Savage Tales #3

The first volume of Marvel's Savage Tales was a black and white magazine edition that was slanted more towards fantasy adventure. Characters such as Conan the Barbarian and Kazar fit it's mold perfectly. Though there were a few exceptions, like the Man-Thing who's first ever appearance in the premiere issue, was rooted deeply in science fiction horror. 

In the mid-1980s, Larry Hama sought to revive the title. The second volume was a black and white magazine just like it's predecessor. But instead of sword and sorcery type adventures, this edition was geared towards war and conflicts from the past, present and near future. It's from this comic mag that we get a pair of stories set during the Vietnam War that the amazing comic book The 'Nam would come into fruition. 

In this issue alone, we see a episode set during the Bolshevik revolution of a forgotten police action carried out by American and Canadian troops to keep the Czar in power. A moonshiner takes revenge on a rival responsible for the death of his dog and the destruction of his impressive collection of Elvis vinyls. Desperate women seek military protection during an uprising set in 19th century colonial India. Airplane flying rebels seek to scavenge a crashed Soviet bomber in the aftermath of a nuclear Holocaust while in another different story set in a similar apocalypse, friends see medical attention for their critically injured mentor. A Nazi courier crosses enemy lines and angry live ammunition to deliver important top secret documents during the Watch on the Rhine. Lastly, The American Calvary tracks a legendary American Indian throughout the Sonoran Desert.

Unfortunately, this 1986 offering isn't one of the issues that features a The 'Nam precursor. I have that entire series run, plus a couple of Punisher tie-ins. So I would love to have those 2 issues to round out the full run. That means I'll be on the lookout for issues #1 and 4! Incidentally, a third story set in South Indochina was scheduled to appear in volume 2 of Savage Tales. Alas, the series was cancelled with issue #8. However, that story actually is not lost as it was retooled and saw print as The 'Nam #8!

Along with the editing talents of Larry Hama, there's a slew of Marvel greats including Dick Ayers, Herb Trimpe, Chuck Dixon (going by his Christian name Charles) and the fantastic John Severin. I've been a fan of his work ever since I was cutting my teeth on Cracked Magazine. Severin was the first artist I could recognize by his art style alone. He does double duty penciling the Russian Revolution and the American Calvary adventures. The cover art was by Mitch O'Connell.

An interesting read. I'm definitely wanting those The 'Nam forerunner stories but I don't think I'm in it for the entire 8 issue run.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 7 out of 10 stars.

Dark Horse Presents #1 Commemorative Edition (2024 Comic Book & Graphic Novel Reading Challenge)

Having been formed only a couple of months prior, the editors at Dark Horse Comics made the brilliant decision to highlight all of their properties in a bi-monthly anthology. Due to the popularity of the creations, Dark Horse Presents soon became a monthly series in less than a year and ran for 157 issues before being discontinued in September, 2000.

There are 4 different stories and properties introduced to readers in the premiere issue. Although the cover features Chris Warner's futuristic Black Cross about an United States of America divided by a Civil War between various factions, the star of this issue is Paul Chadwick's massive hero with an even more gigantic heart, Concrete.

Kidnapped by aliens, Ron Lithgow's brain is transferred into an huge artificial body made of a substance similar to concrete. Issue #1 of Dark Horse Presents is the first appearance of Concrete. In this story, Concrete has already been established in his new form as well as the newest darling of the Hollywood media. Concrete's origin won't even be explored for another year! Here, fresh off an appearance on the Johnny Carson show, Concrete is fooled by a soccer mom to provide entertainment for her little boy's 8th birthday party.

Readers then meet the smarmy Mr. Garrett in a story called 'Mindwalk'. Garrett has the ability to enter people's dreams and in his introductory story, forced to probe the secrets of a Jewish doctor who knows more than his fair share of dangerous experiments on germ warfare conducted by the Nazis. This story was written by Randy Strandley. Art by Randy Emberlin

Paul Chadwick returns to finish the issue with a story called 'Brighter' about a young woman who has the ability to make her dreams a reality. With a little bit of artistic flare, the woman hopes to make a go in Hollywood. If this feels a little bit like Marvel's Dazzler, you might not be far off. Chadwick wrote several late issues of the mutant's first series run.

