Looney Tunes #279 (Family Comic Friday)

With just a week until the beginning of the 2024 Oylmpics, I've discovered another major franchise is getting into the spirit of things. In the latest issue of DC's Looney Tunes (which dropped just last Wednesday), Bugs Bunny hosts The Looney Games. Everyone from Michigan J. Frog to Taz, Lola Bunny to Foghorn Leghorn is completing in hopes of winning a medal in the games. Of course, the ever too over-confident Daffy Duck thinks he's going to sweep all the categories. But when Bugs fires the starting gun for the first race, causing Daffy to panic that duck hunting season has begun early this year, you know things are in trouble for the wisecracking mallard. 

This summer has also seen several major soccer championships taking place all over the globe. So it's only fitting that the back-up feature involves the world's most popular sport. Bugs answers an ad for a soccer tournament, which instead turns out to be a trap for some of the Looney Tunes' most dastardly characters to scare up some victims for a host of mad experiments. It looks like Bugs' goose is cooked. That is until he demands his foes challenge him in a match or- horror of horrors- the rascally rabbit will get his lawyers involved! 

Featuring Witch Hazel, Gossamer and a character I didn't know even existed, the Looney Tunes version of Dracula: Count Bloodcount! You know Bugs will play dirty against this squad of villains and we all love it!

It's rare when I think that the second story is better than the cover feature. Yet, that's how I felt with this issue and the soccer story was a reprint from like 10 years ago! I felt that the Olympic themed story was just too jammed packed. Derek Fridolfs along with Robert Pope crafted some great gags. But would it have been a bad thing to have let these two take over the whole issue with the Looney Games story? Less is not always more when it's a rapid fire of joke-joke-gag-joke-pun!

Plus, poor Wile E. Coyote! There's a scene where he's given a baton in the relay race and right before he's sent to claim victory, an anvil smashes him flat. In typical fashion, he lifts a placard that bemoans 'Why can't I win?' That just broke my heart. Why can't the Coyote win a race? He's not trying to eat anyone. I demand justice! I want a rematch!

For the parents out there, this issue has the typical amount of violence using dynamite, bear traps and mallets. Nobody stays hurt. But of course, some of the youngest of readers might not understand that sort of misadventure has long-term consequences of injury. If Looney Tunes is something you allow the little ones in your life to watch on TV, then there's nothing offensive here in this comic. As usual, it's up to the level of maturity in the readers as to whether your family can enjoy this sports themed comic this year or will have to wait until the Olympics of 2028 for a read!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

Dell Giants #28 (Bugs Bunny's Winter Fun)

I'm not really sure when and where I picked up this frosty read. According to my records, I paid 50 cents for it. So I must have gotten it at a con or comic shop sale. Based on the cover, I had filed this 1960 comic in with my holiday books. But I may need to rethink that now.

There are about a dozen stories in this book. You'll have to forgive me for not being all that accurate. The cover was hanging on by a single staple and some prayer. I've already re-bagged this book and don't want to risk further damage by taking this 62 year old comic book back out for a looksie. 

The majority of the stories are set during winter time. Some examples include Bugs Bunny and Yosemite Sam taking a wrong turn at Albuquerque and winding up at an ice festival in the Alps. Porky Pig plays intermediary between Jack Frost and Old Man Winter trying to outdo each other. Daffy and Elmer Fudd conduct some Looney Tunes level shenanigans when Elmer refuses to let the duck into his warm and cozy cottage. The story between Tweety Bird and Sylvester as well as Foghorn Leghorn and plucky Henery Hawk's adventure seem awfully familiar to me. I swear that I've seen animated versions of both those stories as a kid!

There's also some characters that I am just not all that familiar with and most of those episodes are the ones that do not occur during winter. A little girl named Suzanne, who appeared only once in a 1955 Fritz Freleng short starring Sylvester the Cat, visits a sick friend. A tiny mouse named Sniffles and his human friend, Mary Jane, help a tired gopher find a safe place to hibernate. Finally, readers are taken South of the Border to meet the family of Little Pancho Vanilla. 

