Adventure Time 2017 Spoooktacular #1 (Family Comic Friday)

Stories by Adam Cesare, Alyssa Wong, Grady Hendrix, & Chris Lackey
Art by Christine Larsen, Heather Danforth, Slimm Fabert, Kate Sherron
Based on characters created by Pendleton Ward
Published by Kaboom! Studios

One of my favorite things about Halloween and Christmas are the holiday specials. A TV or movie is great. But a themed comic book is even more special. For today's Family Comic Friday, I had selected a title that I am not very familiar with. However, the TV series the book is based on is considered a classic is it's own right. The book in question is the Adventure Time 2017 Spoooktacular from the good folks at Kaboom!

On the cover is the main star of this special, Princess Bubblegum's dark arts practicing man servant (or is it candy servant???), the Peppermint Butler. The first of four stories in this Halloween spectacular covers a typical day for Peppermint. From brushing his teeth to summoning demonic forces to do his bidding, it's hard work for the confectionery steward.

In the second adventure, the original stars of Adventure Time, Jake and Finn have a series of misadventures involving a pair of dueling magicians. Since a contract between a magician and his volunteer is eternally binding, Jake and Finn are forced to act like poultry, are cut in half, and put through tons more tricks in this sorcery showdown to the death. There's only one problem: Finn doesn't remember volunteering to help either of these wizards of wackiness. But the only way out may end up costing the heroes their very souls to a certain butler...

Yarn number three is from the alternate Adventure Time Universe in which Finn is a girl, Jake's a cat, and Princess Bubblegum is a prince. When Prince Gumball throws a Halloween Ball, he mistakenly invites the dastardly vampire Marshall Lee. Knowing that there's going to be trouble, Gumball puts his faithful servant the Butterscotch Butler on task to keeping the bloodsucker away from the festivities.

This special closes out with a return to the regular Adventure Time universe again with the Peppermint Butler. In the story titled 'Candy in the House' a massive storm is coming and so Peppermint takes refuge in an seemingly abandoned house. However, that's not to be when the butler meets the occupant, a seemingly crazed fellow with a sweet tooth for certain red and white candies. Has the seemingly nonplussed necromancing chamberlain finally discovered his very own kryptonite?

For someone as myself who isn't really what you would call a fan of Adventure Time, I enjoyed this book. I like to be very well rounded with all sorts of cartoons because you never know when you need to make a special connection with a student or child. A kid's eyes just light up when an adult shows interest in their favorite things. Not only did I learn about a new pop culture franchise, I also read a darn good Halloween themed comic.

A variety of artists and writers crafted these stories including Deadbeats Chris Lackey, Nebula Award winner Alyssa Wong, and Harvey nominated illustrator Christine Larsen. There's not a bad story in the bunch. Though if I had to pick a favorite, I would have to say it was Wong and Larsen's opening tale, The Morning Ritual, that won me over the most.

The Adventure Time titles are published under Boom! Studios' all-ages imprint Kaboom! The recommended age for this special is 8-11 years old but there are fans of all-ages that love the adventures of Jake, Finn, and friends. However, there's some imagery of demons, monsters, and hell,  this special may be a little too scary for readers aged 8 and 9. Thus, that fear factor may be objectionable to some parents out there. As with any of my Family Comic Friday reviews, I just give advisement on the titles I review to parents. It's up to the adults to make the final judgement if the work featured is the right one for their young readers.

As for my own judgement on the quality of the artwork and story- this was a very fun read. Guaranteed to put any reader in the Halloween spirit, no matter how unfamiliar one may be with the Adventure Time series.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8.5 out of 10.

The 18 Days of a Star Wars Christmas Miracle +7: Day 18 (SPOILER FREE MOVIE REVIEW)

  For today's advent, I decided to review the Force Awakens while being as spoiler free as possible. 
   
  For one thing, the Force Awakens is wicked fun. But it's not Empire Strikes Back- perhaps not only the greatest Star Wars film ever, but the best film of all-time- period. True, I have seen Episode V over 200 times and I might be a little biased. Multiple viewings of this film, which I am sure will be occurring in the next few weeks, will help me to really place this film at second or third place over A New Hope and Revenge of the Sith. 

   The acting was quite good. It was great seeing Han, Leia, Chewie, and some other friendly faces. But how did the new characters do? 
   Oscar Isaac's Poe Dameron, the best pilot in the Resistance is cocky, fierce, and a little wild. But he's quite likable. The mysterious orphan Rey played by Daisy Ridley is a star in the making. I take that back, her performance as the scavenger from the planet Jakku is proof that a star is born. Another mysterious character is that of Kylo Ren, who plays a Sith Lord for the First Order. Played by Adam Driver- he's a creepy dude who I actually do not like at all (though his voice when helmeted rivals James Earl Jones' Darth Vader.)

   One thing about Episode VII that quite different from the other 6 movies are the villains. Unlike the Empire, the troops of the First Order don't strike me as evil. But they are baddies nonetheless. But whereas I love the bad guys characters of the Empire like the Emperor, Boba Fett, and, of course, Lord Vader, I hate these guys and hope that the resistance hands them their just desserts by the end of Episode IX. 

    Oh, I almost forgot one more character- the controversial Finn played by John Boyega. When he was first cast last year, some folks lost their freakin' minds over a black stormtrooper. The biggest argument was that the clones used as the original Stormtroopers were not black. Well, this is the second or third generation of stormtroopers made up of recruits and conscripts. So, haters: STIFLE!

