Bullwinkle #2

The second and last solo issue from Gold Key in the 1960s titled Bullwinkle. It really didn't need to be renamed because the formula is exactly like the TV show. It just reflects that Bullwinkle became the break out star.

The opening story has Rocky and Bullwinkle investigating the so-called 'Phantom of the Soap Opera.' While squirrel uncovers the clues, moose plays bait, taking a lead role in the stage production. 

Afterwards, Snidely Whiplash infiltrates Mountie's headquarters, posing as a travelling magician whose closing act promises to be explosive for Dudley Do-right. The 'Fractured Fairy Tale' is a spoof on the Woodcutter's Daughter, becoming a beautiful starlet after she rescues a witch. Mr. Peabody takes his boy Sherman back to meet P.T. Barnum around the time he was playing manager for noted songstress Jenny Lind and the talking dog becomes the circus' latest star attraction!

In a rarity, there's also a 3-page solo story starring Boris and Natasha. The spies film a promotional video touting the benefits of living in Pottsylvania and wind up making the Communist country sound so good that nobody will want to escape from it!

Bookending this issue has Bullwinkle resulting in trickery to win a kiddie TV show contest. Also posing as a child in hopes of winning is Boris, who thinks his short stature and former childhood prowess will net him a humiliating win over the children of the United States.

Another fun read that includes a Ripley's Believe It or Not type feature of unusual and somewhat comical facts. It would be almost a decade before Bullwinkle and Rocky returned to comics with a very poor adaptation from Charlton. If you can't get your hands on the classic episodes, this is the next best thing for many laughs and a few groaners. But that's was to be expected from the toon as well.

Worth Consuming!

Rating; 8 out of 10 stars.

Gunmaster (Gwandanaland Comics #684)

This collection of Charlton Comics Westerns comes from Gwandanaland Comics. It collects the 10 issues of the solo titled Gunmaster series. Published in stunning full color, there's also another collection of the character's adventures from the pages of the anthology series Six-Gun Heroes. I don't have that book, which is perfectly fine. Almost every story in this book is a standalone tale that doesn't require any prior knowledge about Gunmaster or his teen sidekick Bullet Boy. The only thing that seems to be missing here is any sort of an origin story about the main character and/or how he met Bullet Boy. But for all I know, there might not even be a origin story. Though that does seem unlikely.

Our hero is a talented gun smith, Clay Boone He's a man that abhors violence. To many, he's a yellow bellied coward. But secretly, he's a vigilante masked man who uses a stunning array of handmade weapons and gadgets to bring in outlaws with no fear of the men who wear the badge. 

Gunmaster's sidekick has got to have the most transparent secret identity in all of comicdom. If you thought Clark Kent just wearing glasses was see through, you haven't read anything yet. Bullet Boy's real name is Bob Tellub. That's Bullet Bob backwards! The kid is basically 1 letter away from a super villain with a mirror figuring out who these armed vigilantes really are. And if you ask me, I am pretty sure that the local authorities know that Clay and Bob are Gunmaster and his ward and the law men are just playing along because the masked heroes are the ones sticking their necks out in pursuit of justice.

This series reads like the Gary Cooper and Grace Kelly classic Western High Noon, only with hi-tech and gadgets. Gunmaster might have invented a lot of weapons. But he surely had nothing to do with Chekov's gun which is essentially a literary rule that states that if a gun appears in act one, it must be used in act 2. We witness Cooper creating a lot of gadgets to use in his war on crime at the beginning of every story that never gets used nor mentioned ever again by story's end.

One aspect that I did think that this series was rather superior at was it's villains. There's some varmints with gimmicks that rival those of Jonah Hex. There's the snake oil salesman with the hypnotic eyes. A fat guy who's the brains behind some impossible hold ups. Not to mention a Native American with supernatural connections to the predatory hawk and a tough guy who's charisma intimidates the heck out of Gunmaster. Having several of them return for a showdown against this Western pair of do-gooders was an exciting way to end the series.

That's not to say that they were all Professor Moriartys. The guy who thought he was the new king of a region of Mexico was a major wuss. And several outlaws were drawn so goofy-looking like they were the ancestors of some of the gangsters that Dick Tracy will one day face.

Various artists worked on this series that ran from 1965-67. There were varying degrees of success. But the real masterpieces were the covers dynamically illustrated off and on by Dick Giordano and Rocke Mastroserio. I never could figure out who wrote the stories with the exception of Joe Gill. For some reason, only they were given a writing credit in the last issue.

An interesting read with some strange and rather bizarre storylines. It wasn't always pretty. Far from it. .But I can see where this book might have influenced DC's Weird Western Tales.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 7 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.

Steed and Mrs. Peel #1 (2025 Comic Book & Graphic Novel Reading Challenge)

The quirky spy series The Avengers originally ran from 1961-1969. Contrary to popular beliefs, The Avengers didn't air on the BBC. Instead it was part of the programming for ITV. Also known as Channel 3, the independent free-to-air public broadcasting network had a budget way smaller than the state-run British Broadcasting Channel. So in 1965, American broadcaster ABC bought the series, making the names John Steed and Mrs. Emma Peel household names. The series made actress Diana Rigg a cultural icon. 

After The Avengers ended in 1969, it seemed that the show was doomed to languish in reruns. Surprisingly, the episodes that started Mrs. Peel's replacement Tara King, were lasting hits in France. As a result, champagne manufacturer Laurent-Perrier created an advertising campaign starring Patrick Macnee as John Steed and Linda Thorson as King. 

