Swamp Thing Annual #1 (2026 Comic Book & Graphic Novel Reading Challenge)

 In 1982, Bernie Wrightson and Len Wein's creepy creation, the Swamp Thing, made its motion picture debut. Written and directed by Wes Craven, the film tells a mostly faithful origin story of Dr. Alec Holland and how he is transformed into a being of sentient plant matter.

While working in a secret government lab deep in the swamps of Florida, Dr. Holland has created a formula that can transform barren deserts into futile farmland. His sister Linda, has also discovered that a single drop of the formula can also double as a powerful explosive. Anton Arcane, a despotic paramilitary leader, has caught wind of the chemical and attacks the lab in hopes of making the formula a part of his ever growing arsenal. During the assault, the chemical is spilt on Holland and he immediately catches fire thanks to its volatile properties. To extinguish himself, Holland jumps into the murky swamp and seemingly perishes.

Meanwhile, Alice Cable, a new government attaché to the project, flees with one of Holland's notebooks. With Arcane's operatives trailing her, Cable must find a way to alert Washington to the attack. However, the commandos get the better of Cable. With the notebook in their possession, there's no longer a need to keep Cable alive. But right before they silence the government agent, a mysterious creature emerges from the muck. It's the Swamp Thing and boy, is he mad!

The live action film was produced by Swampfilms and distributed jointly by Embassy Pictures and United Artists. It started Ray Wise as Dr. Alec Holland.  Adrienne Barbeau played Alice Cable. Renown French actor Louis Jourdan was the evil Arcane. Dick Durock would don pounds of rubber and fake moss as the title character. Over the next decade, it would only be Durock's body in the Swamp Thing suit. The imposing 6'6" actor would star opposite Heather Locklear in 1989's campy Return of the Swamp Thing. A year later, Durock would return for an hour long TV series on cable's USA Network. The series would run 72 episodes over 3 seasons. 

None of the subsequent Swamp Thing adaptations to star Dick Durock would receive the comic book treatment. This oversized special was written by Bruce Jones. Mark Texeira penciled; Tony DeZuniga inked. The cover image is of the original theatrical poster. It was painted and airbrushed by celebrated fantasy and sci-fi artist Michael Whelan. 

Completing this review completes Task #30 (A Movie Adaptation) of the 2026 Comic Book and Graphic Novel Reading Challenge.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 7 out of 10 stars.

Buck Rogers in the 25th Century #15 (2025 Comic Book & Graphic Novel Reading Challenge)

In this Gold Key/Whitman Variant issue based on the NBC series starring Gil Gerard and Erin Grey, it's a double feature. 

In the cover story, Buck Rogers' arch enemy Killer Kane has escaped from his prison cell thanks to a new mutation. Able to suddenly change shape and form, Kane plans on killing Buck while crippling the fleet of the Earth Defense Directorate leaving the planet vulnerable for attack by the Draconian Empire. As skilled, decorated pilots die in very unusual ways during routine patrols, Buck and Dr. Huer uncover evidence of a traitor in their midst. But is it jealousy instead of credible evidence when the finger points at an old flame of Wilma's?

The second adventure sees the Earth imperiled once again. Only it's not by any of the multitude of current adversaries doing the threatening. Instead, it's a threat from the very Earth itself and almost 500 years in the past. 

While Buck Rogers was in his cryogenic slumber, the Earth had a nuclear war that almost made the human race extinct. Most of the warheads were launched from Earth's orbit. Now one of those bombs has returned after floating off course for centuries. With time running out, it's up to Buck and his robot sidekick Twiki to navigate the gigantic bomb's booby traps and deactivate it; least the rest of humanity be wiped out!

Both 'That Which Seems to be...' and '10 Levels of Death' were written by B.S. Watson and illustrated by Mike Roy. 

The penultimate issue of the series, Whitman's legacy numbering puts the total series run from 1964 through to 1982. That means issue #1 debuted 15 years before Buck Rogers appeared on TV. Though a single season series had aired on ABC in 1951, the lone issue from the 1960s was based on the newspaper comic strip created by Philip Francis Nowlan. The first issue to be based on the NBC series was published in 1979. Issues 2-4 are an adaptation of the 2-hour pilot which debuted in theaters before NBC green-lit a full series. The live action series aired for 2 seasons for a total of 37 episodes, with the last episode airing in April 1981. The comic book continued on until May of the following year.