In 1992, Dark Horse produced a pair of commemorative editions of the debut of Dark Horse Presents. One with a green border. Another with silver. This should read as a 5th anniversary issue except that this special edition 2nd printing debuted in stores in 1992. This release could also be considered a facsimile edition as all of the original ads and previews for forthcoming (low number) issues of DHP are still contained inside. The only change is found on the back page column titled 'Winner's Circle.' In 1986, editors used it as a vehicle to introduce readers to the talent behind the stories. For the re-release, readers are instead given an update on what has happened to the writers and artists since their works debuted in issue #1.

Completing this review completes Task #16 (Comic/Graphic Novel Published by Dark Horse) of the 2024 Comic Book and Graphic Novel Reading Challenge.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

Supergirl Honda Special (2024 Comic Book & Graphic Novel Reading Challenge)

In 1983, Elizabeth Dole, wife of then Kansas senator Bob Dole was appointed as Secretary of Transportation for the Reagan administration. Dole's first initiative was for seat belt safety. At the time of her appointment, only about 20% of Americans wore seat belts when driving. Compared to a 2013 report that claimed almost 95% of Americans use them, Dole's efforts must have worked.

In 1984, the Department of Transportation commissioned DC Comics to release an educational comic book to school students. American Honda financed the book's publication which started the Maid of Might, Supergirl. Superman's cousin was at the time a wise choice. A highly anticipated live action film was in the works. It was slated to be a huge blockbuster hit. Unfortunately, it was anything but. Still, countless thousands of copies of the Supergirl Honda Special, as it's most commonly referred to, were made, given away to school children as part of the federal agency's driver safety program. 

Jump to 1986. Supergirl has been dead for a few months, thanks to the events of DC's Crisis on Infinite Earths at the hand of the Anti-Monitor. Not only dead, Supergirl was retconned out of existence as well. Meanwhile, the Department of Transportation is seeing some success with its highway safety campaign. A year prior, Michigan became the first state to enact seat belt safety requirements. It's limited in scope. But it's a start. A few months later, North Carolina became the first start to make it mandatory that all car riders wear seat belts. By the end of 1985, only 5 states and the District of Columbia had passed seat belt safety laws. So Secretary Dole ups the campaign with a rather unlikely duo. But to bring these characters to the public eye will once again require the services of the Last Girl of Krypton. 

In the first Supergirl giveaway, the hero must use technology from the Fortress of Solitude to enter the mind of a young man who's in a coma as the result of a car crash where he wasn't buckled up. In this issue, Kara Danvers is driving a brother and sister pair in her forest green Honda when a mysterious force plucks the siblings out of their seat belts and into the middle of Motorville.

The city of Motorville is a place of traffic chaos. Thankfully, Supergirl arrives to save the kids from an on-coming car driven by Humpty Dumpty! As the trio try to find their way home, they encounter characters from beloved nursery rhymes, all who need lessons in seat belt safety. Through their zany encounters, Supergirl and friends are made aware of a special show that might help them find their way home.

The show is a demonstration on how seat belts save lives. The highlight of the show is a car that drives into a brick wall. While the driver is wearing his safety belt, the passenger is not. And he flies through the windshield into the barrier! But don't worry about them. For the riders are Vince and Larry: those amazing Crash Test Dummies!

The 1986 Supergirl Honda Special marks the first appearance of those road safety PSA icons in comic book form. After the book's release, Vince and Larry would star in dozens of commercials preaching the need for wearing your seat belt. In 1991, Tyco toys released a series of toys based on the duo called The Amazing Crash Test Dummies. With these figures, you could place them inside a special car and crash them through playsets while delighting as the figures flew into pieces. Then kids got to build them back together and wreck 'em once more. Until their campaign was retired in 1999, a number of other products were licensed with the likenesses of Vince and Larry. Costumes, video games, dolls, a lunch box and more were among the items telling everyone that 'you could learn a lot from a dummy.' In 1993, the dummies would return to comics with a 3-issue series by family friendly publisher Harvey. 