The success of the campaign brought about interest in a reboot. Macnee returned as Steed in the retooled New Avengers. As Patrick Macnee was pushing 50, The New Avengers featured younger actor Gareth Hunt taking on the more strenuous stunts as trained martial artist Mike Gambit. Playing the role of the beautiful but deadly Purdy was the blonde actress Joanna Lumley, about 2 decades shy of her role as the boozy Patsy Stone on the sitcom Absolutely Fabulous.

This 1990 3-issue miniseries takes place in between the events of the original series and the 1976-1978 reboot. Written by Grant Morrison with art by Ian Gibson, the Acme Press/Eclipse Comics published series sees Steed reuniting with Mrs. Peel after it has been revealed that a mole has infiltrated the never named branch of British Intelligence that Steed works for. After a military strategist is murdered and Tara King is incapacitated, Steed turns to the only person he can trust: Emma Peel. 

Mrs. Peel has been spending her time away from the intelligence community with her husband in the South American jungle. An anthropologist, Mr. Steed was presumed dead, which led to Emma becoming an unofficial agent for the British crown. When Mr. Peel was found safe and sound, Mrs. Peel left to reunite with her spouse. In this miniseries, Mr. Peel is alive and well, observing native ritual sacrifices. It's a subject that clearly doesn't hold Emma's interest and she's more than willing to help out her old partner for old times sake.

This series, like other subsequent titles based on the British TV series, are titled Steed and Mrs. Peel. Not The Avengers. That's because in the United States, Marvel Comics owns the naming rights to The Avengers as well as The New Avengers. It's made for a little bit of confusion amongst comic collectors looking for the adventures of John Steed and Mrs Peel in print. Muddling things is the fact that because John Steed and his revolving door of partners debuted on the boob tube and later the silver screen in a 1998 American made film starring Ralph Fiennes and Uma Thurman, the British franchise has naming rights over Marvel when it comes to live action works. Thus, the cinematic adventures of Earth's Mightiest Heroes must be officially titled as Marvel's Avengers. In the United Kingdom and Ireland, the first Avengers film goes by the name Marvel Avengers Assemble.

In 2012, Acme/Eclipse's 3 issue miniseries was reprinted as a 6-issue limited series by Boom! Studios before releasing a regular series penned by Mark Waid. Both publications by Boom! were released as Steed and Mrs. Peel.

Completing this review completes Task #21 (Written by an Author From the UK) the 2025 Comic Book and Graphic Novel Reading Challenge.

Essential Avengers, Vol. 3

Volume 3 of Essential Avengers sees yet more roster changes. BIG SHOCK there. The King of Wakanda and the android Vision joins the ranks of Earth's Mightiest Heroes. With that last inclusion, that also means we're introduced to the robotic menace: Ultron!

This volume covers issues that first debuted from 1968-70. I knew that the Vision makes his debut during this period of time. But I thought we were at least 5 years, maybe more, away from Ultron coming into being. So having him pop up was a real surprise. Too bad that Ultron is probably my least favorite Marvel villain of all-time. Here's a character perfectly designed to destroy humanity and yet, Ultron always loses- seemingly destroyed. But no! Ultron keeps coming back in a new, bigger and badder upgraded body. Why won't he just die?! 

The addition of T'Challa adds a touch of royalty along with a heavy hitter to the ranks of the Avengers. Why the Black Panther doesn't use his political clout more during this time period is beyond me. Instead, T'Challa takes on the secret identity of Luke Charles, a inner city school teacher. Towards the end of this volume, we do experience the struggles of the Civil Rights movement through the Panther's eyes when those slimy racist goons of the Serpent Society rear their ugly heads back onto the seen. They're not as scary as the original version of the group seen in the previous volume. Still, it doesn't make their message of hatred and bigotry any less palatable. Beating DC Comics to the punch with relevant comics by almost a full year, I don't know if making the Black Panther the champion of the battle of inner city racism and inequality was Roy Thomas' idea or that of editor Stan Lee. Whomever it was, they were visionaries whose contribution should never be erased from bookshelves!

Another major character undergoes a change; although their metamorphosis is less internal and very much overt! Clint Barton hangs up his purple tights and arrows and takes on Dr. Henry Pym's mantle of Goliath, the giant Avenger. No, Hank hasn't retired from superheroing. But now a married man and operating as the schizophrenic superhero Yellow Jacket, Pym doesn't have time for seeing the sites of the Big Apple from 20 feet in height. After the death of his brother, Barton needs a change. Losing the love of his life, the Black Widow, to her career as a SHIELD operative may have something to do with the change in identity...

Compared to the last volume, there's a lot more of original members Thor and Iron Man as well as Captain America in this book. They're all still on reserve status. But it's nice to see them in action when things look their bleakest like in the alternate reality thriller of Avengers, Annual #2 in which the original Avengers killed off all of the other heroes in order to usher in a Golden Age of Peace and tranquility under the benevolence of the Scarlet Centurion. 

It seems that with the loss of new recruits balanced with the assistance of the Big Three, the more things change for the Avengers, the more things stay the same.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Essential Avengers, Vol. 2

The second volume of Marvel's Essential Avengers sees not just the team but the magazine itself going through a lot of changes. When we begin with issue #25, the team's lineup is seriously under-powered. Thor, Iron Man, Giant Man and the Wasp are gone. Captain America is left to lead mutant siblings, the Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver as well as the hot-headed sharpshooter, Hawkeye. Arguably this is the weakest incarnation of the Avengers ever!

How the comic book managed to avoid cancellation with such a puny roll call is beyond me. Yet, that was part of the genius of Stan Lee. Love him or hate him, the man knew how to sell a comic book and he managed to keep the World's Mightiest Superheroes relevant without any of Marvel's heaviest hitters. By issue #35, Stan would leave the title in the hands of his most trusted protege, Roy Thomas. Along with Don Heck, some of the weirdest tales ever told this side of Marvel's sci-fi and fantasy books would occur in the pages of the Avengers; including the heroes being abducted by aliens in the Bavarian Alps.