Completing this review completes Task #24 (Starring Buck Rogers or Flash Gordon) of the 2025 Comic Book and Graphic Novel Reading Challenge.

Rating: 6 out of 10 stars.

DC Comics Presents #47 (2025 Comic Book & Graphic Novel Reading Challenge)

This issue marks the first ever appearance of He-Man and many of his cohorts from Masters of the Universe in comics. According to Bob Rozakis in his opening column in the letters section 'Pair Mail', Mattel approached DC with the idea of adapting their forthcoming Masters of the Universe toy-line in comic book form. 

Toying around with the concepts provided by Mark Ellis from Mattel, project editor Dave Manak and Paul Kupperberg got the idea to have He-Man's world of Eternia merge with the DC Universe. Since this would be a first ever introduction of the characters to readers, DC felt having Superman meeting the Masters of the Universe would alleviate some of the unfamiliarity felt by the youngest of readers.

The story begins with Eternia's crown Prince, Adam going about his normal day of first learning combat skills from the palace's head of security Man-At-Arms then wasting his time in a tavern where a drunkard challengers the royal to a fight. Prince Adam is about to get his brains bashed when he's rescued by the palace guard. Only it turns out that this aloofness is all a ruse because in reality, Adam can change into the realm's mightiest human, the all-powerful He-Man.

Meanwhile He-Man's archenemy, the evil Skeletor is attempting once again to breach the ramparts of the mysterious Castle Greyskull. Feedback from a spell causes a breach in the universe, sending the Man of Steel to Eternia. Skeletor immediately casts his magic upon Superman, who has no immunity to the dark arts, turning the Last Son of Krypton into Skeletor's slave and latest weapon in his never-ending battle against He-Man!

A few months after He-Man's debut, a 16-page insert appeared in many of DC's flagship titles. A 3-issue miniseries came about next, dated November, 1982-February 1983. However, Mattel wasn't very happy where DC's direction was going with the franchise and severed ties after issue #3. He-Man wouldn't return to monthly comics until 1986, teaming with Marvel's Star Comics imprint for a 13 issue series (and adaptation of the disastrous 1987 live-action flick starring Dolph Lundgren, that ended when the House of Ideas shuttered the all-ages line of books in 1988. As the title faded, He-Man and company would lie dormant in comics until renewed nostalgic interest in the title would spawn short-lived franchise agreements with Image Comics, Dark Horse, and CrossGen Comics in the early 2000s. Masters of the Universe would return to DC from 2013-2020. Several minis were produced, including a 6-issue crossover between the characters of DC's Injustice video game and the heroes of Eternia. Dark Horse Comics currently owns the franchise, where they've published a couple of miniseries based on the animated Netflix reboot helmed by Kevin Smith. 

For this issue, Paul Kupperberg wrote the script with pencils by Curt Swan. A backup feature starring the Golden Age Sandman and his sidekick Sandy was crafted by Mike W. Barr and Jose Delbo. 

Completing this review completes Task #3 (Comic from the Bronze Age (1971-1985) of the 2025 Comic Book and Graphic Novel Reading Challenge.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 7 out of 10 stars.

Marvel and DC Present The Uncanny X-Men and The New Teen Titans #1

This is a book that I've seen numerous times online, having been purchased by others. Yet, I never once found it in the wild. Man, would such posts make me jealous! So you can be sure when I finally did get a chance to buy a copy, I promptly declared it was mine and added it to my pull pile.

This X-Men/New Teen Titans crossover continues the Phoenix Saga. But the main baddie chosen for this story is one that just seems unlikely. Darkseid, in yet another attempt to bring his Anti-Life Equation to fruition, has traded some powerful tech with the morally ambiguous Metron. Yet, up until 1982, when this book was published, the New Gods of Apokolips were never considered to be major foes of the Teen Titans. Yes, Deathstroke, the Terminator is involved in this plot. But he's a hired hand of Darkseid's and not the mastermind behind everything. I guess writer Chris Claremont (X-Men Vs. Dracula) really needed a powerful villain in order to bring Jean Grey back from the dead. 

