched up his ultimate character ideal with another private investigator named Carmady, then Malvern before settling on John Dalmas, whom the author made the focus of a majority of his crime works from 1936-1939 when Philip Marlowe picked up the baton in the form of an ever smoking revolver to fight and solve crime in the Los Angeles area.

Once he was happy with Philip Marlowe, Chandler began to go back to his older pulp shorts and reworked the shamus into them. Stories that I have previously read such as 'Finger Man', 'Red Wind' and 'The Lady in the Lake' were written before Raymond Chandler was satisfied with his protagonist. Yet, the editions I read were the second final drafts. In this collection, I got to read the original published works. It was almost like coming across a DVD with the original 1977 theatrical cut of Star Wars- before it was retitled as Episode IV: A New Hope.

This anthology of Chandler short stories begins with the title essay 'The Simple Art of Murder'. Chandler wrote a lot of essays on crime and mystery writing. This one is considered the Gettysburg Address of brief dissertations on the medium. It gives insight into the thought process behind crafting a mystery story. It also lets me a little off the hook when I find myself feeling like something didn't gel right as Chandler argues that crime stories are full of inaccuracies, red herrings and are in a word, implausible. 

Along with the piece that was first published in the Atlantic Monthly, there are 8 short stories. My favorite was 'I'll Be Seeing You'. It was the shortest story in the book and is considered the most perfectly set mystery story of all time. It certainly was memorable and I didn't want it to end. 'The King in Yellow', 'Pickup on Noon Street' and 'Spanish Blood' were really good as well. That last story sees the main character spending some time in the same mountain town where The Lady in the Lake took place and I enjoyed the sense of a shared universe because of the setting.

I was excited to see 'Guns at Cyrano's' in this volume. That story was originally published in Trouble is My Business. But the edition I read omitted it. It was story that was worth the wait. 

I was on the fence about 'Nevada Gas'. I like that the protagonist was something other than a PI. Here, he's a mid-level hood who is simultaneously fighting off a romantic rival as well as gangsters trying to frame him for the aerosol murder of a businessman. But this story also has some gaps like in one scene when the main character walks in on his girl and the rival, who disappears but is never mentioned as ever having exited the scene.

The one story I could have done without was 'Smart-Aleck Kill'. It seems like an open and shut case of suicide. But the murder weapon is a hand gun that's been filed, which doesn't seem to fit the M.O. of a suicide. So the detective on the case goes to the widow of the gun's original owner and that's when things are supposed to get really good. But I was bored with this story. It just didn't resonate with me. It took me several days to finish and I couldn't wait for it to be over.

Though I wasn't a fan of every story, I love the crime noir world of Raymond Chandler. Even with some tales having flaws in them! I'm totally hooked right now and I want to read more. But as there's so many volumes of collected works that often have some of the same works. I think I am gonna need a list so I can keep straight what I have read and what's still out there to uncover.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 7 out of 10 stars.

Are You Afraid of the Dark?, Vol. 2: The Sinister Sisters and Other Terrifying Tales (Family Comic Friday)

Growing up, we had a number of horror anthology TV series to scare the pants off of us. Tales From the Darkside. Monsters. The Twilight Zone- both the black and white original in syndication and the full color reboot. But the show that creeped my generation out the most, was a series that on paper, should have been a much more tamer of a fright. That's because it was geared at teens and aired on Nickelodeon! I'm talking about Are You Afraid of the Dark?

This anthology series originally aired from 1992-96. It was the chilling capstone to a 2-hour Saturday evening program block that saw innocuous family friendly fare such as Rugrats, All That and more. Are You Afraid of the Dark? was good to spoil my good feeling mood and as I was a latch key kid on the weekends in the 90s, the show would put me on edge to where I was creeping out at every little late night noise.

The premise in involved a group of teens that made up a club called the Midnight Society. Each week, a different member would submit a new ghost story or other tale of terror for the approval of the club. Sometimes, it would be a potential new member having to craft a haunt in hopes of becoming a member. If I remember correctly, there was a couple of episodes (probably a two-parter of a season ending cliffhanger) where a member of the Midnight Society had violated the rules of the charter and had to tell the ultimate horror story in order to save their membership status.

In this volume, a set of twin sisters are challenged by the Midnight Society to tell the scariest story. The results of the competition could keep the secret club's existence from being made public or it could mean that one of the members is kicked out of the group. With use of Ghanaian folklore from the girls' ancestry, frightening tales of monsters that eat naughty students and angry gods will be told. However, the voting ends in a tie. Now the girls must team up to craft a story so terrifying that it threatens the siblings already fragile relationship!