Eventually Hank Pym, stuck at the towering height of 25 feet, along with Jan Van Dyne, would return to the team, becoming the de facto leaders in the absence of Cap. A terrifying story of a fascist group of bigots calling themselves the Sons of the Serpent would do their best to infiltrate the ranks of our government as well as the boards of many Fortune 500 companies, declaring America for Americans only, would be an early test of Pym's leadership. Taking place in issues #32-33, you really couldn't tell if this story was set in 1966 or current day 2025. Extremely unsettling how undated that story of political terrorism was.

Heck would eventually leave after issue #49. His replacement was John Buscema. The change in artwork was so striking. Heck was great. Buscema was just a tad bit better. Along with the new artist would soon come a new character to the title, that Prince of Power, the Mighty Hercules. While not an official member of the team, the hero's presence as an exiled guest of the Avengers adds a powerful punch that has been missing since the absence of Thor. 

But don't fret thinking that Thor and Iron Man have completely turned their backs on the Avengers. They'll both make guest starring returns in a pair of stories, one of who's sees the heroes battling against the Mandarin and his team of 5 of the Avenger's most fearsome does.

I have an early print of this volume. The printing was terrible. I don't think any sort of remastering had even been attempted. Multiple panels were in desperate need of ink. Others seemed to have been over-inked. It was rare to find a complete page where there weren't any print flaws.

I had low expectations for this book. While the Sons of the Serpent story was a gut punch of a read, I really enjoyed this seemingly implausible lineup of Marvel heroes. I just wish my print was given the same amount of love and care as the original works were given.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 7 out of 10 stars.

Showcase Presents: The Atom, Vol. 2

I decided I didn't want to wait to read the rest of the collected earliest adventures of the world's smallest superhero, the Atom. After I read a Showcase Presents or Marvel Essential collection, I usually wait a while to read the follow up. Mostly, because these books are so hard to find and I enjoy them so much that I don't want to run out of adventures to read. But I had such an enjoyable time with Gardner Fox and Gil Kane's take on the diminutive powerhouse that I just couldn't hold it anymore.

Chronos, Doctor Light and the Floronic Man, Jason Woodrue, all make returns in hopes of enacting revenge on the Atom. There are a good 3 or 4 continuing treks through the Time Pool, sending the hero to solve an assortment of historical mysteries such as the only successful theft of England's crown jewels. Ray Palmer's relationship with Jean Loring advances, though still no wedding bells. Plus unlikely pal, Hawkman with his bride Hawkgirl make a few returns to Atom's burgh of Ivy Town.

This isn't to say that this whole second volume is a rehash of stories seen in the first anthology. Far from it. Justice League of America sidekick Snapper Carr is given a secret assist from the Atom. Then Earth-1 and Earth-2 combine when Ray Palmer meets the original Atom, Al Pratt, in not one but two team-ups between legacy characters. The Atom also adds some new rogue's to his gallery with the introduction of the Bug-eyed Bandit and the Bat-Knights.

The Bat-Knights seems like characters that should be a part of the Batman universe. Only, these fierce warriors are an ancient pint-sized race of people who fly atop bats when they feel endangered by the full-size humans who stumble upon their territorial lands. Two great stories involved these new creatures and their love/ hate relationship with fellow tiny hero, the Atom. 

The Atom also picks up an animal sidekick in the penultimate story. While in Cambodia assisting on an archaeological dig, Ray Palmer encounters an injured mynah bird. Once healed, Ray names him Major and uses the bird for winged treks. Sadly, Major's appearance in issues #37 and #38 would just about be the bird's only additions to the DC Universe.

I don't think sales were to blame for cancellation. Instead, it was ageism. In 1968, the year The Atom was 'cancelled', Fox and several other veterans were fired when DC enacted a policy to not provide insurance coverage for their elderly employees. I think Fox knew that his days were numbered as the tone of several stories in this volume drastically changed. Instead of straight forward storytelling, Gardner Fox began experimenting with quirky introductions, alternative perspectives and points of view and more hip slang that the average 1960s teen might use... badly. More than likely, Fox was doing a little employee improvement practice on DC's dime, as the writer's work temporarily imitates what Marvel was beating DC with at the time. 

After publishing a handful of novels, in the early 1970s, Gardner Fox would go on to work briefly at Marvel, perhaps boosted by his more modern resume. Unfortunately, Fox wouldn't be allowed to say a proper goodbye to his creation of the Atom. Neither would Gil Kane. Instead it would be written by Frank Robbins with starkly different penciling by Mike Sekowsky. Issue #38 would also be the final run of the first volume of The Atom. Sorta.

With issue #39, the series was re-branded The Atom and Hawkman. Hawkman's solo series was officially cancelled and the Thanagarian hero joined forces with the Atom. Hawkman's Joe Kubert led the creative team that replaced Fox and Kane. However, the teaming of feathered friend and tiny titan wasn't to be, as ultimately both heroes were cancelled before the new decade with issue #45. This book does not include those final 7 team-up issues.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Garrison's Gorillas #2 (2024 Comic Book & Graphic Novel Reading Challenge)

Spinning out of the popularity of 1967's The Dirty Dozen, Garrison's Gorillas debuted on the ABC airwaves the following year. It followed a commando unit compromised of 5 American convicts given a chance at parole and having their records wiped clean if they serve on a suicide squad in World War II Europe. Consisting of a con man, a safe cracking mechanic, a demolition expert and a cat burglar, the Gorillas were led by 1st Lieutenant Craig Garrison, referred to as 'The Warden.' The cons knew that if they refused to serve in the most dangerous of missions behind enemy lines, the Gorillas won't be sent back to prison; they'd be executed by firing squad for desertion. 