That resurrection isn't a spoiler. You can see that Dark Phoenix has returned on the cover! The real mystery that I won't spoil, is whether or not the entity that has returned is Jean Grey or not. 

The most interesting thing about this story was how both the X-Men and Teen Titans exist in the same universe. I was expecting some sort of inter-dimensional tear in the fabric of reality bringing the two biggest sellers of DC and Marvel together. But I had forgotten that Superman and Spider-Man were a part of the same shared universe in their crossovers in the 1970s. 

It would be a dozen years before DC and Marvel would produce another crossover. The 90s were full of them because Marvel was close to folding and needed the sales boost such epic meetings brought with them. Nowadays, the Marvel and DC universes seem as far apart as the East is from the West. But I know in my heart that the boundary between both worlds is separated by the mere width of a single page. 

Featuring art by Walt Simonson (Fantastic Four) with inks by Terry Austin and a roster of over a dozen A-list characters, this epic was a true all-star event. Considering how beloved this book was and the fact that a reprint was issued in the mid-90s, I can't believe that it took me over 40 years to find my copy! Was it worth the wait? Visually- yes! But the story gets a little busy and Claremont really tries too tug too tight on the heart strings with Scott Summers in terms of the return of the Dark Phoenix. That overtly soap opera feel of the Uncanny X-Men is what put me off that series after a while and the book's ending sure does get soapy... I mean sappy.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

The 25 Baubles of Pop Culture! Advent 2022 Day 1

I spent a lot of this summer cleaning out the extra rooms in our house. It was from one of those cleaning excursions that I got my inspiration for this year's Advent: a look at pop culture themed Christmas ornaments!

The first ornament of this Advent came from my very own collection. Actually, I think it was in my grandmama's possession at one point. But when she passed in 1992, it was one of several I inherited from her and added to my family tree. 

What you see here is a 1982 E.T. satin ball ornament. For the longest time, I thought that this was a Hallmark ornament. But the producer is listed as Universal Studios. So my family could have gotten this at Brendle's or K-Mart or Sears for all I know...

The shrink-wrapped sleeve was indicative of ornaments of the time period. However, other than the green and red coloring of the borders and the E.T. logo, this isn't a real festive ornament. The image of E.T. and that of he and Elliot's fingers symbolically touching aren't Christmas related at all. Look at this swatch of wrapping paper, you can see how pop culture franchises interacting with the spirit of Christmas is one of my favorite things. I just wish ornaments like these followed suit.

Fantastic Four Roast #1

From the warped mind of Fred Hembeck, this one-shot from 1982 skewers the first family of Marvel. It was published in time for the 20th anniversary of Fantastic Four #1. Technically, that issue debuted in November of 1961. But as publishing comics has always been a confusing thing for many collectors due to pre-dated of the months on a cover, this book's debut was close enough to be a tribute to the FF to count.

As with anything by Hembeck, 3 things are immediately noticeable:

1. The humor is full of one-liners, bad puns, and very wacky.

2. The dialogue is super small as Fred Hembeck loves to talk!

3. All of the characters have pinwheels on their knees. 

I love Fred Hembeck. He's extremely fun and he's a great storyteller. Hembeck is a comic book historian and though he does ramble, I could read his stuff all day. Well, that is, I could if the tiny font didn't give me a headache.

The lettering wasn't as bad as some of Hembeck's non-fiction stuff. But it's still less than a Times New Roman 8 for sure. The Fantastic Four Roast was very funny and had some great twists. 

I've been reading the Fred Hembeck Omnibus off-and-on and this book is NOT included in that. None of Hembeck's Marvel stuff is in that Dark Horse Comics collection. So if you are looking to own a total library of Fred's stuff, you'll want to own a copy of this humorous classic.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Blade Runner #2

The story of Rick Deckard continues in the second issue of the 1982 Marvel Comics adaptation. The artwork by Al Williamson and Carlos Garzon really is a thing of beauty. Plus, I love how Archie Goodwin captured the futuristic wasteland feel of the book. Making sure to have Deckard be the narrator, as he was in at least one version of the film, was the right move.

Pretty much the only thing I have left to watch before going to the movies tomorrow is the trio of short films that are supposed to bridge the original film with 2049. Looking forward to it.