Supergirl and the Crash Test Dummies fates are apparently forever intertwined. As the book was Vince and Larry's debut, it marked Kara Zor-El/Linda Danvers last appearance in comics for quite some time. As the Crash Test Dummies enjoyed popularity in American pop culture, a number of usurpers to the Supergirl crown would appear in comics, including the alien shape-shifter Matrix. 1999-2003 was a dark age with no Supergirl or Dummies. Then a light shone through and the planets aligned in 2004. In that year, Fox began to air a number of animated shorts starring Vince and Larry as Hot Wheels introduced it's line of Crash Test Dummies toys simultaneously as the original Supergirl was reintroduced into the DCU in issues 8-13 of Superman/Batman.

The 1986 special was written by Andrew Helfer with additional dialogue by Barry Marx. Character art by Joe Orlando. Background art by Dave Hunt. 

Completing this review completes Task #36 (An Educational Comic) of the 2024 Comic Book and Graphic Novel Reading Challenge.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Vision and the Scarlet Witch #8

1958 marked the first of many appearances of civil rights leader, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr in a comic book. Martin Luther King and The Montgomery Story tells of the Atlanta preacher's involvement in the Alabama bus boycott that came about from the incarceration of Rosa Parks after she refused to give up her seat to a white patron. What I am not certain about is the first instance of a comic book to take place during Martin Luther King's birthday, I very much may have read the very first one. 

The first push for a federal holiday honoring King was in 1968 just a few days after his assassination. The push for the ratification of a bill had gained enough momentum by 1981 that the US Senate was presented with a petition signed by some 6 million people after a brief march through the nation's capitol, led by King's widow, Coretta. After a few committee stalls and some contentious debate, a vote took place in the fall of 1983. The bill was signed into law by Ronald Reagan in November with the first official Federal holiday of Dr. King's birthday to take place in January, 1986.

This issue of Vision and the Scarlet Witch hit store shelves on February 4th, 1986, just 2 short weeks after the first official MLK, Jr. holiday observance. Other books might have come out before celebrating the unofficial observances of King's birthday. There might have been other books released by DC and Marvel (or some of the smaller publishers) earlier that year that also have stories that take place during that first MLK Day. I just don't know. For a fan of holiday themed comic books, this is my first experience with a story set during this event. There's been a couple of books I've read that mention the Federal observance as a part of King's legacy. But usually those books only have a single panel set during the holiday. This story is 24 pages of super heroes operating during the night of January 20th, 1986.

Quicksilver and wife Crystal are visiting with Vision and the Scarlet Witch when Luke Cage comes crashing through the living room window of the former Avengers. This is supposed to be a peaceful day for Cage, reflecting on the legacy of Dr. King. Instead, a magical death cult has other plans for the Hero for Hire. 

Followers of a demon called Zor are looking for a set of idols that Luke Cage and partner Power Fist once confiscated and gave to Wanda for safe keeping. Wanda hid the idols somewhere in the World Trade Center. With brother Pietro in tow, Cage, Vision and the Scarlet Witch head over to the WTC to destroy the relics once and for all.

You might think that a story such as this has minimal references to MLK Birthday and you're right. Unlike an issue set at Christmas, Halloween or just about any other holiday, the settings are not full of posters of Dr. King and other decorations. We get Luke Cage reflecting on the civil rights icon. Scarlet Witch bestows Cage a blessing of the 'new holiday'. Then as things end for the story, Quicksilver makes a racist statement against humans and Cage comments that making strides for racially equality includes mutants and that was what Dr. King's dream was all about.

Yes- this issue really ends with Luke Cage doing his best impression of Linus from A Charlie Brown Christmas! The sapping ending kinda gives new meaning to Cage's trademark exclamation of 'Sweet Christmas.' Yet, in a time when not every state was willing to celebrate a holiday devoted to a black American, this issue was a big deal. Remember it wouldn't be until 1993 before Arizona would finally observe MLK Day and another 7 years before South Carolina would pay state employees for the day off work. So to have January 20th the setting of this Marvel issue, as passing or trite as the creative team might have made it's usage in this story, it was a huge step forward in bringing about normalcy and acceptance to the new holiday celebrating the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out 10 stars.

Prime Slime Tales #1

I paid $2 for this book based only on the publisher. As Mirage Studios was the birthplace of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, I hoped that maybe this was set in the same universe. Other than the wraparound cover being penciled by TMNT co-creator Kevin Eastman, there isn't anything else that connects the Ninja Turtles with the cast of characters in this book. 