Written by Roseanne A. Brownwho is from Ghana, I like the use of native folklore. I took an elective on myths and legends in elementary school and it was so fun, I continue to devour such new oral histories with aplomb! It's got me wondering if the previous volume is told in the same manner as there is a different creative team associated with it. 

The artwork of the first story had some creepy elements. I was entertained by the middle story but not scared. Yet, that last one. Oh boy. It was edging on demon possession, which is one of the few types of horror stuff I shy away from. 

Since the 90s, there have been 2 revivals of the series. Both occurred in this decade. Age and probably being exclusive to a streaming platform resulted in them not making a blip on my radar. Heck, if it wasn't for my local library having this book on a Halloween display, I wouldn't have even known that Are You Afraid of the Dark? was having a prose revival with today's youth. I scour Previews and other sites for comic new releases and I do not remember seeing this one even listed!

In reality, this early 2025 release is a tie-in from the most recent series reboot. While there hasn't been a new episode drop since 2022, Harry N. Abrams has published a couple of chapter books and one previous graphic novel as a tie-in, as the show had continued to be featured on Paramount+ . However, in the spring of this year, Paramount removed the show in order to focus on other projects. So this book might be the very last in the series, which is a shame, because it captured the spirit of the original series very well and creeped me out.

If your looking for scary reads this Halloween season for third graders and up, why not make a nostalgic connection with Are You Afraid of the Dark? If it resonates, there's at least one other graphic novel and a slew of chapter books, both in and out of print, to stoke the fire of literacy with the young readers in your life. 

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

Thursday, October 16, 2025

Spookhouse 2018 Halloween ComicFest Mini Comic

I am super stoked that Eric Powell has returned to his hillbilly criminal macabre roots with more adventures of the Goon and Frankie. But it will be next year before I read those because I cannot stand a cliffhanger. Plus I'm still behind 2 volumes. (They've not been very easy to find.)

Until then, I have this mini comic Halloween ComicFest promo and trick-or-treat freebie from 2018 to tide me over.

I've read the first story before. It's pure Powell. A group of obnoxious teens who are haunted house aficionados, are invited by a spry little fella wearing a great skull mask and a tuxedo to visit a legendary site. It's the location of a series of gruesome killings and rumor has it that for one night only, it's open to the public as the best scary attraction in the entire tri-state area. This is something those spook snobs have got to see for themselves.

I love this story. It's got a great punchline ending that while I saw coming a mile away, there's a twist that catches you off guard. Meaning I zigged when Powell zagged and he got me good! I also love the art for this story. You can see how legends from EC Comics like Jack Davis and 'Ghastly' Graham Ingels inspired Powell to create this all-ages fright fest. The design of the little fella in the mask and tails was brilliant. If they ever make a tee-shirt of the cover image, I must have it! And the poses of the subjects and the angles selected for the action- such fluidity of movement.

The second story is only written by Eric Powell. So visually, it lacks that magical oomph. It's about a young boy who earns a F on his book report on a book on monsters written long ago by his late discredited grandfather. More funny than scary. But it's got a ghost, a troll and a school marm who's a worst villain than the two previous frights combined. 

I don't know why I haven't just pulled the trigger and consumed all 10 issues from the 2 series. I've read at least 1 other issue and I thought it was great. And the fact that I read these stories previously and I had a big thrill reading it again; I think that speaks volumes to the skills and talents of Eric Powell. And I had so much fun!

I think next Halloween is going to be a Spookhouse Halloween... 

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Friday, October 10, 2025

Grubbs Halloween Spooktacular #1

Billy Watson goes by the unwanted nickname of Grubbs. But that's not what worries him at the moment. He's got his neighborhood Halloween plans all figured out. Now he's just got to find a way to ditch the rest of his group in order to maximize his candy earning potential. But when he faces the neighborhood bullies, who want to steal his hard-earned treats, Grubbs learns that it might not be a bad idea to have a partner!

Grubbs is created by Max Weaver and is partially based on his personal childhood experiences. His older brother gave him the nickname of 'Grubbs' because of how Max reminded his sibling of a grub worm. So I'm wondering if Billy Watson's ability to get into mischief might also be based on past experiences.