Really, if you are a fan of the series, you need this two-issue miniseries. It's beautifully illustrated, masterfully told, and just the right thing to whet your Blade Runner appetite when you don't have quick access to the Ridley Scott classic.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.

Blade Runner #1

This Monday I'm going to go see Blade Runner 2049. I am a huge fan of the original film and the Philip K. Dick book (Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?) and when I first saw the trailer for the sequel, I gasped. It's one of the few trailers I will watch everytime it's on TV. Unfortunately, I couldn't go to the double feature at AMC theatres in which both the original and the sequel were being shown back-to-back late Thursday night into Friday as I had to work early the next morning. It's also a good thing I didn't go to see the movie yesterday after work anyways. When I got home, I laid on the bed and woke up 6 hours later! I slept hard!

Since I didn't get a chance to see the first film to get reacquainted with the franchise, I was able to do the next best thing- I read it! 

This 1982 adaptation from Marvel is a loving recreation from Archie Goodwin and Al Williamson and Carlos Garzon. If those names sound familiar, it's because this trio was behind the Star Wars comic strip from the 1980s. Considering the amazingly renderings of Han Solo (along with Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader), this was the perfect group to illustrate a comic book adaptation of a Harrison Ford sci-fi film.

If you notice on the cover it says that this comics adaptation of the Ridley Scott film is 'A Comic Art Classic" and they're not joking. There's a scene in which Ford as retired cop Rick Deckard is checking out a crime scene. The use of shading to illustrate city lights emanating through the shadows of some Venetian blinds was visually stunning! 

Blade Runner is considered a masterpiece of not just science fiction but film noir and special effects- oh and costuming and set design! Folks, this film is a classic and a favorite of mine. This comic book is the next best thing to getting to watch it. Now having re-read it for the first time in decades, I can also declare this one of my all-time favorite adaptations in all of 
comicdom!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.

Masters of the Universe #3

Masters of the Universe finishes in such a way that good triumphs over evil, but it doesn’t eliminate the bad guys. Otherwise, there’d be no reason to watch He-Man on TV.

The art improved in issue 2, but no further improvements are made in this issue. Also, the ending seems a little forced as I think the writers were running out of pages for their story and still hand a handful of characters to introduce.

I was somewhat happy with the ending and I enjoyed the fact that DC put a small reader’s guide in the back of the issue to explain any nits like why Sorceress looks like Teela! (so that's why!!!) and reveals that He-Man actually appears in a couple of team-ups with Superman in the pages of DC Presents. I must get my hands on those.

The series started off weak but got better. It’s no Shakespeare, but then again I hate Shakespeare.

Worth Consuming, but don’t pay more than a buck or less per issue.

Rating: 7 out of 10 stars.

Masters of the Universe #2

After reading issue one, I was disappointed that the series didn’t involve the origin of He-Man. My wish was answered pretty quickly by about page 10 of this issue. I’m still a little disappointed with the paper thin plot; He-Man and friends must find several talismans in order to free Sorceress from the clutches of Skeletor.

Essentially, the quest is for potential fans to figure out who’s who on Eternia.

Thankfully, the art is getting better by this issue as well. Teela looks more like herself now. Yet, Sorceress is still wearing Snake armor, like Teela. It doesn’t make sense why since she’s got a magic hawk in this book AND has bird-like powers. But at least this is no issue #1. So, some praise is due.

Worth Consuming.

Rating: 7 out of 10 stars.

Masters of the Universe #1

This book was obviously created way before the cartoon ever came out and probably only had prototypes of the figures to base their drawings on. Sorceress looks more like Teela and Teela looks nothing like anyone I’ve ever seen on the show or toy line. Man-at-Arms looks more like the action figure without his mustache. Plus, folks keep calling him an “Old Man”, yet he’s drawn to look about the same age as his daughter Teela.

I was excited when I found this in a dime book bin at one of my favorite comic book shops. But, with a very jumbled storyline and a character called Zodiac, who seems like a knock-off of Kirby’s Metron what with his cosmic chair and mission to observe the cosmos, I can see why all three books of this mini-series was selling for only 3 dimes.

I’m not happy with my purchase. I hope it gets better quick.

Rating: 5 out of 10 stars.