As a tie-in to the 1968 live action series, Dell released a comic book adaptation that ran for 5 issues. 4 of the books featured art by Sam Glanzman including this sophomore effort. A Navy veteran aboard the USS Stevens during the second World War, Glanzman's war comics are notable among fans for it's extreme keenness to detail. The artist's renderings of the actors might not be that close to real life, but Glanzman's illustrations of military vehicles are second to only that of the manuals servicemen used to operate them!

There's two stories of behind the lines espionage in this issue. The first story has the Gorillas posing as crashed American airmen in an attempt to locate whose providing the Nazis with the plans of the Holland resistance. Story two takes place in occupied France with the commandos tasked to destroy a gigantic Nazi super cannon that travels via railroad.

Neither story is all that different from other war comics of the day. If the plots of the TV series are indicative of this issue, it's no wonder that the show only lasted for a 26 episode season. Ironically, Garrison's Gorillas would see a tremendous resurgence in 1980s China of all places. Reruns of the war drama were so popular, it's rumored that the Chinese government would schedule their meetings around times Garrison's Gorillas was due to air. While that story is probably just American propaganda or folklore, is it true that the Chinese government did award the series a public service award for being so popular that even criminals would stay home when it was on. No word on if any of the producers or stars of the show were ever presented with a tangible certificate of merit for the government honors.

With the abrupt cancellation of the series, whether all 5 members of Garrison's Gorillas made it to the end of World War II unscathed and earned their pardons has never been revealed. But if Garrison's Gorillas was to end similarly to that of The Dirty Dozen, you can be sure that at least one or two of these commandos earned their freedom.

Completing this review completes Task #4 (A Dell Comic based off a Live-Action TV Show) of the 2024 Comic Book and Graphic Novel Reading Challenge.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

Brain Boy #6 (2024 Comic Book & Graphic Novel Reading Challenge)

Matt Price is a young man with a miraculous ability. His highly advanced brain allows him tremendous mental powers including levitating, telepathy and the ability to control others minds. However, Matt's talents will face their most difficult tests when he takes a much needed vacation in the Canadian wilderness.

Code-named Brain Boy by the secret government agency that he works for, Matt's abilities were the result of an accident that happened while he was still in the womb. An electrical tower collapsed on the vehicle carrying his parents. The blast killed Matt's father while transferring energy into his mother. That massive power surge accelerated the prenatal Matt's cerebral cortex, turning him into one of the most powerful psychics ever known.

On his vacation in the Great White North, Matt arrives at a small fishing town where small town life is anything but normal. Most of the townsfolk appear to be in a daze. The two young children that Matt can get to talk to him keep inviting him to take a swim in the community swimming hole. But instead of crystal clear water, the lake has a sickly green hued to it.

When Matt arrives at the lodge he is to vacation at, he meets a man that while arrogant and brash, is the complete opposite of the zombified citizenry. That all changes when the man is persuaded to take a dip in the lake and he emerges from the waters an empty shell of himself.

Now Matt finds himself on the run as the last visitor to the community that hasn't swum in the mysterious lake. With his psychic abilities not working against the community, Matt will have to use his intelligence to find the secret of the lake's bizarre mind altering properties or he'll become the next victim of the mysterious reservoir!

Brain Boy debuted in the pages of Four Color Comics #1330 (March, 1962). Co-created by Herb Kastle, and Gil Kane, the next adventure of Matt Price was Brain Boy #2. His self-titled series concluded with this, the 6th issue. Brian Boy would make a cameo appearance in Alan Moore's League of Extraordinary Gentlemen universe before being revived in a brief 2013 series released by Dark Horse Comics.

'The Mindless Ones' was written by Kastle. The story which elicits fears of who can you really trust has elements of the classic sci-fi thrillers Invasion of the Body Snatchers and Village of the Damned. Adding to the chilling tone of this issue is a one-page prose story titled 'The Devil Worshiper' and a 4-page backup feature starring the white Tibetan trained mystic; the Strange Mr. Ozymandias. 'Devil's Acres' was crafted by Frank Springer, who was also the regular artist on the Brain Boy spin-off from Dell Comics.

Painted cover by Vic Prezio.

Completing this review completes Task #2 (Comic From the Silver Age (1956-1970) ) of the 2024 Comic Book and Graphic Novel Reading Challenge.

Rating: 5 out of 10 stars.

Marvel Masterworks: The X-Men, Vol. 1

This volume collects the first 10 issues of Marvel's X-Men ever published. I'm pretty sure that I've read most, if not all of these issues prior. But I have never experienced them in such glorious remastered color!

These issues reflect what I think is some of the very best and very worst of the early days of Marvel Comics. These stories debuted starting in the fall of 1963. That's not quite 2 full years of the Marvel Age of Comics yet. While many of the heavy-hitters including Spider-Man, the Fantastic Four and the Avengers have already debuted prior to the creation of these mutants, X-Men is really the first Marvel series aimed directly at primarily a teen audience. 

Stan Lee pens these stories and the first 2 or 3 issues show that Stan the Man had zero idea how early 60s high schoolers talked. Spider-Man was great because the kids in the book talked like normal people. Johnny Storm, the first teen of Marvel Comics, used some slang and was annoying. But at least he was only 1 character. Here you've got 5 high school students who despite their mutant abilities, look like kids who would've gone to a prep school and yet they talk like rejects from Blackboard Jungle. 