Grubbs is like Dennis the Menace without the snarky back talk. He's also a diabolical genius like Bart Simpson without the PG-13 attitude. And if Grubbs reminds you of Calvin from the Bill Watterson comic strip classic, it's all because of the artwork!

Max Weaver's illustrations are what I expect Calvin to look like if he was allowed to age past his eternal 6 years appearance and mentality. Grubbs is only 8 but I would have placed him at 10 or 12, especially with how he gives his older sister's new boyfriend the run around in the second, non-holiday backup story. And yet, I really didn't feel like Grubbs was all that devious behind the hi-jinx. 

This 2021 read was a ton of fun. But since it's not a book that is readily available to the public, I hesitate to make this a Family Comic Friday offering. Amazon offers a digital copy on its Kindle system. But I'm a fan of print. I don't care how affordable it is; nothing beats the experience of holding a book: smelling it, flipping of the pages, being enclosed by the intimacy of the 90 degree angled corner made when you open it for a good read. If you have kids that love Halloween or you're just a kid at heart and you can find this book in the wild somehow, you really should get it. Both stories were great reads. So good that I wasn't even disappointed that the second tale wasn't even Halloween themed.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.

Tuesday, October 7, 2025

Archie Showcase Digest #24- Halfway to Halloween


This book debuted in stores in May. I was very lucky to find a copy still on a Harris Teeter magazine rack just a couple of weeks ago. Boy am I glad I did because there's a ton of stuff that I have never read before!

Archie, both Little and as a teenager, Sabrina and her bewitching family and Betty and Veronica all have both Halloween themed and regular day supernatural adventures in this book. I didn't realize how many abandoned mansions that are supposedly haunted, occupy the town of Riverdale. In this gigantic digest, I lost count after 4!

The best story was a multipart tale where an Addams Family archetype clan moves into the haunted mansion behind Archie's house. I liked this story because of how creepy and kooky this family is and yet Archie treats them like normal people. He even treats their man-eating shrub like you would a beloved family dog.Once he got to know their true character, of course. It's how if I meet the Addams Family or even the Munsters, I hope I would react and interact with them.

Another thing that was really good didn't involve anyone from the Archie gang. It was the monster heavy pieces from the 1960s horror comedy anthology titled Archie's Mad House. Those pieces looked like something from EC Comics and had the humor of MAD Magazine. I thought they were great! I've never actively pursued these issues. But I've never turned down a chance to purchase one of I ever find them while searching through discount long boxes. But I might just start...

My choice for the worst story was the story from Archie's Weird Mysteries. Adapted from the monster and alien heavy 2000 cartoon series of the same name, I was excited about this one at first. I loved the animated series and I had put the 25 issues based on it on my wish list. But after reading this one, I might have to rethink that. The story, which recounts how Veronica became chosen as the Riverdale version of Buffy the Vampire Slayer as well as the betrayal of their friend Scarlet, who was a bloodsucker all along, relies too much on the TV series. The recap is too long. Inside jokes about the cartoon are referenced way too much and I had trouble relating to the mentor character of Dr. Beaumont.

I didn't know that Halloween in May was a thing. I know all about Christmas in July. But if Archie Comics wants to make this digest an annual thing, I'm all for it! This Summer time digest had more new-to-me material than this year's October published Halloween themed Archie digest, which was almost comprised entirely of Archie Halloween Spectacular material of the past decade!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.

Friday, October 3, 2025

Batman/Deadpool #1

The Dark Knight meets the Merc with a Mouth. 

This should have been the event of the year. If this had occurred 30 years ago, it would have made the front cover of Wizard Magazine, Entertainment Weekly and a host of other publications that have gone the way of the dodo. Even 20 years ago, such a cross company crossover would have made the news.

But it's 2025. There's so much media out there, this epic introduction was barely a blip on the radar. Still, getting the stars of the DC and Marvel universes together again for the first time in over 20 years was a crossover that established fans have been clamoring over for a very long time!

I must admit, I forgot about this one-shot happening. Earlier this year when the announcement was made, I promptly emailed my favorite comic shop and ordered a copy. I then put a pic of Batman and Deadpool together- officially!- on my Facebook pic. Then as time elapsed, I just forgot about it until I saw on a comic book website that the time had come. And yet, despite having been really excited about the meet-up, it was another week until I picked up my copy!