That story is full of stereotypes. However, it's nothing compared to how the character appeared in the sole 1938 Merrie Melodies short that bears his name. And if you thought the portrayal of Speedy Gonzales and his lazy mouse friends were bad, try reading a similar story drawn with human characters.

This Dell Giant also contains a character that I've grown-up with all my life but never encountered a story starting them until now. Porky's forgotten girlfriend Petunia Pig was on not one but two Pepsi glasses. Both were said to be my Grandmama's favorite glasses in the series as she was a fan of the character. I now own those very glasses and cherish them. Yet it's only in the Porky Pig/Jack Frost/Old Man Winter story that I've finally come across a story starring Petunia! (It's taken 45 years, folks!)

The unofficial title to this comic doesn't lie. 3/4 of this issue is full of winter fun. Since Pancho Vanilla lives closer to the equator and his story involves rain, that tale very well could occur in Mexico's winter season. I just don't know. The reason I put this book in holiday was that I hoped it might have a couple of Christmas themed stories inside. Only, I knew how fragile this book was and didn't want to damage it until I was ready to read to find out for sure.

I was originally gonna to read this for my 2022 Christmas reads. But after that first story, I realized that this wasn't as such. So I kept this out until after the holidays. It was a fun read; though a story or two is a bit racist in its caricature. As for where to file this book, I'm assuming it's now going to get categorized as a 'Kids Cartoon, Non-DC/Marvel'. I'll probably file it under letter D for Dell Giant in my long boxes. 

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

The 25 Baubles of Pop Culture! Advent 2022 Day 16

 

The random generator deus ex machina determined that today's Advent theme would be Looney Tunes! I knew from many Christmases past that there has been plenty of ornaments devoted to the characters from Warner Bros. since way before Hallmark took over as the de facto producer of pop culture ornaments. 

When I typed in 'Looney Tunes Vintage Ornaments', I was delighted to find this set of 6 ceramic ornaments from my birth year. Produced by Dave Grossman Designs, these 1977 Japanese produced ornaments came with a red and white box that bears illustrations of characters such as Daffy Duck and Tweety that really look primitive compared to how sleek they appeared in 2021's Space Jam 2.

A second wave of ornaments were released the next year. Wile E. Coyote, Road Runner and Speedy Gonzales as ornaments make sense to me. But why make one of the Stork that often gave the wrong baby to characters like Foghorn Leghorn instead of a more popular character like Pepe Le Pew? My favorite of all 11 total ornaments is of Yosemite Sam as he's decked out in a Christmas trimmed version of his iconic pirate costume!

Disney might own the world presently. But in the 1990s, a very good case could be made that it was the characters of Warner Bros. who ruled the roost. During this time, a trio of unexpected characters became the faces of Looney Tunes. Move over Bugs, the 90s was the decade of a beast from Down Under, a visitor from another world and a swamp dweller! 

Debuting in a Bugs Bunny cartoon from 1954, the Tasmanian Devil appeared in only 5 cartoons up until 1964 when Warner Bros. shut down it's animation department. With just a couple of cameos, it wasn't until an all-new cartoon series about Taz and his family called Taz-Mania that the 90s became the Taz decade. The sitcom cartoon ran from 1991-1995 on Fox Kids for a total of 65 episodes! To honor the character and his amazing run, here's a very funny 2005 ornament from Hallmark in which Taz is trying to sneak in some treats.

The next character to see a resurgence was the ruler of Mars, Marvin the Martian. The character debuted in the 1948 short Haredevil Hare. Appearing for a grand total of only 5 toons, it wasn't until 1979's Bugs Bunny/Roadrunner Movie that the character was finally given the name Marvin!

That appearance boosted Marvin's popularity. Over the next 15 years, the character would appear about a dozen various Warner Bros. projects before becoming the main antagonist in the 2003 Cartoon Network series Duck Dodgers. In honor of Marvin and his hilarious exploits with Duck Dodgers, played brilliantly by the ever aloof Daffy Duck, I'm sharing this ornament which is also from Hallmark, 2005.