Thankfully, by issue #5, the bad attempts at 60s teenage language are aborted. But now it's replaced by really bad romantic pinings internally expounded by Cyclops, Jean Grey and even Professor X! Thankfully, Xavier's unrequited love towards his under-aged student, Marvel Girl, is quickly forgotten about. Yet, lots of people complain about how out of touch DC writers were with the youth counter-culture during the 1960s. Sure, the House That Superman Built never could get the generation gap right in their books. However, these early X-Men comics are proof that Marvel was far from perfect when it came to American's youth.

Jack Kirby was the main artist of these 10 first issues. I love Jack Kirby. However, I could tell that the X-Men was definitely a title that Kirby felt at times was beneath him. Some issues, the artwork looks rushed. Especially issues 1,2 and 6. However, when the King got a chance to be less rigid, like the 10th issue which takes place in the prehistoric Savage Lands, you could tell that Kirby had tons of fun drawing all those different dinosaurs and cavemen. Plus, it was really neat getting to see Ka-Zar's re-entry into the Marvel Universe as a teen warrior out of time after having recently reads some of his original exploits as a Tarzan arch-type in the African jungle.

Compared to how the X-Men universe has unfolded today, 1963-64 mutantdom is rather plan. The Danger Room is rather unimaginative. For one training session, Marvel Girl is tasked with telekinetically sewing laces on a practice board! There's no more than a dozen mutants with Magneto being the big baddie and for a character that will one day become a Jewish symbol of resilience and resistance, the X-Men foe sure does have a lot of fascist ideas in the book.

These 10 issues were enjoyable stories. But they definitely were not the best Marvel had to offer at the time. Oddly enough, though X-Men will go on to become the flagship standard of heroes for Marvel Comics from the 1970s to the early 2010s, these guys were in serious danger of becoming swept under the rug for their first dozen years of existence. The X-Men don't really gain a devoted cult status until 1975-76 when Len Wein, Dave Cockrum and a neophyte writer named Chris Claremont retool the entire team to being more of a group of international mutants instead of American misfits. Adding a character by the name of Wolverine to their ranks helped a lot with this newfound popularity. 

If I am at all honest, if I was to pick a group of oddball 1960s superheroes to put all my money on, it would be the Doom Patrol. Many, including series creator Arnold Drake and myself included saw the early X-Men as a poor copy of the DP team. I think it helped that the DC team had better and far more original villains than the students at the Xavier School did at the time. Magneto and the Blob are great foes. The Toad, Mastermind, Unus the Untouchable, and siblings Scarlett Witch and Quicksilver are not. (Can anybody tell me why the Vanisher is dressed like a snake?) But I really think the hearts of both Stan Lee and Jack Kirby just weren't in it 100% with this title and the lack of dedication shows as the consistency of Marvel Age quality just isn't noticeable in about half of these reprinted issues.

Worth Consuming, but just barely.

Rating: 7 out of 10 stars.

March: Book Two (2023 Comic Book & Graphic Novel Reading Challenge)

At the 2015 San Diego Comic-Con, Congressman John Lewis led a ceremonial march, cosplaying as himself- only 40 years younger. Not only was it the 40th anniversary of the march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama in hopes of procuring voting rights for African Americans, 2015 marked the debut of volume 2 of Lewis' graphic novel trilogy March, recounting his role in the civil rights movement. 

Volume 2 covered the following events-

Having successfully participated in a boycott protesting Nashville restaurants refusing to serve black customers, Lewis turns his sights to other cities before planning on joining a Quaker relief organization in India.

In 1961, a group calling themselves 'The Freedom Riders' plan on travelling from Washington DC to Louisiana, protesting the Federal Government's refusal to enact a Supreme Court ruling that called segregated interstate travel by bus to be unconstitutional. Lewis joins CORE as one of 13 black and white riders. During the initial trip, the Freedom Riders were assaulted by the Ku Klux Klan in Alabama. Lewis is beaten unconscious and sent back to Tennessee to recover. 

While recuperating, the bus is firebombed and CORE ends their freedom ride plans.

Forgoing his mission trip to India, Lewis instead works with other college students in another series of Freedom Rides. Lewis is arrested several times, including a stint towards the end of 1962 that will inspire Dr. Martin Luther King to participate. The following year, King will be arrested in Alabama where he will write his 'Letter From a Birmingham Jail', a response to criticism that King and others allowed themselves to remain unjustly imprisoned rather than posting bail.

After the relative success of these second rounds of protest rides, Lewis was elected president of the SNCC- the Student Non-violent Coordinating Committee, in 1963. As a result of his new status, Lewis is invited to participate in a massive march planned to be held in Washington, D.C.. This new role puts John Lewis shoulder to shoulder with several prominent civil rights leaders, including NAACP leader Roy Wilkins and Dr. King. The march would be held in August with John Lewis being the youngest keynote speaker and the last to talk before King delivers his iconic 'I Have A Dream' speech.

The volume ends with the tragic youth Sunday bombing of the 16th Street Church in Birmingham.

Returning to the 2015 march reenactment in San Diego. Rep. Lewis marched throughout the San Diego Convention Center hand-in-hand with hundreds of kids. According to March co-writer (and Lewis congressional aid) Andrew Aydin, John Lewis wanted to show comic book loving youth that not all superheroes wear capes or have superpowers. 

To properly recreate his 1965 march cosplay, John Lewis wore a tan overcoat with a backpack, just as he did when Lewis led about 600 people across the Edmund Pettis Bridge. John Lewis wanted to make sure for this anniversary event that his backpack contained everything the original had with him during the protest. Those items were 2 books, a toothbrush, toothpaste, an apple and an orange. According to Aydin, only the orange was missing to complete the ensemble. 

John Lewis earned a lot of fans during his 2015 Comic-Con activity. Not as many admirers as he did throughout his life as first a civil rights leader and later as a representative of the people of Georgia's 5th District. But thanks to this event and his graphic novel memoirs, John Lewis reintroduced himself to a new generation.