The star of the book is an alley cat named Zigbone. He lives at the city dump along with an assortment of other critters like a foul-mouthed bullfrog named Warty. One day as Zigbone is scouting the refuse for his next meal, the kitty stumbles across a strange looking character. Fearing that either an alien is invading or a monster is attacking, Zigbone rallies his junk yard pals in hopes of destroying the... adorable little guy that only says 'Blort!'

Prime Slime Tales was written and illustrated from Rowen and Tony Basilicato who co-created the Geriatric Gangrene Jujitsu Gerbils. A parody of the Turtles, I am surprised that Mirage Studios signed the Basilicatos to do this book and I am even more surprised that the Gerbils make a guest appearance in this book. Obviously Eastman and Laird had a good sense of humor about things, figuring if you can't beat 'em, team up with 'em!

I hated the ending. For one, it ends with a cliffhanger. Second, it looks like it's curtains for that adorable Blort creature. I really hope he didn't die! He's so freakin' cute. I really, really want to know what happens next, unless it's a funeral for 'Blort'.

Prime Slime Tales only lasted for a second issue at Mirage before jumping ship to Now Comics. Considering that I can't even find out what happens in issue #2, I have even less hope of understanding why the Basilicatos defected. There's very, very little about Now Comics on the net, probably because of how such a small player the publisher was in the vast nearly 90 year history of comics. 

If you were like me and you were expecting the Ninja Turtles to appear in this book, don't be completely disappointed that they aren't in this story. Eastman and Laird do craft a pin-up in the back cover that has the Turtles helping the stars of this book from a horde of scary looking monsters. Unfortunately, it's in black and white. But it's still impressive looking. 

A good read that left me in the lurch. I really need to know what happens next.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 7 out of 10 stars.

Classic Toys from a Madman's Youth: Advent 2019 Day 23

Today's Advent marks my last toy flop. Over the past 3 weeks, I've highlighted some toys that I asked Santa for that ended up being huge busts. This one wasn't so much a flop as it's an example of asking for one very popular thing and getting another thing instead. But that's okay because I really loved this toy!

The toy I'm talking about today really was actually pretty cool. Though when the batteries ran low, things got weird. And if you put a heavy metal cassette in it, things got insane! Yes- the year was 1986. But the toy I got from Santa wasn't Teddy Ruxpin. Instead I got the talking Fievel!

Let's go back a bit. In late 1985, Hasbro introduced the word to Teddy Ruxpin. This was a teddy bear that could play audio cassette tapes. As the tape played, Teddy's mouth and eyes would move as if he was alive and telling you the story. Every kid seemed to want one and boy was he expensive. That year, the toy was also impossible to find in stores.

In 1986, the Teddy Ruxpin craze was still going on. But by now, Hasbro was able to meet up with the demand. With 1985's shortages a thing of the past and considering that 86 was the year I finally got a Cabbage Patch Kid, I was certain that I was going to get a Teddy Ruxpin.

But when Christmas morning rolled around I found something different under my tree- a Talking Fievel doll! 

While this wasn't what I had asked for, this wasn't a bad substitute. Fievel was the tiny immigrant mouse lead character from the animated movie An American Tail. I felt so horrible that he gets separated from his family that I wanted to save him and make him a part of my family. 

Anyways, though I didn't ask Santa for Fievel, it was not a bad toy for me. Mostly because I didn't know that such a toy existed. Had I did, I probably would've asked Santa for it. Fievel was a great surprise under the tree! Though my friends all seemed to mock me for getting it instead of Teddy Ruxpin, I loved my Fievel.

While talking Fievel wasn't as popular as Teddy Ruxpin, Fievel had a major advantage- playability. See Teddy Ruxpin could only move it's eyes and mouth to the cassettes designed for him. If you put a Pat Benetar cassette into Teddy Ruxpin, he would play the music but he'd sit there all static. Not with Fievel!

You could put a Twisted Sister tape into Fievel and his mouth would move along to Dee Snyder. It was quite insane but so neat too! Unfortunately, Fievel's eyes didn't move. Had they, this whole thing would've been epic! 