The third character that saw a renewed interest in the 90s is the hilarious character of Michigan J. Frog. In 1955, the character debuted in a 1955 short directed by Chuck Jones titled One Froggy Evening. In the cartoon, a man discovered the amphibian stuffed in a box at a construction site. Whenever the guy is alone, the Frog dons a top hat and bellows out 'Hello, Ma Baby'. But any time the poor guy tries to get producers and directors to agree to an audition, the animal just sits then and ribbits. 

In the original run of Merrie Melodies that ran from 1931-1969, Michigan J. Frog only appeared in 1 cartoon! Yet, the character's charm was strong from that solo appearance. So much that in 1995, Warner Bros. posted the character as the official mascot of the WB, a fledgling network station that eventually morphed into The CW in 2005. 

As part of Michigan J. Frog's newfound resurgence, Hallmark released an ornament in 1997 that shows the character in all his grandeur. With a candy cane cane no less! But don't expect him to perform for you if  somebody is around you. He's only gonna put on a show for you!

The 1990s also saw a new generation of Looney Tunes characters. In 1990, Steven Spielberg spearheaded the debut of Tiny Toons. Instead of a reboot, these characters were young cartoons that attended Acme Looniversity and where taught the ways of the Looney Tunes by the likes of Elmer Fudd, Porky Pig and Bugs Bunny. 

There were dozens of great characters in the Amblin Entertainment produced series. Babs and Buster Bunny- no relation!- were the hosts of the show which ran for 98 episodes for 3 years on Fox Kids! Plucky Duck drove Hampton Pig crazy with his insane schemes. But being a cat person, my favorite character was Furrball. Furrball wasn't a student at the University. Instead, he was a poor stray kitty that only wanted to be loved. Unfortunately, that usually meant Furrball becoming the pet of the good intentioned by oh-so-smothering  Elmyra Duff! 

In 1995, Hallmark released a series of miniature ornaments devoted to the Tiny Toons. And of course, I chose this one of Furrball clutching his gift of sardines from I am assuming Santa! With that torn little ear, this one makes me miss my Gimli so much while making me so appreciative that I can share my home with our newest baby, Lando!

The last officially licensed ornament I wanted to share is from the Warner Bros. Studio Tour online gift shop. It's a globe ornament that bears images of some of Looney Tunes best and brightest. However, it was the Warner Bros. shield that caught my eye. Every Looney Tunes and Merries Melodies cartoon started off with the WB shield. I just didn't think you could take a look at Looney Tunes ornaments without paying homage to that iconic symbol!

You probably were wondering, Where's Bugs Bunny? Other than with that group of vintage ornaments, I've not focused on the leader of the Looney Tunes. Don't worry! I saved him for the DIY ornament. I picked this one because it's a creative twist on the snowman lightbulb ornament that I think I've seen at every holiday craft fair that I've ever visited.

For this ornament, you will need an old light bulb, gray, white and black paint, gray and pink sheet foam, a tiny pink pompom, a couple of pieces of dry spaghetti (painted white) a small felt Santa hat, some ribbon and of course, hot glue. First you paint the bulb gray. Once dry, with the ornament upside down, add white eyes and teeth, and then paint on pupils, a mouth and some whiskers with the black paint. Using scissors, trim a pair of small pink ovals and a pair of slightly larger grey ovals. Hot glue the pink ones atop the gray and add to the bulb. The hot glue the Santa hat over the metal base of the bulb. Hot glue the pompom for the nose and spread out sections of spaghetti from the nose to be the whiskers. Finish things off with a looped section of ribbon not glued onto the hat. Once dry, you're ready to hang on your tree!

Looney Tunes #266 (Family Comic Friday)

There's a trio of fun in this issue. I'm just afraid I might be a little too old to fully enjoy it now.

First up, in the brand new story, Bugs is awakened by an earthquake. Upon going topside, Bugs discovers that something is off with his friends. They've all been replaced with robots!

The cover story was what sold me on making a purchase of this issue. The story was interesting as I was stymied as to just who was behind the robotic changes... I was convinced it was Marvin the Martian. But I was so disappointed with the cliched ending. Yeah, this was a comic book story full of cliches. But it was that last ending that was just 1 banality too many!