Book Three of March would be released in 2016 with a deluxe trilogy box set available the following year. Artwork for the trilogy was by Nate Powell. Lewis and Aydin would later publish a sequel called Run, detailing Lewis' life and career after the passage of the 1965 Civil Rights Act. 

John Lewis passed away in 2020 at the age of 80; a year before Run would debut in stores.

Completing this review completes Task #40 (Set in the 1960s) of the 2023 Comic Book and Graphic Novel Reading Challenge.

Marble Season (2023 Comic Book & Graphic Novel Reading Challenge)

From the look at 2013's Marble Season, one can see a fight about to break out. However, based on the name of the title, the about to begin melee is not over the classic kids game of marbles. 

Marble Season is a semi-autobiographical look at the childhood of Gilbert Hernandez. More of a series of glimpses in the lives of a group of school kids that live in an interracial neighborhood in Southern California. Set sometime in the early 1960s, these vignettes reflect a nostalgic love for the music, TV shows and films, games, comic books and especially that childlike wonder of growing up.

The title for this book actually is about the events that transpired during a child's book-ended experience with the game of marbles. At the beginning of this book, main-character Huey, a Hispanic boy of around the age of 10, is teaching a young girl how to play the game. To help her practice, Huey gives the girl one of his marbles. Once Huey leaves, the child promptly swallows the glass ball. At the end of this graphic novel, Huey is informed that the little girl had to be hospitalized after swallowing several more marbles! Everything that happens in-between is the official Marble Season game card.

Author and artist Gilbert Hernandez is one of the founding fathers of the second generation of underground comics. In 1981, Gilbert, along with brothers Jaime and Mario, created the groundbreaking comic Love and Rockets. In issue #3, Gilbert introduced readers to the magical land of Palomar. Set in a fictional Latina American village, Gilbert's Palomar is a land out of time, free of modern day technology, led by a fiercely independent young woman named Luba.

2014's Bumperhead is a rough follow-up to Marble Season. The book doesn't have any of the main characters from this book. But like the first book, Bumperhead is set in Oxnard, Gilbert Hernandez' hometown, and all of the adults are mysteriously absent. Critics liken both stories as a sort of mature, lifelike Peanuts. And if you take a look at Huey's baby brother, he sure does look like a tiny version of Charlie Brown. However more adult Marble Season may be considered to the Charles Schulz comic strip, this work is nothing compared to the more explicit subject material covered in Herandez' Love and Rockets and further body of work. 

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

Completing this review completes Task #19 (Main Character is a Minority) of the 2023 Comic Book and Graphic Novel Reading Challenge.

Get Smart #7 (2023 Comic Book & Graphic Novel Reading Challenge)

Get Smart was a comedic satire and parody of the secret agent movies and TV series that dominated the 1960s. Created by the dream team duo of Mel Brooks and Buck Henry, Get Smart aired on NBC from 1965-70. 

The title character of Maxwell Smart was played by comedian Don Adams, then known by legions of kiddos as the voice of Tennessee Tuxedo. Smart was an agent of the good guys CONTROL. Designated as Agent 86, Smart was considered the agencies top agent. Though he was an incompetent boob.

The real brains of CONTROL was Agent 99. The sultry partner of Maxwell Smart was played by Barbara Feldon and it was 99 who got Smart out of a lot of the scrapes that he often found himself in. Dumb luck is what got Agent 86 out of the rest of his predicaments.

Throughout much of the series, there was a definite will they/won't they romantic vibe between 86 and 99. This is large part to Smart being oblivious to Agent 99's advances. The pair finally became husband and wife during the show's fourth season.

The baddies of the show were the evil agents of KAOS. Smart matched wits with an assortment of villains. But Max's main arch-enemy was Siegfried. Played by future Love Boat crew member Bernie Kopell, Siegfried was a top operative whose position in KAOS was always changing; often due to losing out to Max and the agents of CONTROL.

As with many sitcoms of the 1960s, Get Smart was made into a comic book tie-in. Dell  Comics produced a total of 8 issues from 1966-67. Some legendary names worked on the early issues of the comic. Steve Ditko, Sal Trapani and Dick Giordano are attributed as having worked on some of first 4 issues. Unfortunately, for this issue, #7, I can't find any sources stating who was behind the scripts nor artwork.

There are 3 stories in this issue. The first adventure takes Max to Egypt where he is tasked in preventing KAOS from getting their hands on an ancient scroll. While it's never revealed just what is so important about this parchment, the ending gag is that Max discovers the phrase 'Made in Japan' on the artifact.

Story #2 has Agents 86 and 99 going down into the briny deep to investigate the operations of a KAOS submarine. However, the mission takes a high flying turn when an airplane removing buoys from the ocean accidentally snag the bathysphere containing the two CONTROL agents!

Lastly, 86 and 99 infiltrate KAOS headquarters as a married pair of recruits. Only 99 is wearing a mustache and Max is in drag! 

Dell's adaptation captures the zany spirit of Get Smart very well. Likenesses of Don Adams and Edward Platt, who played the Chief of CONTROL operations were very good. The oddest thing about this issue was that all 3 stories were titled as 'The _____ Caper'. This is clearly a parody of how all of the episodes for the quasi- comedic spy series The Man From UNCLE which would title all of its episodes as 'The ________ Affair.' A quick search through IMDB.com and one will note that this wasn't the style of Get Smart at all. Definitely, the brilliant satiric idea from one of the Dell Comics creative team.