You also could speed up the tape to make anything you played sound like a tiny mouse was singing to it? Imagine Chip n Dale singing We're Not Gonna Take It! That's what this was like.

One problem with the talking Fievel was that the do used up a lot of juice. I don't remember what type of batteries he used. But to operate, the doll required a lot. 6 or 8 batteries, I think. 

This meant that sometimes Fievel started to run out of power quite often. If you wanted to keep listening to music or books on tape and your family was out of replacement batteries, you had to make do. So Fievel would… talk. Slo...ooow...ly. That run-down effect soundly very creepy. It was a tad disturbing as you thought about it like Fievel was dying. 

For 2-3 years, Fievel was my tape player. But by 1989, I had to say goodbye to him. A middle school student couldn't expect to survive bullying using a giant stuffed mouse as a Walkman. While I have no regrets upgrading to a sleeker, less plush model of personal stereo, I wish I had kept Fievel. Being a less popular toy in the 80's has made this cartoon icon quite collectible.

For my Advent present to you, here's another item featuring Fievel that I didn't know existed. An American Tail Christmas stockings from McDonald's! Had I known about them, I would've made my mom taking me to Mickey D's for them. Enjoy!

Classic Toys from a Madman's Youth: Advent 2019 Day 19

For Today's Advent I'm focusing on another toy that some might consider a flop- but I was a big fan! 

Silverhawks!

For some, this follow-up to Thundercats was a one-hit wonder. It was about a group of bionic police officers who operate in outer space. Led by Commander Stargazer, the Silverhawks were a rag-tag bunch recruited to bring down the intergalactic mob boss, Mon*Star. Characters included Bluegrass, a singing cowboy pilot and the copper plated Kidd; a robotics whiz who only spoke in beeps and whistles. (As you could probably tell, those two were both my favorites!)

Many considered Silverhawks to be Thundercats in space. Yet that's just not true. While I liked Thundercats visually, the stories were pretty complicated and hinged on ancient prophecies. Plus, it was done as a serial in that if you missed and episode, you were sunk!

Unlike Thundercats, which lasted from 1985-1989, Silverhawks ran for only 65 episodes in 1986. For many, Silverhawks was lame. But I was a huge fan of that show to the point that in the Christmas of '86 I wanted any and everything Silverhawks while all of my friends wanted Thundercats!

The Silverhawks figures were embossed with this shiny metallic paint, which were very pleasing to the eye. Each good guy came with a weapon-bird: an android bird that doubled as a tool for offense or defense. Made by Kenner, the sculpts were far superior to those of the first wave of Star Wars figures. But unlike those action figures, the Silverhawks were at all not durable.

The Silverhawks figures were designed for one to squeeze either the arms or legs in order to make their wings detract or perform some some sort of kick or karate chop. However, I think the type of plastic used for metal painted action figures was different from other forms of molded plastic because these guys broke all the time. It must have been a design flaw by the Kenner design team because the metallic Brainiac figure from the Super Powers line was also very fragile. Stoopid android arm snapped clean off!!!

Anyways, it wasn't just the metallic figures that broke. Mon*Star had a feature in which when you squeezed his legs, his chest would open and an uglier version of the baddies' head would flip out. The chest plate kept snapping off. But unlike the metallic finish figures, the hinges would snap off. However, if you didn't have a collector's case, you'd have to hunt for Mon*Star's chest plate each time you wanted to play with him.

One aspect of the Silverhawks that was of high quality was the comic book series from the Marvel imprint, Star Comics. The series lasted 7 issues, which doesn't seem like alot. But when you take into  account that some Star Comics titles were cancelled after only an issue or two due to poor toy sales- seven issues of Silverhawks was the equivalent of a James Michener epic! And yes- I am constantly on the hunt to add these books to my collection! The Silverhawks comics- not the collected works of Michener.

I'd love to share with you an episode for an Advent. But Youtube makes you pay for those. So, as my Advent present for you today, here's the opening theme song. Enjoy!

Classic Toys from a Madman's Youth: Advent 2019 Day 14

I've got another toy fail for today's Advent. 

It's Christmas, 1986. According to Toy and Hobby World Magazine, top 10 toys of that year include Pound Puppies, Transformers, Lazer Tag and WWF Superstars. And what do I ask Santa for? Over The Top action figures!