While Batman meeting Deadpool is the primary selling point of this book, there are several other crossovers contained in this Marvel published giant. After Deadpool is brought over from his universe to the DC one by a mysterious benefactor who hires the mercenary to off the Bat;  Wonder Woman and Captain America reflect on their past history which sees the DC and Marvel universes cohabitating as one. Then Daredevil and Green Arrow bump into each other in a story penned by Kevin Smith, who helmed classics starring the two characters. The Dark Knight Returns Batman and the Old Man Logan Wolverine are given the same treatment by an artist/writer who knows the pair rather intimately: Frank Miller! Then we get a tease that the Amalgam Universe could be alive and well with the introduction of Logo: a hybrid of Czarnian bounty hunter Lobo and the mutant Wolverine. 

Every story but 1 was great. Woman Woman with her World War II introduction to the world was the perfect team-up pairing with Captain America. Princess Diana must have a thing for Army men named Steve. Having Kevin Smith bring the Man Without Fear and the Emerald Archer together was another brilliant idea. And could it be true that we're going to be returning to the Amalgam Universe? Please say it's so! But man, has things fallen off for Frank Miller...

The artwork was primitive. But I can't really fault that. Arthritis and age have reduced many an artistic talent in the comic book industry to far cries of their glory years. But the dialogue for this piece. It was chopped full of cliches. It was such a jumbled mess. I didn't know what was happening nor what the hell either character was trying to say. 

Oh! And how could I forget that adorable play date between Krypto and Jeff, the Land Shark! Plus I loved the cultural exchange program between the Guardians of Oa and the Guardians of the Galaxy! Having Rocket Raccoon as a Green Lantern was hilarious. That adventure was way too short.

There was only one missed opportunity. No Deadpool meets Deathstroke. No Deadpool meeting Harley Quinn. Okay. That was 2 missed opportunities 

Thankfully, the DC/Marvel fun doesn't have to end just yet. In November, Batman and Deadpool will intermingle once more in a one-shot published by DC. Grant Morrison is set to pen it. Hopefully, Wade Wilson will meet Slade Wilson and Harleen Quinzel. Regardless, it should be epic. I can't wait. And hopefully, I won't forget about it this time!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

Dracula's Brunch Club (Family Comic Friday)

I started off my Halloween reads of 2025 with a fantastic book. Dracula's Brunch Club blends humor, horror and culinary arts in a story that takes everything you know about vampires and flips it around 180 degrees.

Count Dracula has won international fame. Not because he's the king of the vampires but because he's a world renowned donut maker! His sugary delights have forged a peace between humans and the undead. He even hosts a weekly brunch club where even werewolves can't help themselves for a taste of Dracula's famous crullers.

Dracula's claim to fame are his blood orange jelly donuts. It gives all of the vampires that partake a needed boost of late night energy. However, everything the Count has built threatens to come crashing down when his supply of blood orange jelly is stolen. Unable to make his signature dish, it provides an opening for a rival vampire to become the head of the brunch club, which is now full of mysterious new members. And he's even banished all of the human members from the club!

With jams, jellies and fruits on short supply, now Dracula and his trusty French Baker Chef Jeleu (Jelly in French) must create a new gelatin filled donut. Without it, the town's children's hospital fundraiser will be ruined, the Count will lose the coveted Spirit Award for excellence in baking and worse! No longer be a member of the very brunch club Dracula created! 

Writer Brian Gonsar and artist Keenan Gaybba make their graphic novel debut in this 2025 work from Oni Press. It has a spooky vibe with liberal amounts of silliness and humor. The entire foundation of vampire folklore is in this book; from their inability to reflect in mirrors to their love of A,B and O positive and negative blood. A few townsfolk get turned into creatures of the night. But it's all done off scene. There's a little bit of fisticuffs between Dracula and his rival. But it's nothing that's too scary or violent. 

Recommended for readers aged 8-12 on Amazon, I can support that suggestion. This book fits right in that kind of sweet spot for kids of that age who like scary things as well as really silly reads.

I love the cover. It's an image of a box of donuts. The fang marks on the jelly donut is hilarious. The plastic window in the shape of a coffin is genius. And the Dunkin' looking font was so clever. It perfectly hints at everything you should expect from this book: horror and humor.

I really thought I made a great choice with this book to start off my October of Halloween reads. This book isn't set during Halloween. But unlike a Christmas read, does a read for All Hallows Eve have to be set on October 31st? I don't think so. As long as there's that supernatural vibe, whether terrifying or not, a Halloween read can be set during any time of year. 

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.