1970 would not mark the end of Maxwell Smart. He would return alone in a maligned 1980 feature film called The Nude Bomb (AKA- The Return of Maxwell Smart.) Despite the film being a failure, Don Adams would frequently be cast as Agent 86 in a number of commercials including ones for K-Mart and Toyota New Zealand. Barbara Feldon, Bernie Kopell and several other regulars from the TV series would return for a 1989 made-for-TV movie titled Get Smart, Again! Its relative success sparked a minor revival in the franchise with a short-lived 1995 Get Smart revival on Fox that starred Andy Dick as Max's son. 

And of course, there's the fan theory that beloved animated character, the bumbling Inspector Gadget is in reality Maxwell Smart having been converted into a cyborg. Though Gadget is voiced by Don Adams, it's only a theory. But the parallels of ineptitude between the two characters is unquestioned. 

Worth Consuming! 

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Completing this review completes Task #4 (Based Off a Live-Action TV Show) of the 2023 Comic Book and Graphic Novel Reading Challenge.

PT 109 #1 (2023 Comic Book & Graphic Novel Reading Challenge)

During the Summer of 1942, in the Pacific Theater, young John Fitzgerald Kennedy is given his first command. The aging patrol torpedo boat PT-109 is in need of massive doses of TLC. The 3 engines are considered really 'tired.' There's rust everywhere. And there might not be enough guns on the deck. 

Lt. (JG) Kennedy has 1 week to get the boat operable or else he'll be assigned somewhere else, probably as a lower ranking crew member. With an eager crew, Kennedy manages to get PT-109 ready for its first mission, assisting in the evacuation of some marines pinned down by Imperial Japanese forces. That first assignment becomes a rescue mission as one of the barges used transport troops capsizes in the choppy tropical waters.

After that first mission, Kennedy's crew are transferred to the isle of Rendova. Due to its ideal location near Japanese naval routes, the patrol ship operates as a floating David against Japanese Goliath's, attempting to poke holes in the massive fleet. On one moonless night, PT-109 is rammed by a destroyer. Sliced in half, the crew is thrown into the water. What transpires next is a week worth of Lt. Kennedy led his men between nearby islands in hopes of rescue. Avoiding Japanese patrols,angry natives, and the limits of his physical body, Kennedy fights the unyielding elements without losing another member of his crew. 

PT 109 was a 1964 copyrighted comic book based on the 1963 film of the same name. Both versions lack the hyphen in their titles. The accounts of young Jack Kennedy are based on Robert J. Donovan's 1961 work PT-109: John F. Kennedy and World War II. The semi-autobiographical film was produced by Warner Bros. and starred Cliff Robertson (Charly) as JFK. 

This Gold Key adaptation was illustrated by Dan Spiegle (Space Family Robinson). Spiegle was noted for his eerily exact representations of famous people in the pages of numerous Gold Key and Dell works. The artist's Kennedy looks amazingly lifelike. Only sometimes the lieutenant looks like the real thing and sometimes Kennedy looks like actor Robertson. So there is realism, just not consistency in the renderings.

The cover, which depicts the patrol boat being eviscerated by that Japanese destroyer, was painted by Frank McCarthy. McCarthy first achieved notoriety for having painted a number of realistic covers for the pulp mag True Western Adventures. He was also behind the artwork of many theatrical posters in the 1960s and 70s, including The Dirty Dozen and Where Eagles Dare. The image used on this comic's cover was taken from the theatrical poster.

After World War II, John F. Kennedy would enter the world of politics. A member of the powerful Kennedy family of Massachusetts, the newly established war hero would serve his home state as both a congressman and senator. In 1960, JFK was elected the 35th president of the United States. Kennedy did manage to watch PT-109 at least once in his lifetime. He called the film 'a good product' but with a nearly 2.5 hour run time, the President thought it was a bit long. With the Sept. 1964 publication date, Kennedy likely never saw the comic adaptation as an assassin's bullet would take his life in November, 1963.

PT 109 was a commercial failure. But the film can be seen in regular rotation during certain holiday weekends on AMC and TCM.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

Completing this review completes Task #6 (Based on a True Story) of the 2023 Comic Book and Graphic Novel Reading Challenge.

The 25 Baubles of Pop Culture! Advent 2022 Day 3

The Beatles have been decorating Christmas trees ever since 1964. That's when an Italian company released a set of 4 blown glass ornaments representing John, Paul, George and Ringo. The set, manufactured by Marteli, was released with the Fab Four in their original suits. Sets came in a variety of colors including hot pink and orange. But the most popular set was painted with blue outfits as that most represented the way the group looked from their visits to The Ed Sullivan Show.

Since the release of that first quartet of ornaments, countless baubles starring the band have been released by many different manufacturers. My top 3 favorites is a glass Christopher Radko decoration that looks like the green Apple Records apple with the Beatles recreating their iconic Abbey Road crossing, a Charlton Cards depiction of the Beatles in their animated cartoon selves from their 1965-66 ABC Saturday morning series and one of a plastic TV set showing a photo of the band in concert from Kurt S. Adler.

As for the fan made ornaments, I want to give an honorable mention to a set of 4 hand-painted peg doll trinkets. Decorated to look like their Sgt. Pepper likenesses, this set is available on Etsy from a seller known as florenceandbelle. I just love it because they look like Fisher Price Little People figures.

Lastly, I want to pay tribute to the late leader of the group, John Lennon. Ornamentshop.com sells a roughly 4 inch tall resin version of John in his iconic 1974 New York City tank top and classic round sunglasses. Based on the photo shoot by Bob Gruen. 

Unfortunately, the pop culture random generator didn't pick the Beatles for day 8 of my Advent. That's because on December 8th, 1980 a deranged gunman shot and killed Lennon in front of his New York apartment home. Had fate chosen the 8th day of my Advent to represent the Beatles, I think I would be completely freaked out by the coincidence...