The two reprint stories weren't so guilty of the offense of overuse of the worn out jokes. In reprint #1, Tweety and Sylvester fight over the TV remote. In the second, Bugs takes on a grocery store that stole his carrots. Of these two, the Tweety & Sylvester romp was the best.

I thought that there was a major over reaction with Bugs. Instead of trying to either reason with the store owner or hire a lawyer, the rascally rabbit decides to use deceit and trickery to get his nums back. Maybe I'm just getting older, but I felt like that second Bugs story could have been handled in a much different way.

I only paid $2.99 for this book. That's retail. I'm not terribly upset with my purchase as I would love to one day own the whole run. Though, I think with all the reprints, I might not have to buy every issue. Possible. But I bet it would take a lot of research to get a complete list in order to not have a bunch of doubles. 

If the young reader in your life loves Looney Tunes cartoons, this is a great bi-monthly series for them. The artwork has always been animation style quality. And the stories themselves are so much like cartoons. That ending that I hated is definitely the type of ending you would expect for a Merry Melodies cartoon. I'm pretty sure that had I experienced this on the TV, I'd be disappointed with the results as well.

That's what happens when you get older, I guess. Silly things just look silly. I might not be a fan of all of it, but your kids are gonna love it!

Rating: 6 out of 10 stars.

Looney Tunes Greatest Hits, Volume 2: You're Despicable!

Your favorite Looney Tunes characters are back in this collection of DC Comics. 

Magicians Bugs and Daffy complete are only the rabbit and duck could! Foghorn Leghorn recruits the Tasmanian Devil to get rid of the barnyard's protective pooch, Dawg. Pepe Le Peu searches for romance in the streets of Washington D.C. Granny adds a new security device to keep Sylvester from making a quick meal out of Tweety. And a pair of mice named Mac and Tosh try to teach the gang the importance of manners- to little avail!

This was a great read for a rainy day or a pick-me-up. This volume features story and art from some industry greats such as Dan Slott, Dave Alvarez, Terry Collins and Michael Eury.

There's one thing that perplexes me about this book; it's the title. This is Looney Tunes Greatest Hits, Volume 2. It reprints issues #41-47. Volume 1 covers issues 34-40. What happened to issues #1-33? Are they not considered greatest hits? 

While I am extremely glad that this book collects entire issues, I was expecting this to be a mix of stories. I mean it is a mix, it's just not cherry picker stuff. So if you are trying to collect the entire run of DC's Looney Tunes in one way or another, this is an affordable way to do it as the only original run content missing are the ads!

Fun stuff worth quite a few laughs!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

DC/ Looney Tunes 100-Page Spectacular

Mr. Mxyzptlk is super-bored. Annoying the Man of Steel just doesn't have that pizzazz it once does. So the inter-dimensional imp goes on a trek through the multiverse to find some fun. 
  
Mxy winds up in the Looney Tunes universe where he meets the Do-Do. In this new world of wonder, the prankster is inspired to take the characters who inhabit the Do-Do's universe and have them give the superheroes of the DC Universe a run for their money.

It's the Justice League's greatest challenge as Looney Tune meets the World's Finest. Now the World's Fastest Man is challenged by Speedy Gonzalez for the title of Speedster. Superman must answer the question 'What's Up Doc?' And Gotham has a new protector- the Duck Knight! The excitement is just too much for Mr. Mxyzptlk who wants to make the Looney Tunes permanent resident's of his earth. Only the combined forces of the residents of both dimensions can save the day and prevent the DC Universe from becoming a laughing stock!

This super-sized comic collects the Superman/ Bugs Bunny crossover from 2000 and it's a bit confusing. When DC collected this series, they re-titled it the DC/Looney Tunes 100-Page Spectacular. Yet the cover still lists the original Superman/ Bugs Bunny title. I'm not really sure what DC's thought process was behind this. But when I was requesting this book from my local comic book store, we had a devil of a time trying to figure out how to order it because the titles didn't match. So if you are trying to find this book online or in a store, who knows how the seller is going to have it listed or filed away.