Over The Top was a 1987 film starring Sylvester Stallone as a big rig driver who dreams of winning an arm wrestling championship in Las Vegas. The film hadn't even come out yet that Christmas! But I wanted those toys. 

I blame the Sears Holiday Wish Book. I saw these amazing pictures of two kids facing off against each other with the Over The Top action figures. They were having so much fun! And I really thought that would be me for Christmas!

See, you could complete with a buddy as Stallone's character of Lincoln Hawk versus several very colorful looking foes in a no holds barred 'rock-em, sock-em robot' style arm wrestling match. The figures' arms could interlock and there were these metal dials in their backs where you could arm wrestle each other. 

You only needed a friend or sibling! However,  in 1986, I didn't have either. My sister wasn't born until 1990 when I was 12. And having just moved into my neighborhood, I really didn't know that many people. It was especially hard as I went to a private school an hour away in which all the other kids in the neighborhood went to the local public school. 

So, I think you could understand my problem. Playing rock-em, sock-em robots by yourself just isn't all that fun. It's like playing ping pong up against a wall. Plus, the action figures were gigantic and they towered over my GI Joes and Star Wars figures. I'm pretty sure that by Christmas afternoon, my attention fell to something cooler that my grandparents or another relative got me for Christmas...

Let's jump to February, 1987. That's when Over The Top debuted in theaters. Disappointed in the toys, I lost interest in seeing the movie. It was budgeted for $25 million. It only took in about $16 million. So all-in-all, this was giant giant FAIL!

As my Advent present for you, I thought I would share the trailer for Over The Top. It should be pretty appearant that this was one of Stallone's biggest motion picture flops. Enjoy if you can muster it...

They Made a Christmas Album?- Advent 2018: Day 16

For an artist who has written a song about everything, it was inevitable that at some point they would do a Christmas album. I'm talking about the Price of Parody, Weird Al. The accordion playing artist has skewered Michael Jackson, Madonna, Nirvana, Coolio and created his own songs about food, Star Wars and tons more subjects in his 5 decade spanning career. His lone holiday tune is one of his original recordings and also his most controversial.

The song is called Christmas at Ground Zero. When recorded and released in 1986, the term 'ground zero' meant the direct impact of a nuclear attack. In the mid-80s, we were all scared to death of a nuclear war between the US and the Soviets. So, in demented Weird Al fashion, the artist created a Phil Spector style song that really change the meaning of the phrase 'surviving the holidays." It was meant to both relieve a little bit of tension and to mock the silly educational videos that preached how hiding under a desk would save you from the H-bomb.

Now jump to 2001 and the 9/11 attacks. Ground Zero has become the term for the World Trade Center. Many, including my wife, have thought that Weird Al's song was making fun of the events of that tragic day. But he's really not. Again, he wrote and recorded the song 15 years before the terrorist attacks. I'll let Al explain things a little more...

"The sad part is, I can’t really play the song live anymore because too many people misunderstand the connotations of Ground Zero. It’s not a reference to 9/11, obviously. It was written in 1987 when "ground zero" just meant the epicenter of a nuclear attack."

With that in mind, if you feel like the song will offend you, don't hit play. It's a very outdated song. It's also proof that good intentions turn out wrong as time goes by. Just think of all the controversy surrounding Baby, It's Cold Outside.  

So, enjoy the song if you'd like. I don't have advertisers and I don't make money off of this blog. So, there's not really anyone you can boycott if you don't like my selection for today's Advent. I'm posting the song as a sort of time capsule look at the fears and attempts to deal with the nightmare of nuclear war in the 80s. I understand that some may not agree with my decision to feature today's song. But I feel that to avoid the subject rather than brooch many sides of an argument would be just as wrong a choice. 

Try to enjoy...