    Boyega was the comic relief of the Force Awakens. But he wasn't annoyingly stupid like the notroious Jar Jar Binks. In fact, sometimes, his character of a conflicted stormtrooper played the straight man to an elderly Han Solo, who had some very funny moments as well. Still, Boyega's character was play with such heart and such charm that I openly welcome him into the Star Wars family. (On a side note, Boyega's Finn is rumored to be the son of Lando. If that becomes true, I'm totally fine with it because they both have that dapper swagger and a way with the ladies.)

   So, should you see Star Wars? Absolutely! The few trailers and commercials for the film haven't spoiled anything. In fact, expect some misdirects. JJ Abrams did a great job in making you think that Character A was going to turn out to be a Jedi or a villian, or someone's kid only to have it be Character B. (And yes, as I've been predicting a couple of characters from the Journey to the Force Awakens books do appear in this film. But do you have to read those books to understand what's going on? Not really, though Smuggler's Run does offer the most insight into the goings on in which we first are reintroduced to Han and Chewie.)

   Lastly, here's a couple of tips for seeing the movie this weekend.

   1. Get there early for seats but don't expect to see the film immediately at showtime. My tickets last night were for 7:30. It wasn't until 7:55 that the commercials and trailers finally ended.
   2. Cosplay is okay. But thanks to the a-hole in Denver, expect bag checks, head coverings and fake weapons to be banned, and regular appearances of ushers checking the emergency exits.
   3. There was a rumor of a secret scene at the end of Episode VII. If you hate staying through credits, go ahead and leave, there isn't anything waiting for you at the end of the movie except your car.
   4. Check your theatre for problems. I heard that one screening in Cary, NC was cancelled because their copy of the film was damaged. There were lots of upset folks last night.

   So there you have it. I hope you'll go out and see Star Wars this weekend. There are some many showings, you shouldn't have any troubles getting to see the Force Awakens. Was it a perfect movie? No, but even A New Hope had it's flaws. There were 2 moments that upset me and only 1 of which really pissed me off. Episode VII was a journey back to the Star Wars universe and JJ Abrams was the right man to do it. I hate that he's not directing the next 2 films. With lots of easter eggs, tributes, and original trilogy thrills, this is the next chapter of the House of Skywalker that we waited 32 long years for.

   The Force is strong with this one...

    Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

   

What's Missing from the Force Awakens Trailer? A Theory About Episode VII...

  

I must confess, I didn't stay up to watch the Star Wars trailer last night during Monday Night Football. But when I got home today, I immediately went online and viewed it. As much as I enjoyed it, I was struck by a nagging feeling that I couldn't put my finger on- until now... Where is Luke Skywalker?

   This is the third trailer I have seen for Episode VII. Except for his voice, the character played by Mark Hamill doesn't appear in any of them.

    Then I kept coming back to Han Solo saying that everything you here about the Jedi is true. Consider how big a skeptic in the Force Han was in the original trilogy, what would cause him to change his tune? That's when something else finally came to the forefront of my mind about why these trailers bother me- where are all the Jedi?

   You would think 30 years after the fall of the Empire that Luke would have created an impressive collection of Jedi Knights. But the only character that brandishes a lightsaber with any confidence is the Sith character of Kylo Ren. (At this point you might be yelling at my post saying " What about Finn? Don't worry, I'm coming to him.)

    Anyway, the whole thought of lightsabers got me thinking about another new character named Poe Dameron. This guy is an X-wing pilot tasked with retrieving the weapon Luke had lost, along with his arm, in his battle with Darth Vader on Bespin in Episode V. It's been 35 years since that happened, so why would Princess Leia wait until now to make someone other than Luke fetch it unless....
( this next sentence is A) speculation, not a spoiler and B) likely to make you mad. So, you've been warned.)

... Luke Skywalker is dead.

    Think about it, We've not seen Luke in any of the trailers, there's no army of Jedi, just this mysterious Sith character, Han waxes poetic about the Jedi, and when someone finally wields Luke's old lightsaber, it's the controversial character of Finn. So here's my theory:

   Luke tried to train the next generation of Jedi, but like with Obi-Wan, his apprentice became seduced by the Dark Side, became Kylo Ren, and killed Luke. Thus no further Jedi Knights.

   The movie is titled 'The Force Awakens.' If Luke was around, wouldn't it already be up? What if the character of Finn, played by John Boyega isn't a Skywalker but the new New Hope? Thus, the Force Awakens when Leia, who has some Force abilities, sees potential in this reformed stormtrooper. His teacher? Why, the ghost of Luke Skywalker! In a twist to the original trilogy, the ghost has become the master. Since revealing Luke to be a spectre would be a major spoiler- that is why Hamill has yet to appear in any of the trailers  (He's not even on the official movie poster!!! See above right...)

   Addendum: Luke might be alive but in typical Skywalker fashion, he has turned to the Dark Side of the Force. It's possible that we've seen Luke in all three trailers, it's just we've not seen his face. This actually makes a little bit of sense as in the most recent trailer, the Sith Lord, Ren seems to be in possession of the skull of Darth Vader. But how did he get it if Luke had his father's body at the end of Return of the Jedi? That's because Luke betrayed the New Republic, became a Sith lord named Kylo Ren and joined/ started the First Order. (Yes- I know that Ren is played by Adam Driver, but maybe that's only when the character is wearing his mask! Unmasked, Ren is played by Mark Hamill. It's happened before with Vader being played by two different actors in Episode VI!)

    So that's my theory. What do you think? I know it sounds wild. But if you find that my post was blocked by Disney, then I was on to something...