Mark Evanier (New Gods) penned a great crossover that had me chuckling. One of the best running gags is when the Connor Hawke Green Arrow discovers music genius Michigan J. Frog singing for him and then he clams up everytime Connor shows him around. "I swear, this frog can sing!" This wouldn't work with the Oliver Queen GA. Connor is such a straight man, that to slowly have his sanity unravel because of a frog, is brilliant!

The art by the legendary Joe Staton was perfect as well. The Batman artist has proven over the past 40 years that he's got what it takes to illustrate the members of the Justice League. But how he seamlessly blends the Looney Tunes characters with those of the DCU is further evidence of Staton's genius. 

Not everyone was a fan of the DC/ Looney Tunes crossovers. Well, except for the Batman/ Elmer Fudd Special. Everybody loved that (and it was great!) But even if you are NOT a fan of funny animals, this is one special you should not gloss over! 

A perfect read for comic book fans of all ages. 

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9.5 out of 10 stars but only because of the very confusing title!

Batman/Elmer Fudd Special #1

The Wait is Over…

The book that I’ve been finally waiting for hit shelves Wednesday: the Batman/Elmer Fudd Special. I’ve been counting down the days until it’s release ever since I found out about the announcement for it sometime in May. So was the DC Comics/Looney Tunes crossover as good as my expectations?

My opinion of the book can be summed up in one word: Epic! However, only saying “epic” makes for a very small review.

That being said, let’s dig in a little deeper, shall we?  

Bat Season

The special starts off with Elmer going into a Gotham City saloon called Porky’s. His task is to kill a the man who murdered his wife- one Bugs ‘the Bunny.’ On exchange for his life, Bugs names the man who hired him to put out the hit, Bruce Wayne! After Fudd makes a play at Wayne, Batman goes on the prowl and Elmer the hunter becomes the hunted. However, it’s soon apparent that both Fudd and Wayne were set up. Thus Elmer and the Dark Knight join forces to uncover just who killed Silver St. Cloud. 

 Yes Bugs and Porky, along with Tweety, Sylvester, and the rest of the Looney Tunes gang are here! It makes perfect sense too! Batman has had one of the most colorful rogue’s galleries on all of comicdom. Therefore by converting all the Looney Tunes gang into thugs with features like those of animals visually works, all thanks to the deft pencils of Lee Weeks. For example, Bugs is a hit-man with buck teeth and an affinity for pickled carrots whereas Porky is a stuttering barkeep with a pudgy nose.

  Writer Tom King saved the best for last with this special. He really knew how to blend the two universes into one that actually could work in the monthly adventures of the Caped Crusader.

I’ve been reading the other DC/Warner Bros crossovers and I must say that this was the best of the bunch. Each special also has a backup story told in the Looney Tunes manner. For the most part, I really haven’t enjoy them. This one, also by Tom King with art by Byron Vaughns, was exceptional. It followed the classic rabbit season/duck season routine with Batman standing in for Daffy Duck. I laughed aloud several times.

A Sleeper Hit?

There’s been some hype about this book. I confess, It’s mostly all due to me. However, the Batman. Elmer Fudd Special is now currently sold out at my local comics shop. Plus, I’ve checked and learned that another area store has run out of copies as well. I point this out as the other crossovers haven’t been selling very well according to the owners I talked with. So if you decide to jump in on this title, it might be too late.

Or as Porky always says…

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.

Review originally published June 29, 2017 on outrightgeekery.com.

Legion of Super-Heroes/ Bugs Bunny Special #1

    A member of the Legion of Super-Heroes is fighting for their life thanks to a mystery virus. Brainiac 5 determines that the only way to save his comrade is to treat the patient with a now extinct isotope. Since the element is known to exist during Superboy’s time, the Legion uses a time cube to bring the teen hero to the 31st Century! However, instead of Superboy, the being that travels a 1,000 years into the future winds up being none other than Bugs Bunny?! When the wisecracking rabbit asks “What’s Up Doc?’, I don’t think this is what the Legionnaires had in mind to save their ill teammate.

The Crossovers of The Summer

    The Legion of Super-Heroes/ Bugs Bunny Special is just one of about a dozen DC/ Warner Bros. specials that will hit shops this summer. Written by Green Lanterns’ Sam Humphries with art by Tom Grummett (Action Comics), the story is very tongue-in-cheek with lots of inside jokes and teen angst. Even the editors get in on the action, having a caption war of sorts with Humphries throughout the book.