Critters #11

  
   Really, I choose this issue because of it's cover. I know you're not supposed to do that but I couldn't pass up the image of a smiling feline dressed as Santa, riding atop a flying snow mobile with gifts and a moose in tow! It's a bitching holiday scene.
   The comic itself wasn't terrible. Especially for a 1986 indy comic. It's filled with talent like a Usagi Yojimbo adventure by Stan Sakai, a yarn by Ty Templeton, and many others. 
    Only 2 or 3 of the stories in this book are Christmas themed but I can excuse this as a couple of the tales, like the Yojimbo one, were parts of a multi-issue story arc. Not a bad funny animal offering from Fantagraphic Books.
     But if the stories aren't funny, is it still a funny animal comic? Most of these adventures are dramatic. A couple episodes are sexually charged, and one is bloody- very bloody. These animals might look cute and cuddly, but it's not a comic for kids!

    Worth Consuming

    Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

Heroes Against Hunger

   The year was 1986. In the course of the previous 24-months, a group of British Rockers under the name Band Aid released a Christmas record in hopes of raising funds and awareness for famine relief in Africa. Shortly, Hollywood and Motown's hot stars did the same with 'We Are the World.' Then rockers from around the world conducted a series of concerts in both London and New York for the cause. Finally the entire nation got into the act and attempted to raise awareness by symbolically holding 'Hands Across America.'
    In the mid-80s, you couldn't throw a rock without hitting a fundraiser for hunger and famine relief in Ethiopia and the surrounding areas of Africa. Everyone wanted to get involved with the project, even those in the comic book industry. In late 1985, Marvel was the first to issue a comic with proceeds going to famine relief. (I'll be reviewing that book in the next couple of days.) But the book that got my interest was DC's version- Heroes Against Hunger.
    I was 8 or 9 when I saw in the back of some long forgotten DC title an advertisement for Heroes Against Hunger. The ad listed over 50 of the industry's best writers, artists, colorists, and editors and on the cover was Superman, Batman, AND Lex Luthor! I was hooked and I never found it!!!
    Let's jump to Winter of last year. At a comic book shop in Asheville, NC I was trolling the bargain bins when I found Heroes Against Hunger and I didn't just find it, I found 24 pristine copies of Heroes! I guess that's where my copy went, it just took me 29 years to get a hold of it.

   So let's look at Heroes Against Hunger...

   Superman is hard at work trying to make the fields of Ethiopia fertile again. But torrential wind storms are making the effort nearly impossible. In disgust, Superman flies off in search of help and comes across Batman. The Dark Knight is investigating the wanton destruction of several Wayne Foundation planes that were carrying relief supplies to aid camp. The World's Finest heroes decide to help the other with Superman investigating the source of the crashes while Batman is tasked with approaching a brilliant scientist who might have formula for making things grow again in Africa: LEX LUTHOR!
    Heroes Against Hunger was an interesting mix of sci-fi and reality. While the fantastic was quite good, the best parts of this book involved the horrors of the famine in Africa. I'm not saying that I reveled in the plight of others. Rather, the parts of this comic that explained the factors behind the famine in Ethiopia as well as the scenes of rage that not only Batman and Superman has against the atrocities experienced by the starving refuges but Luthor as well were superior and very much Worth Consuming.
    
   Oh, one more thing- I didn't really mention much about the writing and the artwork. It's kinda hard to say that one guy was better than another in a work like this. This was a total group effort done by individuals that weren't even in the same state, much less the same room,  with each other. The fact that this got made at all is a little bit of a miracle. 
   While the entire book told a story, it's not 100% cohesive. The writers seem to have different themes that they are trying to put across and some times it seemed like the action got repeated from time to time. Why even Superman looks completely different from page to page as does Batman. It's varying styles and voices and sometimes they don't segue well That's mostly an editing problem. But with superstar talents like Neal Adams, Jack Kirby, George Perez, and many more doing this for free, I can't really find much fault with the errors and nits. So, I'm going to rate this pretty conservatively.

   Rating: 9 out of 10 stars. 
    

Doctor Who: The Companions by John Nathan-Turner

    The Companion. A staple of the series Doctor Who. It's the crew member of the TARDIS that anchors the Doctor, completes him, and makes Whovians dream that one day we'll hear the melodic whine of the time ship's grinding brakes in hopes that it will be our turn to travel through time and space.