Sea Devils #19

This was a book that I was so delighted to read. In my first comics collection, I owned 2 copies of DC's 1960s water adventure series Sea Devils. I had one of my dad's Showcase Presents issues that introduced the team and then I bought a battered but much loved copy of issue #6 from my then favorite comics shop, Tales Resold in Raleigh, NC. 

As an overweight and asthmatic kid, I wasn't the best athlete on land. But in water, I rivaled Prince Namor and Arthur Curry in my swimming prowess. I loved the water. I just couldn't get enough pool time, ocean time or lake time. And my reading interests as a kid reflected that love. 

Thus when I found this copy of the 1961-67 DC title, I actually shouted 'Mine!' at the store and promptly added it to my stack of books I was planning to buy that day. Needless to say, I was overjoyed!

Enough backstory about me. So just what was issue #19 about? Titled 'The Sea Devil Robots!', a mad scientist named Doctor Deep has plans to become the ultimate ruler of the seven seas. In order to do that, he'll need to replace the Sea Devils with robot duplicates. (Apparently, this guy hasn't heard of a sea dweller named Aquaman...) 

Doctor Deep manages to transplant the brains of Sea Devils Biff and Nicky into their robot counterparts. But Sea Devil leader Dane and his girlfriend Judy elude the sinister researcher. That is until the Deep manages to hit Dane with his ray gun and now the expert skin diver's mind is trapped in the body of a thresher shark!

This is an issue fraught with plot holes. For one, if you put the brain of a hero into that of a robot, why would the protagonist all of a sudden start listening to that mad scientist? Shouldn't Biff and Nicky be rebelling against their captor? Obviously, Doctor Deep threatened the captive Sea Devils with something to make them do his bidding. But it's never revealed just what that blackmail is used for their compliance. 

Another problem I have with this issue is how the Doctor Deep is taken down. This is a nearly 60 year old comic, so I think I can spoil things a little. Judy saves the day by allowing herself to get captured. And we see Judy with her blonde hair and purple outfit taken in by the evil scientist. But then all of a sudden, Judy's robot starts to move on its own accord, taking control of that dastardly ray gun and restoring her friends to their correct bodies.

It turns out Judy was hiding in the Judy robot all along. So when did she do this? Didn't Doctor Deep realize she was missing for a while? Or do all of the Sea Devils have mannequins aboard their home base cruise ship and that was what was captured earlier? 

Okay. So a beloved comic book from my childhood has plot holes the size of what that iceberg did to the Titanic. DC wasn't really known for quality checking their storylines during the early to mid-60s. These things were written mostly to kids and if something didn't make sense, well hopefully the youngsters reading this weren't wise enough to figure out the mistakes. 

I'm okay with that if not just for nostalgia sake. But I did have issue with was illustrator Howard Purcell's (Doom Patrol) thresher shark. I Googled what a thresher shark looked like. And while yes, the tail fin really is that long; it's dorsal fin and side flippers are nowhere near as flowy as they are in this comic. That sort of artistic license is just something I can't overlook.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

Showcase Presents: Aquaman, Vol. 3

The later half of the mid-1960s adventures of Aquaman are covered in this massive collection. We visit Atlantis just after the birth of the Aquababy. But things are far from idyllic. That's because the First Family of the Seven Seas are about to enter the era of the aqua enemies!

The shrimp-costume clad Fisherman was the only recurring villain introduced from the last volume. While he does return in this book, the Fisherman is far from the most dastardly criminal to put up his dukes against Aquaman. That distinction is a toss up between the Ocean Master, who happens to be Aquaman's murderous amnesiac half-brother or the mysterious Black Manta, a maniac who has little qualms with using Aquaman's infant son as murderous bait!

On the personal side of things, cracks in the foundation of the royal family are starting to form. Aqualad is beginning to experience the growing pains of puberty as Aquaman's kid sidekick as well as a third wheel compared to Mera and Aquababy. The insecurities of Queen Mera are also coming to the forefront whether it be in jealousy of another female who catches the King's eye or from conducting a series of childish pranks that result in severe chidings from her husband.

It's not all serious stuff in this volume. That's because right around the time these comics were being published new, Aquaman and Aqualad were the stars of a 30 minute animated segment of The Superman/Aquaman Hour. As the new stars of Saturday morning TV, every other issue of Aquaman was more geared towards younger readers. A blurb advertising the series adorns those covers and characters from the show pop up; like Aqualad's walrus pet, Tusky. But when it comes to the artwork of Nick Cardy, things feel a little bi-polar.

Instead of using his more matured look of art, in the kids-geared issues, Cardy reverts back to the more cartoony style he copied of Ramona Fradon (Metamorpho). One thing that remains constant are the dynamic paneling of the stories. The use of triangular panels and out of order sequencing are highly reminiscent of Jack Kirby! Add to it a lot of erratic lines and scribbled chapter titles, Cardy is able to invoke an underwater setting perfectly!

A team-up with Superman's Pal, Jimmy Olsen is where the volume ends. Volume 3 also marks the end of Showcase Presents' run of Aquaman stories. But it doesn't have to be the end for me. 

Pardon the pun, but I really got hooked on the adventures of Aquaman and I really want to read the rest of the pre-CRISIS story of the King of Atlantis. While there remains about 3 dozen issues of Aquaman and Adventure Comics, I don't have to resort to collecting the floppies. There are 3 color volumes of Aquaman stories. If I can get them for a good deal, I should have some great, but powerful, reads awaiting me one day soon.

If you are a fan of Jason Mamoa's Aquaman, this is the volume to read. A bunch of the characters that appear in that movie either make their debut in this era of Aquaman comics- or they are finally mentioned despite Aquaman having made his first appearance nearly 3 decades earlier.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.