    One might think that a crossover between Looney Tunes characters and DC legends would not work visually. The Legion is comprised of humanoids whereas Bugs is a funny animal. Yet, the film Space Jam is a mash up of real-life human beings and cartoons. That film is still considered a visual masterpiece of 90s cinema despite 2 different medias. So, the artistry isn’t problematic.

Rated T for Too Strict, Not Tunes

     What I have trouble with not only this special, but the whole line-up of DC/Looney Tunes specials, is the ratings. DC decided to release these books with a rating of Teen. Than means that the publisher believes that readers under the age of 12 should not be reading this book.

      I’m not sure if pure nostalgia for Looney Tunes is going to make these book’s a success. True, DC recently saw major dividends with it’s edgy grown-up versions of Hanna-Barbera cartoons. But Bugs Bunny has always been thought of as family friendly. I didn’t really see anything any more objectionable in this book from what you might see on a episode of Looney Tunes cartoons on Boomerang.

      These specials do not need to be rated for all-ages. But Teen is too strict for this comic. Limiting your readership with in my opinion too-strong of a rating, I think will hurt DC in the long-run. As an educator, I notice that parents tend to take the ratings system for books a lot more seriously than that of TV or movies. I’ve seen this firsthand, having run book fairs before. Mom and Dad love for their child to be able to read at a higher level. Yet parents will shy upon purchasing books that may be more violent or scary than their kids can handle. (Note: Next Week’s Lobo/ Road Runner Special, which is rated Teen, may actually be classified too low considering the Last Czarian’s violent publication history.)

Things To Come

     Each special is supposed to include a small backup feature. This book’s second story was a retelling of the main attraction. Juan Ortiz gives his version of events a different spin and I loved his 60s DC Comics art-style for the piece. But, I feel cheated by not getting an all-new, all-different tale. I hope the other specials will not fall into this trap.

    I’m looking forward to the rest of the DC/ Looney Tunes specials. They are the right mix of silly and sentimental. Nevertheless, these one-shots are also $4.99 a piece. So, I am probably going to have to hold off on a few of these issues until I come across them in a bargain bin somewhere down the road. The Batman/ Elmer Fudd team-up by Tom King and Lee Weeks that drops in July, will not be one of those. That’s one’s going to be epic and I for one do not want to miss out on it!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

Bugs Bunny #46

  A Christmas themed cover does not a Christmas comic make. And that was the mistake I made when I paid $4 for this book. I'm very thrifty. I love to shop but I tried really hard to stretch my dollar. If it wasn't for dollar books, massive sales on comic book web sites, and the library, I my collection would be much, much smaller and my knowledge of comics would be greatly less. 
   But I came across this 1956 book a little while ago and I figured that I'd never come across such an old Christmas comic for such an affordable price ever again. What can I say, I'm addicted to holiday comics!
   Alas, this is NOT a Christmas or holiday comic book. Maybe I'm wrong, but I doubt it. Let's look at what's inside:

1. Bugs joins the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. But instead of being made a Mountie, he's been made to clean out the stables of the horses. So when a case of mistaken identity points to Elmer Fudd as an evil fur trapper, Bugs takes it upon himself to head a manhunt. Chaos naturally ensues.
2. In a one-page prose short story, a character named Pemrose Pig seeks to get his girlfriend, Petunia Pig, a birthday present. (I thought Porky Pig dated Petunia. Whose Pemrose?)
3. Lastly, Bugs and Elmer go on a skiing trip but problems quickly arise when the pair discover that they don't have any firewood to keep them warm. (I'm pretty sure you can figure out where this story was going.)

     And that's Bugs Bunny #46 in a nutshell. Other than the snow in the third story, there's very little winter hi-jinx much less anything to do with Christmas. My wife's family (who are half Jewish) would go so far as to say having the Pemrose and Petunia Pig story keeps this from being a Hanukkah comic as well! And yes, they have actually said this before in the past!!! 