   This 1986 book covers every companion to grace the interior of the TARDIS. Written by (at the time) showrunner John Nathan-Turner, it's filled with lots of insider information about the creation of the characters and the process in casting the talent to portray them on the small screen. However, if the companion isn't from Nathan-Turner’s era, you'll get very little information on your favorite companions. But that wasn't a problem for me as my Doctor, the Fifth played by Peter Davison, features heavily in this book. But it does make for an incomplete compendium on the companions of the first six Doctors. Especially those who traveled with the Hartnell, Troughton, and Pertwee Timelords...

   The book also boasts several painted covers of some past companions. Several were quite good renderings of the actors. A couple were okay but did feature some awesome monsters. And then there is the black and white painting of Elizabeth Sladen’s Sarah Jane Smith… if not for a listing of subjects in the front of the book, I would not have a clue who the artist was going for.

    Doctor Who: The Companions was printed in the UK. I'm sure over there this isn't a hard book to find. But anything classic Who is rare here in the States and I was thrilled to find this at the Doll Book Exchange last month.

  A must for classic Who fans- especially of the Fourth, Fifth. And Sixth Doctors!

  Worth Consuming!

  Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

Dakota North #1

  A little personal history- when I was in 5th grade, I had to write a love letter valentine to a fictional character. Now if I thought really long and hard about it, I'd probably have written the letter to Princess Leia. But I had just gotten back from the dentist and I had to get the assignment turned in quick if I wanted to play during recess. On the spot, I chose the closest thing I had on hand- a copy of Dakota North #1.

   How I got the book is beyond me. I'm thinking I got the book as a prize from my dentist. But, he only carried Archie and Harvey Comics. Maybe I had a real bad cavity and as a reward my mom took me to the comic book store before going back to school. Anyways, I had the comic book in my backpack and so I used it to craft my letter.

    Flash forward 24-years later and I still had never read Dakota North #1. Over time, I lost that issue and actually forgot about the bodyguard/ private investigator. Then a year ago, while in vacation in the Smoky Mountains, I was reading a trade paperback collection of New Avengers titles. Low and behold, somebody was using the services of one Dakota North for a case.

   Remembering that Valentine's Day assignment and feeling a little guilty having never read the book, I made it my mission to find the comic and give it the read it properly deserved. Over the course of a few months I found the entire series of Dakota North. It wasn't that very hard as only 5 issues were published. (Jump ahead another year and I had forgotten I had the complete series until it was time to take another trek up those same Smoky Mountains. Well, I decided not to procrastinate any further!)

   Dakota North is considered the 2nd to last nail in Marvel editor Jim Shooter's coffin at the House of Ideas. Lots of time and money was spent on this series. With it's contemporary style and characters drafted in real life fashions, Dakota was a critical success. Sadly, it was a huge flop financially.

    Comics featuring women wasn't unheard of in 1986 when Dakota #1 was published. But those titles didn't find much commercial success and it was even harder for an entirely all-new character to get any love from fans of the Big Two publishers- especially if the character had zero super powers. But, Shooter was a man who could obviously see the future and he took a gamble on the feisty redhead. Sadly, the visionary editor bet heavily on red about 30 years too soon.

    In this premiere issue, North is hired to protect an up-and-coming designer whose been getting threats over his revolutionary new style. Posing as a model, North keeps a close eye on her client and intercepts several deadly attacks aimed at him. Normally, just risking your neck to save the life of a total stranger (albeit a payer customer HOPEFULLY) would be enough stress in anyone's life. But Dakota's world is going to get a little more hectic when her baby brother, teenage rebel Ricky North moves in!

   Created by writer Martha Thomases and artist Tony Salmons, Dakota North #1 wasn't half bad. Salmons art style looks like a series of sketches you'd see a fashion designer create for the new fall line. It was outstanding but just a little too highbrow for the Marvel Universe of 1986.

    The storyline so far is interesting as are the characters. They do still have some rough edges to them but hey it's the first issue: give it time! The star of the show isn't Dakota, however; it's her brother Ricky. He's rude, crude, and is given all of the funniest lines. I hope to see more of him in the remaining 4 issues of the regular series turned unfairly into a limited series without any warning (more on that in my review of issue #4 and 5!)

   It took me a quarter of a decade to read this issue, but it was worth the wait. I'm hooked on Dakota North and I'm not so embarrassed to have written that love letter to her sight unseen. I just hope she don't let me down in the next issue.

   Worth Consuming

   Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.