     If I had spent only dollar or less on this, I might donate it to the reading program at my wife's work. But $4 is, to a collector like me, a lot of moolah. Plus, the book's staples are quite rusty and the cover is being held on mostly by sheer will power.

    I enjoyed the stories but I didn't like being duped by the cover. This is a prime example of how if you have doubts about a book, you should always ask the owner if you can examine it out of the bag. If they say no to your request, then it's a sign that the comic wasn't for you.

    Rating: 6 out of 10 stars.

Looney Tunes #212 (Family Comics Friday)

  

   If you were to try and guess what the longest running DC Comics title is currently still on the market; what would be you guess? Would you say it's the book that started the superhero phenomenon with the introduction of Superman- Action Comics? Or would you guess Detective Comics, the oldest title created by DC when it was originally known as National Publications? Those are both good guesses, but with the 2011 reboot of the DC Universe, thanks to events in the miniseries 'Flashpoint,' you'd be wrong. 

   So what's the correct answer? I'll give a small hint: since the 1970s, Warner Brothers has in some form or another owned DC eventually turning the publisher into a subsidiary in 2009.

   Give up? Or did you figure it out, Doc? 

  With over 226 issues and counting, would you ever have been able to guess it was Looney Tunes?  Started in 1994, the title has run bi-monthly for over 21 years and has featured some of the most iconic (and a few obscure) characters in the Looney Tunes franchise. From Bugs Bunny to Sam Sheepdog to Yosemite Sam, if they starred in the countless number Warner Brothers cartoons, you'll probably find them in the pages of Looney Tunes Comics. 

    This issue I selected to review was issue #212 from 2013. Featuring 3 short stories, this was a fun collection of stories starring some fan favorites.

    First up, Bugs Bunny takes a wrong turn in Albuquerque and tunnels into Sing Song Prison instead of the Paris Canned Carrot Festival. Forced to help Mugsy and his Boss, Rocky,  escape prison, the Rascally Rabbit will take them anywhere but to freedom. Written by the master of DC's all-ages comics, Sholly Fisch, this story could've been a Looney Tunes cartoon!

    Then jump to the 24th-and-a-1/2 Century and explore the furthest reaches of the universe with Duck Dodgers and his faithful sidekick, the Eager Young Space Cadet (Porky Pig.) Uh, wait a minute... that adventure has been put on hold as Dodgers and Cadet are going on vacation. Wouldn't you know it? The duo just happens to pick the very same planet that arch-enemy Marvin the Martian has decided to terraform into a Martian resort!

   Lastly, Granny takes Tweety Bird to the vet for a check-up. But why does the vet seem to speak with a lisp and smell an awful lot like a cat? Could it be another one of Sylvester the Cat's schemes to make the beloved canary his next meal?

    Looney Tunes the comic is a 32-page bi-monthly adventure with a slew of classic characters that generations of fans have grown up with and loved. Though this series has not been collected in trade form, this book is very accessible for families on a budget. New issues can be bought at cost or lower. Older issues are rarely marked up and found in bargain bins.
  
     But there's a catch to all this: you have to be willing to look for them. If you have a local comic book store that has a good all-ages section, you should be able to find this series with no problem. But since all-ages books aren't normally considered profitable, if no one shows an interest in this series, they won't buy it. 

   That's actually a problem right now with the current issue of Scooby-Doo Team-Up (#12). Only 7,000 issues were ordered and with the current issue starring ever so popular Harley Quinn, the book sold out real quick and is selling for upwards of $20-50 apiece. Sure, this issue will probably be reprinted, but it wasn't fair for loyal fans of that series who purchase that fun series on a regular basis. 

   Now, back to Looney Tunes. If your child likes this series, speak to the owner of the comic shop you frequent and tell them you want to buy more releases. With more interest, DC will publish more issues and there won't be shortage problems for the true fans these titles are meant for- kids.

   Lastly- another tip. Check out eBay. There are some really good lots of Looney Tunes comics that pop up on the site for decent prices. I'd normally suggest Amazon or even an online comics retailer. But, for the biggest bang for your buck, check out the original online auction site for more your favorite Warner Bros. icons. 

   Worth Consuming 

   Rating: 10 out of 10 stars and that's all folks!